[System]
R A N K

Greenband

A P P E A R A N C E

Athelstan is a simple mouse with a simple, albeit taller and brawnier, appearance. The lowborn's fur is a youthful champagne, though it can appear a brown-gray at times. In terms of disfigurements, claw marks protrude across his neck, a single mark from a squirrel's spear runs from the edge of his left brow to the base of his left ear, and faded wounds from the lashings he received as a "guest" of the Cottonmouth stockades are prevalent on his appearance. Athelstan isn't particularly handsome, but he is not homely. In terms of attire he wears a simple midnight gray cloak to keep himself warm though he knows if he passes his trials it will be replaced.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

For most of his life, Athelstan has been kicked around by those who were bigger and stronger than him in both status and stature; an odd thing to imagine considering the tall and brawny mouse Athelstan has become following his ascent through maturity. As a result, Athelstan likens himself as a denier of bullies and thugs whether they wear rags or finery. In fact, this disdain has cultivated a personality of opposition and defiance that has more often than not got Athelstan into trouble with his betters and peers alike. But despite often conflicting with others through his challenging and rough personality, Athelstan believes in the rights of everymouse and strongly holds beliefs that the idea that mice are inherently meek cowards is a social construct that holds little truth; for him cowardice is only encouraged through this reoccurring statement. His rejection of this fact has made him consider training to become a guard or seeking out things as an adventurer; though he often holds himself back to his love for his kin.

Or at least, until the squirrel raid on Cottonmouth a few months ago. Driven to be the best mouse possible, Athelstan made a decision following the loss of his oldest friend, Oskar, has embittered Athelstan to the existence of the squirrel-folk and has sworn an oath of vengeance. Joining the Redwatch seems to serve this purpose for him, though he does respect it as an honorable order of brave mice.

A T T R I B U T E S

STR - 18
Athelstan has had a lifetime to become one of the toughest mice in Cottonmouth. He's been trained as a blacksmith and he's probably been in more brawls than is sensible.
CON - 10
Athelstan is young and has a decent constitution, but nothing too hardy.
DEX - 10
Athelstan is as quick as any other mouse of relative age and size.
CHA - 7
Athelstan is blunt and says how he feels. People tend to think he's too standoffish and too uppity for his class.
INT - 8
Athelstan is a bit smarter than the peasants and simplefolk, but his intelligence is limited to his family's craft. You could fool him with effort.
LUC - 7
Athelstan isn't lucky, but he isn't cursed. He once slipped on a bar of soap in the middle of a brawl.

E Q U I P M E N T

Heater Shield (2): A decently made shield; shaped in the form of a reuleaux triangle. Can take a beating.

Claw Sword (3): A well-crafted arming sword variant with a clawblade forged onto the pommel. Forged by Athel himself.

T R A I T S

Confrontational: Athelstan is known for using his fists before using his brain and due to this is at disadvantage (-2) with diplomatic solutions and bargaining.

Coquettish: Despite being average in appearance, Athelstan has a friendly and approachable aura. This has resulted in him being received well by the fairer sex. +2 to interactions with female and jovial mice.

Simple: Due to being part of the smallfolk, Athelstan suffers disadvantage (-2) on checks relating to knowledge beyond his profession and birthplace.

Tall: Athelstan is relatively taller than his brood and stands out in a crowd. Due to this fact he is stronger and more imposing as such he receives +2 to strength-based and intimidation-based checks.

T R A D E

Artisan. Athelstan's kin have served as blacksmiths and jewelcrafts for many generations.

F R I E N D

Hans of Cottonmouth: The owner of the largest tavern in Cottonmouth and a longstanding family friend. His son (and Athelstan's closest friend), Oskar, died in the squirrel attack that occurred a few months ago. Should Athelstan return to Cottonmouth he will always have a bed and ale waiting for him at The Lying Wolverine Innhouse & Tavern.

E N E M Y

Klaus of Cottonmouth: The son of the Earl of Cottonmouth, and a distasteful rival of Athelstan's due to the disapproving relationship between Athelstan and his sister, Beatrix. Once got into a hefty brawl with Athelstan and lost, though it did cost Athelstan a fortnight in the stockades to which the rowdy young mouse remarked that "it was worth it". Despite this fact, Klaus does not see Athelstan as his enemy and will seek to merely inconvenience Athelstan if they are to meet.

H I S T O R Y

Athelstan's life leading up to his recruitment was relatively simple—the youngest son of an iconic blacksmith father and a meek tailor mother, Athelstan took life in Cottonmouth with fleets of fantasy. When Cottonmouth survived a raid by a warband of squirrels he decided the best way to serve his family was to join the Redwatch so it would never happen again.

[User]
Two different mice stood in the courtyard, although they were of the same blood. One was standing with the greenbands who hadn't fled, one foot on the head of a tremendous warhammer, standing a touch above everyone else in the courtyard. Her fur almost shimmered in the dull light, copper fur shifting around as she shifted the weight from her gambeson from one shoulder to the other. Compared to the other recruits, she looked overdressed and over-equipped, but she wasn't about to enter the redguard without having anything to her name. She would have preferred some gauntlets as well- and almost certainly a helmet, but she supposed this would have to do for now. Not like anyone else had anything better.

When the... She supposed he was a Watch Captain? He certainly held himself like that- like he knew how to fight, and even though his body has forgotten, his brain still remembered. He seemed like the kind of person that in his youth could have picked up a sword and felt at home with it. Not that that mattered now. She doubted he could still sprint, let alone fight a gnasher.

She wasn't intimidated though. There was a black mark over her heart. Dying in a den was never going to be her fate. Kicking the warhammer's head up and swinging it at the same time, she used the momentum to brace it over her shoulder and began following him, looking back at the other recruits as if to ask them if they were coming.

---

Meanwhile, Myrtle was laying out the plan to Flint.

"It'ld dus be us dis time. 'Parrently we'll be ge'ting a greenie after dis, but dey still need to go t'rough de trial. We'll be going af'er a badger, so bring your nastiest stuff. I know you like your 'on'o'tions. A few bombs wou'n't hurt, and someting dat would cause him to run or be distra'ted. Maybe some kind of flash-y, bang-y ting, or chilli maybe. We need to go tout do, so don't dilly too long on this."

[Assistant]
Oliver looked over his shoulder as small groups of mice began to leave the courtyard- following the older watchmouse who addressed them. The idea of a bloody death didn't sit well with most mice, Oliver included, and not least of all including those who turned tail and left. Oliver himself stood his ground, surprisingly enough, his paws grasping tightly at the strap of the satchel over his shoulder, and breathing deeply to help steel himself. Another day, Oliver probably would have left as well. He never proclaimed himself to be a particularly stout or lion-hearted mouse, and a couple of the other recruits, fully expecting him to turn off and run sneered at him when they saw he didn't.

Oly glanced around at the other watchmice who stood, staring them down, and found himself making eye contact with Aran Badgerslayer, whom, despite having his arm in a sling, stood as tall and as proud as the rest of the watchmice. The veteran watchguard nodded subtly, but approvingly, and Oly felt more confident in his decision to stay- if only slightly.

Returning his attention to the head watchmouse, the aging mouse beckoned for them to follow him, saying that it was time for them to take the trials- whatever they were. Oly and a few of the other mice looked at each other, nervous. The mouse standing next to him gestured forward with his head, implying that Oly should walk first. Oly shook his head and did a similar gesture, indicating that that mouse should go first instead. Despite the silent arguing, it would appear that it didn't matter which of the two went forward before the other, as another mouse decided to take the lead.

A female mouse, a good bit taller than Oly and many of the other mice in the courtyard walked forward first. She wore a gambeson and balanced a warhammer over her shoulder- two bits of equipment more than almost every other mouse in the courtyard. Were they supposed to bring their own weapons, Oly wondered. He had never really held a sword before- outside of his childhood days where him and his brothers would run around with sticks, whacking eachother. The other recruits watched her in a sort of stunned stupor before she turned again, looking at them as if beckoning them to follow.

Oly took a deep gulp and forced himself to step forward. The mouse standing next to him took a deep breath and followed a second later. A general shuffle of footsteps behind them indicated that a few more had began to follow.

[User]
As the last of the Greenbands entered the fort, the Watchmice shepherding them followed steadily, metal doors slamming behind them with an eerie finality. The hall they walked was brightly lit on either side with torches, reflecting light off of the many shields, axes, and swords displayed on the walls between tapestries and portraits of Redfield's past monarchs. All around them, Watchmice scurried between halls and doorways, as if every mouse present was late. Some hurriedly made their way through the halls single file, carrying cauldrons of stew or trays of bread, while some slowly carried construction materials or stretchers of the infirmed in groups of two. The Redfort buzzed with sights and sounds of work, which appeared fairly routine to the Greenbands. Despite the cacophony of entire armies of mice trotting up and down the halls, none of the Watchmice surrounding them seemed like there was anything out of the ordinary. The greywhisker leading their group seemed less formal than he did during his speech, trotting along with his walking stick at a smoother cadence, waddling to and fro as he discussed some private matter to the ear of a Watcher beside him. The Watcher nodded, and without missing a beat, turned the next corner and broke off from the group of Greenbands.

Eventually, the old Watchmouse led them to a door, dismissing the rest of the Watchers with a clenched fist in the air, signalling them to scatter themselves down different hallways, marching to some other obligation.

"First thing's first. There'll be no talking while I'm talking, so shut the hell up." The Watchmouse said to the crowd of silent Greenbands. He unlocked the door, opening it to reveal an empty room -- no tapestries or swords adorned its walls, or anything else for that matter. On one end of the room was a set of wooden double doors, with two mice stationed at either side. In front of them was a large crank built into the floor like a millstone, and in the center of the room, a pile of weapons and armor.

"Those of you who weren't dropped off with pappy's sword and a kiss on the cheek should arm yourself here." The old Watchmouse said, making his way to the double doors with a steady tap of his cane. "If you fight over a sword, fight with your hands. You don't want to start the trials with a gash, believe me." He chuckled softly. Reaching the double doors, he swung them open to reveal not a room, but a wooden platform. If the Greenbands had seen an elevator, they would know what it was, though there were still only two of its kind in Gnaw.

"When you're done, come over here, and don't dilly-dally."

[Assistant]
A t h e l s t a nGreenband Recruit - Hall of Trials

---

I'm sure glad I came here prepared. Can't imagine sortin' through a pile of rubbish weapons with dozens of oth'rs would feel very fun. Then again, ain't here to have fun much; here to join and serve the watch so shite like that raid back home don't happen to anymouse if I can help it. Fuck'n take a lot more than harsh words and a pointed glare to get me to turn tail. I ain't no coward. I ain't.

Athelstan of Cottonmouth's rightmost paw moved to the harness that held his clawed sword in place. As confident as he may have been, he would be lying to himself if he tried to make the claim that he wasn't anxious or nervous. But after witnessing squirrels drop down from the sky and slit the necks of the good people of Cottonmouth, he was absolutely certain that whatever he saw and had to contend with in the trials wouldn't faze him. But given by the step of the senior watchmouse and the look of the strange platform Athelstan wasn't sure to make of anything. Was it some sort of battle circle? A trapdoor that would drop them into some sort of gauntlet? It was hard to guess given his lack of experience with fancy things designed by builders and masons. He wasn't smart with such things, but when it came to iron and steel, anvil and hammer, cloth and needle? That was something he knew.

He moved closer to the platform and the senior watchmouse. He gave him a respectful nod. "Ser."

The initiative in being ready was one thing he had over the brood of recruits… well, outside of a girl that held a hammer with confidence; a hammer that appeared masterwork in design. Athelstan wasn't sure if the girl or the hammer interested him more. He didn't allow himself to be distracted by the thought however and kept his attention to the senior watchmouse.

"I'm ready."


[System]
Appearance:

Gem: Sodalite

Gem Location: back of left hand

Emotional Strength:h Honesty/truth
Emotional Weakness: disregard

Weapon: Shovel/gauntlets

Power: omilingualism/Vast Multilingualism - knows a wide variety of languages, and can translate and read them almost fluently. Reasonable Larkin for error for when she thinks, speaks, and writes in all different languages, making her a giant mess of different languages.

Other: Her desire for the truth often leaves her indifferent towards things like safety and even whether or not if some things should be left uncovered.
-Is a media nut
-Overlord of useless information
-MASSIVE hoarder

[User] "May I remind you that the humans were a primitive race with no thoughts in their head, without copying us they wouldn't have the civilization they have now. As for the gems born here, they had no need to be protected, they are free to come to Home-World whenever they choose until they actively rebel. And I'm sorry if I didn't want to break my best..." Blood stepped for a second, "Partner, into pieces. We also don't seek perfection, each gem has a life they want to live, and they can choose what they want. Being someone who can bring help to Home-World is what I wanted. Those are my people, at least I didn't kill thousands of gems that were just trying to complete a job given to them by their planet. We were defending ourselves from you disorderly rebels. None of you didn't even stop to think why we needed this planet's resources. You didn't care to look at any reasoning, you just wanted to defend a race because they started to become similar to gems since they copied our technology." Bloodstone was obviously angered, "Look, the war between us is over, but I'm going to finish my mission. If any of you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them."

[Assistant] Spinel listened closely to both Aquamarine's and Bloodstone's words. She was taken aback by how emotional Aquamarine got. Wha... what? Did she really care about anything they were talking about? For the most part not really, but it occurred to her that she did have some interest in hearing what she was created for. Having that one question answered would shed light on nearly everything that had been confusing her until this point. Nobody else seemed eager to ask any questions yet, and they seemed even less eager to be level-headed about this. "Why was I made?" she asked. Her expression was impossible to read, but her voice sounded apprehensive.

[User] Sodalite agreed with Emerald and only nodded. Now, her stance on who to join was cemented. Bloodstone was wrong about a single thing, though. The war was not over. Homeworld was still going to suck Earth dry of its resources. As long as they would keep trying to do that, then she would keep fighting. That was her truth. She took a glance at Spinel, thinking pensively about her question. He was silent for a moment, looking for the right words. "We were made for war." She answered her question. That was what she believed the core of it would be. She knew that if Homeworld hadn't lost so many years ago, all of them would be serving to do the same thing to other planets that they were trying to do to Earth. They might have had their own lives of sorts, but they would be loyal to homeworld, killing off planets to make more gems to kill off more planets and so forth. That was not a life she wanted to live.

[Assistant] Zircon opened her mouth to finally ask a question but then she heard a voice that made her react by standing up quickly facing towards him and put her right hand by her left side near her gem slightly hiding behind her jacket as if about to pull out a weapon. She also had one foot slightly back. Although, Zircon doesn't know if she could even get a weapon out right now. Let alone what weapon it would be. However she remained still in that stance trying to look on guard, maybe even confident. Apparently, this is Bloodstone. By the way Zircon reacted, just Bloodstone's voice sounded manipulative. Zircon couldn't find the better words to describe it, but suspicious is one of them for now. Zircon was annoyed at the situation but her expression remained calm and serious. As Bloodstone talked, Zircon made a slight glare at him back and forth while listening to the words being exchanged. She glances from Bloodstone, to Aquamarine, to Emerald, to Spinel, and to anyone who spoke words. She then looked to Sodalite who responded to Spinel's question, and then slowly looked back to Bloodstone, "That much is obvious," Zircon spoke in a half-monotone voice. "But honestly, that's the only reason. Am I right?" Zircon wanted to make sure if that's really the only reason they were all made. Internally, Zircon was leaning more towards one guess. But eh, you never know.

[User] "No, not at all. None of you were ever meant to be soldiers, sure some of you were given extensive fighting capabilities but that was more of a just in case. You were made because the gem population is depleting, our planet is thriving but their are none of the correct resources are available to make new gems, but Earth has an abundance and could easily refertilize the land we killed. We don't want war machines, we want citizens that will keep the gem population going and may find a permanent solution one day. I chose to fight against this planet because I didn't want to see my people die out and Aqua felt the same way at some point but she decided to screw over her kind." Bloodstone looked at the three that had spoken up in turn, "You were made to help our race survive in whatever way you choose even if it doesn't include taking over planets, that was my choice but it doesn't have to be yours, no you were not made for war, you can be so much more than soldiers if it's what you want, and yes you were made for more, lots more, you have infinite possibilities as long as you don't kill a massive amount of your own kind like the woman standing before you, she slaughtered thousands that were simply following my orders and nothing more. We never outwardly attacked the rebels either, they attacked our stations and we defended until about 1000 years before the end of the war which is when I have up on the rebels and decided to truly fight back." Bloodstone looked towards Aquamarine, "If it was between any of you or humans, I would pick my own kind but Aqua here has already shown who she would choose."

[Assistant] Emerald glared at Bloodstone. Everything this guy said sounded like absolute bullshit. And judging from the way the Kindergarten looked, it seemed like it had been "easily refertilized" in about....never. He honestly doubted if they could heal the land, and he knew that they wouldn't if they could. Not while any humans were alive. Also, he heavily doubted the attacking stations thing. How do you attack a station that you live in? Emerald really hated this guy and turned to Aquamarine. "Can we kill him? Everything he says sounds altered, exaggerated, or just plain made-up. He tried to shoot us with a giant death laser eye after trying to capture us, asks us to join 20 minutes after that, and tries to make it seem like we're the bad guys. It's REALLY ANNOYING!" Emerald turned back to Bloodstone and gave him the death stare.

[User] "Re-fertilize? How was the Earth suppose to do that with Homeworld placing the gem deep underground where they had to suck in all the abundant resources and nutrition? There are thousands upon thousands of holes in the Kindergarten and more than one on Earth so think how much of the Earth was being destroy at one moment. All the life here on Earth gets the nutrients from the ground to thrive and continue! You are contradicting yourself with the gem population being depleted when we have many gem controlled planets that were functioning. We were doing just fine and the gems that were being made here were not normal almost all the time. The more the Kindergarten ran, the more the gems became corrupted and unable to form normal bodies or even think straight. What kind of life is that for them? What infinite possibilities were those gems given?! I saw what was happening and decided to take a stand. You forget that thousands of gems chose Rose's side too and you slaughtered just as many as me. I tried not to fight you and I got cut down because of it. We were on defense by asking you to leave or see to any sort of reason. Blame your rulers for not listen to Rose! The Kindergarten was destroyed by the gems made there. I choose a gem side to, I just decided to also protect a humans while they were just starting out life on a planet that belonged to them." Aquamarine shot back, standing her ground. She side glanced to Emerald, knowing how he felt in this current moment but even if they all came at him, Bloodstone would still win. He would be stronger than the past and she didn't know how much so anymore."That would not be wise to do Emerald though I know for your frustration.I don't condone killing him when he has not attacked."

[Assistant]
"Emerald. Please. Let him talk. He's caused us a bit of trouble, yes, and I'm sure we're all taking his words with a little more than just one grain of salt -I know I certainly am, and I'm sure Bloodstone knows it too- but he's not doing anything to hurt us right now. There is no reason for us to attack in any manner, never mind go as far as to kill."  Evenkite shot a glare at Emerald, the first time she had looked up at anybody ever since Bloodstone had arrived. The little gem seemed to have simply shrunken away once Bloodstone had appeared, as if she simply did not want to be there anymore, but now she was making her presence well known.

"Kill him," she continued, "Kill him? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that if anyone here was made for war, it was you. That's a little extreme, don't you think? Granted, not like the two of you," she paused to look at both Aquamarine and Bloodstone, "Have been much better, from the sound of it, anyways, but nonetheless."

Despite all the questions she wanted to ask -and it probably showed on her face- this was all she had said during the entire time, having backed away from the group as if mentally isolating herself wasn't enough to keep her thoughts in check. The whole ordeal had been sudden and more than enough to make Evenkite feel conflicted, especially with all the emotions flying around. More so than ever did she wish she could just not have anything to do with any of these gems, and she quite frankly was debating to simply leave and see how long she could go without being found. However, curiosity kept her sticking around.

[User] "Aqua, you never knew what was truly going on. Gems, understand that what I tell you is no lie. I have been calm and have been trying to explain myself while still teaching you of yourselves. What has Aqua done to teach about your past or her own. She's angered because she knows that I'm right, Home-World was on the defense, that's why I fought and killed, she was attacking blindly at our bases of operations, that's why she killed. I'm not trying to win you over to my side just yet but I'm trying to give you the facts to make a choice that you can stick to, even if I don't like it." Bloodstone looked down at the little one with the big attitude, "Even after my outburst earlier you still stuck up for me, I respect that. Is there anything I can answer for you?"

[Assistant] Emerald glared back at Bloodstone, a dark green angry blush forming. "She might've tried to tell us about ourselves if we had had any free time since we knew each other! Ever since we met, no, ever since we've existed, we've either been fighting spider robots or running away from spider robots or getting blasted by a giant eyeball, all of which you probably sent after us! You're the reason for something you're trying to use against us!" Emerald was shouting at this point, and pulled back to compose himself. He realized he had used the word "us", and realized he had begun thinking of them not as a bunch of random individuals, but a group. A team. Something that this "Bloodstone" had inadvertantly made, just by trying to capture them. He didn't think anyone would sway so easily towards his side, not after what he had put them through. As of now, 100% of the new ones' lives had been dealing with this one guy and the problems he brought. It seemed unlikely that anybody would join him to Emerald.

[User]
Soadlite was not on the side of outright killing Bloodstone, but she did want justice. Emerald was right. He was most likely the one who had sent the eye and the robots after them, with the intent to kill them, and she was not going to let that go without consequence. Evenkite was also right. While he certainly had earned the right to be attacked on sigh, Bloodstone was currently doing nothing in terms of violence. He was simply talking to them, and while he did threaten Evenkite earlier, he had done no direct, physical harm to them. Evenkite's hair was cut, but that was debatable in terms on harm.

Neither of the two gems were truly evil or good, Sodalite had come to the conclusion. Both of them had killed several of their own kind in the name for what they believed in. Bloodstone wanted the prosperity of the Gems, at the expense of other worlds. Aquamarine wanted for the Gems to be stopped, so that no more planets would be run dry from the kindergartens. They saw themselves as the hero in the situation, and while she did understand that, Sodalite continued to side with the one who had been guiding her since her awakening into the world.

"Let them speak, Emerald." Sodalite spoke up finally. They were the heroes of their own stories, but history was written by the victors, and overlooked by the survivors. They saw the other as the evil, letting outsiders and newcomers like the group of Gems decide who they personally saw as the hero.


[System]
W I L L O W

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BASIC INFO

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Age: 18

Year: Senior

Gender: Female
APPEARANCE:

---

Height: 5'7

Weight: 71 lbs

Skin Color: White. Literal white.

Physical Description: A pale ghost of a girl. Average height, thin build. No meat or muscles at all. Skin and hair, all colorless. Big eyes, white like her skin, save the pupils and pitch black sclera. Button nose, thin lips, wavy hair going down to her neck.

Clothing: Dark tops. Dark pants. Lots of grays and navy blues. Never anything too bright. Likes big coats with fur on them. The kind old ladies would wear.

Voice: Soft. Quiet. Weak, almost. When she's a ghost, it has an echo to it.
PERSONALITY:

---

Character Traits: Silent and observant. Strange in the eyes of strangers. Always has a smile on her face. Perfectly content with being alone, but doesn't scorn companionship. Seldom the one who speaks to someone else first. Talks sparingly, but with kind words - if at times, odd words. Blunt statements. Flowery language comes out when she likes someone.

Bad parts. Curious. Too curious, sometimes. Explores places she's not supposed to explore. Thinks she can't be touched. Ghosts everything. Doesn't take dangerous things seriously. Lacks long-term goals. No aspirations - just living in the moment.

Bonds: Seeing the world and the people in it. Spending a little bit of time with friends. Helping her father around the workplace. Small things.

Activities: Writing. Drawing. She has a little journal full of short stories, poems, and sketches. Loves to craft with the antiques at home, sometimes reads some of the old books too. Goes shopping for new coats every now and then. Explores abandoned, condemned, or otherwise unoccupied unoccupied buildings.

Skills: Artsy things. The written word. Pencil sketches. Good at cleaning and sorting the antiques at home. Picked up a knack for staying out of sight when she wants to.
BACKSTORY

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Backstory: A man and a woman - Lloyd and Esther Dendry - had a child eighteen years ago, after the great light shone over Leesburgh.

Abnormalities in the pregnancy, right away. Couldn't see her in the ultrasound. Pressure fluctuations in the mother's womb. Couldn't have guessed the baby girl would float freely out of it, see-through. Her skin all white, her cries all echoing. Suddenly she solidifies, drops to the floor - a doctor catches her.

Father always loved the strange and supernatural. Excited for what was happening. Mother feared it. Fear quickly turned to hate with the new wave of eventful births around town. Babies born floating. Crackling with electricity. Scales and tails.

Willow's mother couldn't show any love to her. Got mad at her. Threatened to hurt her, and other children too. Lashed out at her husband. Said she wanted it to stop. Said she was afraid of them all. Swung a knife around one night, got taken away after that. Spent a few years locked up. Found dead in her room one morning. Aneurysm.

Willow was only three during the funeral.

Life went on. Willow got older. Learned to shift back and forth freely. Helped her father around the Rustic Palace. Developed a love of antiques and creativity. Moved into the shop when the house got sold. Went to school. Feared the bullies, kids and grown-ups, throwing stones at her. Learned to ghost the stones and stopped being afraid. Let all the dangers of the world pass right through her. Let nasty words go ignored.

Stopped thinking about her mother.

Started to smile again.
POWERS:

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Description: Incorporeality. The power to become intangible, weightless, translucent. Can fly freely through the air. Pass through solid matter. Takes her clothes and small possessions with her into the ether. Gives people shivers when she passes through them, like a cold specter.

When physical, she's floaty. Jumps higher than others. Falls slower. Gravity is kinder to her.

Limitations: Ghosting takes energy. Can't stay intangible forever. One hour, no breaks, before passing out. Can't be asleep and intangible at the same time. Can't shift back to tangible if she's still caught in something, even by a toe.

Weaknesses: Heat. Fire. High temperatures. Disrupts the shifting process. Forces her back to corporeality.

Other Information: Nothing for now.
SCHOOLING

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Favorite Subject: Fine Art 3.

Least-Favorite Subject: Science.

Grades: As in art and literature. Bs and (mostly) Cs make up the rest. Not the best student.

Embarrassing Moment: Sophomore year. Shifting through the school. Accidentally found herself in the boys' locker room during senior gym class. Lots of looks. Took her a moment to flee. Only time anyone's ever seen her blush.

[User]
Elle Miller

---

It was only a few minutes until the bell, but the students of Mr. Franklin's last U.S. History class of the day were already packing their bags. Elle was among them, but she still listened as he half-heartedly announced that they'd have the weekend to do the worksheet he provided not ten minutes prior. Most of the class hadn't even given the worksheet a second thought, but Elle was now sticking the already completed assignment into a folder for safe keeping. This class was nothing short of boring to her. Mr. Franklin was the type to cover the entire syllabus, but with as little enthusiasm as possible. The most energy she'd seen come from the man was when he went into tangents about what  "really" happened in history instead of the sugar-coated, American loving version of events. At this point Elle showed to the class for the grade and not for the teacher himself.

As the announcement began Elle chose to sit back in her seat and stare out of the window. The three day weekend wasn't that thrilling after only one week of school, but she was looking forward to the quiet at the house. Pete, her step-dad, and her mother were going on a weekend trip out of town for the holiday. This meant that Elle could come and go from the house as much as she pleased without any judgement or harassment. She was excited to have the house to herself, even if she wasn't going to spend much time there. She just had to hope that Pete left some money for food on the table and forgot to lock up her mom's stash of liquor. That's all she needed from them, really. She wasn't even going to bother with seeing them before they left today. In fact, she was pretty sure that Pete mentioned he was leaving work early today to get started on their drive. They were most likely out of town by now. Elle felt like a weight had lifted from her shoulders at that thought. A weekend without Pete, and a weekend without her mother's inebriated behavior.

This thought was already out of her mind as she stepped into the hallway. Elle slipped through the bustling hall without much notice. The perks of being a small fry, she assumed. As she approached her locker she heard some girls talking about Rad-Chad's birthday party on Sunday night. Elle reached for her skateboard as she listened. It didn't sound like the company at the party would be worth anything, but all Elle really heard about it was that there would be free food and drinks. Which meant that it would be a perfect way to spend her Sunday night. She knew little about Chad himself, but she did know that there was always something going on at his parties that made them worthwhile. With that decision made, Elle tucked her board under her arm and made her way out of the front doors.

As she stepped outside Elle took a moment to observe the chaos in the parking lot. She took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air and had a moment of peace within the gentle breeze of the day. Her shoulders went slack and she closed her eyes briefly. She could feel the warmth of the sun against her cheeks. Something about the day just seemed… oddly too perfect. Elle opened her eyes again and turned towards the source of the breeze. She then glimpsed none other than Evelyn Noblezada walking past. Of course. Elle thought with a small smirk. While Evelyn's aura made her feel like a new person, giddy and excited to be alive, Elle knew better than to act on those impulses with Evelyn around. She wasn't as susceptible to Evelyn's charm as the rest of the student body, despite the girl's alluring power. Evelyn was a charming snake and Elle knew to take her seriously. Before she could be consumed by Evelyn's energy, Elle turned and left the zone of surrealness to head towards home. She knew she was out of Evelyn's range as soon as sobriety hit her like a breath of fresh September air.

Elle took advantage of the lingering energy from Evelyn's passing and decided to take the long way home on her skateboard. Not before sticking her headphones in her ears and hitting shuffle on her shitty little black iPod nano. The music began to play, and Elle took to her board down the streets of Leesburgh.

[Assistant]
---

H E L E N

---

Helen jumped as Willow's ghostly-pale face appeared through the car door. All these years of friendship and that still freaked her out sometimes. Helen laughed it off and put on her seat belt as Willow got situated. It took a minute to get Doug going, but after several key turns and the sound of a smoker coughing into a megaphone, the car sprung to life. WLEE, the local radio station, was playing Superbass Nicki Minaj. Helen turned the song up and wound down the windows. Slowly, she waited her turn in the line of cars that mobbed their way out of the parking lot: a Honda, two Toyotas, Chad Charles' obnoxiously yellow BMW. Eventually, Doug groaned its way out of the parking space and into line.

"How are you doing love?" Helen asked Willow as they sat in the traffic. B.O.B's musical stylings still floated through the air from the back of a Jeep Wrangler that no less than seven members of the soccer team had packed into.

As Helen drove out of the parking lot, she felt a warm breeze flow in through the window, despite the autumn chill. She saw the source up ahead: standing by the side of the road was Evelyn Noblezada. 'That bitch, Helen thought, afraid that if she said it out loud Evelyn would hear. Nobody needed a primer on reasons to dislike Evelyn- she had made Helen cry a minimum of three times just in the sixth grade, and this was actually a little below average for tween girls at Moore Middle School. Poor Kelly ended up spending lunch in the bathroom every day out of fear of running into Evelyn at the lunch table.

The worst part about Evelyn Noblezada, though, was that Helen couldn't stop looking at her. She was just so...hot: stupid perfect makeup, stupid smooth caramel skin, stupid pretty eyes, stupid toned soccer legs that Helen would love nothing more than to...

There was a shout. Helen instinctually slammed on the brakes. Her eyes shot up to see that she had come within inches of hitting Letitia Green. Doug's bumper was hanging over the edge of the sidewalk and a conga line of traffic was piling up behind it. Helen's eyes opened wide as dinner plates.

"Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod I'm so sorry Tish!" she yelled through the open window.

"Dude, fucking look where you're going!" the surprisingly tall and muscular Letitia said. Her face was more shock and fear than anger. Her green skin was covered in a sheen of cold sweat and her chest heaved with adrenaline. As Letitia grabbed her backpack (which she'd dropped in the panic), she kicked out at Doug, striking the bumper and leaving a Size 13 dent. Then she stomped past and off into the parking lot. Helen blinked hard. She slowly reversed the car and then drove off down the bus loop and onto Gaiman Street, her skin even paler than normal and her eyes wide open and glued to the road.

"Uh...sorry about that," she said to Willow.

[User]
𝕎 𝕚 𝕝 𝕝 𝕠 𝕨

"It's okay," Willow replies calmly to Helen. She went unfazed towards the near-collision - like she does towards everything.

She passes a glance at Evelyn Noblezada a ways from the car. The two of them had never formally met. Willow has a drawing of her in her journal, done sometime last year. It's her, surrounded by little birds and flowers, the tagline 'The world seems brighter with her around' at the bottom.

Evelyn has never seen this drawing, and chances are, she never will. Willow's not her people.

She sits in silence as Helen carries on the journey. The thought crosses her mind to check her messages while she's along for the ride, on her small, years-old keypad phone, the make and model of which completely escapes her. It's just a phone to her - not really her phone, just one that's always readily available. It's a way of thinking no one shares with her.

Two new messages. The first is from her father, Lloyd.

> It finally happened.

She smiles at the words. And then she looks at the second message, from Dexter Quinto.

> Charles' party on Sunday?

Before Dexter's sister Tara had died, Willow had drawn a picture of her on a whim. Sometime after she had gone, Willow walked up to a lone Dexter and wordlessly handed him the picture, with a smile on her face. Since then, the two have kept up contact - they weren't very close, but Dexter never completely forgot about her. And she liked that.

She smiles, and thumbs five buttons into a response.

> Okay!


[System]
Race: Human

Gender: Male
Appearance: 6'1", lean with slender shoulders, olive skinned, green eyed, medium length black hair parted in the centre. Usually wears lightweight leather armour for mobility.

Class: Rogue

Job: Formerly employed as spymaster by the Lord of a sizable estate, until he was caught with the nobleman's wife, when his natural affinity for stealth came in handy escaping the Lord's guards...

Weapon of choice: Shortsword, however is proficient with daggers and small axes as well.

Personality: Smooth talker, strongly opinionated, sometimes too much so for his own good. His front of confidence verging on stupidity belies his quick mind and equally quick sword arm.

Background: Born a measly washerwoman's son, he never found out who his father was, he did however find out at a young age that spying and secrets were not only something that came naturally to him, but were a way out of poverty.

Edit: Forgot to mention an age, for the record it's 27.

[User]
Heath was trotting on a horse while singing, not too loudly, however, not to attract unwanted attention. In his left hand he held the reins of his grey-furred horse, an old and somewhat small animal, one that he stole a while back. Seed he called it. Nobody would say Heath's horse was a fine steed, but Heath could not say that it has ever failed him. The man's right hand tightly held a canteen half-full of wine, the other half already drunk by him en route. He stopped singing for a moment to take a gulp of wine. As he did that, his horse suddenly went to a full stop and Heath barely held himself in the saddle, as his head was slightly spinning from the second canteen of wine he was drinking.
"What the..."- Heath almost cursed, but was briefly cut off by a woman's voice in front of his horse:
"'scuse me, ser, me and me husband's cart broke its wheel, mayhaps you could help me man fix it?"
"Shut it, woman" a man's voice shouted at the first voice "Shall I need help, I'll ask for it meself."
"Ploughin' dumb are ye? Ye wanna spend a night 'ere in the open? I much rather reach Paron and sleep in me cozy bed, mere ten miles away.."
Even though Heath's head was spinning from all that wine, he did understand that the woman said "Paron".
"Wait, what did you just say?" Heath asked, interrupting their dispute. "Paron? This road leads to Paron?"
"Aye, it does, lad" the man answered. "And we're almost good to go, no need fer ye to help me."
Heath actually had no intention to help the man in the first place, yet only now he understood having taken the wrong turn two days ago, travelling in the wrong direction and not noticing it because of being half-drunk the whole time.
"Damn" he said and sighed, then took another gulp of wine. "Paron it is, I guess. Farewell you two, hope you fix the cart soon enough." Heath lead Seed around the man and woman and their cart and started trotting towards Paron, hearing disputes behind for quite some time still.

[Assistant]
Brother Bas nodded as everyone made their pacts and their piece. This wanton band would surely be tested by these Slysari. An adolescent spell-caster, a shadowy marksman, an unemployed spymaster, a rough soldier of The Royal Guard, and a blind servant of The New Order. This would surely make for an odd expedition.

Brother Vas bowed to the Emperor, making his leave as he had no other business to speak of. He should have reminded their Emperor to pay his tithings or come by The First Temple, but he always felt like vomiting in his mouth whenever tried pushing for mere monetary donations. Gods care not for gold or silver.

Brother Vas would in spite of himself take any reward he might receive from this and donate it to the local orphanages and homeless shelters. The New Order would have no need for the money he would procure, and of course the gods would be please with the show of good will and selflessness. It was Brother Vas' place to serve gods, not men.

With a soft strike of his staff cane, Brother Vas left the Emperor's chambers and headed toward the capitol's busy streets. Brother Vas had no issue with the crowded stone and steel roadways, dodging horse-drawn carts as he made his way.

[User]
As the group moved out Sam took the time to take in the finer details of his companions, realising now in the light of the streets, that the priest had a strip of cloth covering his eyes. His first reaction being contempt, there was no room on such an important mission to be helping along a useless blind man, however he pushed these thoughts away quickly, Brother Vas would not have been picked if not capable. Turning his head to the sky, he observed the dark clouds that foreshadowed a storm gathering overhead, his mind wondered if Vas could sense change in the weather by other means or if he was left unawares of the weather until its arrival.

In an effort to break the silence that had followed them since the Emperor's halls, Sam turned his head towards Vas and asked "Forgive me Brother, but your eyes. Were you blind from birth, or did something steal you of your sight?".

[Assistant]
"Ah Sam Arvarell, nice to finally have a moment to speak," Brother Vas replied as they walked. "Former spymaster of a high noble lord and lover of his wife. Fear not friend, for the gods care not for mortal adultery despite what my fellow brothers may preach."

The road Brother Vas took was much less crowded road towards the city's gates, a long stretch of homes and small businesses. If he took the next road south, he would be heading straight shot to The First Temple of The New Order. People here seemed a little better off then the usual citizens of the capital, planting small ferns or rose beds outside their doors.

"And as for my eyes, no. I had sight since first ripped from the womb...and to steal something means that there must be conscious thought of betrayal. What took my sight ripped and sliced away with claws darker then the night hoping to leave me a bloodied mangled corpse. Something beyond my comprehension intervened, so that I may live on. The scars left behind are grotesque and never fully healed right, even beyond the healing powers of The New Order. Now, I see without sight and sense beyond senses. A strange trade-off, it seems."

[User]
Sayrin bowed once more before leaving his Emperor. "We shall make haste, my liege. If I am to fall in battle, know that I will be reborn to serve you again." His gruff voice vowed. With that, he left the Palace making haste towards a traveling merchant caravan that had stopped into town a few days before to restock. He soon caught up to the Blind Brother Vas, that was being asked a question from the one known as Sam. "This is going to be a long road, a few days ride with a caravan that has been paid from the royal coffers to take us with haste." He smiled as warmly as his demeanor allowed. "Now what I am going to tell you is what I've heard about these creatures from passing bard." He lowered his tone so only people that were near him would hear.

"They come from the dark, they hide in shadow, they leave their mark, the earth becoming sallow. The blood runs cold, and the winds carry their cry, death comes untold, and men left to die. They walk with scythes, inhuman they scream, the living pay the tithes, an undertakers dream. Bound by no man, they steal his breath, faster than one can, they are the walkers of death."

He finished the rhyme bards had sung to him. "Now I do not blame anyone who wishes to turn back, You will still have your life left and the honor that you hold. You will find no fault within the empire, nor with the gods. These are unholy creatures, that no one has seen the ilk of in the existence of this world. But I will be honored to stay by each and everyone one of you until my final breath. The gods compel me to rid the lands of this foul atrocity and I will not fail."

_______

~GM SPOT FOR AFTER CONVERSATIONS TO KEEP STORY PROGRESSING~

Once the group had finished talking and getting to their destination of the caravan they were met by a large dwarf, his beard a deep brown and almost to his knees. "Well, wot can I do ya fer?" His voice surprisingly high for their kind, "I dun suppose ya are the band'a fools that plan on goin' to Paron are ya?" He shook his head quickly, "Why'm even askin' obviously ya are, clad up in ya metal armor thinkin' it will keep ya safe. Ya all are fools, daft ya hear me? Those claws'll rip that plate like it is a hot knife through cold butter!" He climbed aboard his wagon sitting down in what seemed to be a plush area. "Come aboard ya all are ridin' with Doric. No complaints, ya all can fit here."

_______

The woman in the brothel quickly ran to the room that Tobias was staying at, "You didn't get your summons!" She then handed him a small rolled up parchment, inside contained the words:

"By the order of Emperor Eyrin you are tasked to join an expedition to Paron, the group of adventures will be leaving within the day. Catch the caravan run by Doric. You will be paid handsomely for your assistance, and ask your compatriots what the task is, for it is too important to be written on this document should it fall into the wrong hands. Signed Marzio Caldwell, scribe of Emperor Eyrin." The royal seal was pressed in wax next to the signature.

The woman ushered him out, "You must be quick, Doric doesn't stay long in town!"

______

[Assistant]
Chuckling at Vas' comment regarding his past, Sam smiled, "Word has a way of spreading does it not, and I hope the gods are as forgiving as you say, we shall need there favour". Pausing to ponder the word about the Brother's sight, it seemed he had been right not to underestimate the priest, he was clearly as perceptive, if not more so than any of his companions.

As they were speaking Sayrin had caught up, when he finished speaking Sam would be lying if the bard's words did not instill him with fear, but fear was good. Fear stopped you from underestimating your opponent. "I have pledged to lend my sword to this mission, and I will not back out now, I'm in this until the end." Sam uttered in a rare moment of seriousness, he appreciated the paladin's honesty though. A lesser man would have reassured them with false tales of an easy journey, at least they had caravan to lend haste to the first leg of their journey, they would need as much of their energy as possible for the trouble to come.


[System]
Alias: Zerker
Age: 23
Appearance: Clicky
Weight: 120lbs
Height: 5'3"
Gender: Male
Country of Origin: Germany
Occupation: Research Division - Kitchen Duty/Assistant

To fight monsters, we create monsters of our own.

[User]
Angelo grinned as he was flown to the shatter dome in Hong Kong and in all honesty the one thing Angelo was worried about was that people would talk behind his back in a language he couldn't understand but thankfully if none of them knew Spanish Angelo could do the same. Angelo's leg was jittering like crazy and Angelo was really excited this would be his first run to find someone compatible with him to fight in a jager and he knew that this would be important but Angelo had ADHD and as a result was having a hard time staying completely still, it was one of the reasons he was such a good engineer. Angelo would do the job right and he could do it fast even when he had times when he was angry back in Spain they were lacks in the simulation area and Angelo was always able to get a few times a month in the simulator to blow off steam and practice he lost track of how many times he actually got in and killed since he lost track at around 30 drops and 29 kills only missing once because it was his first time but the one time he got caught he was actually told he had a talent for it and was going to be sent to Hong Kong to find someone to go into the drift with.

Angelo smiled grabbing his backpack and his tool box that his father gave him a long time ago when they finally landed Angelo simply followed behind the legend Mako herself Angelo was a little star struck at first but knowing that she was just going to be their tour guide for the moment really helped him calm down. Angelo then followed her to the elevator as she explained what they would be doing and Angelo had wondered how he would fair against his opponent....

[Assistant]
Jack had mostly slept on his trip from Anchorage to Hong Kong. He guessed that he would be the youngest member there when they finally arrived. Even though he was rather young, Jack had been stationed in the Anchorage Shatterdome as an engineer like his father had been. He had enjoyed the job but had definitely wanted to take the fight a bit closer than his father had wanted him to. So he had to go behind the other man's back to start training on the simulator and begin combat training from a former Marine. In his 20 drops he had managed to get 18 kills. The first one was because he was new to the whole thing and the second one was because he was distracted. It was that drop that his father had finally learned why Jack was always late for his shifts. It took a good deal of negotiation but the old man decided to allow his son to keep training. Eventually Jack got tapped to go to the Hong Kong Shatterdome to get a drift partner. Jack liked to think he was a decent fighter. He could handle himself in a fight with people or Kaiju.

Jack got off the chopper and stood there waiting to be acknowledged. He had been trained to basically be a soldier even though he had never been in an army. He stood as still as a statue even as the snow landed on his head. He was born and raised in Alaska. He was use to running barefoot in the snow to toughen him up. So a snowstorm in Hong Kong did not phase him at all. He waited until he was told that they were going inside.

[User]
There was something about helicopter travel that simply didn't agree with Cameron's stomach. Three times now since he had stepped on this infernal machine, he had chucked his guts up... and they had only provided two paper bags. The pilot's annoyed expression notwithstanding, Cameron actually thought it was a good run; his few combat drops from choppers had always ended badly, even when fighting other humans rather than a fucking Kaiju. He felt it rather auspicious that he had done so well. Perhaps it was a sign that Jaegers really were his thing after all. Hell, after failing ten sim runs in a row, anyone would have thought he would be signed off as a potential pilot but here he was, being shuttled halfway across the damn world to the front line of all things giant-monster-related. Sufficed to say, it wasn't really his choice. Cameron was an infantryman, through and through; he had always held a preference for the old fashioned yomp over an AFV, even when in the Rifles, so God only knew how he was expected to handle a giant fucking robot. Pay was good though, so he kept the bitching to himself.

After what felt like hours the pitch of the engine changed, signifying their arrival at the Hong Kong dome. Not his first time here, but his previous visit had been under very different circumstances. When they were finally down, he slung his duffle bag and gave the pilot a grin that managed to be both grateful and apologetic, and hopped out before he got a finger in reply. At the edge of the helipad a few others had gathered, most of them looking like lost lambs with their bags and young too... Or maybe it was just that he was old; Jaeger pilots tended to be kids for some God-awful reason. There was one face that he recognised though, both from his warning orders and a couple of years TV coverage. He saluted crisply, unsure of how military protocol was received nowadays. 'Ma'am. Cameron Arkwright, reporting. I assume you're our chaperone?'

[Assistant]
Tomiko Fraser - Floor 1 - Main Hangar
Tommie's foot bobbed to the steady beat of her iPod as the tunes filled her ears. She'd been at the Shatterdome for a few days, ever since arriving on their doorstep with an almost factory new NA-07 Deep Sea Dragon, which she'd managed to get built from spare parts by her black market contacts, and she'd finally found the perfect spot to listen to her sounds in peace.

Looking down from her perch high over the central hangar she spotted a flurry of unusual behaviour, something which her made her 'recon ops' reflexes tingle. She had a gift for noticing the small details others sometimes overlooked and the arrival of a helicopter full of unfamiliar faces was something that practically anyone would notice. With a quick sigh she pulled off her headphones and quickly stowed them on her belt before unclipping an ascender which had been stored beside her little noise maker.

Attaching the grapple carefully Tommie hooked her foot into the device and stepped off the gantry. It took a second of freefall before the line snapped tight, catching her in midair before gently slowing her pace as the ground glided up to meet her. With a quick snap she retracted the line, ignoring the cries of one of the dockworkers who was almost hit by the grapple as it reeled back into the small device.

With a bounce in her step Tommie quickly crossed over to the newcomers, a warm smile on her face and eyes quickly scanning over each of them, checking for signs of concealed weapons and unusual body language which could signify a threat.

"Hello boys," She called out with a laugh, waving her hand at the group to signal to them where she was as she approached over the deck. "I'm PPDC Ranger Tomiko Fraser, callsign Razor, but you can just call me Tommie."

[User]
A soft, breathy sigh escaped Syberus as he stepped carefully out of the helicopter. His boots made little noise as he lifted his head to look around, gazing up somewhat tiredly towards the grey sky that dropped heavy flakes of snow. After a couple of moments, he gave his head a small shake before quickly lifting a hand to tug off his sunglasses, sliding them into the large pocket of his hooded sweater. It didn't take him long to locate the group of other people that he quickly assumed had arrived recently as well. He made his way over though did not speak up or announce that he was part of the group, instead choosing to stand silently a few steps away from the group.

Though, despite his silence and distance, a woman who stood before all of them met his eyes and gave him a small nod before looking elsewhere. A new voice caught his attention, one with a bit of a laugh, causing him to turn his head a bit stiffly to see another woman waving towards them. A bit awkwardly he raised a hand to give her a small wave back before shifting the small backpack on his back a bit. It was just a bit rude to not wave back.

Syberus hadn't been all too thrilled to be re-assigned, at least not at first. Not only had he been forced to leave behind his younger sister and his step mother, but he had been forced to leave behind all of the extensive research work he had been assisting with. Some of it had been crazy and a bit insane, but somehow he was able to make some sense of it all. If only he could have brought it all with him, he wouldn't have minded this move nearly as much. Not that he did not love adoptive family, but, when it came down to it, he had more hopes in researching and the Kaiju.

The advantages to all of this though? Many. Far too many for him to list out at the moment.


[System]
Age: 20

Regular

Position: Spear Bearer

Special Position: Dansulsa

Physique: Very High

Endurance: High

Resistance: Medium

Aptitude: Low

Reason for climbing the tower: Individual fame

NOTE: The broadsword shown is her weapon of choice, but she usually carries a spear.

[User]
Candice opened her eyes to darkness. An empty expanse stretched out above her to a high ceiling she couldn't see as she slowly came to her senses; a cold, stone floor beneath her back, dry and motionless air passing her lips with each breath, which was also the only sound she could hear.

"The first floor."

It was a statement, rather than a question. A reminder, as the last thing she saw before blackness overtook her vision came back to her; a white rabbit holding a golden staff with orbs at each end, appearing in the air above her home in order to take her away, to make her a chosen Regular.

"Indeed it is. Welcome, Princess, it's been quite a while since I last had the pleasure of meeting one of Zahard's chosen children."

Turning her head, Candice could see the Guardian standing there, off to the side. He was partially hidden by the shadows, darkness falling over half of his figure to give him a mysterious and even sinister appearance. She pushed herself up to her feet and began to approach him, the closest thing Regular's like her had to a God, and stood before him. He was surprisingly short, as discounting the ears the top of his head barely came up to her chin, and bore no expression on his featureless face.

"Can we skip the formalities? Just give me whatever test you have so I can get going."

The slit at the side of Headon's head opened slightly, the gleaming pupil of one eye staring out at her in a way that made a chill run up her spine; it was not a gaze that held any amount of kindness. "So impatient? I get so many visitors, but so few of them are willing to stay and talk with me. I suppose there is nothing to be done." Headon walked passed her, Candice twisting away to avoid bumping shoulders with the Guardian and he paced to a random spot in the room, staff held behind his back, before he stopped and turned back to her. "Hmm. What kind of test should I give the Princess I wonder? A test of strength, of intelligence, of will? You surely hold all of these in abundance already, or else you wouldn't be here, would you?"

I feel like he's mocking me. He probably is; what does a title like Princess mean to a "God" like him?

"Give me what test you want; I'll pass, whatever it is."

Again, that slit spread open, this time revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth in an approximation of a grin; albeit the kind if grin a predator gave a mouse before gobbling it up. "Very well." Headon pulled an arm out from behind his back and pointed his golden staff at empty air, a large, black ball appearing from nothing at the tip. "Break this ball and you pass."

Candice eyed the thing suspiciously. "That's it?" She took a step forward when she received no answer. "Just pop this thing and I'm done?" Another few steps forward and she was standing directly in front of it. It was black, darker than any black she'd seen before, so dark she couldn't even see her reflection in it. "No time limits or other requirements? Just smash the damn thing?"

The Guardian remained silent, saying and doing nothing as it waited to see what she would do. "Tsk, fine." Candice took a step back and raised her leg up, swinging her foot to the side in a semi-circle until it was above her head, before bringing it down like a hammer on top of the ball with all of the strength she could muster. The ball, in response, popped like a soap bubble as soon as she made contact with it, offering no resistance at all and leaving her feeling unbalanced as her heel slammed into the ground. The resulting crash was deafening in the empty expanse, continuing to echo for long, awkward seconds as Candice stood there, though there was not so much as a scratch on the floor itself.

Once the sounds had all died down the Guardian finally moved, raising an empty hand and holding it palm up. "Congratulations, you passed!"

Candice turned to the Guardian, anger and indignation warring with her better judgement as she directed her rage at the being of ultimate power before her. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you giving me an easy time because I'm a Princess?"

"Of course not Princess." Headon spread his hands wide, holding his staff out to one side and an open hand with splayed fingers on the other, arms out as to encompass everything in the room. "When a Regular appears before me, whether they are the lowest of the low, an heir of the Ten Great Families or even a Princess, I just prepare a test that is equivalent to the value of their wish. That is the fate of the Tower Administrator."

"Tsk." Damn Rabbit. So you're saying my dream is only worth this much? It's only worth as much as a soap bubble? Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It's just my selfish little wish after all. One more selfish wish to go with all the other selfish wishes in the world. "Whatever. I passed so send me up. I'm done here."

Headon gave no other reaction after that, but Candice felt like he was smirking at her nonetheless as he sent her up.

[Assistant]
Nikola woke up with a groan. His eyes adjusting to the light as he began to take in his surroundings, an empty expanse that's ceiling stretched so high that one could no longer see it and a cold stone floor with the smoothest texture he has ever seen or felt. Standing up from his 'bed', Nikola began looking around for the guardian that brought him, sniffing the air but finding no scent.

Where the hell did that rabbit go?

Nikola continued his search for the guardian, reading the flow of shinsoo, and trying to find any hints he couldn't see with his eyes. His ears straining to find even the simple drop of a pin. The young canine wandering around in a circle in the labyrinth-like area. Feeling impatient, Nikola simply began gathering some shinsoo in his hand and firing the blast toward a nearby wall. Surprised that his contract seemingly still applied to this floor and that the wall was undamaged.

"Welcome, Nikola, it's been quite a while since I last had the pleasure of testing one from your species. As you can see the contract you're born under still holds some weight on this floor."

Headon the rabbit-like Guardian of the Tower appeared before him, partially hidden by the darkness of the First Floor, the creature twirled a long yellow stick with two green balls at each end similar to a baton, before stopping and pointing it at him. "Are you ready to take your test child?" A sinister flash of teeth appearing on the slits on the Guardian's head. An almost predatory warning directed at the Regular. Nikola for his part simply walked forward and approached the god, the height difference becoming readily apparent as the two stood in front of each other.

"Man why did you take so long? Come on throw whatever test you want."

"So eager as always... Well then considering your capabilities."  Headon began to walk toward an empty space, stopping at about 10 feet away from Nikola and tapping his staff once on the ground. Four pillars rose from the ground each covered in glowing crystals. "These pillars are capable of shooting concentrated blasts of shinsoo toward you. Headon began to explain as he pointed toward the crystals on the pillars. "Your goal is to either avoid all the blasts for 1 hour or disable all pillars. But you are not permitted to use your sight for this test and will have to rely on your ability to read shinsoo."  Headon finished before throwing a blindfold with intricate runes sewn into it.

Tying it around his face Nikola noticed that his eyes were entirely devoid of any light, merely the sound of his feet scraping across the floor reaching his senses. "There isn't even a tiny bit of light going through this thing huh?"

"Such a handicap shouldn't be a problem for one who wants to be recognized by one of the True Canines."

"You got me there, LET'S START THEN!" Nikola announced with vigor as he began to focus on reading the flow of shinsoo around him. A rippling wave coming towards his head, which he deftly avoided before sensing another one coming toward his back. The canine quickly dropping down to the ground, the wave passing above him.

"Left. Right. Behind. Below, Above. Right. "

Nikola continued to read the flow, dodging each shot with finesse even as the pillars began to speed up their assault. "Damnit I need to start going on the offensive I won't be able to keep this up if he starts speeding them up like this." Gathering a wave of shinsoo in his right hand Nikola dodged the next blast aimed at his head before accelerating his own wave to destroy the source of the attack.

"Alright just three more to go. "

The destruction of the fourth pillar having lessened the number of attacks, Nikola needed to avoid. Allowed the young canine swiftly destroyed the remaining pillars with ease. Each destruction lessening the strain of dodging on his body, until finally, he couldn't read any more attacks coming his way and promptly sat on the smooth floor.

"Congratulations, you passed! Approximately 8 minutes and 49 seconds, impressive. You may now proceed." Headon commented with a slitted grin before waving his hand sending the regular up the blindfold falling in the spot Nikola was just sitting in.

[User]
RACHELI

 Rachel woke up to find herself sprawled on a cold surface which appearance was slightly odd, she stood up for a moment she was blinded by a golden light. Then the ight ceased and faded revealing a touch lit room, before her stood a tall guardian who seemingly looked nice but have off creepy vibes. Rachel bowed before the guardian politely, and looked directly towards the guardian. The guardian took a small bow, and looked down at rachel.

"Welcome, you shall take a test dear."He said in a soft tone.
" What test will I take? "Rachel asked.
" Blow out the touches using your weapon, it must be one stroke. "He told her.
" I'll complete this task sir. "Rachel relpied.
" I wish you the best of luck dear. "He said smiling.

 Rachel took her weapon and slowly started to run in a circle slowly and began going fastef. As she ran faster she cut the touch tips with fire down to size as the flames flickered. Finally all the flames blew out and complete darkness surrounded her and she has an eerie feeling.
" Well done! You have completed your test! "The guardians voice echoed.

 Light returned to the room and she could see the guardian now closely in front of her smiling. He held the hands of Rachel and placed her in her hands standing up.
" You have passed, I hope you earn what your looking for dear please come back when you can. "The guardian smiled knowing that isn't possible.

 Rachel hugged his thumb and was sent up to the next level, first she waved goodbye to the guardian and looked up.

[Assistant]
Jae opens her eyes to find herself staring into an endless black chasm of a ceiling. Her ears twitch, reaching for any semblance of a sound as she finds herself instinctually taking in every detail of her surroundings. She stands from the cool, smooth surface, her spear twirling between her fingers.

"The first floor. Where did he-?"

Her voice is soft, almost a whisper as if she didn't want to break the silence that had enveloped the space. That is until her ears twitch in warning, and she spins and crouches into a battle-ready stance, to come face to face with the rabbit-like Guardian.

"Ah, hello. It's been quite a while since I've seen a canine lord such as yourself, Gyeong-Hui Kang."

The slit on Headon's face (if you could even call it that) spreads into a menacing grin, similar to that of a predator gauging how much fun it could have while torturing its prey. Jae might have shuddered, had she not been accustomed to his type.

"My name is Jae. What's my test?"

Jae relaxes, but only slightly, not trusting the Guardian. She shifts her weight to her back leg, casually holding her spear.

"Quite the impatient one, aren't you?"

Jae makes a soft growling sound.

He better not be making fun of me.

Headon's slit of teeth widens.

"Alright, alright. Well, all you have to do is hit this target."

A target of condensed Shinsoo forms and Jae squints slightly, considering what her plan of action could be. There's no way that a cube was her only test; there had to be a catch. And there is. As soon as Jae steps forward, the cube moves away from her. After making a small irritated noise in the back of her throat, Jae closes her eyes and listens to the Shinsoo move. After anticipating its movements, she throws her spear into its center, and the cube explodes. She huffs in annoyance.

"That's all?"

Headon shrugs, and the slit that was his mouth now stares at her.

 "You passed. Goodbye!"

"Do you mean to tell me-?"

Jae's slight indignation was cut off as she was sent up.


[System]
Age: 16

Heritage: The daughter of the late White Queen, Alyce Heart, named after another ancestor somewhere down the line. Her father died a couple months before she was born, making him one of the firsts murdered by the Red Sorceress before anyone realized war was at hand.

Appearance: Elayra stands at about 5'6", is of a small build, and has a light skin tone. She has gray eyes, her mother's eyes, that often have a haunted look in them, and is often told by those few who remember the White Queen that she looks like her mother. She wears her platinum hair with its loose curls down most of the time, and her fingernails are almost always chewed short.

Distinguishing Marks: She has many scars on her body from both training and battle with the creatures of Wonderland. From blade wounds and burn marks from spells, to claw and bite marks, the scars are all in various stages of healing, some now only faint silvery lines. Of easiest notice is the still healing scar stretching vertically over her left eye from just above her eyebrow down to her cheek the length of her nose. She's fairly proud of this one, having gained it just before killing one of the Red Sorceress' scouts.

Clothes Wear: Though it is the standard of the common female in the land to wear a dress, Elayra loathes the things and refuses to wear one unless absolutely necessary. She prefers a pair of trousers and a form-fitting top in colors that help her blend in with her surroundings. She wears tall leather boots with a slight heel, and a pair of matching bracers. She also has a belt that holds her trusty sword and favored dagger, as well as a pouch in which she keeps what little amount of the stones that are the land's currency she has managed to collect, along with a few other small odds and ends. However, she does have a dress in her wardrobe for those rare occasions when it would help her to better fit in with the world around her.

Abilities: Magic-wise, she is capable of only a few simple spells, since she has spent honing her ability to access the magic that flows through the world. On the other hand, she has been learning how to fight since she was capable of holding a weapon. She is rather extraordinary at wielding polearms, hand-to-hand combat, shooting a bow, and various types of swords. However, she tends to favor the sword, and is fairly quick on her feet.

Weapons: Ever since Drust deemed her worthy and able enough to have her own, good weapons, she's used two particular weapons: a saber, and a kris dagger. Both of these, according to Drust, were gifts from her mother. While the White Queen never used the sword, the dagger itself was once a favored side weapon by her mother. Sword: It resembles a long, double-edged saber, the blade curving slightly. The blade has a blue hue to it, and the rather plane hilt is a dull silver color with a black leather-wrapped handle. Kris Dagger: Essentially the same in appearance as her sword, only with a wavy blade. Bow and Arrows: A simple recurve bow made of a strong, sturdy wood. She has added random small carvings onto it. The arrows are of a matching wood with brilliant blue fletching that changes shades and even adds a bit of purple and green in different lighting. She often has the bow slung over her back, and the quiver of arrows hanging at her hip. Unless, of course, she feels she has no eminent need for them, in which case she stores them away in her pack. The quiver is enchanted to keep the arrows from falling out, no matter how violently shaken, but allows for its owner to easily pull them out. Unlike her bladed weapons, this was "borrowed" from one of the Forsaken.
Weapon Update: As of page 16 in IC, she no longer has her kris dagger. Instead, courtesy of unforeseen events, she's using one of her guardian's, Drust's, spare stiletto daggers. It's a rather simple affair. The silvery metal forms a spiral at the the hilt, topped by an elegant round pummel. Its needle-pointed, triangular blade's length is around nine inches. Unlike your common Earth stilettos, each of the three thin sides are forged and sharpened in a way that lets it be used for cutting and slashing, not just thrusting.

Personality: Having grown up in the perilous world of Wonderland, Elayra tends to be suspicious of everyone and everything, since you can't even trust what you see in the world anymore. She is careful and watchful, and always on the move, always secretly hoping to encounter one of the Red Queen's followers so she could bring about their demise. When around people she knows, or in a situation where emotions are heightened or heated, she is not afraid to speak her mind, often not thinking through her words before they leave her tongue, which has often ended poorly and resulted in a couple of her scars. She is not one to hesitate to defend what she believes is right, or to fight for those hurting from the Sorceress' rule. She is the brutal, fearless sort, and even when she does feel fear, sorrow, or any other 'weak' feelings, she refuses to show it, either her bitter, angry side emerging with more potency, or putting on a cocky, self-assured grin and spouting off a few smart comments. Though she often fantasizes about what Wonderland was like before the curse, the weight of reality is always a crushing one, and she fears to dwell on the dreams for long for fear the world may never be restored. After all, if the fate of the world really would rest on the shoulders of her and someone she knew nothing about, she dares not hope for the best. Life had taught her all too well that hope did little besides bring about painful disappointment.

Major Positive Traits: Active. Dedicated. Adaptable. Curious. Brave. Alert. Compassionate toward those suffering from the Red Queen's rule. Fierce.

Major Negative Traits: Stubborn. A bit sadistic when it comes to her enemies. Bitter. Overly serious. Untrusting. Harsh. Hot-tempered.

Weaknesses: She often acts too fast and without thinking things completely through, letting her emotions get the best of her. Though it often works for her, she can be too fierce, often getting carried away and taking it from a heartfelt intensity to an almost scary ferocity.

Ticks and Tags: Ticks: Chews on her fingernails. Twirls or chews a strand of hair when thinking. Tags: "I'm nobody." "It's a living nightmare." She always speaks with a serious, and authoritative tone.

Fears: Extremely small spaces, and otherwise being locked up. Complete darkness—or, rather, not being capable of seeing what might be lurking in it. Failing to dethrone the Red Sorceress. Of facing the Red Sorceress. Of not being capable of living up to the shadow cast by her mother.

Other: Cherished Object: A necklace the White Knight gave to her. It is a family heirloom in the shape of the royal coat-of-arms that the queen ordered him to give Elayra once she turned thirteen. About an inch large, a red stone creates a heart with a curved bottom and a point that curls up into a spiral. Atop it is a small blue rose in bloom. Two swords of tarnished silver weave through part of the heart on either side to create an X, the tiny metal pieces visible through the red stone. The pendant hangs by the swords from a chain that is shockingly sturdy, and she always keeps it hidden beneath her shirt to prevent it from possibly giving her identity away. It's said to glow when the thing the wearer seeks is near, and has proven that rumor to be truth.

Short Bio: Elayra remembers little, if anything, of how life was before the Sorceress' curse ravaged the land. She has been told the story of how they escaped: the White Knight took the two children through a hidden passage in the palace, and they made their way over the land to Harrow Hollow Hill, where it is said portals to many worlds reside. With the opening of a couple of them eminent, they jumped on the opportunity. With the portal entrance too small for the three to fit through together, the boy went first. Before the other two could follow, they were ambushed by a few of the Sorceress' creatures and forced to flee or be killed.
 When the queen's curse took effect, it did no harm to Elayra, but it changed the White Knight. Though he remained mostly in control of himself, never forgot the task he had been charged with, the kindness and genteelness that once ruled him was all but abolished. In its place was an almost crazed brutality kept at bay by only the little of who he once was that remained.
 So, Elayra grew up knowing only the nightmarish side of Wonderland and with a surrogate parent who was firm and harsh, always unrelenting in his training. He taught her how to wield various types of weapons, as well as educated her about everything he could to aid her in succeeding in bringing down the Red "Queen." Though he showed a restraint that all others affected by the curse lacked, his methods were just shy of barbaric on the field. However, the Knight did have moments where his true self shone through, showing a kindness befitting a doting father. But, on the other side of the coin, there were times when the curse took almost full control, sending him into a terrifying rage.
 The two occasionally stayed with a few other survivors and supporters of the White Queen, all living underground and hoping they would not be found. She kept who she was a secret, by order of the Knight, and for knowing that if anyone knew who she was, it could very well mean her death.
 She learned quickly, as one must when living in a world where even the grass could try to tear you apart, and your mentor, when more consumed by the curse, lived by the philosophy that "pain is the greatest teacher." Even so, the Knight was the only family she had, and she cherished every moment when the curse was subdued long enough for her to see a small glimpse into the gentle, caring people Wonderland was once filled with.
 At long last the Knight, who watched the skies diligently, told her it was finally nearly time for the portal to Earth to open and for her to seek out the Hatter's son. The two set out on the journey once more to Harrow Hallow Hill in the dismal hope that she would succeed and be capable of bringing him home to Wonderland and putting an end to the evil Red Queen's reign, and the rule would once more belong to the Heart family.

[User]
Elayra snorted. "Fine by me," she snapped.
 She took a breath, trying to calm her impatience and worries. With Ghent's eyes closed, she tried to think back to the first of the few, more official lessons in magic Drust had given her, and of the various bits and pieces she had picked up in between.
 "Magic's all around us, it just exists on a plane all its own, so most people can't see it. But a lot of us can feel it, if we try. If we reach out to it first. Once you've found it once, it'll be easier to find it when you need it. So." She uncrossed her arms and leaned back against one of the benches. "Clear your head, then imagine the energy of magic flowing around us. Once you can feel it, command it. For now, use focus words. The one for a basic shield is tuito. It's a good one for a beginner."
 She stared at him intently, for the first time that morning not paying her surroundings much attention. She took a slight step away in case he managed to mispronounce the command, her eyes never leaving him, fearing the worst, but hoping, despite her better judgment, for the best.

[Assistant]
"How can I imagine something I've never seen?" Ghent grimaced, tense in both mind and body. This sounded like a bunch of New Age nonsense to him, and he felt just a touch ridiculous standing in the middle of the pavilion with his eyes closed.
 Focus. Ghent inwardly chastised himself, exhaling once in an attempt to calm down. Somehow, he had to feel the energy he could hardly imagine.
 Empty your mind.
 Try as he might, Ghent couldn't feel much of anything; he wasn't sure how the magic would feel, should the energy be there. All he could "feel" was the cold and dampness of his clothes, no thanks to the unforgiving weather.
 This isn't working. Nothing's there. Admitting defeat was one thing, admitting defeat to Elayra? Unthinkable. Keep trying.
 Brows knit, Ghent made one last attempt to focus. He needed to forget the pattern of rain, he had to stop worrying about failure, tune out Elayra's voice...
 After what felt a lifetime, Ghent felt the smallest hint of change in the air. The magic may have revealed itself, or he'd tricked himself into believing. Either way, he wanted to seize the moment before it was gone.
 Tuito.
 Ghent froze up. He'd read Harry Potter in the back of the Book Barn. Pronouncing a spell incorrectly could prove disastrous. This did nothing to help his already rattled nerves.
 "T-Tuteao!" Ghent shot his hand forward as any good wizard should have, though he kept his eyes squeezed shut in fear of a disaster he feared would follow.

[User]
Elayra scowled and crossed her arms tightly again at his complaint. "Shut up and concentrate, for starters. It's a type of energy. Think about the shield I had if you need a more concrete visual," she suggested as Ghent exhaled, her foot tapping lightly against the ground.
 She fell silent, watching Ghent. Only the patter of the rain and the rush of a couple cars on the main road filled the morning silence for a moment. Elayra held her breath, not daring to hope he was having any luck. She blinked and uncrossed her arms as she had an idea; if he had difficulties feeling it directly in its plane, perhaps having an active bit of magic in theirs would help him.
 With a chill in the air, the first thing that came to mind was the flame. She raised her hand, palm toward the ceiling, and muttered the focus word for it as quietly as she could, the word lost in the whispers of the rain as she tried to avoid breaking his concentration. A small flame burst to life above her palm, and danced about excitedly without Elayra's mental order.
 The flame burned for scarcely a second before Ghent thrust his hand out and nervously mispronounced the focus word.
 Elayra sighed heavily and let her hold on the flame drop, expecting nothing to happen with the mispronunciation. But the sound cut off in surprise when the world's over-eager magic formed a ball of opalescent energy in his palm that would send an excited, untamed tingle over Ghent's skin.
 Her eyes widened when the energy, not fully guided by Ghent, sucked slightly into itself. She dove over the table closest to her, sliding over its top as the energy burst forward in a series of bolts in every direction in front of Ghent, putting him in no danger. She ducked down beneath the table a millisecond before a buzzing stream of the energy shot over her.
 The bolts collided with any surface they could, bursting into a faint mist on contact with the concrete and tables and leaving scorch marks in their wake, some sizzling out into the rain until they found something to strike.
 Once all the bolts had shot off and the energy died away, Elayra cautiously poked her head up from beneath the table, and her gray gaze locked on Ghent.
 Slowly, a grin spread over Elayra's face. Though it had ended rather disastrously, he had done it. Ghent had accessed magic. Finally, at least something had gone right. Well, sort of.