Flood

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Rin
Plaza, Garleton: Noon

His morning routine was the same as always. Open eyes, breathe, sit up. Straighten clothing, looking professional is an important part of the job. Practice forms for one hour. Eat dried rations, drink exactly two gulps of water from canteen. It is at this time that the client awakens, which means that Rin's morning routine has now ended. He must now adjust to the routine of his client, or the lack thereof for Sumire. Today they went out to hire a wandering minstrel, a Dancer's best work was done with music according to Sumire. And so he strapped his lance onto his back and prepared to take on the day and whatever challenges it may throw his way. 'Day 17. We have arrived in Garleton with few issues aside from idle complaints from the client, the client remains untouched. Things may change as we enter our first major town, I will have to be more vigilant.' Deals were made, coin passed hands, but these details were of little importance to the bodyguard. Everyone was evaluated as they passed by his client. The city brimmed with danger, mercenaries who had to much to drink, citizenry on edge with the arrival of their prince, soldiers looking to vent whatever frustrations they may have, anyone could be a threat to his client's safety. Rin made sure to stay close to her, close enough to shield her from any sudden threats but also far enough that personal space was not violated and his client felt comfortable. 'A man who stunk of alcohol leered at the client, a subtle shift of my lance quickly sobered him up. He passed by us with no incident. A child reached out to touch the client's robes, I was swift to interpose myself in between the child and the client. The client seemed annoyed by this, I will have to ponder why later.' When she eventually chose a place to perform, Rin's senses tightened even further. A crowd was the ideal place for an assassin or other rogue to hide, bursting from cover when you least expect to attack. He had already evaluated several possible routes of escape should worst come to pass, the current favored route would no doubt knock over the excited child pointing at Sumire, but no permanent harm would come to him. Rin took a moment to observe his client as he scanned the crowd with arms crossed and gaze narrowed. The way she moved her arms, it was reminiscent of a flower blooming. The gentle melody of the bard sped up, turning Sumire from a blooming flower into a storm of petals dancing through the wind. Rin's eyes softened slightly as he watched his client work, it was far from the worst thing he had ever- Rin's eyes were torn from Sumire as he noticed a subtle shift towards the front of the crowd, but it was merely a father lifting his daughter onto his shoulders. False alarm, but he would have to reevaluate his favored escape option now that the father had joined the child. If he knocked her over and the father tried to grab Rin then it would be an suboptimal escape route.

_________________________ Status: Alive Class: Recruit Inventory: Vulnerary Iron Lance Status of Client: Working

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Rin the Cold Flame

"Nothing remains, only incandescent ashes."

Name: Rin

Age: 18
Gender: Male

Personality:
It would be easy to just call Rin a textbook antisocial misanthrope upon meeting him. To some degree, this statement is completely correct, Rin shies away from most human contact, preferring to spend his time alone in his tent maintaining his weaponry or reading whatever tome catches his fancy at the time. People who start conversations with him will quickly run into a brick wall as he doesn't respond whatsoever, most assume he isn't even paying attention as he continues whatever activity he was before. However as shown through his interactions with Sumire, the young man is not completely without a heart. He defends his employer with a loyalty bordering on fanaticism, a loyalty that no amount of coin could possibly inspire. Closer inspection reveals a sort of big sister and little brother relationship, with Rin quietly listening as Sumire rants at him over his lack of self care or Rin applauding Sumire's beautiful dance. Small things, but small things that prove he is human. The Flame that is his heart does in fact burn. And while it may burn softly, it burns regardless.

Backstory:
If you apply as a mercenary to work for the Rebels of Fortune, you will get hired. The recruitment process is an absolute sham, meant to get as many bodies in through the door as possible. Yet the turnover rate within the company is absolutely massive, with the members who have stayed longer than a year numbering in less than two dozen. So why is it that so many people are hired every year, yet the company barely ever grows? There is a certain tradition that is deeply held within the Rebels of Fortune mercenary company. The first job you're given is always deemed to be an absolutely doomed job. There is no way you're ever supposed to fulfill the terms of your contract, whether it be a bodyguard job where the client is a fool who blindly wanders into danger or routing a massive bandit group on their way to a small village. Nobody ever completes their first job with no problem, you are doomed to failure no matter what. But your first job is not about passing, it's about how you clean up the mess left afterwards that the Rebels of Fortune judge you on. Almost everyone fails with flying colors, either running from the problem or simply dying in the process of trying to fix their mistakes.

What made Rin such an anomaly in the Rebels of Fortune then, is that he completed his contract with minimal issues. It was a simple one on paper, rout the bandits that plagued the town of Craydon. In reality the bandits had plagued the area for years, being so deeply entrenched within the area that even Lothian military couldn't wipe them all out before they went to ground, vanishing off the radar for a few months before reappearing. So when Rin returned with an absolutely glowing commendation from the Craydon mayor, higher ups were naturally suspicious. Did he threaten the old man into lying for him? But further investigation proved he had in fact wiped the bandits out, just not in an orthodox fashion. The camp that the bandits had set had been burnt to a crisp, Rin had set up a barrier of fire around them using oil and the very forest they hid in to cook them alive while he picked off anyone who tried to run. Some got away of course, but by the end the group was so crippled that Lothian military could be called in for a sweep of the area to put the threat to rest for good.

Yet what was even more unnerving was how Rin didn't even react when his senior told him he was meant to fail. There was no visible anger at being tricked into taking a fool' errand, no pride in his success against all odds, not even any confusion as to why he would be assigned an impossible mission. He simply asked when his next contract would be assigned to him. Firing such an asset would be heresy of the highest order, yet nobody really wanted to work with the 'sociopath' so he was sent on a long term assignment. Protect the Dancer Sumire as she journeyed through the Lothian Empire, whatever goals she has are now your goals. It was strange, but his employer could swear that something in his eyes changed once he saw who he would be protecting. It was so brief, it might have just been a trick of the light. But for just a moment, Rin almost looked excited.

[Combat]

Class: Recruit

Affinity: Umbral

Inventory:
>Vulnerary
>Iron Lance

Abilities:
> Cold Flame's Reprieve: Knowing just where to hit to make an aggravated wound, any enemy struck by Rin's weapon attacks is distracted by the pain and has their Defense lowered for one turn.

Spells/Weapon Arts:
>Heartstopper

Stats

END: D

STR: C

MAG: E

DEX: C

SPD: E

DEF: D

RES: D

LCK: E

Talents: Lance

Experience: TBA

Support: Sumire

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

@Vertigo

Just a heads up, I am planning on speccing towards Hell Knight in the future, so don't worry too much about Dark Magic. I also know that @itano123 is making a Black Magic build right now, so magic is kind of covered.

Fire Emblem: Ashes of Sacrifice [Fall of the Empire]

Rin the Cold Flame

"Nothing remains, only incandescent ashes."

Name: Rin

Age: 18
Gender: Male

Personality:
It would be easy to just call Rin a textbook antisocial misanthrope upon meeting him. To some degree, this statement is completely correct, Rin shies away from most human contact, preferring to spend his time alone in his tent maintaining his weaponry or reading whatever tome catches his fancy at the time. People who start conversations with him will quickly run into a brick wall as he doesn't respond whatsoever, most assume he isn't even paying attention as he continues whatever activity he was before. However as shown through his interactions with Sumire, the young man is not completely without a heart. He defends his employer with a loyalty bordering on fanaticism, a loyalty that no amount of coin could possibly inspire. Closer inspection reveals a sort of big sister and little brother relationship, with Rin quietly listening as Sumire rants at him over his lack of self care or Rin applauding Sumire's beautiful dance. Small things, but small things that prove he is human. The Flame that is his heart does in fact burn. And while it may burn softly, it burns regardless.

Backstory:
If you apply as a mercenary to work for the Rebels of Fortune, you will get hired. The recruitment process is an absolute sham, meant to get as many bodies in through the door as possible. Yet the turnover rate within the company is absolutely massive, with the members who have stayed longer than a year numbering in less than two dozen. So why is it that so many people are hired every year, yet the company barely ever grows? There is a certain tradition that is deeply held within the Rebels of Fortune mercenary company. The first job you're given is always deemed to be an absolutely doomed job. There is no way you're ever supposed to fulfill the terms of your contract, whether it be a bodyguard job where the client is a fool who blindly wanders into danger or routing a massive bandit group on their way to a small village. Nobody ever completes their first job with no problem, you are doomed to failure no matter what. But your first job is not about passing, it's about how you clean up the mess left afterwards that the Rebels of Fortune judge you on. Almost everyone fails with flying colors, either running from the problem or simply dying in the process of trying to fix their mistakes.

What made Rin such an anomaly in the Rebels of Fortune then, is that he completed his contract with minimal issues. It was a simple one on paper, rout the bandits that plagued the town of Craydon. In reality the bandits had plagued the area for years, being so deeply entrenched within the area that even Lothian military couldn't wipe them all out before they went to ground, vanishing off the radar for a few months before reappearing. So when Rin returned with an absolutely glowing commendation from the Craydon mayor, higher ups were naturally suspicious. Did he threaten the old man into lying for him? But further investigation proved he had in fact wiped the bandits out, just not in an orthodox fashion. The camp that the bandits had set had been burnt to a crisp, Rin had set up a barrier of fire around them using oil and the very forest they hid in to cook them alive while he picked off anyone who tried to run. Some got away of course, but by the end the group was so crippled that Lothian military could be called in for a sweep of the area to put the threat to rest for good.

Yet what was even more unnerving was how Rin didn't even react when his senior told him he was meant to fail. There was no visible anger at being tricked into taking a fool' errand, no pride in his success against all odds, not even any confusion as to why he would be assigned an impossible mission. He simply asked when his next contract would be assigned to him. Firing such an asset would be heresy of the highest order, yet nobody really wanted to work with the 'sociopath' so he was sent on a long term assignment. Protect the Dancer Sumire as she journeyed through the Lothian Empire, whatever goals she has are now your goals. It was strange, but his employer could swear that something in his eyes changed once he saw who he would be protecting. It was so brief, it might have just been a trick of the light. But for just a moment, Rin almost looked excited.

[Combat]

Class: Recruit

Affinity: Umbral

Inventory:
>Vulnerary
>Iron Lance

Abilities:
> Cold Flame's Reprieve: Empowering his weapon with Dark Magic, any enemy struck by Rin's weapon attacks begins to feel numb and has their Defense lowered for one turn.

Spells/Weapon Arts:
>Heartstopper

Stats

END: D

STR: C

MAG: C

DEX: E

SPD: E

DEF: D

RES: D

LCK: E

Talents: Lance

Experience: TBA

Support: C Rank with Sumire

Name Change Request

Can I get my name changed from floodtalon to Flood?

High Ground Online

---

_{[ ♫ ]}

---

Saffron listened intently when someone called out her name, her eyes narrowing as she considered the options presented. It chafed at her pride to listen to a complete newbie, but she was also smart enough to know that she wasn't all that smart, it was usually the captain who came up with the big raid strategies. "I don't know if blinding it would work, we don't even know what it does that kills us so fast when we do get blinded by the drones. If one of us could hide from the flashbang and see what exactly its attack is then maybe we could use it against it, but that's gonna have to wait for the next time it spawns, we need more manpower." She licked her lips as she cranked up her fire rate when the target was marked, grimacing as no progress was made. The boss was still standing strong at 74 percent of it's health, and it looked like it was about to send out another wave of drones.

"But getting him to strike himself is worth a shot right now. All units focus on drones, I'm drawing aggro!" It made the most sense in the end, she had the most health and was the highest level in the raid, she had the best chance of surviving a direct strike from the boss should this plan not work. As everyone moved to focus on the second wave of drones, Saffron pulled the pin from a grenade and let loose, creating a fire field around the boss while focusing all her firepower onto it. The Champion's gaze turned to her with little fanfare, he simply pointed his sword at her and whispered one word.

"Scatter."

"You first jerk!" She sprinted for him as fast as she could, only just managing to get in his face just as she was target confirmed. The boss and deputy were engulfed in a stream of blinding blue light, each drone stopping and turning towards their master as the attack finished. What was left was a barely standing Saffron and a slightly scuffed Champion, his sword raised high into the air in an attempt to block his own attack. The ground around the two was cracked and shifted like a earthquake had hit just the area around them, the ground the two stood on staying pristine despite the massive orbital strike.

"...hm. I suppose I was a bit thirsty after all that hard work. Thank you for that."

It was only thanks to Pestilent Emerald's shield that Saffron survived the next attack, a simple auto attack that dropped her into the double digits of hp as the Champion cleaved across her chest. "I'm retreating, draw aggro again!" She nearly tripped over some of the virtual rocks as she ran back into cover, all the drones converging on the Champion as everyone began to open fire on it to protect their raid leader. "Ok, I think that did something. I'll need to look at the vod later, but I think we've moved it into a new phase. Good work newbie." Standing at 65 percent of it's hp now, the drones swirled around the boss in an attempt to block as much fire as possible, turning the fight into a shooting gallery as players tried to hit the gaps in between drones. Meanwhile the drones were definitely firing back now, a veritable storm of blue lasers erupting from the tornado of drones.

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

Koro Suichu

Kuro Suichu

_ＲＡＣＥ
Au Ra

_ＣＬＡＮ
Raen

_{ＢＩＲＴＨＰＬＡＣＥ}
Shirogane, Doma

_{ＯＣＣＵＰＡＴＩＯＮ}
Goldsmith

_{ＳＯＵＬ ＣＲＹＳＴＡＬ}
Ninja

_{ＰＥＲＳＯＮＡＬＩＴＹ}
It's easy to simply call Kuro the stereotypical Ninja and move on. She's quiet, makes little impact on the people she meets, and fades into the background more often than not. Most first encounters with her are brief, consisting of a simple introduction of herself, followed by a "Pleasure to meet you". But this is all a facade, in truth she is simply scared. She's afraid to lose the people she cares for like she did when fleeing Doma, so she intentionally tries to avoid getting too close to other people. Within that cold outer shell, she burns with the passion of every Ninja. It's difficult to break through the distance she puts up between herself and others, but given enough time and effort she can hold a conversation surprisingly well.

Her hobbies include glassblowing and collecting pretty jewelry she finds when out in the world, as well as reading about the history of Eorzea. Her greatest dream is to liberate Doma from the hold of the Garlean Empire, and then continue the fight against Garlemald to one day tear down their empire and free the rest of the world from their tyranny. After that, she doesn't really know what to do with her life, nor will she even consider it until she has finished her self imposed mission. Her opinion of the Rogue's Guild in Limsa Lominsa is mixed, while she finds it intriguing that there is an equivalent to the Ninjas of Doma, she also finds their personalities to be brutish and believes their techniques unrefined when compared to Ninjutsu.

_{ＢＩＯＧＲＡＰＨＹ}

Beginnings

To say Kuro was born under tragic circumstances would be an understatement of massive proportions. Her father, Nakahiro, had been conscripted into the Garlean Empire early on in the sacking of Doma, leaving her mother, Tane, without anyone to rely on while pregnant. Nakahiro begged her to flee Doma for Eorzea, unwilling to let their daughter grow up under this oppression and brutality, thus she boarded a ship to Eorzea with a dozen other refugees yet more alone than she had ever been. It was on a stormy night when Kuro was born, the boat rocked and shook as Tane screamed in pain, begging for her husband to no avail. Perhaps if they had a doctor her life could have been saved, but there was nothing that could be done. Where one life ended, a new one began.

Nobody on the boat really wanted to take responsibility for the child, all of them unwilling to take on yet another burden when they had already lost everything. All except for one man, the last of his village of Ninjas after the slaughter perpetuated by the imperial spymaster, Gekkai. This old man had given up his name out of shame, yet he was too cowardly to take his own life and doom his village history to be lost to the annals of time. So everyone on the ship simply called him Sensei. It was Sensei who took on Koro, being the only one who simply had nothing to live for, nothing except this newborn girl.

He was a good father, the only she had ever known. He kept her fed, clothed, happy, while not an ideal life, it was one that Kuro could be happy with at least. Yet his eyes always hid the shadow of sadness, never able to truly let go of what happened to his homeland so many years ago. He had settled them down in Ul'Dah like many refugees, he did his best to contribute to the small community in any way he could despite his advanced age. He taught the children, including Kuro, many things about their homeland that they had never seen. Kuro in particular latched onto these history lessons, drinking in the stories of Ganen and the Rijin clan. At the age of sixteen she began contributing in her own way, taking the role of heavy lifting like so many. For four years the world was good. But all good things must come to an end.

Shattering

She was resting in Ul'dah when it all happened. The monsters swarmed the streets, she did everything she could to hold back the tide despite her lack of training. She even slew one with the help of her bretheren. It wasn't enough, it could never be enough. In the end, all she could do was pray as she witnessed Bahamut emerge from Dalamud, sweeping away all life from Mor Dhona. Sensei died in the chaos, the old Ninja perishing at the hands of a voidsent. When all was said and done, after Dalamud had fallen and Bahamut was gone, Kuro knew what she had to do. She dug through her adoptive fathers belongings, unearthing a treasure trove of long lost ninjutsu teachings and traditional shinobi garb. The Garlean Empire could not be allowed to continue their expansion, not when this was the result. So she traveled the lands once more, this time searching for likeminded individuals who would be ready to take the fight to Garlemald, no longer content to fool herself into believing all was well.

She trained day after day for years, her only true teacher being the words of Sensei in scrolls. She was a fast learner, but scrolls and drawings could only teach so much. At the age of twenty three she set out into the world, eager to prove herself in the fields of combat. She went from town to town, taking odd jobs hunting monsters and beating criminals to gain experience. She longed to throw herself at the gates of Castrum Meridianum, but common sense prevailed as she knew it would be her end. She could not fight the Garlean Empire alone. Thus we arrive at the current day, where Kuro seeks allies in her fight against Garlemald.

_{ＯＴＨＥＲ}
-Her favorite food is sushi rolls, being the only Doman cuisine she knows of. It helps her feel closer to home, even if she's thousands of yalms away and was never even born in Doma.
-Her initial reason for learning Goldsmithing was simply to support her village, but she has found she enjoys the process of cutting gems much more than she ever thought she would. Perhaps if she dedicated her life to Goldsmithing instead of being a Ninja, she would be able to make high level accessories. But as things stand now, it's simply too much a timesink for her when she has yet to break Garlemald.
-Please don't touch her horns without permission, lest you want to be stabbed in the middle of the night.
_{ＲＥＡＳＯＮ ＦＯＲ ＥＮＬＩＳＴＭＥＮＴ}

Interview

She sat at the table with little fanfare, no noise made but the slight ruffling of her garments and a small scrape of the chair against the floor as she scooted in. She knew little of this 'Blessed Twelve', thus she had decided to do her own preliminary research on the Free Company to find out more about them. What she found from basic library work had intrigued her, but the past was the past. She needed information on how they were run now, which had lead her to the Adventurer's Guild their notice was posted in. A server came for her order soon enough, she wanted tea initially but quickly deflated after seeing the prices of anything halfway decent.

"Just water will do for now thank you." With a simple nod of his head and a small frown the server was gone, leaving Kuro to observe the rest of the tavern with no interruptions. Well, aside from the fool the next table over who kept trying to start up a conversation with her. He would get the message soon enough as she blatantly ignored him. The Quicksand was a nice enough tavern, it was cooler in here then it was outside which already made it leagues better than most of Ul'Dah. It was also quieter than most taverns she had been too, which made sense considering it was hardly the crack of dawn.

"Here's your water miss. Was there anything else you wanted to order or do you still need time?" The server was back, rather pointedly asking if she actually planned on getting anything or if she was just loitering to get out of the heat. It wasn't exactly what he said sure, but the question was there.

"I'll have a sandwich. I don't really care what kind, whatever is cheapest." The response appeased him at least, writing down something in his notepad and moving to deliver her order. The monologue of the poor fool continued on, but a pointed cough from someone else seemed to silence him rather promptly. Kuro peered downward slightly, her gaze falling upon a Lalafell who was pulling up a seat across from her. Momodi Modi, the owner of the Quicksand and one of the leaders of the Adventurer's Guild. Kuro bowed her head in a show of respect, only to find herself rather confused when Momodi motioned for her to stop.

"Please dear, I'm not some figure of authority you need to respect. You're not even registered with the Adventurer's Guild yet, as far as I'm concerned you're just another customer." Kuro nodded slowly, still trying to process what exactly was going on here.

"I see... Miss Modi-"

"Just call me Momodi dear, Miss makes me feel old." She interrupted with a mischievous smile.

"Right. Momodi, why are you here. Talking to me that is." Kuro picked up her water and took a sip, nothing quite like the taste of chilled water to calm oneself down. Strange how cold water can taste different from room temperature.

Momodi covered her mouth as she giggled, looking much like a child trying to play adult in the chair that was much too big for her. "Call me childish, but I was simply curious why someone would get up so early to get some water and a sandwich. You certainly don't look hungover and you haven't been barhopping all night, I would know." Kuro acquiesced to this with little resistance, nodding as she turned over her words in her head.

"I'm here about a Free Company. The Blessed Twelve specifically." A look of knowing crossed Momodi's face as Kuro said this, nodding to herself with a pleased yet wistful smile.

"Ah the Twelve. I could tell so many stories about them, we would be here for days. It's really a shame what happened to them, I heard they were one of the first Free Companys out when Dalamud began to fall. I presume you're here about their recruitment ad?" Kuro shook her hand in a so so motion, prompting a curious look from Momodi.

"I wanted to know more about them now. What kind of people lead them, if the rumors about their money all coming from gambling is true, things like that."

"Ah, you want to know what you're signing up for. You're a smart girl, so many adventurers join famous Free Companies only thinking about prestige, so few ask about who's giving them orders. You're probably the only person I've met who's bothered to ask about them." She looked somewhat impressed, like her opinion of Kuro had been bumped up several notches. "Well then Kuro, you'll get your stories. But in return, you have to listen real closely ok? No nodding off now, I don't get to talk to you youngsters half as much as I want."

Kuro's eyes widened as she wondered just how this woman knew who she was, only to be met with a giggle and a teasing stare. "You're not the only one who does their research dear, and you're a bit more popular among the refugees than you'd think. You do good work, you care for the people who need care."

Kuro's eyes softened as Momodi smiled at her, a genuine smile this time, unlike the teasing smile she had worn this entire conversation. "I just do what has to be done. That's all."

ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＮＴＡＳＹ Ｘ｜Ｖ： Ｔｈｅ Ｂｌｅｓｓｅｄ Ｔｗｅｌｖｅ

Consider me interested, I'll try and have a character up later today.

Tower of Fable

Takara Kohou

Takara Kohou

• Age: 10

• Class: Warlock (Sword)

• Aspect of Soul: Whip Sword (and pillow)

• Abilities: Connect: Being only ten years old, it would be no exaggeration to say that this kid is seriously cute. However thanks to this passive ability, this cuteness is absolutely amped up to eleven, making everyone around him want to dote on him at all times. Basically an autopass on most social checks, as who would want to be mean to a little kid?

Powerup: A deal made with a sadistic devil, in cases of extreme danger Takara will fall asleep and unleash his true power as he connects with the malicious BB-chan. This cannot be done willingly by Takara, only activating when he either falls asleep in the middle of a fight or when BB forcibly takes control of her willing vessel.

• Background:

Heaven

"My mommy is an angel."

Everyone at the funeral wept as Takara spoke these words, his naive innocence heartbreaking to even the most cold hearted monster. Yet while it was true that he still couldn't comprehend that his mother had died, he wasn't simply being naive when he said his mommy was an angel. Many times the mother and son spoke of her Heaven, how beautiful it was, how every day she wished she could go back, for just a day even. Whether she was simply speaking in metaphor or not was lost on the child, in his eyes she truly was an angel, descended from Heaven to love him and care for him. "My mommy is such a beautiful angel."

What she passed from was unknown to Takara, no doctor could really explain the exact illness that took her from this world. But Takara knew. He knew when he saw that Tower in the sky, when he saw the Angel flying through the clouds, he knew that was where his mommy was. So he prayed real hard to whatever God was out there, prayed that he could be strong enough to go in the Tower and go be with his mommy in Heaven.

God did not respond.

A Devil did.

They never did find Takara, most assumed he simply ran away from the grief of losing his mother. They never did find him in the sprawling metropolis of Miso City. They never did look up.

• Inventory: One pillow and one faded photograph of a blonde woman holding a baby.