Hello everyone!
Wandering Letters here announcing something I think I've wanted to do for a little while.
I'm a sucker for emotional anime and obviously, Grimgar Of Fantasy And Ash was no exception to this.
I absolutely adored how emotional the series was so I figured that I'd give this idea a shot, if any of you guys are up for it that is!
I'm here to kind of offer the same kind of story that I've done in the past. I highly doubt there's anyone here who's ever read my work before but I'm a major fan of the sign up story format. What this means is that I'll write a story using original characters that you guys create! But then you may ask, how does this work?
It's simple really.
I'll go ahead and leave a template of what I'd say is a good estimate of all we'd need to get a good basis of the characters. In the interest of making things more fun, I'll go ahead and allow you all to submit classes in addition to your characters. Feel free to use the same classes as mentioned in the anime, but you can try and get creative as well because the anime was basically the tip of the iceberg considering we had things like Dark Knights and Priests.
Name: Pretty self explanatory. Feel free to come up with a middle and last name if you'd like.
Sex: Self explanatory.
Age: In the spirit of things, let's keep it as teenagers just like the anime. The maximum age I will allow is about 21.
Intended Class: Go ahead and invent a class if you'd like. Feel free to use the existing ones as well.
Personality: Fill in as much as you can here because it will help with my portrayal of your character. Seeing as we can't have a background (at least prior to arriving in Grimgar) section, it's more important than ever to have this filled up.
Appearance: Get as detailed as you'd like with this. For the love of god however, do not make up something boring and plain. Get inventive!
Aspirations: Is there an ultimate goal your character wants to accomplish? Perhaps become famous, maybe they want to take care of their friends. The choice is yours!
Likes: The littler things in life that makes your character happy. Food? Activities? Books to read? You get the picture.
Dislikes: The opposite of the above.
Skills: If you've watched the anime and read the novel, you know that this section is pretty wide. In the interest of not creating someone incredibly overpowered (because we all know that Grimgar is not at ALL about the overpowered characters), let's try and keep these to a very limited use per skill. Obviously, new ones can be acquired during the course of the story but for now, let's keep it simple.
Haruhiro for example had a skill as simple as Hit, which is what he used to knock enemies off balance. It worked better while he was attacking from behind or in stealth but you get the point: it's simple and has a clear and definite use.
Seeing as we're starting off with a brand new party, if the party gets full, we can do a timeskip to determine their classes and skills. For now, just put some ideas rather than defining them right here.
Relationships: This can be determined a bit later on but keep this all in mind. This setting is all about the character relationships so as a result, this will likely form the most integral part of the story. You can fill this in once we actually acquire the entirety of the cast but bear it in mind. It would be best to have a small section on everyone that gets selected. Any special relationships can be sorted out on a case by case basis. Just keep this part in mind!
After doing some reading up into the finer details, I found every single class that we know of in Grimgar. This is meant for those who are not as deep into the lore as some of us. If you're aware of all the classes and jobs, feel free to skip this section.
~ o ~
The Warrior's Guild
"A fine line exists between a fighter and a warrior. One is motivated by reason, the other by purpose. One fights to live while while the other lives to fight"
Warriors as you can imagine form the fundamental backbone of any party in the world of Grimgar. They function as tanks who draw the aggression from enemies who are a threat to the party, especially for the more vulnerable members such as Priests and Mages who can't risk close combat. This is one of the classes that is considered to be an absolute necessity: no party can function without a warrior.
The typical warrior wears heavy armor, wields heavy weapons and specializes in strength and endurance.
To keep things in character and in class, all warriors must wear heavy armor. However, you can choose to use a sword and shield or a two handed weapon; it's pretty unrealistic to me to see a tank use a giant mace or sword instead of using a sword and shield sometimes.
The choice is yours!
~ o ~
The Mage's Guild
"Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen."
The most prominent magic profession in the world of Grimgar. Mages function as both supports and offensive members depending on what they choose to focus their training on. A mage draws diagrams in the air which releases their magic spells. Depending on how skilled they are, they can cast these spells quickly and with greater potency. Casting a lot of spells however will drain their energy and stamina quickly.
Mages typically carry a staff into battle which helps them to focus their energy and as a last resort to defend themselves should an enemy get past their friends. As a result, all mages stay in the most protected area or far in the back which gives them ample time to cast all of their spells.
They wear robes and wield a staff and most wear hats as well. However, this can be a little more open because they don't really seem to be required to wear the robes and such so for those who want a mage as their character, you have a lot more wiggle room in designing their appearance.
Get creative!
~ o ~
The Priest's Guild
"A healer is someone who seeks to be the light that she wishes she had in her darkest moments"
The Priest is the premier healing class in Grimgar and is considered the second job that no party can be without. Their primary purpose is to heal the injuries of their party members. Like mages, Priests take time to cast their spells but unlike mages, they must chant a prayer in the exact words they are taught, else the spell will not work. Like mages, their prayers drain their energy and stamina. To counteract this weakness, experienced priests will only heal major injuries and leave minor ones to be done later when the group is safely out of a jam.
Priests are seen wielding staffs and wearing robes. Unlike mages as well, Priests also have a few close combat skills which makes them not as defenseless as their pure spellcasting friends. However, this does not mean that they should be out on the frontlines (we all can't be Mary obviously).
You have a lot of room to design appearances in this class as well but to keep it in character, lets limit it to staves and robes (unless you've got a creative idea, in which case feel free to share!)
~ o ~
The Hunter's Guild
"To hunt successfully, you must know your ground, your pack and your quarry"
The Hunter serves as the survivalist of the group. They typically wield a bow and specialize in applying pressure to enemies to give their teammates an edge in battle. All hunters are considered useful due to their ability to track as well as their survival skills overall, such as pointing out edible plants and improvising herbal remedies based on their knowledge of the land.
Hunters are typically seen wearing leather armor and almost always are equipped with bows. They also have skills with the bow as well as evasion skills on hand in order to get out of sticky situations. They are a very agile class but obviously, can't take a beating very well in addition to not being the best at melee combat. However, Hunters can acquire a wolf companion, which they must care for and nurture themselves as it is part of the taming process. They buy their companion from their guild.
For anyone who wants to choose this class, keep a couple of facts in mind:
Hunters worship the Goddess, Eldritch. Eldritch takes the form of a giant wolf and is said to be a benevolent goddess.
Hunters dislike the Black God, Rigel, who is also a giant wolf due to the fact that Rigel and Eldritch have bad blood between them.
~ o ~
The Dread Knight's Guild
"You think darkness is your ally? You've merely adopted it"
The Dread Knight plays a similar role to the Warrior. Unlike them however, they prefer medium armor and weapons and typically take an offensive role, attacking when they deem it best and then staying out of range of all other attacks until an opening presents itself again.
The Dread Knight worships the Ruler Of Death, Skulhei and unlike other guilds, you cannot join this guild and then leave. Once you're a part of it, you're with it for the rest of your life.
Dread Knights also typically allow themselves to be possessed by their own personal demons, which grow in strength according to the Dread Knight's skill.
Choosing this class means you can go ahead and create a demon in addition to your character!
~ o ~
The Thief's Guild
"A thief is a thief. No matter what he steals, whether it be an acorn or a diamond"
The quintessential rogue class of Grimgar. Thieves specialize in fast movements as well as ambushing enemies as opposed to fighting them head on. A thief is considered useful due to their ability to remain undetected, making them excellent scouts as well as assassins due to their large selection of skills meant to take advantage of being undetected.
The thief typically wields daggers and wears medium armor. Thieves however do not really follow a strict code or guideline like most guilds. They only follow a few rules, which is mostly concerning honor rather than actual rules.
They are not allowed to operate in the same area as another Thief (unless given consent).
They must never steal from their fellow guildmates.
Designing a thief doesn't really have much limitations apart from what an actual rogue would realistically wear.
~ o ~
The following classes are mentioned and not too much is specified about them, so I'll improvise where I can:
The Samurai
"Accepting one's own strength, and the strength of others, is an important quality of a swordsman"
The Samurai stands as a more offensive version of the warrior. Unlike them, they do not wear very heavy armor and often choose to wear thicker leather or even just robes. The samurai's weapon of choice is the katana, though some are known to wield wakizashis in favor of a faster style of swordplay.
Samurai swear the oath of Bushido and dedicate themselves to serving their guild and their party. They are trained to be warriors capable of handling most situations on their own but are also taught the values of teamwork and dedication. A samurai will primarily be the one inflicting damage or protecting other vulnerable members of the party should the need arise and the warrior is unable to do so themselves.
~ o ~
The Paladin
"A warrior is mighty with his own strength and endurance. A paladin is even mightier with the power of light."
The Paladin is considered another viable substitute for a warrior should a party be unable to acquire one. They are not as proficient as warriors as they rely on their ability to cast light magic to supplement their inherently weaker physical prowess in comparison to their warrior counterparts.
A paladin is not as proficient a healer as a Priest is and as such, is not a replacement. They are however capable of healing minor wounds, which takes some pressure off of a party's Priest. They are more than capable of holding their own on the frontlines like a Warrior, but are not as physically capable which forces them to fill more of a secondary bruiser role as opposed to a main tank.
Paladins wear heavy armor and usually wield a mace with a shield or a two handed mace.
To keep things in a bit closer to lore, those who join the Paladin's guild must adhere to several rules.
They must swear an oath to serve their guild unconditionally, which means their guild takes priority over their party.
They must swear an oath of celibacy, unless they are marrying someone in which case, it can be overlooked.
Paladins must also contribute part of their earnings to the guild as a tithe.
~ o ~
The Necromancer
"A man can be a formidable opponent. But he is prone to things such as hesitation and fear.
The undead however, have only one limitation: the moment their unlife fades."
The necromancer is a mage that practices dark magic, particularly in the aspect of resurrection spells. There are very few necromancers in the world of Grimgar, so rare that they are often considered to be a job that no one takes.
The necromancer suffers the same weaknesses as any mage but has an added one: their control. A necromancer focuses on manipulating undead minions to fight battles but due to the unstable nature of death magic, the undead must be kept in control by the necromancer, else they will turn on the party and also their master.
Necromancers worship the same god as Dread Knights and like them, they cannot leave their guild one they join. They are however allowed a lot more freedom than Dread Knights and often times, strike out on their own, returning to the guild primarily to learn new spells and also to practice in a place where death magic isn't frowned upon.
Necromancers typically wear robes and wield staves like mages. Some do not use a staff and use only their hands.
Maintaining undead minions drains the energy and stamina of a necromancer and as a result, it is not a class that is meant for long drawn out battles unless the caster is very skilled.
~ o ~
The Shaman
"Ancestral spirits are sources of great wisdom. It takes a special gift to understand their ways"
The shaman is a class that primarily focuses on supporting the party with magic. They are often times found in the back of the battle, casting spells that enhance their teammates and some are even capable of a limited degree of healing.
They are not as proficient as Priests when it comes to healing and as a result, should not be considered an alternative. If presented with a combat situation, shamans can defend themselves with their staves but are not proficient enough to stand and fight for long.
Most Shaman magic comes from nature spirits and some shamans also channel their magic through totems which they receive from their guild upon completing their initial training. A shaman can specialize in nature, air or earth magic and must have specific totems to cast different schools of magic. Shamans also have the ability to shapeshift into a spirit animal at will. The spirit animal is determined by the spirits the shaman interacts with most, which can be a wolf, an owl or a panther.
Shamans are required to attend all guild meetings as it is a time for them to communicate with the spirits they call upon in a non-combat manner. Shamans are also required to share any knowledge they have acquired with their guild in order for other shamans to aware of anything going on in the spirit realm. The shaman's trainer is also spiritually bound to his/her students, which allows them to sense their presence as well as communicate with them within a set distance through the spirit realm.
~ o ~
The Knight
"A stalwart defender. A courageous leader. A voice to guide the unwise."
The knight is the only other class that is considered the true alternative to a warrior for a main tank. Unlike warriors, knights have to swear oaths to their guild and live a much stricter lifestyle.
Knights and warriors wield the same equipment though knights often times are seen wearing capes and the crest of their guild on their armor. Most of a knight's equipment comes from his guild, which he must buy just like a warrior would in the market. Knights also have a ranking system unlike most other guilds. Higher rankings entitles them to new perks, such as cheaper equipment and the ability to travel with the guild on missions. Most lower ranked knights spend their time making a name for themselves by accomplishing feats, such as slaying a certain number of monsters or successfully leading runs to a dungeon.
All knights are required to recite their guild mandate every time they enter the guild house and all knights must report to the guild whenever they are summoned, else they will get sanctioned and must work a certain number of hours serving the guild in order to remove it. Finally, knights are not allowed to leave their guild once they have sworn their oaths.
~ o ~
The Sword Dancer
"A sword is a weapon to most. To a sword dancer, it is the greatest form of art and expression,"
The sword dancer takes a similar role to the Samurai in a party. Unlike samurai however, sword dancers focus on agile swordplay and are often seen dual wielding swords or focusing on a particular type of sword, most often a rapier.
The sword dancer is focused on using speed and skill to overcome their opponents and wear light armor in order to be as fleet-footed as possible. Skilled sword dancers are capable of executing almost inhuman techniques with their weapons, often described as superhuman.
The sword dancer, unlike other classes, do not have a true guild but instead, learn from a small group of masters. A sword dancer's initial training with a master is designed to train their speed and flexibility and as a final trial to allow them to go into parties, they must be able to defeat at least two goblins simultaneously. As a result, a sword dancer's training is among the most brutal and some have even crippled themselves. Those who survive however are ranked as some of the finest swordsmen in all of Grimgar.
~ o ~
The Archer
"The joy is great of him who strays. In shady woods on summer days
With eyes alert and muscles steady, his bow strung, his arrows ready"
- Maurice Thompson, Witchery Of Archery
The main distinction between a hunter and an archer is that the archer forgoes the training in tracking and survival and instead, focuses solely on mastery of the bow. Those who wish to become an archer must spend a long time training with a bow before they are allowed to specialize in one of two types: the longbow or the shortbow.
Archers are considered better marksmen than Hunters and have skills dedicated to keeping their distance as well as ensuring that their arrows find their mark. The archer is an agile class that is great at applying pressure to enemies and even capable of assassinating them with a well placed shot.
To become an archer, one must join the Ranger's Guild, which is a joint guild that has retired Hunters helping to run it. In this guild, an archer is taught how to fletch their own arrows in addition to stringing and maintaining a bow. After completing that training, archers are put through vigorous marksmanship training and no archer is considered ready to join a party unless he/she is able to make a kill with their bow.
Archers wear light armor and are not at all equipped to fight in close quarters unlike a Hunter who can at least defend themselves with certain skills. As a result, they rely on the warrior in their party to keep the attention of their enemies while they rain arrows from afar.
The only requirement for an archer is that he/she is not allowed to learn how to use a melee weapon; it is considered an insult to their way of life to do so.
...
If you wish to create any of the above classes, this will be handled on a case by case basis so feel free to PM if you want to bounce your ideas off of me.
5/31/2016
The main cast has been decided. Rest assured however that character deaths may be a thing and your character may yet make an appearance, perhaps as a replacement or maybe just appearing in an arc or two. The cast I have chosen is listed below in the very template I issued before. If you'd like to have a character appear, follow the examples that these users have set:
Takashi Yun (Samurai)
Name: Takashi Yun
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Class: Samurai
Personality:
Calm, determined and serious. Takashi rarely takes situations likely and is usually the one who doesn't take any sort of nonsense unless in the proper mood. Despite how serious he usually is, he is very kind and will look after the members of his party. He firmly believes that everything can be overcome with effort and courage and one of his most prominent traits is his unbreakable willpower. No matter what happens, he will not give up.
Appearance: Long black hair kept in a loose ponytail with bangs hanging in front. Stands at 5' 8" and weighs 135 pounds. Is not very muscular but has definite tone. He is usually seen wearing the traditional samurai garb, which is either combat armor comprised of chainmail with thick, hard leather plates or his usual samurai robes. He often times chooses the robes due to how heavy the armor is. His robes are black with red markings decorating most of the torso.
Aspirations: Takashi's ultimate goal is to live a comfortable life in the world of Grimgar. At first, it was to ensure the survival of his friends but once the disaster happened, he resolved to never make those mistakes again and now seeks to become as great a warrior as possible in order to protect his friends.
Likes:
- Spicy Food.
- Reading.
- Meditating.
- Swimming.
- Playing Chess.
- Training (both exercising and with his sword).
Dislikes:
- Weakness.
- Inconsiderate people.
- Excessively sweet food.
- Arguments.
- Wasting time.
- Unreasonable people.
Skills: Takashi's training was different than most Samurai. He chose not to be trained in how to wear the combat armor that most Samurai donned in battle and instead focused on a more agile style. He is the only Samurai apart from his master who practices Zattoichi style swordplay, which is the style of wielding the blade with a single hand in a reverse grip. He chose to learn this style because of how difficult it is and if he can master it, any other style will come naturally to him. Takashi is considered to be one of the fastest in battojutsu techniques, something very uncommon among the ranks of the Samurai due to how difficult the techniques can be. However, Takashi is not very durable and as such, relies on his speed to win his battles.
Panther Fang: A battojutsu technique. The skill takes advantage of the added momentum achieved when drawing the blade from its sheath. It is an attack that is meant to catch the opponent off guard and is executed with such speed and force, it often destroys weaker materials such as wood. This skill requires great practice and is considered an intermediate skill for a Samurai.
Tiger Sweep: Another battojutsu technique. This attack uses great speed to strike vital areas in as little time as possible. It is considered very difficult for a Samurai to pull this move off with great accuracy. It is considered an intermediate skill and is a move that Takashi has yet to master.
Shatterfang: Takashi's most powerful battojutsu technique and Master Hwei's unique technique. This technique requires precise timing and great speed to execute. The technique is powerful enough to completely slice through most enemies. However, it is an extremely difficult technique to perform with self-injury and as such, Takashi only uses it as a last resort. Considered an advanced technique.
Sword Flurry: A swift barrage of katana strikes which is meant to overwhelm the opponent and put them off balance. Considered to be a staple skill that all Samurai are taught at the start of their training. No Samurai is considered ready to be in a party unless he has mastered this move. Due to his swordplay style, Takashi was forced to learn a much more advanced version of this skill to accommodate his reverse grip style. Considered to be a beginner's skill to learn but a difficult one to completely master due to the speed the attack must be executed.
Masha Bobrov (Bard) [Submitted by Cyberweasel89]
Name: Masha Bobrov
Sex: Female
Age: 17
Intended Class: Bard. Bards are one of the least popular classes in Grimgar because they have little combat ability and instead focus on helping allies with support. Bards cast their magic by playing musical instruments, singing, or dancing, with most of their magic focusing on buffing allies or debuffing enemies (sometimes both, depending on the song). The Bard Guild teaches their bards how to sing, dance, play an instrument, act, and tell stories, and they are encouraged to help earn extra money for their parties through minstrel services. Bards typically carry a musical instrument (unless they prefer to sing or dance) and usually stick to flashy clothes or leather, usually tight for dancing or baggy for performing.
Personality:
Masha is constantly rambunctious, upbeat, spunky, vivacious, and always tries to make every moment fun. She exudes overwhelming confidence and her energy seemingly knows no bounds, but her efforts to keep everything fun and high-energy often lead to her getting into trouble. She can usually get out of it with her charm and cunning. She largely dresses sexy to help distract others and keep her party happy, and is always willing to defuse a situation by teasing and flirting. She has no modesty and is even willing to flash to distract an enemy or offer the chance to touch her breasts as a bribe or reward.
Masha also has a nurturing side. She often insists on cooking and cleaning for her party since she feels her skills as a bard don't contribute enough. She also enjoys cuddling and often tries to give her party members hugs or offer the chance for them to share her bed with her. In an effort to keep things from getting too boring, she also likes to sneak up behind her party members and grope their breasts or crotches.
Like many people who suddenly found themselves in Grimgar, Masha tends to display habits she doesn't recognize. She will sometimes reach up to her hair and comment that she's going to need more hair relaxers soon, then she touches her long, straight locks she abruptly realizes she doesn't even know what hair relaxers are. She also tends to spout the phrase "Let's rock and roll!" when the party is about to do something or head out. She has no clue what it means, but says that it just "feel right" to say it.
Masha spent most of her time in the Bard Guild learning to cook, clean, and pouring over any and all information about the world and locales of Grimgar she could find, in addition to learning magic songs and how to play a lute, dance, sing, tell stories, and act. She notes that she's a very good liar thanks to her acting and storytelling lessons in the Bard Guild.
Appearance:
Masha has very dark skin, dark brown like milk chocolate. Her raven hair is long, straight, and reaches down to her rear, though she likes to keep her bangs over her right eye because she thinks it makes her look more mysterious and cool. She stands at a tall 5'7" (170cm) and weighs 121lbs. (55kg). Her measurements are 34-22-34 (86-56-88) with E-cup breasts, which she's quite proud of, as at 17, they're still growing. Masha's eyes are hazel in color and she has rather elegant facial features for a girl with such a mischievous personality. Many note that if she didn't dress the way she did, she has the features to look quite classy.
Masha prefers to wear brown leather. Her top consists of two leather straps, one over each breast, which meet behind her neck. They attach to a leather strap circling the circumference of her torso, just under her breasts. For bottoms, she wears little more than a loin cloth that makes it quite obvious from the view of her thighs and hips that she has nothing under it. Her midriff and legs are bare, but she is sensible enough to wear sturdy brown leather boots that reach just under her knees and brown leather gloves. This outfit offers very little protection or "support," but she likes feeling sexy in it and says it helps distract enemies and keep her party's mood up. For when she really shouldn't draw attention to herself for practical reasons, she has a dark green hooded mantle that can fully cover her down to her knees.
For casual clothing when settling in for the night, Masha prefers to just not wear anything. When asked why she's so comfortable walking around naked, she replies that it's natural when you're a naturist, then pauses when she realizes she doesn't know what that is.
While she carries no weapon, Masha uses her magic with a wooden lute that she straps to her back with a leather strap when not playing it, but she also enjoys just carrying it as she walks for the aesthetic value, and so people know she's a bard. She likes to advertise her profession so that anyone who might want to hire her for a venue sees her.
Aspiration:
Masha follows the creed of the Bard Guild. "As a bard, your only job is to raise everyone's spirits, even at the cost of your own." Masha plans to smile and laugh even when she's said and feels like crying. She wants to make people happy and give them hope, even when she's sad, afraid, angry, or depressed herself. She knows the world of Grimgar is a hard world to live in, so she wants to do anything she can to try and make lift everyone's mood, even if it means dressing like a stripper and acting like a total tease.
Likes:
-Being naked around people she trusts
-Groping breasts
-Groping crotches
-Teasing
-Music
-Dancing
-Singing
-Acting
-Making up and telling stories
-Her figure
-Cooking
-Cleaning
-Smiles
-Making others happy
-Raising spirits
-Giving hope
-Hugs
-Cuddling
Dislikes:
-Showing weakness
-Others crying
-Her singing voice (she sticks to dancing and her lute)
-Her hair (it doesn't seem right)
-Being cold
-Jiggling so much
-People thinking she's a prostitute (it's not the reason she dresses and acts the way she does)
Skills: Whereas Mages cast their magic by weaving symbols in the air and Priests cast theirs by saying prayers, Bards cast their magic by singing, dancing or playing songs on instruments. Masha prefers to play a lute, as she dislikes her own singing voice, but when silence is needed, she can dance instead to use her magic.
-Inspirational Tune: The simplest song in the Bard's repertoire, Inspirational Tune is an upbeat, cheerful song that encourages friends, allies, and comrades to do better at what they do, causing most of their Skills or attempts to be a bit more effective and likely to succeed.
-Lullaby: The most important song taught in the Bard Guild, Lullaby is a soothing melody that instills calmness and helps people sleep. It's often used to ensure no enemies attack the party. If monsters get close and hear the song, they usually don't have any desire to find the source and attack because their aggression fades, and it even helps allies fall asleep faster and easier.
-Distraction Dance: A defensive Skill all Bards are taught. Bards have little ability to fight since they focus so much on helping others. Distraction Dance is how they defend themselves. Using fluid movements much like dancing, a Bard flows around attacks like a blade of grass in the breeze rather than fighting against it. The flashy and graceful movements also serve to distract the enemy making the attack, making it harder for them to focus enough to use their full power or skill in the attack. Bards try to stay off the front lines, though, so it's mostly a last resort and not infallible.
(Later Skills)
-Battle Theme: A song in the Bard skillset that washes away the weariness of allies, fills them with courage, and encourages them to do their absolute best. The fast-paced, intense sound of it also fills enemies with doubt and fear. It's a powerful song, but Masha has yet to master it.
-Holy Song: Perhaps the most devastating song in the bard arsenal, Holy Song is a dramatic aria that is said to be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by filling allies with the most powerful of all things. Hope. Masha has yet to master it.
History:
Since arriving in Grimgar, Masha spent the first week training with Old Gus in the Bard's Guild, learning how to play the lute, sing, dance, act, tell stories, and cast magic songs. She spent another week or so learning all she could about the world of Grimgar in any libraries she could find. The rest has been spent looking for a party, but sadly, no one wants a Bard given their limited usefulness. She's tried her best to make a living in the meantime by being a minstrel, but has found she'd had to rely quite a bit on Old Gus for a place to stay and meals. At this rate, she'll be eternally grateful to any party willing to accept her.
Relationships:
Takashi Yun: Masha thinks that Takashi is often too serious and enjoys trying to tease him to get a reaction. She'll often thank him for things by asking if he wants to touch her breasts and enjoys hugging him from behind and breathing on his ear or licking his neck, though she never goes as far as groping his crotch. She greatly fears him ever finding out she's not as confident as she appears and is just as afraid and vulnerable in this strange world as most others.
Erika (Mage) [Submitted by an anonymous reader]
Name: Erika
Sex: Female
Age: 18
Class: Mage
Personality:
Erika is a very peculiar person. She prefers her own solitude, but doesn't mind holding conversations with other persons provided she doesn't find them annoying. She also abhors most work and tends to be a slacker unless forced by the circumstances.
Erika treats all persons she meets equally: with vague disrespect. It's not about being a jerk or a lack of respect, but just that she sees all people in the same light, neither negatively nor positively. This, combined with her not really being a people's person results in her more or less jerkish demeanor to all people she meets, or even people she has known for long.
This can very well extend even to people of higher position, influence, or simply stronger than her. She's not an idiot though, and won't mindlessly provoke those that she knows would give her a hard time, but it becomes hard for her to hold back any sarcastic remarks or biting comebacks if the person is annoying enough to her. She also tends to like messing with people, at least people she likes.
Contrary to her personality, however, she has a deep fondness for music and writing. She is deftly proficient in a number of instruments. She even composes songs and writes short stories as a hobby when she has time.
Finally, Erika has some weird habits like all people that come to Grimgar. Whenever she feels something bad is gonna happen, she says ''Winter is coming'' in a snarky tone. Whenever she hears a comment that could be interpreted suggestively, she says ''That's what she/he said''. If her red hair flashes are pointed out, she'll annoyedly mutter that ''She shouldn't have chosen 8''. She also hates the number, probably tied to whatever incident caused her to put on the flashes. Another is that she tends to make references to ''EXP'' and ''Farming'' whenever she kills a strong looking enemy or just makes a massive mess for the enemies with her magic.
Appearance:
Erika is a natural beauty. A refined face with a sharp look to it, like the secretary of the CEO of a multinational company, except for her fully black hair with red flashes that reaches her back and her amber eyes. She normally has a very neutral expression, but depending on her mood, it can become dyed in a combination of annoyance and a ''the devil may care'' expression, or her face can soften up and look genuinely at peace and content, though this is rare. Her expression itself really doesn't change that much, so it could be said she exudes an aura that is easy for people to catch.
Her body is also very glamorous, with her three sizes being 83-57-90, and standing relatively tall for a woman at 6'1'' (187cm), with a weight of 132lbs (59kg). Due to her personality however, she could careless about the attention her body attracts, and even actively tries to wear clothes that don't show her figure just to not have to deal with that, preferring long robes of varying, usually darker, colors that cover up to her knees when going out as a mage, and baggy clothes whenever she puts on something more casual to go out or just be comfortable. She went to the extent that she brought a featureless mask with engravings to put on her face since that drew enough attention by itself, mostly trolling anybody who asks how she can see by giving a very unbelievable and, sometimes, outright impossible explanation on how she does so, changing it each time she is asked. She can see fine though, just never bothers to tell anybody how.
She also couldn't care less about her overall appearance, so most of the time her hair is disheveled and she looks like she just crawled out of bed, with the worst of it being obvious when she has actually just crawled out of bed. She doesn't bother either when she goes to sleep, and she may go from fully clothed with no problems to only sleeping with her underwear.
Aspiration:
None at the moment. With her ''live and let live'' personality, you could say she just wanders around. She does what she likes when she likes, but she would never tell her party this, since that would imply she actually enjoys their company and considers their adventuring outside a pleasant time. The only thing that could be considered a goal would be the completion of her ''Magnum Opus'' as she likes to call it, a book based on the world of Grimgar and her experiences and adventures there. She doesn't have much experience with writing longer stories, but she feels this world gives her the perfect inspiration to bring about the best piece of literature she could ever write. Because of that, she has a big deal of interest on the culture and story of Grimgar itself, even the monsters' culture too.
Likes:
-Reading
-Music
-To compose new songs
-Taking care of her instruments
-Discussing about books
-Messing with people(that she likes)
-Writing
-Battling monsters(she's a bit of a Blood Knight...)
-Nighttime
-The red moon(she finds it peculiar)
-Eating
-Staying on her room
-Quiet places
-Beautiful scenaries
-People with a strong willpower
Dislikes:
-Loud places
-People who diss reading
-People who dislike books
-People who mistreat books
-Annoying people
-Really energetic people, though more when they try to make her act as energetic
-Work
-Work
-Alcohol
-Idiots who act all tough while being all talk
-Idiots that try to act strong even though they are weak inside
-Sheeps
-Work
Skills: As a Mage, Erika concentrates on pure damage with the use of fire. Even though her usual personality hides it, she has a certain love for explosions, massive damage and battles that you wouldn't expect from such a person. She is one of the few mages who chose to only learn fire spells; she likes it that damn much.
- Magic Missile: The most basic spell all mages are taught, creating a ball of light about the size of a fist and with the power of a kick by a fully trained adult male Martial Artist. The simplicity and efficiency of the spell has made Erika to consider in buying more advanced versions of the spell.
- Sirocco: A simplistic fire spell which sends a scorching gush of air in the desired direction. Erika loves to use these to attack the face of enemies, disorienting them through the sudden surge of hot air blasting into their faces and eyes.
- Kanongana: Erika's ''most powerful'' spell, which turns the opponent's blood into flammable liquid and then sets it ablaze. The power of the spell is immense and it's single target effectiveness is through the roof, but there are certain drawbacks: 1)Erika needs to physically touch the opponent, though she can chant the spell and then get closer at her leisure, 2)The effect happens fast, but isn't instantaneous, so the enemy can attack in that window of time, 3)The spell is very draining, so it isn't a good idea to simply use it in on moobs or opponents that could be dealt with in easier ways.
- Fireball: A ball of fire about the size of a usual Magic Missile is created at the tip of the staff and shoot forward. Rather than simply burning someone, it explodes with appreciable power and sets ablaze things in a relatively big area. This, however, makes so that it could also heavily damage allies, with only someone like a properly equipped Warrior or Knight being guaranteed to escape with, at best, minor injuries, making it a bad move except when used in the correct situations.
- Wall of Fire: A defensive-fire spell. Creates a high wall of smoldering flames to deter possible enemies from getting near. Since the wall mostly blocks vision, Erika likes to use it to cast attack magic from behind while not letting the enemy see what she is exactly doing. She also tends to put on a shit-eating grin, completely unlike herself, whenever she sees a helpless enemy that can't pass the wall, so close yet so far away from her. The likeness of this exponentially rises if it happens with a monster that really got on her nerves.
Relationships:
Saki Hikari (Hunter) [Submitted by AltariaMotives]
Name: Saki Hikari
Sex: Female
Age: 14
Intended Class: Hunter
Personality:
Shy and rather clumsy and scared-looking, Saki comes off as very timid and weak person who isn't quite sure what she's doing with anything. Despite that, she's kind and selfless and quickly forms connections with others. Truth be told, that's all there really is to her (at least, upon reaching Grimgar and in her first few outings). She's weak and overly cautious, incapable of taking risks and she feels useless. Despite that, she has a burning desire to become useful and to really be a hero of sorts. She's childish in the sense that she has an incredibly idealistic goal, and yet she's determined to grow stronger and be able to protect her friends. She goes to great lengths to grow stronger. She's persistent and determined to get there.
As she grows, Saki becomes feisty and rather rambunctious, often rushing to conclusions and making reckless decisions. As she grows stronger, she'll be the one going on ahead and charging into battle when the order is given. Despite that, she's remains a kindhearted, selfless, and honest person. At times, her childish side really shines through as she still, every now and then, still ends up falling over or getting smacked in the face, as clumsy as ever and she's quick to trust others, even blindly at times, showing how naive she can be. She can be rather immature at times, and even stubborn and pouty and can be known for complaining by muttering under her breath. She's supportive and protective of her friends and can be rather fierce when it comes to protecting them.
On the flip side of the coin, she can be rather playful as well, enjoying pointless witty and sarcastic repartee and friendly sparring. She can get quite competitive at times and, again, as she grows more confident, she'll be quicker to show it. She's keen on Though she can be loud and spunky, she's still a fun-loving, and cheerful, yet hardworking and determined person. She hates to be a burden and wants to be someone that others can rely on. Upon feeling stressed and upset, she does a good job at keeping up appearances and hiding her thoughts and feelings away. She often wanders off without telling anyone when she want to "wallow in self-pity", as she likes to put it.
Appearance: Standing at 5'2" and 110 lbs, Saki has a slender and petite build with a lean muscle buildup (that really shows after training), her breasts barely making a B-cup. She has a pretty, yet child-like face, as many have commented on, and smoky reddish-brown eyes. She has a fair, bordering pale, skin tone and medium-long, dark brown hair that she has in a peculiar style. She has her hair rather messy and pulled into a messy ponytail off the left side of her head and has a her hair flowing down freely on the right. She keeps her hair tied with with a small lavender ribbon. She has several tufts of hair sticking out and a major cowlick at the back of her head as well.
Aspirations:
Her goals are pretty simple:
Become someone that others can rely on and become strong. She hasn't really put much thought on what she'll do once she gets there, but she's sure she'll find something to devote herself to...
Likes: She's a big fan of sweets and pastries, she enjoys the summer and having time off from having to go out on outings, enjoys working out to keep her mind off of things, chatting and having nonsense conversations about nothing in particular, children (she's got a soft spot for kids), exploring new places, meeting new people
Dislikes: Monsters, drunks, people who start fights for no reason, idiots, being called a child or cute or anything of the sort, being treated like a kid is even worse, selfish people, people who make fun of her goals, bitter tasting things, the cold.
Skills:
Currently, Saki is the youngest member of the Hunter's guild and was allowed in due to her skill with a bow and how excellent she is at tracking. She has acquired several skills that are not usually granted to someone of her age and due to how quickly she caught on, a lot of Hunters view her as a prodigy. However, due to her small size as well as her lack of stamina, she prefers to hide and fire from long range and as a result, has no melee skills.
- Sharp Sight- A skill that greatly improves a Hunter's accuracy with the bow by increasing visual acuity and perception. As a side effect this skill also makes it easier for hunters to avoid incoming attacks.
- Fox Vault- An evasive kukri-based dodge roll skill.
- Cobra Shot- A very accurate arrow shot that has an arrow that is laced with cobra venom. The poison is deadly and most smaller enemies quickly suffer its side effects before meeting certain death.
Seraphina Bergström (Knight) [Submitted by Justicez]
Name : Seraphina Bergström
Sex : Female
Age : 22
Class : Knight
Personality:
Seraphina tends to come off as a sort of motherly figure to others and, with her mature personality as well as her kind and accommodating nature, others tend to come by her seeking advice or seeking a place of solace. When left alone, she tends to brood and worry about all that could happen to those around her, sometimes becoming so lost in her worries that she would begin to cry. In battle, she is a person who analyzes the situation thoroughly and tries her best to keep all enemies within her sight range, not allowing any the opportunity to attack her group. In case of the need to retreat, she ensures that her group is safely away before she follows suit.
To relax after a long day, she tends to find herself picking up some thread and needles and begins to sew. She doesn't know where the impulse to do so comes from, but she finds it relaxing and as a result she tends to make some clothes to which she would sell off at the market. Sometimes, she gets hazy recollection of seeing an old woman in a rocking chair.
Appearance :
Seraphina has a fairly light skin tone. Her hair is a golden blonde and comes down in waves to her chest with some of her bangs partially hiding her right eye. She stands tall at around 5' 9" (175cm) and weighing about 145 pounds with fairly big E cup breasts that she tends to wrap up as people tend to stare too intensely at it causing her no small amount of discomfort. Her eyes are a light grey with facial features that wouldn't look out of place on a lady of high standing in ages past, this combined with her knight armour tends to reinforce that impression. Her build is quite slim but with rather defined muscles which help her handle her handle the rigours of being on the front lines.
As like all other knights, she gets her armour and gear from the Knight Guild which she only wears when she's out on adventures. Her current set consists of a pair of iron pauldrons and a breastplate with an armour plated skirt that comes down to around half way down her thighs and a pair of iron greaves that comes up to her knees. Her under-armour consists of some shorts and a form fitting tank top. She has a leather scabbard around her waist in which holds her current sword, a light iron one-handed sword with a simple crossguard and an iron buckler which she straps to her back when not in use. When adventuring, she ties her hair into a high ponytail so that it doesn't get in her way and distract her.
In more casual or relaxed settings, she would take to wearing some sundresses that she has made in her spare time and during colder weather, she dons a thick coat that comes down to her knees.
To bed, she wears a simple white, nearly translucent nightgown that comes down to her thighs. She removes her binding before she sleeps as wearing the binding all day causes her some discomfort around her chest and needs a light massaging to get rid of the soreness else she will not be able to sleep.
Aspirations :
She hopes to be able to continue to make her way up the hierarchy of the Knight Guild in the hopes of securing a better life for her and those around her. She hopes to find a group that she can call her own with bonds as tight as that of family and with whom she would stand against the world for.
Likes:
-Sewing/Tailoring
-Tea
-Children
-Hugs
-Protecting those around her
-Fresh Pastries
-Listening to Music
-Comforting others
-Baths whether in bath tubs, rivers or hot springs
Dislikes:
-Conflict among others
-Bullies
-Spicy foods
-Failing in her task
-Her chest which draws others' stares
Skills:
Downward Slash : Overhead swing onto a single opponent. Basic skill taught to all knights.
Shield Bash : Throwing one's weight behind their shield, they lash out with their shield and strike an opponent. Due to the inherent toughness of the shield, can cause stunning on targets from having their bodies rattled by the strike from a solid object.
Providence : A battle cry which rallies allies' morale and causes monsters to attack the knight due to the increased perceived threat from the shout.
(Later skills)
Shield Stance : The knight shifts into a more defensive stance which uses one's energy to reinforce their armour so that enemies attacks will bounce off the shield with the potential for the opponents to hit themselves from the resulting bounce. Knight's attack power lowers as a result of the concentration required in this stance. Similar to warrior's "Steel Guard" skill.
Relationships:
Takashi Yun : At the start, she treats him with some measure of caution due to his seriousness and rock solid determination in doing things no matter how dangerous, but eventually comes to see him as a dependable ally in battle and a treasured member of her "Family" in how he looks after those close to him.
Masha Bobrov : Seraphina enjoys watching Masha perform and bring joy to others around her and considers her a good friend with whom she can trust. Due to Masha's nature of getting into trouble, she often has to step in and bail her out of the mess. She doesn't really mind Masha's excessive touchiness, and from all that she sees of her friend's personality, has developed some measure of feelings for the bard, but is a bit afraid of expressing it as she is a fair few years older.
Nozomi Ran (Priest) [Submitted by AltariaMotives]
Name: Nozomi "Mana" Ran
Sex: Female
Age: 15
Class: Priest
Personality:
Nozomi isn't exactly the kindest or the gentlest of priests - in fact, she's quite the opposite of what you'd expect. She's rash, reckless, and rude, and to make matters worse, she's not one known for tact or being reserved either. She's quick to make blunt and brutally honest comments on her comrades and complain. Shes got a rather morbid and sadistic sense of humour and a sharp tongue to boot. She's proud and determined to demonstrate her worth worth to the party and because of that, she's quick to grow angry at herself when she fails to do something or has trouble with tasks. Though she may be somewhat harsh towards those around her, she's harshest on herself. She's tough and resilient, and can be rather intimidating for such a small girl. Unknown to her, she actually was a delinquent who was arrested and charged with mandatory community service, which in the end, changed her.
Though, now stuck in the life-and-death world of Grimgar, she's reverted back to her old self again. She still retains an immense interest in healing and apothecary. With all that said, it isn't as though she's a terrible person. Yeah, she can be immature, stubborn as a mule, and rude, but she has a soft side. Especially with children. And though it may be hard to earn her respect and friendship, she's more than willing to stick her neck out and look out for her party. She sticks around and jumps in whenever someone needs a helping hand. She is capable of honesty and showing vulnerability, though she's afraid of opening up. She isn't sure who these people are and she isn't sure if she can trust them or if they understand the gravity of their situation or anything at all. She isn't even sure why or how any of this happening. She's confused and some emotional scars, despite not knowing how she got them, remain with her in Grimgar. She can be hard to get along with, but once she gets to know the others and starts to trust them, she'll begin to open up and her rude and frigid attitude might begin to melt into a more teasing and playful person who's quick to defend her own kindness and pretend it never happened. And she's quick to get flustered when trying to show gratitude or e's a kind and hardworking girl at heart, it just takes some time getting there. She gets excited and a little giddy when she makes progress and is always eager to try out new spells and concoctions.
Appearance:
Standing at 5'1", Mana has a rather small and skinny frame, but she's stronger than he looks. She's actually fairly well muscle toned under clothes and agile, A cup breasts and weighs in at 118lbs she has a surprisingly childlike face and many might mistake her for someone who's a few years younger. She has a fair complexion and big, bright, emerald-green eyes. She has small facial features and is known for normally wearing an annoyed scowl on her face. She has short, straight brown hair, reaching down to just below he chin, that curls up at the ends. Her bangs are swept out of the way and evenly cut and she has a cowlick of hair sticking out at the back of her head and an "antenna" of hair that curls forward and often gets in her face. She's known to fiddle with it quite a bit. Mana has a few scars and places where stitches were uses at some places on her body, namely her arms and legs (she knew martial arts and was rather skilled in Muay Thai. She obviously doesn't remember learning it, and she's rusty, but she has the muscle memory and a feeling she knows how to fight).
In terms of clothing, she wears a loose-fitting, white and red, long-sleeved shirt-robe that comes halfway down her thighs. She keeps one side tucked into her greyish-brown pants that lead down into leather boots, lace-up that come up to below her knee. She also wears black, fingerless gloves. She wears several leather straps, almost like a chest rig that hold small pouches and a larger pouch goes around her waist, where she keeps several herbs and mixtures. She has a thigh holster/sheath where she keeps a small knife on her right side (the pouch is on her back). She keeps a brown, single-strap bag that she wears across her back. She usually wears beige hood and cloak around herself and carries her staff on her back, perpendicular to her bag.
Aspirations:
- She wants to prove her worth to her party and become an accepted member and makes friends
- She wants to live a comfortable life in Grimgar
Likes: Kids, sweets, fighting/sparring, being left on her own, peace and quiet, small conversations, apothecary and studying herbs, being of use, reading, exercising/training
Dislikes: Being treated like a child, being treated like she's useless, being useless, being teased, surprises, ghosts and scary stories, spicy food, being told she's a picky eater.
Skills:
Nozomi has the distinction of being one of the youngest Priests in the guild and also one of the few Priests who were able to learn four spells in the period of time she trained. The standard Priest is considered ready for a party upon learning Cure and Heal, but Nozomi has learned a total of four healing spells as opposed to the usual two. As a result, she is considered a prodigy in spells but she ignored most of her actual combat training. As a result, she isn't very skilled with a staff as most Priests are.
- Cure: A light spell that binds small wounds but does not negate the pain that the victim feels.
- Heal: A spell that does not require the Priest to have their hand near the wound. This can be used from a distance though further distances will drain more stamina.
- Purge: A spell that is capable of cleansing most forms of poison and can be used as an alternative method for cleaning wounds. Requires a long chant and a staff for channeling.
- Light Of Protection: A support spell that enhances physical ability, resistance, and speeds up the body's natural healing process. It can be cast on up to six people and lasts for 30 minutes. The hexagon symbol of the God of Light floats over the recipients wrists for the duration of the spell. A noted effect is that the recipients of the spell feel lighter. Nozomi has yet to master this spell and it is a very taxing one. She only uses it in emergencies.
Sasha (Thief) [Submitted by an anonymous reader]
TO BE ADDED LATER
I do apologize if your character did not make the initial cut; a lot of people sent in either Thieves or Hunters and my goal was to complete a balanced party to start out with. Keep watch because your character may make an appearance and perhaps, even stay for an arc.