Click This

Equivalent Exchange: Gimme Dat Booty

It seemed like the people that Jean had found himself were friendly than he expected and were engaging in social introductions. That was a start, he supposed. At least they didn’t seem to be hostile. The professor nodded and kept a mental note of each person as they introduced themselves, making sure to keep their names in mind. After introducing himself, his attention shifted to the two girls on his right, recognizing one of them as being from Teann Ch’I, and also the one that first introduced herself. She had a very peculiar cylindrical device that was popular in that country, but Jean had little experience with the device or even her country’s style of alchemy. His gaze fell down to the hand of the other girl, who seemed to hail from an upper-class or noble origin, judging by her demeanor and style of clothing.

Her hand was clearly cut and bleeding. Jean deduced it was not life-threatening, but could turn into an infection if left untreated, so he decided to offer his help regardless.

“…Perhaps I can assist with that injury?”

With swift fierceness, his offer was declined. The warrior-looking bloke named Alexei’s comment wasn’t reassuring to the professor, who surmised he likely didn’t care too much for proper healthcare. Jean made a brief comment and an exchange with Arryn and Alexei before giving up his case and returning to his initial point of concern: Where was the rest of his own party? He’d spent the better half of a year putting the best team together for this research mission, and to have it go missing at the most important moment was more than inconvenient.

“…Have any of you seen an alchemist in a white coat or a silver-haired summoner?” Jean asked his question in vain. He realized it was unlikely that anybody in this group had seen them, since they appeared to be quite disoriented and confused themselves.

The Teann Ch’I alchemist named Luthica spoke up, pointing out his question was too general. Indeed, there were lots of white-coated alchemists. How silly of him, it seemed he wasn’t fully awake yet. Jean opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it as the other alchemist raised her cylindrical device and fired it off away from the party. He could guess what she had just done and what she did to accomplish it, and also her reason for firing it, but he nonetheless got the impression that his Teann Ch’i counterpart was rather reckless. The device was interesting enough that he would have to ask her more about it at a more prudent. In any case, her actions didn’t affect anybody and it was none of his concern, so he continued to clarify his question.

Unfortunately, the answer was no, and he felt his heart drop a little. Professor Jacobs had all the catalysts and equipment…

---

Soon enough, Jean’s attention turned to the large black gem that he had first noticed upon waking up. It was not the emerald glow of the gem that caught his eye, but the eclipse of the light by another figure. The noble looking girl with the injury was drawing close to the mysterious stone, hand outstretched almost as if to touch it.

Were they all this dim? Or was this group just special? Jean momentarily doubted himself as he wondered if Lulia was sheltered amongst a world of dimwits. Touching objects with unusual properties or with obviously magical origins was something even a peasant knew not to do. While the gem did indeed intrigue him, there was an elaborate set of protocols and methods to observe and test such items, and with good cause, for Jean knew full well that anything was game inside the Labyrinth.

He quickly stepped forward. “I wouldn’t touch that without thorough investigation,” recommended Jean, breaking away from his previous conversation.

The brown haired girl snatched her hand away just before touching the glowing object, appearing to pout.

The professor chuckled. He supposed she was alright, only a little misguided. Shrugging, Jean puts his thoughts aloud, if only to make sure nobody else made the same mistake again.

“Sorry, force of habit. In the field of alchemy you don’t want to be touching random things without knowing what they are. I suppose this applies even more so now that we’re in the Labyrinth. Don’t want to be turned into a golden scepter the first day, after all.”

Equivalent Exchange: Gimme Dat Booty

The sight of the field before the labyrinth was a grand thing to see as Jean Carteneau crested over the hill on his horse. The journey from Lulia was just over a month; it took Jean and his small team of five scholars a week by sea on the Lulian fast frigate Sirius to a port of one of Lulia’s friendly trading partners, and then another two weeks by horseback to where they were now. A bit tired from the journey, Jean suppressed a yawn as he and his team of five mages surveyed the entrance to the Labyrinth. The professor thought the scene to be like some sort of fair or festival, by the sheer number tents and people adorning the great field before them, but of course he knew that the tents were simply staging areas for various nations and orders.

Jean stood silent for a few more seconds atop the hill before the silence was broken by a steady, but still unsure voice behind him. “Shall we go in, then?” The professor tilted his head back. The voice belonged to a young summoner that had volunteered for the expedition, like everybody else on the team. She was a bit hasty, but he supposed nobody could be faulted for this or otherwise on this day.

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “A long journey should be rewarded with a little rest. The military’s already been here for a couple days, and it would be good to drop by before entering. Unless you prefer to barge in, hungry, dehydrated, and tired?” He tilted his head back again, giving the summoner a wry smile before gesturing for the group to move ahead with a hand wave.

The Lulian tents were not hard to find. The temporary canvas structures were dyed navy blue and yellow, the house colors of the Crown, and its edges were gilded. The perimeter of the tents was guarded by swordsmen in ceremonial uniform, and these qualities stood out well enough for the small group of scholars to find their kinsmen after a cursory scan of the area. The little Lulian post felt more like a forward operating base instead of a place where people, in theory, went to die. This perhaps was a cultural difference, and Jean recalled the words of the Teann Ch’I commander that he overheard on the way to the Lulian tents. Lulians were definitely unlike them –All of the people at the Labyrinth entrance were volunteers, and a small group of them would even eventually return to Lulia after sending off all the expeditionary teams.

While Jean did not know any of the officers or soldiers at the tents, they were very hospitable and were glad to share stories and food with the newcomers. Four expeditions had already gone in, he was told. Two were the elderly, one by the army, and one by the navy’s marines. They would be the fifth, joined by a team of battle-mages, a fact that Jean shrugged at. The more the merrier, he supposed.

With night now falling fast and everybody rested and content, the joint expedition moved towards the gates of the Labyrinth, dismounted and on foot. Like the others, Jean did not know what to expect. Indeed, he feared the unknown, but the chance to see and study the Labyrinth itself for himself was too alluring.

---

Jean blinked. A second ago, he was with his fellow scholars and army compatriots, with a sea of tents around him. That was now gone, instead replaced by a scorched field and an unfamiliar, foreign night sky. Reasoning that he was likely now inside the Labyrinth, he looked down to confirm the status of his belongings, which were as intact as it was when he first arrived at the Lulian camp. He then looked around him, scanning the blackened field. He looked for the familiar face of the energetic summoner, and then his white-coated alchemist colleague, and then for the blue-and-yellow coated soldiers of his country, but Jean only found unfamiliar faces amongst the group of people that he had appeared in. The professor slowly stood up.

“Well,” started the professor, scratching his head. “This is troublesome.”

Welcome to Beacon Academy: A RWBY RP

Fir was donning her sweater again. The Juneau girl landed, or appeared, in a particularly decrepit section of the ruined town. She was flanked by two enormous towers, one toppled, and the other positioned almost as if it were about to fall. The area was damp and cold, and she sneezed as she landed.

Find, a partner, find the church, find a relic. The instructions were straightforward and easy enough. The Juneau girl didn’t have any particular strong feelings about her assignment, in fact, seeing her two friends being picked for the same assessment was comforting. She had some doubt as to the headmaster’s motives; the Bar Bomber was amongst their numbers, and in the morning, she realized that the group of students participating alongside her was also involved in the incident on the airship the other day. The examination struck her as more of a punishment, not a test. The way the mission was described sounded like the Beacon administration was lazy and had pushed one of its tasks upon the freshmen.

Popping a piece of hard candy in her mouth, Fir stepped into the remains of what appeared to be a road, pitted and in a state of upheaval. She supposed it would be the best idea to find her partner sooner than later. She didn’t mind if the person was friend or stranger, as long as it wasn’t the bar bomber. She shuddered – She might as well jump off a cliff and kill herself before partnering with a person with such disregard for safety and common sense.

Fir’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a piece of metal being kicked aside. She spun around, half-expecting for the silver-haired idiot to show up with another dust bomb, but instead were a pair of ursa. There was also movement in the corner of her eye, and Fir realized that something was also attempting to flank her.

A long gray pole suddenly appeared in front of Fir, which she grabbed and spun twice along its center of gravity before falling into a relaxed defensive stance.

“Does a sneeze piss you guys off that much?”

Her question was answered by the lunge of one of the ursa, which Fir expertly sidestepped. The Juneau girl quickly retaliated, spinning her polearm, landing a heavy blow from the business end of the stick onto its head. Taking a half step, and a half spin, she pressed a button and then briefly tapped the other ursa with Lancekravt, finger on the transformed trigger.

“Bang.”

The twisted monster stumbled back, hit point blank by a round from the compact gun. It took two steps backwards before collapsing onto the ground. It wasn't dead yet, but definitely out of the game. She turned around quickly, eyeing the other ursa, and keeping a portion of her attention to the approaching movement behind her. Taking a jumping step backwards onto a rusted payphone, she confirmed, with a small frown, seven targets: the remaining ursa, and six Beowolf. Fir pulled back the slide on Lancekravt, ejecting a shell casing. She let the casing fall a foot before she batted the piece of metal with her weapon towards the pack of grimm.

“All this for a single sneeze? Do you grimm have nothing better to do?”

Welcome to Beacon Academy: A RWBY RP

Posterinos tomorrow.

Equivalent Exchange: Gimme Dat Booty

Name: Jean Cedric Carteneau

Age: 32

Where do you hail from?:
Jean hails from the temperate island nation of Lulia.

The Kingdom of Lulia, or the Isles of Lulia, is a small nation consisting of a large main island and four small satellite islands. The main islands are separated into nine main states, or prefectures. The main island, Lulia, has five prefectures, Pem, Oshington, Hayes, Gusto, and Ocros, with the remaining four belonging to the four satellites. Ruled by the Crown since time immemorial, Lulia is a fundamentally mercantile nation with many colonial holdings. A highly industrious state, it is known for three things: manufacturing, navy, and education.

A staggering 75% of the country’s gross domestic profit is international trade, with the remaining 25% attributed to primarily agriculture and statistically insignificant markets. Lulia is renowned for its nearly unrivaled manufacturing and industrial capability, which is centered nearly exclusively in the smoggy Oshington Prefecture. Oshington is Lulia’s geographically smallest prefecture, consisting of Lulia’s five major cities and their governing zones. These five cities together account for the majority of the kingdom’s population, and are the reason for Lulia’s arguably unwarranted image amongst foreigners as a sooty and densely populated nation. Unlike the cities of other nations, Lulia’s major cities are not homogenous. Over the course of centuries its centers of trade have become melting pots of cultures and religions.

Contrary to the image put forth by Oshington, Lulia’s other prefectures are of a slow, peaceful agrarian nature, with rolling fields of wheat and sweet rustic towns. Life is quiet in these lands, and even in the larger coast side fishing towns there is a pleasant atmosphere that makes one want to relax outside and sip coffee during the warmer months. Farmers are the minority of Lulia’s population, and are well regarded out of patriotism, for most food is imported from other nations.

As a mercantile, maritime nation, Lulia has a sizeable and powerfully equipped navy to protect its commerce and cruise the seas. At present, it has a comparatively small army, used only to hold down colonial holdings, or settle domestic disputes. It was only in recent memory that the Lulian army was this small, however; Lulia was the very same nation that sent its armies into the Labyrinth in a series catastrophic expedition. Happily enough, the Crown regarded the expedition as a success, although in one incident the Labyrinth yielded part of a mountain that crushed most of the countless artifacts that were spit out in equivalent exchange.

Regardless of gain or loss, the destruction of this grand army had little effect on Lulia in the grand scheme of things as its superior navy has always protected its nation. Indeed, the main islands have never experienced a major nor successful invasion of their land in the millennia Lulia has existed as a sovereign state, and this is reflected in the proud and patriotic nature in even the most diverse citizens of the kingdom.

The academic institution is an important aspect in Lulian life. Upper and middle class citizens are socially expected to be schooled at a young age, starting from five until fifteen, when one has the option to attend university. Privileged peasants or magically competent people can potentially secure a university education by showing sufficient potential and petitioning a lord, but this is uncommon.

A typical Lulian University is situated usually in the countryside in grand and sprawling campuses, away from the hustle and bustle of the Oshington cities. Most Lulian institutes teach two core curriculums: The Common Arts, including history, art itself, mathematics, politics, and professions of the paper and land, and the simply put Magic Arts, which encompass the realms of alchemy, healing, summoning arts, elemental arts, magic theory, and the like.

The Lulian people have an odd and somewhat morbid philosophy in regards to the Labyrinth that has raised controversy time and time again. There is a popular tradition among the lower classes to sacrifice oneself at an old age, for the greater good of the people and their families. The old would not die wretched, the burden upon the family would be lifted, and the state would be strengthened through their sacrifices. This practice is not ubiquitous, but it is not uncommon to see the elderly make pilgrimages to the Labyrinth.

Interestingly, the political and academic elite have not yet given up on attempting to unlock the secrets of the Labyrinth. While military generals and navy admirals are simply interested in the shiny weapons that come out and send in military squads, it is not uncommon that entire academic expeditions end up sacrificing themselves in vain attempts to beat the system alongside their military and elderly counterparts.

What are your reasons for crossing the Gate of the Labyrinth?:
He crosses the gate in pursuit of knowledge, enlightenment, and probably a good mixture of morbid curiosity in between.

How would you describe yourself?:
Jean has a mild personality. He is a soft spoken, gentle person, but at the same time strong in resolve and will. Perhaps suiting to his profession, he strives to be helpful and benign at the outbreak of conflict, and he was known as a judicious arbiter at Hayes when solving academic disputes amongst colleagues and students.

A hard-working, inquisitive sort of guy, he can be found staring intensely at papers at his desk, or in the field studying plants and animals for an experimental potion or even the odd ingredient for some homebrew alcohol. He is enthusiastic by nature, but does well in hiding this, appearing as a reserved and thoughtful professor that likes to joke about idle things.

When things are serious, however, he is merciless as anybody would expect him to be, whether he is acting as a professor, a healer, or a citizen of Lulia, Jean would not hesitate to wreck an academic career for dishonesty, perform to his utmost ability as a physician, or do his civic duty in protecting the state.

And your morals and ideals?:
Like most of his colleagues and peers, Jean shares a conventional sense of Lulian code of ethics and morals. That is simply common sense and doing what is right. He doesn’t press his ideals on anybody, and does not particularly judge somebody for their morals and ideals, but he’ll probably poke fun at it.

What do you consider yourself to be skilled in?:

Jean lives and breathes magic. He is well versed in Lulian ‘General Alchemy’ and ‘Grand Alchemy,’ and the white arts, or the Lulian school of healing.

General Alchemy, or informally referred to as Field Alchemy, is the more practical, rooted school of alchemy. To put it simply, Field Alchemy is the practice of creating potions, elixirs, salves, and other various magical implements.

Grand Alchemy, on the other hand is more in line with the oft told “make lead into gold!” type of Alchemy, and is not unlike the Labyrinth in that Grand Alchemy induces a sense of equivalent exchange that transmutes one material into another. Often times, this requires a lengthy set up, requiring powerful catalysts and significant quantities of mana to transmute something as mundane as steel to a more rare metal, like the light aluminum. Grand Alchemy is almost never done on the field.

The whites arts are simple in nature. The entire school encompasses benevolent arts that mend the body (and soul, if some Lulian philosophers are to be believed). The art has universal boundaries of course, and can never revive the dead or regenerate or reattach severed limbs. It can never return an injury to its previous state, only nearly so, and for this reason the art is closely intertwined and supplemented with general medical practices.

Having nearly twenty years of being involved in the more arcane academia, Jean has a fair grasp of the principles of the main pillars of Lulian magical arts. While his field of study is healing magic, and alchemy, he is able to incorporate his extensive knowledge of the Lulian schools and weave in arts and tricks that the normal practitioner of Lulian magic cannot.

He has an inkling of knowledge of how to wield a sword, for person defense and simply as a tool, but it's likely he can bested by a swordsman’s apprentice in a fair duel.

Any fears or weaknesses that you hold?:
Jean does not have any particular or notable fears outside the realm of a normal person of his age, but he certainly has physical weaknesses unique to him.

He really is not athletically fit. Jean is an academic, not a warrior or a battle mage. His eyesight is not the best and wears glasses to see at great distances. Jean certainly can’t run miles or swim laps, but his upper body strength is at least reasonable from working on his property, which he returns to tend every weekend.

Which part of your body do you value the most?:
Jean’s left arm, as it is his dominant arm.

Stats:
Strength: 6
Leg Stuff: 4
Dexterity: 7
Homogenized Body Stuff: 3

Log Horizon x Etrian Odyssey-esque Experimental RP

The Kingdom of Lulia, or the Isles of Lulia, is a small nation consisting of a large main island and four small satellite islands. The main islands are separated into nine main states, or prefectures. The main island, Lulia, has five prefectures, Pem, Oshington, Hayes, Gusto, and Ocros, with the remaining four belonging to the four satellites. Ruled by the Crown since time immemorial, Lulia is a fundamentally mercantile nation with many colonial holdings. A highly industrious state, it is known for three things: manufacturing, navy, and education.

A staggering 75% of the country’s gross domestic profit is international trade, with the remaining 25% attributed to primarily agriculture and statistically insignificant markets. Lulia is renowned for its nearly unrivaled manufacturing and industrial capability, which is centered nearly exclusively in the smoggy Oshington Prefecture. Oshington is Lulia’s geographically smallest prefecture, consisting of Lulia’s five major cities and their governing zones. These five cities together account for the majority of the kingdom’s population, and are the reason for Lulia’s arguably unwarranted image amongst foreigners as a sooty and densely populated nation. Unlike the cities of other nations, Lulia’s major cities are not homogenous. Over the course of centuries its centers of trade have become melting pots of cultures and religions.

Contrary to the image put forth by Oshington, Lulia’s other prefectures are of a slow, peaceful agrarian nature, with rolling fields of wheat and sweet rustic towns. Life is quiet in these lands, and even in the larger coast side fishing towns there is a pleasant atmosphere that makes one want to relax outside and sip coffee during the warmer months. Farmers are the minority of Lulia’s population, and are well regarded out of patriotism, for most food is imported from other nations.

As a mercantile, maritime nation, Lulia has a sizeable and powerfully equipped navy to protect its commerce and cruise the seas. At present, it has a comparatively small army, used only to hold down colonial holdings, or settle domestic disputes. It was only in recent memory that the Lulian army was this small, however; Lulia was the very same nation that sent its armies into the Labyrinth in a series of catastrophic expeditions. Happily enough, the Crown regarded the expedition as a success, although in one incident the Labyrinth yielded part of a mountain that crushed most of the countless artifacts that were spit out in equivalent exchange.

Regardless of gain or loss, the destruction of this grand army had little effect on Lulia in the grand scheme of things as its superior navy has always protected its nation. Indeed, the main islands have never experienced a major nor successful invasion of their land in the millennia Lulia has existed as a sovereign state, and this is reflected in the proud and patriotic nature in even the most diverse citizens of the kingdom.

The academic institution is an important aspect in Lulian life. Upper and middle class citizens are socially expected to be schooled at a young age, starting from five until fifteen, when one has the option to attend university. Privileged peasants or magically competent people can potentially secure a university education by showing sufficient potential and petitioning a lord, but this is uncommon.

A typical Lulian University is usually situated in the countryside in grand and sprawling campuses, away from the hustle and bustle of the Oshington cities. Most Lulian institutes teach two core curriculums: The Common Arts, including history, art itself, mathematics, politics, and professions of the paper and land, and the simply put Magic Arts, which encompass the realms of alchemy, healing, summoning arts, elemental arts, magic theory, and the like.

The Lulian people have an odd and somewhat morbid philosophy in regards to the Labyrinth. It is common tradition to sacrifice oneself at an old age, for the common good of the people and their families. Although this practice is not ubiquitous, it is not uncommon to see the elderly make pilgrimages to the Labyrinth. Interestingly, the political and academic elite have not yet given up on attempting to unlock its secrets. While military generals and navy admirals are simply interested in the shiny weapons that come out and send in military squads, it is not uncommon that entire academic expeditions end up sacrificing themselves in vain attempts to beat the system alongside their military and elderly counterparts.

---

One of these academic-types is Jean Cedric Carteneau, a 32-year old human professor of the Magic Arts at the Hayes University in Lulia. Jean hails from a small farming town named Oshuu in the Pem prefecture, the son of an alchemist and a vintner. His father, the town alchemist and healer, acted as Jean’s mentor as they lived in his mother’s family vineyard, where he ultimately decided follow his father’s trade.

At age 15, the young Jean was accepted to the Oshington Grand College, a world renowned university and one of the few academic institutions within Oshington itself. It was here at this prestigious school that he met his ultimate mentor, a certain magic theories professor named Reynolds Ballard. Ballard’s teachings left a profound impact on Jean, and this amplified tenfold when Ballard set off to lead a large expedition into the Labyrinth in his second year of university. Now his assistant, Jean was the one to send off the army into Labyrinth… And one was the one to witness entire mountains appear in exchange. It was a definite finality, but it was, simply, a fact of life. The loss of his mentor served only to fuel his desire to learn more about Labyrinth and what lied inside the maws of the dungeon, and he graduated four years later at age 20 with full honors.

After graduating, Jean found himself returning to his childhood home to take up the town title of the town physician, after his father passed away a year prior from illness. He continued his studies independently in this role and became a competent healer in his own right, to an extent that he was eventually offered a position and tenure at the university three towns over, in Hayes. Jean, now 26, was surprised and flattered at this offer, and accepted the offer of tenure at the Hayes University. The position was a comfortable one and he enjoyed long days of discourse with fellow colleagues and students, but his intrigue of the Labyrinth continued to nag him throughout his career. He made good on obligations at Hayes, but with regret, he resigned his position after six years and set off on his own pilgrimage.

-

Jean has a mild personality. He is a soft spoken, gentle person, but at the same time strong in resolve and will. Perhaps suiting to his profession, he strives to be helpful and benign at the outbreak of conflict, and he was known as a judicious arbiter at Hayes when solving academic disputes amongst colleagues and students.

A hard-working, inquisitive sort of guy, he can be found staring intensely at papers at his desk, or in the field studying plants for an experimental potion or even the odd ingredient for some homebrew alcohol. He is enthusiastic by nature, but does well in hiding this, appearing as a reserved and thoughtful professor that likes to joke about idle things.

When things are serious, however, he is merciless as anybody would expect him to be, whether he is acting as a professor, a healer, or a citizen of Lulia, Jean would not hesitate to wreck an academic career for dishonesty, perform to his utmost ability as a physician, or do his civic duty in protecting the state and executing a citizen’s arrest.

Welcome to Beacon Academy: A RWBY RP

Dammit, launching would have been cooler.

Welcome to Beacon Academy: A RWBY RP

Assistant to the assistant GM?

Log Horizon x Etrian Odyssey-esque Experimental RP

Post on EH first, asshat. >:[

Endless Worlds: Scarlet Fragments

Posterinos tomorrow.