[System]
Age: 27

Appearance:

House: Jakob claims his hereditary from House Frey however it is highly doubted, especially by those who know how he came to power.

Family:
Mother - Brielle 'Frey'
Father - Unknown
Brothers - OPEN
Sisters - OPEN

Skills: Jakob is a skilled fighter, a fair tactician and also an accomplished player of 'the game'. His upbringing was part of this, having learnt his skills and talents through trial and error. In the way of making his way to power he became quite the adept player.

Weaknesses: Jakob's main weakness is his total paranoia, he trusts nobody and has had many friends, as well as enemies, executed.

Weapon: 'The Scythe of the Freys', a dig at the the fate of the Frey family.

Title: Lord of the Crossing

Personality: Jakob is a man who can come across as totally friendly and polite when in fact he is already plotting your downfall. He can laugh and have a joke but when business is at stake then he is deadly serious. He also is looking for a wife and allies, since his ascension to power did lose him a lot of friends.

Bio: Jakob's birth and early childhood are shrouded in the mists of time and intrigue. All that is known is that nearly eight year ago he appeared at the Twins claiming to be from an illegitimate line, fathered by Black Walder. This was doubted at first however some amorous love letters between Jakob's grandmother and Black Walder made Jakob's claim more believable and he was taken into the court as another member of the Twins guard. From here his dastardly work begun.

In the many years since Walder Frey's death the Twins had been in political turmoil. The multitude of offspring each fought for their own right to rule House Frey and it's rightful successor. This meant the number of Freys had dropped quite significantly, some leaving to find new lives, others being forced to leave for the wall and a few finding early graves. Family means nothing for the Freys and by the point that Jakob arrived at the Twins there was only half a dozen Freys left, and a number of them were leading ragtag bands, trying to take their birthright.

Jakob was expected to exist and soon die however he is not that sort of man. He started by organising the soldiers of the Twins, patrols of guards increased in frequency and their behaviour turned from abusive authoritarianism into a proper force of policing the law. A number of the pretender Freys were hunted down by Jakob himself and during this time he made many connections and friendships with men, and women, of importance throughout the hold. With such loyal behaviour the remaining Frey lords and ladies gave Jakob the right to be a true Frey and not the bastard he was considered. From then things changed, the guards would escort the other Frey lords everywhere they went, almost like house arrest. Meanwhile other bands of guards begun to systematically imprison, and then frame, men of power who opposed Jakob. Planting evidence of conspiring with traitor Freys. Trials were held and every man that Jakob's death squads picked up was executed as an enemy of the Throne. The guards believed that Jakob was trying to take power through them, however the truth was more sinister.

2 years ago Jakob seized power, he had a large number of guards stage a coup and Jakob then went onto 'save' the Freys from the coup but 'lost' them in the chaos. Eventually the Frey's bodies were discovered 3 days later by the waterside, the official cause of death being drowning. The instigating guards had been arrested and were executed very quickly by Jakob. As the last remaining Frey Jakob ascended into power, despite outrage from the courts around Westeros, and clever political maneuverings and intrigue closed every alley of investigation. Leaving Jakob's word the only one to be accepted.

Since then the Twins have prospered, new trade agreements have left Lord Frey with many lucrative deals and investments into the armed forces and and land. Over time the populace have come to accept Jakob as their new overlord though many believe he is not done planning yet.

Other: "When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die."

[User]
Lord Jakob Frey, Lord of the Crossing

Jakob prefered to travel by horse, a carriage was loud, a lot less stable on the stone and made him look pompous. Finally pulling up in front of the Red Keep Jakob smiled, the journey was finally over and now he could focus on what he came here to do. Stooping in the cramped space he heard the click of his guards opening the door. Stepping into the warm glow of the sun he stood upright and stretched out his muscles which had become deadened by the journey. Waiting an orderly stepped forward and directed his retinue as to where they could deposit the Frey carriage as well as how to bring Jakob's effects into his room. Nodding briefly at the orderly he walked up the grand stairs into one of the most imposing castles he had ever seen. Despite his distaste for the squalor of King's Landing, he understood why kings and queens made their home in the Red Keep. Walking amongst the history he quickly took in the classical scenes of battle and glory that adorned the walls. Turning a corner he was escorted by the Gold Coats and his own personal retinue towards the throne room. Jakob knew he had to present himself to the Young Dragon before retiring for some rest, though he doubted that King Daeron even considered Jakob an important banner.

Finally arriving at the grand entrance Jakob paused, breathing deeply he nodded and the large wooden doors were opened up for him to enter. The hall was filled with the faces of nobility and grandeur, all awaiting their King to take his place in court. Each of the lords would need to declare their allegiance to the King, before a short time of networking and eating, and finally the announcement of the Hand of the King. Jakob was quite far down on the order of lords and ladies to swear allegiance. This meant he had a chance to look over who was present and who wasn't. Rumours circulating the court had reached his ears and he had a great many people to speak too before the end of the next few days.

Nodding to his men they spread out across the edge of the room with the other guards, he would not need their direct protection here. No one was foolish enough to kill a noble here. Having arrived alone also allowed him to cast an eye over the younger ladies that were present. He was still looking for a suitable bride to both secure his line and secure a fast ally of the Freys. The Latest Walder Frey had given the Frey name some infamy in regards to marriage and so Jakob was determined to right past wrongs of the family, even if he felt no real connection too it.

[Assistant]
Ser Vernan Lannister

The grizzled old knight stood in a fine tunic of red as he waited for the king to make his appearance. He couldn't honestly say that he was eager to hear the young dragon's decision. He doubted that it would be anything that he wanted to hear. No doubt the king would choose either the Stark boy or the Lord of Highgarden, neither of which were any friends to the Lannisters and did nothing to help his own house. He couldn't believe that there was not a single Lannister among the small council. It was just plain wrong as far as he was concerned. This dragon clearly had no inclination of how to rule. Unfortunately, there was nothing that Ser Vernan could do about it. His brother Martyn Lannister was Lord of Casterly Rock, but he was timid and fearful of the king's wrath. He needed Vernan to show him that the Lannister's had allies, and that they would have the Iron Throne if they seized their chance now. If a marriage could be found for Khailey to gain the power of another strong house to the Lannister's cause, it would shift the balance in their favor and perhaps his brother would then approve of striking out at the young dragon.

Khailey Lannister

The young lioness entered the hall and looked around for her father, but she saw no sign of him in the gathered crowd. She sighed, put on a dignified smile and started to move through the crowd with her back and shoulders straight and her hands locked in front of her as her septa had taught her to walk. She moved with grace as she crossed the hall and no doubt caught the eye of many of the men in the hall.

[User]
Lord John Stark of Winterfell

John finally decided that it was time to go down to the ceremony. Every house in the realm was here to swear fealty to the king. John, being a Stark, was higher on that list than most so he decided he best hurry. He retrieved his mother from the room next door and they descended stairs until they reached the crowded throne room. John was also nervous about Daeron's largest decision today. The Hand of the King. His mother told him that he was one of the better candidates. And John didn't like that at all. He'd grown up with Daeron and as such, was very familiar with his personality. He was always entitled and had a famously short temper. But John feared it would get worse now that Daeron had such power. He feared that Daeron would be loathe to take his advice. John took a place in the hall near Ser Vernan Lannister. John smiled politely. "Hello Ser Vernan. I expect your journey was as uneventful as my own?" John asked. He had no love for Lannisters but it never hurt to be on one's good side.

[Assistant]
Ser Vernan Lannister

He hadn't been expecting to be approached by the Stark boy, but he gave him a curt nod and said. "My journey was much shorter than your own, so yes uneventful was a good way to describe it. How are things in the North?" Vernan didn't consider the Starks as allies of his house, but he knew that friends and enemies switched often and to see someone as an enemy on principal was not a wise decision.

[User]
Lord Jakob Frey, Lord of the Crossing

Jakob grimaced as he saw the Stark boy arrive. The Freys had always been looked down on by the other lords and ladies, the Starks being one of the worst, and despite the fact Jakob attempted to break the stereotypes associated with his family people continued to gossip. Next too John was Vernan Lannister, one of the gentry who he had had little contact with. Dealing more with Vernan's brother on state matters. Whilst the larger houses were getting ready the other less notable nobles were still milling around. Surveying the crowd he spotted a few faces he remembered, and then one face in particular caught his eye.

The striking blonde hair and holier-than-thou walk and a figure that looked crafted by the heavens, it was without a doubt a Lannister. Though Jakob was struggling to remember her name. It was strange to see her away from the rest, especially amongst the other less noble houses. Sighing he walked over and introduced himself.

"It seems the lioness is walking amongst the sheep today, rather than moving with her pride."

[Assistant]
Khailey Lannister

Khailey had just spotted her father speaking with John Stark, which she found a little odd, when suddenly she heard someone speaking to her and she stopped and turned to see a man that she did not recognize approach her. He was clearly a knight and a lord of some importance, though, and she smiled warmly at him.

"And are you a sheep, my lord? I should think not. A man such as yourself should certainly be associated with something more noble than a sheep, don't you agree?"

[User]
Gwayne Tyrell - Lord of Highgarden

It was a lovely day, wasn't it? It always seemed to be in King's Landing - the shining sun and the cool sea breeze - much like how it was back home, in the Reach. Of course, the same couldn't be said for the North. Gwayne found the reactions of first-timers to be an endless source of amusement; so dazzled by the extravagance and luxury of the Red Keep, they gawk like fishes while stepping on all the wrong toes. Still, he was confident that in time, they would learn - one had to learn in order to survive this nest of vipers.

In the Great Hall, the last of the lords and ladies were starting to stream in. As usual, Gwayne and his wife, Mina, had arrived fashionably early. It simply wouldn't do to be late for the coronation, would it? No matter how good of a position the Tyrells were in, it wasn't a risk he was willing to take. If he was to become Hand of the King, he needed to make as good of an impression as possible on the Young Dragon and his contemporaries. Of course, as the Lord of Highgarden, he had heard news from his whisperers of rebellion; of lords who thought Daeron was far too green to rule. Such words might've held no truth to them, but it was still something he had to consider. Although the Tyrells have always been the ones to flourish in times of adversity.

As he looked around, Gwayne noticed a few individuals of interest. Two Lannisters, a Stark, and the infamous Jakob Frey. His lineage was a source of debate amongst nobles, and even Gwayne himself couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by the young man. The Frey's might've been all but decimated, but Jakob seemed… unpredictable, to say the least, and that wasn't a quality he much appreciated. Perhaps it would be the best course of action to investigate. And so, Gwayne made his way across the great hall, approaching Jakob and his golden-haired companion.

"Lord Jakob, how nice to see you here." Despite the simplicity of his words, they seemed to spill forth like honey. He then turned to the young maiden after his greeting, lips curled into an endearingly lopsided smile. "And might I have the pleasure of making your acquaintance, my lady?"

[Assistant]
Lord Jakob Frey, Lord of the Crossing

Jakob chuckled as the Lannister commented on his position as a 'sheep'. It was a smart comment that seemed to draw him in, as well as completely avoiding answering the question, she clearly was a Lannister. Shrugging his shoulders he responded.

"We cannot all be as highly born as yourself, the Twins are not considered as noble as Casterly Rock. If you are a lion or a dragon then anything else is a sheep. Besides, my Sigil is my home, it would make no sense to call me a Twin." Jakob smiled about to further his questioning when Gwayne Tyrell arrived. It was an unwanted interruption however Jakob knew the game, and especially knew not to offend the Tyrells. Bowing curtly he looked at Gwayne.

"And Lord Tyrell, I assure you the pleasure is mine." As Gwayne then turned his attentions to his companion Jakob tried to bring the focus back to himself. "I was in fact asking my young friend why she was here amongst the noble rabble when her pride is up, front and center. In fact..." Jakob trailed off slightly as he peered over to the men and women forming up in front of the throne. "...I could ask why you are back here also. As one of the king's political wet nurses I would have assumed that you would be alongside the Stark boy." Jakob smiled sweetly, he despised an inability to stand up on your own and as far as he could tell Daeron had done nothing without the help of the Starks and the Tyrells. Screw playing the game right now.


[System]
Alias: Red.
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Appearance:
Personality: To her friends Rose a Storm is mostly laid back with a joking demeanor, with strangers she's cordial, but breif, and to her enemies... Well most of her enemies are dead. Rose is a very adventurous soul, she will find and seek out dangerous bounties just for the fun of it, she loves the feel and rush of danger and the excitement of the life she leads. If you were to speak to her in normal conversation you would say that she's a happy, fun loving person.
But as soon as she hits the battlefield she becomes as savage and angry as the demons she fights, and it shows in her fighting style, a mixture of small arms fire and mele combat (mostly leaning towards mele)

Weapons:
Rebellion: Double Handed broadsword she usualy wears across her back. It has some slots for crystals (currently empty) and it has a matching bracelet. The spells on both the bracelet make it so that the sword will always find its way back to whomever is wearing the bracelet more like a missile and a homing beacon than a magnet.
Ivory & Ebony: her matching pistols. One is black and one is white. (You can probably figure out which is which.)
The Iron fist: A large red gauntlet that she usually wears into battle. It comes up all the way to her elbow and has a slot for crystals (empty at the beginning) the spell woven into it makes the gauntlet push back anything that the user punches it with with more force, causing the punches to be stronger.
Magic: She has skill and practice in the inscribed magic that has been described inside her weapons, and she can cast the rudimentary elemental spells with crystals.
History: Rose is from one of the many over crowded orphanages in the Capital. She was used for free labor in order to fix and keep maintenance on the many things that broke In the Capitol. People also looked down and sometimes even hated her and her fellow orphans because of the strain they put on the Capitol's resources. Some said that they should use them as bait to lure the demons away from the small towns being attacked outside the Capital. when she turned twelve she had grown enough to realize that she'd had enough of the hate and spite, so she ran away. She was alone and fending for herself for about a day when she realized that maybe there were things worse than the Orphanage, but she had to much pride to go back. She stole food from the markets to get by, running and weaving through the massive crowds to get away from the police. One day though, she was caught. and as the police were literally dragging her away, a woman ran up, distraught, picking Her up out of the police's grasp and hugging her tight.
"Oh, my baby! When I said we needed to get more food, I didn't mean to steal it!"
Rose was still trying to figure out who this woman was and why she was hugging her, when the woman turned to the police, thanking them for catching her and promising them it would never happen again, and saying what a horrible parent she was. The police grudgingly let Rose go on the condition that if she were caught again, there would be absolutely no mercy.
As the police walked away and Rose was able to get a look at the woman she saw her ginning at the police man's back.
"Idiots."
The woman then proceeded to tell Rose that she was a bounty hunter and that her name was Araby Storm, and that she was in need of an assistant. someone to clean her weapons and tidy her bags, things of that nature. She also told Rose that if she took Araby up on her offer, that she would be outside the Capitol, possibly in danger every second of the way. Rose excitedly agreed and that was that. Rose left with Araby the next day to go outside the walls. For the next few years Rose kept up with her benefactors weapons and equipment, always making sure that everything was as precise as could be. When she showed interest not to long after that, she learned the tricks of the trade from Araby, learning how to fight, walk, see, and even think as a Warrior.
And soon after that, Rose was taking on her own Bounties, fighting right beside her mentor. It was her dream come true... until the accident.

[User]
As Glyph and Cipher looked upon the husk of the town, they began to see the state in which it was left for what it was: A massacre and a den of vile atrocity. It was not the most pleasant of thoughts, that was for certain, but it was one that Glyph has wrestled with many times over her years as a hunter and experience had both prepared her for and desensitised her towards the inevitable corpses of children that she would come across. Some of the new blood she'd spotted travelling towards the town would perhaps not be so experienced and wise. It had been a shock to her, the first time she'd seen a town ravaged by a horde, and she remembered the charred air and the scent of a metallic tang in the air to this day. It gave her no comfort to think that it had happened to another small town.

The first step was to stake out the town. She recognised a couple of key buildings by shape alone, and though she did not have a map, she could work out the most likely paths between them from her vantage point a good distance away from the town. She would likely have her scent picked up by the smaller ravagers prowling the outskirts of the town, but they were easy to kill. They moved predictably towards their prey unless they were older and wiser, and those that came with the hordes tended to be new blood. Fitting, she thought, that new blood from both sides met at this soon-to-be hellhole. It took a matter of twenty seconds of observation for a ravager to slink its way towards Glyph and Cipher, and though the woman atop the horse was intently gazing at the town for information, her right hand withdrew her crossbow and a single bolt of pure energy was released just as the demon began its leap, piercing it squarely through the head and killing it instantly. Cipher whinnied in response to the kill, and with her other hand Glyph gently stroked his mane. They knew there would be plenty more demons to kill soon enough.

The tower where the crystal was kept was of standard design. It was usually the first place that demons congregated at and was one of the few certainties within a small town like this one had been. Its location was slightly off-centre, and the buildings seemed to part at the correct angle to take advantage of this slight anomaly – it kept her view from the rest of the demons, at least, though the more primal newbloods tended to act based on scent over any of their other senses. She did not get a good look, but an ominous shadow of greater size than the other demons passed through her limited scope of vision, and she heard the slight graze of metal dragging across the ground. It was unlikely to be a hunter – few were simple enough to use melee weapons, and those that did kept them sheathed – and the size was roughly equivalent to that of one of the larger demons. A Juggernaut? A Punisher? Too small to be one of the Devastators. She would typically err on the side of caution and assume a Punisher, but something told her that a Punisher appearing this quickly and this closely to a ghost town was unlikely. They were not unintelligent creatures, and enough hunters could bring them down. They would fight on their own terrain if possible.

Though Glyph made no more direct movements, she kept herself ready. If newbloods were coming, better that they made stupid mistakes first. Culling demons and weak hunters was just a part of the hunt, after all.

[Assistant]
Drifter could smell something on the air, a human, at least thought it was a human. Something seemed odd about it, but he didn't have time to investigate. More were coming, a woman on a horse seemed to be out front of the group though. Kneeling down he focused on her so he could get a closer look. Sighing though he slinked back and away. He started moving much quicker heading towards the center of town, though jumping from roof to roof. He took an odd root, moving skirting around the edges as he moved down lower as well. This way he would lose any one fallowing him. He let more of the demon leak out however, soon coming across a ravager. It looked up at him, stared a him as Drifter stood there staring back. From the low level demons like this there was a 'be and let be' they saw him as a greater demon, at least greater then them, as long as he left them alone they tended to leave him be as well. Which at this moment was the wisest choice. He looked towards the tower as the two parted ways. It didn't take long for him to arrive at the edge of it, standing on a roof top looking at the small gathering, cursing some as he looked at the juggernaut. It was good he didn't kill that demon, as soon as he did the demon horde would rush towards him. If a human kills a demon, it was just a human and demon doing what they do. If he did, he was encroaching on another demons claims, challenging the alpha.

 As he stood on the edge of the building he looked at the small horde and the juggernaut. The Juggernaut looked right back at him, soon it started to thrash about, slamming it's 'sword' on the ground. It was daring him to come forth, asserting it's authority over this husk of a town as it's dominion. Usually he would use this to his advantage, challenge the strongest to for leader ship and the rest would leave them to fight. Then he could turn on the rest of them and slaughter them with the best out of the way, but now, the fight would take to long. The others would be here before it was done and by that time he would look much less human when they arrived. Something he didn't care to have to explain.

 Turning his back he moved away, further from the town center as he kept skirting around around the edges. He kept to shadows now, and soon was hiding his presence, pushing his energy down as he stayed inside of a room. Moving he sat down in a chair 'shadowmane' he called out to his horse 'move closer, stay on the outskirts of the town' soon he closed his eyes as he could sense and smell the magic moving closer. Even that strange presence was close by as he rested for a moment. He would wait till nightfall before moving out again, not wishing to make himself known just yet, as long as they didn't need him.

[User]
"So that's where it is then, eh?" Reid asked out loud to no one in particular. They had gotten close enough to the town to make out the figures of demons clinging onto a tower. It was known that demons were attracted to crystals, so it was likely that the crystal the hunters were tasked to retrieve was indeed inside that tower.

So on the plus side, the location of the crystal was already confirmed. But on the negative side, the only reason Reid knew this was because there was a horde of demons guarding it.

"Well shit," Reid sighed, "There's no way I could kill 'em all on my own. I don't even know how much there are, if I had binoculars or something I could probably count 'em out...Damn, why don't I have binoculars? Or a scope? I gotta get one of those when I get back. Oh, I could attach it to my goggles, that'd be functional, and it'd look cool!" They paused. "Wait. Focus. I got a mission to do first."

Reid looked around, seeing that a few of the hunters seemed to be acting cautious. Good. They would be the perfect people to team up with. Soloing this mission would be impossible, working together would be the only way to survive this. Reid needed to get their attention though.

"Alright!" Reid suddenly shouted, loud enough for all the hunters to hear them, "It's time to team up! Who wants to be on my team?"

They were all near enough to the town by this point that a few straggling ravagers in the outskirts might be able to hear them. If Reid had gotten their attention, so be it. If their fellow hunters couldn't handle a couple low level demons, they had no business being out there.

[Assistant]
Rose just finished equipping herself when she noticed a person shouting out about teams. She looked out at the town and figured she could probably use the help. It was a mile away, an undoubtably packed with demons. She walked up to the person and smiled.
"I'd like to be in your group."
She paused and thought for a moment.
"As long as you can pull your own weight."
She held out her hand, the one with the gauntlet on it.
"I'm Red. Nice to meet you."

[User]
"Awesome, my first taker," Reid grinned, "Smart choice, teaming up with me. Don't worry though, I can pull my weight just fine." They shook her hand, and continued, "Red, huh? It's a pleasure. You can call me Reid. Pretty fitting that the two hunters with similar names are teaming up, right?"

Reid clasped their own hands together after that.

"Right. So. We need a plan. Even from here I can tell we've got a horde of demons just waiting for fresh meat to waltz into town. I've got a grappling gun, some dual action revolvers, tactical bombs, and a bit of wind magic under my belt. Whaddaya got, and how can we use our tools together to survive this mess?"

[Assistant]
"Nice set up. I've got my gauntlet which uses magic to pack an extra punch, my sword which I can throw and have it come back to me and then the girls"
She moves her jacket aside to show Ivory and Ebony.
"Which shoot bullets. And from what I can tell from here, which is not much, most of the demons down there are just mindless and looking for anything that moves... "
She gets down on her knees and draws while she speaks.
"So my plan is, I run through town, make as much commotion as possible, draw them all to me, then lead them into tight space, where you will already have set up some tactical bombs. The demons run in, you hit the switch and-"
She makes an explosion noise and hand sign.
"After that it should be easy to take out the stragglers with small arms and Close quarters combat. Only two problems with that plan."
Rose held up one finger.
"One, unless you have flared or something, I won't be able to tell where to lead them"
She holds up a second finger.
"Two, if I'm leading them into a tight space, I may not be able to get out of te blast radius in time. That's fixable though. I can find a way out."


[System]
Namesake:
N/A

Age:
Young Adult

Gender:
Female

Species:
NightWing

Appearance:
Dreamseeker's scales are jet black with a very dark purple undertone, while her underbelly, claws, and horns are ivory white. Her eyes are the same dark color as most NightWings', though in the right light, one can see they are a very, very dark violet. The spines on her back are as dark as her scales, though the stars that speckle her wings are bright silver. Silver scales also line her neck, sides, and tail. She's known to constantly press her wings close to her sides in an attempt to be as small and overlooked as possible.

Personality:
Sweet, kind, and gullible. Dreamseeker tries to be the best dragon she can be towards others, and has a strong sense of empathy and sympathy. She's a bit nervous, especially when she's asked too many questions or is suddenly thrown into the spotlight. She loves the arts and prefers to draw, write, and read rather than becoming involved in something "greater than her", as her mother would put it. Though, she has a vicious streak of curiosity at times, and will often get in trouble for sticking her nose into business that isn't hers. Dreamseeker also has a small ego, though she tries her best to hide it.

Short Bio:
Dreamseeker was born in the Night Kingdom, alongside two brothers and a sister. Her father was never around, and so her mother had much disdain for her dragonets-- especially Dreamseeker, the least intimidating of them all. Her siblings often fought and bickered with one another, and she was much often the butt of many pranks and a victim of teasing. When she was old enough, she left home in the dead of night, and has been roaming Pyrrhia since.

Other:
- Dreamseeker can read minds.
- Her favorite form of art is painting.

[User]
Skua frowned at his friend's reply. So, no one would really know anything about this poison. He tapped a serrated claw against the floor of the pulpit, glaring to the side. His mind rattled with different types of thoughts. Who? Why? It just repeated in his head over and over, only driving forward the anxiety in his chest. The flash of black scales caught his eye, and he raised his head, blinking at Brightstar.

"A dart came from the midst of the crowd, but I didn't see anyone winding their arm up to throw it. It just... flew out of nowhere. Now that I think of it, I didn't see anyone that might have had bad intentions, either." Skua found this hard to admit, but he wasn't going to make anything up. One of the things that came from his mixed bloodline was the SkyWings' excellent vision, but even his eyes couldn't pick anything up. "I'm sorry," he bowed his head towards Eclipse and Brightstar. "If only I'd have been more observant..."

[Assistant]
Eclipse leaned a shoulder against Skua, silently making sure the other dragon knew he didn't at all blame him for not being able to notice anything, and gave him a faint smile. His mind was still reeling, running through all manner of questions and possibilities for what could have happened and why someone who do this. The only though that came continually to the front of his mind, no matter how hard he tried to shove it away, was that someone wanted to start a war with the Sky Kingdom.

Brightstar simply nodded her head, looking lost in thought for a moment, "It's alright dear. Even the guards who were right up next to the Queen saw nothing, so I shouldn't have expected either of you to have seen any more than they did." She stepped past the two young dragons, briefly brushing her wings against Eclipse, "Go get some rest. It's been a trying day." She smiled warmly, if slightly strained, before leaping from the pulpit and soaring down to the crowds below.

Despite what his mother told him, Eclipse found that he could not rest, even as the sun fell in the sky and the stars began to twinkle cheerfully he found himself pacing the length of his room in the palace; like some kind of caged beast. He let out a long sigh before stretching his wings, maybe a flight would do him some good. He was sure it wasn't the smartest idea to be out alone when someone was attacking royals, but he didn't care at that point, his room felt stifling and his darker scales would hide him well enough.

Pushing open the doors to the balcony attached to his room he took a deep breath of crisp night air before leaping into the inky blackness and spreading his wings. The wind whistling by and rushing across his scales drove the meddlesome thoughts away as he soared down before looping back up and around towards the mountains. As he glided near the mountain that held the palace his keen vision caught a flash of movement on the stone slightly below him. He came to a stop, flapping his wings to keep him aloft, and stared at the place where he'd seen it; waiting for anything else.

After a brief moment he saw the moonlight catch on black scales and for a second he thought it was his mother before remembering seeing her inside the palace with his father. No other NightWings lived in the Sky Kingdom, so they definitely should not be here. He moved slightly closer, but not close enough that he was at risk of being attacked, "Who's there?" he put more force into his voice, like his father did when ordering the young recruits around, "The festival is over. You shouldn't be here."

[User]
She always loved to fly.

The night swathed her scales, rendering her almost invisible, even in the moonlight. It was the perfect opportunity to swing by the SkyWing palace in search of any clues to what had happened to Queen Ember. She had come to the Sky Kingdom to take part in her festival, which started with music and food and laughter and ended with screams and questions and tears. She tried her best to be careful in getting too close to the palace; she didn't want to attract any attention, especially the night after the assassination. Yet, her curiosity and concern had gotten the best of her, and she seemingly caught the eye of a rogue SkyWing that had been flying about at this time of night.

Dreamseeker flinched at the curtness of his words. Oh no. She didn't want to be stopped by a guard-- or worse, a member of royalty. From this distance, she couldn't tell who it was that had started to approach her, but she wasn't keen on sticking around to find out. She tucked her wings close to her, diving away from the strange SkyWing and towards a nearby patch of woods. She had no chance at outflying a SkyWing-- even from here, she could tell his wings were much larger than hers. Her last resort was to lose him in the trees.

[Assistant]
Eclipse watched as the dark form dove away from him towards the swathe of forest that rested at the base of the mountain, "Hey! Stop!" If someone was skulking around they could know something about what happened to Queen Ember, and he wasn't about to let them get away. He owed that much to the rest of his family. He flapped his wings hard, gaining altitude instead of directly following the other dragon downward. The extra height would give him extra speed, so he could hopefully catch whoever this was before they vanished into the night. He felt immensely grateful for the rigorous training his father had put him through to improve his flying skills as he climbed high into the air and positioned himself so that he could fall into a steep dive.

He couldn't help a slight grin at the rush of wind as he tucked his wings into a spiral and fell back into the dive; quickly gaining speed and distance on the black scaled form he could just catch sight of nearby the canopy of trees below. His own dark scales allowed him to blend well into the deep blue of the sky, while his SkyWing blood gave him the pinpoint vision needed to track the slight silver and white accents he could see on their scales.

The other dragon was small and certainly fast, which slightly threw off his trajectory. He still fell close enough that he was able to snap out his wings and buffet the smaller dragon across the neck and jaw. "Stop running!" His voice came out as more of a low growl, fully intending to intimidate them into stopping if he couldn't do so physically. As his wings caught the air and pulled him slightly back into the sky, he kept a close eye to see what the other would do. He honestly wished that Skua had been out here with him; his friend was actually a guard and certainly would've known more about what to do in a situation like this.

[User]
Perhaps Dreamseeker was hoping for too much when she thought that the shadows would whisk her away from view. But when she felt the SkyWing back on her tail-- no, not on her tail, but so close to her he was able to touch her with his wing-- she couldn't help but gawk. Oh no, no, no! You're supposed to go away! she thought haplessly, her wings flapping harder as she dove straight into the forest. Maybe she could lose him if she ran. Maybe--

O-ow! she winced as she landed. Her front right leg wrenched in such a way that it sent shooting pain up her wrist and forearm. In a panic, she tried to rush off into the underbrush, but the splitting pain made her let out a little whimper. Well, then. There was no getting away not. Alright, Dreamseeker. Just try to make yourself look scary. Maybe, if you look scary enough, he'll just run away and leave you alone.

She heard the SkyWing land behind her. Dreamseeker whirled around, showing her fangs as she flattened her ears. "G-go away!" she snarled as viciously as she could. Her wings flared as her tail lashed back and forth. "Just so you know, I'm a NightWing! I-I can tell the future and read minds! Oh, a-and I'm an animus! Yeah! So fly away before I turn you into a salamander, or something like that!"

Oh yeah, Dreamseeker. Totally scary.

[Assistant]
Eclipse felt the ground under his claws give a bit as he landed in the soft forest dirt and heard the faint whimper come from the NightWing as he got closer. He felt slightly bad at having caused her to get injured in the fall, but since that his intent in the first place was to get her on the ground he supposed it counted as a success. He took a step closer even as she bared her teeth at him and flared her wings. He was much bigger than she was, but he knew never to underestimate an opponent no matter how unassuming they might be.

He flared his own wings, the moonlight coming through the canopy catching on the galaxy-like patterns on their underside. He raised his neck up and bared his teeth in a low snarl. A snarl that almost turned into a snort at her stuttering attempt at a threat. "My mother is a NightWing and she doesn't have any powers like that." He didn't let his guard down but looked over her closely. He had no idea what an assassin might even look like.

He narrowed his eyes, tail twitching nervously, "Why were you around the palace so late?" he felt a growl building up in his chest, "Were you responsible for the death of the Queen? Trying to come and kill another one of us?" His tail went from twitching to lashing at the thought of standing in front of the one who killed his aunt. His claws dug into the ground and he prepared himself to lunge forward at even the slightest move from the NightWing.

[User]
Her eyes widened when she saw the size difference between the SkyWing and her. He was a male, so it was to be expected, but what surprised her the most was the pattern of silver scales on the underside of his wings. He's part NightWing, she realized before he even said so. Moons, this was bad. Usually other types of dragons would be unwilling to mess with one of her kind. But this dragon knew exactly what she was capable of. And he very much thought that she was less than scary. Her whole master plan was going awry, and there was nothing she could do. If only she could tell the future. But what if she saw herself being thrown in a prison cell? Would that bring her any comfort?

His words did interest her, though. Dreamseeker perked up, still on the defensive even as she realized something. He thought she was the one that killed the queen? "Wait, wait, wait," she arched her neck forward to peer at the other dragon. "I didn't kill anyone. I was trying to figure out exactly what happened to Queen Ember. I mean, I know she got killed and all, but the guards didn't say anything specific, and the whole commotion just kept on getting worse and worse--"

She realized she was blabbering. Dreamseeker took up a more relaxed position in an attempt to appear less of a threat. Her wings tucked closely against her sides as she shifted into a sitting position. "I'm Dreamseeker, by the way," she murmured. "I didn't mean to cause such a fuss. I thought you'd want to arrest me. Or worse, kill me."

[Assistant]
As the NightWing, Dreamseeker, introduced herself and relaxed her stance Eclipse let himself do the same. He folded his wings in but still kept his head held high, "I'm Eclipse, Queen Ember was my aunt," he huffed out a breath, a bit of smoke and flame puffing into the air in front of him, "If I found out you were somehow responsible you would be dead," he said perhaps a bit too harshly, it'd been a rough day, and chasing down a rogue NightWing was not how he expected to spend the good majority of his night. The trees mostly covered the light of the stars and moon, so if she did have something to do with it and attacked him, well he didn't think anyone would find his body soon. He banished those thoughts with a shake of his head.

He quickly assessed her now that she wasn't flying or threatening him. She certainly seemed much too small and timid to be responsible for something as horrific as Queen Ember's death, and she said she was looking into it. He felt a flash of confusion, "Why do you want to figure out what happened to her?" he turned his head curiously, "What does that have to do with you?"

Maybe she knew something that none of the SkyWings did. She could have been closer, she could have seen something. Before he let his hopes get to high he focused fully on Dreamseeker, waiting to see what she might have to say.

[User]
Well, it wasn't like she expected the SkyWing's serious attitude to dissipate. If anything, he was more confused than before. Dreamseeker caught a glimpse of his thoughts; he still perceived her as a threat. If she attacked him, there was no way that she'd be able to kill him, no matter how hard she would fight. She frowned a little at him, shaking her head. "I'm no threat, so no need to be worrying about me being responsible. I can't get my claws on anything that might kill a queen, no matter how much I'd try. Why would I want to kill Queen Ember anyways?" she asked him as she curled her tail around her feet. Her eyes didn't waver from his proud posture, ducking her head even more as she lifted up her injured foot further from the floor. It still radiated pain, and she could feel it swelling.

His next words were as sharp as teeth. Dreamseeker couldn't help but feel a little injured, flicking her tail slightly. "I don't know about you, but I value the peace among the tribes just as much as any other dragon," she said a little hotly. "I was hoping to get a lead on what killed her. You still don't trust me, do you?"


[System]
Age: 9
Gender: Female
Appearance: "Can we do something fun now? My bunny has seen more interesting things then this, and he's stuffed."
Personality: Cynthia is very easily bored. As such, she prizes new and unusual things, eagerly seeking them out whenever she is able. Unfortunately for her, she is rarely allowed out to find such things. She is a very stubborn girl who dislikes listening to others and refuses to pay attention to them if they have annoyed her, or if they're preventing her from seeing something fun and interesting. She is highly impatient, and at the same time dislikes doing things unless they're fun for her. However, she is very capable of being friendly and kind to others, as long as they are friendly and kind to her. That said, she is just as prone to pouting and refusing to do anything with someone if she feels like they're just being annoying. It takes a lot to convince Cynthia to do anything with someone she's been annoyed by. While Cynthia is perfectly fine with small spaces, small dark places frighten her and she does not like them. Darkness in general makes her nervous and uneasy.
Backstory: When Cynthia was very, very young, something happened to her parents. She doesn't remember what, but she remembers being in a small, dark place, and that her parents were gone when she was finally taken out by her uncle. It was only later that she learned her parents had most likely been killed. While she did have attachment to them, she was very young and does not remember them well. Much of her life has been spent with her Uncle and his wife, in their estate. They have been quite caring but very protective of her given what happened to her parents, and Cynthia grew more and more irritated with being left locked up and barely allowed to go outside. This has resulted in her bored attitude and interest in new and exciting things. She has managed to lockpick her way out of her home several times, but she always gets caught.
Skills: Cynthia can pick locks and she is rather good at hiding. That is about it.

[User]
The Doll knows of the church, as is expected of the Keeper of Secrets. But what is this about Puppeteers? I've heard of that somewhere, but where?

Gehrman noticed how the Doll seemed to obey the will of the man, which was confirmation that he was indeed Mister Deville. The situation had developed in a direction he did not see coming: he was losing, yet he was still alive.

Strange events surround mortal existence blessed by eyes, as was foretold in the book of Kosm.

Figures, Gehrman thought to himself. There were many hints in his behavior pointing to the case, but he wasn't interested in dwelling on it. More importantly, the greenhorn surrendered, which tipped the already tilted favors against him even further.

"But-" Gehrman spouted out from his gritted teeth, before he sighed. This was checkmate for him, and he knew when to fold his cards. He was given a chance to live, and that is what he was going to choose. Not because he wanted to survive, since he was willing to die for his cause, but because he wanted to learn more about what he's been talking about. Gehrman thus dropped his nailgun on the ground, and lifted himself slowly up from the dirt.

"You won this battle, Dollmaster."

[Assistant]
Masami
Masami looked at the boy happily, herself being happy too since she could be let in, too. Listening to what he is saying, she quickly memorized that the boy should be called "Leo" for now, until he finds out his true name. Looking at the girl that let her Master and herself in, Masami came to know that the girl is alone unless her Doll was taken into consideration, and that she looks about the boy's age.

"Please..." Masami said, adding to what her Master said.
@Scarifar

[User]
Nuul
"Oh come now, is that it?" Nuul said, the swarm around her flying back into the Grimoire, "I've met children with more conviction than you, but I suppose children don't know as much."

The Beholders all surged back into the Grimoire, the portal on top closed. She turned to Eren to address the question.

"You'll have to declare a sacrifice before I can use it," She said, flipping through her book, "Unfortunately, you didn't, but I have some uses for him anyway."

The air fractured above her, and the Pursuers surged through the rift, biting into the corpse and dragging it back with them. The rift sealed, and she closed the Grimoire. It floated below her and she gratefully sat on it.

When she had put the Thug's blood on the Pursuers' page, she had added a target for them to pursue. They were powerful, but their hunger limited her commands somewhat, but the commands she could give worked well enough. Regardless, she had promised them prey and she always delivered on her promises.

"Now that we've resolved ourselves, Eren, why don't you make a start on that tea?" She said.

[Assistant]
Eren Deville

Eren chuckled.

"Come now, Nuul. An empty mind is the easiest to fill," she said.

Eren saw Nuul's disposal of the corpse, and blinked.

"Huh. Well, that's taken care of, at least. Now, I'll make the tea."

Eren brushed off her dress, and walked inside. As she set off, she looked behind her and raised an eyebrow at the hunters.

"You know, had you guys not showed up, Viper would be properly contained and my dress wouldn't be ripped. I want you to feel properly guilty for ruining my dress," she said, before going inside proper.

She entered her relatively spartan kitchen and started brewing tea. She waited for the hunters, before speaking.

"So, I guess the first thing you should know about is Puppeteers. Remember how I said Dolls were a varied lot?"

She spoke with steel in her voice, "Puppeteers are not. A doll will have as much of a fully fleshed out moral compass as a human. Puppeteers do not. They influence people and attack their hearts, turning them into monsters known as Marionettes. Marionettes are forced to watch their bodies do unspeakable acts. Marionettes are as powerful as dolls, and are similarly immune to non-nail based weaponry."

Eren paused.

"A marionette can be cured, however, By bringing them within an inch of death and then attempting to destroy the puppeteer that inhabited the body."

Eren paused. He seemed to be turning something over in his head. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

"A marionette may still be susceptible to their doll's influence after the fact, if that puppeteer is not successfully destroyed," Eren said, "But they will no longer have their marionette powers. They may manifest odd traits, like enhanced senses or an intense pain tolerance, however."

He paused, "Nuul, am I glossing over anything? Do you have anything to add?"

[User]
Annalee Diaz

Annalee smiled as the boy, Leo, introduced himself and his doll. "It's very nice to meet you Leo, and you as well Masami. It's no trouble to me to have you stay here tonight, in fact I find it's a responsibility of mine to help all those who need it, so it's more of a pleasure to have you here than a hassle." Annalee glanced around the room as she said this, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see Megumi.

"Someone else here probably thinks that I'm going to get myself into a lot of trouble because of that feeling of responsibility, one day. But i'll just leave that topic with this: 'You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar'." Annalee smiled again at the two as she continued. "Speaking of honey, are either of you hungry? I'm not a fantastic cook, but I'm sure I could make something edible, like soup or oatmeal. I could get some cream for your cat too if you wish."

---

MiRRor (Ashling)

Ashling took the small mirror from Ryan, finding the reflection of his own eye quickly and creating a copy of himself, which materialized from the mirror in a small ball of light. The copy looked at Ryan and began to mimic him, creating the illusion of Ryan's appearance over the surface of the copy's body.

The copy stood while the real MiRRor spoke. "I will stay here with you unless it is necessary for me to go help my copy. Can I trust you to stay out of trouble if that happens?"

After MiRRor finished talking, the copy spoke too, in Ryan's voice. "I'm going to confront them now. They will think I am you, and I will be able to lull them into a false sense of security because they will think they know my strengths."

Next they spoke at the same time. "Do you have any changes you would like to make to this plan?"

[Assistant]
Nuul

"I think you've forgotten the biscuits, Eren." Nuul said, floating over to the table on her Grimoire, "And you'd best set the sugar on the table for our guests as well."

Of course, handling a sugar pot, tea pot, plate of biscuit and four cups would've been troublesome, but she was sure Eren could handle it. After all, dealing with a gang and the forces of darkness was probably much easier than serving tea.

---

The Boy

"Ah! Thank you!" He said, "But I ate just before. I'm not sure about Masami though."

His stomach rumbled, but he punched himself to stop it.

"Do you happen to have a bath we could use?" He asked, "This is the first time we've been able to settle for a while."

[User]
Masami
Masami looked at her Master, before smiling at the person who opened the door. While Masami does not feel the need to eat, she still wants to do so. Although she thought of eating something, she decided to refrain from doing so, hopefully until the morning, when the housekeeper would possibly serve breakfast for them.

I ate them just before, too. Masami smiled at the person who opened the door.

Ryan Macfield

"Perfect. I'll make sure to hide when bad thing happens." Ryan whispered to his real Doll, before analyzing the surroundings. He found a spot which dumb-headed people like the bullies wouldn't bother finding. He then looked to the copy of him his Doll just made. "The copy's perfect, too. No changes necessary."

[Assistant]
Gambol entered the kitchen and sat down by the table. As Eren gave him tea, he sipped it like any old gentleman would. He sat by and listened to the discussion about the Puppeteers, and part of him began to think back to the botched hunt that inspired him to be a hunter.

"Hm... Interesting. Tell me, are there any tell-tale signs of a person being possessed by this... Puppeteer? Like, monstrous transformations or what not?" Shane recalled the boar he fought and how it became a human.

[User]
Gehrman took his seat as far from the others as he could, still uneasy about his defeat. After Deville started complaining about the dress she wore, he realized that the woman he met at the door was actually her all along. He constantly shifted his gaze over the Doll, anxious that he had let himself in the mercy of such a dangerous entity. One thing came clear to him, though: Deville was clearly not under any kind of control by the Doll. Nonetheless, Gehrman's attention immediately focused on Deville's explanation on the Puppeteers and Marionettes.

After a while of listening, he started to suspect that some of the Dolls he's hunted may have actually not been Dolls, if the description was accurate. Having nothing to contribute to the conversation for now, Gehrman stayed silent as the other hunter asked his question.

[Assistant]
"I meant on the doll front, but true," Errn said. He gathered the sugar, biscuits, and tea out quickly and placed them on his table, before setting out four cups. He then have his guests a gentle smile and served tea into all the cups.

He looked at Shane, "It depends. I've noticed most have yellow eyes, but this is not universal. They can hide among the people very well. The only real way to tell is if they have an adverse reaction to nail based weaponry, and an immunity to other weaponry. If a human starts shapeshifting and the like thpugh, well, I think it's safe to say they are either a doll or marionette."

Eren sat down and sipped his tea. He gave his guests a soft smile.

"And that's the scary part. Every marionette is unique. And although the puppeteer within them is malevolent, the marionette body itself is a person. Someone with hopes and dreams."

Eren paused, "As are dolls. Nuul is bonded to me, but she is a wholly separate person with her own personality. And, I myself am my own person too. We're a team, but we have no supernatural control over one another. I am her conduit through which she can enter the physical world. She is my partner in my search for Mr. White."

Eren looked at first one hunter, then the other.

"Any questions so far?"

[User]
Gehrman was now sure that some of the more ferocious Dolls he encountered were actually Puppeteers in control of a host Marionette. He wondered for a moment why he didn't notice this earlier, but then realized that with all the mystery surrounding these monsters, something like that would easily go unnoticed. However, there was something Gehrman wanted to talk about. He spoke up.

"You mentioned someone by the name of Viper. Was the body I found outside his, and if so, how did it get there?"

[Assistant]
Cynthia didn't really understand. If her name was Cynthia, why was she Alice? What did that mean? Was it a Doll thing? But it was hard to focus on even that point of confusion given her situation. She was just saved by a real Doll! And the Doll had killed that Puppet and everything! It looked like the guy it had been inside was out cold, lying there on the cobblestones. And now she could go anywhere she wanted... there were so many options! Of course, her thoughts were interrupted when the Doll suddenly leaped up to the rooftop with her in tow. There was a brief moment of the air rushing past her, all around her, and then she was suddenly up so high...

"... Wow..." it was all she could really say for a moment, before shaking her head and looking around. If her Doll could jump up that high... she'd make an awesome story to tell her friends! Eagerly raising one hand and pointing to a distant structure, Cynthia looked up at Transient Princess. "Take me up there, all the way to the top!"

Renton's King Clock. The massive clock tower was old, very old, the giant hands slowly ticking away the night. It was an elegant building, the huge silvery dial perched upon sturdy spire of green-grey stone. Even at night the immense clock was often filled with engineers dutifully carrying out their business.


[System]
Nickname:

She doesn't have one

Age:

5 Years

Gender:

Female

Species:

Gray Wolf (Her pure white coat is rare among gray wolves, and would be considered good luck to the hybrids.)

Biography:

Aniu was born in the same pack that recused and raised Danny after his parents were murdered. The first seven weeks of her life were normal, just a wolf pup learning how to be a wolf. That was, until the forest fire struck, and killed most of the pack, leaving her and Danny as the lone survivors of a once great and powerful wolf pack. She decided to follow Danny, thinking that the young hybrid was her packmate. She had always manged to find her way back to Danny, no matter how many times Danny tried to ditch her. As Aniu and Danny grew up, they became companions and formed a bond that not even death could break apart.

Personality:

Aniu is a curious wolf. She will often go check out things that seem to catch her attention, which was not always a good thing as it led her and Danny into trouble more often than not. She is also intelligent, learning the tricks that Danny taught her very quickly. Aniu is not known to be friendly with strangers and will often attack someone or something if she or Danny feels it is unsafe, but she will wait for the order from her hybrid companion.

Crush:

None At The Present Time

Mate:

None At The Present Time

Pups:

None At The Present Time, But Wants Some Someday

[User]
The all too familiar scent of his own blood hit Danny's nose as he finished off the last of the attackers who attacked him. The young hybrid was bleeding from several wounds and his body tried to regenerate itself by healing itself, but Danny's body didn't have strength to finish its attempted task. Weak from his wounds and exhaustion, Danny fell to his hands and knees, his body shaking. He looked to his companion, a white wolf with the name Aniu.*

*The snow white wolf looked around, sensing that there was more danger approaching. She let out a small growl, ears back as she tried circling the area. Whatever danger was approaching, she wanted get Danny and herself out of the area before it was too late. Aniu looked to her hybrid companion, trying to figure out what he was in the position that he was in. Usually, he was able to get back up a few minutes after a fight, but this seemed different. Her master almost seem too weak to move. Aniu returned Danny's look back to him, unsure of what to do.

[Assistant]
Amelia was marching past the trees, through the woods and such. She had her sword with her. She was on a mission. The king had sent her to capture the last of the hybrids that had escaped his reach. She remembered when the knights were gathering them up, only to be slaughtered instead of enslaved like some had suggested or simply hoped the king would do.

Anyway, the female knight was on the hunt. She searched around and soon heard growling. She did not assume it was a hybrid right away, but she went to investigate. She had a job to do after all.

[User]
Danny's ghost form faded as his body lost its ghost energy. His white hair became black, and his bright green eyes became a baby blue color. His skin became its normal human color, losing the paleness it had in his ghost form.*

"Change back. Change back." Danny said, willing for his body to change into its ghost form so he could get out of the area. His keen hearing picked up the sound of another knight approaching, and Danny knew that it wasn't wise to try and fight in his current state.

Aniu resumed her pacing, only to stop a few steps later. Throwing her head back, she let out a territory claiming howl, trying to chase off the other knights.


[System]
Image to be posted
Age: 32

Species: Human (half Mandalorian)

Gender: Male

Force Sensitive: Yes, but he has no idea.

Appearance: Caster stands around six-foot tall. He usually has a fairly clean shaven face' but has been known to let it go very once in awhile. His face is fairly angled. Rectangular jaw, high cheek bones. a very slight gauntness to his cheeks. He has short brown hair and hazel eyes. He is fairly muscular however lean at the same time. His left arm is prosthetic. While no attempts were made to make it look human, it is anatomically correct, though it as the appearance of being somewhat clunky and utilitarian. The prosthetic operates just as smooth and naturally as his original home grow limb.

He usually wears bits and pieces of his old uniform. Usually maroon pants with a navy blue blood stripe and an imperial bomber jacket with the patches ripped off and custom ones replacing them. He also wears a long sleeve collared shirt. He also hangs a piece of Mandalorian fabric from his belt on the left side towards the back, something akin to wearing a bit of tartan.

Personality: While generally sarcastic, he's been known to be completely serious from time to time. This can make it hard for people to tell when he is serious. He's all around a salty 'borg (I do in fact know some star wars slang).

Equipment: Generally, he keeps a blaster pistol on his person at all times. On occasion, he'll be seen with a long range blaster rifle. He also keeps various survival supplies in at least his quarters along with highly customized scout trooper armor.

Your Quarters: Usually in quarters, one would see old Mandolorian fabrics hanging around the walls along with artifacts on the shelves from Mangalore and many other places, some notably tribal of unknown origin to most. He also has a secret compartment that harbors a lightsaber that is rarely brought to the public eye (especially when in Imperial space or on a planet subjugated by the Empire).

Your Spaceship: Z95-Headhunter with customized paint

The fighter's color scheme is black with dark red trim.

Role: Escort Fighter Pilot

Obligation:  hand rolled tabac cigarettes (or at least the equivalent of hand roles cigarettes) squad mate(s) aren't too forgiving about the circumstances of Caster Wren's discharge.

Statistics:
Brawn:  2
Agility:  3
Intellect:  3
Cunning:  2
Willpower:  3
Presence:  2

Skills:

* Piloting 3
* Mechanics 1
* Charm 2

History: Caster Wren was born on Mandalore to a Mandalorian father and human moved from Dantooine (who had tribal lineage from the western regions). He was brought back to Dantooine at an early age just before his parents' death. While a young lad, he befriended an older woman by the name of Dewan, who had taken him in an provided him with a surrogate grandmother like relationship. She was an older Mandalorian who had emigrated to to Dantooine at the start of the Empire and continued to raise Caster with the Mandalorian culture. At the young age of 18 he volunteered for the stormtrooper corps opting for the highly specialized scout trooper divisions.. After a few years, he was dishonorably discharged for negligence and refusing to follow orders, the details of which have not been shared with anyone other than Dewan. He lost his arm after discharge after facing off against a force user and losing quite terribly. He was hired by an extremist member of the rebellion to assassinate a target and came up against a dark Jedi who had wanted to recruit the target Caster was sent to kill. Dewan was the robotics engineer who patched him up and put him back into the world.

I would like to see Caster Wren face off against one of his old squad mates and then seek Dewan (much like Luke had seemed Yoda out in return of the Jedi). I would also later on like to see his force sensitivity reveal itself in a crisis of someone he cared about being in immediate danger ( Details can be gone over with DM/GM

[User]
Roka's lip curled up at the sound of the doctor's voice again, rolling his eyes as he felt the sense of dismissiveness from Marr, though there was a strong undercurrent of curiosity at the mention of Roka's... Situation. The Balosar shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the curiosity he felt from the other man. He decided to ignore the jabs at his willpower, and focus on the strange readings, opening the comms down to the laser turrets. "Bast, stand by. We have some weird readings coming in. Fingers off the trigger, don't jump the gun. But be ready, just in case." He said, pulling the ship around the side of the asteroid.

Roka gasped and his eyes flew wide as he sensed an overwhelming mixture of emotions coming from Marr. For a moment, Roka didn't understand. He didn't recognize the ship, though it looked like a science vessel. It was only after studying the signature and colors for a moment that a piece fell into place. That was an Imperial ship. Mar was... Terrified. Terrified and jealous. This meant something to the good doctor. "Now hang on, hang on!" Roka said, keeping the 2K close to the asteroid and scanning the disabled vessel further. "I don't... I don't think it's a trap. Even if it is, I don't think they've seen us. We may as well get all the readings we can, right? What are they doing here...?" Roka looked at the reading coming in now, nodding slowly. He pushed a few buttons and began converting the scan into a 3D image, projecting it from the cockpit Holo-projector. "Look, most of their systems have power except the engines. It looks like part of their thrusters have been crushed, knocked out of place. I think they got hit out here. They're... Yeah, they're leaking fuel!" He said, pointing to the floating blue sparkles coming from the staticky image floating in mid air. "They might be dead in the water, drifting out here. They might not even have a connection to the Imperial fleet, we haven't found any relays out here. They're drifting, scared, haven't seen us... I think we could take them."

[Assistant]
Jax saw the other ships speed out into the cluttered asteroid field outside of the magnetic shield and powered up his own engines. His Quadjumper hardly matched their ships in speed, certainly that Z-95 of Caster, but made up for it in raw engine power and tractor beam utility. That was why he was selected to tug the twelve comm relays out. A fitting number, Jax smiled to himself, three per ship out there.

It was a mess out there and while quite agile while going slow due to the vector thrusters Jax had trouble getting the relays trough the field. Small rubble knocked into the ship and the relays, but luckily nothing enough to disrupt the tractor array. That only happened when, off all things, a frozen corps knocked into the eleventh relay he was carrying, knocking the last 2 off. He had just did a sharp pull to pass over a larger asteroid and one relay crashed into it straight away. The other drifted slowly away. Jax knew Captain Vikargo wouldn't be happy, relays cost credits. He punched the oversized datapad he had on the co-pilot chair to activate the beacon that had been accidentally cast off. Jax couldn't help but grin when he saw it was close to one of the pre-calculated drop points, the red line on the eleventh position, indicating the downed relay, quickly stifled that grin though.

"First Relay is up Captain. I, uh, lost one in the process though"

-an audible gulp-

A few harsh mockeries ensued from Areem, but Jax praised himself lucky no one else could be listening in. He took the promise of what would happen should he lose more to heart, letting the datapad calculate the new locations of the relays due to the missing one.
 As he was at his fifth relay he linked up with the comms of Valana and Caster. Check-up back with the Fortune gave a lot of static at the fourth relay.

"Jax here for Mister Wrenn, how's it looking out there? Spotted anything good yet?"

Knowing there would be some delay on the line he continued to message Valana as well on the same open comm.

"And m'lady Valana, what's for dinner tonight? Captain's lonely aboard the Fortune, only got me to talk to for all this time you were out. Give him some good news guys."

The channel should connect to the Swift Fortune as well but the Captain remained silent. Jax picked up the datapad while 2 others held the controls and the last tried to boost the signal. But a second red line had appeared on the twelfth position. Wether the others chatted or not didn't register with Jax, he could only think of the flight back to place a relay on the key location again. He reminded himself to pick up the argument he had with the captain about letting the relay grid overlap more again.
He lifted his eyes from the datapad and started speaking while he saw something glint before him.

"Kark, first relay is out. Have to trace back to get the Fortune back up h-"

At first Jax had thought it might be something worth scavenging, but it quickly grew bigger the glint came from the center of something shaped like an H and Jax tilted his head to see. Mid-sentence he realized what it was he gave a hard pull on the controls to turn the tug around.

"Valana, Caster, cosy time is over. got a TIE here!"

Jax checked the weapons systems, but the Quadjumper was just a spacetug, never meant to be armed in the first place. The small autoblaster turret on top could dish out decent damage, but only at very close range. Running was really the only option for Jax. Having the TIE out of sight made him even more anxious since scanners couldn't pick anything up out here.

"Don't know if he seen me yet. Why is the connection with the Fortune out now of all-"

The signature howl of a TIE-Fighter drew closer, maybe even a second. But what had really shut Jax up was the sound of laser cannons striking asteroid behind him. Judging by the shot the Tie was close.

"Kark, I could use some help over here!"

At the same moment Jax reversed engine power to go full reverse, a unique function of the Quadjumper, as he steered his ship narrowly passed an asteroid. The Tie came into sight on his right, missing a few shots due to Jax's manoeuvre. Jax tried to engage the front tractor array to pull the Tie towards him and let the autoblaster take over, but after a short slowdown of the fighter he broke off to away from Jax. It violently picking up speed again as it got out of tractor beam range and narrowly avoided getting a tree trunk through its cockpit. That was when Jax saw the second fighter opening fire, but that wasn't what really made his heart sink.

"No, no no NO! Three man fighter team, one breaking off to report! He's heading past your sector Caster, CUT HIM OFF!"

Jax pushed the throttle up again, to go full speed ahead, trying to put some rocks between him and the TIEs but in the meanwhile he would have to hope for Valana's aid. Three wasn't a good number after all…

@Caster

[User]
Valana checked her ship's computer verifying she was within the coordinates she had been given to search. She activated her ship's scanners and began to look around at the field of debris surrounding her ship. The graveyard that was once Alderaan gave her an eery sense of dread, she knew from the start this wasn't the work of the rebels. During her time in the Imperial senate she had met Bail Organa a few times, it was an open secret that he was a rebel sympathizer, possibly more than even that. While there wasn't any actual proof, she was confident that Alderaan was serving the rebels. The Empire was responsible for this, she didn't know how they'd done it, or why, but she knew they were responsible. She felt a pang of dread at the thought, she'd never been to Alderaan personally, but if Senator Organa was anything to go by even if the whole planet was full of rebels they didn't deserve this. He was a good man, even if his beliefs were often at odds with her own, she only hoped he had gotten off the planet before this cataclysm.

Her musings were interrupted as Jax's voice rang out over her commlink, after he inquired about her mealplan for that evening she replied in turn over the same channel. "A choice of Bantha or Opee fillets cooked to taste, along with sides of crispy seaweed, baked daro root and potato wedges. Jogan fruit cake for dessert." She began to once more scan the remains of Alderaan outside her ship all she could see appeared to be rocks. Big rocks, maybe even precious metals, but that wasn't something her crimson eyes could tell her from her current position.

She was however snapped back to the situation once more when Jax came over the comms again, this time with a worrying report of TIEs near his position. Valana adjusted her ship's course to set it on an intercept for Jax's quadjumper. Carefully weaving through the debris that was once Alderaan she set her shields to double front pulverizing smaller pieces of debris as she sped towards Jax. She was reassured as he clarified it being a three man TIE fighter team, unshielded and rarely piloted by aces she fancied her odds as long as she didn't make a mistake. Still, Jax's weren't as nice in the quadjumper. "Don't worry Jax I'll be there before you can say 'tessellated arboreal binjinphant'. Just try not to kill them before I get there." She wanted to reassure the Besalisk with her words, hopefully he'd still be there when she arrived.

[Assistant]
"Roger. Wilco on cozy time," Caster interrupted the comms transmissions. He rarely spoke, unless he had to. Though, when he did, it was usually some sarcastic remark. He engaged his weapons and made a sensor sweep, finding the few TIE fighters that were being referenced. He powered up his weapons as they reached full charge. He ran another sweep, finding the fighter that was en-route to the two, preparing to maneuver around the asteroid field they had been dropped into.

"Copy, Jax," Caster replied to the radio transmission. He adjusted his coarse to follow Alana's fighter. The overhaul and modifications to the Z-95 provided useful, as it was almost as maneuverable as an XWING, and just as fast, to boot. "Valana, I'm coming up on your port side wing, take lead, I'll hang back as your wing man. Suggest flanking maneuver. Follow him down, I'll come around that asteroid at two-o-clock-high." He readied his fighter to perform the maneuver he had suggested. "We'll meet in the middle and attack from both angles. Aim for his reactor, center of mass, rear. I'll go for the cockpit." Caster adjusted and flew over top of Valana's vessel, rolling over to her right, preparing to veer off to his own to come around the noted asteroid.


[System]
Cody stands at about 6 feet, and has a lean, athletic build.

Age: 31

Personality: Cody is calm and collected, he prefers analyzing and planning out a battle beforehand rather than rushing in. He believes that battles should always be fought with a plan in mind, and abhors those who rush into battle blindly. Although he usually works alone, he is more than capable of working well and communicating with a team. However, he can still commit some mistakes and misunderstandings when working with others. He is always seen wearing his full armor in public, as he feels uncomfortable taking it off unless he's around people he trusts.

Backstory: Born in the city of Hong Kong, Cody Liu had been fascinated by NC's ever since he first laid eyes on them. He grew up studying and learning about them, and when he was old enough, joined the Red Star NC academy in Beijing. Finding himself with a fair sync ratio of 75%, he passed pilot training with flying colors and was assigned the pilot of an unknown NC that Red Star had salvaged with its body intact. Proving himself to be a valuable pilot, Cody was soon promoted to lieutenant and fought across many fronts for Red Star. But during a mission defending a border city from a Volkov Industries attack, the population of the city, along with several Red Star NCs and one of his close friends were killed by a massive airstrike that was authorized by his superior officer despite his objections. He ultimately deserted the army and forged a reputation as a mercenary. Recently, he had heard news of a large-scale Red-star attack on the city of Darwin. Cody felt something inside him, despite not receiving any noticeable rewards it benefits from defending Darwin, he volunteered. Perhaps it was his hidden feelings of anger towards Red Star, or maybe a sense of justice in defending the innocent inhabitants of the city. Nevertheless, he's there now, ready to fight for the defense of Darwin and Haven as a whole.

Tactical Preferences and Skills: Cody prefers staying in his mech, blasting away at foes from a safe distance due to the nature of his NC. His speciality is taking down targets as artillery, but performs equally as well at mid-range. He very rarely engages in melee combat, but knows how to reposition himself and keep the enemy away long enough for him to regain an advantage. Outside of his NC, he is adept in marksmanship, with his favourite firearms being assault rifles and heavy weapons such as rocket launchers and miniguns.

Notes: Cody really appreciates food, and eats rice with nearly every meal.

---

Codename: Halberd

Body-type: Bipedal

Type of NC: Light Artillery/Minor anti-air/Long-range

Equipment and armaments:

Heavy plasma cannons: The Halberd posseses 4 Heavy plasma cannons, 2 mounted on each arm. Used primarily for mid-range and close-range combat, the cannons pack quite a punch and have a decent fire rate as well. The only problem they face is that they are relatively quick to overheat, and thus, must be carefully managed.

Ripper missile launchers: Two ripper missile launchers surround the cockpit of the mech. They possess 4 tubes each, and can fire a salvo of guided ripper missiles, which can be used against ground targets, but are more effective against aircraft. Alternatively, the ripper missiles can be replaced with lancer missiles instead, which function more like anti-ground artillery.

Mass driver cannons: The Halberd's most powerful weapons are its dual mass driver cannons, located on its back. They function best as long-range anti-mech weapons, and can fire armor-piercing rounds at incredible speeds. Although they possess immensely long range, they fire slowly. It is usually loaded with armor-piercing rounds, but can be loaded with different types of rounds as well, such as incendiary rounds.

Shield generators: It is also equipped with energy shield generators to protect it from enemy fire. The generators produce a slightly more durable shield as compared to other NCs.

Rocket boosters: Should the Halberd ever need to escape, it is equipped with 4 rocket boosters located on the back of the vehicle to boost its speed by a large margin. The boosters are quite powerful and can move the Halberd fast enough to outrun interceptor type NCs. However, the boosters guzzle down large amounts of fuel, and thus must be carefully used to ensure the Halberd does not run out.

Notes: The Halberd stands at about 7 meters high. It possesses moderate armor and a moderately fast walking speed. Its primary weakness is its lack of powerful close-range options, as it functions as a light artillery and anti-air unit. The heavy plasma cannons are deadly at close-range but have difficulty in aiming at closer targets as well. The Halberd's only option is to use its boosters to quickly enlarge the gap between it and its attacker, but once it runs out of fuel, it is incredibly vulnerable.

[User]
Osamu looked human to some, but there was something off about him. Besides from his behavior, Seamus saw...imperfections. these didn't seem natural at all. But it didn't seem like a robot either. The Irishman saw nothing more than an abomination that was excreted out of a syringe. The mutant wasn't even born properly, let alone raised properly.

Seamus was the new arrival, yet even he could see wrongness in all levels about Osamu. The more he looked onto the vat-grown being, the more he didn't want to see. This was an affront to the laws of nature! After Osamu stopped talking, Seamus had to take a minute to recover his composure. His will to fight was bolstered from a desire to eliminate the mutant once and for all.

"I am not to be bargained with..." Seamus himself was familiar with the use of terror. Not negotiating with terrorists, the lad curtly shot down the offer and didn't even think that the artificial human would hold up his end. Turning to the Spanish queen, he said with a roused tone, "We're taking down that shit-from-a-syringe!"

Osamu should not have talked rot. While Seamus indirectly insulted his own leaders, he had bit of a disdain for artificial humans. Transhumans and posthumans were one thing to him, but vat-born beings? That was a horse of a completely different color in his opinion. God made men, but science made them equal. It's NOT the other way around!

[Assistant]
Hibiki: New World

The mess hall was empty as everyone was scrambling for the oncoming battle.

Hibiki sat at one of the tables, accompanied by a few unattended trays of food, tensely tapping his foot on the ground.

"Why did it end up this way?," the boy exclaimed as he placed his palms on his forehead while slamming the table with his elbows. His eyes welled up as his face quivered; then he screamed, "Every time, EVERYONE IS TAKEN FROM ME!" He pounded his fists on the table, resulting in a few containers jumping in the air to land back on the trays.

Teardrops began to thud on the metal surface as Hibiki crossed his arms and buried his face into his arms. "Surrender to them, Osamu-sama said", his whisper was muffled by his arms. Hibiki raised his head back up, his short black hair shifted back from his arms and his eyes red from sobbing.

"He said something about Terra as well...is it her?", Hibiki lost himself in thought for a second. "Does she even remember me? Would anyone even care on that side?", He shifted backward. After a short fall and a thump, Hibiki found himself looking at the ceiling.

He reached out towards a flickering halogen light, "Mom, what should I do? I can barely remember your face - Am I meant to lose you? Why can't I hold anything in this place?" He dropped his arms to his sides putting himself sprawled out like a T, "Father, the love you gave me caused me to cry, but what is happening now… If this is what pain is. It is far worse than anything you have done".

Feeling a pang of hunger, Hibiki staggered up and entered the pantry then took an apple. As it sat in the palm on his hand, a memory struck him. "This is where I first talked to Alexander isn't it. It seems to be so long ago. What will become of him? Feels like none of us have control over our fates, and it's just cruel". A fit of frustration overwhelmed him, as he hurled the apple at the porthole causing it to be scattered all around. His breathing grew taxed, as he screamed, " They are tearing down everything! But why? Why can't I hate them!? I can't seem to hate Osamu, Alexander or Terra for doing this! I can't even hate this feeling!"

Hibiki broke down into tears once more and collapsed onto the ground, "It would be so much easier if I could just…" His tears continued for a while before he could regain composure. With presence of mind, Hibiki made his way to the entrance of the mess hall. Before shut off the lights he whispered, "For once, could I actually keep my happiness?"

He then exited the room; not even Osamu's good graces can keep him from being called to pilot Titan Breaker for long.

[User]
Cody tensed up as he watched Red-star's holographic presentation. He recognized his former student, now a prisoner of the army he once served. You could've just run when you had the chance, why did you throw away your life doing this... Cody thought to himself. He didn't approve of Alexander's method of detection, which was being a double agent, as he knew he would get caught sooner or later. Although one would think that Cody was simply staring at the screen blankly, watching the events on the hologram unfold, his facial expressions said otherwise as he clenched his teeth when Alexander was electrocuted. Bits of anger and fate swelled up inside him as he watched, but it didn't surprise him, based on how Osamu was described in the briefing and the fact that he's a Red-star official, this was to be expected.

His attention then turned to Terra however, as Osamu revealed his plan of using her parents as a bargaining chip. Although simply killing her parents would end the conflict immediately, it was very likely that Osamu wouldn't keep his word and there was no telling how Terra had would react to this. The decision however, ultimately relied on general Narra and their new field-captain, Adam Philips. He was again surprised when his squadmate, the newcomer from Denver-Vegas, volunteered to take down the guns where Terra's parents are strapped to. Her sudden seriousness and conviction was a surprising turn from her original demeanor, but that left him to wonder: what made her change like this. Cody was 90% sure she talked to Terra herself beforehand, there was really nothing else that could have convinced her otherwise. Whatever the reason was, he thought it was important, he would ask her later when he got the chance.