Diva
"If I always did what I was told, I'd still be a peasant".
In the tiny hamlet of Remy, Diva grew up with visions granted by the gods. She glimpsed the future and saw herself covered in dirt, surrounded by monsters, and on her last legs.
The warning was clear: do not follow the warrior's path. But Diva, ever the stubborn heart, had a talent for combat and an indomitable spirit. She bore a soldier's heart. She felt that, perhaps, the gods were warning of something else: death by dirt.
She could see herself in gleaming Sunguard's armor, standing over her defeated enemies, perfect hair flowing in the breeze. Clearly, this was what the gods intended. She traveled to Arcadia at age 16, enrolled in the academy, and has never looked back.
Now a full knight, she spends hour upon hour polishing her own weapons and armor, since lazy squires can't be trusted.
Greensleeves
"Do you like my new coat? It's my complete delight".
Greensleeves has two pleasures in life: the sound of an arrow crossing the air, and the feel of fresh cotton against his skin. A native
from the Daylight Woods, Greensleeves is an enthusiastic orc hunter and an avid tailor, who is very picky with the quality of the arrows he uses and of the cotton he sews. His aim, either with an arrow or a needle, is legendary.
Greensleeves descends from an ancient line of Blond Elves, where honesty and honor are sacred, knowledge and tradition are passed from one generation to the next, and the length of the hair shows how long one intends to stay single.
He dreams one day of sewing via archery, but the thread proves problematic to aerodynamic efficiency.
Grom
"GRRRrrrrraaaghhhhh!"
As a tiny barbarian, Grom was told that 'practice makes perfect', and the young Grom took it to heart... perhaps a little too literally.
Grom prefers not to walk anywhere. He fights his way from place to place. He does not eat dinner. He
conquers it! He does not take out the trash. He forces it into exile! He does not bathe. er, because, barbarian!
In all the world, Grom fears only one thing. It is the greatest opponent he has ever faced. No matter his wit, no matter his cunning, it matches him move for move, and stalks him everywhere he goes: His shadow.
Hobsbawm
".. therefore it must be perfectly obvious to even the most amateur understanding of simple physiologic processes that, when properly applied according to the Mendoclian Dactum and basic Theory of Arcane Diffusion and intoned with verbiage not at all dissimilar to proper pyromantic articulation, one will, inevitably and invariably with very little randomization, excepting for local disruptions in the ley convergence and accounting for proper celestial alignments.
One will discover that any monster, particularly those of a mortal nature and not linked in any way to a pyroclastic elemental effusion, will expire at the proper ignition temperature. Now, turning to the undead, as both species and philosophy, consider".
--Excerpt of Professor Hobsbawm in battle. (Just imagine what his lectures are like).
Kanga
"These orcs know nothing of proper marauding!"
One of the rare Bruentte Elves of the southern Daylight Forests, Kanga's clan has long claimed shared blood with the Burn-It Orcs from ancient days.
And it makes sense, naturally, because how else might one explain their dark hair? The Brunette Elves tend towards fiery tempers, and Kanga is no exception.
Where other elves are content to dance and sing, Kanga prefers a good day of marauding. With the aid of her griffon companion, Kanga has marauded many a dungeon in her time, and now she's set her sights on Arcadia.
In battle, Kanga's companions learn very quickly to keep her aimed squarely at the enemy.
Johan
"It's all in the wrist".
Johan and his brothers made everything a competition. School, work, girls, and especially swordplay. Not a one of them didn't dream of joining the Sunguard.
In fact, they all got so good at fighting each other, they developed whole new strategies and tactics never before considered at the Academy.
Johan had the singular distinction of defeating his admissions officer in single combat, something no other aspirant had ever done.
No one on faculty had ever considered that a sword could function like a boomerang. Now a full Knight Errant, Johan was questing abroad when eternal night descended. He has returned, more determined than ever, to conquer Arcadia and rebuild the Sunguard.
Maya
"The secret to my power? Yoga. And rage.
More rage than yoga. In fact, I'm just gonna go with rage".
From the time she was a tiny baby, Maya was a prodigy in the art of ice magic.
In fact, when her mountain village suffered a particularly brutal winter with snow piling higher than anyone had seen it, a fearful baby Maya instinctively created a series of ice chutes that let the villagers escape the imminent avalanche.
As she grew, it became clear that moments of emotional outburst were the source of her amazing talents. It let her drop her barriers and channel more magic than anyone else of her age.
As a young woman, she entered Arcadia University and has studied under all the greats, including Professor Hobsbawm. With Arcadia taken and monsters residing in her house (HER HOUSE!!), Maya doesn't have to search far for the ire to fuel her spells.
Scarlet
"I steal from the rich and give to the poor.
Then steal it all over again. Because why make things easy?"
How exactly Scarlet manages to maintain several Guild memberships, a ten-thousand gold bounty, AND never get caught is a complete mystery. Yet, manage it she does, and is in fine standing with even the Sunguard.
They'd lock her up on-sight, if she wasn't so damned sneaky. She even considered turning herself in once, just to collect the bounty. But she never could figure how she'd steal it from herself, which is really the only hitch in the plan.
A master of deception, the blade, and stealth, Scarlet is a valuable addition to any quest... so long as no one was expecting any loot. It's always inexplicably missing by the time her companions arrive.
Seth
"Psst. Hey, buddy. Wanna buy a wand?"
Seth was admitted to Arcadia University on a scholarship, and was expelled three days later, just to set the record for shortest attendance.
An inveterate showoff, Seth was unhappy with the plodding pace at the University, and figured he could simply learn it all on his own. But books are expensive, and arcane knowledge rare.
To fund his thirst for learning, Seth picked up the artificing trade, and sells his wands and scrolls to anyone with the necessary coin. Once he qualified for Guild memberships, he took his wares on the road, questing and peddling.
Now with Arcadia fallen, he is determined to return and be the first to liberate the University (or rather liberate its Library of its excess grimoires).
Spike
"Helmet hair? Is that sposed ta be a joke?"
Being Being born with a mohawk wasn't easy for Spike (to say nothing of his poor mother), but his legendary follicles of steel became a point of pride for his dwarven family, and heralded the potential for so much more.
Sure enough, at age thirteen when all dwarves awake with their full beards, his was truly one-in-a-generation. He was... a Dragonbeard! One of the fabled heroes of old that served as barber to the ancient dragons.
But, alas, humankind doesn't hold the same traditions as Dwarves about their quasi-religious figures. The constant nettling and mockery has set him a bit on edge, though his inner rage is a source of great retributive strength.
Wisp
"...".
Once a thief in a land where 'singing floors' became popular among the gentry, Wisp made a name for himself by moving silently where such a thing should not have been possible.
Unfortunately, this only drew attention to himself, which is really the last thing any thief wants.
Beleaguered by his celebrity status, and surrounded by adoring fans, Wisp found it impossible to lead a proper life of crime in his home city of Favry.
He spent most of his considerable fortune journeying far across the sea to distant Arcadia and made his home in the fabled Evershadow district and learned its streets like few others. Now that Arcadia has fallen, his skills will be needed once more.
Zazu
"'Feel my inner calm" they said...
Master your emotions' they said.. Grrrrrr!!"
As a young child, Zazu had rage issues. Which is to say he raged at any issue. Bedtime. Dinnertime. Lunchtime. Afternoons.
Mornings. Zazu could even rage while asleep. His desperate parents had little choice but to cloister him with the Zen Monks of Tranquil Glade in the hopes that they could teach him a peace that he'd never known in life.
Zazu and the monks tried, they really did, but, in the end, Zazu proved completely incapable of mastering the Zen state, which, obviously, infuriated him even more.
And yet, in this circle, lay the key. Bye opening himself up to his inadequacy and the fury it causes, Zazu has mastered the perfect cycle of Furious Zen. Like all monks he prepares himself before battle by chanting, though, in Zazu's case, grinding teeth and muttering takes the place of any meditative chant.
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