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Cross Sight
| A quirk of vision.
As part of the Crow’s ‘blessing’, Elise is able to see the twisted karma of those around her. Their value to the world is laid bare to her, each person’s threads uniquely identifiable for the Liberi. Since their contract each Montpelier has gained their own unique ‘blessing’, commonly after a life-changing event. For Elise, it was after an encounter with a face-dancer in the Infy Icefields, the death of her unit allowing her to forever differentiate monster from man.
…Elise considers it a curse, really. The sight perpetually clouds her vision, the natural beauty of the world obscured from her view. Hers is one of twisted fortunes and identities, a taint that cannot be excised. It's not like she may alter the course of fate either, seeing fate is one thing; interpreting it however is entirely different.
Well, as the smallest of consolations, the Sight also allows her to easily identify targets in combat. No matter how concealed or hidden, her bullets always find her mark. Surely that's something to be thankful for? | |
Bloodline Contract
| A contract made with the Feranmut only known as the Crow.
In his anger, Duke Laurent Yves Montpelier made a deal with a sealed beast. After all, there was no price he would not pay for Gaul’s vengeance, for the razing of Lingones and shattering of his beloved realm. For the power to exact his revenge, three prices were paid:
First, the shackling of the soul. In exchange for the Crow’s custody of his soul, he gained unparalleled ability in the Arts. Feranmut had no innate ability for the Arts, yet for the Crow who had been sealed in an Originium artefact for centuries, such a bestowment was within its purview.
Second, the rotting of the blood. The Crow held sole dominion over the Montpeliers, it would not share with the accursed infection that blighted the land. Laurent’s body turned sickly as it became tainted by the Crow’s presence, yet till his death Infection would never grip him.
Last, the tainting of the sight. A supposed gift of the Crow, who granted its adherent its vision. A mere aspect, yet one which perpetually twists its wielder.
While Laurent passed, his ambition did not. Elise is but the latest product of his terrible revenge. |
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Imperial Marksmanship - Ursus Raiders
| The Ursus Raiders prided themselves in being the cream of the crop, the tip of the spear in the Empire's armies. Quick and hard-hitting, they favoured rapid skirmishes, whittling down the enemy's strength. Hail the Raiders and their bravery! Hail the Raiders and their skill!
In truth, they are second-rate elites in the Empire's arsenal, far outclassed by Imperial Blades and even the Shieldguards.
To make up for their lacking ability compared to Kazimierz's Silverwing Pegasi and Victoria's Knights of the Tower, the Raiders often rely on unconventional tactics. One such tactic was their style of gunmanship, favouring rapid gunshots with minimal Arts usage. While rendering a firearm's main advantage of penetrative capability most useless, it nevertheless saw success when employed against lightly armoured targets.
While perhaps not used for its intended purpose, the wildlife of the Infy Icefields served as a target-rich environment. Even with her ancient rifle, Elise is still able to fire her weapon in quick bursts. | |
False Heaven
| The line of Arts practiced by House Montpelier.
Astrologers had long known the presence of a false sky. The stars did not align, ever changing and altering. It had been hidden away from them, by some unknown being that denied humanity that luxury. Many instead turned inwards, reading the clouds and winds for Catastrophes.
The Montpeliers instead took inspiration from the unknown.
Drawing from the sky, Montpelier arts manifests as small orbs of shining blue energy, each symbolising a speck in the sky. Like falling stars they turn into lances of blue light, wreaking havoc on an enemy. | |
Fatal Bullet
| The harnessing of the Crow's power.
Little is known about the Crow's abilities. It's memory has long been corroded by its time in captivity, what little it remembers hidden away in its mind. What Elise knows however, is that it is able to somehow manipulate the course of fate. By paying homage and sacrificing yet more of her self to it, Elise might beseech it to bless a single of her bullets. Marked by the Crow, the bullet soars towards its target, swimming not only through the air but through fate itself. Well, as much as can be anyway. Elise's incompatibility with the abilities of the Feranmut and the Crow's weakened strengh has made this manipulation a shadow of its former self, 'only' able to guarantee a hit on the target instead of a certified kill.
Left unsaid is that due to Elise's hatred for the Crow and her desire to be freed from the contract, this clause is never used but in the most dire of circumstances. |