Ursula is a Grounder, or a person from the race of people who live underground (known as…::gasp:: Grounders!) Grounders are constantly persecuted and shunned because of their ways and customs, and Ursula comes to the surface and is treated as an outcast. Only the other members of the group seem to treat her well, and even some of them seem a bit hesitant to befriend her. For some odd reason, even though their personalities clash violently, Ursula and Tempest seem to stick together. Ursula is very cheerful, and friendly, but tends to have quite a bit of a temper once you get her provoked. She joins the group simply because she “wanted to see the outside world.”

Basic facts:

Age: 17

Height: 5”9

Weight: 122

Eye colour: Greyish

Hair colour: Brown

Birthplace: Dai, the capital city of the underground empire of Tieraa

Relations: Two brothers, Hoku and Xavier

Weapon: Screamer

Likes: Tempest, laughing, telling jokes about Engel

Dislikes: People who make fun of her or her friends, rain, hot weather

Engel is an escaped convict from the island prison of Reynal. A bit full of himself, he tends to speak before he thinks, causing him to be the butt of many of Ursula’s jokes. He was serving life without possibility of parole for something. He just doesn’t know what. He says he thinks he might have been put in jail because of his love for a girl who was a higher member of the Upper Empire, and he was falsely accused of something to get him out of the way by the girl’s fiance. Escaping now, he wants to find that girl and get his revenge on her most likely now husband. He joins the group when he saves Verika from a rather nasty incident in a bar.

Basic facts:

Age: 26

Height: 6”3

Weight: 200 (or so…he tends to change it with every telling)

Eye colour: Brown

Hair colour: Red

Birthplace: Mourt, a slum area in the Upper Empire

Relations: Never has mentioned any

Weapon: Prefers to use his staff, but will resort to fists

Likes: Beer, being rowdy, pretty girls

Dislikes: Upper Empire, Ursula’s jokes

An escapee from one of the Upper Empire’s concentration camps for ‘unequal minorities’, she lives in the constant fear of being discovered. When one night she makes the mistake of accidentally insulting a superior citizen in a bar one night, she involves herself in a large and rather nasty brawl. Hopelessly outnumbered, she is relieved when a man jumps in to save her from a good pummeling. After the fight, she vows to make it up to him somehow…and he suggests to her that perhaps she join the ‘movement’ he’s involved with.

Basic facts:

Age: 21

Height: 5”5

Weight: 118

Eye colour: Blue

Hair colour: Purple

Birthplace: Reln, a town in the Antey Islands

Relations: All deceased

Weapon: Katana

Likes: Chocolate, the colour blue, fast things, revenge

Dislikes: Upper Empire, racism, rude people

A good kid from a good family, Derreck gets dragged into it all when Tempest pays him a rather cryptic visit. Not fully understanding what Tempest’s words or his demeanor, he follows him. Tempest is ambushed by a group of Upper Empire soldiers and Derreck jumps in to help him. Derreck is injured, and Tempest manifests his strange powers in the form of taking away the pain. Further intrigued, Derreck allows himself to be taken to the others, and he too soon joins the group. It’s not known, but it’s thought he has feelings for Ursula. This doesn’t sit well with Tempest though…

Basic facts:

Age: 23

Height: 6”2

Weight: 204

Eye colour: Green

Hair colour: Black

Birthplace: Trenj, a respectable area of the Upper Empire

Relations: Mother (Ildea), Father (Derreck), Brother (Ermand)

Weapon: Martial Arts

Likes: Practicing his skills, Ursula, outwitting people

Dislikes: Cold weather, Tempest (in his upset moods)

Frenk hails from the Antey Islands (Verika’s home.) The Antey Islands, long under persecution from the Upper Empire is now tottering on the edge of revolution—the country is literally falling apart at the seams. Frenk is the first person Tempest comes to, speaking of gathering a mass and overthrowing the Upper Empire. Frenk—who blames the current state of his world on the Empire—is all too eager to join, and ends up being sort of the ‘ring leader’. Even less is known about him than Tempest, except for the fact that his mother and father left him at an early age under mysterious circumstances. He seems to know what they are but won’t tell anyone else. Known a little too well for his often terse and hot-tempered words, he’s not someone the rest of the group really wants to bother. It’s basically take-orders-from-Frenk-and-try-not-to-piss-him-off. The only one who has really spoken with him on a semi-friendly level is Verika, but this is only because of a shared pain—the crumbling of their home.

Basic facts:

Age: 18

Height: 5”11

Weight: 211

Eye colour: Purple

Hair colour: Blonde

Birthplace: Gracken, capital city of the Antey Islands

Relations: Mother (?) and Father (?)

Weapon: Sword

Likes: Ocean, dogs, getting rises out of people

Dislikes: Authority, people who pry

A Ronin samurai whose name means "Swift Blade", he met up with the group when he tried to rob them. Thievery was his only means of survival, but he was defeated by Verika. After developing a respect for the female swordswoman, he decided to follow the group to avenge his Daimyo (lord, when killed, all samurai under his command become Ronin, and are considered dishonored until he is avenged), who was killed by the Hyuuga Ninja Hagane.

Basic facts:

Height: 6”7

Weight: 145

Eye colour: blue

Hair colour: blonde

Birthplace: ?

Relations: A brother, Hiryu.

Weapon: Katana and Wakizashi

Likes: speed, blue, honor

Dislikes: Ninja, dishonorable people.

Hundreds of years ago, the world known as Ilsace was in a state of relative peace. There was tension between the different provinces and races, but this is to be expected for a diverse world. Ilsace was divided into two empires, cleverly named Upper and Lower. The head of the Upper Empire was actually two people, a join ruling between two brothers. The Lower Empire was ruled by a young queen. There had always been slight tensions between the two, Upper Empire thinking it was “higher and mightier” and the Lower simply resenting being called base.

The elder of the two ruling brothers of the Upper Empire fell in love with the Lower Empire’s queen, and they began to court. It was hoped by many that a marriage would unite the two empires and end the unneeded feuding.

The two ruling brothers has other plans, though. In a quick coup d’etat they seized power from the young queen, exiling her to a remote island. Then, the elder brother turned on the younger, not desiring to share his newly amassed power anymore. He had his younger brother killed, and the downcast queen executed also.

The Lower Empire was dissolved, and broke into many separate states and provinces, all paying allegiance (among other things) to the Upper Empire. In this respect, they were more like dominions. This didn’t sit well with the Lowers, not at all. The rivalry between the two Empires (rather the Empire and the remnants of the other) skyrocketed.

Ever since then, the Upper Empire has been dealing with the Lowers as they see fit—more often than not sending them off to concentrations camps to die a grisly death. Lowers haven’t lost hope, though—they still fight back with a vengence whenever they can gather the strength. The rebellions are usually crushed quickly and violently, however...but the Lowers are determined to win their freedom.

One day, a mysterious young boy appears to a Lower of such standing. Claiming to have a power like no other on his side, and wanting to gather a mass, he tells the Lower he will overthrow the Upper Empire.

The Lower believes him.

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