Name: Annaveya Kushrina, The Western Cross
Age: 26
Gender: Female

Physical Description:


Skills:
-Master of Aeronautical Combat
-Adept in Hand to Hand and Close Quarters Combat
-Negotiator in Mercantile / Business arrangements
-Bilingual - Kushrina Family's odd native tongue and common

History:
Historians always conflict with one another when they discuss the history of the Kushrina Line.

It is a matter of mixed opinion and conjecture, yet none can ever deny the fact the most powerful Mercantile family began rather small. A cluster of traders and tradesmen from the wastes of the desert towards the end of the Old Empire. Even through tragic and terrible Wars they prospered, sitting on the sidelines rather than getting involved and taking sides. As a result, the wealth they accumulated was absolutely massive, rather than those merchants who supplied weapons and got attacked by enemy nations, the Kushrina caravans supplied food and medicine equally for any who requested it.

Even so, such wealth did not go unnoticed as time drew on. Pirates, accursed Privateers on the seas and Raiders on the ground out for glory and greed often began to victimize Kushrina mercantile fleets. Initially, the family requested protection and assistance from military forces, and such a request was bitterly refused. As a result, ingenuity took upon it's shine to the family as they were the first to leave the hazards of the earth, and took to the skies. The first Airships they created were simple, cargo carrying structures that hauled goods and cash from one city to the next. They were slow, cumbersome, and could almost be matched by horses on the ground.

However, as their wealth began to continue accumulate even further, their stubbornness towards efficiency brought new invention to the skies. The Airships they and they alone controlled gradually became more sleek, faster, and even larger in comparison. Such drive soon brought about the invention of the Kushrina's Family's greatest prize during the emergence of the New Empire: The Dawn's Guard. It is an absolutely massive Airship. Some claiming it to be a literal city floating in the air, and others began to fear and despise it. Travel that once took months now could be completed in the matter of a few hours thanks to the Guard.

Yet it was created for once purpose. It was no longer a simple merchant ship.

It was heavily armed.

For the Kushrina family knew all too well that the ingenuity of Pirates had taken to the skies as well, and they intended to continue to protect their absolute control of wealth in the skies. Within The Dawn's Guard grew the family's private paramilitary force, subjected to extreme training the Kushrina family and their associates became the true elite aviators of the air, calling themselves "The Heaven's Lance", children of the main line of merchants were all required to join this service. For without the benefit of Magic, they had to resort once again to their inventiveness to insure the Family's survival.

Such invention brought about the first fighter Aircraft.

Launched from the Guard, these light, heavily armed, and incredibly fast while maneuverable machines could number from a handful to even dozens in a single attack wave. Which, when backed by the massive and elaborate weaponry on The Dawn's Guard, they could be used to remarkable levels of effectiveness. Again, Pirates suffered even greater losses from the sky as a Result, and other Mercantile Families soon took to the air and flooded the heavens. While respective governments suffered, the Kushrina Family began to flourish to even greater heights, as now Mercantile Families were also paying them for the escort of their goods. Such flowering prosperity then grew in the form of three more capital Airships.

The Heavens' Vanguard.

The Dauntless Wind.

And The Fated Endeavor

Each ship is home to four squadrons of Twenty-five Fighters each. Named after Valkyrie, each respectively have a directional and numerical denomination. The names that so many Pirates came to know and fear were Brynhildr, Hildr, Hrist, and Skuld. Each respective squadron specializing in specific types of warfare. Brynhildr and Hildr known for their ability to dominate the skies in Air-to-Air combat. Hrist for their remarkable intermixed Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground tactics, and lastly Skuld for Air-to-Sea. (For an example, Annaveya's aircraft call sign is "West Hrist 01")

Even at the utter dislike and nervousness of various nations, the Kushrina Armada had been truly born. Protecting the skies of their respective mercantile lines and even others of similar profession from Piracy. Some have even come to call them the "Nation of the Skies", even though they have no structured governmental setting. They are simply a company trying to protect their assets, and will do so with an Iron Fist.

These three new Capital Ships joined The Dawn's Guard in the skies in a continuing show of might and dominance in the four corners of the New Empire. From victories against even the most malicious Pirates, a new concept began to rise. Each Fighter Wing gained a new form of Rank, The Cross. Such distinction came only to the pilots of Kushrina blood who held the most prowess in the air. Named for each of their respective locations, the Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern Crosses soon came to be known for the ferocity in which they engaged the enemy that attacked their family's incredible wealth. Rumor and legend often tell of their incredible ability to not only take on multiple enemy fighters at once, but also destroy their home ship at the same time.

This is often where historians finally discuss The Western Cross.

Known by such a name, it took years for them to discern the fact that her name was in fact Annaveya Kushrina. The heiress to the Kushrina Fortune, she is often claimed to be the greatest pilot of the age. Pushing Airship and Fighter performance to the very edge of the envelope time and time again. Though her business tact wasn't necessarily the best, her ability to command and control The Dawn's Guard fighter wing was absolutely unrivaled less for the other Crosses. It was in the Sky, rather than the Administrative side where she felt most at home, and her performance signified it.

It was the Western Cross that lead the other Four in an attack against the Pirate's Rebellion. Where hundreds of Pirates and Privateers banded together to bring down the Kushrina Capital Ships. Initially, the Pirates had planned to take them on one at a time, where they might stand a fair chance in combat.

Yet it was not in the Kushrina Family Blood to play fair.

With the growth of wealth, the growth of their control of the skies, massive and intricate spy networks then sprouted forward. And as a result, the Family knew very well that the Pirates were going to attack The Dawn's Guard all at once. It was a heavily clouded day that moment, and as the Guard hovered in the air, the Pirates surged forward in attack. With a rallying cry, they charged defiantly across the skies. And then the world itself changed.

Hellfire began to rain from the sky.

Dozens of Kushrina Fighters, numbering into the Hundreds dove in upon the attackers from above. And to their horror they saw something they hadn't expected. Four Crosses. Then from the clouds descended the four behemoth capital ships, each of them so massive that they could blot out the sun. All with their incredibly heavy weapons trained upon their adversaries and there was nothing else the Privateers could do.

Mercilessly, hundreds, if not thousands of Pirates died that day. The key victory solidified the skies for trade and commerce for the next several years, and made even government sanctioned navies shudder in the thought of taking on a Kushrina Capital Ship. Until at long last Pirates began to sprout up again and harass merchants once again. Having been a Cross since she was merely seventeen, Annaveya simply continued to hold command of her Wing, rejecting any further promotion at the disgruntlement of her father until she was forced at long last to take command of The Dawn's Guard at the age of 26.

Stubbornly, she still leads her Wing in combat.

Personality:
Of what is little known about Annaveya by historians, what is the most prevalent is her affection towards ruthless efficiency. Pirates upon being caught in the act were not even brought to a fair trial, and were executed on the spot. Often by her. Unafraid to get her hands dirty and into the trenches in the family's unending war against piracy, the odd contrast is that she's oddly benevolent towards those who are innocent. Even assisting competing Merchants while they fled from Pirate attackers. On the surface, the Kushrina family practices strictly moral business practices.

Though as historians delve deeper, they are beginning to find shrewd dealings between the family and the Crown. As well as other dealings with suspicious outside agencies independent of the Queen.

Equipment:
Six-Shot Revolver x2
Full-tang Combat Knives x4

---

Name: He does indeed have a real name. But his mind is so broken that he’d probably deny it even if he remembered what it was. Nowadays, he has taken to calling himself by the same name of the shipwreck he resides within – “Jolly Gutters”.
Age: Forty-something. He’s not quite sure anymore, but his guesses are always in the low forties.
Gender: Definitely a man. Crazy as Gutters is, he remembers that much.

Physical Description:


Skills:


History:


Personality:


Equipment:

Name (Full name): Lennard Bronnard Elias Kliemer the Third
Age: 31
Gender: Male

Physical Description:
Height - 5'11
Eye Color - Green
Hair Color - Brown
A little more specifics - A almost ragged, handsome gentleman who off the bat seems as if he can handle himself quite well and not someone to mess with. Stocky and medium build.

Skills:
-Huge Aviation/Technology nerd (but he's also a low-key guy).
-War veteran.
-He also works time to time as a professional Pianist and part-time composer (Franz Schubert reference).
-Lennard also has a keen, observant eye which allows him to see patterns in things more than most people can.

History:
Lennard comes from a stable-income family who specifically work in an aviation department for a famous multinational corporation which specializes in both military and aviation technology. Since childhood, Lennard has always had a deep interest in mechanics and technology in general so much that he even took it as far as creating his first Airship steam-assembly engine at the age of eight; It would not be an over-statement to call the boy at the time a 'child prodigy' which caught the attention of aviation companies everywhere as he was taken on several occasions for job interviews for the company. However, his strange and narrow-minded obsessions with technology had made him drawn away from people and soon Lennard found himself out of a job.

During the great draft when he was 19, Lennard was called for duty and took the position as a Aviation Mechanic and a part-time battle air-naval aviator which required him to often fly patrol missions but would never be in any sort of danger due to his important role to his crew/staff members aboard their airship vessel. It was not until one day when the entire airship carrier he was on went off course, only to be shot down by enemy fire pilots/heavy artillery. The grand ship was taken down around 500 feet from the surface and crash landed behind enemy lines. Sadly, Lennard was one of the only crew members to survive as none of his good friends made it out alive as he and several other crew members had to survive and evade enemy patrols who began to hunt them down. Out of the 2000 naval crew members who were aboard that ship, only 155 men survived the crash, and out of the 155 men who survived the crash, only 6 men survived the events that later took place. This event changed Lennard's life forever, as he soon began to become a totally different person, one who completely had his optimism drained due to the consequences of seeing and doing terrible things in hasty moments of war in order to survive. Years after the incident, he was awarded a metal of honor by the high commander of the Royal Naval Air force, a medal (as well as any other badge he had earned during service) which he put on the graves of all his friends who had died during the war. Lennard now lives almost completely withdrawn from his family and works as a freelance who takes jobs from almost anyone including thieves, pirates, or even mob bosses.

Personality:
-A quick-witted, intelligent but also pessimistic person due to experiences from war.
-As his friends used to say, 'He's a modest and honest type of guy'
-Not very good at understanding people, he often can come off as 'too honest' or 'blunt' in his manner.

Equipment:
-.44 Magnum revolver
-.22 Caliber pistol
-.44 Magnum (new model), 'Len Khilen' lever action rifle he sometimes carries on hunts for Cliff-riders
-A handy Swiss-army knife
-A boot knife

Ships:
-A small, light armored flagship called the 'Lenore' (named after his ex-girlfriend) which comes complete with two small emergency air boats.
-Airboat used for short distances which is small enough to be used in city streets.

Name: Michael Hartwind
Age: 25
Gender: Male

Physical Description:

Skills:
-Genius Mechanic
-Ace Pilot
-Master Marksman
-Skilled with improvised weaponry

History:
Michael Hartwind is one of the finest airship mechanics in Alalban, but you'll rarely hear his name in such circles. Most of those names have been employed by the king's army or lapped up by the Kushinra Company, and their position gives them prestige. But Michael Hartwind is what they call a specialist. He gets called in when those other big names can't figure out how to fix a problem; otherwise, he sticks to his own little shop out on the border between the Outer and Inner Fog. He fixes airships and ground vehicles mostly, but he has a few projects on the side. Most of them small things like a motorcycle or a jeep. But then there's his big one.

He calls it the Celsius . See, most customers come to him with broken airship parts, and ask for a replacement. Which he gives them. But then he takes the broken pieces and, on his own time, Michael fixes them up and puts them together as part of a fully customized, personally designed airship of his own. And, after 7 years' worth of such work, the Celsius is almost ready for its maiden voyage. Its mission; to become an airship that can brave the terrors of the Fog and reach World's End!

Personality:
Michael is a daredevil. He'll accept nearly any challenge, any bet against him, and take on anybody who tells him he can't. A free spirit by nature, Michael lives for traveling and hates being tied down. Which is why he's refused all offers to join a broader organization, even when the eldest daughter of the Kushinra Family herself approached him in person.

Equipment:
-Mechanic's Magic Box: Contains any tool a good mechanic might ever need.
-Single Shot Rifle
-Hilde: A large wrench that Michael uses to fix his large problems. Usually irate business partners.

Name: Alexandra Nikos
Age: Twent-Seven
Gender: Female

Physical Description:


Skills:
Doing things and making things.
Along with basic skills needed for a human being to live.

History:
Alexandra... never had a family in the traditional sense, well everyone should have one but she just don't remember hers. The closest thing to a family she got was an old smith at one of the post towns that tied the roads and paths of the country together. She learned via experience and practice how to work Earthly things like metals and stone from the old man. And as with all stories like these there'd come a time she'd have to leave the comforts of home and run off to start her own story and maybe find out something, anything about her actual family.

The basic skills she learned was the basis for which her small band of freelancers was founded. To eek out a living she performed odd jobs and doing so, she learned what she could do and what she could not. Which began her early quest to learn. her goal was simple. Help people do what it is they needed to do and learn how to do as many things as it is possible. At first her companions started out being people who had a skillset that was different from hers but over time the people of the "Crew" learned from one another and became jack of all trades AND masters of em.

That was five years ago. Now "Frontier Services" have grown to be a small but significant player in every field one could imagine. Be it from pathfinding through jungles and savannas, Building things from houses to airships, Mapping inhospitable territories on the edge of various kingdoms, Serving as artillery and gunners for whatever little conflict that needs extra firepower, And even catering. Their motto was "We do everything, and if we can't then we learn how to"

Personality:
Straightforward and practical. Sociable and overtly pedantic, with a playfulness and hints of a tomboy character.

Equipment:

The company currently have twenty lorries at their disposal, almost all of them being Scammell Pioneers, slow and steady beasts of iron, what which they lack in speed, they make up for in sheer unstoppability. The lorries range from just simple cargo carrying box bodies and flatbeds to mobile workshops, factories and even living quarters. Complementing the metallic beasts are beasts of flesh and blood, a dozen elephants for both carrying and hauling things along in places where feet and legs work better than wheels and tires.

Her personal equipment of notable mention are her tools and her guns.

Name: Solomon Jadek (pronounced Ya-Deck), Nicknamed 'Tiger-Shark'
Age: 39
Gender: Male

Physical Description:



His Face:

Skills:
- Skilled Dogfighter (Close combat aerial manuevers)
- Expert Marksman (I am going the Sharpshooter way, i.e Rifles and long distances.)
- CQC Specialist (Mix of Jiu-jitsu and Muay Boran)

History:
Father to a murdered daughter, husband to a slaughtered wife and son to a tortured mother. Life took a turn for the insane for Solomon soon after he retired from the Royal Airforce after near fatal accident. The will to spend time with his family paramount after being reminded of his mortality. They were going for a picnic on the Isle of Solistium when their air caravan was attacked by Pirates. Pirates with an axe to grind as he had taken out their leader and most of their elite team.

While all the hostages were captured and kept in the hull. He and his family was taken to the bridge and he was made to see them torture his loved ones. First his daughter, all of 8 years was taken from him, then his beloved wife and finally his loving mother. A holiday turned to nightmare when finally the pirates took to torturing him.

By fate, their party was crashed by none other than The Western Cross, Scourge of the Skies and Tormentor of Bandits in the Sky. Personal forces of Annaveya Kushrina took the ship by surprise and he was luckily or unluckily saved, his face disfigured and his body nearly broken. It took him some rehabilitation before making a full recovery. But his former colleagues now employed with the wealthy Kushrina will attest that he wasn't the same man.

Something sinister had awakened inside him that fateful day and Annaveya Kushrina known for being a ruthless and calculating scion, may just have found her Dark Templar.

Personality:
He was once a happy and funny man, replete with tongue-in cheek jokes he was a life of the party. A skilled fighter pilot and a great drinking bud, he was quite the woman's man with his suave looks and overwhelming charm but he was loyal to his lovely wife and devoted to his family.

It has all changed though, those under his command will swear to the fact that they haven't heard or seen him laugh in almost three years now. He just looks coldly at the screen while patrolling the skies and isn't afraid to engage when a bandit ship is sighted. Often extinguishing the projected threat with extreme prejudice and overwhelming force. He is known to take no prisoners figuratively as even those who he has captured have never survived an interrogation with him.

He resigns himself in a dark room totally devoid of light when he is not on-duty and likes to be alone. A Master level swordsman, he is comfortable even in fights where guns seem to fail, often jumping into the fray ahead of even advance troops and wrecking shit. It is assumed that he shares a weird relationship with Annaveya, often improvising on her orders if he sees better results in offering. It is assumed that their may be a scope for a romance seeing how similar they are in character.

Equipment:

- Kushrina Arms Modified Bolt-action Rifle nicknamed "Efrat"
- Kushrina Arms Modified Pump-Action Shotgun "Irit"
- Bladed Gauntlets nicknamed "Natalie"
- Keys to his fighter craft "Black Tiger"
- pack of filter-less cigarettes and matches.