----------REMNANT----------

Remnant is the planet upon which the story's events take place. Originally created by the Brother Gods – the God of Light & God of Darkness – it was ultimately abandoned by them, as they deemed it a "remnant of what it once was". Remnant's moon was left permanently shattered during the Gods' departure, as the God of Darkness crashed through it in an act of petty spite. Nowadays, the moon remains in its half-broken state (the top-left quarter roughly sheared off and floating in small chunks), even as it shines in the night sky. Remnant has four major continental landmasses, occupied by the world's four major kingdoms, as well as numerous small islands. The southeastern continent, Sanus, is host to two kingdoms – Vale on the western half, Vacuo on the eastern half; the rural island settlement of Patch is located directly west of Vale. The western continent, Anima, is the sole territory of the kingdom of Mistral. The frozen northern continent, Solitas, is home to the fourth kingdom – Atlas. The smaller southwestern continent, Menagerie, is seen as an unofficial "fifth kingdom", and a safe haven for Faunus. Lastly, there is the Dragon Continent (it has no true name, only this title), located north of Sanus; this landmass is currently uninhabited, although settlements had been formed on its southern portion in the past.

----------SANUS----------

Sanus is shaped like a large, uneven crescent, oriented upwards, with the western half being the far larger one. The west half of this "crescent" is dominated by verdant forests & fields, as well as towering mountain ranges, which all make up the geography of Vale. The eastern portion of Sanus is primarily dominated by deserts, with the kingdom of Vacuo built around a central oasis. South of the main landmass, there is an uninhabited chain of islands. North of Vale lies the island of Vytal – which was once the site of the peace accord between the four kingdoms, at the end of the Great War.

----------ANIMA----------

Anima has an irregular & sprawling shape – its northern half is a snowy, mountainous coastline, forming a natural ring around the massive Lake Matsu. The port city of Argus is located here. The western side of Anima is dominated with lush forests & swamplands, with numerous small settlements scattered throughout. The eastern side of Anima is an extended peninsula, stretching far out, occupied by arid deserts & volcaic regions near the shoreline. The city of Mistral, capital of the Kingdom of Mistral, is located roughly in the center of Anima.

----------SOLITAS----------

Solitas is the frozen northernmost continent, with a somewhat uneven shape. The southern peninsula hosts the former capital of the Atlas kingdom, the city of Mantle. Above it floats the current capital, the flying city of Atlas. Several smaller settlements & ruins dot the eastern portion of the continent, surrounding a large lake. A century ago, during the times of the Great War, the kingdom was known as Mantle, and its capital was the city of Mantle; after the War ended, the people of Atlas eventually took power over Mantle, thus creating the Atlas Kingdom.

----------MENAGERIE----------

This smaller continent is two-thirds arid desert, leading its resident Faunus population to congregate on the western coastlines, which have a tropical environment. The main settlement here is Kuo Kuana, a bustling town with numerous small houses & buildings packed together; expansive street markets; a "Shallow Sea" district, comprised of wooden houses on stilts, where Faunus with aquatic features live. Kuo Kuana is home to Ghira Belladonna, chieftain of Menagerie and father of Blake Belladonna.

----------DRAGON CONTINENT----------

The uninhabited landmass located north of Sanus, it has been unofficially dubbed the "Dragon Continent", due to its outline vaguely resembling a dragon with its skeletal wings outstretched. When viewed from orbit, the vast majority of the landmass is blackened, with only the southern portion retaining some greenery.

----------FOUR KINGDOMS----------

Vale, Vacuo, Atlas and Mistral – the four major powers on Remnant. Each kingdom has its own unique climate & culture, and is home one of the four major Huntsman Academies – Beacon in Vale, Haven in Mistral, Shade in Vacuo, and the Atlas Academy in... Atlas. The capital cities bear the same names as the kingdoms themselves. The kingdoms are governed by ruling councils, who attend to the people's needs by acting as a form of democratic senate.

----------GLOSSARY----------

HUMANS – there were two "generations" of humans to have inhabited the planet now known as Remnant. The original humanity, capable of wielding Magic, were completely wiped out during Salem’s failed rebellion against the Brother Gods, leaving her as the only survivor. The current humanity, a "remnant" of the original generation, are unable to use Magic; instead, some of them are able to awaken & wield their Aura, a rare few even developing special abilities known as Semblances.

FAUNUS – a separate species that evolved alongside the current generation of humanity; visually, they resemble humans, but each Faunus is born with a unique animalistic trait (horns, scales, fangs, etc.) Historically, Faunus have been oppressed by humanity, even after being given their own nation-state in the form of Menagerie – which eventually led to the Faunus Rights Revolution. However, even today, Faunus are discriminated against in most Kingdoms – notably, the Schnee Dust Company is constantly beset by allegations of horrifically mistreating its Faunus workers. As a result, many Faunus have ended up joining the White Fang, a radical terrorist group fighting for Faunus rights by force. Just like humans, Faunus are able to use Aura & Semblances.

ANIMALS – ordinary wildlife that inhabit the many varied environments of Remnant. Some animals are kept as pets, cattle or transport; others live in the wilderness. Curiously, the Grimm tend to ignore animals, outside of simple territorial disputes. Some animals are able to harness Aura, since they have souls just as Humans & Faunus do.

GRIMM – monsters inhabiting the majority of Remnant. They exist in a wide variety of species, but common features amongst all kinds of Grimm include black bodies, white bone-plate faces, glowing red eyes and white skeletal spines. They have tar-like insides and dissolve upon death. Grimm are naturally hostile towards Humans & Faunus, unable to be tamed or reasoned with. They are attracted to negative emotions, and congregate on the sources of those feelings. Young Grimm are more reckless & hostile, while older Grimm are more cautious & opportunistic. Grimm were originally created by the God of Darkness, as a force to strike against the creations of the God of Light. However, even after the Brother Gods settled their differences, the Grimm were left to roam the world. Their current master is Salem, who uses Grimm as foot-soldiers in her war against humanity. Grimm lack souls, and are thus unable to use Aura.

AURA – the manifestation of one's soul, it can be used by both Humans & Faunus. Aura has a different color depending on its user – for instance, Jaune Arc's Aura is gold, while Lie Ren's Aura is pink. Aura is essentially an energy reserve used by Huntsmen & Huntresses to enhance their physical abilities or to activate Dust. The strength of an Aura degrades with continual use. This limits the applications of Aura in combat as, with time or heavy use, a person's Aura will decay to the point where they are left weakened or even incapacitated. Aura being completely depleted is visually represented as a colored sheen glowing along the length of a person's body or with colored particles flying off the body, indicating that they can now be physically injured. Aura flickering means it is close to being depleted. Aura can be used for defensive purposes – forming energy shields or a defensive cloak that mitigates damage; and offensive purposes – boosting physical strength & being released as shockwaves when channeled through fists or a weapon. Aura can also be used to heal minor wounds or enhance one's perception. One's Aura can be used to unlock the Aura of another person, provided they are strongly attuned to their soul. Aura reserves also vary from person to person – for example, Jaune Arc has an extraordinarily large reserve of energy. While it is possible to increase one's reserves of Aura, doing so is risky; most Huntsmen prefer improving the efficiency of their Aura usage.

SEMBLANCE – one's innate and personal power, a deeper manifestation of Aura, typically unlocked by strong emotional turmoil or outside phenomena – as a example of the former, Cinder Fall unlocked her Semblance after reaching her breaking point due to the years of abuse she suffered; as an example of the latter, Nora Valkyrie unlocked her Semblance after being struck by lightning. Semblances are unique abilities, but some people may develop similar Semblances despite being unreated; conversely, certain Semblances, such as the Glyphs of the Schnee family, are entirely hereditary. Semblances can be split into the following categories: Clone, Control, Creation, Defense, Effect, Intelligence, Movement, Offense, Probability Manipulation, Spacial, Speed, Stealth, and Supplementary. Using a Semblance typically costs a certain amount of energy, same as using one's Aura. Certain Semblances can be enhanced by Dust, with different effects depending on the kind of Dust used.

DUST – an energy propellant used throughout Remnant, Dust comes in many forms. It's used for powering technology, heating, enhancing one's weaponry; some people even wear Dust-lined clothing. Dust can be used in crystal or powder form; Dust-loaded bullet rounds are commonly sold throughout Remnant and used both by Huntsmen and ordinary military personnel. Dust doesn't work beyond the surface of Remnant, making space exploration & construction of orbital satellites impossible for the time being. Dust mining & trading is a lucrative business; however, the Schnee Dust Company holds a worldwide monopoly over the Dust market. Each kind of Dust has its own unique elemental property. The four primary, basic kinds of Dust are Fire (red), Water (blue), Electricity (yellow), and Wind (pale-white). Other kinds of Dust include:

1. Steam Dust – made by combining Water & Fire Dust.
2. Gravity Dust – dark-purple in color, a combination of Fire & Lightning Dust. Gravity Dust is used to make public transport vehicles hover; naturally-occurring crystals have created numerous floating islands over Lake Matsu in Anima. Huntsmen use Gravity Dust to enhance the impact of their weapons, or to make thrown weapons recall themselves.
3. Combustion Dust – orange in color, a combination of Fire & Wind Dust. Used as fuel for machinery & a strong physical performance-enhancing substance. Yang Xiao Long's motorcycle, Bumblebee, uses Combustion Dust as fuel.
4. Ice Dust – light-blue in color, made from Water + Wind Dust. Weiss Schnee often uses Ice Dust in conjunction with her Semblance, Glyphs.
5. Hard-Light Dust – cyan in color, made from combining all four primary kinds of Dust. The rarest kind of Dust, it creates objects from solid light, and can only be produced artificially. Atlas is the primary producer of Hard-Light Dust, and it is used in much of their technology.
6. Lava Dust – bright-orange in color, made from Fire + Water + Wind Dust. Its purposes are primarily offensive.
7. Plant Dust – green in color, made from Water + Lightning Dust. Facilitates the rapid growth of plants, and is normally used for agricultural purposes.
8. Rock Dust – dark-orange color, made from Fire + Lightning + Water Dust. Can be used both offensively and defensively, by creating rock projectiles & structures.

LIEN – the global currency currently used across Remnant. Lien currency takes the form of a plastic card with a black magnetic reader strip on the back and a small notation on the front. Lien cards come in several colors – turquoise, pink, yellow, blue. The Lien symbol is an L crossed with two horizontal lines (Ⱡ). Lien gold coins and paper bank notes are also in use, although rarely.

HUNTSMEN – elite warriors, skilled in usage of Aura & Semblances, tasked with protecting humanity & fighting the Creatures of Grimm. Prospective Huntsmen must first graduate from primary combat schools (such as Signal Academy in Patch), before attending one of the four Huntsman Academies. Huntsmen are issued digital licenses that can be accessed using their Scroll – including their photo, full name & 15-digit ID number, the Academy they graduated from & the Kingdom that issued the license. Students are provided a Student License; a full license may only be issued after they graduate. Some gifted Huntsmen, such as Maria Calavera, may acquire their licenses by taking a licensing exam, forgoing the need to attend the academies. A Huntsman may lose their license if they're found to be partaking in criminal activities or to do more harm than good. Typically, Huntsmen find employment through digital mission boards, which update in real-time, with the rewards scaling proportionally with the missions' difficulty. Huntsmen are usually not allegiant to any of the four Kingdoms, and are free to travel Remnant as they please; however, this is not the case with Atlas, which heavily pressures its students into joining the Special Operatives Unit of the Atlas Military – Specialist Winter Schnee is one such example. Female Huntsmen are called Huntresses.

SILVER-EYED WARRIORS – Silver-eyed people are an interethnic cultural group whose origin long predates the establishment of Huntsmen and the Kingdoms. According to legend, those born with silver eyes, "which shone like mirrors, reflecting the light of the world," are destined to lead the life of a warrior. With most information on silver eyes rooted in folklore, verifiable accounts or knowledge of their power is difficult to find. Silver eyes themselves are an extremely rare trait in the modern day, despite their legacy of unprecedented combat prowess. Legend states that Silver-Eyed Warriors are able to strike down Grimm with a single look, petrifying them instantly. These powers manifest directly through the user's eyes, emanating a widespread radial flash, though this is sometimes heralded by blinding streams of light, almost resembling angelic wings. Much like awakening a Semblance, the source of a Silver-Eyed Warrior's power is emotional, fueled by a strong desire to preserve life. The key is to intently focus on the wielder's loved ones and manifest one's will to protect them. Summer Rose & Maria Calavera were notable Huntresses who bore the Silver Eyes. Ruby Rose has inherited Summer's eyes, but she isn't yet aware of their significance.

TEAMS – trainees at the Hunsman Academies are grouped into Teams of four, with the intention of fostering empathy and teamwork, as well as lasting bonds, between team members – qualities considered of great importance for future Huntsmen and Huntresses. These teams may stay intact after graduation, but teams are also known to disband as their members pursue solo careers. The first letter of each team member's name is used to form an acronym that stands for the name of the team. In some cases, the first letter of a member's surname may be used. The team leader's initial is the first letter of the team name. For example, the title of Team RWBY (pronounced "Ruby") corresponds to the initials of its members' first names – Ruby (team leader), Weiss, Blake, Yang.

COLOR NAMING RULE – during the Great War, one side (Mantle & Mistral) destroyed art as part of their goal of suppressing all forms of self-expression. In defiance, those who opposed this tyranny (Vale & Vacuo) began naming their children after a fundamental aspect of art - color. This symbolic gesture demonstrated that neither they nor the generations to come would tolerate such oppression. The latter group eventually prevailed, and the tradition of naming children after colors continues into the present day. Furthermore, Teams are also typically named after colors. The sole exception would be the Ace Ops team in the Atlas Military, who also have five members instead of the usual four; this is due to General Ironwood not caring for Ozpin's rules and valuing efficiency above all else. Additionally, the Color Naming Rule only applies to people; weapons, locations & pet animals are exempt.

EMBLEMS – symbols used on Remnant to represent a person, place or organization, serving as personal monograms, vexillology, corporate logos and heraldry. Most emblems are unique, but occasionally a single emblem or a variation thereof is used by multiple entities. The Schnee family share the logo of the Schnee Dust Company.

THE MAIDENS – the Four Maidens are the hosts of a vast magical power, whose existence is tied to the four Vaults buried beneath the four Huntsman Academies. In truth, the title of Maiden is an inherited one – as each generation of Maiden chooses a person to pass their powers onto. Each Maiden wields an elemental power tied to a season – Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter, corresponding to earth, lightning & wind (Summer corresponds to both), fire, and ice respectively. Thus, their titles are derived from the seasonal power they wield; for example, Fria is the current Winter Maiden, while Amber is the current Fall Maiden. When Maidens use their powers, their eyes become surrounded by a fiery glow that matches their Aura color. Their magic powers are independent of their Aura, and they can use them even after their Aura is broken. Cinder Fall has managed to steal half of the Fall Maiden's power by draining it from Amber, but she was interrupted by Qrow Branwen before she could take all of it. Amber survived, and is now kept in a coma, hidden within the Beacon Vault. Maidens act as living keys to the Vaults, and each Maiden corresponds to a specific Vault – Fall opens the Beacon Vault, Winter opens the Atlas Vault, Spring opens the Haven Vault, Summer opens the Shade Vault.

----------TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW----------

Remnant has a wide variety of advanced technologies, such as weapons, flying vehicles and advanced robotics. Most technology is powered by Dust, which is the primary source of energy in Remnant.

DEFENSIVE MEASURES – the Kingdoms use various high-tech defenses, such as automated turrets and control centers, to guard their borders. For instance, the borders of Atlas are defended by Atlesian Beam Turrets, perched atop high walls; as well as Atlesian Burrow Guns, which are designed to conceal themselves unless a nearby threat is present, and Atlesian Arachna Mines, which automonously seek out targets and scuttle towards them. Meanwhile, the Mistrali city of Argus uses Hard-Light Dust barriers to protect from any Grimm attacks emerging from the sea.

ATLESIAN ROBOTICS – the militaristic Kingdom of Atlas is the world leader when it comes to robotics. Their current mainstays are the Atlesian Knights-200 (AK-200 for short) – androids clad in white armor, with their black robotic workings visible underneath. Their armor is thin at the midsection, neck and joints, but their chest and legs are well-protected. They're armed with rifles and built-in forearm blades.

ATLESIAN PALADIN-290 – large mechanized battlesuits fielded by the Atlas Military. The Atlesian Paladin is enormous, able to take up an entire lane on a highway, its armaments notwithstanding. Inside there is an armored cockpit that houses and secures one pilot, with several holographic displays available to monitor the status of the Paladin and survey the surrounding environment. Despite its large size and heavy mass, the Paladin is also incredibly mobile, capable of running at speeds that surpassed standard city highway safety limits. This is thanks to the use of digitigrade designed legs, which provide more mobility thanks to larger leg strides and more ground coverage per step. The Paladin is equipped with at least two arm-mounted high explosive Dust cannons as its primary weapons, capable of rapid charging and firing. A pair of ten-tube missile batteries are built into its shoulders, capable of auto-loading for multiple salvos. Its tertiary weapons are two sets of twin-barreled automatic cannons attached to the aforementioned energy cannons to serve as anti-personnel weapons. Under each Dust cannon is a fold-out arm, which unfolds to form large fists for close quarters combat, for dealing with larger Goliath-sized Grimm. Mounted all over the body of the mech suit is a network of laser based detection suites, allowing it to sweep large surrounding areas for enemy movement and missile lock-on purposes.

VEHICLES – Like all other technology in Remnant, vehicles have also evolved around the mysterious energy propellant known as Dust, such as Combustion Dust, which is used to power Yang Xiao Long's sports motorcycle, Bumblebee. In terms of transportation, land-based transports include standard motor vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles and trains, as well as non-motor vehicles, such as bicycles. Airborne vehicles include enormous passenger Airships, agile VTOL aircraft known as Bullheads, and hoverboards. However, spaceflight is impossible as Dust loses its power once it leaves the atmosphere.

BULLHEADS – The Bullhead is a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) tiltjet aircraft, meaning that it is an aircraft that can hover, take off and land vertically. As a tiltjet aircraft, this is done using jet engines with thrust vectoring to achieve both forward flight and vertical ascent/descent. It also allows for the aircraft to tilt or turn sharply while still in the same airspace. The vehicle has four small legs as landing gear. The Bullhead is a multi-role VTOL aircraft, used for transporting passengers and cargo. Including the two crew members typically needed to operate the aircraft, it can carry at least five passengers and a moderate amount of personal equipment while still being able to carry a 30-foot shipping container, an under-slung load of several thousand kilograms. Bullheads are in use all across Remnant; some are even fielded by the White Fang & other criminal organizations, outfitted with turrets & missile launchers to act as close air support.

SCROLL – Scrolls are collapsible holographic devices, functoning like highly-advanced touchscreen tablets. Visibly, they are nothing more than a translucent, touch-sensitive panel between two solid end grips; the interlocking design of these grips allows the unit to be collapsible, much like a scroll of paper, hence the name. Each Scroll has a yellow, diamond-shaped button in its center when the device is in its closed state. The user presses this button to unlock the two grips and deploy the screen. This button also flashes when the Scroll gives an audible alert, such as when a new message has been received. Scrolls come in two different sizes. Small Scrolls can deploy to be approximately the size of a smartphone, while large Scrolls can deploy to be the size of a medium-sized tablet. It appears that the size of a Scroll's screen is adjustable by how far apart the user pulls the grips. Scrolls can be opened horizontally or vertically. Scrolls come in different colors – students tend to use white Scrolls, while adults use black ones. Some people, such as Arthur Watts, have customized Scrolls. A Scroll can used as a phone, a portable computer, a camera and a streaming device as well as a gaming controller, among other functions. During combat it is able to gauge a user's Aura and depict it as a life bar, along with those of the user's teammates.

CCTS – the Cross Continental Transit System is a worldwide communications system which allows instantaneous multimedia communication wirelessly over large distances. It is reliant on four main relay towers, each located in one of the four Huntsman Academies; however, some Kingdoms have also built smaller support towers. The CCTS was first developed by the Kingdom of Atlas and gifted to the rest of the world after the Great War to allow the Kingdoms to remain in communication. The CCTS functions wirelessly, much like radio, but is capable of transmitting a far wider variety of media, including text, visuals and audio. This evolved into an online web of information at mankind's fingertips.

----------THE RELICS----------

Four immensely powerful magical artifacts created by the God of Light, as gifts for the second generation of humanity before the Brother Gods departed. They were entrusted to Ozma, and are kept in the four Vaults beneath the Huntsman Academies. It is said that whoever wields all four Relics may change the world. In trut, when brought together, the Relics may be used to summon the Brother Gods once more; so that they will pass judgment on Humanity. If the Human race has come to accept one another and learned to live in harmony, the Gods will live among them as before and make them whole with the ability to use magic again. If Humanity remains divided and demanding of them, however, the Gods will destroy Remnant and all its inhabitants.

Ozpin's side seeks to keep the Relics sealed within the Vaults; Salem & her inner circle seek to obtain all four Relics by force. The Vaults disappear when their respective Relics are removed.

#1. Crown of Choice

Location – Beacon Academy (not within the Vault, it is hidden differently)

Appearance – a spiked bronze crown in the shape of a circlet, with turquoise rhombical jewels embedded throughout.

Function – when donned, the Crown shows its wearer visions of a future choice they will have to make. The visions shown are random, and the user will only see that singular choice whilst wearing it.

#2. Relic of Knowledge / The Lamp

Location – Haven Academy Vault

Appearance – The Relic takes the shape of a golden ornamented lamp with a blue sphere in the middle. Its size can shift according to the user, keeping the same ratio.

Function – The Relic of Knowledge has the ability to summon Jinn, who can answer only three questions about every one hundred years. These questions can be about anything so long as they don't pertain to the future. It also stops time around Jinn and the user.

Jinn – a towering female humanoid, with glowing light-blue skin. She has long pointed ears, and flowing dark blue hair. Her eyes are dark blue in the sclerae and pupils and a lighter blue in the irises. Her nails and toenails are dark blue. Trailing below her waist is a veil of a wisp-like smoke resembling the skirt of a dress. She is nude, and only wears various golden accessories – hooped earrings, a chain headdress, a choker and wrist cuffs with chains dangling off, as well as a chain belt. Jinn is a wise yet straightforward and blunt being, with a playful personality; she greatly enjoys showing off her knowledge. She is intended to be impartial, but the God of Light had created her with a benevolent personality, and thus Jinn wishes for Humanity to succeed. Her answers depend on how one's question is formulated; a question such as "How do I destroy Salem" has been granted a simple answer - "You can't." Conversely, a question that precludes multiple acceptable answers or a prolonged response will result in Jinn giving a detailed explanation.

#3. Relic of Creation / The Staff

Location – Atlas Academy Vault

Appearance – a golden ornamented staff with a blue spearhead-shaped crystal on top. It also features a smaller crystal on the bottom. It can be compressed for easier carry.

Function – the Staff can summon Ambrosius, who can create anything the user desires. However, the user must be thoroughly detailed, as Ambrosius will give the user exactly what they state. One way to prevent any mistakes from occuring is by using blueprints or schematics. When summoned, time stops around Ambrosius and the user. The only rules to the Staff are that he is forbidden from resurrecting the dead and cannot destroy. Also, he can only be used for one task at a time, as the previous creation will be destroyed the moment a new one is created.

Use – currently, the Staff is being used to keep the City of Atlas flying. This is a closely-guarded secret, and the public story is that Atlas is kept afloat by Gravity Dust.

Ambrosius – a towering humanoid spirit that resides in the Staff of Creation. Much like Jinn, his skinis an iridescent light-blue. He has pointed ears and short, spiky light blue hair, with a long ponytail leading down to his thighs. His eyes are dark blue in the sclerae and pupils and a lighter blue in the irises. He is nude, and only wears golden jewelry – stud earrings, wrist bracers with dangling chains, a golden hairband for his ponytail, and chains wrapped around his torso, crossing over his chest. Ambrosius is an extremely enthusiastic and boisterous being, being very loud and animated in his mannerisms and having an unparalleled passion for creation and design. However, he is quite prideful and temperamental, making it clear that he doesn't want to hear any complaints about what he creates if it isn't exactly what the user wanted. Ambrosius appreciates genuine creativity, and when presented with such, he is a lot more lenient, willing to skirt his own rules. He respects fellow craftsmen most of all. Like Jinn, Ambrosius was meant to be impartial when created by the God of Light, but is ultimately biased in favor of Humanity and rooting for them, due to his benevolent personality.

#4. Relic of Destruction / The Sword

Location – Shade Academy Vault

Appearance – an ornate broadsword, with a triangular design on the hilt.

Function – the Sword of Destruction can only be used by channeling one's Aura through it. When swung, it releases a wave of absolute destructive energy that erases anything it hits; in exchange, the Sword takes some of the wielder's own lifespan. The size & potency of the wave both depend on how much energy is fed into it, and the cost rises proportionally as well, potentially becoming lethal.

----------VYTAL FESTIVAL----------

The Vytal Festival is an international festival held every two years in one of the kingdoms of Remnant in celebration of the end of the Great War. During the festival, the various cultures of the world are celebrated with dances, parades and a combat tournament. The kingdom to host the festival rotates every two years and that kingdom opens its borders to international visitors. Such rotation orders itself from Atlas, then to Vacuo, then to Mistral, then to Vale.

The Vytal Festival was inaugurated following the end of the Great War, a destructive conflict taking place eighty years before the events of the series. The war, fought between kingdoms over conflicts of self-expression and individuality, was brought to a conclusion by a peace treaty. Such a treaty was signed on Vytal, a small island north of Vale. In celebration, the Vytal Festival was created with the purpose of honoring the diversity of the cultures of Remnant. Atlas hosted the first Vytal Festival Tournament sometime after the Great War.

The Festival has a unique symbol, fittingly consisting of a combination of all four kingdom's emblems in order to signify unity. The Vytal Tournament has been going for 80 years.

-------VYTAL TOURNAMENT-------

A major part of the Vytal Festival is the combat tournament, in which students from the Huntsman Academies compete. Symbolically, the tournament battles represent a reminder to always strive for excellence in combat and teamwork. A total of 32 teams, or 128 students, compete in the Vytal Festival tournament; 8 in the final, sixteen in the doubles and 32 in the team round.

The tournament consists of three rounds, the first being a 4 on 4 team round. The winners of the team bracket may select two members of their team to fight in the next round, a 2 on 2 doubles bracket, the victors of which may choose one representative to fight in the 1 on 1 bracket. The remaining combatants will undergo several more 1 on 1 fights to prove a victor. There are no specific brackets for age or schooling.

Contenders are knocked out of the battle by falling below an Aura threshold of 15% or by being knocked out of the fighting arena. Aura monitors are able to measure the aura of competitors as numerical values, made visible to spectators and competitors on large displays.

-------AMITY COLOSSEUM-------

An enormous levitating arena that is capable of moving vast distances, making the journey to the host Kingdom every time the festival is held in one of the four Kingdoms. When not in use, the Colosseum remains parked near Atlas.

As the Vytal Festival and its combat tournament grew in size, it was decided the tournament would need a grand stage. Thus, the Amity Colosseum was born – a technological marvel built from the resources and contributions of all four Kingdoms, designed to match the increase in skill for the competing Huntsmen, and as a symbol of harmony between the four Kingdoms.

Visually, Amity is an enormous airborne colosseum with an inverted cone shape. The base of the structure is a very large Dust crystal that tapers to a point.

Located above the main Dust crystal are two levels of docking bays for Air Buses to offload passengers. Large archways lead passengers to the seating area, which has an incredibly large capacity, able to accommodate the large crowds of spectators. The red seats closest to the arena itself are reserved for contestants in the Vytal Festival and other VIPs. Above the seating area are huge holographic screens, which display the Aura monitors for tournament matches, as well as videos of the matches in progress, including action replays. The tournament presenters sit in a small booth above the top level of the seating area. The audience are protected by an invisible forcefield which prevents projectiles and other objects from leaving the fighting area. This forcefield is made of Hard-Light Dust. When hit, the forcefield pulses a light blue color and ripples around the impacts. It is capable of preventing flying contestants from being flung into the spectator stands and is also able to absorb stray bullets. In addition, the forcefield also acts as a shield, protecting the stadium from external impacts, such as Grimm attacking from the outside.

The tournament matches themselves take place in a large octagonal arena. The arena is capable of changing its environment into eleven different "biomes", including grasslands, forest, volcanic, ice, geyser fields, stormy mountains, desert, an ocean and beach with a wooden ship, city ruins, gravity arenas, and a swamp. The arena also has artificial weather effects, such as thunderstorms and an artificial sun. The environmental Dust controls for the arena were created by Arthur Watts when he still worked for Atlas. In all matches, the central octagonal part remains the same regardless of the biome. The biomes can be made to take up either a fraction of the arena or the entirety of it.

During the team round, the arena is split evenly into two biomes, which are chosen randomly at the beginning of every fight for each half of the arena. During the doubles round, four biomes are chosen for each fight. In certain biomes, Dust crystals are also scattered around for combatants to use. In the singles round, no biomes are chosen, and only the center platform is in bounds. During matches at night, a ring of stage lights is present to allow light for the event.

Before the match starts, biomes are randomly chosen for each of the segments. Once a biome is selected, the arena's superstructure retracts, the terrain rises up from below the ground and the match begins. No biomes are present for singles round matches. Instead, the center platform is raised and is the only playable field for the fight.

The Amity Colosseum is currently located in the kingdom of Vale, which will be hosting the 40th Vytal Festival this year.

----------KINGDOM OF VALE----------

Located on the eastern half of Sanus. Due to being bordered by shallow waters to the northwest and steep mountains to the southeast, Vale is mostly protected from large-scale Grimm attacks and is thus relatively safe. The city of Vale is the kingdom's capital, and is where Beacon Academy is located; there are several smaller coastal cities as well. Southeast of the city of Vale, up in the mountains, lies the abandoned settlement of Mountain Glenn. Directly west of Vale lies the island of Patch, a rural settlement and home to Signal Academy, a primary combat school where students train to eventually attend one of the four main Huntsman Academies. Vale's crest consists of lime-green silhouettes – two hand-axes crossing, with a laurel crown underneath, all inside a green circle. Furthermore, the kingdom's representative color is green. Vale is set to host the 40th biannual Vytal Festival this year.

CITY OF VALE – the capital, located on the western coast of the kingdom; home to Beacon Academy. The city is divided into several sectors – the commercial district stretching from east to northwest, the western industrial district with a large port area, the eastern residential district, the southern agricultural district and the northern upper-class district. Beacon lies along the eastern edge of the city, near the residential district. The architecture within the city generally has an old European vibe to it.

MOUNTAIN GLENN – an abandoned metropolis, southeast of the City of Vale. Once a bustling modern city, replete with high-rise buildings, it was a daring attempt to expand the kingdom's borders, with an elaborate underground metro system connecting it to the capital. However, it lacked the same natural defenses as the City of Vale, and was ultimately overran by ever-growing waves of Grimm – in no small part due to the efforts of Dr. Merlot & his company, Merlot Industries, who deliberately attracted Grimm to the city for the purpose of experimentation. Now, Mountain Glenn is an overgrown ruin, where Grimm roam freely. Roman Torchwick & the White Fang use the city's expansive underground tunnels as a criminal hideout; stockpiling explosives to eventually load them onto a cargo train and send it hurtling down the subway system, as a battering ram against Vale's city walls – all part of Cinder Fall's plan to sow chaos in the kingdom while she completes her goals.

EMERALD FOREST – a large forest connected to Beacon Academy grounds, it is where the Beacon Academy Initiation takes place. Faculty have installed multiple cameras throughout the forest to keep track of the students. The forest is teeming with Grimm, some of which dwell in caves and are old enough to have lived there since prehistoric times. There is an abandoned temple at the northern end of the forest from which the students have to retrieve relics and bring them back to the cliffs.

FOREVER FALL – located north of Vale, this mountainous forest is home to a species of red-leafed tree, giving the whole area a dusty-red color; hence the name, "Forever Fall". The trees produce a special Red Sap. A railway line runs through this forest; furthermore, the forest is full of ancient ruins, some of which are used as storage facilities by Merlot Industries.

PATCH – an island west of Vale, home to a bustling rural community in the center, surrounded by surrounded by dense forests, winding roads, and ominous trees with long journeys between locations reinforcing its sense of isolation. Patch is home to two combat academies – Signal Academy & Patch Combat School. Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long were born here, and graduated from Signal before enrolling into Beacon. Taiyang Xiao Long currently teaches at Signal; Qrow Branwen was a former teacher before quitting. Summer Rose's gravestone is located in the woods surrounding the town.

PHAROS ACADEMY – a combat school located in one of the smaller port cities along Vale's western coastline. Coco Adel & Velvet Scarlatina graduated from Pharos before enrolling into Beacon.

----------BEACON ACADEMY----------

Vale's main Huntsman Academy, situated on a cliffside that overlooks the capital city. At the top edge of the cliffside are several large, circular aerial docking bays, where airships and Bullheads can dock and allow their passengers to disembark. At the base of the cliffs, a docking bay is also available for water-going surface vessels, and a path from there leads upwards to the top of the cliff.

The dress code consists of black gold-lined suits, blue vests, red ties and white shirts for boys; red plaid skirts, stockings of various length, brown jackets with tan vests and white shirts, with a red ribbon tied at the collar, for girls. Students are allowed to customize their uniforms, and the dress code isn't strictly enforced. Students are expected to wear their combat uniforms during practical exercises & sparring matches. Classes operate at a 7:30 AM to 6 PM schedule. Practical exercises, sparring matches and field trips make up a large portion of courses; furthermore, student teams are often sent on missions – first-year students get the easier tasks, while upperclassmen get the higher-risk missions. Students are not restricted to campus, and many spend their weekends in Vale.

MAIN AVENUE – a long, wide paved road that leads to the main academy buildings. It opens up to a large amphitheater surrounded by a double ring of colonnades bisected by the main avenue with the outer ring rising high over the main entrance to the academy itself. The avenue is marked with trees and flag-draped light-poles, as well as a number of impressive aqueduct-like features and archways. In front of the entrance to the main amphitheater is a large statue and fountain of a Huntsman and Huntress standing atop a rock, beneath which a Beowolf cowers. There's also a large circular pond feature surrounded by a pathway and a garden of red trees.

ASSEMBLY AREA – a glass-domed amphitheater with raised bleachers arranged in a circle around a circular stage that has a tall, ornate backdrop with blue lights. Besides being used for meetings & mission assignments, this amphitheater also serves as an arena for dueling practice, with students fighting on stage.

BEACON TOWER – the most prominent building on campus, a spired clock tower rising high above the clouds, surmounted by a glowing green beacon after which the Academy was named. Headmaster Ozpin's office sits directly below the clockwork section itself.

CCTS TOWER – serving as the cylindrical base of Beacon Tower, the CCTS tower of Beacon Academy allows for instantaneous communication with the rest of Remnant. The communications room has several video terminals with holographic AI operators; there is also an elevator system.

OZPIN'S OFFICE – the highest point in Beacon Academy, a circular room in gray-green tones, with a clockwork motif. The main window, situated behind Headmaster Ozpin's desk, is shaped like a large clock face. The furniture also features intricate clockwork mechanisms.

DORMS – Beacon has co-ed dorms, with the rooms being secured by electronic locks that can be unlocked using a student's Scroll. The dormitories are located in separate blocks from the main academy buildings.

DINING HALL – a large, formal dining room running down the length of a cloister-like hall. The dining room features four long tables running the length of the hall with benches to either side and walking areas located inbetween. It should be noted that students are permitted to eat in their dorms.

OTHER ROOMS – Beacon also has a massive library (often used by students as a gathering place where they socialize & play board games), a ballroom (doubles as a living area where new students sleep until they are given proper quarters), and a unisex locker room with washroom facilities. Each student is given a rocket-propelled locker, for storing weapons & extra armor, that can be launched to a custom location using a six-digit code.

BEACON VAULT – a large underground chamber, located deep beneath Beacon Tower & accessible by elevator, but only to those with specific permissions – Ozpin & members of his inner circle. Lit by pale-green torches, the Vault is where Amber, the current Fall Maiden, is kept in a coma, hooked up to Atlasean life support machinery. Ostensibly, the Relic of Choice would be kept here; but it's been deliberately made harder to find than the other Relics.

----------BEACON STAFF----------

#1. Ozpin

Position – Beacon Academy Headmaster / Huntsman / current incarnation of Ozma

Appearance – a tall, middle-aged man, standing at 6'6, with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes with black eyebrows. He has a light complexion, smooth unblemished skin and sharp facial features. He wears shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck. His outfit mainly consists of an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and green shirt. He also wears black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. In addition to his cane, his other frequent accessory is a mug bearing the Beacon Academy emblem, from which he drinks hot cocoa. His Aura is colored green.

Personality – Ozpin typically comes across as stoic and impeccably polite; nonetheless, he has a mischievous & blunt side, seeming lackadaisical about putting his students in mortal danger if he feels they can handle it. However, he still cares anout his students' wellbeing and is generally kind-hearted & respectful, believing dearly in teamwork. Ozpin is highly secretive, sometimes to the detriment of his allies; he harbors a severe guilt complex, tending to shoulder the blame both for his own actions and those of Salem, and valuing the lives of others far above his own.

Emblem – a gear within a larger gear, in dark-green.

Abilities – Ozpin harbors immense physical power and frightening combat skill, befitting his position as Headmaster. He is able to move at superhuman speeds, leaving behind green afterimages. Ozpin is a capable strategist and leader. He has the ability to persuade even volatile personalities to cooperate with his plans and knows the right balance of firmness and kindness to get the desired results from his subordinates. He is also flexible enough to "bend the rules" if he feels the situation requires it. Having fought a shadow war against Salem & her forces for decades (and that's not even counting the accumulated experience from all previous incarnations of Ozma), Ozpin is incredibly perceptive & intelligent.

Fighting style – emphasizes adaptability & fluidity above all else; Ozpin freely switches from powerful high-speed strikes to rapid retreats to solid defense. His flow is nigh-impossible to disrupt, and even a misstep only lasts for a brief moment before Ozpin adjusts.

Magic – as the current incarnation of the ancient warrior Ozma, Ozpin wields powerful magic; for instance, he can create green energy barriers for defense. He can also grant his Magic to others - for example, he gave Qrow & Raven Branwen the ability to shapeshift into corvids.

Weapon – The Long Memory: a long cane that doubles as a walking stick. Its handle is embellished with a floral pattern and features a large knuckle guard that reaches down the bottom of the handle. The larger area at the bottom of the handle contains small gold-colored gears, while the shaft of the cane has a gray-black coloration and is square in shape as opposed to most canes which have a round shaft. Despite its supple design, The Long Memory is absurdly durable. Its signature ability is the accumulation of kinetic energy, which can be released as powerful magical bursts. It can also create spherical energy barriers around its wielder. Ozpin primarily wields it as a bludgeoning weapon; outside of combat, he uses it as an actual cane.

Reincarnation – as an incarnation of Ozma, Ozpin's soul will pass on to a randomly-chosen host should he die. The host will have access to the Headmaster's memories, and be able to grant him temporary control over their body; though, Ozpin can also forcefully take control if need be. Over time, his soul will merge with that of the host, and they will become the next incarnation of Ozma. Right now, the next host in line is slated to be Oscar Pine, a farmhand from Mistral.

#2. Glynda Goodwitch

Position – Beacon Academy professor & combat instructor / Ozpin's right-hand woman

Appearance – a middle-aged woman, standing at 6'5, with very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun, with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes are bright green and she wears thin ovular glasses. She has dangling teal earrings that match the hanging pendant on her collar. She wears a white long-sleeved, pleated blouse that has a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flare in pleats at the wrist. Her lower body is covered by a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black fading into brown stockings. She wears black boots with bronze heels and a cape that is purple inside and black on the outside. The cut of the cape is stylized to end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above this line of beads is her personal Emblem. Her Aura is colored purple.

Personality – Glynda is a stern, no-nonsense woman that doesn't tolerate mischief and expects her students to be on their best behavior. Glynda is typically cool and business-like, approaching most situations with impeccable calm. She's driven by her desire to guide her students into being defenders of the world, and despite her stern behavior, Glynda is a compassionate and caring woman.

Emblem – a triple-pointed tiara, in dark purple.

Abilities – Glynda is a powerful & skilled fighter, able to easily take on large hordes of Grimm by herself and fight the likes of Cinder Fall on equal terms. She possesses large reserves of Aura and is extremely efficient in using it, allowing her to pull off large-scale feats without effort.

Fighting style – systematic & highly efficient; emphasizes minimum effort for maximum result. For comparatively weak opponents such as Beowolf Grimm, Glynda simply flicks her wrist to attack, often not even turning to look in their direction.

Weapon – The Disciplinarian: a thin, black riding crop with a simple black and purple design on the handle. Glynda uses it as a means to channel her Semblance; by using Dust, it can also be used to influence the weather. When not in use, The Disciplinarian collapses down to about a third of its normal length and is stored on a holster at the top of Glynda's right boot.

Semblance – Telekinesis: the ability to move or control objects. Glynda has a high degree of control over her Semblance and is capable of using it in combat both defensively, by stopping projectiles and creating shields, and offensively, by manipulating objects and using them to attack. She often uses her weapon, The Disciplinarian, as a means to project it. She can also reassemble broken objects, including damaged buildings. Glynda's control over Telekinesis is extremely precise. At her maximum output, she is able to lift large chunks of buildings.

#3. Peter Port

Position – Beacon Academy professor / Grimm Studies teacher

Appearance – a man in early old age, with an overweight top-heavy build, standing at 5'8. He wears a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. His pants he wears tucked into olive boots, similar in appearance and construction to cavalry boots. His short hair and mustache are colored gray. Port usually keeps his brown eyes so narrowed that they visually appear closed. His Aura is colored brown.

Personality – while Peter seems to be a pretty well-mannered man, his teaching skills tend to bore the class. His lectures are often interspersed with tall tales of his feats as a Huntsman, and Port seems quite confident in his abilities. He even has a gold bust of himself near his desk. Despite these seemingly self-absorbed traits, he is not truly arrogant and he has his moments of humility. Peter also seems to not be afraid in speaking the truth.

Emblem – a wolf's head over a double-headed axe in brown.

Abilities – while Port tends to exaggerate his stories for dramatic effect, he is a very much capable Huntsman in his own right; otherwise, he wouldn't be at Beacon, now would he?

Fighting style – simple and direct.

Weapon – Blowhard: a seemingly rudimentary design, Blowhard appears merely to be a blunderbuss with an axe blade attached to the stock. However, it is as simple as it is effective at crowd control.

#4. Bartholomew Oobleck

Position – Beacon Academy professor / history teacher

Appearance – Oobleck is a man with messy green hair and dark-brown eyes. His attire is disheveled: his white shirt partially tucked into his dark-green pants and its collar raised, showing a slack yellow tie, along with mismatched brown and black shoes. He also has round glasses that appear to be opaque. When accompanying Beacon students on a field mission, however, Oobleck instead wears a long brown great coat, a khaki buttoned safari shirt and a pith helmet, all properly worn and tucked in. He also carries a large backpack. His Aura is colored dark-green.

Personality – Oobleck's trademark characteristics are his extreme hyperactivity and his love for coffee, tea, or some other stimulant. Not only does he frequently "glide" about in class at incredible speeds, but he also speaks very rapidly. His unkempt look and the mess on and around his desk suggest he has little to no regard for tidiness. During his class, Oobleck is very enthusiastic and strict about his work, being very happy when inattentive students, seem ready to contribute to class and punishing students who perform poorly. This is because behind his almost flamboyant behavior, Oobleck is an incredibly deep and compassionate thinker, completely dedicated to and relishing in his roles as a Huntsman and teacher. Oobleck views history as an important way to prevent the repetition of past mistakes, saying the advancement of knowledge is worthy of being referred to as fighting, for it will better prepare Humanity's future in the fight for survival against the Grimm. He takes pride in his historical knowledge and insists on being addressed as "doctor".

Emblem – a teardrop of swooping design within flowing flanks in pale green.

Abilities – despite his eccentric demeanor and his civilian appearance, Oobleck is a skilled and experienced Huntsman, considered qualified to escort students on field assignments and assess their fighting abilities. While capable of wielding traditional weapons, Oobleck himself believes his greatest asset and contribution is his mind, studying past mistakes in order to impart that knowledge to his students so that they may avoid repeating them. He has also earned a Ph.D., a testament to his intellect, and possesses expertise in the fields of history and archaeology.

Fighting style – as rapid and unpredictable as the man himself.

Weapon – Antiquity's Roast: takes the form of an everyday thermos. It's small, green in coloration, and functions in the traditional usage of the storing and repeated retrieval of a beverage inside it. When called into action, however, Oobleck can deploy the thermos as a weapon, telescoping it into the shape of a torch when its flame is activated. The nozzle entrance at the top of the thermos functions as a firelighter, from which several fireballs can be shot like multi-directional missiles. It also has the ability to turn objects that it hits into flaming projectiles, which he then bats towards his opponent. It can also function as a melee weapon that ignites struck enemies, a torch and an incendiary rocket launcher through the use of Dust.

----------BEACON STUDENTS----------

-------TEAM RWBY-------

Pronounced like "ruby".

#1. Ruby Rose

Status – first-year Beacon student / leader of Team RWBY

Relatives – Summer Rose (mother, presumed dead) / Taiyang Xiao Long (father) / Yang Xiao Long (older half-sister) / Qrow Branwen (honorary uncle)

Appearance – A pale-skinned young woman, standing at 5'2. She has silver eyes and neck-length black hair with red tips. She wears a black dress consisting of a long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over which is a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining and a red petticoat. She also wears a pair of thick black tights that fade to red near the bottom, and black combat boots with red laces, red trims around the top, and red soles. Her outfit is topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins. Her emblem appears as a large silver buckle on her wide black belt, which is slung around her hips on an angle. Attached to her belt are a pocket and a row of bullets. Her Aura is colored red.

Personality – Kind-hearted, naive, easily excitable and entirely honest, Ruby is rather childish and lacing of social grace, often coming across as awkward. Ruby is a self-proclaimed dork when it comes to weapons; she is quite intelligent, having designed and built Crescent Rose during her time at Signal. She has a romanticized view of Huntsmen and dreams of becoming one to live up to the great heroes in the fairytales she'd often read when growing up. Ruby's leadership skills make her a worthy teammate. While she may occasionally act without thinking, sometimes she seems to understand the situation better than most. She can then use this ability to quickly formulate plans. Endlessly optimistic and determined, Ruby may often be underestimated and laughed off as foolish, but she consistently proves herself to be a capable, caring teammate and a lingering thorn in the villains' sides. However, she tends to place others' wellbeing above her own. Ruby has a major sweet tooth, preferring five sugars in her coffee and scarfing down cookies by the dozen.

Backstory – Ruby grew up following in her mother, Summer Rose's footsteps, aiming to become a Huntress. Being one of Signal Academy's ace students, she recently ended up interfering with Roman Torchwick's robbery of the Dust shop "From Dust Till Dawn" in Vale. While she ended up needing help from Glynda Goodwitch, Ruby was allowed to attend Beacon early, due to Ozpin taking note of her Silver Eyes and fighting skill, as well as her earnest kindly nature.

Emblem – a rose's head, in red.

Abilities – Ruby is a combat prodigy, who easily ran circles around her peers in Signal Academy. At Beacon, she still remains one of the best. Skillfully wielding her scythe, coming up with battle plans on the fly and successfully implementing them into action, she has a lot of what it takes to be a Huntress. She always sees the best in people, and has a knack for finding the right words in the right situation, whether when rallying her teammates, comforting demoralized or suffering allies, or trying to sway enemies to her side. Ruby is also a decent seamstress, having made her outfit herself.

Fighting style – momentum is the name of the game; using a combination of her Semblance and Crescent Rose's recoil, Ruby builds up speed and achieves massive impact force, preferring hit-and-run tactics. She tries to never stay pinned down for long, circling around opponents to put herself in the perfect position for a counterattack. However, her hand-to-hand skills are lacking, and she is largely defenseless without her scythe.

Weapon – Crescent Rose: a High-Caliber Sniper Scythe (HCSS). Its frame is colored rose red and has black trims, with its large scythe blade forged into a crescent shape. The most notable property of Crescent Rose is its converting frame, which allows it to transform between three different modes:

1. The "storage" mode, its most compact form convenient for transportation, and is stored underneath Ruby's cloak at her waist.

2. The "rifle" mode, where it takes the form of a medium-length, straight-pull bolt-action sniper rifle. In this form, the absence of the scythe makes for more effective use of the rifle component. Ruby can fire various Dust rounds, with each type having different effects.

3. The "scythe" mode, its most expanded form, where it fully extends into the form of a scythe, allowing it to be used as a mid-to-close-range bladed polearm. This form also doubles as a long-barrel sniper rifle for long-range shots without giving up the melee capabilities of the scythe. If needed, the bottom of the shaft can unfold to add more cutting power in a close-quarters fight.

Semblance – Petal Burst: allows Ruby to dash with an inhuman speed in whatever direction she chooses, often leaving trails of rose petals in her wake. If she gathers enough momentum, the resulting turbulence is capable of lifting people and objects off the ground. Ruby can also grab hold of other people or objects and carry them off at high speeds with her Semblance. However, if she hits an unexpected obstacle mid-flight, her Semblance will be disrupted and Ruby will be forced to stop.

Silver Eyes – Ruby has inherited them from her mother, Summer Rose. However, she isn't aware of their significance as of yet.

#2. Weiss Schnee

Status – first-year Beacon student / thinks she should have been team leader instead of Ruby

Relatives – Jacques Schnee (father) / Willow Schnee (mother) / Winter Schnee (older sister) / Whitley Schnee (younger brother)

Appearance – Weiss is a pale-skinned young woman with pale blue eyes and long white hair, pulled back into an off-center ponytail on her right and pinned with a silver icicle-shaped tiara. She stands at 4' 11" (1.5 meters) but her oft-worn heeled boots raise her to 5' 3" (1.6 meters). A scar runs from left brow to left cheek, gained during a training battle against an Arma Gigas Grimm, before she attended Beacon. She wears a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem. A small piece of black lace sits in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress is scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt. Over this, she wears a bell-sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar. On the back of the bolero is the Schnee Crest. She also wears a small apple pendant on a silver chain and thin, rectangular silver earrings. Her boots are white, wedged heeled, and higher at the back than the front. They have a small silver decoration across the top of the foot and are lined in red. A thin white sash is tied around her waist with a pouch attached to the back.

Personality – a refined young woman at first glance, Weiss's strict & lonely upbringing has left her with a rather cold & difficult personality. She is irritable and confident in her abilities, though also acknowledges her deficiencies and the need to hone her skills further. Her confidence in her skills and intellect often comes off as arrogance to others, and she generally acts like a pretentious know-it-all. She has a bit of a rebellious streak, hoping to escape her father's shadow and redeem the Schnee family name, since she feels Jacques has dragged it through the mud. Weiss takes her time at Beacon more seriously than her teammates, taking notes even when the topic is not related to the knowledge she seeks. She equates such dedication in the classroom with dedication in the field. Thus, she is annoyed at those who do not take things seriously, especially when it comes to becoming protectors against the Grimm. Due to the ongoing violence between the SDC and the White Fang terrorist group, Weiss despises the White Fang and currently shows a noticeable distrust of Faunus.

Backstory – having grown fed up with the Atlasean elite lifestyle, and as a form of rebellion against her father, Weiss chose to secretly travel to Vale and enroll into Beacon, rather than Atlas Academy as Jacques would have preferred.

Emblem – A dodecahedral snowflake, in white.

Abilities – As the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss was raised from youth to strive to be the best in all she did, and combat was no exception. She is one of the most competent fighters in Beacon, with a masterful understanding of the technical side of combat, and consistently finds creative uses for her Semblance in battle. She's also a skilled singer, which her father Jacques had often used to impress people. Weiss also has some skills in medical treatment.

Fighting style – a mixture of fencing and ballet, centered around speed, grace & balance; Weiss typically relies on slashes & thrusts, using her Semblance to ricochet off glyphs and harass the enemy from multiple unpredictable angles. Due to the versatility of her Glyphs, she can freely switch between offense, defense, support and evasion. She primarily uses Ice Dust in battle, but will switch to other kinds if doing so grants a clear advantage.

Weapon – Myrtenaster: a Multi-Action Dust Rapier (MADS), primarily silver-gray in color. The hilt possesses four prongs that encase the revolver-like chamber around the ricasso instead of a bow type hand-guard that is common among most rapiers, in a manner somewhat alike to a swept hilt. This mechanism can be controlled by the sword-hand, enabling her to seamlessly cycle the chamber in combat. When Weiss carries the weapon on her hip it only has two visible prongs as the other two fold away for easier storage. There are six slots in total, each of which contains a vial of Dust. The revolving chamber is constantly stocked with red (Fire), cyan (Hard-Light), violet (Gravity), white (Wind), yellow (Lightning) and blue (Ice) Dust.

Semblance – Glyphs: the hereditary Semblance of the Schnee family. When the Schnees use their Semblance, they create a flat Glyph which has a variety of effects, from moving to conjuring avatars to creating Dust formations. The Glyph has the same design as the Schnee snowflake family symbol. Different effects have different Glyph designs. Glyphs can be used as a solid shield or barrier, or to accelerate objects both through air and over surfaces. One variant of Glyphs, called Time Dilation, speeds up actions and is the result of mixing Lightning Dust with the Semblance. Glyphs are also able to confer these enhancements upon other people. Another application of Glyphs is Summoning Avatars; members of the Schnee family are able to summon avatars of foes that they have previously defeated in combat and bring them to fight for their side.

#3. Blake Belladonna

Status – first-year Beacon student / ex-White Fang member

Relatives – Ghira Belladonna (father) / Kali Belladonna (mother) / Adam Taurus (ex-partner)

Appearance – a fair-skinned young woman with wavy black hair and amber eyes. Her Faunus trait is a pair of black cat ears on top of her head. Blake is 5'6 tall, minus ears. She wears a black, buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this is a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and super tight white spandex compression shorts that reach her upper thighs with a zipper on the front of each leg. She also wears black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles. Her emblem is visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts in white. On her left arm is a black detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons are wrapped around both forearms. A small, loose, black scarf is wrapped around her neck, and a gray magnetic backpack is strapped to her back, hidden by her hair. She often keeps her weapon attached to the magnetic backpack when she is not using it. A black ribbon is tied with a large bow on the top of her head, with her cat ears hidden inside the loops. She wears purple eye shadow in cats eye style. Her Aura is colored purple.

Personality – cool, reserved and introverted most of the time, but Blake does not lack a humorous side, which is usually in the form of dry wit and sarcasm. Blake is a righteous person, respecting other people's lives regardless of whether they are Faunus or not. She strongly despises those who judge and discriminate based on racial prejudice. Blake is outspoken, going so far as to indirectly insult the Schnee Dust Company in front of its heiress and defend Faunus of any kind. Despite her generally quiet demeanor, she can be surprisingly charismatic. As a Faunus, Blake has faced discrimination in the past and wears a bow when around Humans in order to be treated for her character and not her species. Blake's past negatively influenced her personality, leading to moodiness, stubbornness, sleep deprivation and trust issues at times. She also has self-loathing issues, viewing herself as a criminal hiding in plain sight because of her past with the White Fang. Her Faunus traits also seem to influence her behavior in other cat-like ways.

Backstory – Blake was a former member of the White Fang, having been a close romantic partner of Adam Taurus. While she initially wanted to fight for Faunus rights, Blake bore witness to Adam gradually turning callous & manipulative as he rose in power & rank. The issue came to a head when Blake & Adam raided a SDC train in the Forever Fall; growing disturbed with how uncaring Adam was towards the potential loss of human lives on board, Blake jumped off the train and fled. She ended up enrolling into Beacon, hiding both her Faunus heritage and her past affiliation with the White Fang, in hopes of becoming a Huntress and making up for her past misdeeds.

Emblem – A five-tongued flame from an oval, in black.

Abilities – while their relationship has turned sour, it can be said that the one good thing Adam has ever done for Blake was training her how to fight. She is a highly agile and fast combatant, with remarkable endurance and excellent reflexes. She is capable of jumping large distances. As a Faunus, she has night vision and enhanced hearing (due to having two pairs of ears – her ordinary human-like ones, and her feline ones).

Fighting style – taking advantage of her agility and reflexes, Blake evades opponents' strikes until she is in the best position for a counterblow.

Weapon – Gambol Shroud: a Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe (VBCS), Gambol Shroud is capable of changing into a cleaver, a sword, and semi-automatic pistol or a sickle. The essence of two weapon components is that they fit together as one, but come apart to be two, so that they are compact for easier carrying. When in sheathed form, Gambol Shroud is held by the hilt, but when two components separate, the sheath is held by a small rectangular hole near the top. The sword also has a compact, striker-fired pistol built into its hilt. Gambol Shroud has a thick, gray sheath with a sharp edge, similar to that of an oversized cleaver. Although serving as a sheath, it can be used effectively as a weapon. Gambol Shroud, when unsheathed, is a dark gray wakizashi and is equally as effective as, if not more than, its sheath. Blake typically carries this duo on a magnetic sheet of metal strapped to her back. The main part of the weapon consists of a semi-automatic pistol with a folding blade. The pistol lets out a large, prominent purple blast when fired. When the blade is folded, the weapon resembles a kama, with the pistol barrel pointed in the opposite direction of the blade's edge. Gambol Shroud has a ribbon attached to the end of the sword's hilt, which Blake can wrap around the trigger in the pistol form to freely swing it around when the blade folds down.

Semblance – Shadow: allows her to create shadow-clones of herself. These clones push her in the direction of her choosing and can be used to disorient and trick opponents. Blake can use Dust to give her clones additional abilities. Dust allows the clones to copy an element, with her afterimages becoming completely solid or even completely intangible depending on the chosen form of Dust. For example, Fire Dust allows her to create fiery clones that explode on contact, Ice Dust allows her to create solid ice copies of herself (which opponents can get their weapons stuck in), Earth Dust allows her to create a clone of solid stone, and Lightning Dust zips her to another location quickly.

#4. Yang Xiao Long

Status – first-year Beacon student

Relatives – Ruby Rose (younger half-sister) / Taiyang Xiao Long (father) / Summer Rose (step-mother) / Raven Branwen (biological mother, abandoned Yang) / Qrow Branwen (uncle)

Appearance – Yang is a tall, fair-skinned young woman, standing at 5'8, with lilac eyes and long, thick, wavy bright golden hair that fades to pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out at the top, greatly resembling her mother. When her Semblance is active, her eyes become red and her hair gains a fiery glow. she wears a tan jacket that bares her midriff, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this, she wears a low-cut yellow crop top with her emblem on the left breast in black. She also wears a brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist, with her emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold. Underneath this is a long, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side, as well as a pair of tight black spandex compression shorts that reach her upper thighs. She wears a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee. A gray bandanna is tied around her left knee. An orange infinity scarf and black fingerless gloves complete her outfit. While riding her motorcycle, Bumblebee, she wears yellow goggles and a matching helmet that bears her emblem in black on either side. While outdoors, she sometimes wears a pair of yellow-rimmed aviator sunglasses.

Personality – a cheerful, energetic, and bright young lady. She is arguably the most flippant, carefree, and adventurous member of her team, frequently making sarcastic comments and jokes even in the heat of battle and often taking combat and hostile situations lightly. Yang is very sociable and extroverted, even in unfamiliar situations. Yang's love of adventure is the main reason that she decided to become a Huntress. Her anger, one of her main assets in battle, can also lead her to act predictably and has put her into danger repeatedly. She is extremely nurturing and motherly, particularly toward her younger sister, Ruby. Yang pushes her into being outgoing and also worries a great deal about her sister across the many battles they fight in. This protective and encouraging nature extends to Blake and Weiss as well.

Backstory – Yang grew up on Patch Island with her half-sister, Ruby. For most of Yang’s childhood, she believed Summer Rose was her biological mom, up until Summer Rose died and Yang’s father revealed the truth – Raven Branwen was her biological mother, which ended up sparking Yang's desire to seek her out one day and get answers.

Emblem – a heart-shaped flame, in yellow.

Abilities – Yang is the strongest and most durable fighter of her team, easily tanking numerous blows in order to charge up her Semblance. She is also quite agile.

Fighting style – a barehanded fist-fighting style, bearing some resemblance to Muay Thai, incorporating some kicking & dodging. Yang relies quite aggressively on her Semblance in battle.

Weapon – Ember Celica: Dual Ranged Shotgun Gauntlets (DRSG), which appear to be a pair of bracelets at first, but when activated, they cover Yang's hands and extend into gauntlets, acting as arm guards, They have a golden-yellow color and the shells inside are red and orange. Inside there are chambers that holster the cylinder consisting of 12 shells, giving the weapons 24 shots in total when both gauntlets are fully loaded. A silver barrel is concealed in the front of each gauntlet, aligned between the knuckles of the index and middle finger. The gauntlets fire the explosive shells when Yang pulls the trigger; she usually does to boost herself across large distances or to add extra force to her strikes.

Semblance – Burn: Yang has the ability to absorb energy from the damage she has taken, and redirect it twice as hard at her opponent, effectively making her stronger with each hit she takes. She can save up the energy to use later for an even more devastating attack.

-------TEAM JNPR-------

Pronounced like "juniper".

#1. Jaune Arc

Status – first-year Beacon student / leader of Team JNPR

Appearance – Jaune is a tall young man, standing at 6'1, with fair skin, blond hair and dark-blue eyes. He is quite toned, having strong muscles in his arms, shoulders, and upper chest. Jaune wears a black short-sleeved hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves and a dark brown image of the bunny rabbit Pumpkin Pete trimmed in white with cute black round eyes. Covering his hoodie and hiding the Pumpkin Pete symbol is a white diamond-shaped chest plate cut off above his lower abdomen, and placed over his shoulders are a pair of white spaulders with rerebraces set under them. Below, he wears blue jeans with a white patch placed on the left knee and black sneakers which have "left" and "right" written in black on the respective shoes' soles. Jaune has elbow guards with cords strung through them and he wears black high tops. He has two belts crisscrossing his waist, both different shades of brown, with a pair of small pouches on them. Jaune wears brown wrist-length gloves with exposed fingertips and small metal plates over the back. His sword is strapped to his left hip in a sheath that doubles as a collapsible shield. His Aura is colored yellow.

Personality – an outgoing, goofy, and all-around friendly person. He treats people equally and has no problems expressing himself to strangers and bonds with them easily, showing a lot of confidence. When faced with entirely new social situations, Jaune's confidence leads to bold behavior. This can become out of hand and backfire, especially when pursuing romance. A strong sense of integrity makes him willing to deliberately put himself in awkward situations, such as wearing a dress in public without a hint of embarrassment to uphold his family motto of not going back on one's word. During conversations, Jaune never contradicts himself and, while sometimes harsh, is always honest with answers. He focuses only on his teammates' well-being physically, mentally, and emotionally, disregarding his own to ensure theirs. He steps forward when others threaten his friends, and he has proven himself unwilling to do something that may hurt those he cares about.

Backstory – Jaune comes from a lineage of Huntsmen and mentions that his great-great-grandfather, from whom he inherited Crocea Mors, fought in the Great War. He grew up with seven sisters and is the only boy in his family. Jaune actually faked his way into Beacon in hopes of becoming a Huntsman – his transcripts are forged. He didn't even really know what Aura was until Pyrrha unlocked his.

Emblem – two layered crescents in pale yellow.

Abilities – while Jaune isn't exactly a skilled fighter just yet, he is quite physically strong, able to handle attacks from massive Grimm. He is also an adaptable leader, being willing and able to coordinate with allies while under pressure. Jaune has notably large reserves of Aura.

Fighting style – primarily defensive; Jaune uses his shield and his durability to his advantage, taking or deflecting hits from opponents in order to force them within striking range of his sword.

Weapon – Crocea Mors: It is a family heirloom that was passed down from his great-great-grandfather, who used it in the Great War. It is composed of a simple arming sword whose sheath unfolds into a heater shield for protection. The sword itself is a simple arming sword with a blue handle and a golden cross-guard. The shield is white with a gold trim, displaying Jaune's emblem in the center.

Semblance (not unlocked yet) – Aura Amp: allows Jaune to amplify his own Aura. It also allows him to amplify the Aura and Semblance of others, effectively increasing the effects of Aura. However, Jaune doesn't have a full handle on it just yet, and only activates it on accident.

#2. Nora Valkyrie

Status – first-year Beacon student

Appearance – Nora is a fair-skinned young woman with orange hair as well as turquoise eyes, standing at 5'2 (in boots). She wears a collared black sleeveless vest, with a blue central front section with red accents, her vest has her emblem, on the back. Under the vest, she wears a white sleeveless t-shirt with a heart-shaped cutout above her breast line in the center accompanied with a pair of white detached sleeves on each arm, and a pair of light pink fingerless gloves. She sports a short pink skirt with a single white layer under it. Her white ankle boots sport pink soles with part of her emblem, the lightning bolt, on them and low heels with pink laces, the tops are folded over revealing the pink lining. She also wears a silver armor piece that wraps around her waist, under her breasts and around the back of her neck, with metal connecting each piece together at the front. Nora has a turquoise bow at the back of her skirt. Her Aura is colored Pink.

Personality – a happy-go-lucky, bubbly and playful young woman, Nora is mainly characterized by her boundless enthusiasm. When Nora talks, many of her words may sometimes come out randomly without her actually giving much thought to anything she comes up with. This is caused by her tendency to jump into a different topic most of the time and her rather peculiar imagination. Because of this and her free-spirited attitude, Nora's personality changes according to her mood, and she is prone to becoming a nuisance to the people around her, losing the point of a conversation, or even experiencing anxiety attacks. However, Nora is more insightful than one might think and is capable of being serious when most necessary. Because of her motor mouth, she is very open to conversation and plays with her friends almost all the time she is interacting with them, making her a very social and likable person. She can also be protective and supportive when she sees teammates need it. She is also considerate of their personal space and respects their decisions even if she doesn't agree with them. Nora has a serious sweet tooth, with a particular fondness for pancakes.

Backstory – when she was a little girl, Nora's mother abandoned her to save herself from an oncoming horde of Grimm. Narrowly managing to survive, Nora became a homeless orphan, eventually wandering into the settlement of Kuroyuri. She quickly became close friends with Lie Ren, and the two escaped together when the town was attacked by Grimm. They're now inseparable friends, having enrolled into Beacon togrther.

Emblem – black hammer within a pink plate, a lightning bolt counterchanged.

Abilities – Nora is a frighteningly skilled, albeit eccentric, combatant. She is exceptionally strong, able to bench press five times her own weight, and can jump several feet into the air... without using her Aura.

Fighting style – built around an overwhelming and explosive physical force. She has a tendency to swing her hammer in wide arcs to build up momentum before striking; as well as utilizing either her hammer's recoil or nearby tall structures to achieve heights that allow her to come crashing down into her adversaries, crushing them under the combined impact of both natural momentum and her own raw power.

Weapon – Magnhild: a maul hammer, with the secondary form of a revolver-type grenade launcher. When in its grenade launcher form, Magnhild fires canisters of pink Dust with a heart shape on the tip. These grenades produce pink blasts traced through with an electricity effect. In addition to its normal firing mode, Magnhild is also capable of firing all six grenades simultaneously. In order to do so, the entire front of the weapon retracts to expose all the rounds stored in the chamber, which are then be fired all at once. The grenades can either be detonated remotely or based on proximity.

Semblance – High Voltage: the ability to produce and channel electrical energy into her muscles, which lends to her already absurd strength. Furthermore, she's practically immune from taking low levels of electrical damage as she simply absorbs any electrical current to fuel her strength, though she still feels the pain that comes with it. Although she can absorb electricity from a direct blow, she can also use Magnhild as a lightning rod.

#3. Pyrrha Nikos

Status – first-year Beacon student / four-time Mistral regional champion / mascot for Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes

Appearance – a tall and athletic young lady, standing at 6'0 in heels. Pyrrha wears her red hair in a large, waist-length ponytail, curled slightly into a loose ringlet. She also wears light-green eyeshadow around the far upper corners of her green eyes. As a top, she wears a brown overbust corset with a vertical strip of lighter brown in the center. Additionally, Pyrrha wears an elastic, black, A-line mini skirt and brown opera-length gloves on both arms. She wears a red ankle-length sash that wrapped around her skirt. As for accessories, there is a small circular bronze plate on her right hip opposite two pouches with both connected to a belt. The plate bears her emblem. Underneath her hair, she always wears a brown circlet adorned with a pair of small, green, teardrop-shaped emeralds on thin chains. She also sports a large bronze gorget around her neck and a bronze bracelet on the upper half of her left arm. She has elaborate bronze greaves that start below her mid-thigh before continuing downwards into her boots, as well as a pair of cuisses that begi mid-thigh and end slightly above her knees. She is also equipped with a bronze bracer capable of connecting with Akoúo̱ atop the sleeve on her left arm. Her high-heeled boots are brown with bronze trim, matching her skirt and sleeves and reaching up to mid-calf. Her Aura is colored red.

Personality – Pyrrha is a very professionally capable, friendly, righteous yet relaxed and selfless person. She is a composed and collected individual who, despite being a celebrity, is modest and patient around other people, making her very sociable. Additionally, she tends to be quite formal. In addition to her impressive range of combat abilities, she is a quick thinker, knowing her limits and assessing her opponents before acting. Pyrrha takes her studies and relationships equally seriously, making her a bit stubborn and emotionally sensitive. This comes from her loyalty toward her friends as well as her good intent. She is willing to keep secrets and help friends in need. Pyrrha's righteousness wills her to take risks for the greater good and always concern herself with the ethics of making decisions.

Backstory – Pyrrha Nikos graduated at the top of her class in Sanctum Academy – a primary combat school located in Argus, Mistral – before moving to Vale to attend Beacon Academy. Before arriving at Beacon, she became the mascot for Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes and won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. She has never experienced a meaningful relationship due to her status and talents.

Emblem – in red, a circle pierced by a spear bottom-right to top-left.

Abilities – Pyrrha is easily one of the most skilled students at Beacon. being able to quickly and easily adapt to her combat situation and analyze her opponents while fighting and changing tactics to suit the situation she is in. She is a master of her Semblance, being able to apply it in combat almost always undetected, doing so with such skill and precision that she has led many to believe she is untouchable, earning the nickname of "The Invincible Girl".

Fighting style – highly skilled and adaptable, Pyrrha switches between her weapons' several forms to deliver rapid attacks and sudden counterattacks. Even without her weapons, she is an extremely talented hand-to-hand fighter.

Weapon – Miló and Akoúo̱: Pyrrha's red-&-golden spear & shield. Miló functions as a javelin, said form resembling the classic Greek non-thrown dory, of hoplite fame, while its sword form iss a xiphos, a double-edged short sword. Its rifle form is semi-automatic. in the javelin form, the rifle barrel becomes part of the body and Pyrrha cqn use it to fire the javelin, giving it a burst of increased range, speed and power. The rifle form is equipped with an iron sight. Akoúo̱ is a Greek Dipylon shield (a metal circle with sections missing on either side) that she carries on her left arm, wielding Miló in her right. Akoúo̱ has a razor-sharp edge and can be thrown like a large discus.

Semblance – Polarity: allows Pyrrha to control the forces of magnetism. She can manipulate scores of metallic objects simultaneously, lifting, flinging, bending or destroying them. She normally prefers to use this ability subtly, deflecting attacks with it in such a way that it creates the illusion of her being untouchable. When using Polarity, her hands and the metallic objects that she manipulates gain a black outline.

#4. Lie Ren

Status – first-year Beacon student

Relatives – Li Ren (father) and An Ren (mother), both deceased

Appearance – a young man, standing at 5'9, with long black hair that ends midway down his back. There is a magenta streak on the left side of his hair. His pink eyes match the streak in his hair. He wears a dark green, diagonally buttoned, long-sleeved tailcoat that is red on the inside, with black and gold trimming and pink cuffs. The trimming goes down the right side of his torso and forms a black collar. Along with this, he wears a black, long-sleeved shirt beneath the suit and light-tan pants with black shoes. He ties his hair back in a low ponytail. His Aura is colored pink.

Personality – Ren is usually mellow and wishes for peace and quiet. He is unbothered by Nora Valkyrie's bubbly and contrasting personality, showing a great deal of patience when dealing with his hyperactive, happy-go-lucky childhood friend. He is calm under most circumstances, speaking in a matter-of-fact manner; though, he isn't entirely humorless.

Backstory – Ren came from a family who lived in Kuroyuri, a settlement on Anima, outside the borders of Mistral. A Nuckelavee Grimm attacked the village and killed everyone, including Ren's parents, Li Ren and An Ren. Ren became an orphan, like his close friend Nora Valkyrie, whom he had met in Kuroyuri shortly before the attack. The two later trained to become Huntsmen together.

Emblem – a blooming lotus, in pink.

Abilities – Ren is a highly capable fighter, at the peak of physical ability. He is incredibly agile and fast. Ren is skilled in using his Aura for both defensive and offensive techniques.

Fighting style – Ren is proficient in martial arts, using palm thrusts and various combat stances.

Weapon – StormFlower: a pair of concealable, green machine pistols equipped with collapsible blades and extended magazines. When not in use, Ren keeps them hidden in his sleeves. Ren also carries a small curved dagger with a dark green handle and a red grip. It was passed down to him by his father, Li Ren, when their village was attacked by the Nuckelavee.

Semblance – Tranquility: masks negative emotion, which aids Ren in avoiding detection by Grimm, as well as anyone else Ren is using his Semblance on. Even if the affected person is in the visual field of the Grimm, the Grimm does not sense the person. When his Semblance activates, the affected person's colors become temporarily grayed out.

----------OZPIN'S INNER CIRCLE----------

A secret brotherhood led by Ozpin, whose purpose is to protect Remnant. They are privy to knowledge kept secret from most of the world, such as the existence of Salem, the Maidens & the Relics. However, Ozpin keeps some secrets even from his associates.

#1. Ozpin (LEADER)

See above.

#2. Glynda Goodwitch

See above.

#3. Qrow Branwen

Status – veteran Huntsman / Beacon Academy graduate / former Signal teacher / former member of Team STRQ (alongside Raven Branwen, Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose)

Relatives – Raven Branwen (elder twin sister) / Taiyang Xiao Long (brother-in-law) / Yang Xiao Long (biological niece) / Ruby Rose (adopted niece)

Appearance – an adult man standing at 6'1, he has graying black, spiky hair that looks feather-like, faded red eyes, and slight stubble along his jawline. Along with a red, tattered cloak, he wears a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants and black dress shoes. He also wears a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right ring finger and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant. Qrow's bangs are down most of the time, but he sometimes pushes his hair back when fighting. His Aura is colored red.

Personality – Qrow is a seemingly rude, blunt, cynical, sometimes crass, yet cool-headed and nonchalant individual, who appears at first glance to be somewhat immature, insensitive and stand-offish, but actually has a heart of gold. He is an alcoholic, and is usually seen taking swigs from his hip flask, often at inappropriate times such as in front of children or during important strategic meetings. Qrow has a habit of giving people nicknames, as he refers to Ruby as "Pipsqueak", but his preferred nickname for her is "Kiddo". Other examples include "Firecracker" for Yang, "Oz" for Ozpin, "Jimmy" for Ironwood and "Ice Queen" for Winter Schnee. He also has a mercurial attitude towards his age: disgusted at the notion of being called old by his nieces, but willing to use it as an excuse to leave uncomfortable conversations. This childish and maverick facade, however, belies the demeanor of a veteran Huntsman. He is also very self-conscious about his Semblance to the point of self-loathing, aware of its possible impact on the people around him, he makes a point to keep his distance from those he cares about. Qrow regards his life as being cursed due to his misfortune Semblance. Seeing himself as a burden to friends and family because of the bad luck he brings to everyone around him, he tries to spend most of his time living and working alone.

Backstory – Qrow was raised alongside his twin sister, Raven Branwen, in a bandit tribe outside the Kingdoms. According to him, he got his name due to the association of crows as symbols of bad luck, as he manifested his Semblance rather early into childhood. When they were of age, the tribe sent the twins to combat school in order to learn how to counter the Huntsmen. From there, they later enrolled in Beacon Academy and formed Team STRQ with fellow students Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long. Following the team's graduation, Qrow became both a maternal and honorary uncle to Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, who are Taiyang's children with Raven and Summer, respectively. Qrow eventually would become a part of Ozpin's group. He and Raven accepted the responsibility of reconnaissance, tracking Salem's forces and searching for the new hosts of Maiden powers when unclear. Along with this, Ozpin gave both twins the ability to turn into birds; Raven eventually deserted these responsibilities and returned to the tribe. Qrow however, refused to go back with her, seeing the tribe as "killers and thieves" and remaining loyal to Ozpin, straining his relationship with Raven and causing them to feud ever since. Despite his slim and lean build, Qrow has great physical prowess, incredibly resilient and durable.

Emblem – A gear within a reversed gear within a wing, peaked right in red.

Abilities – Despite his reputation as a frequent alcoholic, Qrow is nevertheless one of the most capable Huntsmen in all of Remnant, being a trusted member of Ozpin's inner circle. His combat talent, both with his weapon and in hand-to-hand, have made Qrow somewhat of a celebrity across the Kingdoms. Qrow is incredibly skilled at intelligence gathering and espionage.

Weapon – Harbinger: a weapon able to take on multiple forms. The first form is a single-edged greatsword with a clockwork mechanism built into the space above the hilt and a pair of parallel handguards is set beneath. A pair of shotgun barrels are also situated on either side of the main blade. When swung, the sword makes a number of clicking and ratcheting sounds. The top half of the blade can be retracted into its base, forming a more compact portable mode, which is how Qrow normally carries Harbinger outside of battle. The hilt itself contains a control mechanism which serves to extend, curve and retract the blade. Harbinger also has a ranged mode, in which the blade folds forwards, making the shotgun barrels more prominent. The shotguns appear to be fired using a trigger in the hilt. The rounds have a buckshot-like spread. Lastly, the weapon has a scythe form, in which the sword folds into an elongated curved shape, like a scythe's blade. The blade gains red sharpened edges on the inside, while the outer edge takes on a serrated appearance due to the folding. The hilt telescopes in two places, which then curves much like a traditional farming scythe. A trigger for the shotguns becomes prominent in the middle section of the handle.

Semblance – Misfortune: manipulates probability negatively, causing bad luck for himself and anyone nearby. Unlike most Semblances, his is uncontrollable and constantly active, with random spikes leading to incidents as small as a glass being knocked to the floor or as significant as a wooden beam almost crushing someone. This effect can be used to Qrow's advantage however, both by remaining adaptable to it's consequences or even choosing to amplify it at the cost of Aura, both of which provide chances for an enemy to falter. While this offers an advantage against unprepared opponents, because his Semblance does not discriminate against whom it affects, he is often compelled to fight alone to not cause problems for his allies, and tends to keep his distance from the people he cares about.

Crow form – Qrow has the ability to transform into a corvid, specifically a crow. This ability was bestowed upon him by Ozpin through magic in order to act as his eyes in the world. In this form he is capable of flight and can cover large distances in a short amount of time.

----------CINDER'S FACTION----------

Including Cinder Fall herself and all her subordinates, this contingent of Salem’s forces is plotting in the shadows of Vale; their goal, the downfall of the kingdom so that they may get their hands on the Relic - the Crown of Choice interred within Beacon Academy's walls. They're using members of the White Fang's Vale branch, led by Adam Taurus, as foot-soldiers.

#1. Roman Torchwick

Role – Vale crime boss / Cinder’s subordinate; Roman & his men steal Dust and Lien to help support Cinder’s plans. He will also help lead the White Fang contingent in Vale.

Motivation – personal gain & fear; Roman is well-aware that he can't possibly stand up to Cinder and whoever is behind her. He is thus left reluctantly following Cinder’s orders, justifying it with a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mindset. Cinder deliberately keeps Roman in the dark about the true plan.

Appearance – a tall and lanky man, standing at 6'3, with slanted, dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traces his visible left eye. He has his pumpkin Emblem tattooed on his right wrist. Roman wears a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories include a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band. Roman is often seen smoking cigars, and keeps a small zippo-style lighter on hand at all times. With him, he also carries his cane, Melodic Cudgel. His Aura is colored light-orange.

Personality – a manipulative, charming & charismatic man who fancies himself a master thief & gentlemanly mob boss; Roman nonetheless is a ruthless criminal who is quick to anger. He has a cynical view of the world, believing only those with the will to take what they want can succeed. Roman takes a certain glee in planning out his crimes, and takes a twisted pride in his infamy. Gifted with a sarcastic wit, he acts condescending & mocking to basically everyone around him, save for Neopolitan – she is his one and only true friend & partner in crime. However, he has a few glaring weaknesses – chiefly, his tendency to underestimate his opponents and inability to handle surprise attacks. Roman tends to see Semblances as "overrated". His ultimate downfall is his short-sightedness and desperate need for attention.

Backstory – born in the city of Wind Path, Mistral, and abandoned by his mother as a child, Roman became a pickpocket from Mistral in his younger days. After he was caught by members of Spider and was taken under the wing of Lil' Miss Malachite, he became her second-in-command until he started becoming more ambitious than her and defected from the gang to become independent while eventually meeting Neopolitan in the process. Later becoming one of the top criminals in Vale, he attracted the attention of Cinder Fall, who press-ganged him & Neopolitan into becoming part of her group.

Emblem – in negative, a jack-o-lantern face angled right, in orange.

Abilities – Roman is a formidable and exceptionally skilled fighter, able to easily outmatch the likes of Ruby Rose despite only relying on his weapon & basic Aura usage, having never unlocked his Semblance. He is also a skilled pickpocket, a decent self-taught pilot and a master criminal with a penchant for plotting out elaborate heists.

Fighting style – incorporates elements of Bartitsu, a martial art that mixes boxing moves, judo footwork and the usage of a cane as a means of self-defense. Roman himself switches between swift melee combat & long-range potshots, often utilizing elements of the environment against his opponents.

Weapon – Melodic Cudgel: a gray cane with a red base & a white hooked handle that has a red ring wrapped around it. By flipping a switch, the base opens up into a muzzle, along with raising a reticle for aiming – turning Melodic Cudgel into a rapid-fire flare gun that shoots explosive Fire or Lightning Dust rounds. The handle is attached to a tether, and can be shot out as a grappling hook.

#2. Neopolitan

Birth name – Trivia Vanille; she now prefers to go by Neopolitan or simply Neo

Role – Roman's right-hand woman / only friend

Motivation – loyalty; Neo follows Roman's orders because they're each other's only true friends. She couldn't care less about Cinder’s plans, and only helps with them as a formality.

Appearance – Neo is a diminutive, pale-skinned young woman, standing at 4'10. While sometimes altered via illusion for disguise, her hair color is typically half pink and half brown, with white streaks on the pink side. Her eye color alternates between brown, pals pink and white, which is an ability she has full control over. By default, her left eye is pink and her right eye is brown – suggesting she has heterochromia. Neo wears a white cropped wide, broad tailed jacket with a pink interior, collar, a single pink button and large pink cuffs; as well as skintight brown leather-latex pants with a dark belt that hadsa gray buckle and an additional narrow belt under it. Under her jacket is a brown over bust whalebone corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, which exposes her hips. She also wears a multitude of black beaded necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck; black-&-white spat-styled under the knee boots alongside black gloves. Her Aura is colored pink.

Personality – compared to the talkative Roman, Neo is a mute, and has been since birth. She communicates through gestures, body language and text messages. Lethal and goal-oriented, Neo is nonetheless a mischievous and playful person, who delights in duping her opponents and making fools out of them. She is fully confident in her abilities, and is often smiling even in the midst of battle. Neo is quite sadistic, taking her time to approach downed opponents, fully prepared to kill them. She possesses a desire to be validated whenever she accomplishes a task, as well as to be treated as an equal by a partner or superior; Roman fulfills both of those wishes. Despite her co,bat skills, powerful Semblance and extremely durable weapon, Neo is intelligent enough to realize when she's outmatched, and wisely retreats. However, she has a habit of dropping her guard when she believes she has the decisive upper hand.

Backstory – born Trivia Vanille, she was a rebellious child of Carmel & Jimmy Vanille. Trivia had an imaginary friend named Neo, who represented her more adventurous side. Eventually, the two became one and the same, and Trivia took on the moniker Neopoiltan. At age 18, her parents shipped her off to Lady Browning's Preparatory Academy for Girls, an educational establishment that secretly trained its most exceptional students to become spies & assassins. Whilst attending the Academy, Neo eventually developed a criminal partnership with Roman Torchwick, and escaped the establishment with his help. During a gang war between Spider & Heo Xiong that spilled into a raid on the Vanille estate, Neo & Roman played both sides against each other, resulting in the manor's destruction and the death of Carmel & Jimmy. From then on, Roman rose as the premier criminal force in Vale, with Neopolitan by his side.

Emblem – A mitsudomoe symbol within a circle, in dark-brown.

Abilities – Neo is an incredibly skilled fighter, perhaps even moreso than Roman himself. Often underestimated due to her short stature, she is exceptionally agile & acrobatic, her reflexes allowing her to easily weave around most attacks. She approaches most fights in a joking manner, deliberately holding back against her opponents & toying with them, unless they prove to be truly dangerous. She is also a competent getaway driver, and a master spy & infiltrator.

Fighting style – highly evasive, dodging & parrying her opponent's attacks until they're exhausted or until Neo is in a position to counterattack. She utilizes kicks & misdirection when using her weapon in its default state, fighting in a similar way to Roman; while using Hush in its sword form, Neo switches to a style reminiscent of Victorian fencing.

Weapon – Hush: a parasol elaborately decorated in lace fabric of multiple colors; pink and white in the middle, red and brown at the edges. Hush is translucent enough to make out the shape and color of the wielder as she stands behind it. It has a hooked black handle with a pink ring wrapped around it. The shaft of Hush serves as the sheath for a long cylindrical blade, which can be drawn out by Hush's curved handle. The parasol has a central hole through which the blade can come out. Hush is exceptionally durable, and can be used as a makeshift glider. It was a gift from Roman, who had the weapon custom-built by a Mistrali blacksmith named Gunmetal.

Semblance – Overactive Imagination: allows Neo to create highly-convincing illusions around herself. These illusions can be seen by everyone, and shatter like glass when broken or when Neo dispels them. She typically uses them to disguise herself or to misdirect opponents in battle. However, she can also use her Semblance for psychological manipulation or for simple communication.

#3. Cinder Fall

Role – mastermind behind Vale operations / key member of Salem’s inner circle

Motivation – lust for power; Cinder goes along with Salem’s plans in hopes of gaining the four Maidens' powers and becoming unstoppable. However, she is unaware of Salem's true goals, and is led to believe the Queen of Grimm aims to create a new world order.

Goals – cause chaos in Vale / find the Relic of Choice / find Amber and take the rest of her Maiden powers (short-term goals); find the other Relics for Salem / gain the other Maidens' powers (long-term goals)

Appearance – Cinder is a fair-skinned young woman, standing at 5'10 (in heels), with bright amber eyes and long, ashen-black hair that covers her left eye and rests over her left shoulder. On her upper back she has a black tattoo of her emblem: a pair of high heel shoes placed sole-to-sole, forming a heart shape inside. Her fingernails are painted dark red. She wears a dark red, long-sleeved, off-the-shoulders, V-neck minidress with a quadrant-shaped keyhole on the upper back framing her tattoo and two laces tied together across the neckline. Golden regal designs decorate the dress around the keyhole, across the chest, and down the sleeves which end in loops around her middle fingers. The dress splits from her right hip down, and has a tapered tail ending just above her knees. The hem is trimmed with black lace. She wears black, lace-up shorts underneath her dress as well as a black choker around her neck. She also has dark, glass, high-heeled shoes. Mounted on her right hip where the dress splits is a brooch consisting of a black, rhombus-shaped gem set within a gold metal frame with several iridescent blue and green feathers radiating out from it. She has a gold hoop earring with a black gem dangling from it on her right ear, and a jeweled anklet around her right leg. The designs on the dress glow bright orange whenever she uses the Dust that is sewn into them. Her eyes and earring also glow. Her Aura is colored orange.

Personality – Cinder is a sadistic & ruthless killer, obsessed with gaining power at any cost. Arrogant and egomaniacal, she relishes in dominance and gloating, displaying shameless pleasure in the misery she has caused others. She believes that the power she is after is owed to her, having been promised godlike abilities and the Maiden powers by Salem. As a leader, Cinder is demanding and controlling, expecting her subordinates to do exactly as they're told. She doesn't tolerate disobedience and harshly punishes failure. She keeps her subordinates on a strictly need-to-know basis, and is prone to taking credit for their accomplishments or simply getting rid of them once they've outlived their usefulness. While Cinder maintains a calm and collected, almost coquetish demeanor, she loses her cool if taken off-guard for even a moment, letting her monumental temper flare up. When her emotions run freely, Cinder throws fits of childish rage and desperately tries to reassert herself as the dominant force in the room. While she defers to Salem, Cinder detests having to take orders; she wants to be te one on top, the one person that everyone fears.

Backstory – Cinder spent her childhood in a Mistrali orphanage, being a constant victim of bullying from the other children. One day, she was taken in by a Madame, the proprietor of the Glass Unicorn hotel in the City of Atlas. Cinder became the hotel's sole employee, often facing mistreatment from the Madame & her two daughters, being electrocuted through a shock collar for the slightest blunders. The only positive influence in Cinder’s life was a Huntsman named Rhodes, who frequently stayed at the hotel, and offered to train Cinder after he caught her stealing one of his swords. While her life had a chance of veering into another, more positive direction, Cinder ultimately snapped after the Madame's daughters caught her training with the sword one night. She killed them both, and was strangling the Madame herself to death when Rhodes arrived. He expressed intent to bring Cinder in for murder; feeling betrayed, she attacked & managed to fatally wound him. The psychological scars left by her past persisted long after Cinder ended up joining Salem’s forces, and they still influence her decision-making even today.

Emblem – A pair of high-heel shoes joined at the soles with a heart-shaped negative, in dark-red.

Abilities – Cinder is an exceptionally skilled & powerful combatant, an expert in both hand-to-hand and swordsmanship, as well as a skilled marksman. She is proficient in efficiently using her Aura, and makes extensive use of raw Dust without difficulty. She is also quite decent at stealth. Cinder is remarkably intelligent and quick-thinking, able to adjust plans on the fly and play on her opponents' weaknesses; however, her decision-making is often hampered by her short temper and psychological instability.

Fighting style – a mixture of overwhelming power displays and cold, merciless pragmatism; Cinder exploits any advantage whenever possible – using the environment, attacking from behind, cruelly tormenting a downed opponent to psyche out their allies, et cetera.

Weapon – Midnight: a pair of blades which combine to form a bow. The weapon is made of obsidian – black volcanic glass – and it seems to be created using Lava Dust. When not in use, Cinder uses her powers to create her bow and arrows with the Dust sewn in her clothes. In its swords form, Midnight is a pair of single-handed weapons that are similar to a European seax or a Moorish scimitar. The blade is broad and has multiple cutting edges, although the blades must be relatively light to enable the user to keep them balanced when using them in their designed dual-wielding form. In its bow form, Midnight uses a straight bow design with a hand-grip built into the frame and is capable of producing multiple broadhead-tipped arrows that can detonate on impact. Cinder is able to melt down and reform the arrows if something shatters them before they hit their target. The original version of Midnight was made from metal; Cinder burned the weapon after stealing half of the Fall Maiden's power from Amber, and now wields this obsidian replica.

Maiden Powers – right now, Cinder only wields half of the Fall Maiden's power. She is able to conjure powerful fire-based attacks, rooted in Magic. As such, using her Maiden powers has no impact on her Aura reserves. However, her power is still limited. Should she gain the rest of Amber's powers, Cinder will gain the ability to create various magical weapons – made of fire glass, with flames pulsing within.

Semblance – Scorching Caress: produces intense heat, allowing Cinder to manipulate objects, such as turning sand or dirt into projectiles that can be hurled towards her targets, as well as altering her clothes or weapons by manipulating Dust. It is also able to cause explosions on the ground over a given area. She can also burn her opponents through direct physical contact. Cinder can generate heat from any part of her body. The highest level of heat that Cinder's Semblance can produce is strong enough to completely and painlessly disintegrate a person into ash in seconds. Cinder unlocked her Semblance when she was 10 years old.

#4. Emerald Sustrai

Role – Cinder’s subordinate / teammate to Mercury Black / undercover Beacon student (she and Mercury are masquerading as transfer students from Haven)

Motivation – loyalty; Emerald reveres Cinder, seeing her as a mother figure.

Appearance – a young woman, standing at 5'8, with medium-brown skin and dark-red eyes. Her hair is a light, mint-green with a straight fringe and bangs as well as two long locks on each side in the back. She wears two bronze-colored rings on her middle fingers as well as a pair of strappy high-heeled pumps. Her attire consists of an intricate white top and an olive-colored crop top, on the back of which is her personal emblem. Emerald wears white shorts, decorated with what appears to be a gold coin-plated belt with four gold chains draping around her back from two of the coins and what seems to be a green loincloth. She also wears a gold, three-ring armband on her left arm and a string of gold beads near the same wrist.

Personality – outwardly affable and disarmingly friendly. On the whole, she seems to be genuinely outgoing and quick-witted, if a little short-fused. She can also act a little childish or petty. Her loyalty is exclusive to Cinder, rather than to Salem, and only complies to her plans and wishes due to owing Cinder "everything". Accordingly, she is willing to take the initiative to impress her. Although Emerald has no qualms about killing, she is appalled by the sheer destructive scope of Cinder's plans.

Backstory – Emerald used to be a street urchin on the streets of Mistral; using her talents as a thief just to get by on a day-to-day basis. One day, Cinder witnessed Emerald using her Semblance to steal a ring from right under a jeweler's nose, and recruited the young thief, offering her shelter in exchange for obedience.

Emblem – a five-layered gemstone, in sea green.

Abilities – Emerald is quite adept in battle, demonstrating skilled swordsmanship and marksmanship, and the ability to ensnare opponents in her chains and reel them in, even from a great distance. She is also a master thief, able to easily pickpocket even other master criminals like Roman Torchwick.

Fighting style – Emerald generally doesn't fight one-on-one, being more of a support teammate; harassing the opponent with potshots, hit-and-run tactics and disrupting their footing, as well as using her Semblance to mislead them, setting up opportunities for her stronger allies, like Mercury or Cinder, to deal heavy hits.

Weapon – Thief's Respite: a pair of firearms with jungle-green grips, each stored inside their own separate leather casings on a belt wrapped around Emerald's waist. By default, they are a pair of revolvers that fire incredibly fast, enough to clear out large numbers of Grimm before any of them can move. Emerald can then deploy blades to fight in melee combat, or instead extend them using chains attached to her respective handles like kusarigamas to fight from mid-range.

Semblance – Hallucinations: Emerald can make one person (or more) see and hear things that are not necessarily there, by modifying the sensory information processed by their brain. In other words, instead of generating an illusion that everyone nearby can see like Neopolitan, she instead causes her target to hallucinate. By default, Emerald can affect only two people at once. However, her Semblance can also fool mechanical opponents. She typically remains still or moves slowly and cautiously when conjuring hallucinations.

#5. Mercury Black

Relatives – Marcus Black (father, dead)

Role – Cinder’s subordinate / teammate to Emerald Sustrai / undercover Beacon student (he and Emerald are masquerading as transfer students from Haven)

Motivation – Mercury outwardly justifies his involvement by claiming that he "fights for the strongest side"; inwardly, he's aware that Cinder doesn't care about him or Emerald. He's simply taking part in Salem’s plans because pain and violence is all he truly knows.

Appearance – a pale, young man, standing at 5'10, with an athletic & slim physique, gray eyes and gray hair, partially slicked back while unkempt at the front. He has prosthetic legs that attach part-way up his thighs. These legs are usually hidden from view due to him wearing pants and a pair of shoes. Mercury wears a slate gray and black two-tone partial-zip jacket that covers his upper body. He also wears a single notched belt with what appears to be a sash or bandana draped over it. Protecting his arms are a set of rerebraces and vambraces.

Personality – Mercury is shown to be rather care-free and often jokes around when in the company of Emerald Sustrai, who he makes an effort to annoy. He seems to opt for excitement and action. However, when it comes to matters at hand, Mercury displays a sense of seriousness and levelheadedness, though his carefree attitude may occasionally slip out during combat. Mercury also seems to derive personal enjoyment from the pain of other people, showing no qualms about intimidating and killing others, even light-heartedly joking about it afterward with Emerald. Mercury carries an immense bitterness within him due to his abusive upbringing by his assassin father, Marcus Black. Mercury feels as though he has had to work harder than anyone else due to his stolen Semblance.

Backstory – Mercury was raised by his abusive single father, assassin and drunkard Marcus Black. Marcus trained his son to become an assassin, and when Mercury unlocked his Semblance, Marcus promptly took it with his own Semblance, claiming it was a "crutch" that made Mercury weak. Soon after, Mercury "proved his strength" by killing Marcus, yet was unable to regain his Semblance. Cinder happened to come by at that exact time, intending to recruit Marcus – but since the father was dead, she opted to recruit the son instead.

Emblem – A winged shoe in silver-gray.

Abilities – being a trained assassin, Mercury is aggressive and skilled enough to put the likes of Pyrrha Nikos on the defensive. He is highly agile and fast, as well as surprisingly strong. His prosthetic legs are also quite durable.

Fighting style – Mercury relies upon quickly overpowering his opponent with complex kicks that imply a near-mastery of martial arts that resemble Tae-Kwon-Do. He is also capable of a break-dancing style, similar to Capoeira, and makes use of Muay Thai as well. Mercury also uses his hands to grapple, block or redirect enemy attacks.

Weapon – Talaria: a large pair of boots with firing mechanisms built into them. The boots are able to fire a variety of different projectiles. Some of the projectiles have guided or target-seeking properties, taking spiraling paths towards their target. By using a fighting style akin to break-dancing or Capoeira, Mercury can fire a veritable storm of these projectiles that can overwhelm an enemy with sheer volume. Some projectiles are loaded with Steam Dust, creating a smokescreen used to distract opponents.

----------WHITE FANG----------

A Faunus organization fighting for equality between humans & Faunus. Originally founded by Ghira Belladonna, who acted as the first High Leader of the White Fang, the organization was an activist group leading peaceful protests. However, in the face of further discrimination, the group gradually became more violent; under the leadership of current High Leader, Sienna Khan, they've become a militant terrorist group, trying to achieve equality through shows of strength. Meanwhile, the Vale branch, led by Adam Taurus, are even more radical – an extremist group who aim to supplant humanity as the dominant species and create a Faunus supremacist state.

The White Fang recruit large numbers of disaffected Faunus at secret faction meetings, using them as soldiers in their conflicts. The regular White Fang uniform consists of black hooded garments underneath a white long-tailed vest with grey lining and gold buttons, although the exact colors and clothing can vary by region, rank or role. White Fang members tend to wear white masks styled after Grimm, to signify how humanity hhave made metaphorical monsters of them. The organization is comprised of three branches, subservient to the High Leader, whose seat of power is in Mistral. Each branch leader is given complete operational freedom, while trusted to act in the group's overall best interest without explicit supervision from the High Leader. Adam Taurus leads the extremist Vale faction, utilizing the Fang's autonomous structure to closely cooperate with Cinder Fall & her group, in pursuit of his own goals. Corsac & Fennec Albain lead the Menagerie branch, specializing in a network of spies & assassins rather than out-and-out warfare.

The White Fang are a capable paramilitary force, capable of fielding artillery and vehicular units. However, the majority of their troops only wield mass-produced weapons like swords & firearms, relying on numbers & the element of surprise. Only the few higher-ranking members, like Adam & the Albain brothers, are proficient with the usage of Aura & equipped with custom weaponry.

The White Fang's current Emblem is a leering hound's head over three claw scars, in blotchy red. The group's original Emblem, back when they were still peaceful activists, was a white hound's head inside a white circle.

#1. Adam Taurus

Role – Vale branch leader / associate of Cinder’s group. Adam isn't happy about this arrangement, as Cinder Fall forcefully recruited him after defeating a large contingent of his men; however, he is going along with her plans to accomplish his own goals.

Motivation – extremism; driven by his hatred of humanity, Adam aims to create a Faunus supremacist state where the "inferior" humans are treated little better than livestock. To this end, he is plotting to rebel against Sienna Khan herself, and many White Fang members, including the Albain brothers, have become loyal to his message.

Apperance – Adam appears light-skinned, standing at 6'4 in height, with auburn swept-back hair and blue eyes. His Faunus trait manifests as a pair of reddish-black bull horns on his head. His left eye is scarred over with a horrific burn car from a brand shaped like the Schnee Dust Company logo; as such, the eye appears grayed out, bloodied and with a singed eyebrow. Adam wears an asymmetrical black, long-sleeved, double-breasted stylized high-collared blazer with slit sleeves along with red thorn sigils adorned with a white crest that lined up on his left shoulder. His suit jacket has crimson lining atop his red shirt, with red thorn sigils atop a black flap attached to the bottom of the left hem and his wilting rose emblem on the back over an emblazoned white sigil resembling the curved stems and flower of the deadly nightshade plant. His blazer is half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar under it. His mask is whitish-tan with red, Japanese style, horn-like symbols decorating the front and two slits on each side for vision. He also wears long black dress pants, black shoes with red soles and black gloves with red sigils resembling the Greek letter Ω (Omega), as well as a black belt with white domino marks on it. His Aura is colored crimson.

Personality – Adam is primarily defined by his hatred for humanity. Having once been an idealistic young man desiring equality between humans & Faunus, he has been embittered by the world's cruelty, and has become one of the White Fang's most radical members, as well as one of its most prominent & respected. A violent and destructive person who revels in the fearsome reputation he's cultivating, Adam has become a raging Faunus supremacist. He bears an intense, downright obsessive grudge against Blake Belladonna – they used to both be White Fang members and were quite close, until Blake grew horrified at the violence Adam was willing to commit and ran away. Adam's most glaring weakness is his emotional instability – he has a one-track need to exact vengeance on those who wronged him and a tendency to act impulsively & rashly when sufficiently angered.

Backstory – Adam was originally a young worker for the Schnee Dust Company, treated inhumanely due to being a Faunus. After having his face branded, he eventually snapped & rebelled, joining the White Fang. While initially reluctant to kill, Adam quickly grew to realize his strength was exceptional compared to everyone else. After accidentally killing several racist humans to protect Ghira Belladonna, only to be praised by Sienna Khan for his actions, Adam quickly developed an ego. Seeing himself as a "hero" to the White Fang, he began killing more frequently, and became openly manipulative towards his partner, Blake Belladonna. Eventually, while the two were raiding a SDC train, Blake fled after seeing how little Adam cared for the lives of innocent humans on board.

Emblem – a stemmed rose, in red.

Abilities – Adam is a remarkably skilled & strong combatant, easily one of the White Fang's strongest members. He is a talented swordsman & marksman, able to move at incredible speeds & deflect numerous projectiles. Adam also has incredible endurance & large reserves of Aura. Despite his violent nature, he is remarkably intelligent & quick-thinking, a proficient manipulator & skilled at psychological warfare.

Fighting style – Adam has a preference for "Iaijutsu", which involves quickly unsheathing for a rapid attack and then sheathing again. Adam is also adept in unarmed combat, utilizing kicks and grabs in addition to his swordsmanship. He tends to parry or block incoming enemy attacks with his blade in order to charge up his Semblance. However, he is over-reliant on his sword to fight as a result.

Weapons – Wilt and Blush: Wilt is a red-colored version of a traditional Japanese chokutō and Blush is a gray rifle with a dark-red stock, that also functions as a scabbard. Blush serves as a sheath for Wilt, and the sword itself can be shot hilt-first out of the barrel. When Wilt is unsheathed, Blush's stock becomes more angular and shorter while the barrel extends, holding a greater resemblance to an actual rifle. Wilt's blade is red and slightly longer than average in length. While Blush's stock is a dark red, the rest of its components are gray. The stock itself is rather long when compared to the rest of the firearm, while the barrel is quite short. The side of the forestock is decorated with Adam's "Wilt" logo. As Wilt covers and blocks the barrel of Blush, Blush is unable to fire normally until Wilt is unsheathed. Although small and seemingly lightweight, Blush's component is capable of automatic fire.

Semblance – Moonslice: allows Adam to accumulate kinetic energy by blocking strikes with his blade, Wilt, and release the combined force as devastating waves of red energy – precise arc-shaped slashes or larger violent bursts. The more hits he blocks or parries, the stronger his Moonslice is. Furthermore, Adam can also release the energy as a series of his own afterimages, which he can attack in tandem with. When he blocks an attack or unleashes an energy wave, everything red on him - such as his hair, blade and attire - briefly glows as light dims around him.

#2. Sienna Khan

Role – White Fang's High Leader, succeeding Ghira Belladonna; where he strived for peace & coexistence, Sienna has retooled the White Fang into a militant organization

Motivation – pushback; Sienna believes in the necessity of violence to achieve the White Fang's goals of Faunus liberation. However, she only deems retaliatory violence necessary, and condemns unprovoked attacks.

Appearance – Sienna is a female, Bengal tiger Faunus with amber eyes, a dark complexion and wild black hair in an asymmetrical bob. Her Faunus trait manifests as an extra pair of ears, and her body is adorned with numerous tattoos resembling tiger stripes. She wears four golden earrings on three of her ears, one on each Human ear and two on the left Faunus ear, as well as having a small jewel resembling a bindi on her forehead. She wears a form-fitting dark gray sleeveless dress with white trim; the top part having a large diamond cutout exposing most of her back accompanied by a smaller diamond-shaped cutout just above her breasts, over which is a low-hanging long red cape that's clasped by golden rings near the crest of her top's chest cutout, as well as a gray waist cincher with red trim and a gold-buckled belt over it, which fastens a gray pouch on her right hip, and a long gray open skirt with thick white trim revealing a pair of black shorts beneath, along with over-the-knee black stockings with golden trim. Aside from that, she wears a pair of light gray wedged sandals with red laces tied to her calves, as well as a single black elbow-length fingerless glove on her right hand. She also wears a red rope with a golden bell on her left side wrapped around her waist with a matching rope wrapped around her right wrist. Her Aura is colored amber.

Personality – Stoic and collected, Sienna has led the White Fang with a cool head for years. She's in touch with her anger, but does not let it overwhelm her. She has a reflexive dislike for Humans, but isn't as intensely prejudiced against them as someone like Adam, and is willing to hear people out, provided they show the proper deference & conviction. She is rather arrogant and secure in her position, which has left Sienna blind to the hostile takeover Adam Taurus is slowly building towards.

Emblem – An erect fleur-de-lis abstract, in white.

Abilities – holding supreme authority over the White Fang, Sienna has all of its resources across Remnant at her disposal. She is also a greatly capable combatant, being quite strong & agile, able to easily outmatch most mid-tier Huntsmen.

Fighting style – merciless and predatory; Sienna lays ambushes, exploits weaknesses and ruthlessly goes in for the kill.

Weapon – Cerberus Whip: a roughly six feet long chain ending in three detachable Dust blades. The blades use Fire, Electric and Ice Dust. They can also be launched at enemies through a button on the grip, dealing elemental damage. Sienna keeps the chain wrapped around her arm when out of combat.

Semblance – Grudge: a passive Semblance that activates a "grudge" against opponents with weakened or broken Auras, buffing Sienna by making her stronger, faster and more vicious when going in for the kill.

----------GRIMM BESTIARY----------

Grimm are exceedingly varied, with a myriad of species, each with their own unique abilities, strengths & weaknesses. Some are only found in certain Kingdoms or habitats, others are ubiquitous.

-------COMMON GRIMM-------

These species are the "rank-and-file", the ones most Huntsmen & Huntresses will encounter on a day-to-day basis.

#1. Beowolf – a large, wolf-like species of Grimm. They can vary greatly in size, with the average specimen being about the size of a human, but with larger Beowolves appearing that can be more than twice as large. Older Beowolves are known as Alpha Beowolves; they are larger, covered in more bone-like armor and spines than the typical specimen. Beowolves attack with their claws and powerful jaws, lacking special abilities. They tend to roam in packs. Habitats – all of Remnant.

#2. Boarbatusk – massive, boar-like Grimm. Boarbatusks have four eyes and a bone-like mask that seems to be strapped to their face by a black vein-like organic tether. They have a series of plates along thei back and on its thighs, and two extra sets of tusks, including two large curving tusks. However, their underside is comparatively under-protected and vulnerable, with little to no body armor or shielding. They tend to charge directly at opponents, and may roll up into a ball to do so. Habitats – eastern Sanus, Solitas.

#3. Nevermore – crow-like Grimm of varying size. Nevermores are avians, with a mask-like, white bony structure overlaying the upper front of their head. They also have four glowing red eyes, two on each side of its head. The headpiece also includes a dorsal spine. They two clawed "fingers" extending forwards from the outermost wing joints. Nevermores primarily swoop down to attack, but can also throw sharp feathers from their wings like arrow volleys. Habitats – all of Remnant.

#4. Ursai – bear-like Grimm that come in two varieties: the smaller & more common Ursa Minor, and the larger & better armored Ursa Major. They appear much like the Beowolf, with black fur and bony spikes on their backs and arms, as well as white, bone-like masks with red detailing, but are much larger and stockier. Ursai are melee attackers. Habitats – all of Remnant.

#5. Death Stalker – massive scorpion-like Grimm. A Death Stalker has a jet-black exoskeleton underneath several large, white, bonelike plates upon its back, which are adorned with red markings. One of the more prominent attributes of this Grimm is the glowing golden stinger on its tail that it uses as a lure. It also has a pair of large pincers that it uses to defend itself and grab or cut into its prey. The Death Stalker's ten red eyes and markings can also glow in the dark when it chooses to reveal itself to its prey. Baby Death Stalkers are much smaller & weaker, tending to stay in large groups underground. Death Stalkers are extremely strong, and fight using their pincers & stinger tail, which is venomous. Habitats – eastern Sanus.

#6. Griffons – flying hybrid Grimm. Griffons have the head, wings and talons of a large predatory bird and the rear legs, tail and body of a lion or tiger. They have black fur and feathers, with white bone-like spines on their body, including a row of bony spikes on their wings, as well as a white birdlike skull. On their head, they have a bone-white beak and four red eyes, along with gray webbing on the sides of their beak. Griffons use similar swooping tactics to the Nevermore; while they're more durable, they lack ranged attacks.

#7. King Taijitu – massive serpentine Grimm. The Taijitu sport many fangs in their jaws, with a long, black forked tongue to boot. They have two halves, a black one and a white one, that are joined in the center with a head at each end. Taijitu attack with lunging bites and use their massive snake bodies to constrict their foes. Habitats – all of Sanus (both Vale & Vacuo).

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