Name: Zane Kardon

Age: 24

Race: Human

Appearance:

Common skills: Tinkering, Reading, Writing, Engineering, Basic Smithing, and Chemistry

Fighting skills: Trap Setting, Crossbow usage

Magical skills: Zane understands the basic theories and practice of elementalism though he cannot use any elemental magic himself. However, working in a magic workshop and further training when he joined the Imperial Military, he has learned the art of Enchanting and some Arcane abilities in order to imbue objects. At the moment, he can only consistently enchant objects with Light.
Arcane Spells:
-Light: causes an object to glow
-Push: pushes a targeted object or person with a small burst of force. Not strong enough to cause permanent damage but may cause an enemy to fall or become unbalanced.

Languages: Imperial, Dwarvish

Personality: Zane is overwhelmingly curious about the world, but usually displays it in a friendly enthusiastic manner. During downtime, he is usually upbeat and enjoys explaining what concepts he is currently working on or another subject he has knowledge of. He could be referred to as naive, and while that is somewhat true, he sees it as being more optimistic for the future. However, once he has had an idea he focuses all of his attention upon his project until it is complete usually forgetting to eat or sleep for long periods of time and hates to be interrupted.

Bio: Zane is the son of newly wealthy merchant, previously a working class man who teamed up with a group of dwarven smiths to create high quality goods. His father thought his son should be educated as any nobleman in order to make his own way in the world so Zane was tutored from a young age in most subjects, though Zane preferred the sciences. He grew a penchant for tinkering, spending most of his free time with the dwarven smiths who taught him the basics of their work. As he grew older he sought out and gained apprenticeship in magic workshop where he spent his time learning his basic magic skills before finally joining the military to satisfy his curiously about this new world. He arrived about two weeks ago instantly being taken to assist the smiths and enchanters and has had no time to truly settle in or explore yet.

Equipment: Medium Crossbow, Quiver with 10 Bolts, Knife, Leather aprons and gloves, basic enchanting military gear, key to Fort Narselis smithy, small bag of stones used for enchantment practice (several have light enchantments), various bits and pieces of materials such as twine, slightly melted boots, uniforms and basic clothing, a well worn cloak with plenty of pockets on the inside, and a book titled On the Arcane and Enchanting (going away present from Father).

Why did you join?: The Imperial Military are currently the only ones to travel to the New Continent. The lands are filled with new discoveries just waiting to be found and Zane wants to be one of the first ones to work with any new materials found. In addition, the Imperial Military has fantastic access to materials that he will need cost-free.

Name: Kerl

Age: 35

Race: Human

Appearance: Kerl is short (5'4), and so he wears borderline ludicrously thick-soled boots to add an extra inch and a half to his height. He has tanned skin from a life spent outdoors, and his face is dappled with fading freckles. He has curly, sandy-brown hair that falls in a mess around his ears, and he generally wears a loose, light brown coat that doesn't quite look like it was made to fit him. His unkempt appearance, however, is put off by the warmth of his face; he has a wide, genuine smile, and he often looks like he's on the verge of laughing, but in a way that makes you feel like you're in on the joke. His eyes are hazel, but seem to shift between brown and green in different lights. He has a muscular build and thick, calloused hands.

Common skills: Kerl is a rather exceptional cook, and knows how to work with humble ingredients and make them into something that the pickiest of eaters could stomach. He also knows how to sew, although it is difficult for him because his hands are far from delicate. He knows some basic things about construction, and can build small, safe shelters on his own, but that's about where his knowledge ends. He also has a strong affinity for theatre and loves to quote his favorite playwrights; and he has some knowledge of reading and writing, but not much.

Fighting skills: Kerl knows how to fight with a broadsword and a spear, but he is best when fighting with his bare fists.

Magical skills: Because Kerl is firmly religious, he made an attempt to learn Divine magic; but he failed lost interest and didn't learn much beyond basic healing spells. So he can heal minor wounds and numb some of the pain from more severe injuries, but anything worse than that makes him extremely nervous and he generally avoids the wounded person.

Languages: Kerl mainly speaks Imperial, and any knowledge he has of other languages comes from exposure; so he knows basic phrases like "Hello," and "It costs (x amount)" in several languages, but that's about it for Kerl.

Personality: Kerl doesn't always know when to turn his personality off. He makes jokes often and will laugh at just about anything, and his avoidance of all things sad or emotional makes him a not-so-great listener when you have a problem, but he'll do his best to make you laugh and forget about what's bothering you for at least a second. Kerl expresses himself with his body, and makes wide, sweeping hand gestures whenever he speaks. He's a hard worker, able to dedicate himself completely to a single task, but only when it holds his interest. His faith is important to him, and he becomes visibly uncomfortable around people who don't believe in anything. In spite of his faith, he doesn't seem to be the most morally upright person, but this seems to stem more from his lack of impulse control than a bad personality.

Bio: Kerl is married, with two daughters and a son who was on the way when he left to join the military. His life is a bit of a mess. He was born into a middle class family, but lost any standing he had when he ran away with a peasant woman (his current wife) and tried to make it as an actor. Long story short, he failed. He decided to settle down with his wife and start a family, earning wages through a combination of honest and not-so-honest labor. Buried in debt and cut off from any inheritance money he would have received from his parents, Kerl decided his only option left was to join the military and explore the new world, in hopes of finding a place where his family could start over. He doesn't talk about any of this, though; and his copious flirting with the women on the ship has led people to believe he was never married at all.

Equipment: Kerl carries a bag of equipment that's almost as tall as him on his back. It contains spices (for cooking), non-perishable food items, a quilted blanket, an extra change of clothes (for when people start to complain about his smell), an expensive-looking comb that he almost never uses, bandages and gauze, a folded up letter from his family, and some simple, lightweight tools. He carries a knife at his side, and a flask of "water" in his coat, and a broadsword that he seems to hate carrying around with him.

Why did you join?: It's mentioned in his bio, but basically he joined so that he could get a fresh start for his family and escape his debts.

Name: Vanimon

Age: 23

Race: Elf

Appearance: With a name that literally means "beautiful", it's understandable why Vanimon is so concerned with his appearance. He has naturally good looks, but he is also severe; he is tall, fit, with flaxen blond hair that he keeps neatly groomed back, and the symmetrical features that are typical of the elven race, but his blue eyes are like little beads of ice, his sharp cheekbones and pointed nose give him a haughty expression, and his expression is best described as impassive. He likes to wear light blue clothing, but for practicality he has settled for a standard army uniform, wearing only a light blue amulet around his neck to keep his personality in tact. He also wears tall boots that tend to click when he walks.

Common skills: Vanimon has had the luxury of an in-depth education, and is therefore well-versed on mathematics, sciences and literature. He is a gifted hunter and has an odd knack for crafting jewelry.

Fighting skills: Vanimon likes to fight at a distance, so bow-and-arrow is his weapon of choice. He prefers to use a crossbow, but he will sometimes use a longbow for the sake of "looking impressive." He has been trained in martial arts and will use it if forced to fight in close quarters, but he prefers not to.

Magical skills: Vanimon took a strong liking to Elemental magic, specifically fire, and takes great satisfaction in using magic to light his arrows on fire while practicing archery. His powers are still weak, and he can do little more than light flames in the palm of his hand or increase the temperature of the room he's in, but he practices often and has been incrementally growing stronger. He wears three rings on his right hand, embedded with gemstones, that he uses to store his elemental magic. He also stores some in the amulet on his neck, but avoids using it too much for fear that the fire magic will "make it lose it's perfect blue color."

Languages: Elvish is his native language, but he is fluent in Imperial and near fluent in Dwarfish. He speaks a good deal of most other languages that exist in the Empire, but his knowledge of them is simpler and he often confuses words between them. While he was receiving his education, he focused heavily on learning ancient languages that no one speaks anymore, and while this is virtually useless to him, it gives him a better understanding of the modern ones.

Personality: Vanimon is actually rather shy and lives more in his head than in reality. His quiet demeanor comes across as standoffish and disdainful, but the truth is that he just doesn't really know how to talk to people. He keeps everything businesslike and practical, and beyond that he doesn't know how to have meaningful conversations. This can lead to people being uncomfortable around him (there have been more than one occasions where a group he was in became collectively worried he was plotting to kill them), but Vanimon prefers to prove his loyalty through actions rather than words. He has a very deep voice that somehow manages to cut through whatever other noise is in the room, being perfectly audible despite his seemingly putting no more effort into it than a mumble. He uses this power sparingly.

Bio: Vanimon was born into a wealthy family and had just about anything he could have wanted or needed growing up. He got tired of it very quickly. At the age of eighteen, having learned all that he cared to learn from his high-end education, he decided to leave home and travel the Empire for a few years. He lived off of his parents' money for most of it, but they slowly started to refuse spending any more on it, saying he was wasting his education and his potential. Vanimon saw it differently; he felt his first eighteen years had been a waste of time, and it was only when he experienced the world for himself that he truly learned anything. So he started working odd jobs to earn meals and places to stay, and near the end of his fourth year of traveling he ran into Kerl--or rather, Kerl ran into him, quite literally, while trying to run away from some shady debt collectors. Vanimon decided to help Kerl out by paying the collectors with what was left of the money his parents had given him, and after that they parted ways. A year later, Vanimon decided to join the military, and was surprised to find Kerl on the same ship. Kerl latched onto him, as he often does with quiet people, and they've been forming a friendship ever since.

Equipment: Archery equipment, clothing, food, a knife, and a small pouch of shiny things that he collects like a weird dragon.

Why did you join?: Despite five years of traveling, Vanimon has never felt a strong sense of belonging to any place or group of people, so he figured, maybe if I go to this brand new place I'll finally find my home. He doesn't really understand how difficult this job will be, because nothing in his life has ever really challenged him; he expects things to just magically work out for him. We'll see how that works out for him in the new world.

Name: Agmundr

Age: 23

Race: Human revenant

Appearance:

Agmundr is a large-sized and very bulked-up man with a long red mane of hair. For being a revenant, he's in pretty good shape: A medic won't require more than one quick and educated look to discover clear signs of death, but there's nothing an average person would instinctively find disgusting about him. There's a glow apparently coming from inside his eyes, but it can only be seen when it's dark.

Common skills: Agmundr died as a poor man, at a young age and a long time ago. He can't read or write since these arts were restricted to the more wealthy people even in his days. He's fairly adept in pickpocketing and stealing (yet no lockpicking, if he had to get through a door he waited for the right moment and then brute-forced it).

Fighting skills: The military had a close look at him and decided that for someone with no precursory experience with weapons, yet a very respectable amount of strength and corresponding body weight, something like a sword would do no good. He recieved training in using a spiked mace - a cheaper and less delicate weapon - in combination with a round shield and simple armor not prone to hinder movement in an unexpected way. Unfortunately, his physique doesn't allow for a horse carrying more than just himself without being considerably overburdened by the weight.

Magical skills: In pure theory there is a lot of magic in him, but comparable to the way an ordinary human being can't ask the own brain to unroll any of those automatic algorithms it uses for thinking, Agmundr is not capable of willingly invoking any of his inherent magic in order to achieve any additional effect. One of the 'passive' effects of his inherent magic is a slow but steady self-regeneration that is a bit faster than the healing capability of a living body and that also prevents the onset of decay. On the other hand his body is just plain dead in the biological sense, so he can't expect conventional healing magic to be much of an alleviation...

Languages: He has a bit of a trouble in adapting to the recent Imperial language, but his familiarity with the old ways might help him just as well when it comes to learn a new language that actually is a derivative of what he knows.

Personality: He was shady in his days. One should definitely not leave one's money unattended if he's nearby and doesn't know you. Stealing definitely did help him, but that was because he didn't have much support from his parents that already died when he was a small child. The question is if he will lose this habit if he's embedded into a more stable social structure for a prolonged time or not. Aside from that he does have a slight lack of self-confidence. What he definitely does appreciate are good friends - he didn't have many of them in his days either.

Bio: His (so to speak) first life ended several hundred years ago at an age of 21. At no point in his former existence he was close to being a distinguished person, so probably the only thing you can find are entries of birth and death in the chronicles - given they have survived that long. There is a number of persons who have doubts concerning his claims about who he is. The grave he had been buried in had been fitted with a very cheap gravestone: There was nothing intelligible left of it when he came back to 'life' and left the site, so there's hardly anything left to clearly identify him.

Equipment: Morning star (one-handed), robust round shield, heavy scale armour covering his body, a spangenhelm. For satisfying the needs not associated with combat he has got a backpack filled with brawn, a few bandages (mechanical fixation does help even him), a set of simple civilian clothing, small knife.

Why did he join ?: A whole new continent is an opportunity only few people can experience in their lives. It would be a waste to miss that. Perhaps there will be something valuable to discover or a nice strip of land to settle down ? Since the military currently is the only organization having made landfall it's quite obvious that there will be trouble, but it's worth it. And he hasn't got much to loose on the old one anyway.

Name: Miz’ri (Mizzie) A’Daragon

Age: 21

Race: Native Cambion (half-demon)

Appearance:

Common skills: Identifying native plants and creating medicine from them, climbing, and tracking. It’s also worth noting that Mizzie’s tail is prehensile, allowing her to use it like a third hand, and that her wings allow her to hover a bit.

Fighting skills: Knows how to handle a knife or a staff to protect herself in a pinch, but that’s about it.

Magical skills: As an individual of demonic ancestry, Mizzie possesses a remarkable proficiency in the use of demonic magic and a surprising amount of magical energy. Mizzie’s use of demonic magic currently manifests itself in two major forms:




Languages: Common Native, used in official correspondence between the various tribal groups that occupy the continent, and Infernal/Demonic

Personality: Despite her demonic heritage, Mizzie is actually a fairly warm-hearted person that usually has a smile plastered to her face, which is probably one of the major reasons why the Imperial citizens of the outpost don’t seem to mind having her around. Though unfamiliar with Imperial customs and technology, Mizzie is a rather intelligent individual, able to learn quickly and think on her feet. She can also be rather naive, however, which makes it somewhat easy to take advantage of her, especially concerning Imperial customs or technology.

Bio: Mizzie was raised on the New Continent as a member of the Xatzlopi tribe after a hunting party found her in the forest near the village and took her back with them. After several days of deliberation, the village’s Council of Elders determined that she would be accepted as a member of the tribe if a family would accept her, much as they would for any other individual. Fortunately for her, a barren family in the tribe was eager for the chance to have a child and snatched her up.

For the most part, Mizzie’s early life was fairly typical for a child in the tribe, even if she did look quite a bit different from the others. The exceptions to this rule were the occasional outbursts of demonic magic that she gave off while growing up. They made it pretty clear to her parents, and the other adults of the tribe, that it would be best for Mizzie to become the Wise Woman’s apprentice when she reached the appropriate age. And so, at the age of twelve, she began receiving an education that would one day allow her to replace the current Wise Woman.

Most of her training was non-magical in nature, consisting of subjects such as crafting medicines from plant and animal parts found in nature, interpreting omens, and how to read, write, and perform basic arithmetic. Because the Wise Woman was a shaman, it turned out she was largely unable to really assist Mizzie in learning to control her latent abilities, although she was still able to provide a little bit of guidance concerning the general principles of magic. Still, Mizzie was expected to practice frequently in order to refine her control over her abilities so as to avoid the kind of accidents that occurred when she was growing up.

Shortly after her twenty-first birthday, Mizzie and her master went out to sea in order to perform the ritual that would guarantee their village a good harvest, although Mizzie’s primary purpose in tagging along was learning how to perform the ritual. While her master was performing the ritual, a storm struck suddenly and with great ferocity, rocking the little boat they were in violently. Before Mizzie could really react, she hit her head on the side of the boat and fell unconscious.

When she came to, the sun shining almost directly above her, she was alone in the boat and there was no land in sight. Fortunately, they had prepared some rations in order to have a meal after the ritual, so she had enough food and water to last for several days if she was careful. And survive she did, floating in the endless blue for a couple of days before a large ship, far larger than anything she had ever seen in her life, floated by. Somehow, the people on board had noticed her and managed to get her on board after sending a lifeboat down.

After it became clear to everyone involved that they didn’t speak the same language, the people on the ship, whom Mizzie would later know as “Imperials” began trying to teach her their language while she helped out onboard in order to repay their hospitality. By the time they reached their destination a few days later, Mizzie had learned a few words (mostly names) and the Imperials had come up with the idea of using her to help reach the natives around Fort Narselis. And so, they continued her instruction of their language and customs, planning on having her tag along the exploration group that would be arriving in several weeks as a diplomat or translator.

Equipment: A short knife, a mortar and pestle for preparing medicine, clothing, a walking stick.

Why did you join?: Helping the Imperials develop strong ties with the Native tribes would be good for both groups, and it would be a good way to repay the debt I owe them for rescuing me. Also, they’ve told me that they will help me get home.

Name: Iolaire, daughter of Eidheann

Age: 26

Race: Elf

Appearance: Short and sinewy. Shoulderlength black hair and vivid green eyes. Wears a traditional army uniform.

Common skills: Survival, tracking, hunting, cooking, first aid.

Fighting skills: Archery and basic melee training.

Magical skills: Schamanistic magic. Iolaire can commune with animals and manipulate plants to some extent.

Personality: Iolaire is kind of a loner, not because of arrogance but because she is shy. She feels insecure in the company of strangers and keeps to herself, only opening up to people she thinks she can trust.

Bio: The young elf comes from a very patriotic family. Being the youngest of her siblings, she didn't have much of an inheritance to look forward to and had to find another way to honor her name, so she joined up with the military for the expedition to the New Continent. Her training in schamanistic magic comes from a long tradition in her family, which lives like elves has traditionally lived throughout the ages.

Equipment: Two sets of uniforms, a warm green cloak, tools like knives and pans, rope, flint and steel, a bag to carry her stuff in, and a bow with a quiver of arrows.

Why did you join?: Iolaire joined to bring honor to her family.

Name: Jacque Atkinson

Age: 23

Race: Human

Appearance:

Common skills: Jacque is adept in the trades that are all but universal to anyone that would call themselves a woodsman; Trapping, hunting, tracking, and dressing a kill. He's proficient in the usage of a recurve bow but tends to favor it only when hunting large game.

Fighting skills: Jacque's particular field of expertise is dual wielding light weapons such as short swords for quick attacks. This makes for a poor matchup against heavily armored enemies, but it serves him well against slower or squishier opponents.

Magical skills: Shamanistic:
Speak with animal: Jacque can communicate with fauna. Whether or not they choose to actually listen to him is another thing entirely, especially if the animal is hostile.
Purify food and drink: He can purify a small portion of food or water per day. He cannot however change the natural properties (i.e. saltwater does not suddenly become fresh water and bitter or spicy food will still be bitter or spicy)
Read Magic: Jacque can decipher magic scrolls and tomes

Languages: Imperial and limited druidic

Personality: Jacque is a nature boy at heart; though he is not exactly adversed to the luxuries provided by civilized living sooner or later he always finds himself drawn back to the woods where he thrives. A moderately sociable fellow, his time spent with his father as a trapper and fur trader has made him a patient and shrewd if not somewhat blunt individual. In spite of his patience Jacque shows a profound distaste in speaking with subtlety when others wish to tip toe around a delicate subject, often preferring to forgo the entire conversation entirely when asked for his input lest his blunt nature give way to complete and sometimes brutal honesty that could land him in hot water.

Bio: Borne of a long line of fur traders and hunters, Jacque was introduced to the ways of the woodsman from the day he could properly walk. The lessons were long and the work hard, but as he grew older and began making his own profit with the family trade Jacque found himself quite content with the idea of getting paid to live off the land. Time went on, and with it the edges of the map began getting filled out. Jacque found himself having to compete with other hunters in order to meet the demands of a growing population. For a little while Jacque began to fear that he might lose his love of his profession and be forced to start viewing it strictly as a business or abandon it entirely for more bountiful professions. The discovery of a new land to colonize was a blessing to the young hunter. A few years of his service in the Imperial Army was a paltry payment for having a new batch of land to enjoy before the map could be filled once more and the competition arrived.

Equipment: A pair of short swords, skinning knife, water skin, one ring of cold resistance (gifted to him by his grandfather), leather armor, one cloak, a small cloth bag containing one hundred pumpkin seeds, ten feet of thin rope, a scroll on basic shamanic magiks and rituals (loaned to him by his teacher), two pounds worth of various types of jerky, a young blue tailed monitor (traded for it with a merchant from the far east), recurve bow and a small quiver (10 arrow maximum).

Why did you join?: The prospect of having the first crack at exploring and hunting in a new land was far too great for him to pass up.

Name:
Esther Dietrich

Age:
20

Race:
Human

Appearance:

Common skills:
- Basic cooking : boiling, roasting, baking...
- Basic cleaning : fabrics, houses, blades...not bows.
- Construction : lean-to, tent, basic irrigation and farming, huts.
- Reading : Imperial, Elven, Orc

Fighting skills:
- Swords
Estocs - Fighting with an estoc requires some fine motor skill, unlike the falchion. Users are trained to penetrate otherwise thicker armor by running opponents through in key vitals within a short range. Unarmored opponents get the privilege of getting hacked into pieces by the side of the blade.
Zweihander - Similar to an estoc, but it should be duly noted that the user in question may be very well overcompensating for self-esteem, whatnot with its ludicrously heavier weight and increased length. Hacking and chopping is a viable option, given the force generated from such a weapon. It should be duly noted that Zweihanders are agoraphilic.

Magical skills:
- Elemental
- Light
- Blind - Focuses the energy from a stone into a concentrated ray; temporarily blinds opponents for a turn, or if done repeatedly in quick succession, may damage eyesight for a longer period of time.
- Refraction - Focuses incoming photons into the stone, rendering the user invisible except for a shining spot where the light is focused. Can only be done briefly.

Languages:
Imperial

Personality:
Esther is quite the plain man, despite his descent from a military family. Because of his sore lack of knowledge, he has little input to most conversations other than the most basic questions. He's punctual and diligent, at least. For the opponents that would stand against the Empire, that may be something to fear or exploit on the battlefield.

Bio:
Like his forefathers, Esther was born into indentured servitude thanks to his ancestor's accrued debt, and so spent his life farming to pay off. Only, by the time he was 17, he was relieved of the debt. During this period, he often switched between managing the lands and keeping the house for his lord. In the latter times, he'd also spar with the lord using a stick. To pay for his younger sister's tuition at one of the Empire's military academies, Esther opted to sell the farm and everything in it. His residing lord happily bought off the land by contract, and so Esther went off to the cities to pay. While waiting in line, he noticed a few fliers that asked for more volunteers to travel to the new continent. Esther, cognizant of his own strength, did the only logical thing left : join. With what little money he had left, Esther took some tips on using a stone, and finalized his intent with a few months of conditioning and a month of training. And that was that. No letter to the sister, no warning beforehand, nothing.
The succession of the Dietrich name was her responsibility, after all.

Equipment:
- Tunic, trousers, socks, shoes...clothing in general.
- Estoc
- Bedroll pack
- Hatchet
- Brightstone - A crystal specially designed to focus energy into light magic.

Reasoning :
Who the hell would want to be tied to a patch of dirt for their entire lives in a place far too crowded with people of all kinds? There's plenty of acres to claim in the other continent, and the surplus money could always go to his sister...