Hitman

/ / H A L C Y O N / / A Mythology RP

Looks fun. I'm interested.

@ChaoticLaw

Sounds good! Feel free to pop into the Discord!

/ / H A L C Y O N / /

[ RESERVED. ]

/ / H A L C Y O N / /

“I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?”

John Lennon

---

---

The Primordial Ones

“From the end springs new beginnings.”

Pliny the Elder

We've all heard legends, myths, tales of old. Of how gods and goddesses alike ruled our world. These ancient fables have been woven into the threads of history, teaching of ancient morals and values and showing us the ways of our ancestors. But are these ancient tales really just fiction?

The answer is no. Every mythology has its truth, and every pantheon has its power. All of these mythos draw from the power of the Primordial, an endless well of magical power. In the olden days, the many Pantheons ruled their respective regions uncontested and wielded absolute dominion over the world, but the rise of monotheism soon deprived the old pantheons of their undisputed power. Gradually, these “pagan” religions dissolved in strength as their followers abandoned the ancient creed in droves.

That is not to say that these old Gods are gone, however. The once-almighty pantheons of the old world formed a pact together, the representatives of the major religious sects forging an alliance of sorts to combine their waning powers. Perhaps they would not be worshipped as they once were, and that they were destined to be remembered only as stories, but the Gods and Goddesses of the old order decreed they would not fade from power. They would combine their powers and watch over humanity from behind the scenes, and they would train and empower the next generations of humans to act as vessels for them. Through these humans, these mortals, they would find communicators, mouthpieces of the Gods to the rest of the human world, and to fight against the forces of evil that the Gods were no longer strong enough to defend against.

---

---

The Communicators

“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.”

William Butler Yeats

Every God and Goddess of the old order would choose a mortal to invest their powers in. This mortal would then use their new, Godly powers to help reshape the world in the image of the once-almighty old gods. They would be trained in the usage of their incredible newfound abilities and then cast off into the world to represent the olden order from behind the scenes. It was quite the genius plan, allowing the Gods that could no longer use their powers to influence the Earth to still make an impact on the planet and help protect it from the darkness that lived on.

A number of Communicators would become well-known, though not necessarily as Communicators, but as society’s new leaders and pioneers, renowned for their ingenuity and wit, though the superhuman powers certainly helped. Some of the more notable Communicators in history include Teddy Roosevelt, (a Communicator of Hercules, whose supernatural abilities allowed him to survive a normally-fatal bullet wound to the chest and continue his speech), Joan of Arc, a Communicator of Athena, Wild Bill Hickok, a Communicator of Sekhmet, Leo Major, a Communicator of Thor, and a number of others.

Every great mythological figure would choose a Communicator to represent them in the world, and their imbued magic would serve to allow these new Communicators to flourish in their new roles. Communicators have been around for hundreds of years now, with the concept starting as early as the 1200s with the end of “paganism” and lasting to the modern day. The Communicators, along with the lingering magical presence of the Old Order of Gods, have since taken refuge in a sacred home called the Sky Palace, a large castle ripped straight out of fairy-tale books nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, veiled from the rest of the world by a mystical eternal blizzard. It is in this castle that the new representatives for the elder Gods will gather for the first time to begin a quest of fighting against the many perilous evils of the world.

---

---

The Sky Palace

“Well...it'll do.”

The Old Deus

After their fall from omnipotent power, the peaks of Mount Olympus or the halls of Asgard were no longer an option, especially with the Communicator plan to be put into motion. The Gods wanted a place that was close to the Earth, but isolated. The first location of the Gods was an oasis on the Western Sahara. The second, Ciel Terrestre, was a great manor located in the midst of the Camargue in France, surrounded by fog so dense that no mortal could ever cross it. With the rise of the New World, however, the Communicators were moved abroad to the Americas- namely, into the White Mountains of New Hampshire towards a spectacular palace nestled in the crags of the snow-capped peaks called the Sky Palace.

In a valley surrounded by dense forest, jagged mountains, and lots of snow, the Sky Palace serves as the home base for the Communicators. Surrounded by a veil of magic that, to mortals, manifests as howling winds and brutal blizzards, the Sky Palace is the only place on Earth where the Gods have a fraction of the power they once wielded, and as such is a safe haven for the Communicators. Young Communicators live at the Palace for a few years before being allowed out into the world, while older Communicators will come back to the Palace just to report in or to crash for the night.

Though technically the center of the mingling of the many Gods, the pantheons only get along begrudgingly, out of mutual necessity. The pantheons have separated encampments scattered across the misty valley of the Sky Palace. However, the Communicators from all the Pantheons work together as a cohesive unit and almost always forge bonds beyond their respective deity groups.

The logistics of the Sky Palace are historically run by Thoth’s Communicator, and the education of the new Communicators by Chiron’s. Heimdallr’s Communicator is typically responsible for the defense of the Sky Palace, though the home of the Communicators has never been under any threat since the previous millennium.

---

---

A New Life

“Fire! Fire! Oh my God, I'm on fire! I'm on actual ****ing fire! What the hell?! How do I turn it off?!”

Julia McGinnis, Communicator of Hestia (1994)

Selection
Communicators are chosen based upon compatibility as the driving factor. The Gods use their powers to scope out and select youths of roughly college age (though that is far from a rule set in stone) and appear to them in a dream to recruit them to the cause. As it happens, Gods can be very persuasive. While compatibility is the most important factor, a couple of Gods have taken to choosing their Communicators based on family lineage, though this is far from a universal rule as well. The key for a God/mortal pairing is the functionality and similarity of the pair that makes the duo actually work effectively, more than any bloodline obligations.

Powers
Communicators typically wield powers that relate directly to their overseer God. These powers do take some time to get used to, hence the brief period spent at the Sky Palace in order to hone the powers. These powers, while not necessarily world-bending, are quite significant, enough to make Communicators formidable combatants.

Outside of their unique Communicator abilities, there are two other universally shared abilities that Communicators possess. One of them is the gift of condition: all Communicators will find their linguistic abilities expand dramatically after selection, as well as their physical capacity improving immensely. The other ability is much more of a failsafe and is termed Invocation. Invocation allows a Communicator to call their representative God into a physical form for a brief period of time, using their own body as a vessel. While a very powerful ability, the usage of this technique is immensely taxing and even dangerous. After all, very few mortals can stand to even look at a God in their native form directly without bursting into flames- to take one into your body is close to suicide.

Gods that possess Relics may also pass down their weapons or other tools to their Communicators. After all, being stuck in New Hampshire, they have very little need for them. Might as well hand them to the next generation. The same can be said for familiars- certain animal companions may also attach themselves (perhaps a little too much) to their new Communicators. These sacred Relics generally are linked to the Communicator's powers and can thus only be wielded effectively by said Communicator, their respective God's bloodline, or another God. The Relics will painfully sear the flesh of anybody else that tries to hold in, Communicator or regular mortal. While this burning effect can be mitigated with lots of layers, the item still cannot be used to its fullest potential in the hands of another.

Demigods
Demigods are still a concept that exists even in the modern day. As it so happens, being relegated from your status as Universal Overlord to just being a voice in some kid’s head is not enough to douse the libido of many of the Gods. Some of the Gods have briefly taken mortal forms to go elope with the local country folk and have produced a few demigod heirs. That being said, despite being genetically more Godly than Communicators, demigods are looked down upon as tainted and unworthy. This type of treatment certainly won’t affect the Demigod population of Earth and make them seek revenge though, right?

---

---

Beasts and Burdens

Mine own researcheth hast hath found many a dang'rous beast enshielf in the bowels of the most wondrous wild'rness and the depths of the ocean blue. These creatures art both deadly and myst'rious. In the nameth of mine own gl'rious patron and dedication to the endless bounds of humanity, I shall studyeth these savage monst'rs until mine own dying breath ”

Hayden James Walpole, Communicator of Hermes (1654)

There are still many lingering threats to Gaia that remain in existence, and one of those threats are the Beasts and Burdens that are still a societal threat. One of the key jobs of the Communicator is to protect the planet from these beasts and prevent them from growing too strong and too populous.

Classification
Hayden James Walpole is mentioned in history textbooks as a pioneering biologist of the 17th century, who helped to further the British understanding of many foreign plants and animals. The part that is left out of the books is that Walpole was a Communicator of the Greek God Hermes. Back in the day, the Gods didn't really see any sort of need to classify their immortal foes into categories, and simply sent their Communicators out to engage them in battle, dueling with the beasts, often with significant casualties. Zeus sent 3 Communicators to their deaths engaging a deadly Lernean Hydra residing in the Scottish Loch Ness before eventually leaving the foul creature be, where it remains to this day. Walpole used his skill in biology and magical globe-traveling abilities to traverse the globe and collect as much information about the creatures as possible. His findings were detailed in a bestiary encyclopedia titled "De Natura Mortuus Barbari," which has been magically preserved and duplicated within the Sky Palace for centuries now.

In the book, Walpole splits the creatures into two categories. "Beasts" are malignant creatures that actively seek to consume human flesh and are non-sentient, only able to actively seek prey. "Burdens" are, on the other hand, creatures that are considered to be sentient but are actively and intelligently seeking to kill humans or Communicators for other reasons, often in an attempt at global dominance of some sort. Both Beasts and Burdens are classified with Greek letters in terms of relative strength, with the lowest regular measurement being Zeta and the highest being Alpha.

An In-Depth Examination of Ratings

Zeta (Ζ) Class: Any creature classified as a Zeta Class is considered very weak. Most humans would easily be able to kill a Zeta-class creature. Zeta-class creatures are normally small insects or mammals.

Epsilon (E) Class: Epsilon-class creatures are still considered weak, posing a modest threat to most humans and a minimal threat to most Communicators. They are most effective in groups.

Delta (Δ) Class: Delta-Class creatures pose a modest threat to most Communicators and consist of a majority of most of the creatures that need to be dealt with.

Gamma (Γ) Class: Gamma-Class creatures pose a rather large threat to an individual Communicator and will be a formidable opponent to your average communicator in a one-on-one fight.

Beta (Β) Class: Beta-Class creatures are very threatening for an individual communicator to deal with and may very well require a group of Communicators to fight.

Alpha (A) Class: Alpha-Class creatures are nigh-impossible to fight one-on-one. It would be suicide to do so. A team of communicators is required to be able to fight one

Sigma (Σ) Class: Sigma-Class creatures are very rare but dangerous. Even a team of communicators would be hard-pressed to deal with such a creature. Only a God could deal with such a presence.

Omega (Ω) Class: Omega-Class creatures pose a threat to even an invocated God. Only a couple of creatures in all of time and space are at this level, and they have been dormant for many, many moons.

Beasts

Kappas

Mine own journey to japan wast marr'd by these impish things. Taketh he'd at which hour walking by the wat'rside. One of the dastardly beasts almost tooketh mine own leg crisp off.

Hayden James Walpole

Class: Δ Class

The kappa is an imp or demon native to Japan. Its name means "river child." The kappa resembles a frog or a monkey the size of a human child, with a notable small pool of water suspended above their head, signifying their life force and habitat. They have a humanoid face, tortoise's beak and shell, and scaly skin. Kappas are highly gifted at using magic and can pose a good threat to a Communicator, even alone. The trick is to get them to bow their head- once the water in their head is drained, they lose their magical abilities. With the water ready, though, the kappa is not to be underestimated at all.

Harpies

These hideous things once afeard the legendary argonauts, and the monst'rs continueth to menace the innocent. The haggish birds art weak as one, but fearsome as a flock.

Hayden James Walpole

Class: Δ Class

Harpies are half-bird and half-woman creatures of Greek origin. Normally resting in large, communal nests in mountains, harpies are notorious for abducting children for feasting purposes. Hideous and evil at heart, the creatures are like larger, more aggressive, and uglier birds of prey. While your average Communicator often won't struggle against one (provided they have some experience with combat), their strength is solely in numbers. Lots of numbers. Many a talented Communicator has been torn to shreds by a massive flock of harpies descending upon them.

---

---

RP Application

➼ Basic Rules Apply: I think beyond any level of skill as a writer is the importance of being open and friendly to other people. Paramount to anything else I could say is the importance of amiability. Mean-spiritedness is not an option.

➼ Flexibility: I'm not looking for strict posting timetables as much as I'm looking for people that are willing to be open and communicate about the entire process of writing. If you're open with me, we can work things out. If not, then I can't be expected to read your mind.

➼ High Casual: This does not mean that I'm going to tally up your word count for every post or do a detailed analysis of each piece of writing you submit. Rather, I'm just looking for thoughtful characters that demonstrate personality, flaws, and room to grow. Having a well-balanced cast of well-rounded characters is far more important than the number of words you can type out or the quality of your coding (not to say either of the latter is discouraged!)

➼ Character Creation/Pantheons: For this RP, I'm looking for a group of new Communicators to replace some of the retiring Communicators of the past and fill in their shoes. Communicators would tend to be roughly college-age individuals, but that is not a hard-and-fast rule. As for their respective aligned Gods, I will be operating a list of Gods from which you can reserve your choice for a character. So long as the God of your choice doesn't come from Hinduism or Abrahamic religions and isn't taken by somebody else, I will be more than happy to add it to the list! The tables will be kept in the Discord. Speaking of which...

➼ Discord: While the RP will be taking place on RPG, joining the Discord is going to be very, very important for the purposes of the RP, just because it is vastly easier for me to be able to keep all the running tallies in one place. The Discord is not 100% mandatory but it will definitely make your life a lot easier to join. And plus, I think it tends to be good fun as well!

Click on the picture of the Halycon below to join.

^{Discord Link above. Click the bird to join!}

RP STATUS: Open for Applications!

Please leave your CS applications in the OOC first before moving them to the CS tab after approval from the GM. Thanks!

Character Application

[ INSERT PICTURE OF YOUR FC ]

[ INSERT HEADER (optional, but would be a nice touch) ]

[h2.][color=???][ BASICS ][/color][/h2][hr.]
[color=???][b][ NAME ][/B][/color]
** Your full name. **

[color=???][B][ AGE ][/B][/color]
** Your full name. **

[color=???][B][ GENDER ][/B][/color]
** Your full name. **

[color=???][B][ COMMUNICATOR OF ][/B][/color]
** Your patron God. **

[color=???][B][ MYTHOLOGY OF (YOUR GOD) ][/B][/color]
** A brief statement about the history and mythology of your chosen God. **

[hr.][h2][color=???][ APPEARANCE ][/color][/h2][hr.]
[color=???][B][ PHYSIQUE ][/B][/color]
** Just a general written description of what you look like. **

[color=???][B][ HEIGHT / WEIGHT ][/B][/color]
** Self-explanatory. **

[hr.][h2][color=???][ PERSONALITY ][/color][/h2][hr.]
[color=???][B][ PERSONALITY DESCRIPTION ][/B][/color]
** Description of your character's personality. **

[color=???][B][ LIKES / DISLIKES ][/B][/color]
** Self-explanatory. **

[hr.][h2][color=???][ BIOGRAPHY ][/color][/h2][hr.]
[color=???][B][ Place of Origin ][/B][/color]
** Hometown, where they live, where they're from, et cetera. **

[color=???][B][ BIO ][/B][/color]
** Can be as elaborate as you'd like, but does not have to be extensive. That being said, try to give a good picture of your character's life and how they got to being a Communicator.**

[color=???][B][ REASON FOR CHOICE ][/B][/color]
** Explain why your patron God chose your character as a Communicator. **

[hr.][h2][color=???][ POWERS ][/color][/h2][hr.]
[color=???][B][ RELICS / FAMILIARS ][/B][/color]
** Any mythological relics or familiars your character has, if any. **

[color=???][B][ POWERS ][/B][/color]
** Brief description of your character's powers. Try to leave room to grow and flourish in your abilities. You can have multiple distinct abilities, though no more than 3 separate powers. **

[color=???][B][ INVOCATION ][/B][/color]
** Describe what would happen with a theoretical invocation. A picture of the summoned God would be a nice, requested addition, though not mandatory. **

[color=???][B][ OTHER INTERESTS/SKILLS ][/B][/color]
** Any non-magic related skills, talents, and other general interests. **

[hr.][h2][color=???][ MISC. ][/color][/h2][hr.]
** All the following details are entirely optional and just for fluff and additional depth. You can delete/abbreviate/modify this section if you would like.**
[color=???][B][ BIRTHDAY / SIGN ][/B][/color]
** insert. **

[color=???][B][ FAVORITES / LEAST FAVORITES ][/B][/color]
** favorite food/drink/animal et cetera **

[color=???][B][ SEXUAL PREFERENCE ][/B][/color]
** favorite food/drink/animal et cetera **

[color=???][B][ MUSIC/MOVIE/BOOK/GAME TYPE ][/B][/color]
** etc.**

**Anything else you want to add. Again, optional.**

---

---

/ / H A L C Y O N / / A Mythology RP

This looks interesting. I have a few ideas already.

@King Cosmos

Sounds great!

/ / H A L C Y O N / / A Mythology RP

HoNk

@Blizz

Honk indeed.

/ / H A L C Y O N / / A Mythology RP

Interested!

@canaryrose

Thank you stranger

/ / H A L C Y O N / / A Mythology RP

“I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?”

John Lennon

---

---

The Primordial Ones

“From the end springs new beginnings.”

Pliny the Elder

We've all heard legends, myths, tales of old. Of how gods and goddesses alike ruled our world. These ancient fables have been woven into the threads of history, teaching of ancient morals and values and showing us the ways of our ancestors. But are these ancient tales really just fiction?

The answer is no. Every mythology has its truth, and every pantheon has its power. All of these mythos draw from the power of the Primordial, an endless well of magical power. In the olden days, the many Pantheons ruled their respective regions uncontested and wielded absolute dominion over the world, but the rise of monotheism soon deprived the old pantheons of their undisputed power. Gradually, these “pagan” religions dissolved in strength as their followers abandoned the ancient creed in droves.

That is not to say that these old Gods are gone, however. The once-almighty pantheons of the old world formed a pact together, the representatives of the major religious sects forging an alliance of sorts to combine their waning powers. Perhaps they would not be worshipped as they once were, and that they were destined to be remembered only as stories, but the Gods and Goddesses of the old order decreed they would not fade from power. They would combine their powers and watch over humanity from behind the scenes, and they would train and empower the next generations of humans to act as vessels for them. Through these humans, these mortals, they would find communicators, mouthpieces of the Gods to the rest of the human world, and to fight against the forces of evil that the Gods were no longer strong enough to defend against.

---

---

The Communicators

“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.”

William Butler Yeats

Every God and Goddess of the old order would choose a mortal to invest their powers in. This mortal would then use their new, Godly powers to help reshape the world in the image of the once-almighty old gods. They would be trained in the usage of their incredible newfound abilities and then cast off into the world to represent the olden order from behind the scenes. It was quite the genius plan, allowing the Gods that could no longer use their powers to influence the Earth to still make an impact on the planet and help protect it from the darkness that lived on.

A number of Communicators would become well-known, though not necessarily as Communicators, but as society’s new leaders and pioneers, renowned for their ingenuity and wit, though the superhuman powers certainly helped. Some of the more notable Communicators in history include Teddy Roosevelt, (a Communicator of Hercules, whose supernatural abilities allowed him to survive a normally-fatal bullet wound to the chest and continue his speech), Joan of Arc, a Communicator of Athena, Wild Bill Hickok, a Communicator of Sekhmet, Leo Major, a Communicator of Thor, and a number of others.

Every great mythological figure would choose a Communicator to represent them in the world, and their imbued magic would serve to allow these new Communicators to flourish in their new roles. Communicators have been around for hundreds of years now, with the concept starting as early as the 1200s with the end of “paganism” and lasting to the modern day. The Communicators, along with the lingering magical presence of the Old Order of Gods, have since taken refuge in a sacred home called the Sky Palace, a large castle ripped straight out of fairy-tale books nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, veiled from the rest of the world by a mystical eternal blizzard. It is in this castle that the new representatives for the elder Gods will gather for the first time to begin a quest of fighting against the many perilous evils of the world.

---

---

Roleplay Info

Welcome to Halcyon! This is a re-imagining of one of my first GMed RPs and a concept that I love. A few notes about the RP and the concept:

➼ Basic Rules Apply: I think beyond any level of skill as a writer is the importance of being open and friendly to other people. Paramount to anything else I could say is the importance of amiability. Mean-spiritedness is not an option.

➼ Flexibility: I'm not looking for strict posting timetables as much as I'm looking for people that are willing to be open and communicate about the entire process of writing. If you're open with me, we can work things out. If not, then I can't be expected to read your mind.

➼ High Casual: This does not mean that I'm going to tally up your word count for every post or do a detailed analysis of each piece of writing you submit. Rather, I'm just looking for thoughtful characters that demonstrate personality, flaws, and room to grow. Having a well-balanced cast of well-rounded characters is far more important than the number of words you can type out or the quality of your coding (not to say either of the latter is discouraged!)

➼ Character Creation/Pantheons: For this RP, I'm looking for a group of new Communicators to replace some of the retiring Communicators of the past and fill in their shoes. Communicators would tend to be roughly college-age individuals, but that is not a hard-and-fast rule. As for their respective aligned Gods, I will be operating a list of Gods from which you can reserve your choice for a character. So long as the God of your choice doesn't come from Hinduism or Abrahamic religions and isn't taken by somebody else, I will be more than happy to add it to the list! The tables will be kept in the Discord. Speaking of which...

➼ Discord: While the RP will be taking place on RPG, joining the Discord is going to be very, very important for the purposes of the RP, just because it is vastly easier for me to be able to keep all the running tallies in one place. The Discord is not 100% mandatory but it will definitely make your life a lot easier to join. And plus, I think it tends to be good fun as well!

Click on the picture of the Halycon below to join.

^{Discord Link above. Click the bird to join!}

Thank you for reading, and I hope you join! More information will be available with the creation of the actual thread. Feel free to ask any questions through Discord, PM, or in this thread, and also make sure to express interest below if you'd like to join! Thanks again and Godspeed!

《 R W B Y :: Grimm Adventures 》

Is there still an open spot?

@DarkHasayoVA

Unfortunately not, if there are spot openings I can let you know though.

《 R W B Y :: Grimm Adventures 》

---

B E A C O N A C A D E M Y
T H E G R E A T H A L L
K I N G D O M O F V A L E

---

Mei blinked with guilt as Violet spoke. "You know, you don't actually have to pay me back. Was just a joke. Though if you do have any excess money- or food, for that matter- I'll be happy to take it." Mei flashed a toothy grin as the girl went to check on the other kangaroo-looking girl, who was sobbing inconsolably. "Talk about first day jitters," Mei said, her eyes quickly turning to address the commotion. Drongo, who had been reaching for God knows what, had been tackled by what appeared to be another semi-awake Faunus wolf and also what appeared to be a dog. As the youthful Atlesian elite screamed after being suddenly pinned down to the ground, Mei shrugged, her eyes flitting towards Bren. He seemed a bit high-strung and almost lofty at the moment, but Mei supposed he was a nice enough fellow. Although the fact that he could summon guard dogs as he pleased was not a Semblance that Mei had a particularly high view of. Damned fanged beasts. "Thanks for the advice, but I got it covered," Mei said confidently, her arms folded in satisfaction, as if she hadn't almost just been shot in the back of the head. "I'm used to looking after Number One. That being me. Don't need any sort of personal rich boy looking after me." Mei gave Bren a look-over. "I'm used to looking after Number One. That being me. Don't need any sort of personal rich boy looking after me. Focus on the initiation, 'kay?"

Mei heard a vaguely annoying female voice ring out over the chaos, and her eyes locked onto Albedo. Who did this girl think she was exactly? Mei was not used to being bossed around by anybody, especially not girls that were smaller and probably younger than her. No way in hell. "Aww, did the wittle baby walk too far away from Mommy and Daddy?" Mei shot back with a sardonic, mocking baby voice. "Not sure what it was like in your castle growing up, Princess, but from where I'm from, if you want somebody to shut up, you shut them up." Mei hit her with a stinging glare, before turning away. "I'm going to go actually get some shut-eye now. So, from me to the rest of you, shut it, and I'll see you tomorrow," Mei said sharply before making her way back to her sleeping bag.

---

T H E N E X T D A Y
E M E R A L D F O R E S T
K I N G D O M O F V A L E

---

The next morning was pretty much a blur. Nothing particularly interesting happened- Mei woke up, got changed back into the same jacket she had worn during her arrival at Beacon, wolf down another monstrous helping of food at breakfast, and then made her way out to the landing site- a small clearing on the top of a cliff, that overlooked the massive Emerald Forest. Mei looked out in wonder as she took in the natural landscape. She hadn't really gotten much of a chance to explore nature too much in her formative years. The forest really was a breathtaking site. Standing at the top of the cliff alongside her was the noble-looking Carlisle, still in his finest suit of armor, holding what appeared to be a chalice in his hand. Standing next to him was a woman, around his age or perhaps a tad younger, with locks of steely blue hair and sharp dark eyes. She seemed much more serious-looking than the interim Headmaster. And hotter, too, but that was far besides the point.

The knight directed the group of initiates over onto a set of steel pads on the cliff, before coughing. "Greetings, initiates! I hope you had a good night's sleep." He smiled fondly. "This is your day to shine and earn your place at Beacon. Standing before you is the mighty Emerald Forest, and within it are a number of creatures of Grimm. Your goal will be to traverse the dangers of the forest and make your way across towards the Initiation Temple." Carlisle gestured vaguely into the distance. "At the Temple, you will be obtaining a relic, and then returning back to this clifftop location to complete your task! And that's it, I believe. Azure?"

Azure was looking boredly at her Scroll. "Sterling, you missed almost everything. Partners, teams, et cetera..."

"Ah, an intentional error, for I was testing your listening skills!" Carlisle said without missing a beat. "Today is not just the day you earn your spot at Beacon, but the day you earn your spot on a team! Your partnership will be determined through the tradition Beacon way- the first person of whom you lay eyes upon once you leave this clifftop!" Sterling smiled brightly, though the students seemed to have a much more negative reaction to this news. "No ifs and buts, my future Huntsmen. Fate has a plan for you, and we will be making sure that you follow what destiny has written. Once you arrive at the initiation site, you will be matched with another partnership through your Relic of choice! Those teams will be final. No ifs, no buts. This has always worked in the past, and we will continue to uphold this great tradition!" Carlisle raised his cup joyfully. "You will be watched and graded on your performance throughout this trial. However, we will not be intervening on your behalf. Unless, of course, you try to cheat. Cheating is strongly discouraged at Beacon. Any attempt of sabotage will be noted and punished, even in the face of imminent death. Alright, that covers everything!" Carlisle smiled jovially at this ominous statement.

"Alright-y then, now I do think we’ve covered everything on the docket.” Carlisle glanced at Azure before gesturing grandly towards the sun. ”I hope you’ve prepared your landing strategy in advance. Otherwise, you might be in for a rough touchdown. Now, fire away!"

Mei had no time to do anything before a Huntsman was flung from their landing pad and launched into the night sky. Mei blinked as, one by one, Hunters were launched into the blue sky, hurtling over the treetops into the depths of the forest. Mei quickly hashed together a plan in her head as the initiates were sequentially launched into the Emerald treeline. Nobody had exactly told her that this was the Initiation- perhaps she should’ve asked- but Mei had no intention of failing this initiation because she fell. She bent her knees and, as the pad sprung her off the clifftop, she soared through the air, grabbing Wicked Demon from her back and twirling the scythe in her hand as she flew through the air. As she began to descend, she flicked the weapon, the scythe head extending from the rest of the device and latching itself to a thick tree branch. A confident smirk clear on her face, Mei swung down like a little girl on a very high swing, looping 360 degrees around the branch before tugging the bladed edge free. Mei launched upwards and then fell back down, landing Mei nimbly on the branch.

”Not bad," Mei said as she nimbly hopped through the canopy, jumping quietly from tree branch to tree branch. "Now, let’s find that temple thing, or whatever. God, this challenge is stupid...." As she lamented the entire concept of the challenge, she thought about this mysterious partnership idea. Who would make a good partner? Mei couldn’t really think of a ‘best’ option. Bren came off as a touch haughty but was nice enough, she supposed. Rowan was...interesting, but at the very least he could fight decently. Metal Arm seemed sweet but also seemed like the type that would be pancaked on landing, so Mei doubted she would even come into contact with her. There were a couple of other Faunus as well that Mei had seen as well that seemed alright. Maybe they would be a good fit. This was all conjecture, though.

As she moved through the treetops, she heard a rustling below her and stopped, grabbing her scythe. It seemed as though it was time for action. Mei leaped down from the branch, confronting whatever was moving down below her.

《 R W B Y :: Grimm Adventures 》

---

B E A C O N A C A D E M Y
T H E G R E A T H A L L
K I N G D O M O F V A L E

---

"Oh, my sorry, stupid friend,"Briar said with a chuckle as his gang of friends encircled Bren. "It's not a very good decision for you to try and scare me. You watch yourself there, Adalwolf." Briar's moment of attempted intimidation was interrupted by the loud sounds of footsteps. Briar turned around, about to tell this sprinting fool off, before he realized said fool was running directly at him. Briar was launched by Rowan's kick like a pinball, thumping across the floor before ricocheting directly into the wall with a loud crash. There were a few audible gasps as all eyes followed the Atlesian noble, who was pancaked against the wall, before sliding to the ground in a crumpled-up, moaning heap.

The others of the group of bullies were poised to respond, but Mei decided to take this moment to act, pouncing at the dark-skinned Atlesian that was holding the poor girl's arm and stabbing the red-hot toothbrush directly into his shoulder like a knife. The man howled in pain as Mei withdrew the makeshift weapon, dropping the arm onto the ground and grasping at his shoulder as he staggered back. Mei shot Urq, as well as the other two arrogant youths, a glare. "Keep your arms to yourself. Hah. Good one, Mei," Mei said with a soft chuckle, before kicking the leg over towards Violet. It tumbled across the ground, stopping at Violet's foot. "Hey, uhh, cheer up," Mei said, very lamely. "Err, your arm. See! Ta-da." Mei looked curiously at the girl. While she didn't exactly condone bullying, she did admit that the Atlesian asswipes had a point. This tiny thing looked like she could be beaten in a fight by a strong breeze, nevermind a Creature of Grimm. "All favors can be repaid in cash," Mei made sure to add on. Hey, altruism had to come with a price, right?

Her eyes fell upon Rowan, the one who had initiated the whole fight. Something about him rang a few bells. And then, it struck her. Mei raised her toothbrush, no longer glowing red-hot but somehow still threatening, and pointed it at Rowan. "You!" she declared accusingly. "You were the one that ate all the roast quail!" She levied this accusation as if Rowan had just been the one that had stolen another girl's arm and taunted her about it. "I was busy eating those birds, you know. You didn't have to just shove them down your gullet," she said with a huff as she shoved her toothbrush in her pocket. "Nice kick, though. Really did a number on that jackass." Mei looked fondly over at the crumpled-up pile of Briar that was laying against the wall. "Hah. Rich Atlesian bastards. They get what they deserve, amirite?"

As Mei was saying this, she was facing away from the rest of the group of wealthy heirs, and didn't notice as Drongo, the tall one of the group with pale skin and raven-black hair, reached into his pajama pocket ominously, his eyes locked on the back of Mei's head as he began to pull something menacing out.

^{Mentions:@Zoey Boey@rabidporcupine}