The Creatures of Grimm
Animals of darkness that are attracted to negative emotion and active Aura. Some can also induce negative emotions, the primary one being fear - stronger Grimm are drawn to/cause different negative emotions. They hunt all sorts of animals but mainly target Humans/Faunus and frequently attack their creations. It is believed that the Grimm exists for the sole purpose of destroying Mankind. When killed they leave behind brittle bones – particularly faceplates- which shows the difficulty of the kill so that payment for Hunters can be made. Broken faceplates are common so are worthless compared to full ones. The rest of their body stays for an hour before fading into Iqur (a wine-red liquid substance that seeps into the ground).
Grimm have classes, which determine the level of difficulty of the kill equal to the Grimm's worth [gets progressively harder to kill]:
The Fledgling Class [C-Class]
The Standard Class [B-Class]
The King Class [A-Class]
The Superior Class [S-Class]
Young Grimm are called Fledglings. They have no bone armour, are easy to kill, have little economic worth and their lack of experience makes them incompetent predators. Combat Schools/Hunter Academies have their students fight this variation of Grimm as training. Older Grimm are wiser and stronger, some even learning not to attack Humanity and Faunus at all even in close contact. This kind of Grimm is called Church Grimm. This allows scientists to study Grimm anatomy. There even Church Grimm zoos and travelling circuses.
The true origins of the Grimm are unknown.
Aura
The manifestation of an individual's soul that is used to protect themselves from injury [not from pain]. It can passively heal users when it is not put under stress. The average population doesn't have enough Aura to matter and thus can't use it as Huntsmen and Warriors can. But everyone has some Aura.
Aura is unlocked when:
An individual is in a very stressful situation - this is called Forced Unlock
An unlocking ceremony is performed - this method costs money to get done
Meditating - this is called Peaceful Unlock
Aura is typically measured in percentages in tournaments, no matter the difference in Aura strength between combatants.
Different indicators show your Aura status level:
Shimmering light that covers the body when activating.
Flickering light showing that one's Aura is in the Red Zone (RZ).
A final burst of light to indicate complete Aura depletion like the activation indicator.
Aura regenerates slowly over time, healing any injury save for dismemberment and fatal wounds. It does not prevent pain, even during use. Aura can also be infused into weapons, allowing bullets to curve in mid-air or a weapon being the main conduit for one's Semblance.
Semblance
Much harder to unlock compared to Aura, some Hunters never discover their Semblance at all. Semblance is the equivalent of a superpower. Most Semblances are 'unique' – but many are similar i.e. Nora, Yang and Adam's abilities involve using an external force to make themselves stronger - with the exception being the hereditary types like the Schnee and Rose families.
A user can use their Semblance once their Aura has been depleted but it can be physically harmful without it i.e Yang's fire could burn her and Ruben's speed will cause muscle tears/cramps. Overuse of one's Semblance for prolonged periods may adversely affect its user at certain times. Exhaustion and the draining of Aura are the general effects. Emotional turmoil or stress can affect one's use of Semblance, either negatively or positively. A Semblance can be uncontrollable and/or permanently active. Additionally, it may even be possible for a Semblance to affect one's surroundings.
Dust
The equivalent of the modern world's fossil fuels. However, Dust crystals have the capability of releasing the power of the elements, which makes them useful in combat. Raw Dust is dangerous to use so companies like the SDC mine Dust, refine it and make it applicable to weaponry and artillery. The major religion in Remnant believes Dust was a gift from the Creator's children so that Humanity and the Faunus could protect themselves from the darkness.
There are 4 primary types of Dust:
Fire [Tiger Red]
Water [Arctic Blue]
Earth [Chocolate Brown]
Wind [Spring Green]
These can be combined to make secondary Dust types like Ice Dust [Water + Wind] and Magma Dust [Fire + Earth]. Water and Earth or Water and Fire dust cancel each other out. Wind and Fire/Magma Dust can cause massive explosions
There also miscellaneous Dust types
Lightning [Yellow]
Energy [Lilac/Cobalt/White]
Gravity [Purple-black]
Hunter Academies
Before the establishment of the four Academies, combat training came exclusively from the many combat schools throughout the Kingdoms. Almost 80 years before the events of Volume 2, the Great War came to its conclusion, and the peace secured at the island of Vytal saw to the creation of the Academies, one to each of the Four Kingdoms. The Academies would train Huntsmen and Huntresses, whose sole purpose it would be to battle the Grimm and protect Humanity and Faunus kind. Huntsmen and Huntresses would have the freedom to work for whomever they wished and choose whatever types of jobs they wished to take from mission boards located within the school or city centre.
Hunters-In-Training study the following subjects:
Armed & Unarmed Combat
Law & Conduct
Modern History
Fieldcraft & Survival
Public Relations
Sociology & Psychology
Herbology
Dust Theory
Infrastructure & Relief Work
Stealth & Recon
Weaponry & Forging
Leadership Training (For Team leaders only)
Teamwork & Bonding
A Hunter doesn't have to go to the Academies, as the government administer tests to get a Hunter's license. These tests are incredibly difficult and the pass rates for them are low. However, Academies guarantee the license upon graduation so the competitiveness of school entries [and at Combat Schools – the precursor to the Academies] is intense. That and it looks good on a Resume and it has an improved chance at being employed. Hunter Licences mean that a person over the age of 21 has the ability to hunt Grimm, get paid for their work and to perform non-Grimm related work e.g. guarding a village.
The 4 Kingdoms and The Vytal Republic
Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and Atlas – the major powers in the world of Remnant and the much smaller Republic of Vytal They all have a different system of operating.
Vacuo:
Formerly a society of separate tribes, reminiscent of the Polynesian tribes, this Queendom was rich with resources so relations between tribes were calm. Faunus and Humans also had good relations. Due to the Grimm and the other nations, the tribes of Vacuo banded together under a Faunus warrior Queen named Serena Khan. The Vacuan society emphasizes happiness and relaxation became a natural deterrent for the Grimm.
Vale:
A Kingdom that has the same history as the British Monarchy, with the power of the Monarchy being chained down to better represent the people and a parliament [The High Council] are truly the ones in power but the King does have more power than the British King/Queen. The Valian society focuses on enlightenment and fulfilment to deter Grimm, believing negative emotions should typically be expressed during immediate emotional and physical pain. Art and self-expression are the primary values of the Kingdom so relations between Humans and Faunus are equal. It is the second least racist Kingdom against the Faunus.
Atlas:
Formerly known as the Kingdom of Mantle. It is not a traditional monarchy, but the structure of leadership is similar – instead of the title of 'King' or 'Queen', the leader is named 'The Architect'. The leadership is in the following order:
The Architect
The Grand General
The Elite Council
The Atlesian Court
Atlesian Military
The cold climate was a natural deterrent to Grimm but the populous had to develop technology quickly to defend themselves against the extreme weather. The society is far more prone to negative emotions as a result and the average Atlesian citizen is generally unpleasant. The Kingdom is naturally militaristic with patrols and military parades being very common. The culture thrives on community effort and quickly developed into a socialist government, with emphasis on teamwork, success, and the shunning of self-expression. Despite these values, the Atlesian population are classist/elitist and believe the impoverished deserved their poor lives/they have to have their poor lives. Those people - a majority being Faunus - typically live in the decrepit Old Kingdom of Mantle.
Atlas' population was mainly Faunus, who are adapted to the cold. Their cousins were forced to develop quickly to survive creating a lot of animosity towards them. When mining and hard labour became common, the Faunus were easy targets of Slave Labour. This reduced the Faunus population, making the Humans the dominant sub-species and fractured relations. Atlas quickly became known as the most racist Kingdom in Remnant's history.
Mistral:
This kingdom was ruled by an Emperor, who rose to power through infighting and subterfuge. Mistral was formerly two separate entities Mistral and the Orion Alliance. The Southern part Mistral was influenced by Asian culture, valuing the seasons because their economy was based on food and farming. The Orion Alliance in the North was influenced by the Greek and Persian cultures - valuing wealth [metals and gems were the main exports], trade and military might. After the Great War, the Alliance was annexed, creating the Mistralian Empire.
The Kingdom has a hot climate with beautiful mountain views, forests, jungles and oases. While the land is incredible the citizenry is less so. Like their ally Atlas, the Kingdom is elitist. They are a standard Capitalist society (influenced by the values of the North) and their society prides itself on wealth and beauty. The poor have little to no access to these riches so crime syndicates are rampant in the streets. The Emperor and his military care little for what the poor do - since the syndicates only exploit the poor. The police and most Hunters care very little either.
Speaking of which, Hunters in Mistral are not the fairytale heroes in the books. Their society values money and so they value money - some have forsaken their noble titles to become glorified Bounty Hunters. The towns/villages outside of the Kingdom's walls can't afford to hire Hunters to protect them from Grimm as the payment rate for Hunters is incredibly high. However, in the event of a Grimm attack in the Capital or a gathering of Grimm near the Capital, they are obligated to defend the Emperor and his citizens.
The Kingdom have close relations with Atlas as they were allied against Vale and Vacuo in the Great War and Faunus Civil War. Like Atlas, they are incredibly hostile against the Faunus, mainly out of fear that interracial relationships will eventually lead to the extinction of the human race. This way of thinking is backwards as Faunus have low birth rates and a child between a Human and Faunus have a 10% chance of being conceived and a 50% chance of that child being a Faunus. They have invisible signs of racial segregation almost everywhere and some are blatant about their hate for the Faunus and refuse to give them service or employ them. Unemployment is common among Faunus - many groups band together to create illegal settlements (that get knocked down by the Army). Standard employment for them is hard labour.
The Vytal Republic
Founded by Silver Eyed warriors, the Republic is a mix of all the Kingdoms' cultures. They separated themselves from the other nations during the Great War. They decided the terms of the Peace Treaty and created (with the King of Vale's help) the Vytal Tournament alongside developing the Hunter Academies. Like our world's Atlantis story, Vytal was a major powerhouse of knowledge and technology in the early days of humanity (20,000+ years ago) before a major earthquake caused untold devastation by irritating untapped Dust caves/veins. The island hasn't truly recovered. It is, however, the second-largest exporter of Energy behind Atlas but just energy as the Dust can't be mined due to the hostile climate and risks of destroying the island entirely.
The incident led to 5 major biomes existing on the tiny island despite it being on the equator:
The Grand Peaks - Massive mountains and uneven terrain; lots of waterfalls and hills.
The Frozen Glades - Giant spires of Ice rise from the ground, sometimes geysers erupt due to the Magma, Fire and Wind Dust veins underneath.
The Hellscape - Volcanoes and lava fields mainly but life still grows (like the new Nether in Minecraft).
The Stormont - Lost of Energy, Lightning and Wind Dust located here; there are frequent lightning storms and it is always flooding and windy (like Britain).
Ad Punctum In Statera - Also mountainous but not as extreme as the Grand Peaks; a perfect mix of every climate and is the most hospitable biome.
The Faunus
Humanity's sister race that posses animal traits such as tails, claws, feathers etc. They either evolved from a shared common ancestor with Humans [scientific explanation] or they were created out of spite for the Humans but discovered independence [religious explanation]. Most Faunus are mammalian but those that hail from extreme climates have evolved to reflect the creatures living there i.e. chameleon Faunus have a cloaking ability. Bug/Arachnid Faunus are very rare. Faunus possess heightened senses like night vision and improved senses.
There are drawbacks to being a Faunus which is why they are subjected to racism:
Technology- Because their animal traits made pre-modern survival easy, the Faunus society was universally stunted and made it easier for powerful Humans to enslave them. Modern living is also difficult because of noise and light sensitivity.
Animal Instinct- Faunus have dangerously low birth rates. With each other, it is a 15% chance of conception and with Humans, it is a 10% chance. Evolution has made the species develop a countermeasure: Heat Cycles. These occur once a month for 3 days once a Faunus child is 10-16 years old (beginning of Puberty). Pills countered this monthly phenomenon to reduce the time spent off work slaving in the Mines. Modern Living is frustrating due to the irritation following an unfulfilled Heat.
Humanity's superior/inferiority complex - With the Faunus' extraordinary abilities that makes them outperform Humans in many situations, many Humans were jealous of their cousin and found any way to subjugate them to satisfy their false pride. Some fear mongered, telling ignorant populations that the Faunus will 'Breed them out of existence' or telling people that the Faunus can go savage and are no different from their animal counterparts. Like the BLM/Black Panther movements - governments vilified the organisations trying to uplift Faunus communities, claiming that they are 'terrorists' and only want to dominate Humanity. Unfortunately, the label stuck and some organisations conformed to the backwards ideas.