[h1]LORE AND NPCS[/h1] [hr][hr] World Information: In Progress [hr][hr] [hider=PATRIARCH MARTENOS][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/MctaLea.jpg[/img][/center] [h3][b][i]Martenos Caelestys Kaides[/i][/b][/h3][hr][hr][h3][i]Summary[/i][/h3] Despite being 49 years of age, Patriarch Martenos is still considered by many to be in his prime as a warrior. Even if one ignores his size, standing at an impressive 6' 4" and presenting a frame of well-disciplined muscle, the man's sheer presence seems to fill any space he resides in as he looms, almost menacingly. The very air around him feels sharp. He is the very essence of stoicism, both solemn wisdom and quiet rage, a guardian of destruction whose descent brings both protection and carnage. As a father, he has always been distant---he is the provider, the leader, the role model, but rarely has he ever been a caregiver. Few around him, even his own siblings, can claim to truly know the inner workings of his mind. But those who do feel assured in proclaiming that his dedication to House Kaides and the Crown are unshakeable; that everything he does is for the good of those under his wing. And yet, under his rule the Collegem has only become more strict over the years, pushing its cadets further and further until they either surpass their limits...or simply break. He is the one and only "Divine Sword" of Luzia, one of only a handful of individuals within the kingdom to have broken through the Saint Rank and become something that seems far beyond human. His strength is the kind that could conquer a castle by itself; they say his blade could carve through a mountainside like the claws of an ancient dragon. [hr][hr][h3][i]Equipment and Abilities[/i][/h3] [list][*][url=https://i.imgur.com/5u8A3IJ.png]Greatsword[/url]; Divine Swordsman [*][url=https://i.imgur.com/Gg6Xa6m.jpg]Black Wyvern-King's Plate[/url]; Only worn in pitched battle. [*]Conversion Type Aura user [*]Pinnacle of Incarnate Will Style; Familiar with Kastell-descent styles.[/list][hr][/hider][hider=The First Wife - Amabilia Kaides][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/WZ6oY6d.jpg[/img][/center] NPC PROFILE WORK IN PROGRESS[/hider][Hider=The Second Wife - Crescence Kaides WIP][center]Note: She is a redhead. [img]https://i.imgur.com/7gpmBCX.jpg[/img] [b]"Where there's a will, there's a way."[/b][/center] [h3][b][i]Crescence Kaides, Champion of the Commonfolk[/i][/b][/h3][hr][hr][h3][i]Summary[/i][/h3] Crescence stands taller than most men at an even two meters (6’7). Her frame is large and muscular; she looks like she could crack open heads one-handed or pull a carriage for the fun of it. Her complexion is lightly tanned, warm and sun-kissed, but her skin is rather rough. Its tone and texture were earned by years of outdoor training and battle. Scars litter her body, though she seems unbothered by any of them. Hers is a handsome face, striking rather than beautiful, yet distinct and memorable. Her hair is a shock of riotous red, cut just above the shoulders, wild and untamed. Despite an intimidating physique, Crescence is warm, optimistic, and kind. She often sports a huge grin and is always willing to extend a helping hand. She is approachable and easy to talk to regardless of background. Honest and trusting to a fault, she lacks the guile expected in the upper echelons of society. She tends to brush off slights and rumours with a laugh and a shrug: “People will always talk.” She is confident, unapologetic, and unashamed of who she is. As a mother, Crescence is fiercely protective of her children and wants the best for them. She balances high expectations with persistent, gentle guidance. Nonetheless, her younger daughters felt pressured by her, which she never fully understood. Try as she might to help, a genius with indomitable will often fails to understand the fragile. [b]Brief bio:[/b] Crescence was born in 967 as a commoner in a hamlet which lies near the kingdom’s eastern border with the Demon Lands. At 12, she earned renown in her village for hunting down a monstrous boar with a spear. At 14, she joined a military school, a small eastern branch whose purpose was training the kingdom’s border defense. At 16, she was a main contributor deterring an invasion of orcs. As a result, she was transferred to the mainland on a scholarship. In the following two years, she won a prestigious tournament, successfully led her designated cadet group on many monster slaying missions, and spearheaded several commoner relief efforts. At 18, she unlocked her aura and was recruited into the elite unit Glavios. She repeatedly challenged the kingdom’s strongest warrior. Passion sparked, romance bloomed, and when she was 19, she married Martenos Kaides, becoming his second wife. A year later, she was the first of his wives to bear him a child; Estelle was born to her when she was 20. At 21, she had Isana, and at 23, Ophelia. Even after becoming a mother, she continued to serve as a warrior and defender, often seeking out threats personally. She investigated crises others failed to resolve, never growing idle despite her noble standing. After the assassination on Ophelia, she desperately hunted down leads and suspects. Unfortunately, the culprit was never discovered in the first timeline. After the attempt on Estelle’s life, she was driven to the brink of a violent rampage, stopped only by her husband’s intervention. [hr][hr][h3][i]Equipment and Abilities[/i][/h3] [list][*]Battle axe warrior and swordswoman, Grandmaster. [*]Light armour. [*]Long distance weapon choice: javelins. [*]Augmentation user. [*]Notable Skills [list][*]Iron Cleaver: A straight forward strike putting all one's might into the axe. But the true secret is proper edge alignment, and rooting the stance to absorb recoil. With skilled execution it isn't just a powerful chop, but a transference of the body's weight into the opponent's balance. Even if one blocks the blow, they'll be forced backward before they can counter. To be considered a true master, one must be able to cut through an inch-thick iron pipe without damaging the edge of their blade. [*]Dragon's Tail: A sudden change of the grip to bring the polearm's shaft into play. Rather than spin the whole weapon as one might a staff, one uses raw strength and unexpected flexibility of the wrist and elbow to lever the weapon's midsection, producing an almost spring-loaded strike. [*]Grave Spade: A polearm technique from an unexpected low angle, using the broad or flat side of the weapon to "scoop" beneath an enemy. It might be used to lever a weapon out of their hands, disrupt their footing, or just clock them right under the chin. With sufficient strength or Aura, however, it becomes what some in the martial arts community call a "launcher" for "juggling." [*]Unknown Skills[/list][/list][hr][/hider][hider=FULVYA KAIDES][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/I2bEoM5.png[/img][/center] NPC PROFILE WORK IN PROGRESS[/hider][hider=SYLAS KAIDES AND FAMILY] [hider=SYLAS KAIDES & VIATRIX KHRONIKA-KAIDES][center][hider=SYLAS][img]https://i.imgur.com/8CYWobM.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=VIATRIX][img]https://i.imgur.com/C8wkBbF.jpg[/img][/hider][/center] [h3][b][i]Sylas Paulus Kaides & Viatrix Khronika-Kaides[/i][/b][/h3][hr][hr][h3][i]Summary[/i][/h3] Sylas, at 43 years of age, is the eldest son of Deividas Kaides---thus, a 1st cousin to Martenos, and a 2nd cousin to all the Patriarch's children. His wife, Viatrix, was the 3rd daughter of House Khronika and yet would have been the 7th in line of inheritance. Though they had once claimed themselves a rival to House Arkivum in spellcraft, Khronika's glory days were long over. Their territories, wealth, and influence had all dwindled over the years. With so little left to give even to their eldest son, it was ascertained that Viatrix would not even be able to start her own branch family. Sylas and his wife, long before they ever met, both trained relentlessly. When Sylas was young, he idolized his elder cousins---when Martenos started Collegem, he begged the heir to train with him, even though Sylas had only just begun his own home-training. Though he took many bruises in sparring---especially when Fulvya, and then Austenos, joined their lessons, he got what he wanted: a head-start crash course in Kaides education. With this head-start, he rose to the Elite Group within his first year at Collegem, just as Martenos once had. In terms of talent, Sylas could only be considered "lacking" if one compared him to the three Direct Heirs. Forever chasing their backs, he established himself as a proud example of Kaides in his own right, even becoming a Lieutenant of the prestigious Glavios Knights. He never forgot just how important that "head start" was---but no matter how hard he tried, he could not catch up to Martenos, who had an 8 year head start compared to Sylas's 7 years of pre-emptive study. Meanwhile, Viatrix had become a more-than-respectable 4th Circle Wizard, yet her family's traditions would forever favor her elder brothers. She would not become an heir no matter how much she accomplished. When House Khronika sent her, along with others, on a mission to provide magical support for the Glavios unit of House Kaides, Sylas was to be her co-officer over their soldiers. They bonded quickly, like recognizing like, and when the mission was over both wished it had been longer. A week after Sylas sent her a letter. She sent a reply, and a courtship began. Within the year they were married. Though the two had, and still have, a genuine attraction to one another, both of them also recognize the potential of their children to have a better future than either of them ever accomplished for themselves. Especially since Sylas cannot [i]stand[/i] the fact that those [i]wretches[/i] exist. And Viatrix sees in her children the kind of talent that her own House would have [i]killed[/i] for, but now will [i]never[/i] have. For both of them now aim to give their offspring the best "head-start" possible, and encourage them to rise as high as they can, higher than their parents ever could...even if it means stepping over the "Failed Generation" along the way... [hr][hr][h3][i]Equipment and Abilities[/i][/h3] [list][*]Sylas: Longsword, peak Grandmaster Swordsman. Viatrix: 5th Circle Water, Wind, and Earth Elementalist [*]Sylas: Mythril blade, full plate armor. Viatrix: Gilded Staff w/ Diamond Foci [*]Sylas: Projection Aura Type. Viatrix: Non-Awakened [*]Skills/Spells: Sylas[list][*]Peak Mastery of Incarnate Will Style [*]Dragon's Wings - An Aura Skill. Even though the Projection Aura type is not a strong self-enhancement like Augmentation or Shaping, Sylas has developed a method by which his Aura allows him to move at incredible speeds, and some say even fly! [*]Unknown Skills[/list] Viatrix[list][*]Hungr - A spell that can shear even solid rock away from the ground; it is not a "cutting" spell, but specifically a spell that shears rock. The tearing force is great enough that the shorn mass is hurled proportionally to its size. If used on a cliffside it would cause a mighty rockfall; used on a plain boulder, it can still act as a sort of mini-catapult. [*]Strokkur - A spell that creates a powerful geyser in water; a Wizard of Viatrix's level can easily cause an eruption 40 meters high if the spell is cast on a large body of water. Even casting it on a puddle can be dangerous, as with a few variable adjustments the water-spray can be condensed like a spear. One tale goes that during a demon slaying mission, after a rainstorm the previous night, Viatrix impaled a dozen orcs running towards her across the soaked ground. [*]Deretjo - A spell that creates a straight line of swift wind. With a variable the wind can either be turned perpendicular to the caster or parallel, allowing them to create a powerful funnel that blasts away anything in front of them, or a wall that pushes back anything coming at them. [*]Unknown Spells[/list][/list] [/hider][hider=ELDEST SON: AETIUS][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hWtgeVB.jpg[/img][/center] [h3][b][i]Aetius Evander Kaides[/i][/b][/h3][hr][hr][h3][i]Summary[/i][/h3] At 18 years of age, Aetius is already at the cusp of Awakening---it feels as if there's just one more piece left to click into the puzzle. He has already risen into the Elite Group of Collegem Yllustre's students. He is already the head of the Disciplinary Force, despite not being a senior student within the committee. He has exemplary marks in every class he has ever taken, even those relating to magic, and has taken more courses per year than most students would dare. People praise him for his talent, but he feels [i]they[/i] could do it too, if they'd only [i]try[/i]. But no one [i]else[/i] wants to put in the [i]effort[/i]---all they want to do is whine that they don't get the same results he does. They're weak, and pathetic. And then, they want [i]special treatment[/i] that they don't [i]deserve[/i]. "Let me off with a warning, just this once!" "Please, it was just an honest mistake!" "Can't you make an exception? We're friends, right?" If [i]he[/i] has to live by these standards, then so does [i]everyone else.[/i] That's why those Failures ended up where they did in life---their standards were all wrong, and they didn't put in the effort. So when they mess up, he'll relish administering their punishments... [hr][hr][h3][i]Equipment and Abilities[/i][/h3] [list][*]Halberd; 1st Rate Halberdier / 2nd Circle Wizard [*]Iron Shield [*]Non-Awakened [*]Skills/Spells: [list][*]Maglev - A spell that magnetically levitates an object from a specified point. Although less useful than something like Arcane Hand (Proper name "Urigellr") that allows something more akin to mimicry of a hand, it basically allows one to "stick" magnetic objects in place. Even if the point of origin moves, the object remains magnetically tethered to it. Aetius uses this to relieve the weight of his shield, allowing him to use the larger halberd without dropping his defenses. [*]Taurus Horn - A powerful overhead strike that makes full use of the halberd's leverage, but has a trick for those who believe it to be too straight-forward. Even without Aura, Aetius can crack stone with this attack. [*]Dragon's Tail - A sudden change of the grip to bring the halberd's shaft into play. Rather than spin the whole weapon as one might a staff, Aetius uses his raw strength and unexpected flexibility of the wrist and elbow to lever the halberd's midsection, producing an almost spring-loaded strike.[/list][/list] [/hider][hider=THE TWINS][center][hider=Blaise][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/IMWJ7cm.jpg[/img][/hider][hider=Aqua][img]https://i.imgur.com/ltTGda6.jpg[/img][/hider][/center] [h3][b][i]Blaise Caelum Kaides & Aqualina Bellona Kaides[/i][/b][/h3][hr][hr][h3][i]Summary[/i][/h3] Both 16, and both equally talented with bladecraft and magic, the twins have held out under parental pressure somewhat better than their elder brother Aetius---perhaps because they have always relied on each other for support. However, their enthusiasm towards their family's goals have bled over into overconfidence and impulsiveness at times. Since they always have someone willing to agree with them, they're quite self-assured in their assumptions that most of their cousins are simply beneath them. Like Aetius, they've made it into the Elite Group, though they are on the lower end of the ranking there compared to him and their peers. They are determined to continue rising up, however, and seem poised to do just that before the end of the year. They are both on the Student Council, though only in Assistant positions to the Treasurer and General Affairs Manager, respectively. Nonetheless, this gives them a fair degree of power over the budgets for the various classes---which they have most certainly used to their advantage at the detriment of others. [hr][hr][h3][i]Equipment and Abilities[/i][/h3] [list][*]Blaise: Estoc, early-1st Rate Swordsman/early-2nd Circle Wizard; Aqua: Greatsword, early-1st Rate Warrior/early-2nd Circle Wizard [*]Both Non-Awakened [*]Skills: Blaise [list][*]Swarm Stinger: A multitude of thrusts delivered with such speed as to seem nearly simultaneous; however, at Blaise's level only a single thrust is truly deadly, while the others are mere feints. [*]Kandyla: This 1st Circle spell merely produces a candle-flame. However, Blaise is able to maintain focus on the tip of his blade even in battle---essentially giving him an open flame to shove in front of his opponent's face. [*]Konvehyre: Another 1st Circle spell that heats up the point of focus; a mundane use would be to boil small pot of water. But again, by applying his focus to a small area---typically marked by his blade beforehand---Blaise can cause cloth to burst into flame or armor to grow scalding hot, turning his opponents' defense against them.[/list] Aqua [list][*]Iron Cleaver: A straight forward strike putting all one's might into the sword. But the true secret is proper edge alignment, and rooting the stance to absorb recoil. With skilled execution it isn't just a powerful slash, but a transference of the body's weight into the opponent's balance. Even if one blocks the cut, they'll be forced backward before they can counter. To be considered a true master, one must be able to cut through an inch-thick iron pipe without damaging the edge of their blade. [*]Oedema: A 1st Circle spell that gathers moisture from its source into a "bubble" at a point specified by the caster. Normally used to gather water or another liquid into a cup or bucket more easily, Aqua has altered its variables. Though the increase in Mana Cost is notable, turning it into something more befitting of a 2nd Circle spell, she has greatly increased the pressure of the sphere. If enough water is present in the environment, she can create a fist-sized bubble containing multiple gallons; when this pressure is forcibly released by an external force, the resultant burst can strike her opponent like a physical blow. [*]Dheumus: A 1st Circle spell that rapidly vaporizes water, producing scalding hot steam. Normally used for cooking or cleaning, Aqua has weaponized it by altering the point of focus and, essentially, spraying boiling hot fumes directly at her opponent.[/list][/list][hr][/hider][hider=VARYA][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/XjSozJP.jpg[/img][/center] [h3][b][i]Varya Dulcia Kaides[/i][/b][/h3][hr][hr][h3][i]Summary[/i][/h3] At 15, Varya appears at first glance to be a sweet-natured, beautiful young lady of good manners. And, around most people, that would be an accurate assessment...but around her fellow students, she has a habit of saying things in that cutesy voice of hers that would be fighting words from anyone else. "Ne, ne, I think you're really brave, you know! Wearing a dress like that, looking the way you do---I would be too scared to leave my house, or even be seen by the servants! It's really impressive, ne?" Nonetheless, there is---or [i]was[/i], one person she respected: the firstborn of Kaides, Estelle. Watching Estelle perform on the archery range as a child was what made Varya decide to take up the bow herself, and considering her prodigious talent and the resources her parents put towards her training, it seemed almost a guarantee that she would one day catch up to, and then surpass, the only true "talent" among that Failed Generation. Then Estelle went and got herself poisoned, like a fool. One would think that Varya would be happy to have her "rival" knocked down so many pegs---but, strangely, that doesn't seem to be the case... [hr][hr][h3][i]Equipment and Abilities[/i][/h3] [list][*]War-bow, Peak 2nd-Rate Archer/ 1st Circle Wizard [*]Varya carries different arrow-heads for different purposes. [*]Non-Awakened [*]Skills/Spells: [list][*]Hammering: A drawing of the bow that pushes one's body to its limit, allowing one to both pull heavier string and draw faster. [*]Swift: Calculated and precise movements allowing the user to adeptly move while in combat. Slow is steady and steady is quick. [*]Fosfor: A 1st Circle spell that places a glowing light on an object, similar to lighting a candle on a pan that can then be set down somewhere else. Varya uses this spell to attach the light to either her arrows or her target, creating a "tracer" that improves the accuracy of her next shot. The light can be covered, but not snuffed out until the Mana fueling it is disrupted.[/list][/list][/hider] [/hider] [hr][hr] To Be Added: [hider=Other NPCS] [list][*]Patriarch's Spouses [*]Austenos Kaides & Spouses [*]Fulvya Kaides & Spouse [*]Deividas Kaides [*]Adult Children of Deividas [*][s]Sylas Kaides & Spouse[/s] Sylas's Children [*]Collegem Instructors [*]Collegem Students [*]Other Important Figures[/list][/hider]