RWBY: Alternate

Original Concept And Drafting by Jerry Freeman

with character art by ​https://twitter.com/bofukeypok
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY 4

HISTORIES 9
GEOGRAPHY 9
ATLAS AND THE FALL 10
HAVIL - THE “ANVIL” OF ATLAS 12
DUST [INCOMPLETE] 15
GRIMM 17
AURA AND SEMBLANCE 19
GRIMMIFICATION 21
THE FAUNUS 22
THE KRIKZHIVILI 23
THE GRAIF / “DUST-PUNKS” [INCOMPLETE] 24
FRONTIER SETTLEMENTS AND SHADETOWNS 24
THE GREAT WAR 26

SOCIETIES 28
POLITICAL CLIMATE 28
RELIGION 30
HUNTERS 32
HUNTER SOCIETIES 33
HUNTER APPRENTICESHIPS 34
THE CHURCH OF BEACON 34
FRONTIERSMEN 37
FRONTIER’S FINEST 38
MILITARIES 38
WEAPONS 39
TRANSPORTATION 39
THE CULT OF SALEM 40

CHARACTERS 42
RETURNING CHARACTERS 42
Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long 42
Blake Belladonna 45
Weiss Schnee [INCOMPLETE] 47
Jaune Arc 48
Pyrrha Nikos 49
Nora and Lie Ren 49
Taiyang Xiao Long 50
Summer Rose 50
Raven Branwen 51
Qrow Branwen 51
General Ironwood 51
Penny Ironwood 52
Maria Rose 52
Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan 52
Professor Ozpin 53
Peter Port 53
Bartholomew Oobleck 53
 Glynda Goodwitch 53
Adam Taurus 54
Winter Schnee 54
General “Cordovin” 54
Salem 54
ORIGINAL CHARACTERS 56
Thomas Lawrence 56
Rieger Dotzin 56
MISC. FACTS (and wishes) 57
SUMMARY
Remnant is the literal remnant
of a long-forgotten age — the
Imperial Age, where airships
and silver cities ran the earth
entire. Technologies and
innovations from that time still
endure, with ballistic weaponry,
flight, and the exploitations of
Dust as a source of power.
Apart from this, only a few
monuments have survived the
generations of war and feuding
nation-states, much like the
legacy of Rome.

Traditionally the realm is known as “Terria”, which is a super-continent spanning a significant

portion of the planet. But now it’s more commonly known as “Remnant”, as dubbed by
generations of scholars studying the old Empire. The name refers to a cataclysmic event known
as “the Fall”, a worldwide disaster that wrecked the planet and split the moon, creating anarchy
and panic within the already struggling Empire and eventually leading to its downfall. The
specific details are unknown since it’s been so long ago and the technologies needed to
excavate more
information have long
since deteriorated or
been repurposed.

Terria is split into two

hemispheres; east and
west. The west has
been lost for centuries
to hordes of demonic
creatures known as the
Grimm, which
mysteriously appeared
across Terria after the
collapse of the old
Empire. Alongside them spread an incurable pathogen that dramatically altered the physiology
of humans — creating a second genotype of humanoid, sentient life known colloquially as the
“Faunus”. The nature of their existence is still a mystery, but many speculate they are directly
connected to Grimm a la “Grimmification”, where humans that travel deeper into the west
transform more and more dramatically into a demonic beast, devoid of any and all reason.

Humanity, and by extension their kingdoms/nations, exist solely in the eastern grasslands of
Marathon. Everything west of their dominion is the Frontier; a dangerous world filled with
jungles, deserts, swamps, steep valleys, old ruins and treacherous mountain ranges. These are
the mystic lands of the Grimm and the lost territories of the Empire; very few people have been
there. Even fewer have returned.

There are a plethora

of human kingdoms
in Marathon, but the
most notable ones
are Torinth,
Baradin-Assan, The
Borro Principalities,
the Kingdom of
Gaillas, the People’s
Republic of Mistral,
the Free Banks,
Kellibrir, and the
kingdom of Atlas. Of
these nations, Torinth
is by far the most militarized, with mandated service for all citizens, military state leadership and
a social structure build on discipline and pride. Baradin-Assan is a southern ​Imeret kingdom that
resides on the borders of a large desert, the Principalities are a loose federation of city-states,
Mistral is a proto-communist state where humans and Faunus live equally and get the same
paychecks but are confined to a strict caste system, and the Free Banks are another
confederation of merchant city-states that inhabit the wealthiest region of the eastern shores —
the Golden Delta. The rest are basic kingdoms with standard monarchs, each with varying
degrees of authority. In Gaillas, the monarch is largely ceremonial, while in Atlas, the monarch is
the state.

Torinth began as a contiguous confederation of city states and minor nations, not unalike Borro
or the Free Banks. It wasn’t until the last century that the ambitious proto-state of Torinth began
swallowing its neighbours whole with its professional, disciplined army and its effective use of
industrialization and militarization. It’s become something of a threat to the surrounding
countries, and a force to be reckoned with. Its military is probably the greatest in the world, and
the region’s never known a better time in its history. And yet, Marathon conspires to see its
downfall.

Beyond anyone’s interest is the southern ​Imeret kingdom of ​Baradin-Assan​. ​Imerets are
ancient orders of knights that elect an Inquisitor (or in this case, an ​Uruban and a ​Crusadine​) to
lead them. Hence, their policies reflect that of their beliefs. They are the only human kingdom
that fights on the Frontier without the exclusive aid of Hunters — and oddly enough, they are
also older than the Hunters themselves. They even use Dust as a currency.

The Borro Principalities are not entirely united as they are prone to alliances. They’re not as
developed as the Free Banks, and they’re not as powerful as them either. So smaller parts like
Auroria are practically helpless if the Principalities, alongside any other allies, refuse to join their
cause. But the reason why no one has bothered uniting this region is because the land itself is
surprisingly hard to take. Borro is a mountain range with very few passes that only skilled
messengers know. It nearly took Torinth’s entire army just to make it to the capital of Auroria —
if the city had held out for a few more months, they would have single-handedly beaten the
strongest nation in Marathon.

Kellibrir is mining country. The resource-heavy mountains that line its northern border are a rich
source of gold, silver, and many other compounds like Dust and salt. Perhaps more
interestingly, Kellibrir is the only democracy in Terria. It happened because they had a certain
dynasty on the throne for nearly a thousand years, and suddenly the last member died out. So
they were just like “fuck, we should elect someone”. And that’s basically how representative
democracy started in Remnant. They even have Faunus senators. Politically, however, they are
a very passive country and almost never interfere in the affairs of the southern folk. If another
nation tries to attack them, they can just hide in the mountains until the invading armies starve in
the barren hills.

Atlas is the absolutist monarch state, with a rigid ruling class of nobles and kings, and a lower
class of peasants and plebiscites. It’s by far the most traditional monarchic kingdom in all of
Marathon, and attests to the “purity” of a royal bloodline. Absurd amounts of money are used to
construct palaces and build armies, and almost none of it goes to the peasantry. The last
remnant (pun intended) of the old Empire, Atlas is currently going through terrible economic
straits due to a failed war in the Borros.

Mistral was once a kingdom like the others, but when its kings began modernizing and
industrializing, the backwards economies and practices of the Mistren people ultimately led to a
socialist revolution. Now, everyone is treated (and paid) mostly the same, the government has a
strong influence on the press and the media, and most projects within its borders are
government-mandated, ​but there’s still a strict caste system lingering throughout its society,
there’s rudimentary free market, and some jobs pay higher than others for no other reason than
its more valuable to the employer. Its basically China today – the whole “commune” angle is just
an excuse for higher government control, which is another reason why Torinth is such a threat.

The Free Banks​; the richer, more developed younger brother of Borro. Their success is in the
land; the cities line up against the deltas of a great river, “Caeros”, which lead from the Borro
mountains into the sea. This location gives the Free Banks a geographical advantage; the
river’s fingers, so to speak, act as a natural barrier against invading armies, and the rich soil
makes for great agricultural products. That, and its central location on the eastern shore, makes
it the wealthiest and most developed region in all of Marathon. In fact, its overall population just
barely exceeds that of Mistral, which geographically is three times the Banks’ collective size. For
centuries it has lived under the influence of Atlas, with insurrectionist cells thriving ever since the
Fall of Havil in the 10th century AE.

Gaillas​’ monarch is ceremonial; but much like Britain’s monarchy today, there are certain
legislative and absolutist powers that the monarch can reserve, such as temporarily disbanding
Congress. Out of all the countries in Marathon, Gaillas is the most industrialized, with factories
and textile manufacturers all along its borders. Much like Atlas, there’s a rigid ruling class, and a
peasantry, and an emerging middle-class, but all that’s really different is how power is
concentrated. The Minister of Gaillas probably has more direct control than the monarch, and if
any country were to evolve into a democracy like Kellibrir, it would probably be Gaillas.

For the record, there are other, smaller countries and communities that litter Marathon, but none
of them are really that important. The only one that really deserves a mention is ​Hensmere​. Its
a tiny rural county that lives in a particularly fertile area of the Golden Delta, just outside the
Free Banks. They’re a vassal of Gaillas and provide a lot of crops and livestock in addition to a
small monetary tribute. Its peaceful, and the air is fairer here. This is where Summer Rose and
her children are from.

Regardless of what kingdom they are, the ruling class of the eastern shores long for a time of
unity against the dark west — a second Empire in the wake of the first’s collapse. Naturally, this
collective longing fuels generations of warfare amongst feuding houses and rival governments,
preventing that very unity.

The Grimm are not sedentary; they are restless, and want nothing more than to kill humans,
because eating shadows in caves isn’t very filling. To combat this, the countries of the east have
gradually built up a defensive line against the hordes, pushing the Frontier further and further
west with each passing generation. This line is often marked with contiguous walls that are
gutted as the defense presses on, only to be rebuilt at the front lines. This is often seen as the
“edge” of civilization, as far as the human kingdoms are concerned, and everything past it is a
barren wilderness.

In terms of racial makeup: the northern part of Marathon has a Caucasian bulk, with Slavic,
Anglo-Saxon, and Norwegian majorities with an Italian/Germanic minority left over from the Old
Empire. The southern part of Marathon has an Arabic and Asian bulk, with Chinese and
Mesopotamian majorities and Korean and Japanese minorities. For localized ethnic groups, in
Barradin-Assan, there is a small but significant African minority. The Principalities and the Free
Banks, along with Barradin-Assan, have several small ethnic groups that live in their own
villages. These localized ethnic groups consist of many different people, like Indians,
Polynesians, Iberians, etc. Naturally, the Caeros functions as a border between what are
essentially the Indo-Europeans and the rest of the world.
A major element of RWBY: Alternate is this theme of the world diminishing; the idea that a once
fantastical world of myths and legends is being hurried aside by the maw of industry and
mechanization. This is the last stand of fantasy in a modern world, and there’s no better place
for this struggle than the outset of the Great War era, where the noble ideals of a fantastic
worldview and the pragmatic ideals of an industrial worldview are both being called into
question. And that’s the kind of conflict at the heart of RWBY: Alternate’s world.
HISTORIES
GEOGRAPHY

Torinth (Mistral / Torinth)​: [Based on Continental Europe] meadows, grasslands, deciduous

forests. Wolves, foxes, rabbits, owls, ect. Quite hilly, rich in stone, metals, lumber. Growing
season is half the year.

Free Banks​: [Based on Egypt] hot rainforest, delta system from various rivers. semi saltwater
fish ecosystem. Crocodiles, tigers, monkeys, ect. Mostly flat, rich in gems and lumber. Growing
season is all year.

Barradin Assan​: [Based on Arabia and the Sahara Desert] northern Barrad is hot and mildly
wet, no sand because it is washed away back down to the Free Banks. Rest of Barrad is sandy
desert, main plants are cacti and palms. Growing season winter.

Kellibrir​: [Dust Mordor / Every Mining Colony Ever] heavily altered by dust exposure and mining
pollutants, hard to tell exactly what could grow here, but probably sunflowers and other toxin
resistant flowers. Small mammals, mosquitos, spiders. No growing season.

Borros Heights (Borros Principalities)​: [Greece / Mountainous China] Very hilly, blends into
the Borros Mountains. Lots of rivers from the Borros Mountains split up the land, carving deep
ravines filled with swift moving water. Most of the water for farming is taken up using pump
systems left over from the Empire, and it is almost impossible for an invading force to get further
than one or two city states in without heavy losses from the many choke points the land creates.
Eagles, freshwater fish, goats, low lying shrubs and evergreens.

Plains of Marathon (Atlas / Gallas)​: [every plains biome ever] land has been lifted up, and
forms many cliffs towards the north west of Atlas, the rest of the land is mostly flat, perfect for
rearing cattle and there are many caves in the north that are great for maturing cheeses and
wines. Land is very hard to assault as it has many forts and castles, although the castles are
mostly in disuse or are summer homes for nobility as many of the elite prefer to live in the cities.

Borros Mountains​: [Alps / Himalayas] mountainous. Lots of plateaus and cave systems. Lots of
grimm and metals.

Polar Circle (Northern frontier)​: [Arctic] Polar circle, tundra and sea ice. Snow foxes, rabbits,
bears.
Frontier Jungles​: [Amazon] the closest part of the frontiers to the Borros Mountains is the
Frontier Jungles, which Beacon is on the edge of. The Frontier Jungles are full of ancient ruins
covered in vines and grimm that lurk in the murky waters and the thick canopies.

Frontier Plains​: [Central America] beyond the Jungles is the Frontier Plains, this is where the
ruins of ancient cities can be found, as well as ruined roads, caves infested with grimm, and the
great lakes that keep the climate from becoming a desert.

Frontier Desert​: [Australia] The furthest reaches of the Frontier stretch into the western desert,
which is the home of the Graif, as well as many sand dwelling grimm.

Assan Badlands​: [African Savannah] South of the desert is an expanse of very dry land that is
not quite desert, filled with sparse trees and high grass.

ATLAS AND THE

FALL

The Fall of the Empire is

vague. Despite being
relatively stable, not many
records in Atlas are left
from those days, and so
the nature of the Fall
remains unknown.

When Ani, the moon, was

wounded, the Empire
called a state of emergency – this is when Remnant’s calendar starts. From there, all military
personnel and nobility were transported to the heart of the Empire; the mouth of the Caeros
river, in the plains of Marathon. The territories were left to fend for themselves, and over a few
generations, the Empire had already been forgotten. However, civilization still thrived in Atlas.
Grimm had crossed the Borro mountains and the Southern Desert, and all of Marathon was at
their mercy – it was Atlas who first introduced the Hunters to Remnant. Through selective
breeding and harsh training, they engineered a warrior-class to fend off the demons from their
lands. The defense was long, deadly, and difficult, and by the time Hunters were clearing out
Grimm outside Atlas’ borders, the civilians they were saving had no recollection or obligation to
the Old Empire whatsoever, and because of the Empire’s decentralized form of territorial
acquisition, they didn’t even speak the same language or share the same culture. For 500 years
– more than 13 generations – Atlas was alone. They could barely conquer any of the
surrounding land; the Grimm were relentless, and the natives were impossible to subjugate.
There was no way they were going to give these treacherous barbarians the technologies of
their forefathers. The Imperial way of life was forgotten, and Atlas’ society evolved more and
more into a form of government more suited for its isolationist, hegemonic way of life; in 492 AE,
the ​Peace of the Emperor was abolished, and Atlas became a kingdom, although keeping the
title “Imperator” for its royalty.

For the next millenia, Atlas retained control over the region by controlling the flow of the Caeros
river; “Havil”, the Great Dam, was restored c. 900 AE as a means of finding alternate power
sources to Dust. They realized that by restricting the flow of water, and thereby the flow of
goods, they could essentially bargain with other tribes into becoming tributaries. These tribes
would eventually form into the Free Banks under Atlas’ protection, and seafolk from the nearby
islands would settle in this region for the same kind of power; their dependency on Atlas is felt
even today. For 1500 years, Atlas has narrowly avoided bankruptcy, but after a botched
invasion of the Borro Principalities (mostly due to incompetent leadership), time has finally
caught up to them. In a world of paper money, Atlas’ hard currency, the Peris, crashed, and now
the kingdom is in a state of severe social unrest.

Currently, there are main four factions vying for control in Atlas:

The Imperial Faction is made up of the aristocracy — the royalty, the nobility, and the military,
led directly by the Imperator of Atlas. They fight for an Atlas unrelenting; forever a royal state
and a successor to the Empire. Their concentration of power is in a select few, most notably
landowners, wealthy nobles, and positions filled through hereditary succession. Their strength
isn’t in the conviction of their peasantry; its in the god-given rights endowed to a special few.

The Kuresheim Party openly advocates

for the abolishment of a feudal hegemony
and the establishment of a comprehensive
socialist state, mandated primarily by the
removal of the inept aristocracy and the
propagation of a people’s Atlas. A popular
movement among the lower and middle
classes, the party is led by an elected
official meant to represent the party as a
whole — at the start of the story, Jon
Nikos has yet to be elected. The party’s
endgame is the establishment of an Atlen
parliament, complete with a meritocracy.

After Mistral’s Third Kingdom desperately attempted to westernize with the mass production of
factories and assembly lines, ​the Unionists​, upset with the nation’s backwards working
conditions, revolted and created the People’s Republic. Now, the teachings of its revolutionary
founders have spread all the way to the Principalities, the Banks, and now Atlas. With their
economy down the drain, Atlen Unionists are trying to create a new communist state where the
peasantry are paid fairly, as opposed to being monopolized by the aristocracy and the
bourgeoisie.

The FLA and the White Fang are not nearly as politically-involved as the other three factions in
Atlas; their strategy is one of subversion, fighting for Faunus rights while disrupting, as opposed
to contributing to, Atlen politik. While the FLA (the Faunus Liberation Army) are more concerned
with meeting the violence of the mob with their own violent retaliation, the White Fang believe
that, either way, the Faunus have to escape. They’re an underground movement dedicated to
smuggling their kind out of the country before things come to a head because, you know, ​they
will.​ Atlens tend to misconstrue the two as being the same organization.

HAVIL - THE “ANVIL” OF ATLAS

Before the rapid decline of the Empire during “The Fall,” the Great Dam of Havil was a symbol of
Imperial power and prosperity. “Havil” in the Ancient Imperial dialect is most closely translated to
“Anvil” in modern Atlen. It’s main purpose was control over the Caeros during its flooding
seasons, allowing the areas now known as the Free Banks to expand further and free up
massive swathes of land for development and farming. A secondary function was the collection
and refinement of Dust and other materials slowly eroding into the river from the Borro
Mountains. This Micro-Dust would coalesce around the two central crystals, accumulating in
size over the many millennia of the Empire, and carefully chipped away to provide some of the
purest forms of Dust available within the Empire.

After “the Fall”, Havil became the host of a Primordial Grimm known as the Creep, a
tendril-based Grimm whose heart lies in the deepest depths of the Dam. As Micro-Dust funneled
through the Dam, the Creep fed off of it and grew stronger. For 600 years, Anicism forced the
now highly centralized province of Atlas to avoid the growing threat due to the religion’s
defeatist beliefs towards the Grimm. Thus the Creep went unchecked, slowly overtaking the
damn and slipping its tendrils down the river bed as it followed the Caeros River into the Eastern
Seas. Alone this creature was more than a threat; its corruption created Grimm from the
shadows it cast, creating mayhem along the banks of Caeros. If that alone wasn’t enough,
merely coming in contact with the tendrils would curse any living organism to a terrible fate –
one of rapid and harsh mutation as the Grimm quickly overtook your body.

When Atlas consolidated its power in the 8th century, they began fighting the primordial Grimm
that threatened their homes. As more and more Dust was acquired, new ways to combat The
Creep were discovered. Ironically, it seemed its own power was also its weakness; the
production and acquisition of Dust-infused weaponry grew over the next few generations, and
the Creep retreated further and further back towards the Dam.
After removing the Creep from most of the Caeros River, plans for the future occupation of Havil
were a serious topic of debate among the various nations of Marathon. Atlas, having made
trade agreements with the city states of the Free Banks, justified their seizure of merchant lands
near and around the Dam as a “reconquest”. However, with the emergence of the Gaelic tribes
to the east and the formation of a tributary independence pact in the Southern Banks, tensions
grew. Atlas needed the dam to negotiate with the “savages” and retain control over the region,
and the eastern tribes – the Free Banks included – didn’t want their money going to a desperate
rump state.

Eventually, mercenary organizations funded by those opposed to Atlen interference began to

launch surprise raids and assaults on Havil and its surrounding outposts. The most notable
group, The Free Rivers, even managed to raid an entire shipment of precious metals ​as it was
traveling through the Dam.​ This soon spread beyond Havil and its personnel; anyone supporting
Havil became a target of terrorist groups backed by Gaillan arms dealers and Free Bank
merchants.

Despite these attacks, excavations of the main levels in Havil were underway. As more and
more systems were uncovered and cleared of Creep, Atlas began bringing more systems
online. Atlas also began to reintegrate Havil’s hydroelectric generators into their own systems,
powering many of Atlas’s major cities and military bases. With this sudden overflow of power,
the abandoned port city of Hyperion, finally cleared of the Creep after years of being overrun,
saw a massive influx of Imperial denizens.

The Hyperion was originally one of the most wealthy cities in the Empire. As the retreat towards
the core state of Atlas began, most thought Hyperion would continue to thrive as its close
proximity to Havil and the Capital allowed Imperial forces to keep it secure – but time has shown
otherwise. After almost 50 years, the people abandoned Hyperion and retreated deeper into
Atlen territory.

With the Creep’s removal from the upper dam and the subsequent repowering of Havil’s
systems, the abandoned city — frozen in time — started anew. Many citizens returned to the
homes of their forefathers in hopes of restoring Hyperion’s glory. As the generators spun, the
city streets flooded with settlers from across the kingdom. The city was once again a major Atlen
shipyard, with all of Caeros at its benevolent, pearlescent mercy. But this greater control over
the region would only worsen relations with Atlen subjects down the river; most notably, Gaillas
and the Free Banks.

In 947, the Gaelic tribes, uniting themselves in opposition to the growing threat of Havil and the
Hyperion, signed themselves into an alliance with a plethora of city-states along the Caeros
river. As this alliance grew, Atlas began pressuring the Free Banks with threats of closing down
the river via Havil in order to curb their aggression and force them to bend the knee. Nothing
worked.
After years of Atlen aggression, the Free Armies of the Great River declared independence and
began marching on the Dam. As Gaillan troops stormed Hyperion by land, the Free Banks and
a jury-rigged Gaillan Fleet began to siege Havil and its surrounding outposts. For years the
encirclement of Havil and the Hyperion continued, until one fateful morning in April of 982.

The Writ of Gerhard (transcribed):

Glory to Oren. The lieutenant has received a letter. We are ready. It is a strange
invention. I do not know what evils lie within. We are not meant to understand. I fear its
maker knows as little.

The device used by the tribes to demolish the Dam has since been lost to time; neither Atlas nor
Gaillas recalls it. In fact, Gerhard’s log is the only mention of it — but regardless of its nature,
Havil was destroyed, and the Hyperion was compromised. Since then, Gerhard and his band of
sailors have since been declared MIA.

When the tribes were forced to demolish the Dam, the ensuing destruction would cause one of
the worst floods in the river’s history. Gaelic forces vastly underestimated how much runoff
actually fed into the river, and so as the months pressed on, entire cities were forced to
evacuate. Thousands of acres of land would be ruined; livestock, farms, and even major ports
were washed away seemingly overnight. This disaster would lead to the total recall of Free
Bank forces from Atlas, leaving the tribes of Gaillas alone to hold the city alone. The Free
Armies would continue this occupation of Havil, as well as Hyperion, until a major Atlen
offensive would finally drive them out in the year 993. As the city fell, the tribal armies at Havil
and its outposts were forced to retreat, lest they become surrounded.

After more than a decade of fighting off the tribes to the east, Atlas would find itself once again
fighting what was left of the primordial Grimm deep within the lower levels of Havil. As the
explosion rocked the foundations, more of the Creep was able to drive its way through the
weakened soil and began spreading like wildfire. But this time, Atlas was prepared not only to
take back their dam, but to finish off the foul beast within.

Several scouting parties later, the source of the Creep was discovered by a lone adventurer.
Later known as the “Heart of Darkness”, it soon became the crown’s top priority as soldiers from
across the kingdom plunged into the depths of Havil to rid it of the infestation. It would be almost
a decade before the first Hunter fireteam, GLAS, would reach the Heart and strike the first blow
against the monster, albeit unsuccessfully. After multiple failed attempts, one team would finally
fell the Creep in 1040. But when fellow Hunters were sent to recover Fireteam SOAR, they were
nowhere to be found, and to this day their remains have never been recovered.

With the Free Banks still reeling from the Caeros Flood, and Gaillas centered on securing its
new sovereignty in Marathon, Atlas began the reconstruction of Havil. This time however, they
would not allow such a fate to befall it again; it would be bigger, more secure, more efficient. As
the engineers began to carve away the ruins, new plans were drawn up. The Havil was to
become not just a symbol of control, but an instrument of it. As technology changed, so did
Havil. The walls were changed, from concrete to dust infused with steel. Parapets,
entrenchments, and artillery emplacements dotted its enormous ramparts. Guarded by only the
most veteran, equipped with only the best, second only to the defenses of the capital itself, Havil
became more than a wall. It became a symbol.

25 years after the Creep’s death, Atlen scientists finally discovered the secret of Havil. Covered
by the Heart, the Micro-Dust filters were used to feed it continuously. These filters were found to
produce minute quantities of pure dust as the water flowed over the dam – this was a complete
game-changer for Atlas, making many of its Dust imports obsolete and further consolidating
Atlen power within the region.

Soon after the reintroduction of the Catalyst Crystals and the reintegration of the Micro-Filter,
Havil’s future as one of Atlas’s most important relics was all but secured. As Hyperion worked
the forges of Atlas along the Caeros, and with Havil to guard their back, Atlas become virtually
unstoppable in the coming centuries.

In memory of the Dam’s completion, a writing by one of the soldiers to his King was emblazoned
upon an iron plaque overlooking the valley below:

Rise and fall, to rise again,

A phoenix upon a river; a sun upon a sea.
Here we will stand, here we are Havil,
And here we will sing everlasting liberty.

Currently, Havil serves as major bargaining chip in terms of military and economic might.
Hyperion, lying in the shadow of Havil, is one of Atlas’s largest shipyards and the launching
point of the Atlan Naval Forces, allowing for ample protection against the Gaelic Navy and the
tributaries down-river. Access through Havil also forces the will of Atlas over the nation-states
farther up the Caeros, as most every southern nation in Marathon depends on the river for their
economy. Along with tolls and taxing certain goods, Atlas can demand tribute from anyone
down-river, lest they be swallowed up in another flood.

DUST [INCOMPLETE]

Dust is a powdery substance that, given the right circumstances, produces an effect based on
its inherent elemental structure and physical state. In a solid/crystalized form, the effect can be
harnessed and controlled. In its powdery form, Dust is far more volatile and harder to control.
There are seven types of Dust, including a clear Dust which functions as a synthesizing agent,
providing a bond to which the other types of dust may attach. The most valuable Dust types are
Infernas and Kinetas, as they are the easiest to activate and have the highest power output; the
others are often referred to as “Exotic” Dusts and aren’t readily available in Marathon’s
economy.

Dust is measured in Purity, or “PI”, which is how much of the compound is purely Dust and how
much is a mixture of water, dirt, etc, and measures the exact effect that compound will have.

Infernas Dust is a measure of combustion and ignition. Natural Infernas is prone to starting fires
and outright exploding, which is why natural Infernas is better used for grenades and bombs. In
its crystallized form, its used like gunpowder in bullets, propelling a hard yet malleable shell at
the butt and leading with a frame composed primarily by Infernas crystals, creating explosive
rounds. Its also used like coal in fueling furnaces and engines that rely on a hard resource to
function. Like most Dust, Infernas activates upon exposure to rapid and extreme pressure, or
upon exposure to a rapid increase in temperature. So if an Infernas bullet impact a hard enough
surface, that extreme pressure is going to crunch the crystals into themselves and ignite the
compound — some grades tend to be more explosive, depending on the Dust’s purity. The
same goes for landmines.

Kinetas is the transfer of magnetically-charged electrons through a medium (electricity), and is

usually activated upon standard combustion. Heat exercises the valence electrons out of their
shells and hurries them along any sort of adjacent conductor. Natural Kinetas, in its powder
form, does not conduct electricity — crystallized Kinetas Dust functions almost exclusively as a
battery, although occasionally being used in various ways on the battlefield. Its primary use is in
powering Imperial tech from before the Fall, as well as any technology based on Imperial tech.
Again, “emeralds” are what Atlens call Imperial motherboards, and they tend to make for great
conductors. The purity (PI) of Kinetas measures how much “power” can be harnessed from it
relative to its size.

GRIMM

The Grimm are demons that wander the dark west. The word “Grimm” is a colloquialism of the
Imperial words “GREE” and “EMIR”, which roughly translate to “shapeless devils”. Unlike the
Grimm in RWBY former, these Grimm have a much larger variety of forms. Think of them more
like SCPs than black creatures with theater masks. Some take on the shape of an animal, some
imitate inanimate objects like rocks or sand, and some can even take on a form of spacious gas,
analogous to darkness, shadow and pestilence. The deeper travelers wander into the west, the
more dangerous the Grimm appear.

Grimm are extremely dangerous

creatures. They cannot be bargained
with, and they cannot be controlled.
They are each a nation unto
themselves and will try everything they
can to kill. They do not abide by the
balance of nature, and as such they
pose an existential threat to both
humankind and Terria. If they cannot
find humans or animals to feed on,
Grimm are known to literally absorb
darkness, and tend to do so in dark caves that span the entire continent. Non-Hunters avoid
caves like crazy for this very reason, and ore mines have since been converted to open-pits,
which is why Kellibrir has entire hillsides covered in big holes.

Grimm are almost always found past the Frontier-line, but sometimes lingering spirits wander
the dark places of the east. There’s no real guarantee that a Grimm isn’t waiting in the shadows.
Because of this, Hunters see plenty of action on both sides of the line, so to speak. Grimm love
being in dark places; so much so, in fact, that Grimm left in darkness usually grow/age faster
with the rarest Grimm developing strange traits. Additionally, at night, Grimm receive a buff to
their abilities since night is pretty much just a shadow in and of itself.

In 1126 AE, a group of Mistren scholars created a system of measuring Grimm by threat level:

Dark 1 are generally weak Grimm, and are incapable of thought. They run purely on instinct; not
usually a threat to any hunter. Grimm in this class also appear the most similar to standard
fauna, like predators.

Dark 2 are strong Grimm that could give a Hunter a challenge. These are more unique Grimm,
in terms of appearance. Approach with caution. At this tier, Grimm deviate from the standard
fauna and begin to display traits not found in animal kingdom analogues – or, in the very least,
share similarities with multiple creatures.

Dark 3 are challenging Grimm that often require more than one Hunter to take down. At this
level, Grimm are capable of basic pack tactics and exhibit major deviations from the Animal
Kingdom, possessing abilities beyond that of any normal creatures (intangibility, invisibility,
telekinesis). A simple intelligence comparable to most animal predators also appears at this
level. Approach with extreme caution.

Dark 4 are extremely powerful Grimm that will take a team of Hunters to kill. These Grimm have
some capability of thought and are much more dangerous than any of the other tiers. Some
Grimm within this category have even been seen vocalizing and communicating with others.
The rank of “Dark 4” is generally reserved for some of the strongest Grimm; they have a
fascination with human culture and processes, and seem to try everything they can to destroy
them. When in larger groups, they seem to take command when lesser-ranked Grimm are
involved. In this role, they are even capable of complex battle strategy. Eliminate at any cost.

While Dark 3 and 4 Grimm share little to no similarities with one another, that uniqueness
doesn’t necessarily apply to most Dark 1 and 2 Grimm. This is because Swarm and Pack
Grimm exist among those ranks. A single “Swarm” Grimm isn’t threatening; just like a lonesome
ant, however, strength comes in numbers. Swarms can build hives, create tunnel systems, and
hunt prey much larger themselves, all through working together. For a group of Grimm to be
classified as a Swarm, all (if not most) individual creatures of that Swarm must be at the most a
Dark 2, sharing similar shapes and abilities.

Pack Grimm are demons that work together to hunt prey. The primary quality that sets them
apart from Swarms is that packs use more clever hunting strategies to outmaneuver their prey.
Packs are analogous to wolves, lions, and even hyenas. For a group of Grimm to be classified
as a Pack, all participating subjects must be at least measure as a Dark 2 and share somewhat
similar features.

While both Swarms and Packs don’t necessarily have “individual” Grimm within their ranks, the
groups themselves tend to be unique in and of themselves.

Leading a Swarm or a Pack could be a Dark 3 Grimm: a Hive Queen or an Alpha respectively.
Their abilities are probably the same as the rest of their groups with the only addition being able
to control those members

According to the various myths of Marathon, there are two Grimm exist above all others – two
warring gods to whom the rest of the world is inconsequential. All we know about them is
shrouded in inaccuracy, and the “truths” of their existence are often contradictory. But for all
intents and purposes, let’s pretend we know: the Brothers are two immensely colossal Grimm.
They each possess a mental aura that radiates out, fully dominating lesser grimm, with the
added side effect of occasionally leaking into the minds of men. This has caused them to
unconsciously produce emissaries who see them and the Grimm as deities and create many
underground cults throughout the land. They may even imitate the very Huntsman who come to
hunt them – being able to speak and think intelligently, as well as using advanced tools and
weapons.
The Grimm also have a strange connection to elemental Dust; when Grimm chew Dust, they
gain that elemental focus. If they swallow it, its refined in their belly over time. They can also
chew/smallow synthetic Dust compounds. This makes them extremely valuable to kill in the
Frontier.

Grimm find Dust “tasty” and have a minor ‘dust sense’ (with varying effectiveness) so Dust
Deposits almost always have Grimm around them. This also attracts Grimm to the edge of the
Frontier, making fighting near unending at the walls. As a Grimm decomposes, it produces
whatever Dust it consumed. If it chewed elemental dust in its lifetime, it produces dust of that
type; otherwise the product is completely random.

When Grimm die, they dissolve into ash and leave behind any traces of Dust that they may
have ingested within their lifetime. Because the Frontier is so vast and unknown, no one knows
if Grimm reproduce or if they are simply immortal.

AURA AND SEMBLANCE

Aura is an actual, quantifiable quality of

every humanoid on Terria. Humans, Graif,
Faunus, all of them have it, and depending
on who you’re learning from, its either what
separates humanity from the thralls of
natural antiquity or the reason why Grimm,
and the natural world, are infinitely
superior. To the Cult of Salem, and
perhaps even to the Brothers Grimm, Aura
is a corruption within the earth that
multiplies like a cancer. Its what makes
humans such an inherent threat to the
natural world.

When developed (as in, not readily

available to every man, woman and child under the sun), it gives humanoids basic buffs like a
faster immune system, better speed, more adept thinking, stronger reflexes, skeletal density,
and an overall pristine health. It has its limits, though – limbs cut off will stay cut off. Severed
fingers won’t magically grow back. You’ll heal faster and form stumps quicker, but that’s about it.
If you don’t develop it for a couple of years, it tends to degenerate back to a person’s baseline
— for civilians, this Aura will degenerate completely, and for Hunters, this will vary. Humans with
a strong Aura tend to also build an immunity to Grimmification in the Frontier, which explains
some Frontiersmen building an immunity to it without a Semblance. This is also why Hunters are
trained to develop both their Semblance and their Aura. A Semblance makes you a Hunter, but
an Aura keeps you alive. More on that later.

The nature of Aura is that, unlike before, it can actually develop. Soldiers and civilians don’t get
the chance to exercise this development very often; even though it “builds” in effectiveness
through combat, it only ever accumulates faster than the degeneration rate when in combat with
creatures that have what is theorized to be an “anti-Aura”. More specifically: Grimm. It has this
almost vampiric quality to it that gives Hunters and Frontiersmen a growing endurance within
them whenever they take down a Grimm. Fighting other humans, Graif or Faunus doesn’t build
your Aura. With the Frontier being pushed further and further west, there’s a lesser need and a
lesser opportunity for developed Auras, and as is only Hunters ever really get the chance to
unlock that latent energy. Again, the death of Fantasy as an overarching theme.

Followers of Anicism ironically believed that Aura was a curse, and that going out of one’s way
to strike down the children of Ani, the Grimm, and develop it was not only sinful, but also
wrongfully inheriting the spirit of Ani and bastardizing her power.

Semblance is measured on an individual basis. For all intents and purposes, we can decide
what’s overpowered and what isn’t, but Hunters exhibit a specialization in their combat roles
when developing their semblance. Think of it like a specialization tree; its what makes them
stand out among their own kind, and gives them special abilities that are specific to that one
individual. For example; an Aura would function as a health regen buff while your Semblance
would allow you to perform special attacks and combos.

Like before — and I need to clarify, this is the ​in-universe Gaetric understanding of Semblance
and does not reflect the objective nature of it whatsoever — Semblances are measured into 3
Tiers, which are more like milestones than anything else, but still separate the various levels of
development of one’s Semblance. Unlike Aura, Semblance can be developed through a variety
of means; there is no surefire way of achieving Tier 1 or 2. However: it is extremely unlikely for
anyone to achieve any Tier of Semblance without first developing their Aura. A random soldier
undergoing torture by the enemy will not spontaneously awaken; he is neither fighting Grimm
continuously nor is he undergoing that physical trauma through combat. And I doubt “Ani’s
Grace” would bless anyone willing to kill their own kind, so neither an Aura nor a Semblance
would appear in that scenario.

Hunters at their respective societies are expected to develop both; the Church of Beacon is
obviously all about those Tiers and shit, but in terms of Aura, its kind of “every man for himself”
there. Although there is physical education ​and ​an arena where Grimm are regularly imported
for what is essentially target practice, there’s no actual program built around developing one’s
Aura. Its just assumed you build on it throughout your education. This is why experience at
combat schools like Imperia or Signal is paramount in the screening process — you want to hit
the ground running, and students with zero experience in combat whatsoever are probably the
sole few that aren’t accepted into this relatively new society. Better to start developing your Aura
with experience in combat than doing so with no experience at all, regardless if you’ve fought
Grimm in the past.

Achieving Tier 1, 2 and 3 at Beacon is, for all intents and purposes, complex. The specific
process is as follows; the Church believes that Semblance is a measure of faith, and that to
build one’s Semblance is to build one’s devotion to Ani as a spiritual warrior. So developing any
of these Tiers tends to require students at Beacon, or just Gaetric Hunters in general, to utilize a
specific combination of meditation and physical endurance — a measure of how far someone is
willing to stress their three forms (physical, mental, spiritual) to serve Ani; no matter the pain or
the trauma, to freely give of one’s flesh and bone and mind and spirit in the name of the night.
Imagine undergoing tremendous physical harm and trying not to give into the pain. No tears, no
screams, no pleas for mercy, nothing. You fight for Ani; you are giving yourself unto her. She
accepts nothing less than total devotion, and if you falter, you will fail.

There may be many different methods of unlocking one’s “Semblance”, but as far as the Gaetric
faith is concerned, this is the truest, most altruistic way.

GRIMMIFICATION

There is something wrong with the Grimm and the Frontier. Once you’re out there, there’s this
corrupting force that changes a person’s mind and body. The closer you are to the Grimm and
their domain, the more susceptible you are to their change and mutation; this is known as
Grimmification, the more commonly-used term for Sarah-Nak, which roughly translates to
Black-Blood. Coined by Atlen doctors who first documented their findings in the Frontier long
ago, it’s when the essence of Grimm (whether that's in general or a direct effect of the Brothers
is entirely up in the air) enters the body and slowly alters one's physical and mental form.

The tell-tale signs of Grimmification are animalistic traits, similar to that of the Faunus: cat ears,
sharpened teeth, a tail… all signs of mutation. Some vary in severity, but most that get infected
with Grimmification act fairly normal – some, however, ultimately succumb to their new traits and
allow themselves to become the “monster” within them.

As cheap as it sounds, willpower is what one needs to defend against the growing cancer
within. Additionally, The stronger someone's aura, the stronger their resistance is — which
would explain why Hunters more regularly travel deeper into the Frontier than say soldiers,
frontiersmen and settlers. It acts like a deep-sea pressure suit. The stronger the aura, the
deeper they can go and fight.

The closer Hunters are to the Grimm and their domain; the more they are likely to change.
There is no turning back. There is no cure. Its just the way things are.
There are some ways to protect yourself from the effects of Grimmification. One of the more
popular methods is to wear the sigil of Ani, whether that be a banner, a tabard, a necklace, a
talisman, whatever. Whether or not it truly works is still up for debate. Some Frontier fort-towns
place large sigils around their homes to act as a barrier to protect against the Grimm. Again,
varying effectiveness.

Grimmification, alongside the physical presence of Grimm, operates as a containment protocol

meant to keep humans from expanding outside Marathon. Its not literally a containment
protocol, but you get the idea. It functions like radiation; a little is fine, and not a lot will happen,
but prolonged exposure will lead to very adverse side effects, like ​death​. For a lack of research
into the Frontier given its adversity, Grimmification is just Marathon’s version of radiation
poisoning. Too much poisoning, and you could die. Your body might go through a physiological
change from being exposed for too long, hence the nomenclature’s comparison to Grimm, but
for the most part if you’re out there for too long you’ll either get really, ​really sick, or straight-up
die.

There are cases of Frontiersmen contracting this sickness, and undergoing a change in their
physiology, but somehow managing to build an immunity to Grimmification’s more adverse
effects. Its cases like these that convince groups like the Frontier’s Finest to push the Grimm
further and further away from Marathon, despite Grimmification affecting every square mile past
the Borro Mountains.

Unlike radiation in our world, the strength of one’s Aura determines just how resilient the body is
to this poisoning. Tier 3 Hunters, as rare as they are, can withstand almost a month in this
place, while average civilians would probably start getting sick after a few days.

THE FAUNUS

Right after the fall of the Empire, the emergence of Grimm, and the breaking of Ani, humanity
underwent a terrifying transformation. The exact numbers are unknown, but a significant portion
of the population suddenly underwent a dramatic physiological transformation into a
human-animal hybrid race known colloquially as the “Faunus”. No one knows where the name
comes from, although some have suggest it may have come from the Imperial word “FEUN”,
which means “the forgotten” or “the shamed”. But regardless, the Faunus have lived among
humans for a very, very long time. Faunus traits are a birth defect that tend to pass down in
families that share the same defect. There are cases of it happening randomly, though; like
Blake Belladonna.
In all their years of populating Marathon, becoming Hunters, and achieving political, social and
economic clout, they still face significant persecution across Terria. Even after the reformation of
Anicism into Avanism, religious doctrine still instigates Faunus as a bastard race between
mankind and nature, and Gaetri texts go as far as to claim they have no soul.

Self-mutilation isn’t unheard of in Faunus who simply grow an additional appendage. Faunus
who grow a set of ears can’t remove their traits for obvious reasons - they’d be destroying one
of their senses - but some Faunus are so desperate to hide their identity that they will go to
extreme lengths to deny being a Faunus.

THE KRIKZHIVILI

The Krikzhivili are a hunter-gatherer society that was expelled from the Frontier after the Fall. A
nomadic people, they live in small clans that migrate with their herds; excellent horse riders,
they provide furs and food for the big cities. Currently, they face the trouble of the
ever-industrializing world around them, and face occasional discrimination as sort of a “gypsy”
social class. This stems from the fact that Krikzhivili are so resistant to law and sovereign
integration for the many centuries they've lived in Marathon.

The reason Krikzhivili aren't keen on joining Hunter Societies like Beacon or Haven’s Light
stems from their uninterest toward following laws and order – not to mention, they really don't
like the idea of sharing anything with foreigners. The religious aspect is also a big factor as
Krikzhivili still follow their own pre-Fall religion, opposed to post-Imperial religions like Anicism or
Avanism.

On occasion Krikzhivili do have skirmishes with Hunters in the Frontier when Altars are involved.
Altars are among the few things left behind by the Krikzhivili in the Frontier and functioned as
cemeteries for their greatest leaders, whose valuables lie with them in the graves. Thus, Altars
have become a great source of loot, attracting mercenaries and Hunters of all kinds.

THE GRAIF / “DUST-PUNKS” [INCOMPLETE]

Far out west, beyond the knowledge of any man, woman or child in Remnant are the Graif, a
tribal race of humanoids composed partially of metals, minerals and Dust. The word “Graif”
comes from the Imperial word for “Dust” — a language which has since prospered in the west,
failing to succumb to the years of societal evolution seen in Marathon.
Being composed primarily of Dust, the essence of Ani (the moon), the Graif can use Dust in its
most primitive form (Fire, Wind, Ice, Earth) to control the elements and fend off the Grimm.
Because they see fusing Dust or creating artificial compounds as blasphemy to their way of life
and relationship to nature, their way of life has remained relatively the same for thousands of
years.

Not much is known about the Graif. Those that venture east do so in small, covert groups, and
keep a careful watch of the Hunters and the nations of Marathon.

FRONTIER SETTLEMENTS AND SHADETOWNS

Since the dawn of Remnant as the world knows it settlements and even cities have exploited
the tradition of those who guard their greatest line of defence between themselves and the
Frontier. These towns survive and some even thrive by subsisting upon the flow of huntsmen
going to and from the Frontier or by serving the military.

While most civilians do not willingly choose to live close to the Frontier for fear of the taint that
lurks beyond its borders, merchants, medics and many enterprising or desperate people flock to
the cities situated in the shadows of the walls to do business with huntsmen and frontiersmen.
Smiths and arms dealers are common, selling weapons, ammo and vital equipment to those
crossing into the Frontier. Just as common are nurses, doctors and therapists, who take on the
burden of examining those who return, providing treatments for those who are hurt, weary,
traumatised or even suffering from the dreaded Frontier-Rot from straying too far West for too
long. While medicine is not quite so advanced as being able to cure everything, there are
several barber-surgeons capable of amputating minor physical mutations caused by
Grimmification and siphoning off ‘bad blood’ from infections, as well as generally stitching
people up or removing limbs in order to save the horribly wounded from sepsis. These little
towns can come and go as the business rises or falls, though two have notably stood the test of
time.

Sanctuary

Sanctuary rests in the Northwesternmost reaches of Torinth’s borders, nestled against the
Providence Pass - the largest man-made land trail through the Borro mountains and into the
frontier. It is said that during the Fall, when old empire pioneers could not go around the Borro
Mountains, they used pre-fall weaponry to carve a path to safety through the range itself, and
when they reached the other side, they named the outpost at which they rested “The Sanctuary
of Man” in the old language.
While this was long before the creation of Torinth, when the region was reclaimed by one of the
city-states that later became part of Torinth, the city of Sanctuary rose once again.
What sets Sanctuary apart from its Frontier counterparts is the overwhelming military presence,
owing in no small part to it being home to Providence Academy. While not a huntsman
academy, it is barracks, base and training ground for what are believed to be some of Torinth’s
finest and most elite troops. Even greats like General Cordovin owe how far they have come
today in part due to this prestigious monument to Torinth’s might. With its strong foundation,
most less than legitimate groups tend to avoid operating around the area, meaning a lowered
crime rate, and overall a higher, safer quality of services such as medical aid and dust supply.
(bearbeitet)

In an agreement with the Church of Gaillas, the Pass has even been opened in recent years to
allow a linked route between the City of Sanctuary and Beacon Academy. Of course, while
Torinth has its reasons for animosity towards Atlas and perhaps also the Gaetric church, the
deal was in its best interests to bolster the huntsman-based trade that is the true lifeblood of the
city. As a result, many Beacon students consider the city almost like an extension of the school
and their main link to the outside world, tending to pass through whether heading to the Frontier
or anywhere else for that matter. For RWBY and other main characters it would serve as their
‘hub town’ when not at Beacon or in the field.(bearbeitet)

Prosperity

The city of Prosperity takes its name from a now-defunct mining magnate that once controlled
almost the entire dust industry of Kellibrir. Flanked on one side by the northern peaks of the
Borro mountain range and the gates leading to the Frontier, and on the opposite side by the
steppe-mines of the Heden Ridge, Prosperity is as much of a smoking crater as the dust mines
that feed directly into it. While Prosperity is a far cry from the pristine image of prosperity shown
by Sanctuary, it has some of the most lucrative dust trading posts in Marathon.

In Prosperity, anything worth selling sells fast. Money, dust and weapons can change hands in
the blink of an eye. Due to its remote location, it has become a hotbed of crime and debauchery,
practically ruled by the tenuous alliances of various gang leaders, frontiersmen, dust peddlers
and perhaps even a few unscrupulous rogue huntsmen and huntresses who are only kept from
going for each other’s throats by the knowledge that Prosperity staying the way it is keeps the
money coming in, and too big a change could make the whole house of cards fall in.(bearbeitet)

Shade-towns

While Sanctuary and Prosperity are very much permanent fixtures, other settlements lining the
border with the Frontier are much more temporary; small groups clustered together among the
ruins of old walls of dead settlements, broken ramparts where the frontier had been pushed
back in recent years, or huddled up against the walls themselves in makeshift slums. These
so-called “Shade-towns”, named for how they exist under the shade of the Frontier’s walls, are
the refuge of only the most hopeless and forlorn. The lowliest of frontiersmen, scavengers and
scum are found here when they have nowhere else to go, repurposing anything they find such
as pieces of scrap metal into cobbled-together tools and housing.

These Shade towns can grow quite large as more and more people bring back more and more
material to form tents around trash fires and sometimes even makeshift huts, though many who
reside in them do not last for long; either moving as their desperate inhabitants move on taking
everything they can carry, being wiped out in despair-fuelled disputes and raids, or simply going
to the Frontier in search of resources and never coming back. As such, the walls are littered with
just as many gutted and lifeless structures left by those who lived in them weeks or months
ago.(bearbeitet)

Merchants and Mercenaries

While the main business in Frontier settlements as stated above are in weapons trading or
medicinal care, there is a third subset to those who frequent the border. Various agents of
groups interested in fields such as the study of Grimm or old Empire tech will often hang around
the larger cities close to the frontier and even Shade towns, hoping to hire Frontiersmen and
Huntsmen alike for their contracts.
While the smuggling of items such as undisclosed empirical machinery and things associated
with or containing Grimm are considered illegal contraband, these contractors have a habit of
preying on those to whom they can make the most tempting offers, using money, drugs, or even
blackmail to sway them into going to the Frontier for them.

THE GREAT WAR

Most of RWBY: Alternate’s political doings is a prologue to what will retrospectively be known as
“the Great War” – it starts when the Atlen nobility, overrun by the populist Kuresheim, flees north
to the militarist state of Torinth. Pleading its leaders to intervene, they convince Torinth to begin
a mass offensive towards the capital of Atlas, and through a string of alliances, the whole of
Marathon is suddenly entrenched in a global war for the fate of both Atlas and its tributaries.

By whatever means — I do not care how — the Atlen-Torian conflict, or “the Great War”, is
spontaneously put on hold when the Grimm break the Hunters’ Frontier defenses, start
marching over the Borros and invading Marathon. I don’t want the details, I just want this
scenario. Because its this common threat that lands the armies of the free world alongside each
other, fighting the Grimm en masse, and its this scenario that will ultimately coalesce in the final
climax of the story, the Battle of Marathon (yes, actually). Shells fly, spears shatter, monsters
are blasted into oblivion, and the ranks of the east stand firm. After a few days fighting, the
enemy is routed.
The silence that ensues after the Grimm are all simultaneously wiped out is tense. Some load
their rifles, some retreat to their trenches — but most just stand there, walking among the Dust
and the Dead. And its there they realize that their pyrrhic victory was accomplished ​together.​
Everyone came together to fight a common enemy, and they won. The age-old nemesis of
mankind, threatening its existence for 1600 years, got obliterated after a few day’s fighting.

What ensues is a Christmas Truce; no, not literally, but its a moment of solidarity and comradery
for their fellow humans, celebrating their victory together with, sports, gifts, music, stories, all
that good stuff. The Great War functionally comes to an end; not with a whimper, but a song.
And although future wars can’t necessarily be prevented, and humans will always be human,
this moment will be the first time since the Empire that humanity — Humans and Faunus of all
nationalities together — realized that war and hatred was beneath them, and not a means to an
end.

Like WW1, the Great War is an amalgamation of imperialist tension that derives from the
cultural and historical hatreds of each nation; what makes WW1 so interesting is that no matter
what front you’re focusing on, your heroes are ultimately victims. There are no good or bad
guys, because that kind of logic is what got them into this war in the first place. It doesn’t matter
what side they’re on — the villain of the Great War is war itself, and the same should go for
Marathon’s Great War. Hatred for one’s race, one’s culture, one’s history, one’s people, and the
systems used to justify it, are what fuels this immense conflict, and when it comes to an end,
through whatever climactic means (I will still leave that up in the air), I want the audience to
embrace the cultural solidarity of Marathon and our world — the mutual respect we all must
share for each other and our histories, no matter who we are. Its an ultimately optimistic note on
such a grim point in our history.

That’s the kind of tone I want to end on for RWBY: Alternate. That hope for the future, in
defiance of industry and the death of fantasy, the wars and the bloodshed, the hatred and the
genocide; I wouldn’t have anything short of it. Much like the Great War in RWBY former, this is
an opportunity for global peace, one without victors or victims. Proof that humankind is at its
best when it works together, not against each other. Ruby’s idealism as a true-hearted, albeit
naive woman bleeds into the overarching theme of doing good for the sake of good — not for
flags or countries or gods or kings, but for the good of the world and the fortune of all, much like
how she saw Hunters in the fairytales.
SOCIETIES
POLITICAL CLIMATE

The pseudo-communist state of Mistral isn’t really an active player; its more so neutral. Its got a
Hong Kong like island owned by the Free Banks somewhere on its eastern shore. Plural is
“Mistren”. Its on mostly neutral relations with everyone, save Atlas, who they’re in constant
competition with as the leading manufacturing economy behind the Free Banks.

Torinth’s government is ruled by a Chancellor, the plural being “Torian”. They’re on good
relations with Gaillas as sort of a friendly rival, and depend quite a bit on the refined goods of
the Free Banks. They’re on bad relations with Atlas and, of course, the Principalities. However
Torinth will, in the immediate future, make a pact with Atlas to partition up the divided west.

Gaillas is in good relations with Torinth, the Free Banks, and, strangely enough, Baradin-Assan.
Gaillas is the only country left that has its Gaetric church as an integral part of the state
(although its not particularly powerful), and even though its an offshoot of Avanism, the Anicist
Imeret will take what it can get in an ever-secular world. Plural is “Gaelic”.

The Free Banks goes without saying; its patronized by Marathon and submissive to the will of
Atlas. Whoever controls the Banks controls all of Marathon, and with Atlas’ influence waning,
this will be the defining moment of Marathon’s future — or maybe they can just lobby the Free
Banks’ Council of Interest to get what they want.

Kellibrir’s government is a federal republic. Only landowners can vote every 5 years for the next
President. Their military is largely defensive and, with major powers at their borders, is ready for
a fight anytime. When they’re not at war, these soldiers are backed by the government to
become mercenaries for other countries; the profit goes to the soldier, with a small percent
going to the government. As such, there are ​lots of career soldiers. Unique to Kellibrir, also, is
its two capitals: a peacetime capital, and a wartime capital. One is a center of culture,
commerce and political power, and the other is a base built on an Imperial military installation;
perhaps the most well-defended and powerful piece of land in all of Terria. Because the land is
pretty arable, and their neighbor — Mistral — lacks the natural resources to find their own Dust,
miners buy their food from foreign merchants in exchange for dust and minerals. As such,
Kellibrir and Mistral are on fairly good terms. Plural is “Kellish”.

The Principalities are a loose confederation of states that populate the Borro Mountains. They’re
only in a confederation to freely trade with each other, but that doesn’t stop each of them from
declaring war on one another. Plural is “Borbon”. Totally at the mercy of Atlas and Torinth;
because they’re relatively poor, no one wants to be their ally.
Atlas’ government is an electoral monarchy ​in which the office is elected via a system of nobles
to a member of a royal family​. They hate everyone, and the feeling is mutual. They hoard
resources and information, and have been at war on and off with the surrounding city-states for
over a millennium. They’re entitled aristocrats that live off the working class, and tax the Free
Banks like crazy because they control the opening to Caeros. They hold them on a leash. Due
to economic straits, the Kuresheim party, the anti faunus faction, is on the rise in popularity.
Plural is “Atlen”.

Yairuu started out as a minor trade nation at the mouth of the river. Their willingness to serve
Atlas has rewarded them with several privileges of autonomy, which they have used to expand
their power over the last few decades; becoming a dominate naval power in the region and
gaining the right to tax any ships leaving or entering the region. With the protection of the Atlas
military, Yairuu has become the de facto sea trade power at the mouth of the Caeros. Though
their Navy is among the finest in the world, they are extremely lacking in their standing armies.

Built upon an old imperial province, Dover is an ancient trade nation. Although in the midst of an
economic downturn, its people remain content with their position in the world. Food is plentiful,
and though social mobility can be only be achieved through service in the nation’s military; the
state makes great effort to ensure the population, citizens and civilians alike, remains happy. In
recent times, however, Dover’s trade routes have seen considerable disruption by Yairuu’s
privateer fleets, and the once neutral buffer state is now currently seeking aid from either Gaillas
or Mistral.

The Kingdom of Vytal, its various unions and vassals included, is an agricultural flower of the
temperate north. Despite its size, Vytal is the second-largest supplier of staple crops and
agricultural products in all of Terria, and although far from rich, the Kingdom remains an
important political neutral ground for the major powers that surround it, despite being in a close
alliance with Gaillas.

RELIGION

Much like the time of the Industrial Revolution, people are growing up in more secular
environments. Baradin-Assan is obviously a theocratic order, so they’re very religious, and
some of the more traditional societies like Atlas could be religious as well.

The Empire worshipped the Sun and the Moon, and they found the Moon more effeminate in
nature. That same culture persists when those two celestial bodies are in question; Amos and
Ani, the two governing wills of the sky, just as men and women were the two governing souls of
Terria.
The beliefs of the old Empire have long since been forgotten, but out of its fall came a variety of
beliefs:

The mourning of Ani’s “death” during the Fall devolved into her becoming a monotheistic entity,
and although people still mention Amos by name, ​Anicism and its later denominations
essentially became a culture of mourning and guilt around Ani’s death. Church processions are
more akin to funerals and wakes than they are masses, and disrespecting her memory by killing
her children of the night, the Grimm, was akin to sacrilege. It wasn’t until Avanism rolled up out
of the Southern tribes (initially called the Heresy of the Sun) that Marathon seriously considered
pushing back the Grimm further away from the Borros.

Anicism states that the fall of the Empire was the result of a massive war between Ani (God)
and the Empire, and that the Grimm are Ani’s creatures. As a result, the Empire was destroyed,
and the Moon – Ani – was mortally wounded. This discouraged its followers from reusing
Imperial tech – part of why the faith came into being was out of fear of repeating the past,
whatever it was.

Circa 600 AE, Atlas’ Hunters, as well as a few village militias, finally pushed back the Grimm out
of Marathon, and then after that — nothing. Anicism was really taking off and a large part of its
doctrine said that the Grimm were basically the children of Ani, and that humankind was
banished to this one enclave of Terria. There were countless debates on whether or not the
Hunters should even push the Grimm out of Marathon, but with or without religion, the roads
needed to be safe, and merchants didn’t want the Grimm endangering the countries’
economies. Like, what’s more important; repenting to a dead God, or not starving?

It wasn’t until rogue scholars in Salar-Assan started propagating that the Grimm were the
reason the Empire fell, and that humankind was Ani’s children all along, that ​Avanism started
being popular. This conflicted pretty badly with Anicist countries, especially Atlas. Which is ironic
seeing how they were the reason Hunters even existed.

Avanism emerged out of an ​Imeret that eventually became Baradin-Assan as an inter-religious

reform of Anicism. It states that the massive war was actually between God and the Grimm, and
the Empire just got in the middle of it all. Not only does this justify using Dust as a power source,
but its also what started the Hunter societies en masse. Naturally, the very first ones were
religious orders.

Avanism — comparable to Protestantism — is a belief in and of itself, but also opened the way
for a number of other sects. For example, the Church of Beacon subscribes to the Gaetri belief,
which is a sect of Avanism that states a human person is separated into two spheres – the
“Aura” and the body. Animals, plants, Faunus, and Grimm, by this definition, have no soul. Its a
religion that was founded in Gaillas and spread to the surrounding countries. There are Gaetri
majorities in Atlas and the Free Banks, and a sizeable minority in Borro. At the heart of Gaetri’s
doctrine is the betterment of the soul; how one can achieve enlightenment through experience
and the enrichment of one’s Aura. And so a lot of this is put into practice at places like Beacon.

Specific to the Gaetric offshoot of Avanism, the Maidens in this world will be referred to as The 4
Sisters, and are each responsible for holding up a basic principle or pillar of the Gaetric faith,
acting as icons which to pray to and to focus energy into individual aspects of the religion.
Instead of being physical people, they would just be featured as part of the iconography of the
religion, being widely known and fairly mutable between regions. However they generally fall
under the same 4 tenements to the faith:

Spring​: Representing rebirth, bravery, and courage. In some regions a symbol of youth, in
others maternity. Displayed generally as an icon of peace.

Summer​: Strength in all its forms; Strength of body, Strength of mind, and Strength of will.
Commonly called upon on battlefields, or called upon in training as an exemplar of fortitude.

Fall​: Temperance, balance. Generally exemplifies moderation in life and the control of the self
when facing larger threats. Commonly displayed in temples and around confessional booths,
her iconography is generally muted in color and design.

Winter​: Sacrifice, persistence. An icon resembling not death, but rather representing the greater
good of the whole of humanity. An icon generally reserved for funerals and representative of
becoming one with Ani, and is seen as a guardian of the soul in the face of Grimm.

In this sense, to be told you embody a maiden would be a sign of ultimate respect rather than a
source of actual power, basically being told you were saint-like in your actions and seen as a
paragon of the faith. And also randomly, these are common baby names. So, given their faith,
Jacques naming Weiss’ older sister “Winter”, and Ruby’s mother “Summer” actually have
religious connotations.

With the rise of industry in Marathon, and the absence of religious doctrine in everyday life,
there are a small few clinging to the good Avanist way of life that seems to be crumbling away
— a sort of religious awakening, where powerful figures attempt to reintegrate religion into an
ever-modern world, to little success. The Church of Beacon is one such example.
HUNTERS

Hunters, conversely, are an elite force of warriors that train to fight Grimm and protect the
dominion of man. Ironically, they are often contracted by the ruling class to do more than just
fight the “shapeless devils”; in times of war, Hunters are sometimes brought onto the battlefield
to fight the country’s enemies, and otherwise they can be hired as bodyguards for nobility.
Either way, they are a force to be reckoned with, and becoming one is seen by many as a
means of social mobility, a la samurai or knights. Some Hunters exclusively fight on the Frontier,
and vice versa.

Hunters equip a variety of weapons depending on their fighting style. These armaments tend to
rely on Imperial tech quite a bit, so the heavier-duty weapons use Dust as their main source of
ammunition and power. Without going into too much detail, the smithies of the Free Banks are
masters of lightweight weaponry, so the more ambitious Hunters love to commission obtuse,
complex and large weapons for their arsenal (ex. Crescent Rose). These weapons range from
small firearms and “martial augmenters” to longswords and gallant scythes, with colorful and
distinct designs that help Hunters stand out among the crowd. Due to technological limitations,
these “masterpiece” weapons are not capable of rapid-fire riflery.

Being a Hunter is extremely lucrative. They can make mad bank as one, with the trade-off that
most missions they’re assigned to are almost always treacherous. Obviously the choice of what
they apply their skills to is up to the Hunter themself; they can fight on the Frontier, they can
enlist as officers in armies, they can do ​both,​ its entirely up to them. In the case of Hunter
Societies like Imperia, where they’re funded almost exclusively by the Torian government,
students are taught to fight for their country both at home and abroad. Joining an army or group
opposed to Torinth is considered treason. So there are ideological barriers to what you can and
can’t do — but being a Hunter is profitable nonetheless.

Hunters are also regularly contracted to venture deep into the wilds for coin and country, finding
artifacts and resources that are otherwise nonexistent in the east, including the Dust cultivated
from the corpses of Grimm. These jobs vary widely from escorts and fetch quests to full-on
sieges of dead cities. Either way, the Frontier is pushed farther west with each operation.

HUNTER SOCIETIES

Hunter societies/monasteries congregate at the edge of the Frontier. Each Hunter society has
their own code of law. Some are lenient, and some are strict; ultimately they are all unique, with
their own dress codes, disciplines, code of law, code of honor, prerequisites, exams, and so on.
The more lenient ones are much more like academies and schools, while the more strict ones
function exclusively as monasteries with ranks analogous to actual churches and inquisitions.
Case in point, the Church of Beacon.

These Hunter groups are entitled to their own beliefs, and many of them stem from actual
religions found in Marathon, like the Gaetri beliefs of the Church of Beacon. Haven’s Light is
another such society. Not all societies are religious, however, and some even lambast Beacon
for its extremist ideologies regarding Faunus and its Tier system.

Before enlisting to go on expeditions, Hunters are trained extensively at their respective

societies, learning how to fight the Grimm as best they can. If they are deemed unworthy or
inept by their peers at the end of their education, those Hunters will not receive the necessary
identification to travel west until they really earn them. These papers vary with each society -
Beacon uses the standardized Hunter’s license, while a school such as the Torinth-funded
Imperia Academy likes to just hand students a bunch of papers when they graduate.

Prospective applicants to these societies are often expected to have some kind of education in
combat. This can include military service or a degree from a trade school such as Signal
Academy, located in the Free Banks. Anyone of any nation can apply, given they abide by the
society’s entry requirements and have an appropriate background. Citizens above 30 need not
apply, however; the kind of physical training found in Hunter societies demands commitment at
a young age, where bodies are still developing and can be honed to a specific degree.

Fireteams exist mainly for protection: while experienced hunters should have no problem facing
the average Dark Two, initiates and acolytes might not be so lucky. So Hunter societies tend to
pair students up in groups of 4. Some of these teams bond so well they stay together well into
their adult years, like STRQ; most, however, just split after graduation. The composition of the
team is entirely up to the academy, and in the case of RWBY, they thought two complete
strangers to combat training would fair well with another two that not only have gone through
combat training, but are also siblings AND the daughters of the Founder, Summer Rose.

The naming of these fireteams is purely for convenience’s sake. It can be changed; originally
RWBY was called WYBR, as per the instruction of Jacques Schnee, but Weiss had it changed
as to not make herself the center of attention.

____________________________________________________________________________

HUNTER APPRENTICESHIPS

The Hunter societies of Marathon are among the best and most intuitive places for an
up-and-coming Hunter to be educated. This being said, not all are embraced into the fold of
these prestigious and grand institutions. Sometimes, students are left behind for being weak in
soul or body, incapable of the vigor that these schools expect from their students.
These academies also sport highly eccentric teachers. Given the nature of a Hunter’s
education, most of these teachers forego books or lectures and tend to rely on practical
experience that gives their students a fair taste of what to expect in battle. This is Marathon's
greatest strength, as every student adopts a different and unique style from their masters and
their peers, rather than learning uniformly and at the same pace.

It is also very common for a master to “adopt” a student (or occasionally a promising outsider)
and train them personally, rather than in a classroom setting. This is known as an
“apprenticeship”, and many civilians wishing to enter the Hunter strata with little experience in
combat tend to seek out Guilds and Masters to receive such an education, because not
everyone has the opportunity or the budget to attend a combat school like Signal or Imperia.
Some Hunter societies, with the sole interest of expanding the Hunter caste in mind, ban this
sort of favoritism among their teachers; Beacon is not one of them.

THE CHURCH OF BEACON

Beacon was originally started by a group of 4 Hunters known as Summer Rose, Qrow Branwen,
Raven Branwen, and Taiyang Xiao Long. When fireteam STRQ fell apart after the death of
Summer Rose and the disappearance of Raven Branwen, Qrow and Taiyang were forced to sell
the campus to a private investor from Atlas; Sir Jacques Schnee. Him and his family have since
turned the school into a church and taken up residence in its halls.

Applicants to the Church of Beacon are often surprised as to how easy it is to get in; the school
has very low entry requirements. If one is already part of the Gaetri belief, they’re basically in.
Avanist/Anicist applicants tend to require an education in combat training, which can be earned
from a variety of trade schools open to minors (ex. Signal Academy). Even then, students with
mediocre scores in their training are accepted just as well.

Due to its extremist Gaetri beliefs, Beacon does not admit Faunus, and many of its students
look down on other Hunter societies for allowing them in their ranks. Relatively speaking, the
Order takes a very absolutist against Grimm and the “mutations” that humans underwent in the
Fall — the result being the Faunus. Their beliefs elevate humans as a master race among
lesser, sub-human beings that lack an “Aura”, or a soul.

This ties in to the Gaetri Tier System for Hunters; Beacon subscribes to a very cruel method of
awakening one’s “Semblance”, which is best summarized as an extension, expansion, or
manifestation of one’s Aura. The benefits of Semblance aren’t seen, however, until after
achieving the first Tier of awakening.
Through three tiers of meditation, Hunters can expect to think, act, and contend better than
most in fighting Grimm and Marathon’s enemies. "Meditating" into these Tiers, however, is not
only incredibly dangerous for your body, but also your mind. The odds are not great as you go
further along.

- Tier One is known as “Breaking the Shell”, and it typically requires the Hunter to
undergo a significant amount of physical trauma or stress. The ideal result of this
process, however the Church institutes it, is an enhancement of the Hunter’s physical
abilities, including but not limited to regeneration. There is a slim chance the Hunter will
only break their body in the process and not achieve a Tier One awakening — survival
rates are 80%.
- Tier Two is called “Freeing the Mind”, and Hunters typically achieve this tier by
undergoing an extreme amount of mental stress or trauma. If the applicant agrees to it,
the Church tends to investigate the “self” via interviews and tests to better determine
what is required to “free” the mind. Although Hunters who achieve Tier Two awakening
can expect faster reflexes and better judgment, they also run the risk of losing their mind
— survival rates are 50%.
- Tier Three is the rarest and most dangerous tier to achieve; “Becoming the Self” is a
direct test of one’s Aura, and is only ever attempted by older Hunters who have long
since graduated Beacon. The survival rate is 20%, and only a handful of Hunters today
have successfully passed it. Those that do not only become the most powerful a Hunter
can be, but they also receive the mythical “silver eyes”. The circumstances of this test
vary with each person, but the general idea is the same.

While Tier 1 is universally a buff to physical strength, Tier 2 and 3 will vary with each Hunter.

This is where Silver Eyes come from; when Atlas was pressed to defend their borders, they
drilled civilians into becoming Tier Three Hunters, although the terminology was certainly
different at the time. Thousands of abducted peasants — their loved ones tricked under the
guise that Grimm were taking their children in the night — were conditioned to becoming
inhuman warriors capable of fighting back the creatures en masse. The survival rates were not
encouraging.

Silver Eyes themselves don’t grant any special powers, but they are indicative of a long line of
Hunters, or at least an ancestor who achieved Tier 3 awakening. This is why Ruby has the
eyes; despite not being fervent followers of the Gaetri belief, her mother ​and grandmother
achieved Tier 3. So everyone expects her to do the same. Tier 3’s effect is left intentionally
vague. Its a measure of the “aura”, or soul, so whatever effect it has is typically what that person
wants most.

“Breaking the Shell” is required to graduate from the Church, while “Freeing the Mind” is only
sought by a small few at the church who are ambitious enough to risk death. No student has
ever tried “Becoming the Self” while at Beacon — to their instructors and their parents, it might
as well be suicide.

At the Church of Beacon, the founding of fireteams is compulsory both to foster teamwork
between students and to ensure that less experienced trainees are grouped together on
assignments to ensure their safety. Whether a student is part of a fireteam or not, they can
apply to accompany Hunters on missions or take their own assignments. Of course, applying as
a fireteam increases your chances of being accepted, or allow you to be accepted as a group
for something you couldn’t have applied for alone. Joining a fireteam is optional for first-years,
but in order to have enough credit to pass their second year at Beacon, a student ​must enroll in
a fireteam.

Prior to the beginning of each academic year, applications are taken for any first or second year
students wishing to join a fireteam. Team members are assigned randomly into teams of four
that typically share the same year, however in some cases second-years without a team are
paired with first years to prevent odd-numbered teams. This is what happened with Yang —
although she didn’t like who she was paired with, it not only benefited Blake and Weiss but it
prevented RWBY from being a team of three, which was unacceptable at their level of prowess.

Most students choose to join a fireteam right away, being the ambitious little twats that they are
and wanting to jump right into the Frontier without any thought or consideration, ​BRANDON (oh,
okay, sorry clip). Still, students can hold off on joining a fireteam until their second year.

In later years, while students are still considered to be grouped by their fireteams, if one older
student graduates before the rest, they’re still allowed to accompany their fireteam on student
missions; however those older students are also considered capable enough to take those
missions without their fireteam, so they can choose to simply break away. This situation varies
with each Hunter society, but for Beacon, they actually won’t replace that older Hunter if they
decide to break off and do their own thing, since that three-person fireteam is much more
capable at that point than they were at the beginning.

The Banneret’s of the Gaetric Faith and of the Church of Beacon, often shortened to ‘The
Knights of Beacon’ or ‘Knight-Errants’ are made up of trained soldiers from many walks of life
who all serve the Church of Beacon. Though the Knights themselves are publicly known and
publicly seen around campus, the inner workings of the organization are kept under wraps by
those in the Church - including the recruitment process.

Many of the trained soldiers who make up the Knights of Beacon are often personally asked by
Beacon’s staff to join their ranks. This includes older Hunters affiliated with the Church who, at
their age, could be doing anything better than fighting Grimm, and career soldiers who
subscribe to the faith. In all truth, pretty much anyone can be a Banneret as long as they have
combat experience. Some of these knights, however, are younger, less-experienced students
who, for whatever reason, never made it in becoming a full-fledged Hunter, and yet found
themselves continuing to devote their service to the faith despite their failure.

The duties of the Knights of Beacon are to first and foremost protect the assets of the Church,
including Beacon proper and all related properties therein. It is their job to maintain order and
prevent these naive, childish killers from causing trouble, because hey, children that are willing
to break their bodies to become more powerful tend to. Think of them like Hall Monitors, except
there’s 200 of them and they all have guns. This school’s fucked—

The Knights of Beacon also can act as a 3rd party peacekeeping authority in counties, cities,
and villages with contracts and ties to the Church of Beacon. This way, those places don’t have
to worry about policing human beings with superpowers every time they walk around. Its also
extremely considerate of Beacon considering that the kind of people ​needed to police Hunters,
most likely the Hunters themselves, are often on a mission or at war. So Yang can’t just walk
into a town and beat the shit out of someone; the Knights would just apprehend her.

Backtracking a bit to transportation: the Knights are also responsible for operating the railways
to and from the Church. If something or someone threatens to disrupt the flow of the Beacon
Railway, they’re the ones they send in.

FRONTIERSMEN

Asides from the Grimm, the frontier holds promise to those who venture into its’ depths. Artifacts
are relics left behind from the era of the Empire, when the Frontier was still populated. They
range from simple military equipment to generators, and their value varies just as well among
different employers in Remnant.

Wealthy individuals seeking such items have employed survivalists and criminals to venture into
the Frontier and fetch these artifacts for them. These people are known as Frontiersmen –
desperate people looking for a dangerous way to make money.

While Frontiersmen aren’t nearly as skilled as Hunters, their quantity has a quality in and of
itself. While their numbers aren’t enough to raise suspicion, they are plentiful enough to take
down the average Grimm.

Sometimes, groups of Frontiersmen employed by opposing parties have gotten into gunfights
and have even raided each others camps, leading to a sort of unspoken ‘war’ between some of
these travelers.
Frontiersmen usually tend to refer to each other by codenames, as well as wear face masks to
hide their real identity while they are in the Frontier to avoid getting caught by patrolling Hunters
and their respective outposts.

FRONTIER’S FINEST

The “Frontier’s Finest” is a small group of Hunters who share a common interest in scouting and
surveying the lands of the Frontier, and to record any new discoveries not previously found in
past expeditions. Led by veteran Hunter and renowned explorer Peter Port, he runs his small
group of likeminded Hunters in the hopes of greater knowledge and discoveries out in the wild,
dealing exclusively in Frontier-related missions and brokering any information they have to
anyone interested. Its doors are open to any Huntsmen with a thirst for adventure.

This is the group of Hunters that mans the Frontier walls past the Borro Mountains, as is their
responsibility since Atlas stopped sending their own after the War in the Borros.

MILITARIES

The Free Banks - ​Small​, P ​ rivate Militias based on each State. Carbines, Shotguns, SA
Revolvers, artillery (not much). Lots of ammo.
Navy Doctrine: ​(Green water Navy with some Blue Water Navy ships)

People's Republic of Mistral - ​Large​, ​Bolt Actions, SA Revolvers, Cavalry (rare), Artillery,
explosives, Crank Guns, Armoured trains.
Navy Doctrines: ​(Green Water and Blue Water Navy)

Kellibrir - ​Moderate​, L
​ ots of explosives, Artillery, Fortifications, Crank guns, Bolt Actions, SA
Revolvers, Armoured Trains, Sacrificial Bridges incase invasion.

Gaillus - ​Large​, Bolt actions, Professional Infantry, SA revolvers, Artillery, Fortifications, Crank
Guns, Armoured Trains, explosives.
Navy Doctrines: ​(Green Water and Blue Water)

Torinth - ​Very large,​ ​Bolt Actions, Carbines, Drilled Infantry, SA Revolvers, Fortifications, Crank
Guns, Armored Trains. Mounted infantry.

Atlas - ​Very Large​, ​Full Production of Carbines, SA Revolvers, infantry, Abundance of

armoured trains, abundance of artillery. Heavy Fortifications, Gatling guns, explosives.
Navy Doctrine: ​(Brown Navy Blue Water Navy ships)

The Borro Principalities - ​Small​, Skilled Private Militia, Lots of imported weapons, Bolt Actions,
SA Revolvers, Artillery, explosives.

Baradin-Assan - ​Large​, V
​ ery heavy cavalry division, Cavalry Swords, Break Action Rifles, SA
Revolvers, explosives. Low supply, but Heavy on Horses.
Navy Doctrines: ​(Green Water and Blue Water)

WEAPONS

Semi automatic weapons are currently in the prototype phase and require large accompanying
systems to operate, so they can only realistically be made in very small numbers, and even then
they’re hardly mobile. So crank-guns and the like can only really be useful in relatively stable,
well-defended environments like forts and the Havil Dam — sometimes entrenchments. Most
weapons in this time are manually-loaded — the most common method of bullet cycling is bolt
action, with some people using a lever action or pump action cycle as well.

The combination of different weapons, or “mixed” weaponry, is a bit more strained in this
setting. They very hard to mass-produce because the parts used to make them are very rare
and require a considerable amount of maintenance. Average soldiers don’t have the luxury of
choosing when and when not to fight and check their weapon; more or less, Hunters do. And
because there are less of them and they rack up a considerable income, they can afford the
prices weapon artisans charge for creating these specialized, one-of-a-kind armaments.
Crescent Rose, a literal scythe, is only useful if your fast enough to use it as a halberd or a pike
— governments aren’t going to waste their time mass-producing it for soldiers who can’t even
swing the damn thing.

TRANSPORTATION

For obvious reasons, Horses are the main transport on the Frontier and in the countrysides. For
example, not many cars in Hensmere, but lots of horsies. Horses are indigenous to the plains of
Marathon, and can sometimes be found south in Caeros.

Carriages are also used commonly in the country, but also in cities. In fact, its the main mode of
transport there. You also got bicycles.
Some technologies like airships were reverse-engineered by Atlas to function after the Empire’s
fall. There are only a few airships left. A handful, to be precise. Almost all of them belong to
Atlas and are used for luxury cruises, but the Free Banks actually owns one themselves, using it
for the transportation of goods. Guess where they bought it from.

But by far the most common and native mode of transportation for long distances is the steam
locomotive. Introduced by Kellibrir as an alternative to Atlas’ pesky Dust, the locomotive is
extremely useful for cargo, domestic and international travel. Every major nation in Marathon,
including Baradin-Assan, has Hub Stations set up for incoming and departing services both at
home and abroad. When Kellibrir was the first to use trains to move across mountains, Atlas
then copied this idea and establish the first international railway to the Free Banks.

In keeping with Tolkien’s “diminishing of the world” theme, let’s say that cars start getting really
public in the endgame. I don’t know when, why, or how, but by the hypothetical last episode,
cars are a common man’s mode of transportation. But in the beginning? No. Absolutely not.
This is fantasy desperately trying to stave off the advances of a mechanical humankind.

With tensions rising, the countries of Marathon are starting to experiment with shuttling troops
and supplies around their territories. This came about in the form of taking a train and strapping
plate armor and guns to it. Armored trains can be found just about anywhere from the Free
Banks to the Frontier walls, and are assigned seven main tasks:

1. Battleground support
2. Intercepting the enemy (Grimm included)
3. Protecting infantry flanks
4. Supply runs
5. Recon

Because the Frontier walls are in constant need of supplies, armored trains tend to see a lot of
action past the Borros and in the Frontier. When a warning goes up, the trains are the quickest
response possible The most famous armored train in service is ‘Tolbrynd,’ a Kellibrir armored
train that operates almost exclusively on the Frontier. Easily its most defining feature beyond its
75mm field guns is the numerous markings on its train cars. Each mark represents a Grimm, or
in the very least a major military target, the train has destroyed over the course of its service.

THE CULT OF SALEM

All in all, this is a secret collective of Grim worshippers that tend to infiltrate the various sects of
Marathon’s societies. It has a steadily-growing population, with most of its followers in the Borro
Principalities. Their core belief is that the Brothers Grimm, although simply a mythos, became
the new gods of Remnant after Ani was struck down. They directly oppose monasteries and
churches who honor the corpse of the old god – the broken moon. Its “blood”, which many know
as Dust, serves as fuel for the new master race, the Grimm, as well as the new gods. As such,
the cult reveres Dust as a religious artifact.

The Cult believes that the world’s natural state is one of “nothingness”, represented by the
Grimm, and that the age of humankind has long since past – those that remain are a deviance
from the will of Terria. Therefore, the Grimm are not only necessary, they are the future. Cultists
that pass away are believed to reincarnate in the form of a Grimm, as a reward for their faith in
the new gods. Also, in a strange twist of fate, Faunus are highly favored by the Cult, as they are
generally viewed as being “halfway to emptiness” – a sort of limbo between the people of Ani
and the Grimm.

New members in this Cult tend to exist in a lower strata of society; Faunus, the poor, etc. They
are ranked and structured in familial terms; the youngest being named children, then
Son/Daughter, Firstborn, Elder. They also treat each other like family, addressing those of
higher ranks with their title, while those of the same rank call each other brother and sister.
Their leader, the supposed “Salem” remains shrouded in mystery. No one in the cult has ever
seen her face, and her identity remains totally unknown to both the cult and the world.
 CHARACTERS

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long

Ruby Rose is a young, energetic, and

unbalanced new member of the Church of
Beacon. Her mother, Summer Rose, was
one of the founding members of the Order,
and her half-sister, Yang Xiao Long, is
among the strongest fighters. Needless to
say, she has big shoes to fill. Ever since
Summer Rose died, their father, Taiyang,
has treated her with much more affection
and care than Yang, leading to a very
distant relationship between Yang and her
younger sister. Which isn’t to say Ruby
pities her; in fact, Yang has become more of a role-model in her eyes than her own mother. But
Yang just isn’t returning that. Because she was born with Summer Rose’s “silver eyes”, a lot of
her peers have high expectations for her as a Hunter.

Ruby is the almost-too-naive

Acolyte from who’s eyes most of
the series takes place. Her
kiddish, innocent outlook on the
world sets the stage for her
development as a woman and a
Hunter. Through it all, though,
her greatest wish is to live up to
Yang and become as good a
Hunter as her mother (which
would require passing all three
Tiers of awakening). But for now,
as far as she’s concerned,
Remnant is a great, fun and
mysterious world filled with
opportunity and adventure.
They live in Hensmere, a small rural vassal of Gaillas on the outskirts of the Free Banks. When
Ruby graduates from Signal Academy, she applies for the Church of Beacon and gets in on a
Legacy, a referral, and an adequate combat proficiency score. Yang enters Beacon some time
before Ruby, presumably 2 or 3 years prior, with virtually the same credentials and a higher
combat proficiency score.

At the start of the series, she has yet to unlock Tier 1 Semblance, but is instructed to equip a
Halberd and a standard bolt-action rifle common among Gaelic infantrymen. When she reaches
Tier 1, and eventually Tier 2, she will start equipping a Dust-augmented Scythe in addition to
her rifle — in this sense, we see her ​earn​ Crescent Rose, as opposed to her already having it.

Yang once saw Ruby as the friend she never had; in grade school, she seldom talked or
socialized with anyone, choosing to train more often
than play. Her stepmother, Summer Rose, was her
idol, and Ruby was her sparring partner. When
Summer died, and Taiyang began coddling Ruby
something awful, Yang distanced herself from who
she saw as the “star” of their family; a constant
reminder that Ruby, not Yang, was the favorite child,
and that the marriage that brought Yang into the
world was a long-forgotten mistake. She’s the
problem child of the family; constantly sneaking out,
drinking or with boys, slightly promiscuous but
definitely not a slut. Even after earning her way into
the Church her stepmother built, she views Ruby with contempt, and tries to outdo her at every
given opportunity.

Two failed marriages would not sit that well with the
first-born, especially since the first union ended in
abandonment. Yang would obsess over the thought that
she was the reason it didn’t work out — that Taiyang
neglected her because she caused that marriage to fall
apart, pushing her to outdo his favorite child in every
aspect in a desperate bid to show her worth, while also
holding incredible contempt for him as a father.

As some students are allowed to do, Yang chose not to

enlist in a fireteam for her second year at Beacon,
deciding to train alone rather than alongside her peers.
More than anything else, she desires for her father, a man
she hates, to admire her as the prodigal daughter, and
hopes that by outcompeting Ruby she can prove herself
as the superior sibling. Ironically, she’s something of a problem child as well, always sneaking
out, drinking or with boys, slightly promiscuous but definitely not a slut. She’s kind of a bully, too
— any time Ruby is praised for things that are either minor or inherent to her character (like the
silver eyes) Yang goes on a bitch-fit. But Ruby only takes that as her goating her on to be even
better, so things just escalate until that terrible, terrible fight — which is a direct result of Ruby
being made the fireteam leader, despite Yang’s age and experience.

At series start, 17 year-old Yang has already unlocked Tier 1 Semblance, and is already pulling
bigger and harder punches than anything her sister can achieve with Dust-imbued melee
gauntlets. There’s still some contestion on whether or not they are shotgun gauntlets,
considering we want to make this within the realm of realism, so I won’t comment any further on
the matter. Tier 2 Yang is when she has access to an ability called Rage, where she takes
whatever damage is inflicted unto her and gives it back two-fold.

A huge turning point in both Ruby and Yang’s characters is a

sparring match that goes horribly wrong. Ruby treats it as a
practice fight and an opportunity to show she’s just as good as
Yang, and Yang uses the match to ​destroy her.​ It could get to
the point where Taiyang runs into the arena from the bleachers
because it's some kind of open house night, and the battle has
to be suspended because Ruby bones are getting broken, and
she’s screaming and in tears, and has to be hospitalized. If Yang
sees how violent and internalized her feelings towards her family
are, she could potentially seek to reconcile with Ruby and
maybe even come to terms with who she is. All the while, Ruby’s
world has completely changed. The role model she so religiously
looked up to tried to murder her, and humiliated her in front of
everyone. This would be a really grown-up moment for her,
where she realizes she can’t be a naive kid anymore. If Yang
could do that to her, imagine what the Grimm would do! Perhaps
she would even hold contempt for Yang, but also a profound respect for showing her up. It
might even push her to grow up even more.

After Yang beats the shit out of Ruby, Ozpin gives her an option since she is such a good fighter
(and is also the Founder’s daughter): either they would rehabilitate or expel her. She chooses
rehabilitation, and is given therapy and time with the field medics as a nurse.

Ruby views her cloak a lot like a security blanket and almost never parts with it, as it reminds
her of her mother and her goals to become the best Hunter. When Yang comes along and beats
her up, her relationship with the cloak becomes really distant – it gets to the point where she
seldom puts it on, trying to appear as an adult to her peers. At one point she does start wearing
it again, though.
Blake Belladonna

Blake and her family are refugees from Auroria. When the time came to find a new life in
Torinth, they realized that they would have to go back to school or enlist to become a citizen,
since an Aurorian education was invalidated after the invasion. In the case of families, the state
follows a rule known as “majority citizenship”, where only a super-majority of the family has to
be a citizen in order for the others to count as well.
So Blake surmises that her mother, Kali, should go
to school, Ghira should get a job, and Blake should
enlist as a Hunter. That way they can get majority
citizenship without going broke. Her family is
reluctant to agree, obviously, but they realize she’s
the only one who can enlist as a Hunter, and is far
too young and inexperienced to get a job without
citizenship. Her parents, on the other hand, can get
jobs with their experience, but are far too old to
enlist as Hunters. Since enlisting into the de facto
Torian military is ideologically out of the question,
this really was the only alternative. Kali has some
reservations about it, but eventually she agrees to it.

Blake is doing this for her family. That’s her

motivation — to not get kicked out. Which wouldn’t
seem that hard if she wasn’t also a Faunus in
disguise. Blake didn’t have the kind of education that
Yang and Ruby had at Signal, so she’s pretty much
confined to applying to Beacon, this Gaetri society
with low entry requirements. Where’s the last place
you’d expect a Faunus? Her parents also help out in
hiding her Faunus traits with prosthetics and stuff.
Of course they’re extremely worried; they’re good parents, and they want Blake to know they
accept her for who and what she is — which, as an ideology she grew up with, could put her at
odds with the extremist ideologies of organizations like the Faunus Liberation Army. When
people see she doesn’t have any regular ears, they just assume she’s deaf — and because her
bow has special weights that keep her ears hidden, this isn’t far from wrong.

She doesn’t like people because she’s afraid they’ll reject her for being a Faunus; simple, right?
But we could make this be a trait of hers before her Faunus traits even show up. Maybe she
tells herself that to convince herself that being a shut-in and not socializing is good for her, kind
of like perpetuating loneliness to the point where if people do try interacting with her, she starts
antagonizing them and trying to find some kind of sinister subtext to their initiative. She tries
everything to not be assigned to a fireteam, but gets put with Ruby, Yang and Weiss anyway.
So as soon as they start bunking together she starts scrutinizing them. She could even be into
reading and drawing to begin with because she’s looking for a legitimate reason not to engage.

Her toxic loneliness perpetuates a state of constant distrust, solidarity and scrutiny; she hates
big crowds, and keeps to herself quite often. Just note that her loner personality is older than
her Faunus traits, and not a result of them. In a strange way, being a Faunus was the best thing
that could have happened to her.

Weiss manages to discover that Blake is secretly a Faunus (how exactly she does is still up in
the air). Blake doesn’t know this, and Weiss, not wanting to push her teammates away, shies
away from it. Rather than drop it entirely, however, she tries to process it and understand Blake
more. This leads to a point where Blake is nearly about to be exposed but, before she is, Weiss
manages to intervene and stop the reveal from happening.

Later, when Blake ask her about it, Weiss admits to knowing of Blake’s status as a Faunus and
tries to explain to Blake that she’s okay with it and can help her keep it hidden, trying to be the
supportive, active parent that Weiss never had. However, instead of accepting these words,
Blake’s toxic loneliness begins to kick in and she actually starts to threaten Weiss to the point of
tears. Her makeup starts running and, to Weiss’ dismay, Blake discovers a horrible scar running
down her right eye. As Weiss attempts to hide it — in the same vein she tries to hide her
aristocratic status — Blake realizes, one way or the other, the two are both hiding ‘scars’ and
aren’t so different after all. She apologizes for threatening Weiss as Weiss promises to keep
Blake’s identity a secret. Blake, in turn, promises to keep Weiss’ scar a secret as well.

This evolves into the two of them helping one another to hide their “blemishes” — Weiss helping
Blake set up her bow so that it’s more comfortable to wear and easier to hear through, and
Blake using her artistic talents to improve Weiss’ makeup. This sudden bonding completely
baffles Ruby and Yang, since the two always seem to dodge their questions and inquiries.
Eventually, through a lot of pushing on Weiss’s part, they decide to open up to the others and
explain what happened, confessing their secrets in the process. At this point, obviously, things
will have cooled down with Yang, so there wouldn’t be any real trouble out of this.

She finds using a pair of hidden blades to be best suited for her, choosing to fight from the
shadows rather than get messy. Slowly over the course of her education, Blake develops an
assassin-based fighting style, wielding Kunai, hidden blades, and throwing knives to silently
eliminate the enemy. Yes, this is effective on Grimm. And also yes, this is literally just
Assassin’s Creed now. She even comes FROM A CITY-STATE (ezio's family theme intensifies).
Blake’s Tier 2 ability is “Afterimage”, which is pretty much what she can already to in RWBY
former. Obviously she needs some kind of Dust to summon it, and depending on the type of
Dust it can do certain things.
Weiss Schnee [INCOMPLETE]

Her whole life, Weiss was subject to a cruel and harsh upbringing. Instrumentalized by her
father as an asset to the family rather than her own person, she was subject to a strict
education, domestic violence, and continual isolation. Her
only anchor in the family was her older sister Winter, who
— as the heiress of the Schnee family and the queen of
Atlas — also didn't have much time to protect her.
Dominated and abused, Weiss retreated into herself and
her singing. Today she is a very fragile person that can
fight rather well, but has trouble standing up for herself or
others verbally. Her rapier skills are purely a front.

Generally, Weiss is very detached from her family and the

world around her; she’s much more aware of her wealth,
but I wouldn’t say she acts her wealth, if that makes any
sense. She’s not a bitch, and she’s much more open to
talking with people from the lower and middle class than
she is with people from her own. In a way, her heritage, her
wealth and her prestige are treated more like a curse than
a benefit, and she would spite her father for treating her
more like an asset than a daughter. Which sounds familiar, I know, but she doesn’t lash out at
the ruling class for being uptight and ignorant. She’s just more reserved around them; kind of
like an alter ego.

Weiss can’t escape who she is no matter where she goes. Even if she tries shutting herself in,
people recognize her from a mile away. So when she enters fireteam RWBY (originally “WYBR”,
Weiss’ family had the society change it to put her name in front), she tries being the outgoing
and lively one. But everyone knows who she is; they don’t engage because they want to,
necessarily – they’re doing it to not get in trouble. Again, Weiss’ family practically owns the
school. They don’t want to piss Weiss off and get kicked out, which leaves Blake at an impasse.
She kind of ​has to reach out to Weiss and get on her good side in order to avoid being removed
from Beacon. But at the same time, she isn’t comfortable with engaging with people or risking
exposure as a Faunus.

Weiss sees through all of this, and just wishes people would judge her for who she is rather
than what she is, which just drives her to be more open and inviting than people wish she was.
It kind of gives Nora a run for her money, actually. And just because I know you sick fuckers are
out there, Ruby is the only one that likes Weiss for who she is. By the hypothetical second
season, they’re already extremely informal with each other, and Ruby treats her more like her
sister than Yang. Which just puts more pressure on how Ruby would interact with Weiss after
that terrible, terrible fight with Yang.

Her family is the largest donor to the Church of Beacon — so much so that they take up
residence there. There’s an original character I had in mind who would step in to Weiss’ life and
give her a bit of direction in becoming a Hunter; Weiss’ brother died in service to Beacon as a
Hunter, and her and the lieutenant meet at his funeral.

Weiss’ goal is to be standing on her own two feet. She wants to be seen as her own person and
not just as a member of the Schnee family, showing up her father and ridding herself of his toxic
influence. She could eventually achieve this by finding a new family in her teammates, fireteam
RWBY, and learning to stand up for herself and to find her own character.

Jaune Arc

Just like in RWBY former, Jaune is the youngest child of eight, all of which are sisters. Because
Jaune comes from a long line of great generals and kings, and because women can’t enlist in
the Torian military, Jaune
is left with continuing the
family legacy of honor
and loyalty to the state.
So a lot is riding on him.
He’s not a fraud; he’s just
afraid of upsetting his
father, who is a strict
traditionalist.

As such, he loves to feign

a royal status — he’s the
opposite of Weiss.
Ironically, he tries going
after Weiss as part of the
whole facade; trying to
convince himself he’s
what his father wants,
and by courting a wealthy noble woman he could try and live up to his expectations. Naturally, in
this effort he befriends Pyrrha, and the rest is history.

He wields a longsword and a shield, both of which were passed down to him by his Arc
ancestors — a constant reminder of who he is and what is expected of him. When the time
comes for Pyrrha’s father to assume control of Atlas, and Jaune finally discovers his feelings for
her, suddenly his family forbids it. Atlas is a threat to Torinth, and therefore its leadership,
Pyrrha included, is the enemy. Even more inner conflict for the win.

Pyrrha Nikos

There’s a very dramatic movement going on in Atlas

that involves the mass removal and extermination of
Faunus, with disturbing similarities to the Weimar
Republic, and the head of that movement is Pyrrha’s
father, Jon Nikos. She doesn’t know whether to
embrace her father’s ideals or not; but either way,
she’s famous because of them.

In a way, she’s expected by literally everyone to

carry on her father’s ideals as some kind of
spokesperson. She’s constantly approached by
sponsors and press, and tends to garner attention
where it isn’t usually. Even if she doesn’t earnestly
believe that Faunus are inferior, she’s being
educated at a school where that’s religious doctrine
and she’s expected to uphold them to both her
father and the public. Naturally, she gets along great with Jaune.

Blake avoids her religiously.

Nora and Lie Ren

Nora and Lie Ren are spies. They were sent by the King of
Knights (Crusadine) of Baradin-Assan with false papers to
investigate the religious doctrine of this relatively new Church
with low entry requirements. Nora was taken in as an orphan
and befriended Ren, who had been a member of the ​Imeret
since he was a kid. While he’s very cold and calculating,
lacking a lot of emotion or interest in material things, Nora is
the complete opposite, appearing very sociable and lively, and
doing very well in crowds. Apart from this, they’re left
intentional basic. Their purpose is to highlight the action and
the comedy of the series, while also creating political and
religious intrigue. They’re basically just “the comedy” and “the
action”.
Ren is the 'leader' of their two person outfit, a fledgling
member of the Crusadine’s military specialists and the one
who is actually doing the full time spying, having had the
most extensive training and practice on the matter. He’s the
straight-man to their outfit and finds many of Marathon’s
processes and cultures barbaric, often abstaining from
interacting with them.

Conversely, Nora was an orphan that the order took in as a

child, trained since her induction to act as Ren’s bodyguard
of sorts. While her whole character is accentuated around
lifting others’ spirits and making sure everyone is having a
good time, her ultimate purpose in accompanying Ren is
the fact that, as an orphan, she’s expendable and, above all
else, honour-bound to protect Ren with her life. And
although Ren was taught to see her as nothing more than
an expendable bodyguard, he often pities her.
As a result, this leads us to an oddly similar version
of Ren and Nora, where Nora acts like she's joined to Ren at the hip; she’s boisterous, energetic
and flies off the handle because she's constantly antsy. And Ren, being the more collected one,
acts as the voice of reason that keeps her, and the tone of the story, in check.

Taiyang Xiao Long

Taiyang was among the 4 Hunters that started the Church of Beacon and, unbeknownst to
Ruby or Yang, deliberately sabotaged its ownership rights after Summer Rose passed away,
choosing to hand the reins to a private investor rather than Qrow; which is why Qrow keeps his
distance. He’s since settled down in Hensmere to raise Ruby and Yang, lamenting his failed
marriages and generally being a pretty insecure man. He leans on Ruby something awful and
justifies his distance with Yang as sort of an analogue for Raven. And its not like he’s afraid
Yang won’t succeed. If Ruby doesn’t succeed (which she is expected to, given her heritage), he
believes he will have failed Summer. If Yang is in trouble, he knows she’ll get back on her feet.
But if Ruby is in trouble, that’s the end of the goddamn world. Despite his hardest attempts she
is very childish and at the age of 16 she still wears onesies and religiously ingests cookies.

Summer Rose

Taiyang’s second wife and whe mother of Ruby Rose, Summer was the oldest, most
experienced and higher-ranking Hunter in fireteam STRQ. Achieving Tier 3 Awakening at a
relatively young age, she was well known as a superb fighter and a charismatic, noble leader.
To many, including her children, she was an idol, symbolizing everything that Hunters stood for
– and then suddenly, one day, she passed away. Its unknown whether she fell prey to a Grimm
miasma or an unknown disease, but nevertheless, she left her family just six years after Ruby
was born. Ever since then, her legacy – the egalitarian Academy of Beacon – has been
transformed into a Gaetric church and ideologically dismantled; Faunus are banned, and
applicants are required to convert to the faith.

Raven Branwen

The only other Hunter in Team STRQ to achieve Tier 3 Awakening, Raven is Qrow’s brother
and the least talkative of the group. Like her brother, much of Raven’s past is shrouded in
mystery. Her years of fighting Grimm has left her, ironically, dehumanized and sullen to the point
of lacking any any all affection. She thought marrying Taiyang would fix all that; but when Yang
was born, she realized she was not prepared for the responsibilities of parenthood. She did not
want her daughter following in her footsteps – so she left, and disappeared without a trace.
When the time came for Yang to seek out her mother after a devastating fight with Ruby, Raven
is reluctant to be the role model her daughter is looking for.

Qrow Branwen

Qrow is being kept the exact same as he is in RWBY former; after losing the ownership rights to
Beacon and essentially getting ousted by Taiyang, Qrow became a mercenary and started
drinking heavily. He occasionally visits his nieces, but not enough to be a major influence. At
least, that’s what Taiyang wanted. Instead, Ruby just ends up fawning over Summer, Qrow, and
her grandmother’s style of fighting, using dust-infused Scythes and Semblance-speed. He’s
quiet and laid back; he doesn’t like involving himself and, in the spirit of his sister, tends to avoid
altercations more often than fight.

General Ironwood

Ironwood, Penny’s father, is a decorated Atlen general who has led the country to many
victories over the years. During the invasion of Borro, the King ordered him to besiege a
particularly impossible city, and Ironwood — being the wiser — refused for the sake of his men.
He was removed from command, and the war ended in a white peace. Now with the country up
in arms, he only wants him and his family to be safe; so he sends them to Torinth in the
meantime. Eventually the time will come for him to abandon his post and join the Torian military
in hopes of protecting his family.

Penny Ironwood
Penny is General Ironwood’s daughter. Before she enlisted at Beacon, her and her mother were
sent away from Atlas to Torinth for fear of the social unrest in Atlas going sour. She knows
random historical facts and loves to go on rants about how a perceived historical event was
more than what people give it for. Basically Yukari. She very much out of touch with culture and
seems much more like a 30-year-old dad in a 17-year-old teenager’s body. Oh and also she’s
not an Android.

Maria Rose

Maria, or the “Grimm Reaper”, is Ruby’s grandmother and Summer Rose’s mother. She was the
first in the family to achieve Tier 3 Awakening, and did so at a remarkably fast pace, although
she’s very secretive about it and likes to talk to her children in riddles. After Summer passed
away, Maria became the voice of reason in their Hensmere household, becoming something of
a matriarch. Now, she’s the closest thing Ruby has to her mother, and Maria feels obligated to
fill that hole in her heart.

Roman Torchwick and

Neopolitan

Torchwick is the suave and

charming crime boss of the
week, who will do anything for a
dishonest buck. He’s particular,
intimidating, not prone to
violence, and loves use his
walking stick in fights that have
no place for it. Strangely enough,
he is very anal about food.
Perhaps he was a chef for a time
and the quirks of the restaurant
business stayed with him. I
dunno, some kind of weird and
fun backstory to make him
dynamic. Other than that, he’s
completely the same as RWBY
former; a rogue at its finest.

Conversely, Neo is the exact

same as well. She’s no longer
fully psycho, however, and spends a lot more time “in the field” than Torchwick. She’s the
Shego to Dr. Drakken, just not as level-headed or as talkative. She’s a secretary by day and a
prized agent by night; she somehow manages to get more shit done than Torchwick himself,
and yet tags along with him every time.

Professor Ozpin

Ozpin is a teacher at Beacon, and (being tenured) is the only professor that is openly critical of
the Church’s practices. He’s the unorthodox professor, with wild arguments and tangents that
seem relatively detached from standard classroom etiquette. Its hinted that he knows a little
more than he’s letting on, but by no means is he some stupid god or whatever. He’s just the fun
teacher with snarky and 4th-wall-breaking jabs. Pretty much just Excalibur.

Peter Port

Peter Port is a grizzled and experienced Hunter/Explorer who partook in many expeditions into
the Frontier on a quest (ghost adventures cutaway) to uncover the unknown and record his
findings. Forming a small group of likeminded Hunters to explore, survey, chart, research and
study the adversities the Frontier has to offer, Port’s only real goal is to inspire a generation of
explorers to beat back the darkness and tame the west. He’s one of the Church of Beacon’s
many teachers and, obviously, is one of their most celebrated.

Bartholomew Oobleck

Professor Oobleck is a well respected, quirky Teacher at Beacon. Oobleck adopts a fairly gray
morality; he understand not everything is what it seems, therefore he tries to see everything as
unbiased and open as possible – even his condition. He is suffering from ADHD and his
mannerisms reflect that condition in the most stereotypical way possible. He always needs
something in his hands to keep him focus. Usually seen tossing a coin from hand to hand – the
more excited he get this faster he tosses the coin. Due to his brilliant, albeit hyper mind, he has
been assigned to teach courses in Tactics. He cares about his students (in the professional
sense) and hopes his teachings help them survive in becoming a Hunter and beyond.

Glynda Goodwitch

Glynda Goodwitch is another tenure professor at Beacon and a serious follower of the church.
She is close to Ozpin's age, and while they respect each other's views and skills as teachers
and Hunters, they tend to butt heads on the more religious topics (not to say Ozpin would be an
atheist but Glynda would be your "Well what would Ani think of your actions" sort of devotee).
Living most of her life within a monastery and making a name for herself at the academy, she is
now the Head of Faculty for religious studies and the administration of Tier 2 trials. Because of
this, she is seen by many students and teachers as being overly professional and heartless,
since the job involves having to break down someone mentally and exposing them to severe
trauma (its also ironic given her last name is Goodwitch).

Adam Taurus

Without giving too much away, he’s the figurehead of the White Fang, an underground
movement to smuggle Faunus out of the country. Atlen civilians are led to believe he’s a
terrorist leader, given the actions of the FLA (the Faunus Liberation Army), but in actuality he’s a
genuinely good person acting on behalf of his people. Think John Connor, but much more
passionate, a little too prideful, and somewhat quirky. If Beacon never existed, he would
absolutely be the main protagonist.

Winter Schnee

Winter, Weiss’ older sister, is the Queen-Consort of Atlas and the wife of the current King, Louie
of the Caperus dynasty. She’s extremely capable and looking for a way to oust her husband and
become the new Queen of Atlas. By whatever means necessary, she seeks to restore order and
seize the throne. She acts on behalf of the Schnee family and wants nothing more than the
Imperial throne.

General “Cordovin”

Who we formally know as Cordovin was born to a high ranking officer and a war hero of the
Torian military in the early days of their unification. Awed by stories of her father and her
grandfather, she grew up wanting to join the military as well. However, as I’m sure you all know,
Torian conscription laws bar women from active service — so, when she was old enough, she
moved away from home and enlisted disguised as a man. For years, she served in the Torian
military; climbing up the ranks and becoming a well respected General in her many offensives
against the surrounding states. No one, except maybe a few select people, knows that she is a
woman. In fact, Cordovin is just a fake name.

Salem

Salem is the oldest person alive – when she was a young seamstress, the Empire was still
around. In fact, she even witnessed the supposed death of Ani – the shattering of the moon –
and, like many, became fearful of divine vengeance. The sole survivor of a lunar meteorite
impact, her journey through what is now known as the Frontier corrupted her in more ways than
one. Alongside prolonged exposure to Dust over the course of several years, in conjunction to
the effects of Grimmification, she was forced to adapt through a series of trials documented in
the Cult of Salem’s sacred texts where, ultimately, she single-handedly achieved Tier 3
Semblance, or at least some variation of it (again, varies with each Avanist sect). Prolonged
exposure to the Frontier and Dust has also elongated her life indefinitely. Having lived among
the Grimm, who strangely revere her as a sort of pack leader, her views of the world have
warped and distorted over time, to the point where she rejects her humanity and believes
Grimm are the true master race. Her beliefs ultimately escalate into the formation of an
underground cult and a conspiracy to topple human civilization in a Second Fall.
ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

Thomas Lawrence

In the year 1645 AE, Thomas was orphaned while on an archaeological expedition with his
father, Joseph, in the badlands of western Baradin-Assan. The two were accompanied by seven
Alaran (priests) and two Beru (bishops) of the Uruban. A week into
the expedition, the group was attacked by a fierce Grimm and all
but Thomas, who was near-fatally wounded, and a former-Wardine
(soldier-class Crusad) by the name of Yarin Fasat, were killed.
With no other family to return to and after weeks of rehabilitation,
Fasat took Thomas under his wing and taught him the ways of a
Wardine - a footsoldier analogous to judges in civil discourse.
Educated in part by the Alaran and Urubat around him, Thomas
became proficient with the sword and the pen as he continued to
grow. He also took up a regional instrument, colloquially known as
the Ouda.

His dedication to his studies and his swordsmanship caught the

attention of several Bishaban, and as word spread, rumors of a
skilled and intelligent young man reached the Uruban. In 1652,
Thomas, along with his mentor Fasat were called for an audience
with the Uruban, along with other promising members of the
Urubat. After having the pleasure of an introduction to Thomas, the
Uruban selected him specifically, as well as a few others, to
receive unique attention as to hone their abilities – though Thomas was the only one amongst
them to have developed any skill in combat. From here, his dedication towards the Uruban
would only grow.

When word of two Assar citizens – trained personally under the Crusadine – enrolling at the
Church of Beacon’s Academy reaches the Uruban in 1656, he immediately calls for a council of
his closest Sultaran. As per the consensus of the council, Thomas would be key in any play they
could make in intercepting or ascertaining information on both the Crusadat and the Church of
Beacon. Aware of the suspicion Thomas’ sudden appearance at the school may cause, the
Uruban and his Council began to prepare Thomas for enrollment in Beacon the following year,
having Fasat test his abilities more than ever before as preparation for what would lie ahead.
 Rieger Dotzin

Following in the footsteps of his father, Rieger Dotzin joined

the Torian Military at the age of 18 and graduated in the top
10 in his class, receiving the rank of Corporal. A natural born
fighter with strong survival instincts, he led his squad
through several skirmishes along the borders of the
Principalities, as well as in an isolated firefight near the Atlen
border.

At the age of 22, him and his regiment were sent to the
Frontier with the company of a few Hunters. Among them
was one Qrow Branwen, a man Rieger would become close
friends with. When Grimm suddenly raided their camp one
night, Rieger found himself stranded in the Frontier and –
out of contact with Torinth and any Hunter outposts – was
forced to fend for himself for nearly a decade.

After years of living so close to the Grimm, his body slowly succumbed to Grimmification. His
canines sharpened, and the white of his eyes became a deep black. He’s managed to keep his
sanity by maintaining his equipment and constructing a home for himself; doing everything he
can to keep his mind off the growing cancer within. Years of isolation have made him less of a
talker, but when he does speak it’s direct and to the point. Given his appearance, he does not
believe he can return to the east – and so he has confined himself to the wilds, to live and die,
alone.

He may not be a Hunter, but he takes it upon himself to hunt the Grimm when he can; having
kept the bolt-action Mauser since his time in the army, he uses it with almost unnatural
precision. In addition to a few animalistic traits, he has also gained the ability to see in the dark,
as well as smell nearby Grimm from miles away, allowing him to lure his prey into traps.
Although he has kept his mind intact so far, he is slowly giving in to the wretched satisfaction of
the kill.
MISC. FACTS (and wishes)

- Homosexuality is embraced in Kellibrir, Mistral, and a few Principalities. Gaillas and a

majority of the Free Banks are indifferent, for the most part, and sometimes frowned
upon. In Torinth and Atlas, its against the law; Torinth absolutely needs sons for their
future wars, and Atlas is having a bad enough time with the FLA and the Kuresheim
party. Not to mention Atlas has a long-standing history of conservative politics and
racism.
- Winter and some of the Atlen nobility are forced to flee to Torinth after the Kuresheim
takes over, including Ironwood (the details are still up in the air). Their call to action to
restore the monarchy is the immediate cause of the Great War.
- Hadrian is not evil. He’s a legitimately kind man that just wants to save his country from
collapse and outside influence. He doesn’t force anything onto Pyrrha, nor does he
expect anything from her.
- Ruby is the only character in the story who will canonically reach Tier 3 by the end.
- Dust is a hard magic system, and can be quantified however you like (regardless if they
should or shouldn’t be quantified, people in-universe will anyways). Aura and
Semblances are more religious in nature and, as such, are soft magic systems.
- Baradin-Assan is actually a somewhat weak country.
- The “walls” in the Frontier are not a constant battleground. There are occasional
skirmishes, but not full-out warzones. Grimm do not magically migrate to Marathon,
neither do they go out of their way to find humans.
- The end of the Great War will see the abolishment of the Kuresheim party and the
installment of Winter as the Imperator. Atlas will effectively become a rump state.
- The Great War has no winners. No one blames anyone. There are no villains. Nothing is
set up for future conflicts or crises.
- Ruby’s response to Yang beating her up is to “hit her harder”, as she believes Yang’s
ferocity is what she needs to grow up and become the Hunter she dreams of becoming.
- Cinder is either a Graif trying to save Lewis from being found out or a human orphan
taken in by the Church of Beacon. Details withstanding, I’m fine with either.
- I’m actually okay with White Rose. Its not canon; just saying, I wouldn’t mind. Mei is best
daughteru.
- The first scene of the entire story is Qrow fighting Grimm in the Frontier for an Imperial
artifact, followed by an establishing montage of the main characters, save Ruby, who we
see right after waking up before she boards the train to Beacon outside Hensmere.
- The reason why the Empire’s citizens couldn’t just rebuild after the Fall is because most
of their systems were automated, and they were raised without the knowledge to
maintain or reconstruct them. Interpret that as you will.
- Rieger Dotzin behaves as a laconic mentor to Yang in the Frontier and attempts to
educate her in the ways of mercy before getting himself killed, likely due to Ruby’s
incompetence while on a mission.
- Yang’s fight with Ruby is a ​direct result of Ruby becoming fireteam leader (among a
whole shitload of other things), and will be the climax of the first of three Volumes.
- Qrow is secretly Ruby’s father. Summer only married Taiyang because she pitied him
after Raven’s disappearance, despite being in love with Qrow. Taiyang is in denial of
this, claiming Tier 3’s have stronger genes and that Qrow is just manipulative. Ruby finds
this out and her beliefs are tested, but not broken.
- Don’t explain the Empire or the Fall through an in-universe revelation.
- Don’t make Grimm aliens.
- Don’t make the Fall a natural disaster; if you ​must explain it, make it the Empire’s fault,
and tie the direct cause to rapid industrialization, cultural assimilation, shadow councils,
imperialism, globalism, or general inhumanity.
- Don’t make Adam literally Jesus.
- Don’t make a European Union after the war. Make a League of Nations. The idea isn’t
assimilation or globalism — its cooperation.
- Don’t make Salem a tragic character. Make the audience agree with her.