Penelope McGareth

Penny

16

Female

Penelope was promoted from the standard soldier classes at the academy.

Sword and Buckler

Though generally a nice individual to have to deal with, Penelope does have a bit of a rough side to her sometimes gained from interacting with her brothers so much as the only daughter of her family. While she often won’t, she isn’t afraid of telling someone that they’ve screwed up if it really has turned out to be the case and she’s mad enough. She can control her temper and she can take a few negative hits or insults from others, but if you’re going off on her than you can expect that she’ll return the favour. That being said, Penny tries to make sure that she doesn’t damage her relationship with those that don’t turn out to be negative people - not just her friends, but she feels that if anyone is a nice person, then they should be treated as such.

Proper education isn’t received by those who can pay for it, it’s earned by those who push themselves to learn. The McGareth family pushed their three sons and one daughter to learn and educate themselves, and where a proper teacher was not present instead incentives pushed the children to learn for themselves. While the family could not properly afford an education free resources such as a library and the world itself was present for the children to explore - the world being limited to the city of Meisa’s and its outskirts, and as long as they were back in time for dinner. Where one child may struggle there were three more to help ferry them along, and work for the children was forgone while the children were educated. It was all in hope that the children would educate themselves to get at least somewhat decent jobs and feed that money back to the parents.

It didn’t really work as well as intended. Instead of building up a sense that they should educate themselves and study, the children didn’t feel a sense of duty to do that. While they did educate themselves most days, it was very easy to become distracted and end up playing. As they grew, they only partially educated themselves - how would mother and father know if they were playing hide and seek instead of learning, particularly if they were doing it at the outskirts, by the walls of Meisa? They figured that if they had to grow up and work for money, it would be easy - after all, mother and father were in the lower-middle class, and they managed just fine.

Penelope’s mindset was in unison with her brothers. She often did read and learn more than them, but that was because she found that fun to do, and did it for that fun rather than to learn like their parents told them to. And when she wasn’t reading, Penny was playing with them, messing around with a slingshot or stick-fighting them. It was that last part that most likely led to Penny’s goal of going to Estermere - she would look up to the walls and see the soldiers up there, guarding Meisa against threats unpresent or threats unknown, she didn’t know which because she was never told. She duelled with her brothers, imagining she was a knight and her opponent was some kind of grand foe she had to defeat.

In a few years’ time, Penny was no longer dueling with wimpy sticks snapped off of trees, but instead purpose-made, duelling sticks, wooden batons. She was no longer dueling with her three brothers, but instead classmates in the 1450 class of Estermere Academy’s soldier programme. duelling might have been an improper word to use, as besting her classmates might have been better. What education that she managed to achieve already put her high in the class, but it was her duelling technique that pushed her to the top. She was consistently managing to strike down her classmates, and while losing the occasional duel was still a force to be reckoned with.

Penelope’s consistent high performance was most likely the reason that she received the option of transferring to the Officer’s programme. It was an opportunity that she could not refuse, feeling that if the academy was willing to offer her the position that definitely meant that she was fit for it.

Joana Gröblinghoff | Cornsilk (FFF8DC)

Augustus Kampf

Gus

17

Male

His father was a noble lord, a general, and an alumnus of the Academy. He used both his status and money to get his son into the program. Mostly his status.

Short swords (they always come in pairs) and knives

The hair. Whatever you do, do not touch the hair. He doesn’t really take time to style it, but it’s off-limits – his black slightly wavy locks. Fringes almost touching his brow, he’d formed this habit of raking it away from his amber eyes either to one side or over his head. A cold golden glare was all the warning he is willing to spare, before the six-foot son-of-a-lord shows any offender that those broad shoulders and lean muscles on his chest and arms are not just for show.He is straightforward and it shows even in how he chooses to dress himself in usually plain shirt, jeans, plus the optional leather jacket if it’s cold. He earned scars from his training and short term missions, but nothing notable.

Gus is an extrovert. A very competitive extrovert who hated losing as much as he hated eating potatoes. He is generally approachable, friendly, and polite. People are drawn to him possibly because of his seemingly laid-back attitude and easy smile. But really, hiding beneath the mussed hair and plain clothing is a natural born leader, who can be ruthless in his pursuit of his goals. He does not give up easily and will always be that one person who says, “There has to be another way” when most others have given up. The enthusiasm he carries with him can be contagious. However, try not to catch the guy in a bad mood or push him in that direction, because he can be mean.

General Marcellus Kampf was an alumnus of Estermere Academy just like his father and his forefathers. Since that day his wife delivered their first born into the world, the general swore that the child was destined a spot in the academy’s prestigious program. His son would grow to be an intelligent, strong, and independent man. He would follow his father’s footsteps as the general did his father’s and every other first-born male of their bloodline. Augustus was going to be a soldier. He would rise from the ranks and serve as his king’s sword and shield. It was the only path for Gus.

Born into a long line of conquerors, tacticians, military men, in a nation which was known for its military prowess, Augustus Kampf was sent to the training camp at the tender age of ten. By law, every male son of the Kingdom of Noxes was required to be immersed in the art of warfare. They were taught, trained, and groomed to be the next generation of soldiers and leaders who would march under the banner of the king to restore the kingdom into its former glory. As a trainee, Gus was expected to learn and be adept at using all kinds of weapons – melee or ranged – of which his favorite quickly became twin swords and daggers, as well as military tactics and strategies. He was at the top of his class in terms of combat, but tactics and strategies required patience that he sometimes did not have. For those like him who was born with the aptitude to harness the essence of the gods, a special class was designed to hone the talent and use it to supplement physical strength. During his time in the capital’s training camp, he was tasked to lead short expeditions outside the city walls to dispatch monsters or help keep the peace and order in an insurgent state.

The Kingdom of Noxes had always lusted for power and expansion of its territories. The reigning king, Galius XIV, was no less ambitious than his father. He was preparing for war after decades of silence.

Matthew Daddario | ADD8E6
He was not an expert practitioner of magic, though if he was not his father's son, he could have been persuaded to pursue such career path. Three spells were what his arsenal of magic tricks were composed of -- lightning bolt (where he shoots lightning into a single target), lightning fist (which he uses on a closed quarter combat to paralyze his opponents), and thunderstorm (where he calls a storm of lightning from the sky; takes significant time and energy to cast)

Beatrice Wilhelm Lindenson

”Bunty,” ”Bea,” ”Beastie,” ”Smug Shit.”

18

Stubbornly Female

After being promoted into the officer program, her father, a prominent figure in Northern politics, donated an exuberant amount of money and equipment.

Though she can fight somewhat with all weaponry, notably except swords, she is known to be especially gifted with all firearms, she tends to go with the trusty combination of a set of two dueling pistols and a large knife.

Normally, a fine leader, she is calm and patient, she can also endure long periods of discomfort without complaint. At times overly-patriotic. However, she holds a grudge, and can be far too proud for her and her comrade’s own good, she also often overestimates herself, though one of her less obvious traits, because she spent most of her life in the wilderness, she is not particularly charismatic or good at making friends with people.

For nobility Beatrice came from quaint beginnings, born in a log cabin far in the Northern wildernesses, raise on skates she, was brought up to be an accomplished hunter and by age twelve having already taken down a bear. Soon after she met her father, for the first time, and was swept into the scandalous and extravagant life of a member of the Norse court, where she learnt the art strategy. However after only two years of city life, she proved herself to be to easily swayed towards a life of drugs, and sloth. After proving to her father she was incapable of being a leader at that point in time, she was sent to Estermere. She entered Estermere in the soldier program, completely cut off from her father. She spent the next four years trying to get promoted into the officer program to get her father’s attention. When she finally succeeded, her father admitted his pride in her and made a large donation to the academy, partly to thank them for teaching his daughter how to lead, and partly at his daughters request, now with her father acknowledging her as his heir again, she is adamant prove him right.

Avery Harper

16

Female

Noble | Buying In | Scholarship | Promoted

Magic!

Lean and relatively tall at about 5'8, Avery has fair skin and a slim build lacking in much physical bulk. She has medium-length, slightly unkempt blonde hair, usually worn in a loose braid over one shoulder, and sharp hazel eyes. Her facial features are overall somewhat angular, but their intimidating potential is mostly undermined by the easy smiles and friendly expressions they're usually occupied making.

Avery dresses generally in functional, practical clothing, with a fondness for long jackets and sturdy boots, although it's possible that that's just because she's never been in a position to purchase much else. She is agile and nimble, with a good mind for stealth and footwork.

Avery is bold, personable, and cunning, with a keen mind and an even keener sense for getting into trouble. She is deeply resourceful and fond of mischief, with few moral sensibilities when it comes to subverting the rules of tradition or authority. She makes friends easily and rarely holds grudges. Normally easygoing and possessed of little discipline, she can be laser-attentive on the rare occasion that something truly important catches her eye, although this overall intermittent style of focus doesn't lend itself too well to a soldier's discipline.

Common-born, Avery lacks a fair deal of "traditional" knowledge, although the very worst parts of that failure of education have been addressed sternly in the past several years -- unlike personal combat or self-defense, both of which she knows essentially nothing about beyond the basics of "trip them and run away." Somewhat paradoxically, in spite of this, she has an excellent intuition for military strategy and tactics, a skill that secured her entry into the academy.

As one of very few at the academy not possessed of some prestigious noble heritage, Avery is very self-conscious about her place in the program, and determined to demonstrate her worth.

Avery was born inauspiciously in a large city on Lorholt's western coast, her father entirely unknown and her mother a household servant for a local merchant. When Avery was ten years old, her mother was accused of pilfering valuables from said merchant's household and promptly tossed into prison, after which Avery began her illustrious career as a street urchin. Working with a local gang of n'er-do-wells, she developed into a skilled child pickpocket.

At thirteen, now confident in her skills at theft, Avery picked a particular mark on a busy street and managed to abscond with a valuable-looking book that had been on his person. Discovering the book to actually contain dozens of complex glyphs and magical incantations, she spent several weeks transfixed by the learning within, and actually managed to figure out a few spells before eventually being tracked down by the mage she had stolen it from. In trying to escape, she successfully managed to cast those spells, a feat impressive enough that once well and truly cornered she was offered an apprenticeship -- the mark, it turned out, was a master at the city's local mage's guild.

Avery spent the next three years under the tutelage of the wizard she had stolen from, and proved a quick study at both magic and the many fundamentals she'd missed in her book-learning-free childhood, although she routinely frustrated her teacher with shortcuts and lack of discipline. After one particularly annoying antic, she was assigned to the study of military tactics, partially as punishment (there aren't many drier subjects compared to learning to cast spells) and partially in the hopes that it would improve her self-restraint. Surprisingly, Avery turned out to be something of a prodigy at the subject, finding many of the battlefield's maneuvers to essentially just be large-scale versions of the ploys she had executed as a common thief. Soon, Avery found herself sent to a distant, intimidating fortress to take a battery of tests on the subject -- and then, shortly afterward, extended an invitation to Estermere Academy.

Color code: #5b8a7f
Avery tends toward spells that manipulate the world around her -- for instance, raising pillars of earth (for climbing into high-up windows or positioning archers on high ground), opening snares and pitfalls in the ground (for escaping after a theft or twisting the ankle of the knight bearing down on you), or changing the surface of terrain (for hiding your footsteps or miring down enemy cavalry in thick mud).

Sometimes called Danny or Dan.

17

Female

Danjuma is the "Princess" of the Dakora Tribe and her father pulled some strings to get her into the program.

Danjuma likes to use a giant bow and arrow but keeps a dagger on hand.

Compassionate, kind, but overtly judgemental. Danjuma is an eccentric one by the standards of the rest of the cast - merely because she comes from an almost alien tribe. The girl rarely raises her voice and speaks heavily accented, but usually sprinkles her words with statements about nature and the world. Merely because it is the religion of the Dakora Tribe. The girl is very faithful to her religion and considers herself to be an extension of the nature Goddess. However, the girl has a habit of being overly judgmental and quick to jump the gun and make assumptions about people. She keeps these aspects mostly private - but sometimes they just come out. The girl is desperate to be a leader to prove herself as a competent leader to... well, herself. She has some innate self-hatred for being born a female and thus, not worthy of being the chieftain. The girl will go to any length to prove herself as the best, even if it's stupid and detrimental. The girl will simply not let people look down on her because she's a Dakora and will prove them all wrong.

Danjuma comes from the Dakora tribes, a nomadic nation of people that inhabit the deserts of Lorholt, traveling from one place to another staying away from major nations. They're an enigmatic state and one that usually keeps to itself, so it was rare to see a Dakora tribe outside of the southern states. They're also quite looked down upon by the other parts of Lorholt as a whole for their "odd" appearance and their way of life. Many members of the Dakora tribe are known practitioners of magic and some of the most powerful and dangerous magic users in Lorholt. Which is why many keep clear of them, or else they risk getting attacked by the tribe.

Danjuma is the princess of the Dakora tribes, born many, many, years ago to Imamu, the current chieftain and one of his many brides, Boipelo. Many different members of the "Dakora Royal Family" were primarily male and Danjuma was simply one female. In Dakora culture, only the men are allowed to be the Chieftan and thus even have a chance of leading the nation. Danjuma wanted to become a leader of the tribe but knew that the Dakora tribe was too set on their ways. So the princess decided to turn her attention elsewhere.

The girl practiced magic, the plant magic that the Dakora tribe was famous for. She gained a bit of the grasp on it but ultimately her power paled in comparison to her father's and mother's magic. It seemed that she was destined to merely be married off to a different family... until she decided to attend the Estermere Academy. Danjuma decided to be greater than a bride to somebody else and wanted to be top class in the military and the leader in a different way. Because her father is technically a ruler - and he asked for permission for Danjuma to attend and the realm's ruler said yes.

Most likely out of some sense of pity for the girl because she was from the Dakora tribe but Danjuma was going to prove them all wrong.

Face Claim | Crimson
Danjuma utilizes plant magic that the Dakora tribe is famous for. Only the strongest plant-magic users are elected as the chieftain for the tribe, but Danjuma was never in that race. For the fact that she was second to her father and, well, a female. Danjuma has mastered one basic spell: she can summon lengthy vines out of the ground after calling an incantation and manipulate them like they were tentacles.

Roan Borza

Frequently called "the one who never shows up" by certain clan members.

16

Male

In the harsh wintry land of Kyavik, the few royal families that have managed to weather the centuries of life under brutal conditions have now turned their gazes on each other, each vying for control over the desolate nation state. Among these is the Borza clan, who made up for what it lacked in warriors with superior mercantile skills and a stronger focus on education. With the emergence of gunpowder and other technological advancements from the rest of the world it was clear that the age of powerful warriors was beginning to fade. The clan would no longer hide from its equals now that victory was within their grasp.

Roan’s father was not sufficiently high-ranking to have received an offer to the academy outright. A couple of discreet donations to the academy fixed that problem, however.

As a boy with a penchant for magic and no interest in most of the physical activities enjoyed by those his age, Roan likes to use his fire spells as much as possible. It was common for many of his tutors to forbid its use entirely during sparring matches, however, so he’s developed an affinity for firearms, as unreliable and rudimentary as they may be, his favorite being the rifles that his clan has begun to use for hunting.

With green eyes that make visual contact for a fraction more than what’s socially acceptable and a head of curly brown hair that his short-haired siblings frequently remind him is improper, Roan isn’t the splitting image of nobility. He’ll do the bare minimum to appease his family but apart from that, he’s the fourth child, so why should he care? His clothes mirror this, focusing on comfort but not straying far enough from aesthetics that others would mistake him for a commoner.

He stands at five feet and eleven inches, a fraction shorter than his brothers. He regards physical activity as important, but fixates on activities that are more centered around stamina than strength. It’s a body built for and from hunting and climbing what shouldn’t be climbed.

Initially driven to study solely by his interest in fire, Roan took to expanding his horizons quite quickly after having learned the basics of magic. It represented the unattainable to him, sparking an obsession with improvement and study that hasn’t relented since. The majority of his life consisted of having to decide between attending another pointless gathering or furthering his research, so he’s spent his youth doing the latter with no hesitation. As a side effect, Roan struggles to socialize effectively with others. He’s a confident young man, but can often be too blunt for his own good.

Upon seeing the finesse exhibited by his father and brothers it can be tempting to claim that Roan is their opposite, or shares almost nothing with them. This would be incorrect. Roan has the same ambition and desperation they do, and the same independent demeanor that can lead to stubborn moments. Roan’s just directed himself towards magic rather than wearing uncomfortable clothing and pretending to be richer than he really is. He acts on impulse frequently, ignoring the advice of others. He gets odd ideas and lets his curiosity get the best on him. Roan doesn’t think inside the box, he thinks about how to burn the box. Taking a risk or making the unknown known is far more exciting than doing things the typical way.

It started with piles of leaves at first. They were brittle and few in number, but it was enough to start a small flame far from peering eyes. As the third son to a nobleman, it was easy to slip away to learn even more about it. Hay, cloth, wood, paper. It all burned so beautifully, but it had to be kept secret, as his parents weren’t keen on him avoiding lessons to hide away and waste his time. It was at the age of thirteen when he was caught messing with a furnace that his father realized something was different about the boy, however. It isn’t normal for a teenager to have one of their hands placed in the middle of a roaring fire without being aware of it, after all.

From that point onward an unspoken deal was forged between the two. Roan would push his studious habits further and in return he’d be given lessons tailored to strengthen his knowledge over fire. To say that this plan worked would be an understatement. Roan finally had an excuse to opt out of the horrid negotiation sessions his family would engage in, leaving the work to his older, more politically minded brothers.

Despite his miraculous growth over the years, it shocked him to hear his father announce that he had been automatically accepted into the college during a particularly tense meeting. It was only afterwards when they had talked in private that he realized his father had just bought his way in through a facade of altruism. He had been used as a game piece, meant to give him and their family a shine to their image. Although he was initially fine with his role in life, he can’t help but feel as if there’s more to the world than uncomfortable dining rooms and libraries.

Face Claim: Robert Sheehan | FA6800
As the previous section has implied, Roan has the power to resist fire at will. He isn't immune to it, but he's harmed from it at a far slower pace than the average person.