Nicoale Emery
History
Nicoale Emery has few memories from the time before her parents died in a faunus rights protest that turned violent. It was never clear which side got violent first.
Normally, this is the part of the story where Nicoale would meet a kindly family who took her in or happen on a mentor who'd train her for greatness. That... didn't happen.
Life in the orphanage forced her to grow up quick. The caretaker was kind, but there were so many orphans to care for she was never able to give the kids individual attention. It was made worse by the knowledge that babies and young kids had the best chances of getting selected. Nicoale, being neither and being a faunus, never had a chance.
Her only solace in those early years was her schooling. Her Aura levels were promising and the school was loath to lose a potential huntress candidate. Realizing how important her performance was, she threw herself into her training. Still, even here she was isolated; it was easy for other kids to pick on the girl without parents, using school stock weapons and getting free lunches.
It was somewhat poetic that Semblance manifested as Remote Viewing. She'd always been the kid on the outside looking longingly in. Now she was moreso.
It was her Semblance that caused things to get better for her. The Schee Dust Company made regular donations to the Vacuo school system as part of one-or-another PR campaign, but it also meant that they had at least some contacts in the school system. So Chief Surveyor Regis Wheeler of the Schnee Dust Company eventually got wind of Nicoal's abilities and decided her Semblance would be of great help to the company's efforts to locate Dust deposits. At his behest, the Schnee Dust Company contacted the orphanage with an offer to sponsor Nicoal. Of course they wouldn't adopt her, but they'd give her a place to live and pay for her schooling on the condition that she work for their surveying crew. Nicoale would even be paid for the work (minus cost of her room, board, and schooling of course. And with Nicoal being a minor her leftover wages would be given to the orphanage "in trust"). The orphanage eagerly accepted.
For Nicoal, it was a dream come true. She didn't fully realize how she was being exploited at the time, she was just thankful of the massive improvement to her life. She was out of the orphanage. She was continuing her schooling. She was learning even more about Dust. She even had money now, even if it was less than she should have earned. The work even gave her plenty of practice using her Semblance, which rapidly improved.
After three years of working with SDC while attending her primary combat school, she got accepted into Shade Academy.
A lot happened at Shade Academy
This was a campaign originally run by Dodgeson that didn't finish.
For some of the scenes that most help understand Nicoale though, I'd suggest these:
But just as Nicoale was settling into life with her team, the SDC struck again. The company discovered new dust deposits in the wilderness of Minstrel - or rather, their recon team reported the finding via radio before promptly failing to return. Normally, it wouldn't be the biggest deal. Recon teams got lost from time to time. It was a hazard of the job and the wilderness in which they often worked. Still, it wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence, just like how the recent string of wilderness towns that were overrun by Grimm was far more than the normal. Whatever else the SDC were, they were no fools.
Not every known dust deposit got pursued. The company had identified more than a few dust deposits were in places deemed too hazardous to be worth the trouble to try to extract. These deposits were different though - different types of dust had different rarities, and these deposits were potentially a very rare find. They were worth taking risks to get hold of. But that meant they needed to take security seriously and sending the appropriate company resources.
So when Regis Wheeler got the request, he included Nicoale in the team sent to Minstrel. After all, over the years she'd proven to be a highly effective surveyor, scout, and while her individual combat skills weren't yet on the level of a professional huntress, the unique combination of her semblance and her mortar made her incredibly effective at grimm extermination.
Nicoale didn't have much choice in the matter. Upon receiving her instructions, Nicoale said her goodbyes in the little time she had and made hasty arrangements to transfer to Haven Academy. After all, the company needed to put her somewhere when she wasn't being called upon. Regis Wheeler had never yet regretted his investment in training her.
Complications and Motivations
Aura Break (Power Loss)
When Nicoale is Aura Broken she loses access to all powers with the [Aura] descriptor as well as her Farsight semblance.
Working for Schnee (Responsibility)
Nicoale works for the Schnee Dust Company. While originally she worked as a surveyor using her semblance to locate and assess dust deposits, she’s since become a much more recognizable figure and moved into a company-huntress-to-be role.
Wait, you work for Schnee!? (Prejudice)
Working for Schnee is enough to earn the hatred of many Faunus and as a faunus herself some view her as a traitor to her kind. Worse, she’s become a recognizable figure both for her achievements and for the distinctive coat carrying what has become her logo. When in public there is a chance that other faunus will recognize her and react with anything from hurled insults to outright attacks and groups like the White Fang are inclined to target her.
Gets it from both sides (Prejudice)
Working for the Schnee Dust Company doesn't protect her from discrimination from humans.
Regis Wheeler (Relationship)
As the SDC's Chief Surveyor in the Vacuo region and instigator of Coale's sponsorship, Coale used to report directly to him for work. For better and worse, he viewed her as a company investment. At his best, it meant he understood that he has to take adequate care for her to be productive. He checked up on her from time to time to ensure her basic needs were met, protected her from severe abuse from fellow employees and ensured that she receives an education over the objections of those in the company that view the education fees as an unnecessary expense. At his worst, he is utterly apathetic to her to her well being beyond her basic needs. His care for her stemmed from a belief that being fed, rested, not abused, and educated made her more productive rather than out of concern for her as a person. She's just a faunus, after all. Coale was under no illusions that he'd continue her Sponsorship if she stopped performing. She no longer works under Wheeler, but she still has a certain grudging respect for him. He wasn't a kind boss, but he was fair and he opened an opportunity that she wouldn't have had without him. Regis, for his part, remains convinced that Coale was a good investment. One that he may seek to utilize in the future.... Or at least, he did. But neigh on a decade of caring for Nicoale and seeing her grow up has had its effects.
You don't realize how good you have it (Temper)
Nothing breaks Coale's normally polite demeanor faster than listening to an entitled kid complaining about how people don't respect them or their parents won't buy them that shiny new X. Even when it would be better to keep her mouth shut. When in a situation where such an outburst could get her in trouble, Coale needs to make a Will Save to bottle up her anger.
Never Show Weakness (Quirk)
Nicoale still carries the lessons of her upbringing, that her worth is tied to her competence. She has a difficult time asking for help or otherwise taking other actions that she believes would make her look weak. She has particular difficulty with letting herself be vulnerable to other people.
Proving her Worth (Rivalry)
Everything Nicoale has came from performing well. Underneath her polite demeanor she is extremely hardworking, fiercely competitive, and determined to prove her worth. Not only that, she literally cannot tolerate falling behind; her sponsorship is contingent on her performance.
Minni Kershaw (Enemy)
Minni is an aura-user who can manipulate minds who is in the service to a local crime syndicate known as the Carpenter Gang. Nicoale first encountered her near the Wall while on an errand for the Headmistress, where Nicoale and Jason ran her off. Nicoale used her Semblance to track Minni back to the Carpenter Gang's hideout, which she then revealed to the police who raided and shut it down. In their next meeting at VICE, Nicoale disrupted her plans to drive the crowd of protesters to riot and in a brief scuffle knocked Minni out where she was then arrested. She escaped during a jailbreak, but she is still a known and wanted criminal. Its safe to say that Minni is [I]furious [/I]at the young student and eager to settle the score. While its possible that Minni is vengeful enough to chase Nicoale down upon learning she is no longer at Shade, Minni following Nicoale to Minstral may also be chance. After all, as a wanted terrorist there are worse ways to escape the authorities than fleeing to another continent.
Story Cut Short (Relationships)
Nicoale was just beginning to open up to her teammates in NJAS when her time with them was cut short by her forced transfer, to say nothing of the threats that still menace Shade. (Use this as a generic Complication for any shade-game related characters or plot stuff you want to bring back to torment Nicoale with)
Elite (Reputation)
As per Nicoale's Reputation (Elite) Downtime, Nicoale has started earning a reputation as a uniquely talented warrior. Her reputation has grown to the point where it extends throughout the city of Minstral. While this reputation can open doors for her, it can also create issues for her such as other ambitious fighters may seek her out to challenge or test her. She may be held to higher expectations or have greater responsibilities heaped on her because 'she can handle it'. Every time you gain a Hero Point from this Complication, you may also Edit Scene to declare some benefit or opportunity that you can gain if you overcome the challenge the Complication presents.
Winter (Relationship)
Nicoale met Winter Schnee when the latter was deployed to Mistral to coordinate defensive preparations between the Atlassian military and the SDC Mistral branch in the wake of the Battle of Beacon and Nicoale was assigned as part of the huntress' security detail. Despite Winter's complicated relationship with her father's company, the two quickly hit it off and built a mutual respect and small friendship.
An Enemy's Wisdom (Enemy/Temptation/Relationship)
Apex has taken to scrying on team FLNS and RACL and learned Nicoale has been making a heavy study into magical theory. Apex, himself an accomplished mage, is amused by her efforts and their bouts of verbal sparring and has taken to dropping the occasional nugget of magical theory and hinting at more tantalizing secrets to come.
Description
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Height: 5'2"
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Colors: Black, Dark Blue, Grey
Caladbolg
Caladbolg comes from Irish legend; it was a greatsword said to make an arc like a rainbow when swung and be able to slice the tops off of hills. Nicoale's Caladbolg is a transforming weapon with greatsword, railgun, and mortar modes. She crafted it at some point during her time at her primary combat school and after her sponsorship started with the goal of letting her take maximum advantage of her ostensibly non-combat assisting Semblance.
In greatsword mode, the weapon is of similar size to Nicoale and gets larger at the tip of the blade. This changes the center of gravity of the weapon and makes it poor at thrusting but makes the weapon much more potent when swung in arcs. Nicoale has adopted a fighting style in which the blade never stops moving. She never stops a swing and reverses it; she curves the swing at the end to loop back around and continue attacking in one fluid motion or passes the swing behind her back for a 360 circle. Expect a lot of references and imagery of arcs and curves when in this mode. [U]Flurry[/U] represents Nicoale straight up attacking in a flurry of swings with all the gratuitous acrobatics that you'd expect from RWBY. When she gets moving like this shes also particularly difficult to hit because of her rapid motion changes. [U]Hamstring[/U] is exactly what you'd expect; Nicoale aims for the legs or other extremities to cripple her opponent's mobility and defenses.
In Railgun mode, the weapon appears to be a rifle with an oversized barrel. It fires dust-bullets with tremendous penetrating power. This allows her to take advantage of her Semblance to locate hidden targets and those behind cover. She can and will eliminate targets by shooting through walls and sleep well that night. [U]Quick-Shot[/U] is a simple attack in which she burst-fires a barrage of shots at her target. [U]Aim for the Legs[/U] is exactly what you'd expect; an attack where she aims for the target's legs to cripple their movement because why would a ranged specialist let a dangerous opponent get close? When faced with an extremely tough target, Nicoale uses [U]Charged Shot[/U] to engage the drive normally reserved for her mortars to get the maximum power behind the shot. The resulting shot travels at tremendous velocity and is devastating to its target; targets had better try to dodge this one.
In Mortar mode... Caladbolg is said to make an arc like a rainbow when swung fired and be able to slice the tops off of hills. Nicoale prefers to fight with Caladbolg in this mode, although it isn't really a fight - just a heightened form of extermination. In practical terms, Nicoale locates targets up to two and half miles away with her Semblance and rains dust-explosives down on their heads. The attack isn't perfect; the mortars travel in a high arc and have a travel time to reach the target. In addition, the incoming shell makes a distinctive whistling sound that can alert perceptive enemies to the attack and give them time to take cover or get out of the area. Nicoale can also turn the mortar upside down and use the force it generates to propel herself great distances (a la Nora).
Power Descriptions
Faunus Senses
Nicoale has the improved night vision common to faunus
Martial Arts
Nicoale is a capable fighter. While she prefers fighting with Caladbolg, she can hold her own in combat even unarmed.
Caladbolg
Flurry
Nicoale attacks in a flurry of fast attacks or shots. While the individual attacks are not the most devastating moves in her arsenal, it is very difficult for an opponent to evade or block all of them.
Probing Attack
Nicoale attacks cautiously, probing her foe’s defense and reading their reactions. This understanding of her opponent allows her to set up devastating follow-up attacks for herself or her allies as well as allowing her to read and avoid her opponents’ own attacks.
Heavy Strike
Caladbolg is capable of inflicting serious damage when Nicoale commits to the offensive. The heavy blade and railgun shots can inflict tremendous damage on most foes.
Charged Shot
Caladbolg is a mighty weapon, but its true power can be devastating. Nicoale can trigger the weapon to activate its stores of magnetic and gravity dust to supercharge the railgun’s magnets or the power of the greatsword’s swing. The resulting attack is devastating.
Mortar Ride
Nicoale transforms the weapon into its mortar mode and uses an explosive dust charge to launch herself, letting her cover a tremendous distance in a short time. The force of the propulsion is strong enough for her to tear free of most grabs or tethers.
Mortar Strike
While Caladbolg is a formidable close combat weapon, where it really shines is in its mortar mode. In mortar mode Caladbolg is capable of launching elemental high explosive shells as far as 2 miles away. In combination with Nicoale’s semblance allowing her to find and track her targets from far away, Nicoale can clear out enemies before they know what hit them. Like any mortar the shell travels in a high ballistic arc, which can give particularly alert foes an opportunity to hear the shell and escape the blast.
Weapon Form
Caladbolg is a transforming weapon with greatsword, railgun, and mortar forms.
Farsight
Nicoale’s Semblance allows her to view distant locations, currently as far as 2 miles away. This Farsight processes visual information much more quickly than her normal vision. Nicoale perceives both her normal field of view and her semblance’s at the same time, allowing her to operate normally while this effect is active. While her semblance’s ‘sensor’ is extremely difficult to spot, it is nonetheless an aura based effect. An attack directed at the sensor can still cause unpleasant feedback to Nicoale.
Mind Your Surroundings
Rather than using her semblance to view distant locations, Nicoale can use it to observe her immediate surrounding. This gives her nearly unmatched battlefield awareness, allowing her to detect and read her opponents’ movements with extreme speed and accuracy. This lets Nicoale dodge or avoid attacks others simply couldn’t. Even when she can’t outright avoid an attack, she is usually capable of reacting in time to avoid a clean hit. Any attack that Nicoale Withstands using this power is fluffed as an attack avoided.
