[System]
Race: Vorcha

Sex:Male

Age: Five.

Class: Solder, Security Officer/Marine.

Appearance:

Slightly smaller then the average Vorcha, Duuka seems to lack much of the bodily 'improvements' that come from the vorcha's biology, suggesting that he was born somewhere that is much less hostile than Heshtok. While his skin is a pale white, Duuka is really seen without a blue and purple kind of war paint on his face, done up in a poor pattern of some kind; Those with the eye for it might recognize it as a pattern and color scheme akin to something that the quarians use for their suits, through poorly done. His eyes are a deep red color.

Background:
Born in a dark corner of the space station of Omega, Duuka was just one of many young mouths that needed to be fed in an environment that didn't provide food to do so. Despite being newly born, he fought with his newly born siblings over what scraps that was available, giving as good as he got and avoiding a painful death at the teeth of those that would remove some of the computation while making more food to go around at the same time.

He had been big and strong enough to walk (IE: A toddler) when the vorcha hunters swept through their corner of Omega to thin out their numbers; Duuka himself bolted from his attackers rather then trying to put up a fight, surviving his siblings and mother who had either believed that they could charge the solders with weapons or were simply less lucky when it came to running away.

Duuka would have no doubt died on his own if it wasn't for a quarian girl on pilgrimage that Duuka would call 'Si', due to being unable to pronounce the rest of her name when he was younger and turning it into a pet name for her once he could. Si had been rather down on her luck as far as her pilgrimage had been going, but seeing the young vorcha on his own having just escaped what was quite clearly a hunting party caused her to take pity on the small child and take him in to try and look after him.

While life was still hard for the both of them, for Duuka his time with Si was broader line heaven; He was under the care of someone who actually cared about his well being and he didn't have to fight with his siblings for scraps of food. Si even taught him how to read! During the night cycles, Si would tell him tales of her homeship and about what it meant to be a quarian.

As the years passed and Duuka grew big and strong enough to look after himself, he talked to his adoptive mother about going out on his own to find a job to help her continue her pilgrimage after taking so many years off of it to look after him; A pilgrimage of his own as he called it. As a gift to aid him on his pilgrimage, Si managed to give Duuka a Terminator I assault rifle; It was somewhat old and used, but the Batarian made assault rifle was still an impressive gift that Si refused to tell Duuka how she managed to get.

With a promise to remain in touch, Duuka went out into the galaxy with a wanted ad for a new bounty hunting group that was a forming in mind. He was going to do his best to make Si proud... Unfortunately this required him to get off station but this wasn't as difficult as it might have been for some; With Si's help, he found a ship that was heading for Ilium and slipped on-board via the cargo bay when no one was looking.

The food rations that he took with him for the trip didn't last the whole way despite his attempts to ration it out, but having grown up on Omega he was used to going periods of time without a lot of food. Arriving at Ilium was an...interesting experience. Open sky and natural sunlight were new and somewhat painful things to encounter for the first time; The first time his eyes encountered daylight it felt as if they would burn out of their sockets. Still, he was a vorcha who had been adopted by a quarian and thus could adept and endure anything.

Now all he had to do was find the meeting sight at the right time...

Equipment:
Terminator I Assault Rifle.
Junk 'Armor' (It's not so much armor as it is random junk clothing that covers his modesty and allows him to move freely).

Powers:
-Concussive Shot
-Cryo Ammo
-Disruptor Ammo
-Incendiary Ammo

Font Colour:
Orange.

[User]
"You sure did." kasyra replied glibly to the krogans statement. It was ironic, she thought, that he would say that, given that she did not really expect to survive her long term plans. "I might help fix up this wreck when we have a few parts to do it with, but don't expect me to volunteer for chief mechanic or engineer duty. Just because I'm a Quarian doesn't mean I like being neck deep in ship guts, or that I'm a technical miracle worker."

Kasyra certainly found that particular species stereotype frustrating. While basic engineering was taught to all Quarians, it was just that - basic engineering. Many of them, especially slightly older Quarians such as herself, had entirely different specialisations. She could maintain the ship to an extent, but that was it.

She was about to comment on the matter of food after an Asari mentioned how fish would not go well for her, when the human she had earlier pegged as the self declared head cook began speaking. Though he didn't explicitly state it, the way he spoke was all the statement needed. This man was definitely going to be the head cook. Kasyra did not particularly like that idea. Sure he was welcome to feed everyone else, but no way was she going to eat anything made by someone she did not know, much less a Levo cook.

It wasn't that she worried that he would intentionally poison her, so much as she had rarely met an alien that would properly account for Quarian needs. That, and she had no faith in the ability of a Levo to properly manage Dextro flavors. How could he if he could not taste it himself without puking his guts out for a month? And that was a best case scenario.

"You needn't worry about me mister master chef man." She began glibly, her tone making it clear that she didn't think much of his sudden desire to take over all aspects of the kitchen. "I'll make my own food. I'll also be buying a purifier out of my own pocket so this kitchen doesn't kill me" Had any of the Turians been around, she would've offered to cook for them too. As long as they put funds towards the ingredients of course. She wasn't running a charity.

With that, she turned and walked out of the kitchen. She didn't feel like arguing with the cook right now, he would inevitably protest and claim he was capable of feeding a Quarian. She simply didn't believe and preferred not to offend the man so early in their association. She headed to the quarters to find a spot to sleep. She didn't have any gear or other belongings beyond what she carried, so she would have to resort to leaving a note of some form marking out which bunk was hers. It did make her an easy roommate though. No mess to work around. Once she picked out a spot, she would busy herself checking her gear and resting until they reached Omega.

[Assistant]
The human ate quickly once her food was ready. She watched the room quietly then nodded to the chef when he assured her that he wouldn't use her rations. Satisfied, she finished her piping hot food within a few more bites then threw away the empty packaging. "Thanks."

She headed back to the med bay and remained there to read up on more advanced medical practices. Once the ship was docked in Omega, the young woman dressed in her armor and set her M-7 Lancer on the mag plate on her back. She checked the seals on her arms, legs, and boots then settled her helmet over her head. When the visor came alive, she looked over her levels and static buildup.

Alex walked out of the med bay and headed for the hangar. She nearly conked her head on a doorway, and grumbled to herself when she had to lean down a little further. She idly removed her gauntlet and ran a hand over a side of the ship, which caused a rather large static charge to jump off of her. Satisfied with her pre-space ritual, she replaced the gauntlet and leaned against another walk while she awaited their leader for this little school trip.


[System]
☆Mikoto☆

---

"A travelling maiden collecting the world's strangest curiosities"

---
Age
16
Gender
Female
Race
Human
Height
151 cm
Weight
43 kg
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Aliases/Titles
The Peddler Witch

---

Appearance
-

Personality
Mikoto is an interesting individual who always keeps two things on sight, profit and entertainment. It could be said that she lives for these two things, though she is somewhat of a mellow individual and would never put her priorities over someone else's well being.

Background
Mikoto claims to be the daughter of a peddler from Rexicorg and an ancient deity of the North lands, though this is obviously a bold faced lie. Is it, right?

What's known for sure is that the girl was born on the winding tunnels of Rexicorg and as soon as she was able to walk, she began travelling the world with her mentor, learning both the art of the trade and the path of trickery.

Nowadays, Mikoto roams the land alone, with her traveling pack full of all sorts of uncommon goods, in search for what opportunities lie beyond the next hill.

Powers
Mikoto wasn't born with any kind of special power or even the ability to control magic. She could be considered a perfectly normal, even puny, girl, given the fact that she's rather short and probably would not be able to hold herself in a fist fight.

However, during her travels, Mikoto has accumulated quite a bit of tricks up her sleeve. From magical talismans, and smoke bombs, to pepper bags and rope traps, Mikoto has it all and much more, so finding a situation were she's not prepared is about as hard as finding a diamond on the roadside.

Skills

Skills are what Mikoto lives for. If you give a problem for her and enought time to think, she'll most likely come up with a solution, or at least some other completely new questions.

Weapons

Then again, Mikoto carries around an inumerable amount of things that could be considered weapons, but if you asked her, she would say that her broom is the only one that she trully considers as such. Mikoto got it from a witch in exchange for what might as well be a lifetime's worth apple cider that she bought from a ruined brewer who wanted to become a musician after his brewery was destroyed by zombie termites.

Mikot has been fiddling with the broom for as much time as she had it an ever since, it has become a multipurpose weapon/tool that Mikoto can empoy for things that go from flying to fighting, to well... sweeping the floor.

Equipment
Just like above, Mikoto carries too much things with her, so a better question may be "What she does not have?", though for Mikoto the answer is simple. She doesn't have what you have, but it's only for as ong as it takes for her to make a deal with you for it.

Other
"Theme Song"

[User]
As the young girl began frolicking through the woods of Rivenwood, Astraea was not far away from the creek that she was skipping at, he had a small camp set up in the forest, and it didn't bother him being out in the wilderness alone and with only his horse the androgynous looking boy was crouched down next to the stream wearing a set of comfordable clothes instead of his usual armor, and didn't have his weapon on his person, it was on the horse's sattel nearby.

Astraea had a small pale filled with water and a brush, he was just cleaning his horse as he heard the humming of a girl, followed by the person that the sound was emanating from, he took a moment from his scrubbing to watch the girl skip by on some stones in the sea and got a look at the girl's eye socket and the odd white bunny she held tightly in one hand, Astraea thought the girl looked stark odd and borderline crazy by the way she looked and by the way she was acting.

Most people here in the woods would be on their guard or at least cautious of everything around then, this girl on the other hand looked like she was just having a carefree skip through the streets of her village, town, or city, Astraea hoped that nothing would happen to her as his horse whinnied and shook their head, Astraea grabbed the brush and went back to scrubbing his horse clean with the brush, keeping the girl in the corner of his eye.

[Assistant]
♪Lalala... the boy I love is so far away... lalala♪ A girl holding a broom over her shoulders and carrying a heavy looking case on her back, walked by the packed earth road humming a song quite happily. And what was not to be happy with on her opinion? The sun was warm, the breeze was cool and the ground was firm. Business sure was going to be good, that she knew. Now, the only thing that she needed was...

"A customer, no, two! That must be my lucky day." The girl almost squealed when she noticed the two persons by the roadside. One, looked like a travelling lady knight and the others was a bit... odd, since she was a small girl holding a toy bunny and skipping over some rocks. Nevertheless, if Mikoto would let details such as these bother her she couldn't call herself a trader.

Thus, she approached them and once she was close enough to be heard, she called "Good morning, ladies! That must be your luckiest day out here, for I, Kanzaki Mikoto -peddler extraordinary- have arrived with all that you may need. From potions and magic talismans, to food and even underwear, I have it all, so please, don't be shy." Mikoto said, with an ear to ear grin stamped on her face, as she dropped the heavy box on the grass covered and unlocked it to show that her boast wasn't in vain.

Far away from there, another meeting was about to take place...

Mountain Village of Orello

After about a week of solitary trekking through the mountains, Aria had finally reached civilization again. The mountain range which she was walking through right now, rises from the edges of Rivenwood and is the source of most of the water that gives the ancient forest it's life. Thus it was no surprise that the villages that exist on it would prosper from it.

Orello in particular was known as a brewer village for ages, and it's malt liquor and beer are known through all of the Imperium. It's said that even some of the Imperial Army commanders appreciate it, so tends to have an unusually high concentration of soldiers, despite being an isolate countryside comunity. Not that the troops who get stationed here have much to complain, of course, specially since this is a place used to drop the greenhorns for a few months of rough physical training, before sending them to more dangerous battlefronts.

Anyway, the white knight walked into the settlement unfazed, since she longed for a hot meal and someplace to rest, after spending so much time alone in the wilderness. Soon enough, she found a tavern named "The Dancing Sheep", a simple two story building that doubled as an inn as is usually the case with these small villages. As soon as she pushed the heavy wooden door open, Aria was showered with the marvelous smell of roasted lamb and beer sauce, as well as a hearthy music, played by a few bards.

"I guess this is as good a resting place as I could ever hope for" Aria though as she found a table to sit and called a tavern girl.

[User]
Melissa giggled to herself as she spotted the girl in armor from the corner of her eye. Well then, here was a fresh new recruit for her to convert unto the Holy Word! Why, the gods must have looked down upon her fate ever so kindly. With a little more bounce in her step, she changed directions and began to head towards the female knight person while clenching her stuffed bunny tighter to her body.

She was a good few feet away from the girl knight and her horse when a new voice made itself known. Tilting her head, she followed the sound and turned to see a rather eccentric looking girl who looked more like a traveling magician than a merchant. Melissa listened to the self-proclaimed speech carefully before grinning widely at the one called Mikoto.

Without further ado, she walked up to the taller girl with no regard to personal space. Her single seen eye widened just a bit before she leaned in forward on her tip-toes. The bunny, Miranda, was held close to her chest as she crossed both arms together.

"Mikoto is a funny name. Does that make you a funny person? That's a lot of stuff you have there miss. Is it funny stuff? Hey, hey, do you wanna meet God? Can I take your eyes? I really like your eyes Miss Mikoto. Are you from around here? Your name doesn't sound like you're from around here."

The girl continued on with her questions with no signs of stopping soon. Some of them were simply enough while others were a little more disturbing to digest. Specifically, Melissa kept asking if the other girl could spare a body part or two. But while one fated encounter was taking place, another one was occurring nearby. Further into Rivenwood was the village of Orello.

A small place, like much of Rivenwood's towns, but one that held particular favor to the fresh soldiers of the Imperium. One such soldier strolled along the dirt pathways with a smile to his face, confident that today would be a good day to train. Ah, but first, a stop at "The Dancing Sheep" was in order.

Sedril may have only been here for only a few weeks, but he was already liking his life as one of the Imperium Guard. Stepping inside the tavern, the boy took a whiff of the smell of fresh meat before being led towards a seat. He noticed a pretty girl with pure white hair sitting across from him and immediately cast his gaze away nervously.

"Yeah, that figures," he mumbled to himself as he waited for a server. "Way out of my league. Here's hoping she didn't catch me staring…."

[Assistant]
Things only seemed to get stranger and stranger, the first girl with the open hole in her head had turned around and came back just as another girl arrived with a broom claiming to be a peddler and called Astraea a lady, before he could make an attempt to correct her on what she said, the woman made an introduction and told them her name, which to the both of them sounded odd, Astraea could tell the one eyed girl thought Kanzaki's name was odd when she said it sounded funny.

" Um, well actually I'm not a lady, I'm a guy really." He told the two women." And I don't really need any of your things or trinkets or whatever it is you are selling, I suggest you use that broom for what it is used for and make money that way, Kaz." Astraea told Kanzaki. Astraea grabbed his pale and threw the brush inside of it, this moment right now was pretty strange, these girls just popping up in the woods right where he was camped, if he was paranoid he would think it was a trap or something.

" If neither of you don't mind answering, Why are you two out here in the middle of the woods ? It's just people don't usually travel around the woods too much really and the area I'm camped at now doesn't get a lot of people, so if you don't mind me asking what are you two doing out here ?"


[System]
-Image- He's grown a beard recently (he only shaved it during his service because someone said it'd make him look like Lincoln). still wear's the hat.

Present

Personal Quote: "Jaysus, Mary 'n Joseph; Oy need a drink.."
Gender: Man

Race: Irish (at this point in history "White" did not include the Irish, among other groups)

Nationality: Irish-American (Immigrant)

Age: 48

Occupation: Formerly a Union soldier in The Irish Brigade, currently unemployed and looking for something to do with himself.

Family: Only son of a family he'd lost to famine back in Ireland.

Horse: Gunpowder (he quickly became a fan of Washington Irving when he came to America)

Possessions: Plain clothes, still keeps his old uniform, and field equipment (including his rifle, which he carries openly). Also packed a few changes of clothes, and a handful of money he managed to save from his military service. Keeps a flask with the imprint of his family's/clan's heraldry.

Skills: Colm and the 88th New York Regiment had seem some combat, and though he never saw recognition for his service, he prided himself on his ferocity in combat. He's a quick reload with rifle, and wields it effectively as a blunt weapon as well. He's even attempted (still working on) effective reloading *while* engaged in combat, such as delivering a kick or a shoulder-check. The repeater rifles do have a certain, appeal, though... He's got some limited farming skills, and is likely to establish a homestead in the near future. Knows old Irish folklore. Speaks Gaelic and English.

Personality: Colm is a grumpy sort, a bit disgruntled and disturbed by his experiences in the Union Army (his feelings about the whole conflict were complicated, but he was eager to prove himself a good American at the time). He can have a quick temper, and has begun drinking more than he should (being Irish, many don't claim to notice a difference). He tries to assume the best in others, and is quick to defend individuals he feels are being mistreated.

Likes/Dislikes: Good whiskey, venison, cards and pub games, is becoming fascinated with Indigenous culture.

Backstory (optional): Colm Lost his family when he was still in Ireland; between sickness, and famine, his Father ordered him to flee to America while he still could. It was that, or see the family line end with him. He was eager to earn good money and prove his place as an American, and was quickly taken in by Army Recruiters. Over time, his position in the Union Army created a rift between himself and the New York Irish, effectively isolating him psychologically. He was part of the army efforts to quell the New York Draft Riots, and it more or less broke him. He turned in a mediocre performance leading up to the end of his term of service, only stepping up where he might die, otherwise, and took to drinking to cope. None the less, he went on to serve in some of the Indian Wars, as well. It was during that ending chapter of his military service that he really lost his taste for soldiering; even began looking at his "fellow Americans" the way he and his family used to look at the English, for how they treated the people under their boots (General Sherman, in particular, was what he charmingly referred to as a "Roight *mean* old bastard"). Eventually he quit the army, and headed west. He kept his rifle and uniform, however, still, in someway, proud to say he "fought the good fight" (even if expressing this meant picking a fight with former confederates, and other Irish). He'd heard rumors (to which he didn't pay close enough attention) of the state of things in Longwater, was reminded, in an odd sort of way, of Ireland, and is eager to establish roots away from the States.

[User]
Colm hesitated to respond to the young woman that addressed him. He was trying to make arrangements for temporary lodging, and was of a mind to reprimand her for interrupting a conversation between men. Her attention quickly came to focus on a rather green looking young man, though, so, he had a glass of whiskey and let it go.

Seemed to be a rather young crowd, so far. He smiled to himself as he wondered how many of them even knew how to play cards, let alone what to do with a saloon girl.

He muttered to himself, "Ní raibh mé ag iarraidh labhairt leat, ar aon nós."

After he finished settling his bill for the five shots he had, and opened a tab for his room, he put his belongings into his room, and locked the door. Colm raised his eyebrows, and grinned as he heard what had to be the local clergy outside. "Well, now, that's a man o' the cloth, if e'er oi heard one!" He walked out the door, rifle still slung on his shoulder, "Come on, now, Father! Oi don't think you're bein' entoirly fair! After all, everyone knows The Lord invented whiskey to stop the oirish from conquerin' the world!" He took a step down to stand level with the man, "The way oi see it, than, oim not engagin' in degeneracy, good sir; oim keepin' the peace, an' doin' The Lord's will!" He smiled wide as he held out his hand to shake.

He was intrigued by the talk of devilry, but he was also building a good buzz as the whiskey settled, so he was more inclined to mischief than investigation at the moment.

[Assistant]
Father stone appraised the drunk Irishman who stood before him. The man smelled awful and appeared to be uneasy on his feet as the man offered the preacher a shaky hand.

"My son," Stone began, even though the other man was clearly much older than him. "Drinking to excess is a sin, and much more so in broad daylight." The preacher turned to the tall man in a duster with a smile. Finally, he found someone who cared for their own soul.

"The cemetery is defiled. The bodies of our flock have gone missing." he said. "The sheriff is investigating, but what can a man do against the devil?"
-------
Josh kneeled at one of the graves, examining the freshly dug hole. The grave maker was still intact, indicating that this grave had belonged to Bill Hatfield. Bill had been dead for about six years now, having been hung by the previous sheriff for murder and larceny.

When the voice of young Christina Emerson sounded from behind him, Deputy had already sauntered over to her. The perceptive dog could tell she was upset, and tried to nuzzle her hand and whine for attention.

Josh didn't know Christina that well, only having done some business with her competitor, Doctor Baum. But she deserved to know what was going on.

"I don't know, kid. None of this makes sense. Some of these bodies are decades old. Why on earth would someone go through the trouble of digging up some old bones? And how could they have done it without anyone noticing?"

[User]
Kira remained in the saloon, sighing softly as she drank shot after shot until she consumed enough to put her down for a while. She devoured alcohol like her life depended on it, soon her voice and the words she spoke were slurred. She gazed into the man's eyes that she was speaking to. She wanted to be numb of any and all emotions, not wanting to feel anything but truly emotionless. She was highly upset earlier in the day because of hearing news of her loverr's untimely passing, he sadly suffered because of a severe illness and was not able to recover, perishing days later but atleast he was not in suffering anymore. He was put to rest a day ago and she attended his funeral but right now all she wanted to do was unwind and become less intense. She stayed where she was sitting, soon feeling beyond the gates of what was human feelings.

She sighed blissfully, feeling as if she was in her own slice of heaven. She waited for the man to speak of his testimony of what his name was. She was unaware that outside the walls of the saloon the presence of her beloved's remains were disturbed from their eternal rest. She would have probably freaked out if that happened so it was probably best that she was not in the cemetary anyway. She ordered a single sandwich and some soup and began to nibble upon it and sipped the soup, not exactly knowing why but she was hungering for it to fill her empty insides. What she was not aware of was that she may have been with child and she would soon learn that she she was. It would be something she would hold close to her heart as the only thing left of her human lover.

She soon was finished with it, picking up a napkin and gently tapping her lips with it as to not smudge her ruby red lipstick with it. She sighed once more in delight, feeling as if she could conquer the world now that she was buzzed and filled with a plentiful meal of meat and vegetables that were nestled between the the pieces of soft wheat bread. Life was so much like sipping a fine bottle of wine and right now she wanted to remain numb like this without a single care in the world.

She silently prayed in her mind that she would be able to see her father one day, but not anytime soon. She closed her eyes, sending the mental prayer to a god who would probably not receive her. She may have been a vampire but she still believed in God and found herself praying to him in times of doubt and uncertainty. She was not a monster like many thought of her bloodline and species were like. She may have fed on humans but that was just to survive. She still had a heart and she still had feelings and emotions like humans had.

[Assistant]
Location: Saloon | Interation: @Silentfeather

 "Kira, huh?" Jack turned direction and leaned his back leisurely upon the bar, using his elbows to casually prop himself up. He took in the scenery and watched the patrons, picking up little observations here and there. With his gaze distant, he continued, "Well you must be really proud for $200." Despite some effort, he couldn't hide his smirk from forming before he finally gave Kira his full attention once more. "Jack," he stated simply, finally answering the woman's question. He touched the front rim of his black hat with the tip of his index finger before giving it a tug in tandem with a shallow nod, an informal 'how do ya do'.

 The words of the frantic priest outside broke through the static of the bar sounds around him. Jack's eyebrow raised at the talk of The Devil walking among them. A vision of him sitting opposite a red, horned and bearded individual, both with cards in their hands and a mountain of chips stacked up between them, had briefly entered his mind. Curiosity and excitement sent impulses to the roots of Jack's arm hairs, causing a chill. Wouldn't that be the game of a lifetime, he thought.

 "If only it were so," he finally said aloud to his new female associate. "The Devil among us..." He gave a cheesy grin before turning back toward the bar itself. With a silent gesture, he called the keep over for another round before slamming it down. The alcohol was doing its job; a welcome buzz fell over Jack's body. It was the state of mind that he called home, where he was his happiest. "Well, I find myself divided, Miss Kira. Half of me wants to see what sort of entertainment that barker outside could provide. The other half wants to get to work on rebuilding my bankroll." His eyes squinted as his crooked smile grew. "Though, I suppose the true suckers don't come out until nightfall," he stated, nodding toward an underpopulated card table.

[User]
Achille shook his head in a mix of slight amusement and disappointment towards the drunk Irishman. Despite his status back at home, Achille never found much joy in alcohol despite it's popularity even in the big cities. Ironically his experience with alcohol normally involved him having to 'take care of' certain individuals whose drunken words tended to wrong those he was affiliated with. Turning back towards the preacher, Achille debated Father Stone's words. In all of his travels this would be a first... an entire cemetery plus the local flock having been tampered with? Surely the one responsible possessed extraordinary abilities... and the sheriff would likely be looking for help. How fitting that upon his arrival, he would stumble into another delay in his hunt for the renegade. No matter.

"Sometimes Father, the Lord sends those capable of dealing justice." Achille stated, his voice strong with conviction as he drew the revolver on his right hip. In a quick display, Achille twirled the orate weapon skillfully around his trigger fury before returning the weapon back to it's decorated hoister. It was a brief display, an irrelevant gun trick to many but if it could convince the preacher of his skill, it was worth the little show. "If you know anything else, I'm open ears. I'm willing to assist the sheriff in any way I can when he returns." Achille looked back towards the drunk, even in his guarded appearance you can still feel the weight of his eyes.

"After all. Someone has too. Not all of are in the right of state of mind."

[Assistant]
He raised his eyebrows at the mention of mass grave robbing. "Jaysus, Mary 'n Joseph..." He crossed himself, even if only out of habit. Perhaps, also, the Father's criticism stung a bit...

He stroked his chin as he listened to them speak (and resisted the urge to snap at the stranger's looks of disapproval), leaning on a pole as they went on. When he'd finished, though, he'd had quite enough of the strangers scorn.

He straightened himself up, "Now listen 'ere, lad, oi don't wear this 'ere hat, and carry this 'ere roifle as a fashion statement. If'n you're disencloined to loike me, foine than, an' do well to leave me alone." He went over, untied his horse, and mounted as he finished. "And as for what oim capable?" He gave a conspicuous look up and down this person, "Oi'd reckon oi've been about, doin' deeds before you were but a gleem in yer Da's oyes, and seen things that'd droive a man to his knees in prayer... You don' tell me of what a man is capable." He gave a nod to the clergyman, "Sunday, than? Good day, Father."

And with that, he urged Gunpowder to move in the direction of the sheriff's station. It wasn't his intention to go looking for trouble, but than again, he probably should have thought of that before running off to a town said to be home of spooky things going on. Perhaps it was divine providence, than, he came to a town such as this, when they might be in need of men who knew how to fight in an organized fashion?


[System]
Age: 15

Gender: M

Hobbies:
- Drawing, painting, photography
- Hiking and long walks
- Taking care of his pet lizard (a male grey-coloured blue-tongued skink, named Sora)
- Playing video games

Pet Peeves:
- Team sports
- Crowds (being squished between all the people)
- Having to repeat himself
- People bugging him (e.g. being told something more than once when it's unnecessary)

Base Power: Telekinesis. At its basic level, Akio can levitate and manipulate small and light objects within his line of sight using his mind (though gestures can help him visualize what he wants to do more easily). He isn't sure, but his powers are probably connected with the fact that one set of his grand-grandparents owned and managed a small temple.

History: Middle school was probably the time Akio truly realized how different he was from the other children. Even though his parents and some teachers noticed even earlier that he had an "overactive imagination," it didn't trouble him personally until he made the mistake of mentioning it too many times to his school-mates. They first thought he was just playing around, but eventually either accused him of being a liar or simply got annoyed with him. As such, Akio delved rather strongly into several solitary activities.

He got into video games initially just to blend in with others a bit more, which at least prevented him from being a complete loner. His parents tried their all to be as supportive as they could, but Akio knew they worried the more the older he was. Eventually, he simply learned to say that fantasy really interested him, and his mum and dad were both relieved once he convinced them he didn't believe those things to be real anymore. His dad took him hiking on the rare occasions he had the time to do so, and his mam helped him take care of Sora when he first got him for his 12th birthday, showing him how to prepare the lizard's food and the like. Akio basically got whatever games and other material possessions he wanted, because his parents believed that was much healthier than him going around trying to convince people spirits were real.

His parents even took him once to a particular temple once, and he learned that it once belonged to their family, though someone else obtained it some decades ago. That visit started Akio's photo album dedicated solely to temples and shrines, though his attempts to capture a spirit on film have been in vain. He does still secretly keep a sketch-book for depicting the occasional spirit he sees, but he has also drawn and painted several that he only found about on the internet. His efforts to adapt to society's expectation has gained him the select few friends in school, though he's still more of a quiet and solitary boy.

Supernatural History: He was very, very young, somewhere at the start of elementary school perhaps, and he had wandered into a forest, getting a bit lost as he curiously went from tree to tree to explore. On the way, he met a very pretty lady standing by a tree and he wanted to ask her the way out. He was almost dazzled by how beautiful she was, but thankfully managed to catch the creepy factor to the scene in time. An incredibly tiny arm, red as if from blood, slowly began descending from the tree and made grabbing motions at him. The lady tried to distract him, but Akio wrenched his gaze away, turned in the other direction and ran. He ran, and ran, eventually making it out of the forest and home. He still remembers that one tree and had avoided that one forest for years, only a year or so ago managing to overcome his fear enough to give it another visit. Even though he had been young and terrified back then, he had indeed drawn about the event. Naturally, his parents weren't overjoyed when he showed them the picture and half in excitement half in fear tried telling them all about the pretty lady who almost got him murdered. This was one of the major events that made him somewhat more cautious about what to tell whom.

[User]
Saito Ryuuji

Yume Park wasn't a particularly bustling location. It was popular among joggers, or people looking for romantic walks alone; people went there for the peace, quiet, and natural serenity that the place offered. The entrance of the park had a fountain and a few benches, but the majority was comprised of paths leading into the woods. The paths were occasionally adorned with lucky statues or bits of flowers, but for the most part, nature was given free reign.

Saito arrived at the park, bag slung over his shoulder, newspaper folded beneath his arm, and smiled when he saw that two club members had already arrived. Their flame manipulator, Nova, was reading a book, presumably waiting for everyone else to arrive, but Saito was particularly happy to see Akio practicing his telekinesis. The boy was concentrating very hard on his task, so much so that he didn't seem to notice Saito walking up to him. Saito was about to chastise him for losing his sense of awareness, but then he saw the task he was working on. The intricate knots, the fine control... it was exactly the kind of training newbies hated doing, and yet here he was doing such a strenuous task of his own accord.

Saito watched Akio practice for a few more minutes before finally speaking up. "You're doing good," he said in a soft voice, hoping not to startle the boy. "I know it doesn't seem like much right now, but refined control like that is the foundation of real power." He smiled and gave Akio a pat on the back. "Stay diligent and you may even save the world one day." He laughed and started heading over to the bench to wait for the others. Akio seemed like a shy kid, so he didn't wanna disturb him too much.

Ayame Masahiro

Ayame listened to Sora's explanation and then shook her head. Things were a bit different for me. Apparently I don't have yokai blood or anything like that. I've just got one inside me... or something. I'm still not completely sure how possession works. But, the weird things didn't start until I met this dying fox. I started having strange dreams and seeing things out of the corner of my eye. I felt like the people around me knew what was going on more than I did. People would just avoid me, but now I guess it was really the fox that they were scared of. I guess it's kind of a relief." It felt strange talking so openly about these things. If she told anyone else, they would just look at her like she was crazy, but apparently people like Sora thought everyone else was crazy for not believing.

Ayame then looked over at Alice who seemed to be following them blindly as she didn't know where the park was. "I know where it is. My mom made me practically memorize the city map before I walked to school. She didn't want me getting lost. You can follow me." And so, Ayame led the others to Yume park, a smile forming on her lips as the four of them slowly became friends. When they finally got there, it seemed they were not the first to arrive. Two of the club members, as well as the president, were already there.

[Assistant]
As everyone was gathering at the park Akira decided to make his entrance, the Akira way a.k.a the most over the top fashion possible. "Watch the hell out ya bastards, I seem to be doing a lot of falling today!" From the air was the delinquent riding a beat up old metal sign that seemed to have ripped out from it's base and was currently being used as a snowboard.

Akira and his board flew over head as he crashed into the grass and stuck the landing as piece of the ground flew around him. "Oh, I'm here." Arika states in a matter of fact tone before walking over to a red colored vending machine and took the time to contemplate what to get from the machine, though he didn't seem to give much of a glance towards conventional drinks, before slamming down on one of the oval buttons right under "Pancake Drink."

Akira took the orange and white beverage and popped it open, taking a sip before walking back to the hunter's club and squatting down like the punk he was. "What's up? Oh, and nice cradle, psychic man. Akira asked the group, having no intentions to explain his over the top entrance or even acknowledge it. Though it would seem that his list of nicknames increased.

[User]
---

"Haaa, so tired." Flopping down onto her bed, Suzue hugged the pillow and yawned tiredly. Getting home was easy. Dealing with her siblings were not. She had to deal with Seiko who was being bullied by Keiko. The twins never seemed to get along so she was always being mediator. One of her younger brothers had failed one of their school exams and she had to scold him a little. Another got into trouble for fighting at school. Not to mention she had to immediately cook for them when she got home. All in all, it was a tiring day, and it wasn't even over yet. She had to go to the Park for that Club. Honestly, she just wanted to not go. Curl up, put on some american metal and just watch people beat the snot out of each other on a sports channel.

Ah, why couldn't she have someone doting on her like she doted on her siblings?

Rolling over and sitting up, she walked over to her closet. Well, might as well get dressed, but what should she wear? Dress? Her Leather jacket and jeans? Hmm, no, don't want to shock her club mates too soon. Something simple, yet elegant. Hmm...a light blue blouse with some boots and a skirt should be fine. Quickly tossing off her clothes, she began to get dressed when she noticed she had someone watching her from her doorway.

"...Hmm, watching people get dressed is a bad habit, Keiko." Suzue smiled, turning her head in the direction of the door.

"Ah..." Being discovered, she poked her head fully through the door. "Sis is getting dressed! You goin' out?"

"Yes," Suzue replied, pulling on her blouse. "I'll probably be out late, so make sure your brothers and sisters behave, alright?"

"Where you goin?"

"Oh, just to the park. The club I mentioned is meeting there."

"...you got a boyfriend, didn't ya?"

"...huh? Whatever makes you think I got one of those?" While a nice thought, Suzue wasn't particularly interested in such a relationship.

"So you got a girlfriend then!?" Seiko seemed a little more upset at that thought than the previous one.

"What makes you think your sister even swings that way? Better yet, where did you even learn of such relationships. I don't need to go through your internet history, do I?" Suzue sighed, but the suggestion caused Keiko to visibly recoil. Keiko was going to start trouble again, wasn't she? Fufu, perhaps she could have her fun here as well. "...but if I did, you know what's going to happen right?" A smile crept across her face as she walked out the door to her room. "They'll take me from you, and you'll never see me again~" She gave Keiko a brief flick on the nose, causing the smaller kid do let out a cry of surprise and a brief yelp.

"W-what hey that's no fair! Suzue is my big sister!"

"Fufu, better hope I don't then, right?"

"I'm telling everyone else!" Before Suzue could stop her, Keiko ran off down the hallway "SUZUE'S GOT A BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND AND THEY'RE GONNA TAKE HER FROM US!" Laughing quietly, Suzue left her home and headed for the park. Hmm, maybe she should invite the club over for a study session or just hanging out later. Watching them play with her siblings would be indeed, quite fun.

---

Arriving at the park, it seemed like she was one of the last ones there this time. Understandable, since she had take quite some time to get ready in the first place. It seemed like a few were already practicing their abilities. Hm. She hadn't had much time to get better with her thread weaving since she had been so busy, but she should probably find some time to do that. More importantly, it seemed Akira had just made a rather dangerous and quite ridiculous entrance. Bag slung over her shoulder, she gave him a concerned frowned.

"Akira, that's dangerous. Please don't do something so foolish. You might hurt yourself." walking over to the president, she smiled. "Sorry for the lateness." Suzue apologized "My siblings were quite the handful...Keiko insisted I take her so she could 'protect me from this vicious individual who was obviously dating me'." Suzue laughed lightly, standing next to the sitting president.

[Assistant]
Involved in making his cat's cradle with the help of telekinesis, Akio felt his fingers starting to get sore – there were already red rope imprints running along all ten of them – due to the improper type of a rope he was using and was even aware of sweat beginning to accumulate on his forehead. He thought of making just three more shapes or so before quitting for the time being but was interrupted by a quiet masculine voice speaking up right next to him. Akio startled slightly and looked up at Saito in surprise. Oh, how could he have not noticed the teen standing right next to him? That- that was just so rude and…and extremely embarrassing. Thankfully, if quite unexpectedly, the president just complimented him. And encouraged him. "Oh. Oh, thank you. I'll keep that in mind," Akio replied in just as low of a tone as Saito had used.

Before he could begin disentangling his intricate rope creation still settled on his fingers, however, the blonde delinquent, Akira, once again made a memorable entrance. And once again, Akio gaped at him in horrified astonishment. But he could probably honestly say that at least this time, he clicked his mouth shut faster than on the previous similar occasion. The blonde decided to compliment him as well, and Akio blinked once, slowly, as he contemplated how unlikely it was that he had just been subjected to two subsequent interactions that he hadn't even imagine could or would happen. "Thank you, Akira," Akio replied nevertheless – politely, because he definitely didn't want to find himself on the bad side of this particular boy.

Akio then finally untangled the cat's cradle, stored the rope back into his bag, and rubbed his fingers to get the blood there back to circulating properly. He shouldered his bad, and went to hover besides Saito to wait for his instructions, standing at a polite distance both from the club president and the girl standing next to him. And gods, did he wish that he at least knew the brownie girl's name! The name of a person who was willing to share such treats freely was worth knowing, but unfortunately, he did not. He was just contemplating whether to simply ask or not, when he heard part of what she had said to Saito. "You have siblings?" Akio asked curiously, not having much (or any) experience interacting with younger children. "Ah, sorry," he smiled somewhat weakly at her, his mind insistently screaming at him that this was a good opportunity and that he shouldn't let it pass by. "I'm Akio, as you may already know. I'm afraid I hadn't caught your name earlier, however." He gave her what he hoped was a polite and earnest look, though he had the niggling suspicion that his neutral expression would, as it often did, come across as cold.


[System]
Race: Human

Sex: Female

Age: 17

Class/Job: Warrior (Upgrade to Paladin later if possible through Eludin's instruction)/ Lumber Mill Worker and Part-Time Hunter

Description: a tall, slender girl with muscled shoulders, waist-length golden hair, and dark brown eyes

Biography: Alice's whole life has been in and around Reisui. Her father was a guardsman who married one of the village women and the two were content to live there for many years with many children and great-grandchildren. Yet for some reason, Alice was their first and only after ten years of marriage. They were glad to have had Alice for six years, but were disappointed to not have given her any siblings. They were about to consult the wizard after the father got back from investigating a bandit report. But the men returned with the father's gear and reported how Alice's father was killed in an ambush, saving every other man and defeating that bandit gang for good.

The two were in shock for a while after, though Alice came to rally herself up enough to take care of things around the house while her mother just stayed in her daze. She came to recover some when Alice was eight though has never fully recovered. It came to Alice's shoulders then to provide a living for the two, working at the lumber mill, where she developed her strength. When food was running scarce, she made a longbow and arrows out of some of the wood scraps and branches from the lumber yard. It took her a couple of times, but she became quite proficient with the bow and was able to hunt enough food for herself and her mother and sell some of it to the Bloodmoon sisters for their inn (though she suspects they might just buy it to be charitable).

But Alice hated it that her mom was still so withdrawn. But she found a solution at last, and then with a heavy heart, helped an old boyfriend of her mom who still loved her win her back. They were married this last year, and though the sight hurts her, Alice is glad that her mother is happy again. She has kept working at the lumber mill and hunting though to support her family and to save some money of her own. Now that her mother is taken care of, Alice is starting to wish for a change of scenery, an adventure. She's tried to at least get adventure and revenge multiple times by trying to join townsmen groups going out to hunt bandits. But she's always refused since she's young and is only self-taught with her sword and shield. But she keeps trying anyway and even thinks of following the next group sent after bandits with or without an invitation.

Possessions:
Weapons- A steel longsword, a kite shield, used by her late father, and a longbow she carved herself from wood in the lumberyard

(except for a real belt around her waist for her quiver and sheath)
with this cape over it

and brown leather boots
Armour- A leather breastplate she acquired for hunting expeditions
Other- A small silver necklace that belonged to her mother with a oak-like tree on the pendent

Demeanor: Tough as nails yet not cynical, Alice has learned to survive with her grief while still holding on to the principles her parents taught her. Yet a spark in her wants revenge against the bandits who killed her father and another wants to go on an adventure away from this small town, see the world and do something to truly make him proud. Also, she has a fascination with the outside world and with weapons.

[User] Alice used the more direct approach, she charged forward towards the two closest orcs, wondering just how this stoneskin would affect her. As one orc charged towards prepared to ax bash her head, the huntress reflected again just how crazy this would have been if the orc group had been bigger. As the shield caught the blow and the village girl pirouetted underneath, slashing the orc's legs with her steel on the way, she reflected that she had proved herself crazy as well when she put her own hand on the satyr's shoulder and agreed to continue on this quest. And she was really being crazy now as she shoved the leg-slashed orc away with her shield arm and used her sword to temporarily deflect the other orc before being able to swing her shield at him. Then the blond realized something,"Where is the warg?"

[Assistant]
The last remaining warg was waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. Watching both women fight their chosen opponents. The warg would pace as he did this, waiting like a patient hunter. With all the fighting it did not want a orc accidentally hitting it with a axe or sword. For now it will wait, but even it was feeling a bit uneasy about this fight. One orc and its companion were down for the count. All that stood between life and death right now for it were four orcs who were no doubt fighting for their lives. Both of it's prey looked to be very skilled in their way of combat. For instance, it turned its head towards the elf woman and her large wings and twin elven blades, as she used the power and strength of a divine soul to push the orc back. To dislodge said orc she flapped her wings in the orcs direction causing a gust of wind to hit him just enough to have him stumble backwards. That was when Eirika struck, she lunged forward with her two swords hitting them up towards the axe launching it out of the orcs hands and into the dirt behind her. She then stabbed her two swords into his belly. The blades poking out barely out the back. The orc however counter measured by thrusting its head forward smashing it against hers. The stone skin took its effect though and what the orc thought was just flesh felt like he just hit his head against a stone wall.

 He felt a surge of pain right away. Eirika then kicked with her foot pushing him off her blades. She then slashed with her right cutting across his jugular. The orc instinctively brought it's hands up to his neck to try and stop the bleeding but it was too late. She stood there and sighed and then remembered the other orc. This time she was too late, the orc came up behind her and wrapped its arms around her body and lifted her up and began to squeeze. Even with the stone skin she was beginning to feel the orc's strength match up against hers. She felt it was hard to breathe and felt she needed to do something quick. She turned her blades around and swung behind her. The blades hit the orcs side and all the creature did was grimace. She cursed and pulled the blades out and re positioned them to strike upwards and behind her. This time the blades nailed him under the shoulder in the arm pits. This action caused him to drop her, but doing so caused him to lose his arms as her next action was to turn around instantly and slash. Her opponents were done for. The warg watching this decided that it had seen enough. It fled into the woods hoping to get away from the two warriors.

[User]
The leg slashed orc desperately crawled and reached out for the human warrior's ankle, not wanting it said that a mere human had bested him. But Alice had seen the motion, and prepared. While the other orc still tried to push through her shield, which was surprisingly easier than she expected, she bent backwards and preformed a backwards cut at his neck. Bloodly liquid poured out and the orc collasped in to the snowy ground. The village girl then tried for a belly thrust of her remaining opponent, but he parried, pushed her blade to the side, and tried his own thrust.

The blond girl countered by sidesteping and catching the blade with her shield. Then while the orc was still vulnerable, she turned towards its side and stabbed through the exposed armpit. She then slid her blade up and prepared for a counterattack. But it never came. The orc collapsed from the blood coming forth and rested finally into the snow. Alice breathed heavily, not so much from exhaustion as of something she counldn't quite finger. The sight to the blood on her sword seemed to sicken her. As she tried wiping it off on the snow, Alice reflected upon their fallen foes resemblance to the blacksmith.

But she just kept shaking it off as well as the feeling of repulsion, thinking she shouldn't feel this way. Never hearing about the normal symptoms to killing humans and their kin, even if they acted monsterish most of the time. The village girl then turned to the one Veo had shot and spotted the blue gem. She storde over and picked it up, sheathing her sword and placing her shield as she went. "Well, here's your jewel, Mr. Veo,"Alice said as she held it out to him. "Whoever this is for must be really lucky."

[Assistant]
Veo looked to at the sound of his name being called. He then saw the blue gem as it sparkled from what remained of the sun as it lowered ever closer to the ground. He put his crossbow away in its place on his back and took slow steps towards it. He then began to speak words that not even he knew he was saying out loud. "Finally, she will have it at last, it's beauty will mirror the one it is for...." He said as he reached her and slowly retrieved the blue gem from her hands. He then looked up towards her and smiled. His free hand clasping hers. "Thank you miss Alice, you do not know how much I appreciate this. It will be a great gift, for a most wonderful and mystical woman." He held it in his hand and lifted it up into the sky to watch the suns rays bounce off of it. He then placed it in his pouch and he had to bring the hand up once more to brush the tear from his eyes. "Finally I have my object of proposal. Just the gem though. This woman is a natural beauty who is one with the nature she surrounds herself with. There for no gold or silver shall touch it." He said as he patted his side. He then looked to the two elves and nodded in their direction.
"All three of you will be well paid for this, do not worry." He then took a glance around their surroundings and took note of the tracks of the fleeing warg.

 "No time for celebrating just yet, we must go now before it returns with more friends." He said. He then looked to the sun and sighed. How much time had passed through this little adventure. He had no idea they had spent so much time outside. It felt like it was only mere minutes not hours. He sighed and then looked to the path they had come from. He then began to take that one path once more. Once they made it to the road they would make it back to the village. He would pay this trio and then head off towards the lake. He only hoped she would accept his gift for what it was and accept him as well. Perhaps she would even move into the village. That was doubtful ,but it would give the village a little extra protection from the outside world. He wouldn't mind at all if he had to move his shop to her location though either. He would find a way though. He then took a glance at Alice and then towards the blood. "It felt different then you expected didn't it? Taking the life of someone even though it was a orc. The first times are always the toughest." He said.

 Eirika used the cloth from the orcs to clean the blood from her swords. She did not want her fine weapons to rust. She then sheathed them and looked about the battle field as small as it was. It was only a small camp, nothing much to it really. She then noticed in one of the tents a bundle of swords. Rapiers and short swords mainly ,but they were weapons. They must have been taken from the bandits. She walked over and pried them out and held the bundle under her arm. She then noticed the gem as she heard Alice's words. It truly was beautiful as the shop keeper had said. She then watched Veo, the satyr, step towards it tears in his eyes as he seemed lost in his feelings. She recognized such feelings and his chosen words that were spoken only proved it. He was in love and the gem was for a lucky woman. Who apparently lived outside the village and at the lake too. She rose a brow and was curious for a minute and then listened to his next movements. They were to leave and go back towards the village. She nodded and watched him walk off. She then followed in behind him and she could feel the warmness of the sun and looked to it. It would be dark soon and with it the freezing cold of the winter. If they needed to stop she would be prepared for them to do so. She had a few spells that she could cast to better their stay at night.

 Elduin but a arrow back in its quiver and placed his bow in its place on his back. He then proceeded to follow the group. His thoughts of the matter he kept to himself. Taking small glances back towards the orcs. They would remove their heads and offer them to the Jarl ,but he did not know how the huntress would feel about it. Her reaction to the blood of the orcs was evidence of that. She was new to this kind of combat. However, the heads would provide a good income for them. He decided to go back for a short while drawing out his own sword. He then very cleanly removed the heads from the orcs and constructed a make shift bag from one of the tents to hold them. Once all five heads were securely placed in the bag. He looked for the mule which was showing itself once more as the fighting had stopped. He moved over to it and tied the bag in place. He then cleaned his blade and sheathed it. He then began to walk the mule in behind the group rejoining them from the back.


[System]
Age: 42
Element: EARTH (Sand Specialization)
Appearance:

Personality: Jordan Manilow is a go-gettin' arse-kickin' sand-spittin' kind o' guy. He ain't afraid of gettin' grit in his teeth and puttin' his nose to the grindstone to do what needs doin'.

In short, Mr. Manilow can be a hardass. But he's also the loudest, funniest, and most charismatic guy in the room, when he's not making you do laps. To call Mr. Manilow the quintessential coach figure does not do him justice, since he will insist he wrote the book that the quintessential coach reads every morning. So maybe he's full of himself, but he also can get right down to earth with his students when it's called for. The Headmaster himself has been at the business end of Mr. Manilow's pep talks, and let's just say that there's a reason why Mr. Manilow demands ultimate respect from his students whenever Kano makes an appearance. In four words, Mr. Manilow is;

Enthusiastic - Probably too enthusiastic. Ask the kids lying on the ground puking their guts out. Still, he brings out the best
 in people.

Crass - There's a no bad language policy in Mr. Manilow's class. The exception being Mr. Manilow himself of course. The female
 staff don't always find his sense of humour amusing. Mr. Manilow's reputation precedes him.

Uncompromising - Once Mr. Manilow has his sights set on something, you'll do it, or die trying. Trust me, you'd rather die than
 fail to impress him. That said, failing may have been his intention all along. He's fair, but ruthless too.

Attentive - Although he can be an uncompromising ass, Mr. Manilow is always watching for the wellbeing of his students, and he
 can tell when they're spent, or won't be able to do as he wishes. Years of observation have brought him a gift, and
 he is scarily observant at times.

History: Mr. Manilow used to be a drill sergeant in the military. Before that, he used to be a special operations operative, performing highly classified missions. Needless to say, only Kano knows the full extent of his background. It's heavily implied that some kind of injury led to Mr. Manilow becoming a teacher at the Academy, although he has no visible injuries, which can be a source of gossip at times. However it is quite clear that Mr. Manilow has put his past behind him, and that he loves to teach the kids how to be fit, capable, active youth. He also gets a kick out of thrashing them with elementalism.

Equipment: Mr. Manilow's signature teaching implement, is a , which he often threatens to use, rarely if ever actually employs. In actual fact, he uses it as his primary aid in both "dowsing", as well as for climbing, fighting, etc.
Class Taught: Gym/Fitness/Martial Arts

Note: Jordan is allergic to Almonds.

---

Rosalin Tombs

Age: 36

Element: Blood

Personality:

Reserved - It's not really know exactly why Rosalin became a wallflower. There are theories. She tends to create convoluted dioramas in her bedroom laying out conspiracy theories you can almost believe but not quite. She's also been known to stalk people, especially if they have an interesting medical condition, and avoid their detection without any seeming outer limit. It's not that she's stealthy, but rather that she blends in so well with the environment that most people's gazes pass right over her.

Morbid - There's enjoying good clean wholesome fun at a playground, and then there's being taken from kindergarten straight to a graveyard to dig up decomposing bodies because your father wants to teach you how to avoid freaking out around dead bodies. Maybe she was raised that way, or maybe she does it to screw with other people, but Rosalin will always be the first to crack a joke "too soon," or laugh at dead baby jokes. But she's not emo, or goth, or edgy. Rosalin just doesn't understand what's so intolerable about digging around in some entrails for a half-eaten hot dog, just to see how much time passed after they left the hot dog stand before they got run over.

Protective - As a doctor, she views medicine as a giant game. She is super competitive, and hates to lose, but more than that, she believes that the best way to live her life is by serving others. Having fun is important too, but Rosalin hates it when people act useless or worthless.

Optimistic - Despite her morbidity, fixations, and hyperactive imagination, she is unrelentingly positive. This is both a result of her father's teaching, and her personal realization that more good is done by seeking to be good, than is to be found dwelling on past mistakes you can't change. The lesson itself was a hard one to learn, but her temperament is as sunny as her hair.

History: Born and raised at the Academy, Rosalin's abilities manifested relatively late, however the elemental side of her identity emerged later in her life anyway, as she spent her childhood helping her father who functioned as the Academy's undertaker. It wasn't so violent as that, but many alumni did live their entire lives on campus, or at the very least, sought to be buried on the sacred mountain, to be closer to the primal forces they'd wielded for so long.

A childhood filled with happy, if occasionally gruesome experiences ended with her transitioning naturally to the Academy for her secondary education, and eventually elemental training as well. From there she finally left the mountain and got hired as a coroner for a local police station, eventually working her way up to an advisory position with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Her career ended early, when she left the Bureau in disgrace after a badly botched case. She completed a medical degree and returned home, ready to help, but also because her father grew very ill. He eventually passed away, leaving Rosalin with next to no sense of where she would go from there. She tells herself she's happy at the Academy, and fools herself most days, but hers has been a life plagued with what-ifs.

Equipment: Stethoscope, Spectacles, and a bow that doubles as a variety of different bandages in emergencies.

[User]
Dia - Dorm Room

---

Dia bowed her head slightly. "I can do eggs," she said with a small smile. "But only sunny side up. The rest is always a mess and ruined when I try."

---

A short time later Dia had put down a plate for Emi, herself, and found some containers to take some for Felix. She was currently enraged with cleaning up her mess, still a little flustered over Emi's last request to know more about her ramblings.

"He's, uh, another first year. And, I don't know, there's just something about him that clicks. Err. Like there's this bit that makes everything feel okay and that I can not worry around him so much. If that makes sense?" Dia said softly.

[Assistant]
Vera stiffened, stunned for a split second at how quickly her dorm mate had bolted into his bathroom. She then let out a small laugh and shook her head, amused at how her words had seemed to supply him with a sudden burst of energy. Hearing the sound of running water start from behind the closed door, she realized that he would probably be ready soon, and before her too, considering the time that her own morning routine took.

"No worries, love. Take your time," she called out to him, before making her way back to her room to fish the necessary items out of her own unorganized mess.

Sure enough, she was still seated in front of the mirror, brushing her long golden locks when she heard a shout from Silas telling her he was all set to head out.

"Just a second," she answered from inside.

Vera then grabbed her bottle of Satsuma-scented mist and swiftly sprayed it on as a final touch before emerging from her room, slinging a sleek leather bag over her shoulder. She thought about Silas' question as she joined him back in the common room. Well, she had been wanting to see what was out in the city since the day before, plus, it would be a good opportunity to familiarize themselves with the surrounding area.

"Hmm, how about we check out the city area near the academy?" She suggested. "We could probably find someplace for lunch out there. I'd love to try the tram system too, that'll be fun."

Having been driven around in private vehicles for most of her life, Vera found the idea rather intriguing, though, that could be said about anything and everything she had seen from the time she had arrived at the academy. What was city life like for Elementalists? What difference would having elemental abilities make in such cases?

"How about it?" Vera asked with an excited grin as they headed for the door. "It'll even be my treat, a little 'thank you' for helping me along last night."

[User]
Algorithm@Kalleth

Kano rubbed his hands together as he approached Shizen, the glowing eyes under the dark hood shone in the further low light of the underground hot spring making it seem like a butcher was eyeing a piece of meat for the cutting board. The problem Shizen was likely having, as he could feel the water being pulled to her, was that simple loss of control played by ones emotions. Every student manifested their powers at a young age in a different way that they could not control, sometimes harmless little gusts of wind or drawing moisture to your skin but other times it was little sparks of flame igniting clothing or kicking up duststorms.

Jorden Manilow was one such student who had manifested in a way that made him often very dirty.

Kano chuckled a little when he realized that even after all these years that still hadn't really changed.

"I hope you brought a bathing suit with you. To control water you must hear it. Where better than in the relaxing pools? Lets do an exercise where you focus on repelling water on an area of your body. Being in the springs is also very relaxing after an event like the one with the water snake obstacle. Please,"

Kano motioned to the hotsprings steaming behind him as he walked over to, and onto, the waters. Treading the surface as if it were solid.

"What you see is water below repeling me, instead of simply enveloping me as you would expect. It is communion with the waters themselves as you project your desire to it."

The actual process was far more difficult to do than Kano made it sound but with a little patience it could be done at whim.

[Assistant]
Jordan watched the headmaster start teaching, having opened his eyes when Hargor began speaking to the student. He watched the waters from currents which flowed around him and he got a slight chill even in the warm baths. He supposed it was no different than if Jordan had come across somebody totally submersed in sand, or earth in general. Of course, most people you came across submerged in sand were already dead. As opposed to all people living and breathing, having their bodies composed of a large percentage of water.

Still, as far as Jordan knew, no elementalist alive could control their elements inside another person's body. At least, he'd never been brave enough to check whether such a thing were possible, even during his days as a spec ops agent. It was plenty dangerous being near an elementalist, or any stripe, regardless of one's environment. If Manilow could contribute anything to Shizen's tutelage, it would probably undercut Hargor's authority, and he probably wouldn't take too kindly to that. So, after taking a long moment to soak, feeling the waters still flowing around him, Manilow got up.

Taking his towel, Jordan dried off, and said a muttered farewell to the teacher and pupil. He was still wearing the "sand boxers" he'd fixed for himself in the water, and he swiped up his clothes and headed for the change-room. A shower to freshen up couldn't hurt.

---

Jordan was sitting in the gym, foil sheathed, trainers tied, and stretches completed. Now, as he sat, the teacher sipped at a water bottle, shrugged his shoulders, and hummed a song.

This kid was bold enough to leave a note, now he'd better damn well show up. Jordan thought, his knees cracking as he adjusted his position. He'd had more than a few good duels in his time, and his weapon of choice was polished, sharpened, and ready for a tussle. As for the man who had to use the weapon, similar things could be said. Of course, there was the grain in his shoulder, still faintly aching even after the hot springs, as well as the heartache he was nursing, and the wariness of this kid who had seemed so explosive yesterday. Nevertheless, the gym teacher planned to give him a lesson, and he hoped it would be one of humility, and not one of mercy...

---

Manilow really tried to be patient. He really did. He was so patient in fact, that he patiently waited for the lady at the service desk to retrieve the list of dorm numbers for the students. He patiently searched said list for the Punk-In-Question's dorm number. And he patiently waited for the elevator to make his way to the top floor.

He lost his patience halfway down the hall from Felix's room.

Stomping loudly through the hall, foil still belted at his waist, shoulder creaking like a bitchy ex-girlfriend, Jordan came to a heated stop outside the punk's door. Making a fist, he slammed the door repeatedly with such force that the hinges squealed, and if such a violent action could be jokingly called a knock, then he knocked three times.

"Hey tough guy! I thought you were itching for a scrap? What, did your girlfriend tire you out? Come on muchacho, there's a score to be settled, and I don't have time to waste!"

Jordan was mostly blowing air out his ass with these comments, but he channeled his best drill sergeant brogue, and this same voice had made grown men tremble in other contexts. Namely, contexts where an assault rifle was also associated with the voice. Manilow had nearly brought it, but had decided that this particular dispute didn't require full-metal jackets or extended magazines. Or, well, guns.

The Gym teacher also had plenty of time to waste, given that his teaching slot was during the period the Academy had waived for the day following the Night Run, but anything that put a spring in the boy's step was worth a shot. He half-hoped that Felix would burn the door to ash and come out swinging. At least Jordan was ready, for once.


[System]
Sex: Male
Age: 35

Appearance: Artos stands tall at 6feet, with a muscular physique and and ice blue eyes. Upon his back from right shoulder to left hip is a bright blue scar that has never healed properly in the arctic winds, a reminder of what arrogance can cost someone. Upon his left hand is a plated glove connecting to a heavy piece of solid iron circling his wrist used to deflect an enemies attack and open up a riposte. The rest of his equipment is very lightly armored to allow maximum movement. Three flasks on his back hip store the crystal clear water he purifies personally and uses on his blade when no other sources of water are useable.
Artos' skin is a pale blue, the same as his fathers, with snowy short cut white hair.

Brief summary of abilities
Flowing water - A steam of water flows from his blades when in use and splash along anything his weapon touches, getting his opponents thoroughly soaked.
Sub-zero - As the name implies he creates a pocket of intense cold, freezing anything in the zone of control solid. Those doused in his waters are often left in a coffin of ice.
Frozen blade - A variation on flowing water, a thin coat of sub zero water freezes along the blade making it a blunt/piercing style that often forces parts of the body hit to become completely numb. With a bit more control he can force the water to shape outwards and expand on the blades length to provide extra reach.
Soothing calm - Restorative magic channeled through his pure waters creates a slow regenerative effect.

Far to the north there is a realm obscured by endless winter inhabited by warriors who fear not the fangs of deaths icy touch. It is here Artos was trained in the harnessing of this merciless form of combat under the tutelage of his father Archibald Bane, trained to kill any who would see his homeland invaded by the outside. Taught to hate with the same unforgiving manner their homeland would take them with. His father had trained until his body had turned an icy blue, so infused with the frozen magic that permeated his home, and developed a style all of his own using thawed ice found deep within a mountain of colossul ice. The water was pure and flowed to the tune of Archibalds magic like a puppet, taking whatever form he desired, freezing and returning to liquid with a thought, and enhancing his own natural affinity in the process.

This style of combat was passed down in full to his son who adapted to the merciless weather and training without complaint, mastering the magic at an alarming rate. By the age of 20 Artos had perfected every technique his father had developed over a lifetime of study and dedication. To the next challenge Artos claimed true mastery and further improved upon the style. A weapon forged just for his own hands was commissioned, a set of twin double edged longswords, blessed by his father and forged by a master smith, became extensions of his very being. Years down the road he would reforge the handles of these blades, making them much longer and allowing both to connect at the base of the hilt with its sister weapon. With this versatile arsenal it was without question that Artos had become a legend to his nameless home. Rather than seek the life of protecting his home and rearing a family of his own the lad set out to explore life beyond the chill winds and familiar scenary. Now he is a wandering blade master in seek of challenge.

Artos is a loyal and honest swordsman with strong loyalty to whomever has earned his services, believing in the ultimate concept of right and wrong, and adaptable to any situation. Artos displays little emotion in battle beyond the need to prove to himself that his mastery over blade and magic is superior, not to his opponents or his master, but to his father. Despite the serious nature of his being, Artos is still a pleasant and friendly person to be around when the fighting is over.

[User]
One of the leaders in Paragon research? thought Travis as he began to listen in on Felix's explanation of the Paragons more in-depth. Travis didn't know what to make of that phrase; it was as if the Catholic mage had unknowingly hinted at more than one individual dedicated to researching these artifacts. But how was that possible? He himself had gone through who knows how many tomes and publications he could get his hands on to even polish the surface of what the Paragons were. He felt uneasy about this, especially being an Aspect trainee of the Societas Academia, a school practically based on the foundation of magic. The very thought of not knowing more about the Paragons startled him; could the Societas Academia really not have any relevant information of these artifacts? Or could it be possible there is in fact a record but only behind closed doors?

Continuing to take in Felix's overwhelming information of the Paragons, the more Travis began to believe why hardly anyone not in any higher echelons of anything would no nothing of these things. These Paragons were practically batteries of forever flowing mana, likely capable of fueling any spell he could even think of. Extraordinarily useful, as they were extraordinarily dangerous. With so much limitless energy of multiple Paragons in one location; the mere thought was was overwhelming. Too true as how the Arch-Magi had put it that a number of Paragons, if not all of them, could even create a literal reality shattering event. Unbelievably spectacular and utterly terrifying at the same time. This was plenty enough reason to hide these things from the rest of the world. Interesting how the Church knew quite a bit about them...

Felix eventually had begun to explain how he was able to find Travis and even know his name. Apparently what sounded like a conspiracy had seemingly taken place in the Catholic Church with the overall goal of locating the Paragons; a proposal that was once shot down for very good reasons but now resurrected and with plenty of steam to be put into motion. But that wasn't even the interesting part. Felix described, or what Travis could conclude to, was an ethereal entity of sorts had reached out to him, warning the Arch-Magi of a terrible calamity that was nearing realization. But what came with a vision of doom, also came with a roster of hope. As if he had become a vessel for this voice, he had unconsciously written down a list of names, or guardians as he put it, and the location of the individuals they belonged to. To even prove this point, Felix had offered Travis the parchment so he could look over. With widened eyes, Travis had found his name there and his exact location on the list of others Felix had mentioned before.

Dumbfounded, Travis stared long and hard at this parchment, nearly speechless of what any of this meant. Was it all true? He didn't want to believe it, but how else could his name have ended up here? Him? Destined to save the world? He was sure nothing special, aside from just scoring an Untalent win in developing mana-effecient spells all the while blowing himself up in the process.Farfetched? No shit, thought Travis as he mentally responded to Felix's assuring explanation, this is the stuff of fairy tails and legends.

This moment of anxiety finally broke as the Arch-Magi mentioned his intention of gathering the Paragons as well but not for the purposes the Church or anyone else has in store. This of course came with the need of simply acquiring a single Paragon in order thoroughly examine it and eventually contain it and more, depriving anyone the chance to destroy the world, if not, the entire universe. The opportunity that Felix had just offered him - not counting his fate-given responsibility - was incredibly alluring. But what of his current expedition? Surely he couldn't abandon that could he? Travis wrestled and debated with that fact and what was presented him, determining what would be worth his time and what could get him tossed out for. Get an honor role or save the world?

"You know what? For as long as I have been here, I have yet to prove if Mesoamerican cultures even had a concept of mana or magic for that matter and I've basically sidetracked my attention in learning a cost-efficient was of blowing my self up. I think its time for a topic change that's actually worthwhile." said Travis as he leaned in and grasped Felix's offered hand in a friendly grip, "Lets find ourselves a Paragon and save the world while we're at it."

He could see it now; Travis McGrath, Guardian of the Mystic World, Keeper of ancient knowledge. Somehow, he liked the ring that.

[Assistant]
Artos Bane

"I will not sample it just yet."

Artos nimbly ducked the heavy swing and hopped away from the woodsman to put distance between them. Based on his appearance alone it was obvious he was of a northern clan of some sort, but whether that was a part of his home town was unclear. Certainly Artos would remember someone wielding such an obnoxious weapon and screaming bloody murder. His home sported warriors. This man was a clown, to say the least. An insult to the heritage they shared. Artos slowly drew the right handed sword from his left hip and stared at the big man.

"Tell me, did I perhaps slay a friend of yours?"

If so this man had traveled for a long time to find his prey. For that at the very least Artos could respect the determination required. It had been years since he had thought of home, of his father, of his mother and his friends. All that was burned into memory were the routine exercises that had created his fighting style and perfected his control over the magic he now wielded. Though he claimed to be a master, it was not missed that the burly man was making the area snow unnaturally. That spoke of power and put Artos on high alert for any tricks and offered a silent prayer to the devils that this combatant proved worthy enough to finish his life.

Artos took a deep breathe and reached behind his back while pointing his sword at the enemy. Let us begin. There was a splash of water as on the pavement as Artos exploded into motion, a straight thrust to the stomach followed by a diagonal slash from left shoulder to right hip. Breaking momentum, he spun a tight circle and slammed the blade in a vicious arc that put the sword back firmly on the right before a mighty leap backwards disengaged him from potential retaliation, sword ready to deflect incoming attacks as needed.
The opening salvo was always meant to determine defensive capability more than lasting damage.

(I started this post THREE times and it was deleted THREE times. Fucking hell.)

[User]
The Kringle

The jolly man's attack had fallen short of it's mark, leaving him open for a counter attack. He was surprisingly nimble enough to dodge the first forward stab to his stomach, but the second slash caught him. The final spin and slam the burly man was able to block with the metal handle of his heavy battle axe.

He took a few steps back, resting the pommel of his weapon on the ground to stand it up. In-between the fresh cut of his coat from Artos' earlier slash the slight glimmer of chain mail could be seen. The armor kept him safe from slash type attacks on his center mass, but the force behind his attack seemed to have bent or broken a few of the rungs. "Hm, what you did is not important. What is important is that I will never forgive you."

The snow seemed to be building up in the area which the two champions of the north were doing battle. It now left a light blanket of snow on the ground, slowly building up as time passed.

With a determined look, the red crusader swung his axe while standing at the ground, uplifting a good portion of the fresh snow into the air. He then let out a mighty billow of air from his mouth, blowing the debris of frost at Artos. The breath spell would create the effect of a blizzard in a short area to obscure vision. Shortly after he began to hurl sharp chunks of ice at Artos while snow displacement still resides upon the area.

After the third throw the icey man suddenly dashed to Artos. He used the cover of the snow to try to surprise him after the earlier barrage of ice. The snow veil let up directly afterwards, seemingly blown away from the burly man's rushdown. Now dangerously close, he swung his axe at an angle at Artos this time.

[Assistant]
Artos Bane

Artos would not be caught unprepared for an icy breath attack, nor would he suffer in such a sloppy excuse for a blizzard. The snow obscured his vision of Kringel but it worked both ways with vision of Artos limited as well.
Dropping to one knee h willed the water he had spilled on the floor at the start of combat to flow up and freeze over his crouched form, creating a thin but durable shield. More water flowed from his canisters at his back and onto the ground in preparation.

As the blinding screen of snow dissipated to reveal Kringle in a blind rush forward, Artos willed the water to freeze into a long thin spike of steel hard ice directly in the path of the foolhardy attacker.

Not one to rely on the odds, Artos broke the ice rooting him from the snowstorm and pelted the shards at kringles head, hoping to throw off his aim and blind him as he had tried to do.

[User]
The Kringle

The Kringle was relentless, pushing forth past the icicle. He was however poked in the side of his abdomen by it. Breaking a few chains in his armor and leaving a small slice in it's wake; something that would of been much worse without his armor. Despite trying to dodge them, a few shards of ice still pelted the Kringle's head. Leaving small cut's in their wake. His aim wasn't as true as before but his axe still continued to swing towards Artos at full force. It seemed to be heading towards his shoulder.

[Assistant]
There was no way for him to block or deflect the full force of the incoming axe swing, Artos realizing the moment kringle plowed through his attack that the man wasn't afraid of pain or death. Throwing himself to the side at the last second saved him from being cleaved in half but the blade of the axe clipped his shoulder guard with enough force to stumble him back, the sheer power of the swing broke the straps holding his pauldron on and sent it clattering to the side as the axes edge drew a thin line of blood across his shoulder. Artos felt the blow and braced as best he could, ice forming across his feet to stop him from flying off.
Artos' drew the sister longsword and went on a heavy offensive, left and right, jabs, feints, routines meant to keep the opponent on their heels as the agile swordsman gained more and more momentum to increase the speed and power of each swing. Despite the building intensity his attacks were accurate, aimed at the thighs and the neck like a snapping viper they came. Both blades went into a spin behind his back and came up connected at the hilts as a double sided staff. Planted firmly in the pavement Artos went into the air and kicked with both feet at Kringles chest, using the force to leap back into a crouch with his left hand on the ground, connected blades behind his back.

Forward he came in full sprint, every step put up more and more snow, the sound of rushing water becoming very audible. Under the cover of snow flowed the sacred water along the blade and froze it outwards to double the stabbing range of his blades. Snapping them at the hilts Artos returned to pressure the big man with a double thrust to the chest but pulled up short expecting a block, instead retracting both and pivoting for another spinning slash at the midsection, ending the spin just as the blades passed to the far right and performing yet another double thrust.
If the big man wanted to play he would get the game of a lifetime.

One lifetime, to be exact.