[System]
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Species: Human

Place of Birth: San Antonio, Texas

Background: Born and raised in San Antonio, Rodrigo grew up with both medical and military men not only in his family but among the people he spoke to. His mother was a Texas native and a nurse who worked in a hospital. His father, a Mexican immigrant who made it to the US through hard work and wanted a new life away from his home country.

Rodrigo grew up with a normal upbringing, for the most part. He had friends as a child who stuck with him until he was in highschool. As a child, he was fairly active. He joined the football team. Rodrigo's mother was quite proud, and his father learned to be as well. His interest in weapons was sparked when a friend showed him an airsoft gun. When asking his father, his father asked to wait before Rodrigo could own a real weapon and that he would have to save up money for it. At the age of sixteen, instead of buying a new car, Rodrigo saved up money to buy parts for an AR-15. He put the weapon together himself.

As Rodrigo grew older, however, he began to outgrow his interest in the rifle, leaving it to more or less collect dust. In his late teens, as a teenager in San Antonio, Rodrigo came to becoming quite the city boy. Dating was limited to girls he met at school. Admittedly, the women elsewhere were less than appealing. The girls that were ended up being daughters of military stationed at Fort Sam- something that Rodrigo did not completely understand the complications of but still avoided.

Most of his life in his late teens had come to be about women. He adopted an altruistic approach, caring for nature and loving others in attempt to get the ladies. It was this mindset which led Rodrigo initially to become a doctor. Eventually, when his priorities shifted from women to a career, Rodrigo simply devoted his life to studying medicine. With his mother's blood in his veins, Rodrigo in fact became quite a good doctor- at least in training.

Then one day, a younger patient entered the hospital that Rodrigo was an intern in. Rodrigo was supposed to be nowhere near the Emergency room, yet as if fate had intended it, he was there. As Rodrigo approached, the patient's eyes began to glow with a black haze as the thrashing stopped and the patient turned slowly to look at Rodrigo, reaching out with a black square stone. The patient shoved the stone into Rodrigo's chest right where his left ventricle was, with enough force to pierce the chest cavity. As the hand pulled out, Rodrigo's body was left unscathed, but he began to collapse and Rodrigo himself became a patient.

Rodrigo and younger patient had their vital signs taken, and it was made sure that nothing was really wrong with them- at least nothing that modern science knew of. That same day, a neonate had mysteriously died from tension pneumothorax. Rodrigo's questions were answered not long after as a monster awakened in Houston, leaving San Antonio in ruins in the monster's path of destruction.

As the monster awakened, as did something within Rodrigo. He seemed to have heard the monster's thoughts for a moment as it passed, and it drove Rodrigo mad. At first, it was a small episode of existential terror. Gradually, however, the complications began to gnaw at Rodrigo's psyche. Every night, in his dreams, a message would flash before him. It was a vision, detailing the nature of his powers. Normally, a person would have shrugged them off. Rodrigo, noticing these visions came frequently, began trying to decode them. Crypting as they were, he initially sought help from a mystic.

When the mystic caught wind, she showed Rodrigo a piece of primordial rock- the same which the mysterious being of Houston had emerged from. The mystic didn't have any real clue what was about to happen, nor was she truly aware of the significance of the stone. Still, the damage was done.

Soon, the dreams came more frequently. They had driven Rodrigo insane. Whatever the primordial rock had, it awakened something within Rodrigo- something that shouldn't have been there. Rodrigo's once peaceful, fun loving psyche was soon replaced with thoughts of suicide and genocide, and all the other cides. The first victim of his madness: the mystic.

Many more came soon enough as Rodrigo developed the powers he gained from the Prismatic crystal and the primordialstone.

Equipment:
AR-15: A cheap AR build Rodrigo had since he was young. Instinctively, the rifle is maintained using Rodrigo's Prism, so that the rifle would not require constant cleaning and other maintenance. Rodrigo begins using the rifle by loading a magazine. This magazine is empty, the bolt chambering Rodrigo's Prism.

Powers:
Rodrigo uses solely the power of the black prism, and does so subconciously. He is more possessed by the energy than he actually uses it. The power itself seems to invoke a sense of madness as well as fear.

Bolt of Insanity: What Rodrigo actually loads his weapon with. When fired against an enemy, and hits, the bolt shows the afflicted a gruesome image that is both disturbing and difficult to understand.

Black Flash: Rodrigo can emit a "flash" of darkness, which completely negates all light in the immediate area for a total of two minutes. Rodrigo can use this move every ten minutes.

[User]
Rodrigo sat alone at a bench. It had been some time since Rodrigo was home, not that he could ever return. Having arrived quite recently, Rodrigo was still getting accustomed to living in Paris. It felt as if he went on a normal trip as a vacation, the experience would have been different. Still, he was where he was, doing what he was doing. Rodrigo didn't like it.

Ever since the incident in Houston, with the rampaging monster, Rodrigo had felt like chunks of his day were missing. Sometimes, it would be chunks of a week. He could vaguely recall doing things, and he could feel and see himself as though he had lived through the 'lost time'. Still, Rodrigo could not place all the missing memories. Though it didn't seem like much, it was enough to bother Rodrigo, as if something were terribly wrong.

At the park bench, Rodrigo was feeding birds as they landed. The birds were definitely a little different from the ones back in San Antonio. Even though he could tell pigeons were pigeons, they were different from the pigeons from home. If nothing else, they were definitely much slimmer.

For whatever reason, Rodrigo had an AR-15 slung on his back. It was ages since he could recall firing it. He had no ammunition either, but for whatever reason, had a thirty-round magazine. It was empty; of course. One thing that Rodrigo kept noticing was that others around him didn't feel comfortable. Rodrigo often received dirty or confused looks from strangers. Perhaps it was his rifle, or the way he dressed. The city was full of immigrants thanks to all that had happened in the city's history, and so Rodrigo couldn't place a single reason.

Then suddenly, Rodrigo felt his heart beating. He quickly reached his hand to his chest, curious as to what was happening. Another thud shook his body. With his hand, Rodrigo felt that it was not simply his left ventricle pumping blood. It was as though his entire heart were shaking, in rapid intervals. Rodrigo felt himself fall to the ground.

Then, everything was okay. Rodrigo got up on one knee and walked, turning his attention to a peculiarly hooded man, Pathos. Rodrigo, undoubtedly had no idea who this man was. From the looks of things, however, Rodrigo seemed interested. He soon reached his right hand to his back, unslinging his rifle. He pulled the charging handle, locking the bolt back to the rear, then rode the charging handle back. With his free hand, Rodrigo reached into his pocket and loaded a magazine into the magazine well. The bolt shot forward, and the first round was loaded into the AR. Rodrigo did not aim; simply put the stock in the pocket of his shoulder, held up the rifle, put his cheek to the stock, switched from safe to fire, and pulled the trigger.

The first round hit the ground, the brass falling with a metallic clink. Although the city was no stranger to random acts of violence, the residents in the area were already in a frenzy, fleeing the area for their lives.

[Assistant]
Mason stood, puzzled by this particular man. At first it had almost seemed as if he was having a heart attack, but something was off. Perhaps it was because he also happened to be a man of Latin origins, who somehow found his way to Paris. That didn't happen often in these times. However, He could also sense a particular aura around the man. There was no doubt that this was the man he had come to see, as something shifted, and an array of lights invisible to the human eye seemed to wrap itself around the man. This was the work of a Black Prism, but not like any he had seen.

Mason was curious. He took a step closer to see if he could help, only to have the man suddenly wield his weapon and fire. As everyone scattered, Mason took a step back with his right foot, loading a sharp serrated looking blue arrow into his bow, and fired. He didn't know who this man was or what had happened to him, but it was obvious that he was dangerous. He'd need to be taken out. He had no interest in killing the man, but he would do what it took.

The shots and the running crowd would give him enough time to get his distance. He turned moving quickly to his right, as his arrow soared to it's target. He cut through several bushes into the dark shadows of trees. Just enough light breached the trees from the city as a yellow pattern of light formed around Mason as he began drawing Prism. From the looks of the man's weapon, this wouldn't be a close range match, which was fine by him, but he needed to prepare himself. The Light particles moved about him, hardly taking any true shape at this point.

A Kilometer into the trees, he ducked behind a large solid oak. If this man had powers similar to himself, he could work it to his advantage. Truth was though, he wasn't sure. He'd only seen his Black Prism which had given him and his mother similar powers. If this man had powers from another black Prism, he wasn't sure how similar they might be. The thickness of the trees would prevent him from seeing through them, if he had similar abilities. Unfortunately, that limited his sights as well. He'd need to stay on the move till he could figure out what this man was capable of, exactly.

[User]
In the direction Rodrigo shot from, he was shot back. It was a split second that the possessed had to react. The black prism seemed to motion him slightly away, but not quickly enough. An arrow had grazed Rodrigo on his left elbow as he sidestepped away from the shot. He put his cheek to the stock well once again, looking through his iron sights to try and locate his target.

An internal struggle had occurred within Rodrigo. He was unsure why he was fighting this man, and he was unsure what he had just fired, as his magazine was empty before. Though Rodrigo could not notice, he had fired a shot of black prism. For whatever reason, however, he could not see it as such. Perhaps it was a way for his brain to cope; perhaps it was the work of the black prism itself. In a frenzy, Rodrigo pulled the trigger again, only to have it click as if the rifle had never been loaded in the first place. Rodrigo pulled the charging handle and looked inside the dust cover to see that his rifle was in fact empty.

That was when it happened again. His heart shuddered, but Rodrigo didn't take notice. He curled slightly over before naturally leaning back into a more relaxed position. He pulled the charging handle again. Through the dust cover, a glowing black energy was seen. Rodrigo attempted to line up his sights with his moving target.

Quickly, he pulled the trigger, as a shot of black energy came forth in Mason's general direction.

[Assistant]
Between the tinkering with his weaponry and the crowds of people running for cover, Mason was long gone before his opponent's shot. The second shot seemed to startle a lot more than just a crowd of people though. As birds fluttered from the trees above, Mason began churning Ultra-violet into his control, with his Yellow Prism. His opponent, depending on his speed, would be here in moments. The head start was advantageous. The Ultra violet he had summoned, he began to quickly weave into thin invisible lines that stretched from himself across the trees in this section of the park, in different directions and at varying intervals. They were thin enough for his opponent to walk through unaware. He'd try to stop his opponent if he could, but he was definitely ready to kill.

A bright red seemed to glow around the prismatic rainbow of Mason's eyes. His next move would potentially be devastating to his opponent, and he felt... Great! Passion surged through his veins, as he was ready to take this guy down. The full effects of Infared Prism ready to form. His body prepared for it as the heat seemed to vanish from the air. A cold night was suddenly becoming even colder.

[User]
For whatever reason, Rodrigo did not bother to give chase. The max effective range of his rifle was somewhere over 500 meters, and so he wouldn't need to take the fight up close so long as he could still get a visual on his target. Rodrigo was unaware why he was even firing. Was he the target? Was he the one targeting? It was confusing, and yet his body moved all on its own, as if trying to accomplish something.

Rodrigo lined up his sights again. With his eye-sight, it should be easy enough to hit something that was 400 meters away. He scanned the area for his target. Before he could aim and fire, however, his arm moved away from where he believed his target was, to another target. This was some innocent female in her twenties or something. She wore basic streetwear. Rodrigo did not intend to shoot at her, and yet he did.

"Wait, run away!" he managed to squeeze out, before squeezing the trigger. The woman screamed before hitting the ground. Straight through her chest, a bullet hole. Her eyes were wide and she was in a panic. Rodrigo seemed to have conciously pulled the rifle away, the shot hitting just off the woman's heartbox. In other words, she was alive. Strangely enough, while there was an exit wound, the cavitation seemed minimal- or at least less than the ammunition an AR-15 would produce.


[System]
Age: 34

Description:

Occupation: Let's go with "operative".

Branch of government worked for: A secret organization dubbed as Sierra not attached to any one branch of the U.S. Government. This organization has no ranks, only the agents in it serving under the pleasure of "Command", the person running the show. Those in Sierra answer to no one, not even the president himself. Command is the individual giving all orders or asking the agents to break them.

Location you were working in: Washington, D.C.

History: Elizabeth started out as a basic FBI employee years before she was personally recruited for Sierra. She was an interpreter in the FBI, being she was born and raised in New Jersey but is of Puerto Rican descent and thus is perfectly fluent in Spanish. Her ex-husband, Scott Kelton, was originally opposed to the idea of Elizabeth working for the government given the dangerous nature of the job, but she went on to follow her dreams regardless of what Scott said.

Over time, Elizabeth became more than just an interpreter. Because she swore an oath to the agency and was extremely loyal, Elizabeth became involved in some of the dirty work the FBI handles and from that point forward, she never went back to only worrying about her basic duties. She carried out "less-than-humane" methods of extracting information from subjects and she wasn't necessarily proud of it, but it was something that didn't phase her. That's when Command from Sierra noticed, and immediately recruited her to be trained in various methods of torture (lethal and non-lethal), close-quarters combat, weapons training, and computer training. Within months, Elizabeth was out on the field and loving every minute of it, particularly because Sierra allowed her the freedom to do the job as she needed, within some guidelines of course.

On a cold, January evening, Elizabeth got orders from Command to assassinate James Erick White. What stopped her heart was the fact that at the time, James was the leader of the free world, and someone whom she'd known during her childhood years. They were next-door neighbors at the time, and she was James' sister's best friend. When the White family moved away, Elizabeth was torn; Joanna and her were nearly inseparable and spent a lot of time talking on the phone before the relationship eventually faded into mere memories. With the document in hand, Elizabeth packed an overnight bag and left town, but Command found out almost immediately. Other agents caught up to her and even though she put up a decent fight, she was outnumbered and eventually got locked away in the hospital.

Personality: A bit shy at first around strangers, but over time she'll become a chatterbox. Doesn't like when people play emotional games with her as she abstains from doing the same, except when it has to do with work, of course.

Skills: Sharpshooter with pistols and rifles, hacker, evidence "clean-up" expert, can keep emotions in line (most of the time), and skilled in methods of torture.

Likes: Netflix and video games, when not at work. She also spends some weekend nights out in a bar or dancing with a friend or two.

Dislikes: Liars and people who don't own to their mistakes.

Extra: Divorced once husband found out how cold and heartless she was.

[User]
For the first time in months Xander's eyes lit up. Not everyday in here I get something to brighten myself up so better take advantage thinking to himself as he slowly dropped to one knee so as to not alarm Ichi. "Thank you very much Joshua. This is very kind of you." As he pet the dog memories came flooding back of Pepper. "You are a strong boy aren't you Ichi? Such a reliable guy helping keep Joshua in line huh bud?" laughing to himself as the time stream of the past flowed through his mind.

Drop that Pepper! Come on don't eat that, that belonged to the other Pup! There ya go boy, go get it, good boy! The memories were like happy dreams of simpler times. Pepper was a hand full but he never minded holding all of his personality because of what a companion he had made. Better end this quick before I star tearing up in front of the guard huh? thinking to himself as his eyes began to gloss over a bit. Xander stood and looked at Josh, "Once again thank you very much it brightened my day up Joshua."

North

[Assistant]
Nancy took the offered seat, catching a glimpse of the paper Elizabeth snatched up before tucking it away. "I understand just not having an appetite. It can be hard to make yourself eat sometimes, even though you know you should." She pulled the jellybeans out of her pocket, fairly sure that once Lt. Davenport was back from his appointment with Dr. Greene he wouldn't be allowed to eat. Appointments and procedures often resulted in patients being on strict diets as a result of the medication used or newly prescribed, sometimes because fasting blood tests were needed. She would just bring him the jellybeans tomorrow.

"Feel free to take these. Eat them one at a time, and sip some water. It won't fix the nausea, but it should help hold it off." She held the jellybeans out to Elizabeth. "We haven't really had a chance to talk. Do you prefer being called Elizabeth, Liz, Lizzie...? Something else?"

[User]
Thomas Greene

The doctor looked down at the man sitting in the chair before him and shook his head softly. "You suffer from PTSD, correct?" The man nodded, but said nothing. "You served seven tours with the US military?" Again the man nodded, but remained silent. "Do you have any family, relatives, wife, children, close friends?" Dr. Greene was fishing for anything at this point.

The man before him, Lt. Davenport, was an excellent sniper for the military when he served and retired with several medals and awards. Davenport shook his head. "No family at all?" Dr. Greene asked quietly and perched on the edge of his desk, studying the man sitting in front of him. Davenport again shook his head.

A smile smirk broke across the doctor's face and he clapped his hands together. "Alright. I'm going to prescribe you some different medications and try a new and revolutionary treatment for PTSD for you. First thing tomorrow morning, the nurses will have your new medications and you will need to go to the hospital wing to get a full blood panel work up. I will send the orders over now. You may go."

Doctor Greene waved the man away and smiled as the heavy wooden doors closed behind him. He seemed to be the perfect candidate for testing the serum for night vision and overall inhuman eyesight. As soon as the labs came back he would start experimenting. With skilled fingers, he pressed the intercom button and made an announcement throughout the entire hospital.

"All nurses and other medical personnel meet in my office at 6pm tonight. That is in 5 hours in case you don't have a watch. Thank you."

---

Jocylin Redford

Jo kicked the toe of her white shoe against the white and blue tiles on the floor as she walked down the hallways. She nodded as she passed a few nurses and a guard. She wasn't much to be social with them because she would just as soon put a blade through some of them than she would talk to them. She watched the dog, Ichi, cock its head to the side as one of the patients scratched behind his ear.

Her eyes searched the man's that actually owned Ichi and determined that he wasn't a threat for the time being. As she walked by, she nodded at them both. She couldn't remember the patient's name, but she remembered that Joshua owned the dog. "Being a good boy today, I see," she joked lightly as Ichi wagged his tail from the affection.

Pausing momentarily to listen to the announcement from the good doctor, she shook her head again. "More good news for us, then," she said and rolled her eyes. Jo knew that whenever Doctor Greene called for a meeting, the next few days were never good.

[Assistant]
Xander perked up to listen to the call over the loud speaker. Another meeting for the staff huh? Probably talking about how to spice up the dinning facility! Oh boy he chuckled to himself as he noticed Jo. "A fellow dog lover I see? Ichi is definitely the most underpaid staff member in this whole facility I would say!" saying as he grinning at the dog, "Aren't you boy? You wanna get a raise don't you? That's right a solid 2 treats an hour would make you work harder huh?"

He had noticed Jo walk the halls before. Never really gotten a chance to talk to her but would always notice her observing the asylum and things going on. "I don't think I have had the pleasure of meeting you yet?" Motioning to Jo, "I'm Xander, but buds like Joshua here call me "People I wish I could be someday"."

[User]
Some time after breakfast

"Hm, okay." Elizabeth took a couple of the jellybeans offered to her and looked them over before biting into the one that was a bright shade of green. She always enjoyed lemon-lime/citrus flavored candies, ever since childhood. "Not bad," she added before taking a sip of water. "And you can call me Liz, if you'd like. Trust me, I prefer it to being called Ms. Kelton 90% of the time. Everyone around here is so formal to each other, or rather, they do a good job of portraying it as such." Elizabeth then proceeded to eat the yellow jellybean with a smile on her face. Even if it was only for a few minutes, she was enjoying the company of someone who legitimately cared about her.

"So do you mind if I call you Nancy? I mean, when we're not surrounded by the white-beards."

[Assistant]
Nancy watched Liz slowly eating the jellybeans, biting in to one at a time. It made her smile. Pretty much everyone else, including she herself, ate jellybeans several at a time. Sometimes by the handful.

"I would be honored if you called me Nancy. So what-" She was interrupted by the loudspeaker.

"All nurses and other medical personnel meet in my office at 6pm tonight. That is in 5 hours in case you don't have a watch. Thank you."

Nancy stood quickly, regretting it when her back protested and she gave a slight forward jerk. It was already 1pm! "Wow! Ok, I had no idea it was that late. I'm sorry to cut this short, but I've got some other things I have to do before that meeting." She was a little annoyed. She worked earlier in the day. By four or five she was supposed to be off and in her apartments in the west wing of Stillwater. This meeting meant that she would have to assist with dinner instead of wrapping her shift up so the entire staff would be ready for the meeting and not dealing with feeding everyone, that her day was going to be extended for the meeting and however long it took, and that she would still have to be up early for her shift tomorrow. There was no way she was getting through this day without a pain killer. Her back was hurting even more than it was earlier.

"How about tomorrow night you come to the game room around 8? We can continue chatting. I should be done playing checkers with Lt. Davenport by then."

[User]
Sasha was in his room, the door left open. He didn't have much interest in socializing, as per usual. He was much more content to, instead, lay back on his cot and read his book. The battered the book that rested in his hands, titled "The Brothers Karamazov", was the only title he even vaguely recognized in the library. The reading material here was a bit dry.

The large man was situated on his back, propped up on the headboard of his bed and the flat pillow that had been issued to him. One arm rested behind his head and the other held the book open in front of him. His legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankles, hanging several inches off the bed. These cots hadn't been made with people of his stature in mind. Not that Sasha wasn't used to it by now.

He never bothered to complain, anyway. Something told him his criticism would go in one ear and out the other around here. Honestly, as far as trouble makers went, Sasha was pretty tame. He mostly just sat around quietly, either reading, brooding, or just thinking. He didn't stir up other patients or harass workers. He mostly kept to himself. In fact, the only time he ever caused trouble was during medicine rounds. Sasha had, from day one, flat out refused to take any and all pills prescribed to him. He hadn't taken pills before this place, and he damn sure wasn't going to now.

Most of the time, nurses would give up after he refused. After all, what were they going to do? Force him? But every now and then, he would get those few that would. The security team would be called, doctors would stand by, and everyone would make a fuss. It was pretty hard to make a man of his size and stature do something he didn't want to do. After such a show, he would typically be taken off the rounds list for a month or two before his name would slip back on there and it all started over again. In between those times, he was perfectly well behaved.

Sasha flipped a page in his book and read a few lines before his eyes wandered over the top. The guard with the dog was passing by the open door of his room, and one of the women was stopping to talk to the animal. Sasha didn't dislike dogs, but he found it strange for the animal to be used in such a facility. He had heard stories of gulag using such beasts, but not for what this dog was used for.

Sasha knew he should be grateful that the States hadn't deported him to his own country. This facility was a five star hotel compared to the prisons in his homeland. Nevertheless, he still didn't enjoy his time here. He would notice, every once and a while, that patients would go missing from their rooms. Where they went? No one seemed to know; or at least they pretended not to. Sasha could only wonder how long it would be before he found out the hard way.

[Assistant]
"It's a date then," she added with a smile, getting off the bed to walk Nancy to the door. "But I gotta warn you, I play a mean game of blackjack if you ever feel like challenging me."

After she once more held the door open for Nancy and waved her goodbye, Elizabeth locked herself in her room again and began her daily exercise routine. Was she tired, moody, and nauseated? Absolutely, but those were just excuses in her mind. If she wasn't dying or throwing up, then she could afford to train, although there was a possibility that the latter may occur sooner rather than later due to the pills. But she did want to get her work-out out of the way before Josh showed up, whenever that was, if he would even bother.

Elizabeth started with push-ups, silently counting them until she would reach her desired number for the day, at which point she would move on to the next exercise.


[System]
Species: Tekeri

Appearance: Kareet appears fairly average, compared to most Tekeri. She has deep black, generally well-kept feathers and stands at about 6'11". Like all Tekeri, she naturally stands with something of a hunched posture, which, along with her serrated beak, sharp talons, and four piercing red eyes, would give her a rather feral, monstrous appearance to a Human observer. At first impressions, all that might set her apart from an animal would be her unusually clean feathers and polished beak.

Magical Affiliation: Lightning Domain Proficiency

Occupation: Seeker of the Order of Sages

Key Skills: Engineering, Wilderness survival, Combat magic training

Backstory: Kareet's early childhood was, in its entirety, unremarkable. 'Kareet' was not her original name, as the original was left behind with her former life. She was hatched to a peasant family in the lowest rungs of Arcaeda, but she was in her seventh year when her fate shifted. In Arcaeda, per the decree of the Archmagister, all children must receive at least one year of magical education, provided by the state. With the Archmagister's vision of Arcaeda as a modern city with magic at its core, the education primarily serves to ensure that every citizen knows what to expect of magic in the city, and how to efficiently work around it. However, it also serves a secondary purpose. In most species, children are more easily able to awaken to magic than adults, so these classes have allowed the city to expand its number of magic-capable citizens.

While the majority of children each year are unable to use magic, a small percentage, like Kareet, experience their awakenings, which then necessitates that the child must be trained in the usage of magic. In the event that the child belongs to a family that is unable to facilitate that training, then the state invokes what is called the "Law of Correction" to claim guardianship over the child. For Kareet, it meant being removed from the care of her former family and adopted officially by the Order of Magisters. While the Law of Correction can be contested, few ever attempt it, either because they recognize their child would have far greater opportunities in life with magical training, or because they are afraid of being unable to do what would be required to successfully challenge it. Kareet does not know her birth parents' reasons, nor has she ever cared.

Kareet was raised, by and large, by the Order of Magisters, which afforded her a proper education, including writing, logic, and mathematics, as well as training in forms of magic for which she had an affinity. For Kareet, that was the Lightning Domain. For youth trained by the Order of Magisters, their instruction encompassed the core skills of their chosen magic for most known applications, military and civilian. Kareet learned of how the Ascendancy had come to use her Domain, primarily magnetism, in construction and engineering, as well as receiving appropriate training in combat magic.

Magister's training provided a strong base for Kareet's knowledge of her Domain. To continue with the Order of Magisters would have brought her along the path of a battlemage to learn more of military tactics and improve her ability in "battlefield" magic. However, her interests brought her instead to transfer to the Order of Sages upon her graduation; not an uncommon choice, for the more academically inclined. Over half of the mages within the Order of Sages were, at one point, members of the Order of Magisters.

Within the Ascendancy, the purview of the Order of Sages is the accumulation and advancement of all knowledge, magical and non-magical. It is the combination of both which drives Kareet. While she certainly still seeks to improve her magical prowess, she finds herself intrigued by the concept of how magic and invention can be combined. For her trial of proving, she traveled beyond the Ascendancy, spending time in the settlements of several nations, from the capital of Mythadia itself, to remote settlements small enough not to appear on most maps. She made a particular effort to immerse herself in the practices of magic from other cultures. The Sages taught that all knowledge was worth collecting, regardless of origin.

Upon her return to Arcaeda, Kareet worked to make her contribution to the Sages' collective knowledge. Simply returning with something unique that was not part of their records, even if it was minor, would have been sufficient for her trial, but she did not wish to settle for sufficient with the mark she would make. Over about a year, she worked on concepts and designs that incorporated the capabilities of magic into her knowledge of engineering. Eventually, it was a device she had witnessed in Mythadia that inspired her own creation. Force mages were commonly used in many parts of the world to aid in construction, but she had observed a kind of elevator for lifting huge stones that used pulleys operated by a series of metal gears. A lightning mage needed only to turn a single gear to operate the elevator, which could hoist stones heavy enough to normally require several force mages to move. After working through a few concepts, Kareet managed to apply that idea to a siege engine. The idea of using mages to operate more powerful siege engines was nothing new, but Kareet focused on achieving that power more efficiently. Her final prototype was a ballista that used a similar gear and pulley system that a single lightning mage could operate, which was just as powerful as similar weapons that usually required multiple force mages.

At present, Kareet has been granted the rank of Seeker within the Order of Sages, in light of her skills and interests. Seekers are generally the more independent and combat-capable of the order's members who specialize in the search for knowledge, regardless of the dangers that may be required to obtain it.

[User]
@Blizz @13org

  Kolvar Stilmyst

Kolvar still did not understand the equation and what the pinkie was trying to say. "Damn if only we had a thought mage here." He cursed under his breath with a grimace on his face. He took a closer look at the equation in front of him. "It seems the pinkie wants the aluminum quill." He wanted Kareet to trade the pen for the strange tape. Watching the alien writing down another equation this time on the metallic wall. Taking a moment to try and figure out what it meant. "Do you have any idea what this new equation means? Does it look like some sort of measurement of some kind?" Tapping his clawed hand towards the bottom of his beak. Again he was having a hard time trying to figure out what the equation meant.

Extending it out while reading the numbers along the tape. Letting go and looking scared as it snapped back into place. "Strange." He once again extended it out for Kareet to have a better look at. Perhaps this measuring tape would be the key to them solving the equation. "No I do not think this creature is alone, so we should be ready in case the others come. And I assume the other crewmembers will be quite aggressive." He said pointing towards Vigdis.

"But we should keep a levelled head, and keep trying to keep making communication with these foreigners." He did not like the introduction of Nellara and her people waiting outside. He did not want to lose the valuable information inside the ship to the Order. He felt like an idiot for not being able to figure out the equation. But he would try his best to help them.

[Assistant]
J'eon the Blacksmith

"So, ask yourself this then - who did bring down this city of metal?" J'eon asked, waving his upper arms. "And why are you in here instead of out there, keeping an eye on the skies?"

"This is a trade," the Glen continued. "Information for information. You'd do well to remember that, Castigator Nellara."

---

Jack Mallory, X.O.

"Personally," Jack sighs, cycling the inner lock, "I'd say we couldn't risk the captain on this, and that I'm the one who should go in there, alone. But there are multiple races in there, so we need to show we're different, as well."

Handing the carbine back, he patted his handgun. "Best hold onto that if you need to rescue us. This will not be as intimidating."

Stepping inside, he waited for the captain to join him.

[User]
Tired as she was, having not slept for three days, Mallory's words served to jolt Zey awake. Her chemical gland followed suit, pumping stimulants around her system. If they all went in and things turned hostile, the Jo could lose its Captain, XO, four engineers and a senior Tamerlane contractor. The rest of the crew and passengers would have next to no chance of leaving this planet without a rescue team. Zey was already bending all the rules of first contact by going in there; there was no way she was going to sit back and let the others reap all the glory. But there had to be some sort of counterbalance.

"Noted, but there's no way I'm letting you go in alone. Too dangerous. That being said…" Zey replied to Mallory, then turned to Zhao.

"Zhao, I know you're going in for Vigdis but I'm pulling rank. You're staying put - Anselm can take over Command, but we can't lose all our engineers. Organise the crew and take defensive positions by the airlock. We won't be long."

"Captain!"

"That is an ORDER!" Zey snapped, face rippling with adrenaline.

Zhao let off a string of expletives in Mandarin that the Captain didn't catch, then stormed off.

Zey followed her away with a stern look, then turned to Danny Varen and Tyreese Darnell.

"You too Danny. Can't let you and Dr Ibarra both in that room…Mr Darnell, If I give you a weapon, will you shoot me in the back?" Tyreese sniffed nervously and shook his head.

"No ma'am." He replied sheepishly.

Zey stared into his eyes for a moment. He wasn't that drunk, and she needed someone imposing to show that while they spoke softly, they had big sticks too.

She took Danny's Benelli shotgun and put it into Darnell's grip.

"Stand in front of me and don't do anything stupid or I'll kill you myself. Everyone ready?"

With that lightning reshuffle completed, Zey filtered into the airlock behind Mallory, followed by Dr Ibarra, and Tyreese Darnell. The airlock cycled again, and they emerged out into the shuttle bay. Zey held her palms out and tried not to panic as she saw the creatures at one end by Vigdis. Her heart rate and breathing increased, and her mask made a rasping sound as it processed the air.

[Assistant]
Kareet was only half-listening to what was going on around her, preferring to put most of her focus on trying to interpret what Vigdis has written. Unfortunately, she and Kerchak did not have too much success this time. The fundamentals of mathematics had not been too difficult to convey. Counting was easy enough, and they could relate counting to symbols and basic operations. However, whatever Vigdis was writing now was difficult to convey without words. She doubted the math was too complicated in itself, but whatever notation Vigdis was using was entirely foreign to her. There was no frame of reference to what they were trying to convey. Perhaps, with more time and effort, they might have been able to discern it, but it seemed they would not have the time now.

Kareet gave a glance back at J'eon, having picked up on some of what he had been saying. "J'eon, we are in Ascendancy territory, and Nellara is an enforcer of Ascendancy law. Or can be, at least. It is in your best interest to be polite and cooperative with the Castigator." Kareet warned.

It was just a few moments later, though, that a noise turned everyone's attention to what looked like a door nearby, albeit a rather strange door. It hissed, then seemed to slide open on its own. From the other side, more of these beings stepped into the room. They were dressed just as strangely, or at least some were. One had a mask, though Kareet could not guess at its purpose. If it was armor, then why was the rest of its body not armored as well? They all looked like they could be the same kind of being as Vigdis, though even in this small group, Kareet could already note some variety in their bodies. There was considerable difference in size and build between some of them. Male and female, perhaps, though she would have to figure out how to confirm which was which. They also had significantly different hues to their skin, much like the variety in scale colors of the S'tor. Some of them were carrying large objects of some sort; tools or weapons perhaps? The safest choice was to assume the latter and be watchful of what they were doing with them.

Kareet stood up to her feet, looking down on the new arrivals, though staying in place near to where they had been writing on the wall. After a moment's pause, she pointed a finger down to Vigdis. "Vigdis." She said as clearly as she could, then pointed to herself. "Kareet."


[System]
Age: 10K

Legion/Warband/Chapter: Thousand Sons

Planet of Origin: Prospero

Physical Description: Sanakhet is a tall chaos marine, made to appear taller with the reaching twin horns of his headdress-helm. He is however slightly less wide, matching a slight deficit in raw physical strength, a small sacrifice worthy of greater power. His armor is a dark night-sky blue with golden trim, ornate with arcane markings and fierce-looking detail. A vaguely tattered white robe flows downward behind him over his powerarmor, belted at his waist, contiguous with a collar and long lapels in front. It bears in blue the mark of the Magnus' eye and flames.

Skillset:

Main power: Premonition/Precognition - Sanakhet can predict an enemy's strategies prior to engagement on the battlefield, giving his forces a similar edge to having inside information. Using his powers, he can see immediate event just before they happen, allowing him to perform extraordinary feats in combat such as moving through an enemy barrage unharmed or executing precision attacks with bolter or blade in the most complex circumstances.

Other common uses of warp sorcery:
Psychic communication over short distances.
Reading simple minds.
Limited telekinesis. A telekinetic shield able to withstand limited bombardment.
Biologic manipulation such as lightning, stopping hearts, causing seizures or paralysis, causing sleep, limited healing/stasis.

History: Sanakhet was recruited into the Thousand Sons legion after it was united with their primarch on Prospero during the height of the crusades, but before the Thousand Sons were permitted to participate in the conquering of worlds for the Imperium. He stood witness to everything that happened to his legion, his people, and his world, and was ripped away from the materium against his will like the rest of his unfortunate bretheren after the scouring of the planet by the Space Wolves. Many were confused and felt betrayed by their primarch, Magnus. Sanakhet rallied with Ahriman and assisted in casting the Rubric that obliterated the suffering of, as well as identity of, the rest of the damned legion. For their transgression, he was banished by Magnus, along with the rest of the sorcerers involved to become Ahriman's Prodigal Sons who move on defiantly regardless, carving their own destiny in the warp. Many planets were conquered in their own quest for knowledge and power, and their ostricized legion grew. Eventually, after barely failing to penetrate the Black Library of the Eldar, Magnus and Ahriman made some degree of amends and joined their forces during the 13th Black Crusade. They utterly wrecked the Fenris system, but some thrallbands were absent from the focus of the war, instead being assigned to reclaim worlds near old Prospero. Sanakhet was there, his thrallband batteling the Imperium directly on-world. The Thousand Sons were anything but great in number, and although it was difficult to deal with their power, Sanakhet's forces were routed. Furious with his failure and loss of precious comrads, Sanakhet used warp magic to escape and ends up meeting the other characters elsewhere. He still intends to continue his mission of purging the Prospero system.

Psychological Profile: Sanakhet can neither be described as good nor evil, noble or corrupt. Surely he is perfused with warp energy and bound to serve Tzeentch, but serving any forces of chaos had never been his intention. He trusts no one, save Ahriman, yet cannot deny a reluctant bond to his original gene-father. Like them, he seeks to understand truth and chaos and to expand his power and will sacrifice the innocent to do it.

Equipment: A powersword that burns with arcane flames, a bolter-pistol, his mind.

[User]
@Wraithblade6@Ollumhammersong

The face of Vibianus split into a grin beneath his helmet as the plasma engulfed the Sorcerer, but whatever hope he had had of the Thousand Sons demise was swiftly dashed, his face twisting then into an unsatisfied grimace when Sanakhet not only survived but even worse seemed quite unharmed. Chaos was fickle indeed, and none more fickle than the Changer of Ways, and while inside of himself the child of the Emperor was seething with annoyance on the outside he silently moved through the Black Legionnaires and toward the Thunderhawk once more.

A gold-trimmed warrior of Abaddon stepped forth to halt him, swinging at him with his chainsword in an endeavour to hew the warrior in twain. Vibianus stepped inside the swing, hammering the hand-guard of his own weapon repeatedly against the face of his opponents helmet, delivering a swift blow to the inside of the legionnaires leg and decapitating him contemptuous ease; around him the remaining three warriors of his cadre moved in unison with him, heavy calibre bolts blowing apart a legionnaire that was about to disembowel Guroth from behind, all moving forward to secure 'the prize' before these interlopers got the chance.

Mere meters away and overhead the loyalist forces were closing in, companies of enemy Astartes and regiments of Imperial Guard led by officers and commanders determined to wipe out the forces of the Ruinous Powers before they got a chance to escape. If those same followers now converging upon the gunship knew what was good for them – if they wished to survive at least – then they would need to work together to get the Thunderhawk going and into orbit...after that, who knew?

Vibianus knew this, switching to a general vox channel and hoping that the trio of newcomers would listen to sense, "we need this gunship and we need it now! Fight one another when we have fled this débâcle, but for now I suggest that we finish these lapdogs of the so-called Warmaster and get off of this planet."

He and his comrades were nearly into the Thunderhawk, fighting their way up the boarding ramp with grim resoluteness, but they could not take it alone; with three other warriors by their side though...

[Assistant]
Guroth, Ashtor, Sanakhet, and Vibianus all managed to claim the gunship with a majority of Emperor's Children. Sanakhet glared behind his optics but kept his physical actions respectful to the house. As long as Vibianus had his men around him, the Khornite, sorcerer, and Word Bearer were going to have to keep civil.

Dark as a shadow, Sanakhet took up a lone corner on the command bridge of the thunderhawk. His very presence was unnerving, as if some sinister outworld power had claimed him and was watching. He didn't move, but he never took his eyes off Ashtor. Plasma weapons were so unstable, and the temptation to psychically cause the weapon to self destruct was strong. Sanakhet hesitated however, as the resultant explosion could possibly damage the spacecraft, risking their escape.

Sanakhet stood innocently motionless from across the room. He'd blow the gun up later.

Somebody grabbed the controls and the ship lifted off the ground, a few of the third legion manned the defensive weapons and kept any other enemies off them. Sanakhet wasn't going to waste his talents on this duty, mainly because it would involve turning his back on his dubious allies.

Where would they go to now? The gunship wasn't warp capable, and Tzeentch only knew who had naval superiority in the space above. At best, they'd be able to relocate on-world, probably to wherever the damn purple legion was hiding. Sanakhet for whatever reason couldn't see that far into the immediate future. "This is why we are losing." He mused to himself. Nothing was worse than chaos ununited.

[User]
The sorcerer survived. Miraculously so it seemed. That was a complication to be addressed later, but Ashtor ran past him and the others to the boarding ramp of the thunderhawk. "Agreed cousin of Fulgrim! Let us leave." Let the sorcerer burn or seek his revenge later. But he was secure in the short term with his knowledge of flight and the protection of the sons of Fulgrim who needed him alive to make the Thunderhawk do just that. Brushing through the ranks of the pink warriors in his rush to reach the cockpit of the craft.

He dared not let lose more plasma towards the internal confines of the transport less he irreparably damage something important. For that reason he could not risk more bolter rounds to be fired either. So the first Black Legionnaire he could reach found the jagged bayonet of a stolen and corrupted plasma gun jammed towards his chest. "Get me to the cockpit!" he roared as he descended into a duel with the black Legionnaire. A duel he did not plan to fight fairly. Following his momentum of the baynot charge and crashing shoulderlong into the dark warrior. They both slammed into the inner hull of the Thunderhawk with a reverberating thud, Ashtor felt a combat blade bite into the soft armour of his side and focused that lance of pain and the rage it brought forth to fuel his limbs. Grabbing the hand that held the blade his other smashed the body of the plasma gun into his opponents head. Probably doing the finicky coils and complex internals of the weapon no favours. But he continued to pin the warrior against the hull, dropping the plasma gun and scrambling for his own combat knife. It was hard to fumble for a blade while one was imbedded in your own body. Even for an astartes every twist and turn sent waves of pain through him.

Despite the difficulty with wrestling a rival chaos marine one handed Ashtor managed to slip his own blade into the soft armour of his foe. Now it was little more than a free for all as he lost the grip of the legionnaire's knife and they were both locking arms and rolling against the thunderhawk. This exchange went on for what felt like an intollerable amount of time before Ashtor ended it by bashing his helmet into his opponents and driving his blade upward into the neck and brain. The blood that oozed out of the legionnaire was as black as his armour and just as tainted. He could hear it dissolving the combat blade like an acid. He left it lodged in black armoured corpse and ripped the blade stuck in his side out to keep for himself.

'Let the Emperor's children finish the rest' he thought to himself, limping down the thunderhawk to the cockpit. His plasma gun recovered and dangling from his left hand grip while his right held his newest possession, a combat knife bathed in his own unnaturally dark lifeblood. His superhuman immune and recovery systems couldn't fix the damage done to him so quickly.

There was one more legionnaire in the cockpit. Obviously waiting for the fighting to be over so he could lift-off with his brothers and escape this failed invasion. He died far quicker than his brother in the back. Ashtor left him to rot on the floor and took his place in the pilots seat. Sucking his sharpened teeth because of the pain flaring in his side. He didn't really care who was or was not onboard at this point. The warchant of the mechanicus legions was too loud to ignore any longer. Their guns were too close for comfort. "I'm closing the ramp!" It wasn't so much a warning that gave the stragglers notice to rush inside the safety of the adamantium hull as it was a statement that said stragglers were now on their own and likely faced their last few minutes of life.

True to his word the powerful ramp sealed whatever passengers it had inside. It was time to get the fuck off this world.

[Assistant]
The gunship lifted off and the sounds of war began to fade. Several nearby explosions occurred as the enemy took a few last shots at the fleeing vessel. Fortunately, Sanakhet foresaw that none would do any significant damage, and they were escaping with the craft intact.

Now he found himself enclosed with a number of Third Legion, a berzerker, and a wounded Word Bearer. Would he survive THEM would be the next question, and his foresight cut out on that one. Predicting other beings behavior was a bit more complicated than predicting ammunition trajectories, and summoning that kine shield to save his life from a plasma blast had taxed him. Nonetheless, Sanakhet would do everything within his power to survive, even if that meant lying, cheating, stealing, treachery, or submission, for he had gained what he had come to Minoa III for. He had uncovered the ancient Eldar writings and now held one of the keys to an elaborate scheme so deep, not even the god of deceit would see it coming. Sanakhet was one small component in an inside conspiracy the likes of which hadn't been tried since the Blades of Magnus.

But even he didn't know the full depth of it. He couldn't. No one single mind could have contained the entire plan, for it would be too easy for Tzeentch to uncover it that way. No. The mechanisms were spread out in secret, shattered into a million insignificant pieces, all programmed to... destined to... come together at the pinnacle moment, born by the minds that held them.

Treachery had always lurked in Sanakhet's heart, for it was true human nature.

As the realization of safety came over them, each of the traitor marines began to turn their heads toward each other. There were only split seconds left before they all turned on each other, the Emperor's Children being the greatest in number. The sorcerer had to prove his usefulness immediately.

"One of our engines is going to ignite itself before we reach our destination." He broke the tension with a dire announcement. "Unless... One of us must go now to seal a coolant leak, starboard side."

Was the daft exile lying? He could totally be lying.

Sanakhet's helm served his stoic facade as he then turned his head slightly toward Ashtor. "I am capable of healing that wound..." His tone almost belied his grin.


[System]
Age: 18

Gender: Male

Race: Human

Weapon: The Ampere, a unique polearm with a wide, flat blade rather than a spearhead along with a gray steel pole. It has both range and lethality, keeping most melee fighters at a range safe for Abel but devastating to them with a tempered steel point, as well as channeling Abel's natural aura far better than he can do by himself (Inside the the Ampere's pole is a thick mesh of silver and copper wire). The Ampere has a single alternate mode that splits the wide blade into four parts and reverses their direction, creating a vaguely mace shape. In this mode, the Ampere can release bolts of lightening that travel impressive distances instantly.

Specialty: Abel fits best into the role of guardian, fittingly enough. His size, range, and defensive characteristics make him good at intercepting danger coming for his teammates, and he can certainly throw his strength around at close range, armed or not. Using his lightening bolts, he is able to paralyze if not flash-fry a single opponent at long range.

Semblance: Surge - This ability allows him to project electricity that can manipulate the Ampere at short range without touching it and summon it back to his hand when disarmed, as well as channel electricity to shock anything the weapon touches. By using Surge to rotate his staff quickly at very close range, he can create a sort of shield. When he focuses his power sufficiently through the Ampere in staff mode, he is able to fire a bolt of lightening that takes several minutes to recharge.

Personality: Abel is proud and gruff, very serious and totally without humor. For someone who appreciates the creativity and technique of both weapons and battle so thoroughly, he ironically is without creativity. Instead, he tend to go about his business by the book, a principled young man of habit and routine with little to no capability to think outside the box. While he is dependable, he is not flexible, and can respond to bullying, injustice, or even plain teasing with sudden anger. While not antisocial, he sticks with only a few friends at any given time, concentrating on strong bonds rather than many bonds. He loathes popular culture and those who overtly subscribe to it. The Grimm mask he carries makes him upset and angry, more at himself than anything else, but as it reminds him of his brother he cannot let it go. Deep down, Abel is a severe defeatist.

Color: Azure

Emblem: An azure lightening bolt, naturally.

Appearance:
When reading, he is forced to put on glasses.

[User]
Noticing that no one seemed to be burning bridges Victor relaxed a little, "Sure, I guess I can forgive you but I don't know about Victor, he's probably hurt after you offended his great captain." Victor had to raise an eyebrow at Rayna's retort and had to cover a laugh with a cough when she winked at him. Returning Rayna's food to her Victor was almost offended that she had to ask if he had her food "Of course I do, I wouldn't be doing a good job of guarding your stuff if I had left it unguarded would I? Anyway, if I can speak frankly, maybe we should avoid poking the wasp nest for a while? Give it some time let the little storm blow over and then we can repair bridges... although there is something to be said about rivalries and grudges."

Returning to the lunch table Victor sat down next to Rayna and started eating. He was getting a bit annoyed since he didn't want to eat with his robotic arm, he just had to clean it later. After ten minutes of relative silence and a lesson in annoyance Rayna spoke up "Do you think that gung-ho Rampaged leader has a thing for Priscilla?" "I don't know, probably? It's interesting, but of no immediate use to us as far as I can tell." grabbing a napkin Victor started meticulously cleaning his prosthetic arm.
"I'm so glad that I have Armory next, they'll have proper maintenance tools, right?" as he asked this the bell rang for the next class. Standing up Victor stretched "Well off we go. Hopefully I can fix what I need to." pausing Victor looked around and asked his teammates "Where are you all heading next?" Victor waited, not wanting to be rude and feeling that they should go together when they could.

[Assistant]
Merlin quickly inhaled the last bit of food that was left in his tray in completely silence. He didn't find himself particularly interested in the conversations around him and found no real reason to interject any of them. He did, however, give a small smile as Ivan got 'told' and stormed out. Merlin looked at the time and found he had plenty of time left to meander about. He stood up, walked to a trash can, and tossed whatever inedible object that were left on his tray away. He then walked out of the cafeteria and took a nice walk. It had been forever since Merlin had been so relaxed. He let out a long sigh of relief. He hasn't really had anytime to relax lately. Nobody to blame but himself, he has spent many of his waking hours practicing and studying to enhance his abilities even farther. Combat isn't something that comes naturally to him, and he has to spend a lot of time theorizing, practicing, and implementing it.

Merlin continued to live in his own head as he walk the grounds of Beacon. It wasn't until he heard the bell in the background, signalling the end of lunch, that he snapped out of it. He pulled out his scroll and searched for the name and location of his next class. "Grimm Studies, huh? Well, I hope there are live specimens for us to examine." He said with a hint of excitement in his voice. He then put his scroll away and zoomed off to his next class. He walked into the classroom and noticed that not everyone has arrived. This left quite a few open seats to choose from. Merlin gave off a small smile as he walked though the sea of desks. He decided to stop and sit at a desk that had two openings on both ends. He took off his cloak and laid it behind him. He then leaned back and waited for class to start.

[User]
Greyson groaned a little seeing how he just asked Pricilla out of the blue right after she got upset. Damn It! Greyson was a little angry not knowing that it was that easy to do it! Greyson took a breath and finished his food calming down slightly so the others wouldn't notice, right now Greyson needed to get to the next class which was grimm studies hoping against hope that Pricilla will be their with him without Robert but it was unlikely considering that their were only two classes to take for 4th period and Greyson didn't see any reason to go and be in the Armory class when his blade was badass all on its own.

When Greyson heard that Robert was going to grimm studies though his hope fell right down the toilet. Greyson sighed a little and put on a smile "well guys I think we should be heading to class, by the way Robert I got grimm studies to so why don't we head their?" Greyson said hoping he will get Robert away from Pricilla at least for a little bit by trying to get him away from Pricilla, Greyson felt like he loved Pricilla but Damn it if Greyson wasn't a coward when it came to women. He could take on that giant bull with a laugh and a smile but when it came to women he froze in his tracks, damn that was sad...

[Assistant]
"No problem. That is quite a youth." Marcus commented as he grabbed a sandwich off his plate. He nodded towards the others.

"Excuse me, I need to take a different route to class." he apologised and left in a different direction.

Armory class was situated next to the large general purpose shooting range. This had a few benefits that ranged from a good view outside to a place to try out new creations somewhat safely. Most importantly for Marcus the classroom had a large hangar door that lead to said shooting range. The normally ferocious roar of Unsubtle's engine was reduced to a deeper, throaty growl as he slowly guided it across the grounds. Marcus stood upright in the turret, poking his head out of the top hatch as he rode. The doors were technically large enough to fit through but on either side there would be barely a hand's width to spare.

Only once he was parked inside and no longer threatening to run over important things like walls or other students did he take a good look around. He was at one end of a massive room, with a set of workbenches between Unsubtle and the classroom proper. At the classroom end he could spot Oswald, Geni, and several others. Notable surprises were Shiro and some new girl with a rather interesting choice of clothes. He busied himself with clambering out before his stare could be interpreted as rude. Taking the seat next to Shiro that was not yet occupied he nodded towards the faunus.

"G'day. Interesting weapon set, they combine?" he said by way of opening. Slots in the shield appeared a match for several bumps in the non bladed edge of the sword, however Marcus would need to get a look at the internals to figure out the exact mechanism.

[User]
Mokuren waltzed into the Armory class, quite literally. She liked dancing, almost as much as she liked stalking her prey before devouring them entirely. This class, while nothing to her usually, was where Geni was learning how to stave off death for another day. Mokuren didn't need to learn about armory, she had Sarasagi and it was a perfect weapon, for slicing up irritating people who was so stupid and pampered.

She entered the room, spotted her target, and stalked up to him with as much feline grace as a Fox could muster. She swished her tail a bit after she arrived, and stared at him. Her tail was so adorable that it would distract anyone who cared to stare deep into it's furry beauty for any longer than a moment. Brandishing Sarasagi very obviously, she spoke.
"Good morning Geni. How are you?" She asked, like a fox asked a chicken before the chase began.

[Assistant]
The thoughts that passed through Ben's head could best be termed as dull bemusement. He had been settling into his seat and digging out something to take notes on when Sangue appeared, taking a seat right next to him. Without much warning, or comment. The team leader was still a moment. Then he blinked, and his normal behavior resumed, almost as though nothing was even remotely unusual. He set his notebook on his desk and glanced at Sangue, nodding.

"That's part of its purpose. Don't remember how the course descriptor said it, but it's supposed to teach us to understand what it is we're supposed to fight." Scrawling the date in the upper right of his notebook he paused again, giving her a slight grin. "You're Sangue, right? I don't think we've been introduced, formally, at least."

"Hey Trad." He raised a hand in greeting at the second member of BAST, smiling cheerfully. He was, to be honest, pretty aware of what was going through Trad's head. Were it Amy, or anyone else really, he might have made a joke along the same lines. But, unexpected though it was, this was the first time Sangue had really spoken to any of them all day. Probably the best opportunity to establish a relationship he'd get.

[User]
Priscilla totally knew that Robert was happy and that he wanted to jump up and down from excitement but by the way he looks, he was controlling it. It was a disappointment because she wanted to see how he reacted, probably was adorable or something. But she wouldn't worry, he is gonna have to show her his adorable side sooner or later. So that reaction that he was holding within, it had to be let out.

Yeah, Priscilla was hungry, hello she raged and threw away her food. Very regretful. "Hey! I was only raging because of what she said. No no no, it wasn't because of what she said. I just didn't want to see her...! For godsakes, Robert my underwear was showing! Half of the people saw it, I think." her panties were colored pink, clearly because she loved that color.

As they were walking, she reached for an apple from Robert's tray and as soon as she placed it on her mouth, the bell rang. Crap...she took a bite out of it, turning her head and seeing Greyson there. "Hey Grey! Yeah, I have Grimm Studies as well. So we all go! Come on!" Priscilla nodded taking another bite as she winked at Robert, now walking ahead of them to her classroom.

[Assistant]
"Not at all," Abel assured. In fact, he had started to grow a little bored halfway through Oswald's explanation, particularly because the two had reached the junction in the hallway where their different classes forced them to split. Fortunately, the feeling was imperceptible beneath a face fixed in its ordinary neutrality. "Sounds pretty rough. Good to know about Sapphire, though. Funny how someone else knows our leader better than we know her, no offense. Catch you later."

Though fairly stimulated by the thought of a hardware class, where he would be able to admire and learn from the technical skill of others, Abel knew that he was ill-suited for it. He simple lacked the creativity and mechanical prowess that many others were blessed with. In fact, the closest he had gotten to an idea was some sort of boot that enhanced his kicking ability. Far better, he knew, to attend Grimm Studies, where he would learn every detail about killing specific Grimm while simultaneously not getting killed by them. He strode into Grimm Studies with about forty seconds to spare, noting that the storage hanger (where the rows and rows of weapon-toting, rocket-propelled lockers were kept) was just down the hallway.

The Grimm Studies classroom was, at first glance, a lecture hall like Math had been. More careful analysis of the room and its setup, however, revealed that it was more angular in shape, and with a far bigger open area in front the amphitheater-esque seats. Standing by his desk could have been none other than the teacher, a rotund, silver-haired gentleman sporting a bristling mustache. Abel navigated to an empty seat on the front row, noting a few of the other students who had arrived: the pink-haired girly-girl whose undergarments had been revealed in first period, the bespectacled former foe Robert, Merlin with his impressively grassy head, the girl with the red claw arm, and two boys who Abel guessed were her teammates. Neither made much of an impression.

Abel was roused from his thoughts by the resonance of the bell, which declared passing period done with. He looked toward the teacher expectantly.


[System]
Nicknames:  John, Huck, Huckabeast, Aku, Aqua
Age: 31 - Born on January 13, 1988
Physical Description: Jonathan stands at six foot two and is around two-hundred seventy pounds. Long dark brown, somewhat curly, hair. Full beard and long mustache. Those that don't know his age say that he looks anywhere between 24-27.

Important items: All the ones he has on him.
Glasses
Hairtie
Crucial Hat
Cargo Shorts (Grey)
Millennium Falcon blueprint shirt (Grey)
Shoes (Size 14 wide)
Socks
D20 Ring
1 gallon of natural spring water
Earbuds

Ballons in a bag
Leatherman Super Tool 300 Multitool - Stainless Steel
Boxers
Fitbit
Cellphone MotoZ 2
Cellphone projector
A roll of toilet paper.
Bag of cough drops.
Burt's Bees lip balm coconut pear
Beard butter
Solar charger for phone and Fitbit.
Keys with a lighter and compass attached to them.
New Altoids container unopened

Short Bio: Jonathan does what most people around the world do. Gets up in the morning, goes to work, eats throughout the day and sleeps at night. Given his status in the world, things have just started to look up due to his promotion and relationship. He was recently promoted to SME at FCR and is with the woman he loves. Sadly, he doesn't get enough sleep because of stomach issues.

His entire life hasn't been great, there have been bumps along the way. However, currently, he is looking to purchase his own home. Something to secure the future for his girlfriend and himself. He didn't mind going into debt to purchase a parcel of land. However, the land that was for sale in the area was very pricy. He was looking forward to purchasing an AMD custom built AMD computer but this came first.

He let out a sigh but smiled as he walked with Jesse. He set out with her in order to talk over financials and locations of possible properties. She was an old friend that he hadn't seen in years. They went to a few locations and spoke about what they could do. Then she gave him a few properties that he could check out. After that, they went separate ways.

He found himself looking over properties by himself knowing what his girlfriend would like. She didn't like people being too close and wanted to start up a garden, possibly get a few animals. So he went through the list and discarded the ones he knew she wouldn't like into the trash.

He was left with three properties. The first was great but the price was a bit too high. The second looked like it would take too much work. The last one looked perfect, a too good to be true property. Instead of agreeing with his gut he made his way for the third property. Huck made sure that it was alright if he went to the property. Southern Oregon wasn't known to be the land of the armless. People here carried guns and in most cases not just one.

After about two hours he found the property entrance and went inside. It was very odd that no one that he contacted was waiting for him. Again his gut was telling him something was wrong. Again he ignored it because he used to stomach pain. He looked around the property for what seemed like forever however, he still couldn't find anyone. Soon after he gave up and decided to call the owners. They told him to look around. That anyone that was a friend of Jesse was good in their book.

Again the sting in his gut. He was paying attention to the conversation on the phone. The thing that made him lose his step was that they mentioned Jesse directly. He didn't recall that she personally knew anyone on the list. If she did then wouldn't she had told him? Lost in thought and looking at the ground, he didn't notice when he took a wrong step.

It was like floating in the water on a dark cloudy night. The chill itself was like ice cutting into him. There was no water and his connection on his phone dropped. He stared at the light on his phone, while floating through the darkness. Shades of greys and black. His phone was blinding and he was awestruck.

He had dreamt of magic and lands other than this one. Especially after watching so many Isekai anime. However, he wasn't sure if this was the case or not. He could just be dead and not know it. A tree branch falling from the tops of the trees in Oregon was known as widowmakers.

A pang of guilt and heartbreak went through his heart after a few more seconds. He realized that he wouldn't see his girlfriend anymore. He tried to keep out the darkness and shut off his phone, and then placed it into this pocket. With a sigh he let the darkness take him as he floated not knowing if he was alive or dead.

Starting Faction: If you're creating your own faction, please describe it here or in a separate post

Spell List: N/A

Exceptional Skill List:
Ex. Charisma (1)
Ex. Strength (1)
Ex. Learning (1)
Ex. Survival (1)
Ex. Reflexes (1)
Ex. Awareness (1)

Flaws
Near and farsighted. One for each eye. Everything becomes blurry without glasses. Can still see but needs to squint. Hasn't done that since he was 16.
Too Trusting.
Almost always smiles.
Feels that if given the opportunity he could make the world a better place.
Lazy when unmotivated
Depression
Anxiety
Low Endurance - After about a month of hiking/running, this should go away. I only know this because of the wildland firefighting training I went through.

[User]
Mergoux mulled over the offer in her mind. Ten thousand was a lot of money. So much, in fact, that carrying that amount wouldn't be practical. Gold was heavy, and it wasn't like she could just open a bank account here. Still, to be paid for something she'd planned on doing anyways was always a bonus. She could get some new and better gear, keep some for the road and give the rest away. She nodded once to herself then 'addressed' the voice in her head. <Done. Which exit?> she thought.

Even as she 'spoke' to the voice, she had to wonder if she hadn't finally snapped, and was indeed speaking with a voice in her head. Looking over at the platform though, she was almost certain the voice was not one of her own creation. She moved closer to the stage, in time to overhear names. Indeed they matched the ones she was told by the voice, which was not something she could have known on her own. Reassured for the time being, Mergoux used her skills of stealth to blend in better with the crowd. She was much better at sneaking around, and one couldn't exactly hide out inconspicuously in a spiked helmet, but by bowing her head and turning away, using her exceptional hearing to keep tabs on the young girl and her magical talking staff, she managed not to look so conspicuous.

bee @Landaus Five-One @Zoey White

[Assistant]
The Backroom at Carlo Brizzi's House of Sin

 When he saw the portly man signal to him he smirked, knowing that his brash monologue succeeded. Then in his confidence and pride, the aura of the dragon's heart emanated from his soul, so he followed the man into the back room. When he entered the man introduced himself as Carlo Brizzi and presented the other members of the team which he will be joining. The Heretic gazed at each of them intently, almost as if he was peering into their souls, appraising their worth. His focus was so great that he didn't even notice the bag of money being thrown at him, until he heard its metallic contents rustle, which is when his eyes locked with the bag and with seemingly inhuman speed his arm snapped into form, clamping down on the bag full of precious coin. He then heard the fat man speak "so, are you in or out?".

The Heretic's Plight

 The boy retorted "Of course I'm in.. How could I pass such an... interesting opportunity." chuckling a bit near the end. Still standing he thought for a moment and then began to speak "Sorry to ask.. but I do need a favor after this deed is finished..." he raised his left hand, and fingers agape, he pointed to a ring on his index finger. "This is a ring of perfected electrum, which was formerly enchanted. Now it is cracked and unusable... Worse yet due to my standing as "heretic" I can not go to the normal places of business to have my ring refurbished. For they will either turn me down or attempt to swindle me. So at my humble request..." he paused for a second, bowing, arcing his left arm to the side and putting his right hand on his chest, pausing for a second "please guide me to an individual who can help me with my... inconvenient... situation, and I of course apologize for my earlier... outburst... " as he spoke he slowly raised his head, eventually making eye contact with the crime boss. With that he sat down, taking up cutlery and voraciously sinking his fangs into some of the accommodations that were prepared. Before his new boss could respond, however, he said, in a lighthearted tone, slightly muffled from the food he was devouring, "What's the plan then?".

[User]
Jonathan Paul HuckabyFranziska's Lab

---

As he landed on the ground, he groaned due to the impact. It reminded him of when he arrived here. This strange place. His mind was too filled with information. As usual, he was overthinking and snapping at the only person who would help him. Hunger and fatigue were setting in. His memory of the between realm was strange. He didn't recall sleeping much and when he did he would shake awake. Travel between realms was not instant and he was tired and hungry. 'Could be why I'm so irritable and crazed.' He guessed. 'Still not an excuse as to why you are being a dick.' His thoughts became depressed as he scolded himself. Again his stomach growled and he needed food. He was hungry, thirsty, tired, and needed to use the restroom. 'Gotta race like a piss-horse.' He recalled what his brother would say sometimes after a few too many drinks.

He laid on the ground just waiting for her to finish. At this point apologizing would do nothing. Him talking would probably just piss her off more. He didn't need to see her in order to tell how mad she was, he could tell by her tone. She was right and he was in the wrong. He knew this. Still stubborn as all hell but in an unknown realm. He needed help. She told him that she wouldn't help him and he nodded while face down. The stone floor was cold but felt good for some reason. His eyes were closed as he listened to her. When she spoke about the knowledge and understanding of magic, he yearned to learn, his body shook. It was with excitement that magic actually existed and then he calmed down when she noted that he wouldn't listen. His mind was too full of thoughts and he was trapped in it. Again not being able to speak like when he was a child.

She spoke about trust and how it was earned like respect. He knew this but his dumb brain was overcharged with what ifs. When she said "She was one of the most trustworthy people he would ever meet." He smiled. He has been told the very same thing about himself. 'Perhaps I can just apologize and explain. Peopling at this moment isn't my strong suit.' He thought as his eyes opened. Luckily enough, his glasses were undamaged from his fall. Slowly he sturred and collected his hat again. It had been knocked off his head by the impact. His chin seemed to be fine as it looks like his beard took most of the impact. Sluggishly he moved and collected his jug of water. He drank some of his water leaving a very small amount left. The cold liquid ran down his body almost as if it were the only thing in him. It sent chills throughout his body as he stood there. He couldn't help but smirk, a tired defeated smile if one at all, at the situation before him.

"Apologies." He whispered barely able to speak. Fear held his voice to a low murmur. 'Sometimes they have to debase themselves.' He thought from what she had said before. He moved up to her and placed himself in front of her if possible and if not near enough for her to see him. His eyes seemed a little clearer. However, the bags under his eyes clearly suggested he hadn't slept in a day or two, not restfully. "I apologize for my rude behavior. I would blame it on how hungry I have become, how tired I am, how sick I feel, and how much I have to use the restroom. However, that doesn't excuse me of my actions. I was ignorant, arrogant, rage-filled, self-serving, and speaking ill of you and yours. I'm usually mellow and don't speak much. My Brian isn't working very well at this time." He admitted as he knelt down and got on his knees. He did the Childs Pose, with arms extended.

"I'm sorry." His stated clearly and his words bounced off of the floor and around the room. "If you will still have me as an apprentice I would be honored to learn from you." He paused for a moment. He didn't seem to mind this pose or the situation. He had allowed anger to get the better of him and he needed to pay for it. 'It had been ten years since I have allowed anger to take me over like that. Longer since I actually struck with rage filling my body. Now that I think about it that was the same amount of time since I vomited last.' He thought as he made sure to press his body as far to the ground as he could. To some, it would be a bit surprising how flexible this big man was. He would prostrate himself like this for as long as it took, even if she left and didn't return. He only flinched when his stomach growled.


[System]
Age: 31

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Personality: Grek is a naturally nervous and careful, yet sneaky Kobold. Years of being seen as a bit of a runt and a weakling have taken their toll on his self-confidence and as such he's not much of a socialite. However he is not anti-social as such, and will join in a conversation if invited or feels welcome to. He has great admiration for Kobolds who are strong and brave, though he naturally prefers being with Kobolds such as himself, as he has more in common with them, and feels on their level.

In combat he will end to avoid meeting the opponent head-on, instead trying to outflank them and gain any advantage he can, fighting with his brain rather than his brawn

History: Grek was born a sickly child, constantly bullied through his childhood and berated by the adults of his tribe for being, in their words, "A waste of food and shelter" as there was seemingly nothing he wasn't bad at, and no task where he helped more than hindered. He spent many of his first 20 years working in a mine, though he lacked the physical stamina or endurance to last very long before getting too exhausted to work.

The Tribe's leader was under pressure to cast him out, but being fair and kind, decided to see how he would handle trapmaking. Grek immediately took a shine to it, and with very little teaching or training, quickly became the best trapmaker in the tribe, using brains he had always possessed but never had the chance to use.

[User]
Not far from the hillside stood a series of caves. Most led into the hill itself, including one particularly long and smooth-floored tunnel which led down to a tribe of kobolds. Most of the other tunnels were dead ends. In fact, there was only one entrance to the tribe's home cavern, a fact which meant that they could be easily besieged and cut off from the surface if an attacking force were to station itself there. This was unacceptable for the tribe's chief, and he ordered that connecting tunnels be cut to connect the dead end caverns to the main one.

Unfortunately, there was only one kobold fit for such a task. It was him or assign a dozen others to work for weeks. Arjun stood at the end of one of the side tunnels and extended his clawed hands at the wall. Willing his magic to activate, a gout of flame burst from his hands, burning the wall and gradually extending the side tunnel to the main one. Before long, he'd reach the surface, but it would take a few minutes.

[Assistant]
"Of course! That's something that separates a Kobold from a non-kobold. If we ever need to rest, we will either sit on the ground or on a large stone. So, if I make a trap that appears to be a low, bench-like log, an invader would be the only kind of person to sit on it. Then again...I hear some former members of the tribe are returning in the coming days. I should build a non-lethal version if this trap idea, and if they all ignore it, I'll know that even those of us who have adopted other lifestyles will still not even think to use the log as a chair. It's just not in our nature, after all."

---

The test trap was built, and carefully placed besides the path to the caves, at a point where Grek himself personally started to feel in need of rest as he walked from the bottom of the hill to the cave mouth.

Grek had come to the edge of the cover of the forest. The rest of the hill was open, all the way up to the caves. He watched one of his kin exit from a carriage and start to make their way up the hill, but then stopped, and began reading a book to himself.

"I will never understand how the outside world thinks," he thought to himself as he watched impatiently for the Kobold to carry on making progress, but then a guard approached him. Grek cursed to himself. He would continue to wait for now, but he did not want his work to be wasted, and if he had to, he would lure the outsider up the hill himself.

[User]
Something was coming. They were not sure what was going on, but the two creatures in the forest were looking through the bushes with curious eyes. The ground was moving slightly as hooves clattered on the ground. A carriage was bringing someone, or something towards the kobold tribe home. Both creatures sets of eyes narrowed a bit.

As Kimi saw another kobold exit the carriage, she let out a sigh and gently petted Mariki. "Stand down girl... it is not dinner, or anyone that would threaten us." The cat let out a curious purr, and nuzzled up to her mistress. She watched as the other Kobold got out of the carriage and then started to...

"What is he doing? What on Earth is that little one doing?" She stepped out of the forest and gestured to her companion to follow her. They sat down on the edge of the hill and listened for a moment, wondering what was happening.

[Assistant]
Alexius had been preaching for awhile now, but no audience came before him. Honestly, he was beginning to be a little peeved. He was standing here, throwing salvation at their ears, yet they don't even take a second to hear it! Hold on, there's someone coming. An fellow armed with a spear. "Oi! Who goes there, and what's your business?" he shouts. Finally, at least someone is listening.

"Do you have a moment to speak of our Gods?" Alexius asks, trying not to think about the spear's point. "What's your name? What faith do you believe in?" In his head though, he was really just hoping that the spear is kept pointing away from him.

[User]
Arjun finished burning through the tunnel and could see daylight on the surface. His eyes were stung by the brightness of the sun at first, but he adjusted after a few minutes.

"Do you have a moment to speak of our Gods?" He heard a voice that he hadn't heard in a long time. Padding his way up and out of the cave, Arjun stepped onto the soft dirt and looked straight ahead, recognizing the sight and scent of the newcomer.

"Kutur? Is it really you?"

[Assistant]
Gruul rested the spear at his side. This stranger was certainly an odd one, but he seemed rather harmless. And he was a kobold, so not that much of an outsider, at least by his reckoning.

"My name is Gruul, and my faith is my own to hold. But if you're going to preach here, you'd best talk it over with the Chief."

In truth, Gruul was quite devoted to the Holy Mother, Tiamat, but getting into a theological debate was not something he wanted to do.

"Come on then, best bring you to-"

"Kutur? Is it really you?"

He was interrupted by Arjun popping out of a fresh hole in the hillside, and decided to just take a step back and see what played out.

[User] ". . . Arjun?" Alexius called, closing the book with a dull thump. He left the spearman to his devices, and approached the hole to get a closer look. "Arjun!" he shouted, recognizing the face. He rushed over to the hole. Arjun was covered in muck, some liquified and dripping down his face. Alexius offers his hand to pull him up. "You would not believe the things I've seen away from home. Absence is only a couple dozen Dragontails that way, further is Constantsea, and the buildings there are huge! There was this one you see . . ." he said, beginning to ramble. He had already forgotten about the spearman.

[Assistant]
Another kobold arrived, and this one seemed to be his friend. Grek signed in resignation. He'd better go and retrieve the trap and try again later. Besides, this design was relying too much on chance. There had to be a more obvious way to sort the walking habits of the kobold from those of other races.

He began to make his way out of the cover of the forest, still deep in thought and not really looking where he was going. As he covered the crest of the hill, he immediately saw another kobold with their back to him, with a cat-like creature by their side. He cursed as he tried to stop himself but slipped on the dewey grass and slid down straight into her back.

His first thought was "Well, looks like I'm going to get beaten up again..." and he closed his eyes and braced himself.

[User]
Arjun wiped some of the rock from his face. It had been liquefied by the heat he had generated, and he was indeed stained by it.

"Wha-? Oh, Alexius" he extended a clawed hand as his friend helped him up. "Thanks for the hand. Glad to see you again. Tribe's still the same as before. You haven't missed much. Workers still working hard. Mines still full of metal. Most of us still live in caves. I got myself a hut though. So, I assume you've seen that they have privacy up here, in the surface. Never been to Absence or Constantsea myself."

[Assistant]
Kimi had been content on being ignored for the first few moments as it seemed that Arjun knew the other kobold that was ranting at them. She shrugged a bit as she watched them and then was distracted by another kobold slam into her back. She nearly fell over and turned to look at him. "Oye, don't you watch where you're going?" She said.

Her companion hissed at the other kobold but Kimi held out her hand. "Calm yourself Mariki... it was an accident. I'm sure if he was trying to kill me he would have done a better job than just ram into me." She stood up and dusted herself off and then stood up and looked at Arjun and Alexius. "So what is even going on here today?" She said, noticing that this one Kobold had apparently drawn so many people out that day.

[User]
Grek scrambled to his feet, grateful for being spared a beating or mauling, though still cautious about the...pet...?

"I'm really sorry. Couldn't see you over the top of the hill. Are you okay?" The weak-looking bag of bones of a kobold muttered nervously. He watched on as she calmed her companion down, waiting patiently, and glad the focus was partly off him, even temporarily. He wasn't comfortable being the centre of attention at the best of times, and that went double if he'd just made a mistake.

The kobold's attention had returned to the newcomer. He looked down at the scene as well. "Well, there was a rumour that an old member of the tribe was returning today. Still, I was expecting some kind of seasoned travelling warrior or mercenary, not....a door to door preacher."

[Assistant] Arjun turned to Grek and Kimi. "Is it just me, or did we all just happen to show up at the same place at the same time" he said, speaking loudly enough for all to hear. "For those who don't know, Alexius and I are friends. You might have heard of him by the name 'Kutur', but I'll let him explain more about that. And before I forget to mention it, nobody is going to beat anybody right now." He let out a small stream of flame rise out of the palm of his right hand for just a moment.

[User]
Suddenly, a loud crash, followed by muffled conversation, resonated through the area. Alexius mentally kicked himself. Stupid, stupid! Of course, with every newcomer there was probably three tribesmen stalking him!

"There, see?" he called towards the general direction of the noise. "You can come out now!" Secretly, he was feeling a little giddy. Four people listened to his preaching! That was a new personal record, if you don't count the time he fed a kennel of wargs while praying not to die.

[Assistant] "I'm here! Don't have to yell, Kutur. Gotta calm down a bit" Arjun replied, stepping up to Alexius, who had been known to Arjun as Kutur. "Just be careful with what you say. I'm not sure our shaman would appreciate all of your words."

[User]
Grek flinched a little from Arjun's little pyrotechnics display. He was not keen on getting threatened, but conversation resumed, again focused on the strange returning Kobold.

Grek crossed his arms. "I'm not sure half the tribe would appreciate it, honestly. Religion...Nothing but trouble if you ask me. Look at him, prattling on. I'm listening to what he's saying, but even if none of us were, I don't think he'd notice. He'd just carry on..."

[Assistant] "Did I startle you? Sorry." Arjun extinguished his flames. "Grek, is it? Well, I assure you, Kutur here is harmless. At least to his fellow kobolds. Not sure why he's dressed so heavily, but they do things differently on the surface. He seems to have picked up surfacer habits." He briefly stood on one foot, raising his other leg to gently scratch his right sole before setting it down on the soft ground again.

[User]
Alexius most certainly didn't want to see the chief. He was large and well spoken, and likely won't be defeated by healing his scars. His only option now was to try and stall everyone until they forget what they wanted to do. Which is good, because he was good at stalling.

"Umm, well if no one's going to convert today, then guess I'll try tomorrow. Whoo, traveling's no easy task. So is my cave still here?" He looked around for his cave, which he remembered he took because it was far away from the new mine complex.

[Assistant] "The caves are still here, although we've excavated more since you left and even built a few huts with sticks and dried grass taken down from the surface" Arjun explained. "The shrine is still there and our shaman's still tending it, as he was before. Oh, and before I forget to mention it, I doubt you'll win many converts. Most of us don't trust those who dress like humans, but I don't really care how you dress, as long as you don't put clothes on your feet. That's just too weird."

[User]
"There's nothing distrustful about bits of cloth. I'm more interested in what kind of habits he's picked up, and any strange things he's learned."

Grek studied the strange new Kobold for a little while.

"Don't you ever get hot wearing all that cloth? And surface dwellers don't even have caves, they have houses with windows and fireplaces! How are you supposed to stay cool out there dressed like that? It's just not sensible."