The Seven Virtues - "Humanity can be more than it is now. Make it so." The Seven Virtues claim to be ascended Humans, Arms Masters who had transcended their mortal form and become something more. Now they seek to guide Humanity to a similar 'Ascension' by controlling the ‘reincarnation’ of the Noble Arms held by Arms Masters who had died in the line of duty, or very rarely, creating new ones which had not been held by an Arms Master before. However, the Seven Virtues make one demand from those they empower: Give up their existing property, their wealth, and their position in society, and dedicate themselves to Humanity as a whole.

The Paragons of Science - "Humanity is the only concept worth worshipping." The Paragons of Science are a cabal of scientists who have mixed together actual scientific principles with the Occult to decipher part of what makes Noble Arms 'tick', enough to manufacture Artificial Noble Arms which can compete with the best of existing ones. However, they give these Artificial Arms only to those who can 1.) pay through the nose for them, or 2.) people who are willing to renounce the “Throne and altar” to promote a future where Humanity rules over all of nature and worships only itself.

Updated Restrictions: Oh, and this will be unknown to most OCs, but the Paragons of Science use 'Special Occult Programming Language' to make them able to remotely bring down any A or B-rank Noble Arms to C-Rank if they deem the Arms Master a threat to their interests. Due to the 'Special Occult Programming Language' being imperfect, however, they cannot bring a Noble Arm any lower, so NAs which are already C-Rank are safe.

The Downward Descent - "Freedom from Morality." The Downward Descent does not claim to be Human, but rather something more; the darkness of people's thoughts and inner desires made manifest, whispering the fulfillment of their darkest wishes. The Downward Descent wants nothing more than Humanity to descend to a level lower than animals, to pull civilization down into ruins so that people would give up on being something more than what they were, to regard their hopes and dreams and aspirations as only so many lies and self-deception. And in exchange for indulging their wishes, the entities of the Downward Descent can give Noble Arms to anyone, not just the unpowered but also those who already have a Noble Arm; they are the only source of a Second Noble Arm, ever.

And all it takes is for you to renounce not just your soul, but actively endorse the very things you find most abominable in your heart and mind.

Noble Arms:

Noble Arms take the form of weaponry that was created before World War I - Each one of them has powerful abilities beyond normal human capacity, however, they can only be used if they are released into reality by their user. Noble Arms exist in a kind of 'hyperspace' that is unique to its user and can be called from there - in essence, an Arms Master is always armed.

Noble Arms have an astonishingly versatile ability pool, from calling down fire to strengthening the body, etc., and more often than not, possess more than one ability. However, similar to physical activity, using a Noble Arm is draining physically and more so mentally - Extended use of its abilities is much akin to overexerting yourself on both fronts, and as such, so much more fatal to overdo.

For the purposes of defining what a weapon is, a weapon is 'something crafted or shaped by human hands for the specific purpose of doing harm'. This also means that you can use a bunch of stone age flint knives, a wand, and yes, a staff as weapons.

Note: We have allowed this rule to be stretched before, allowing books and exploding metal cubes, but asking for a stretch is a privilege, not a right. Do not ask without a good, story-based reason.

Noble Arm Ratings:

Noble Arms are rated according, firstly, to the sum of their atomized ranks (Power, Speed, Range, etc as detailed in the character sheet). An F grade counts as a 0, an A as a 5, and the sum is divided by 6. However, ultimately, the grading system is used as a threat assessment. Noble Arms that are more dangerous than their average number indicates may have their overall grade incremented up a letter, or vice versa.

Examples of rank as a threat assessment:

- A Noble Arm capable of strengthening its Arms Master is common, and can easily be countered by police officers with the proper ordinance, and thus, merits an E rank, its Arms Master is not notable to the government and subsequently ignored.

- On the other hand, a Noble Arm capable of creating explosions in the atmosphere is uncommon and dangerous, as such, the user must undergo a government registration form and be placed under mild scrutiny. The Noble Arm in question will merit a C or B rank.

- Finally, there are Noble Arms that can achieve effects that can cover an area the size of a city, for good or for ill. Such Noble Arms are both rare and regarded as extremely dangerous to countries at large (note that some powers might not justify this fear, even if they cover an entire city). Its user will be under constant surveillance and limits will be placed on the usage of their Noble Arm. Such Noble Arms are always rated A.

Noble Arm Origins:

Formation:

The most common way to have a Noble Arm is to reach a stage of personal development, for good or for ill, which allows one's Soul (yes, Souls are a thing here) to form one from the sum of the person's personality, willpower, and sense of identity. Said Noble Arms are connected to their user's Soul and are made of the same material/energy as it. They can be suppressed and damaged; they can be broken and diminished, but they cannot be completely destroyed except in extraordinary circumstances, and even then only because although born from a Soul, they are not the originating Soul itself but akin; actual Souls are even more indestructible (although their energies can be suppressed to infinitesimal levels). This leads us to the second way to obtain a Noble Arm - Inheritance.

Inheritance

When an Arms Master dies, their Noble Arm is left in a limbo state, unable to follow them to wherever Souls go (while immortal Souls have been proven, an afterlife is not, much less a good afterlife). When this happens, it latches on the closest possible Soul even if the holder of said Soul has not developed enough to grow their own Noble Arm. If the 'latching' process is successful, the new Arms Master gains the power of a Noble Arm grafted to their own consciousness and identical to its previous form. This phenomenon has been tracked over the past decades, and the Seven Virtues have found a way to interfere with the process to ensure that various NAs end up with the 'right' people...

Categories of Ranking and Degrees of Rank:

Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc).
Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect.
Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included).
Persistence: Stamina toll on user. Higher rank = more ease of use.
Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs.
Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution.

F = Default/minimum rank.
B = General maximum of standard NA.
A = Generally restricted to A-Rank NAs, but 1-2 categories may potentially reach it.
S = "Special" rank. Means the category is flexible in some way, and not necessarily for the better. (Ex - Power: D (S)) This supplementary rank is often the result or source of an NA having a “+” or “-“ on their final rank.
Infinite/?: Indicating no measurable limit on the category. Only seen on A-Ranks thus-far. This rank has yet to even be officially acknowledged as existing IC. (this rating's details may be subject to change; this is merely my current interpretation)

The final overall ranking of the Noble Arm is determined on an average by assigning point values from 0-5 on the respective ranks F-A. Depending on the power-set and its effectiveness in practice, the final ranking may, however, be subject to flexibility.

If you want, you may also use a graph image based on the JJBA Stand ranking system instead, since that is what we are basing this off largely. The above is the most convenient to read, but you have the option for flavor. Just try to have it in a hider in either case.

Power:

F-Rank: Provides no notable supernatural advantage. Often cosmetic at best. The Noble Arm certainly possesses the same supernatural durability as any other NA, but beyond that? Little. Ranged Noble Arms are not found here.

E-Rank: Minor supernatural advantage. Hits a bit harder, cuts a bit easier, endures a little more, etc. than a normal human could. It's not much, but it's there. Enhancements are "slight", but elemental manipulation is possible. Ranged Noble Arms are possible now and typically have this rank at minimum. "Peak Human" is a common descriptor.

D-Rank: Cantrip levels of strength. Can easily dish out, endure or heal from effects that are singularly lethal to a human. Notably useful abilities exist here that are a serious problem for most people. Such a power is much like always carrying a loaded gun and may be beyond police capacity to handle.

C-Rank: A strong/multiple, physical/magical effects that will start to cause issues for public safety.

B-Rank: Very strong. Difficult to counter without a specialized/specific effect.

A-Rank: Powers of this strength are nearly uncontestable. Once the effect occurs, it usually cannot be overridden or countered without exceptional means. Perfect stealth. Strength enough to lift and throw a skyscraper or cause earthquakes. Total incineration. Absolute zero infliction. Disintegration of atoms. Stopping time. The possibilities are nearly limitless. The amount of raw energy behind these abilities is frankly excessive.

Speed:

F-Rank: Basically, this... "Is to go-! Even! Further! BEYOND! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Editor's Note: This continued for 10 episodes.

E-Rank: Comparative to walking underwater. Notable ramp-up/charge time. Abilities take a disadvantageously long time to fully "stick". Recommended against using them in the open or in sight of any hostile, at least initially. 1 minute or more.

D-Rank: Small ramp up time. Somewhat disadvantageous, but possible to use even against a conventionally faster opposition with care and the right timing. A power that typically requires patience and "choosing the right moment" from the user. Abilities have a tendency towards "damage over time" compared to "instant". 3-60 seconds.

C-Rank: Abilities respond and take effect at a respectable, practical speed. The user will have no real trouble utilizing their powers often and reflexively. The power doesn't quite match up when pitted against an ambush or with the user caught off guard. The moments needed to both perceive and respond to the threat mean that a "surprise round" still favors the enemy.

B-Rank: Abilities respond in a split moment, lagging behind the user's desires for a 1-5 seconds at absolute worst. Being caught off guard is far less threatening. The power typically responds and reaches full effect at speeds equivalent to the user's mere consideration of using them.

A-Rank: Answers the user's call with almost prescient speed. The effects of powers typically occur instantaneously, even at large scale. "Surprise rounds" are near entirely useless against them without an effect of comparable speed. Rather, they respond so quickly that they can almost immediately invert a situation with themselves on the backfoot to one where they have the distinct advantage. These powers practically ooze the concept of "having the initiative".

Range:

F-Rank: Touch-range. The power generally requires either the user or the Noble Arm, itself, to make physical contact with the target of their ability. Fallout nonexistent.

E-Rank: Melee-range. Comparable range to a held weapon of some stripe, even a whip. No longer requires physical contact to take effect. Fallout/lingering effects are minimal to nonexistent and rarely -if ever- have the capacity to spread beyond a single target. Up to approximately 5-6 meters/15-21 feet.

D-Rank: Mid-Range. Covers the ideal skirmishing distance for a pistol. An indoor firing range would be comparable. Up to approximately 50 meters/166 feet.

C-Rank: Around a city block or couple. Up to approximately 200 meters/658 feet. Fallout may exceed base range by a factor of double the core range.

B-Rank: Long-range. Could encompass a whole neighborhood or village. Fallout may equal or even exceed the base target area by a factor of 2-4. Up to around 1-2 kilometers.

A-Rank: City-wide or larger. Attacks may potentially be launched from miles away. Fallout may potentially leak out into a national emergency.

Persistence:

F-Rank: Can maybe use their active power all of once before being exhausted. Even having the NA summoned is a serious effort that requires physical honing to master.

E-Rank: Like a D-Rank squared. Significant base maintenance cost. Abilities that incur a stamina drain like being punched in the gut. They are lovers, not fighters. And when they do fight, they are either very careful or dead.

D-Rank: Must be picky with their power use. Tactical. The drain of even having the NA out is significant. A D-Rank may have trouble keeping their power going continuously for even a single decent skirmish. "Playing it smart" is the name of the game. If not a serious stamina drain, then a notable negative backlash usually is inherent to the active power.

C-Rank: Will experience drain even if they don't use the NA's powers. Minor drain, granted, but drain all the same. Their powers typically aren't incredibly draining to actively use immediately, but the user will absolutely feel it with constant, reckless use. Sort of like sprinting. These NAs are ideally used with a "breather" between skirmishes to catch a second or third wind. They are much like a well-trained soldier.

B-Rank: Could, in theory, be summoned indefinitely as long as the user either didn't make heavy use of its abilities or had incredibly minor abilities. This rank is ideal for prolonged battlefield fighting, as long as the user has time to rest every few skirmishes.

A-Rank: Typically known to be very free in this aspect, able to both keep their power going near indefinitely and not really feeling the strain without truly excessive overuse or a very specific type of backlash unique to the NA/power.

Precision:

F-Rank: Volatile and indiscriminate to the extreme. Not even the user is safe. In fact, they are more often than not caught in the power's effect as well, for better or worse. If the power has any capacity to effect multiple targets, it will always attempt to hit all of them and attempt to perform to its maximum possible extent.

E-Rank: User gains some level of "leashing" capacity. Power now often has a dial and can be restrained from automatically going full bore. Is still quite "hair trigger" and prone to being a threat to the user as well without caution being taken.

D-Rank: Still quite indiscriminate, but the user now usually has some actual capacity to be protected from their own ability. Usually, this protection is not voluntary, however, for better or worse. Power is no longer so oily in the user's proverbial grasp. "Dial" is more defined.

C-Rank: Some minimal capacity to actively exempt others selectively from the effect, which typically requires concentration. Otherwise, abilities have preset exemptions that provide the user more flexibility.

B-Rank: Can selectively exempt targets from the effect on both large and small scale. Usually, the user must already know/be able to visualize individually who or what they are exempting. Although, one could be more general, like "all humans" if firing blindly.

A-Rank: Abilities are highly selective and surgically fine in application. The user usually has near -if not complete- control over who and what they effect. Such abilities may be able to affect someone/something the user doesn't know or is aware of. Such abilities may potentially have such capacity as to identify and target things the user could otherwise have no knowledge about, like "all "enemies/innocents/allies" "good/evil".

Potential:

F-Rank: Extremely static. The NA has nearly zero ability to evolve further than its baseline. Usually only develops a singular, narrow ability... assuming it develops a unique power at all.

E-Rank: Typically develops 1-2 abilities at most. Powers are quite narrow in scope of application. Complex abilities aren't entirely unheard of, but they are extremely uncommon and usually alone even then.

D-Rank: Develops a small number of abilities early on, even complex ones, but progress peters out into harsh stagnation. The user must put in serious effort and/or have rather notable personal character/soul development to gain any more.

C-Rank: Develops a comfortable number of powers of various complexities over time, primarily in an early-ish burst. Can be mistaken for a higher rank in this classification early on but peters out eventually. Preexisting powers have the capacity to improve or change if the user makes the effort to push their boundaries. While existing powers often retain their ability to be fluid, this rank eventually hits a hard wall from which they can no longer improve by any natural means.

B-Rank: Rapidly develops new abilities with even half-hearted or deluded attempts at experimentation. The NA is highly amendable to users that actively seek out specific evolutions and utilizations of their abilities. Complex, flexible powers are not only common, but expected, almost inevitable. While the user will eventually hit a wall in progression, they can expect not to see it until their senior years.

A-Rank: Considered to be almost boundless. While growth does experience a loss of efficiency eventually, that growth will never truly die, and personal/soul development often incurs a "second wind", granting the NA access to new "skill trees". In such a way, the most dangerous Arms Master is one that is both old and possesses this rank, their abilities having undergone inevitable and simultaneous maturation and growth alongside them.

Made by @Senhara:

This was approved on Discord by all the GMs, and was my suggestion, and I heavily recommend joining the server if you plan to join.

As a system to improve the survivability of PCs and other Arms Masters, this was come up with.

By virtue of being able to wield magic, NA users benefit from the ability to recover from gunshots and the like more effectively than a human, and notably, their bodies heal up faster. This pulls power from their NA, so if you get hit, you live but your powers weaken. So instead of a regular human taking a few rounds to be downed, 1-3 or the like, it'd take more like 4-8 to sustain for C class NA users before they'd be totally unable to use their powers and would need medical attention, with the more powerful NAs being able to withstand more. While Arms Masters are still under their cap for how much abuse they can take, if a "critical" hit occurs, say a shot through the heart or the skull occurs, they're incapacitated but all resources immediately go to fixing them up. The result of this is they're out for the fight, unconscious, but they're still alive. If they proceed to get shot more and do not receive medical attention or are over their capacity for how much damage they can take and receive a critical hit, they would instead die.

Addenum by @Lewascan2 with edits by me:

Note that logically, Defensive/Survival/Healing powers take priority over the survival system. If it's a question of a hit 'counting' or not, the hit to the Arms Master's 'survival stacks' is not expended (or may even be reversed/restored) if their power/an incoming power has some method of negating/delaying/mitigating/repairing the damage. Basically, specific powers can defend against or heal an Arms Master or make them endure stuff. If you don't have specific defensive powers, though... Well, this is a world of tradeoffs.

- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considerably more militarized and economically linked than IRL, with coordination between their best Arms Masters and their separate militaries.

- This in turn has its roots in 1988 when China had a confrontation with the ASEAN Countries over the Spratlys and ASEAN won due to the intervention of Filipino Arms Master Angelito Jaime (who had a spear that can open a portal and which he was clever enough to use to redirect bullets, artillery, cruise missiles, and potentially even nukes back at the person who fired them, and this works on many other NA attacks too). This victory, however, led to an undercurrent of resentment between China and ASEAN which burst into fire decades later in the ASEAN War.

- The Philippines is now led by a 'Government of National Salvation' chaired by an Original Character. The IRL Government/Administration is no longer in power.

- After some thought, another OC (Democratic) is the President of the US instead of anyone IRL.

- The Original Character President of the US was the perfect domestic president, saving the country from Covid, restoring the US Economy, limiting corporate power, strengthening the Trade Unions and making them more relevant, and creating more well-paying jobs. The downside to this? His foreign policy sucks, as he despises the prospect of sending Americans to die overseas for ideological goals so much that he is willing to neglect or withdraw from the US' alliances and defense commitments and thus emboldened China and Russia to move into open war, mistakenly sensing weakness.

- The US Congress, however, was capable of striking back to issue sanctions, provide weapons, vehicles, supplies, money, and all possible aid to ASEAN and Ukraine, and is trying to scramble enough people to form a majority that can declare war even with a Presidential Veto.

- Indonesia has been caught flat-footed by China's new militaristic mood, and while it remains Democratic, its military (both Army and Navy) is rising in power once again, although its President is still canny enough to balance out competing interests.

- In 2014, instead of a certain terrorist organization taking over large portions of Iraq and Syria, the Hammer of Masters, an organization of Arms Master terrorists, did so instead to establish a 'Malikate' where Arms Masters can rule over Non-Arms Masters as the 'Superior Race'. This was crushed in 2018 - 2019, when the 'Big Three' first made their appearance and the Paragons and Seven Virtues began giving away Noble Arms.

- As for the various groups in the Original Noble Arms, the Hammer of Masters (mentioned above) and the Disablers have dwindled into near-irrelevance over the last four years due to the existence of the Seven Virtues and Paragons of Science (both of whom have defectors from both groups), same for the Arms of Nobility and the Organization for Disarmament. It is also rumored that the Seven Virtues and Paragons have been organizing manhunts for members of the Hammer and Disablers who remain diehard fanatics of their ideologies.

- Emperor Naruhito of Japan has more children, including a son and additional daugthers.

1.) Cooperative storytelling comes first; prospective players should not seek to game or break the system to make themselves as powerful as possible. One should also not use one's PC's powers to brute-force all obstacles the GM brings before them, or use sophistry, psychological tricks, or 'mental influence magic' to win every diplomatic confrontation. This is not an RP where 'storygaming' is an ugly word.
2.) Nor does an angsty backstory that fits various 'story beats' make one's character good if their purpose is to defeat everyone and establish themselves as the 'top dogs' and otherwise make it an arms race with the GM on who can god-mode more. If one won't use their angsty backstory to make a good story, this is not the RP for them.
3.) That said, powerful characters and angsty backstories are permitted, as long as they are made by players who are willing to cooperate with each other and the GM to make a good and dynamic story that isn't just 'X overpowers Y' by bending the rules so far they break, violating the spirit of said rules and (to quote Dave Brookshaw of Onyx Path publishing) common sense.
4.) The first three rules are the most important; let's just say that people who cannot follow them have proven problematic before, and it's best that we have people who can follow the first three rules in this RP.
5.) Do not be an asshole.
6.) Post length is five sentences minimum, but longer posts are encouraged, of course. GMs are also bound by this rule.
7.) Characters are supposed to start out no higher than B-Rank in statistical average on their Noble Arm. Note that exceptions can be made for one (two at the most) players who can be trusted to control themselves and not powergame when it weakens the story.
8.) 1 US Dollar is 55 Philippine Pesos - Remember this when you spend money.

Name: Regil Meitner
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Race: Noble Arms Master
Nationality: England
Personality: For a 17-year-old teenager, Regil can be almost described as an early adult. He's very stoic and serious, almost as if he was a living robot, his mind existing solely to work, without any notion of joy and laughter.

However, Regil has a heart geared toward ensuring that other people survive this meaningless tragedy. Instead of having a high-and-mighty attitude due to his social standing among others, he believes that it’s his duty as a noble to grant respite and survival to the classes lower than him. As such, he takes all diligence necessary to ensure that his peers are comfortable and alive.

Regil also dislikes the idea of power abuse by those who have higher echelons in society. To him, having more power means more responibilities towards the ones who doesn’t have the same opportunity.

One thing that Regil also doesn’t believe is in the concepts of “luck” and “coincidence”. To him, everything happens because someone has already predicted and planned beforehand, so the idea of something happening out of nowhere, without any reason or explanation, is simply unfathomable to him.

• Likes: chess and other games of strategy, seeing his peers alive, white flowers, butterflies, sewing and embroidery;
• Dislikes: power abuse, concepts of “luck” and “coincidence”, unreasonable actions, people who don’t follow the strategy;
• Fears: seeing innocent people die, suicidal missions, scorpions, torture.

Bio: Regil is the youngest of two siblings of the famous Meitner Estate, a powerful noble family from England, in the United Kingdom region. He currently lives with his father, his mother, and his eldest sister Regina. His mother was a previous Noble Arms master, while his father was a distinct general strategist for the England National Army.

The motto of the Meitner family is "Mind over muscle, strategy over strength". Instead of raising grand warriors who are unbelievably powerful, to the point of being called superheroes or even demigods, both Regil and Regina were created as strategists, having their entire focus on how to overwhelm their opponent not with brute force, but with calculated plans and devised tactics to not let them slip out of their hands and obtaining the most "elegant" victory against their foes.

Of the two children, Regil was the one who was born with the capability of wielding a Noble Arm. Thus, his mother kept herself in charge of training her son in order for him to awaken his very own Noble Arm. Under her wing, he studied the existence of Noble Arms in the past ever since he was a child.

When Regil completed 14 years of age, his Noble Arm manifested itself in the form of a tome. While he was holding a book composed of professional chess strategies, which dated almost from the game's creation, the book suddenly received strange energy from Regil and became a tome. From it, he was able to summon familiars in the shape of chess pieces, although more human-like than what an actual chess set shows.

His mother took him to the next steps of training. Initially, he could only summon a familiar at a time, and the restrictions the Arm placed upon him were pretty severe. However, the harsh training he was put to made him able to improve his control of the Noble Arm's power, while he still never put it into practical use.

One day, Regil received a letter from his sister not too long ago. It seems that the southeast part of Asia was suffering major losses with the recent problems regarding the misusage of Noble Arms. She didn't explain it too much but sent him a recommendation to join the main army, though not ensuring Regil would serve in the same unit she was currently placed in. However, Regil's faith in his sister was thoroughly firm, so he believed there was a good reason behind Regina's sudden call for his help.

Regil took a plane directly to the base where Regina was staying, located in the Lingayen Gulf, in the Phillippines. There, he reunites with his sister, and his new fate starts to whirl...
Current Goal: To survive another day, accompanied by others.
Misc Abilities: Regil has a talent to quickly learn and adapt to a situation or crisis, as taught by his father. He also has a good hand with embroidery, so he likes to sew every once in a while.
Military or Civilian Rank: To be recruited.
Main Theme: Sanctity
Battle Theme: Sleepless Lamp

---

Noble Arm Name: Chess Imaginarium
Noble Arm Rank: C-
Noble Arm Type: Tome
Noble Arm Element: Non-Elemental
Noble Arm Range: Varies between each of the Pieces' functions.
Noble Arm Abilities: Chess Imaginarium is a tome that gives Regil the power to manipulate familiars in order to attack and defend himself on the battlefield. These familiars, as the name implies, come in the form of human-like chess pieces, each of them with a specific function. The Pieces, as Regil himself calls them, aren't sentient on their own, and can only follow his orders. With his Noble Arms in tow, Regil can summon and manipulate the Pieces from afar, though limited to a 100m distance between him and them, or they'll instantly disappear.

As said before, each of the Pieces has a specific function, which allows Regil to take varied roles on the battlefield. He cannot summon an infinite supply of Pieces, however, so he has to meticulously plan which Piece adapts to the better situation, considering how unique each of them are.

One major flaw with Regil's Noble Arms is the fact that he's completely dependent on the Pieces to fight, as the tome's primary function is to give him the power to summon them in the first place.

The Pieces:

As explained earlier, the Pieces are the familiars owned by Regil and capable of being summoned to the battlefield by Chess Imaginarium. These Pieces have a different form each. Pieces are human-like illusions/holograms that are physically stronger than a normal human. They are faster, their own "weapons" hit harder than normal, and they are quite elusive.

They don't have a mind of their own, sharing their intellect with Regil, who commands them from afar and gives them directions and orders through mind communication. Thus, no one else can order the Pieces outside of Regil, even if he were to summon them for another specific functionality.

Also, while they are human-like, they aren't durable, though. Each of them has a specific number of hits that they can take overall and cannot be summoned altogether at once. Some of the pieces allow diversity and multiplicative summoning, but this depends on Regil's strength in mastering his Noble Arm.

• The Rook: The Rook takes the form of a simple soldier that wears light armor and uses a short sword. They are the simplest of the Pieces when it comes to attacking since they only use a sword, able to endure a single hit before completely vanishing. Regil can summon up to three Rooks at the same time, and they have a 45 seconds recharge time once they're broken before they can be summoned again.
• The Bishop: The Bishop takes the form of an elderly bishop wearing Catholic church robes and uses a staff. They attack using projectiles made of magical energy, though possessing no element whatsoever. However, like the Rook, they can only endure a single hit before completely vanishing. Regil can summon up to two Bishops at the same time, and they have a 2 minutes recharge time once they're broken before they can be summoned again.
• The Knight: The Knight takes the form of a soldier wearing heavier armor, mounted on a horse, and uses a lance. They attack with their horses and with their lances, with the distinction of being the fastest of the pieces since it's mounted. The horse and the soldier can take a single hit each, meaning that The Knight takes two hits in total. Regil can summon up to two Knights at the same time, and they have a 3 minutes recharge time once they're broken before they can be summoned again.
• The Tower: The Tower takes the form of a fortress tower without any soldiers of its own. The Tower has a defensive function compared with the rest of the Pieces, being able to protect whoever is standing inside of it. Thanks to this function, the Tower lasts for five hits, being the most durable of the Pieces. Regil can summon two Towers, but cannot summon them for the same person, and they have a 5 minutes recharge time once they're broken before they can be summoned again.
• The Queen: The Queen takes the form of a distinguished lady of the court, wearing a simple tiara on her head and a beautifully woven dress, using a staff as a weapon. Being the second most powerful of the Pieces, the Queen can cast a variety of long-range projectiles, such as beams, waves, lances, and other attacks. Also, while she is on the field, the power of Regil's allied members' Noble Arms increases whenever they are using their magical properties. The Queen lasts for three hits. Regil can summon only one Queen, cannot summon another type of Piece if it's on the field, and it has a 1 hour recharge time once they're broken before they can be summoned again.
• The King: The King takes the form of a distinguished man of the court, wearing a huge crown on his head and lustrous armor designed for royalty, using a sword and shield as weapons. The King attacks in close-distance range, but his shield can block incoming attacks, which are not considered hits. Also, while he is on the field, Regil's allies gain a slight boost to their physical properties, which include running speed, arm strength, and other similar stats. The King lasts for three hits. Regil can summon only one King, cannot summon another type of piece if he's on the field, and it has a 1 hour recharge time once they're broken before they can be summoned again.

Name: Hannie Cavalet

Age: 14

Nationality: Australian

Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Kirvella, a dagger of inconsistent make. Between manifestations, the blade might appear to be made from bright steel, dark iron, or a bluish gemstone. Its shape is always simple, practical, and lethal. Due to its effect, it constantly emits frosty mist.

Noble Arm Rank: C+

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee – Cold – Short to medium range

Noble Arm Abilities:



Misc Abilities:
Hannie is good at math. She’s still learning algebra, but she can do equations like 12 x -273.15 in her head really fast.
-273.15 feels meaningful to Hannie. It’s such a specific number. How strange. Probably not related, but she also knows a lot about how matter acts – even the weird stuff that happens when it’s really, really, really cold.
Hannie knows how to talk to government people. Usually, the correct thing to do is to not talk, but she knows their phonetic alphabets and silly euphemisms and can use them back.
Hannie is good at hiding. It helps her stay out of the way, and sometimes it lets her play a little longer when someone wants her.
Hannie plays with her dagger a lot. She’s pretty sure she knows how to use it in a fight. It seems like she’ll have to, now.

Personality:
It’s not that Hannie doesn’t like you, she’s just shy. She’s often the only person in the room who isn’t talking, even when there are only two people in the room, and she’s comfortable like that. It can take her a few tries to speak loud enough to be heard.
Hannie likes to help. She didn’t exactly volunteer to fight China, but when the government told her she should go, she nodded. People are in trouble.
Hannie is jumpy. She doesn’t like Kirvella, but she finds herself summoning it on a dime.

Likes:
Warmth, quiet, the dark. Her mom. Interesting challenges. Learning new things.

Dislikes:
Cold, noise, crowds. Being put on the spot. Being in the way. Feeling unhelpful. Kirvella.

Fears:
_{What if, someday, the dagger doesn’t go when she asks it to? What if she hurts someone, or herself? Is she going to hurt someone anyway? Isn’t that what she’s being sent to do? She sort of loses herself when Kirvella has her for too long, what if she’s hurt someone before? She has a lot of nightmares about her old house…}
Bugs. Bugs and fires. And public speaking. That’s all.

Bio:
CLASSIFIED --
In 2010, neighbors reported a possible explosion at the Cavalet home. Emergency responders reported partial structural collapse, as well as abnormally low temperatures. Subject was recovered from the epicenter of the collapse, unconscious and suffering early hypothermia, but without permanent injury. Father was beside her, apparently dead from crushing injuries. Retroactive investigation found that father was more likely incapacitated by the collapse, then died of hypothermia.
Mother was not on scene, and was later informed that a structural fault was the cause of the collapse. Mother has been allowed to meet subject and they maintain a healthy relationship. Mother is aware that subject possesses a Noble Arm, but the nature of the weapon has not been disclosed to her. Subject and mother remain unaware of true cause of father’s death.
Subject’s abilities have proven useful when controlled, and subject has been applied for thermodynamic research and regulation/maintenance of experimental power sources (active projects listed on reverse side).
Subject is to be deployed for ASEAN defense by 2023.

Current Goal:
Save the world!

Military or Civilian Rank:
research pet

Name: Lucy Dolores

Age: 25

Nationality: American

Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Daedalus

Daedalus is a Noble Arm that is well, quite literally a right arm. Replacing Lucy’s arm entirely, the NA appears as a metal prosthetic with a bone white main coloration and a golden trim along the edges of joints. With the abilities Daedalus has, whenever it opens up, it reveals a complex mechanism of brass-looking gears and hydraulics that move in correlation to Daedalus’s movements. Of course, being a magic weapon, these have no functional impact on Daedalus, and striking them does little to the Noble Arm. When moving, the NA frequently clicks due to the internal mechanisms, though this has no impact on Daedalus’s functionality. Daedalus maintains near-perfect movement of an actual human limb and doesn’t initially appear to be a proper weapon, though its abilities certainly betray that appearance. When the NA is not in use, Lucy simply doesn’t have a right arm, a bone white metal plate being at the base of the arm instead.

Noble Arm Rank: B+

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Ranged, Force/Change, Close

Noble Arm Abilities: Daedalus has interesting and powerful combat abilities, while also visually changing the Noble Arm in the process.

Raijin's Burst - On the surface, Raijin's Burst seems like a fairly simple ability. Daedalus is capable of emitting a powerful wave of force traveling at the speed of sound from the hand’s palm. This ability takes a moment to prepare itself to be used, notably, a metal flap on the back of the hand of the NA raises up, and two on the sides of the forearm open as well. When a Raijin's Burst is triggered, these flaps snap shut, releasing a blast of varying strength, though it can also close without triggering a blast. The stronger the blast, the longer these flaps have to stay open. The power of said blast can either be weak enough to barely move a small plant, or strong enough to destroy concrete with rebar support, snap steel I-beams, and stop a charging adult elephant. The area Raijin's Burst effects can also be tuned, anywhere from a large cone in front, to a narrow beam, though narrowing it past a roughly 45° cone will not increase the effectiveness of the attack.

Raijin's Burst also can selectively target, but the effects are minor. Those the blast is not intended to get hit will not go deaf and experience a reduced (but significant) impact, however those intended to be hit by it will receive the brunt of the attack, alongside likely going deaf due to the massive pressure change experienced. Lucy notably cannot go deaf from using Raijin's Burst, and experiences little to no recoil that you would expect from an attack like this.

Icarus’s Wing - With extended contact with most materials, that being most metals, organic matter, concrete, and everything in between, Daedalus can degrade the material like how gallium destroys aluminum. The larger and tougher the object, the more time it takes to degrade it, though the area affected by the ability can be controlled. For example, instead of destroying an entire large steel door, Icarus’s Wing can instead target a human sized area of it to weaken. After the material has been sufficiently degraded, it may collapse under its own weight, or crumble with a gentle push. This ability also extends to humans and other living creatures, but not other Noble Arms.

Dragon’s Fang - Daedalus’s melee ability, shifting each finger into an impossibly sharp object. No matter the direction a strike comes from, if it can be cut by Daedalus, it will cut it. The activation of this ability prevents Raijin's Burst from being used until Daedalus reverts back. Like with the other offensive abilities, a target not intended to be hit will result in the NA bouncing off it without creating more harm than if you were to be punched by it. The tips of each of Daedalus’s fingers also turns a blood red, though this has no effect on the combat performance of Dragon’s Fang. Typically, Daedalus cannot cut through tougher metals, but it can easily claw through kevlar, aluminum, and slice into bone. While other Noble Arms can have a superior ability to slice through things, the Dragon’s Fang ability is no slouch.

The Blessing of Daedalus - The collective name for Daedalus’s passive abilities when in use. Daedalus, like most other Noble Arms, is significantly tougher than most armors. Daedalus can also exhibit significantly more strength than a traditional human arm despite being significantly heavier than most arms. Despite this, it’s not a good idea to attempt to use Daedalus to carry something heavier than what Lucy’s skeleton can handle, as bones will fracture. Daedalus also does not give any sensory input, meaning Lucy cannot feel the object she is interacting with.

God’s Vortex - The only defensive ability Daedalus has, when in use, the top of the forearm near the end of the arm opens up and visibly grows in size. After that is done, the solid piece of metal separates into smaller fragments vibrating at immense speed, resulting in humming from Daedalus. While it is vibrating, an invisible shield appears in front of the arm, catching large projectiles like high velocity tank shells. Each pellet from any sort of shotgun round counts as their own projectile, while grenades or other explosives bounce off without affecting the shield at all. Anything larger or with too much kinetic energy will pass straight through the shield. After 10 seconds passes or the shield absorbs a significant amount of kinetic energy, the projectiles are dropped and a large cloud of smoke erupts from Daedalus, temporarily obscuring the immediate area. This allows Lucy to escape engagement. After usage, Daedalus’s active abilities cannot be used for some time, proportional to how much energy was absorbed. If a low amount of energy is absorbed, it results in a fairly quick recovery, while a large amount of energy absorbed results in it being unusable for about 15 minutes.

Misc Abilities: Lucy has quite a knack for mechanical engineering, despite typically only having one arm. She generally spends her free time messing about with mechanical constructs, particularly enjoying building things with LEGO Technic parts. She also has quite the talent for getting into trouble and getting out just as fast, whether that be convincing the other person to back down, or demonstrating her Daedalus to scare them. Despite not being a good judge of character, Lucy exhibits quite the talent of interrogating people, that skill coming from her interesting and not so noble past.

Personality: Lucy is many things, but she is neither openly friendly or openly hostile towards people around her. To most, she comes across as cold, but not in the sense that she dislikes them, moreso it’s just how she is. While Lucy is quite capable of following orders, she will calmly speak out against things she doesn’t like, expecting people to listen closely. Outside of combat, Lucy’s demeanor doesn’t change much. While she, of course, won’t harm people unless they attack her, she is quick to strongly warn them to back off. Despite all this, she is quick to help out others, so long as laws she sees as just in the situation aren’t broken. Lucy also can be noted to have an interesting set of morals, while she’s not immoral, it comes across more like she doesn’t properly know what is right, influenced by her gang history.

Fears: Harm to her Family, harm to the person she is seeking out, her death, and harm to those she likes. Quite simple, really.

Bio: Lucy was born into a gang in the New England area, but relocated across the country several times. Due to the presence of Arms Masters, bigger gangs were able to form, both targeting lower Arms Masters and those targeting particularly hateful civilians. The gang Lucy grew up in, called by her as the Family, targeted aggressive persons and aggressive lower Arms Masters, being quite effective at it. This led to some groups hating them, of course, but their more vigilante-like action led to some deals with police departments around where they were at the time. They helped the police, the police ignored them. Lucy herself was homeschooled, and introduced into this life from a young age. Taught to defend herself and fight others, she became quite capable of protecting herself.

This all changed in the early 2000s, when The Big Three rose up. The gang was plunged into chaos, as everything around them seemed to break down. The Family stayed together, in these troubled times, they couldn’t afford to fall apart. The Family stayed together, even if the resulting chaos hurt them. People now weren’t just born with Noble Arms, they could get them. One such person, whom the Family ruined their life, came rushing after them. A lowly E rank, he knew about Lucy, even though the Family thought she was a well hidden secret. He jumped her on her way to strike a deal with another gang, sure he would slice her in two. Nobody knew that Lucy had a Noble Arm, not even herself.

In an instantaneous moment, Daedalus appeared, entirely replacing her arm. Before anyone knew what happened, a Burst was fired with a massive crack, throwing the assailant onto his ass and his Noble Arm down the alleyway they both were in. Lucy was still trying to process what just happened, when the attacker got up and threw a punch, it struck, but Lucy punched back with all of her strength. Daedalus was stronger than she expected, shattering the E class’s neck and fracturing the base of his skull, killing him near instantly. After this, she went into hiding, coming to accept the fact that she no longer had a regular arm. She made her way back to her Family, surprisingly enough they were accepting enough of her new position as an Arms Master, although some worried about the attention the Family would get.

Over the next few months, the Family’s situation continued to deteriorate, financially and in their strength. That is, until they got an interesting offer. Someone with a high amount of interest in the Family wanted their help, specifically someone in the Philippines. In rewards for helping them, they’d give the Family quite the amount of money and connect them with valuable people. This would be enough to secure the Family’s existence for the next few years, assuming they don’t die. This person specifically requested “Someone with extraordinary abilities.” That person would be Lucy. This person also proved their identity to the Family, getting their limited trust.

As such, Lucy traveled to the Philippines, though ended up there at an incredibly bad time. She received a letter from the messenger, simply stating “Survive and assist in this upcoming battle and I will double the money you will receive.” This is where she is now, and this is where her story starts, caught up in a conflict she had no right to be in.

Current Goal: Survive, meet up with the messenger, secure the fate of the Family.

Military or Civilian Rank: Volunteer Arms Master Soldier.