Post by Elfrida Schwarzwald on Aug 19, 2013 20:18:33 GMT -5
Elfrida Schwarzwald
"I've always been alone, and I always will be, for by the end of this war, I will be the only one left."
"I've always been alone, and I always will be, for by the end of this war, I will be the only one left."
NICKNAMES: // Elly, Weiß
AGE: // Eleven (Looks 25 and will remain so due to genetic tampering)
DATE OF BIRTH: // January 15th
GENDER: // Female
ALIGNMENT: // Lawful Neutral
OCCUPATION: // Schwarzwald Homonculus
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A white gem wields a red thorn
Duty covered in moonlight
HEIGHT: // 5'7"
WEIGHT: // 125 lbs
EYE COLOR: // Blue
HAIR COLOR: // White
PIERCINGS: // N/A
TATTOOS: // N/A
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: // A light scar across her left eye
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- Sheltered
- "I've never seen the outside world before. Days in the Schwarzwald estate were filled with learning and practice, with very little time for conversation with anyone else but my father. Occasionally a servant would tell me of great cities with towers that touched the sky, and technology that allowed someone to communicate across the world. It all sounds so strange, and a little frightening, but perhaps I might find something wonderful out there. I want to know more. I know there's more to life than what my father has taught me."
- Ambitious
- "My whole life, I've been told that my purpose is to become someone great. I'm not sure how I'll go about it, but I know its my duty to come out on top in whatever it is I do. My father created me to surpass humanity and reach the root before anyone else. I will not let anyone, including my brother, get in the way of that. It's my duty as one who has the capacity to achieve what others can not.
- Cold
- "I have a goal, and it must be done, with or without the aid of others. If someone stands in my way, they must be moved, willingly or unwillingly. If a threat is revealed, I will eliminate it. Those who call me inhuman are correct to do so, as I am not, and I will treat others as they would treat me. There is no right or wrong here, only the duty that I must uphold."
- Intelligent
- "Of all the abilities I have, whether it be my magecraft, or my circuits, my most powerful strength is my mind. Strategy, wisdom, understanding of everything around you and how best to apply it, that is what wins wars. Even the greatest of soldiers may fall to the ploys of a great mind. Every possibility must be considered, and a plan must be made for each one. Only fools jump into the fray without a plan within plans."
LIKES: // White
Tea
... Coffee too...
Fencing
Reading
Being outside
Winter
Cold nights
Alfred... What? he's my brother.
DISLIKES: // Father
Rude people
Rash behavior
Being alone
Wasting time
The Einzbern family... they're the enemy after all.
STRENGTHS: // Elfrida is very pragmatic and doesn't care to waste time. This means she is always hard at work, and has the capacity to take on heavy amounts of work and get it done in short amounts of time. She is very skilled in what she does and takes the lead in most cases, spurring others to follow her lead and take down a great task quicker than expected. Her mind is always planning one step ahead. Imagine the things she could do with multiple thought processes.
WEAKNESSES: // For all her talents, Elfrida is incapable of interacting with others in a casual manner. when she tries, she stumbles on her words and becomes awkward, embarrassed, and then defensive. Common tropes in what one would call a Tsundere, though not to such a comical capacity. Her sheltered life has kept her from understanding how normal humans interact, and it has hindered her time outside of the Schwarzwald estate and will continue to do so until someone teaches her how to interact properly with others.
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The rising fame of the Schwarzwald family was owed solely to the study of either Alchemy or Earth Magecraft and its sub-elements. Each generation had an affinity for the Earth element, and had contributed a great amount of knowledge into it's applications and its uses in the gathering and studying of Alchemic alloys. While Jewel magic was dominated by other powerful families in the association, the Schwarzwald family delved into the study of the Metal sub-element. Their fame and fortune grew as they began their own private mining company, becoming a heavy supplier of Alchemic materials. It wasn't long until the inevitable enemies made throughout the years decided to bring them down. The Scwarzwald family would become the target of much subterfuge and violence, but perseverance and cleverness won out, and a policy to eliminate all those who opposed the family came into being.
The opposition to the great family's rise to power was met with a cold and ruthless offense. Strings were pulled, certain individuals were removed from power... and sometimes life. Any means necessary was allowed to secure their position as one of the greater families in the association. All the while, the Schwarzwald family grew in wealth and power, centering their efforts on the research of Alchemy, metal, and expanding into Jewel magecraft. Soon nobody dared challenge the Schwarzwald family, and a tenuous peace became the foundation on which the German nobles built their empire. It was around this time that the families expedient rise began to cease. After all, when one has touched the ceiling, where else is there to go?
A few generations had passed, with very little great discoveries being made by the Schwarzwald family, despite their initial success within the hierarchy of the association. How Ironic that the family would fight tooth and nail to retain their status, only to lose sight of what it was they were trying to achieve as magi. It was in the fourteenth generation that the family tried to return to the true pursuit of every mage out there. The Root, Akasha, however you call it, was out there waiting to be discovered, and the resources to find it were laying at their feet. It was time to begin the search anew.
Several different avenues of study were made, changing every one or two generations with varying amounts of success and failure. One head tried to reach the root through study of minerals, looking for some spiritual connection through the physical. This avenue led into the study of Gaia itself, searching for the connection of the spiritual force that might be used as a backdoor to Akasha. Seeing as the Schwarzwald family was famous for its monopoly on minerals and jewels of magical composition, it was natural to start their research in Nature Spirits. It was harmless at first, but like any mage who searches for the Root, terrible opposition is soon to follow. Gaia has a way of taking care of those who interfere with its spirits. The events that transpired have been stricken from family history, but the sixteenth generation of the Schwarzwald family was supposedly stricken from existence, and all research made in that time was left to collect dust.
It was the seventeenth head of the Schwarzwald family that would bring about a competitive edge to the race for the root. Alchemy, particularly the creation of life, had always been the domain of the Einzbern family, who kept their knowledge hidden away from the world. The two families shared a border together, and the Schwarzwald family always looked upon the hermit family with either disdain, rivalry, or outright jealousy. None was more zealous in this than the seventeenth head. He believed them an eyesore and an obstruction to what the Schwarzwald could be, always suspicious of them, and believing them to be hiding something amazing from the Association. This was the generation that began their research into humanity, searching for the key to the root in the creation of the human soul. All corners of this branch of Thaumaturgy were touched. Doll-making, Familiar creation, and spiritual surgery were taken into account but they never came close to the achievement of their rivals such as the creation of a Homunculus like those of the Einzbern.
The eighteenth generation, the one that preceded the present day generation and currently heads the family, was the one to truly make a breakthrough in the process of creating a living being. Due to their deep connections within Clock Tower, the events that had transpired within the potent lands of Fuyuki were revealed to the Schwarzwald family. This of course was not easy information to come by, but it was enough for the eighteenth head to work with. Through great diligence and a lot of money, he managed to acquire the background of the Einzberns master during the fifth war. The Einzbern had created a Homonculus through natural birth. Of all the methods used to create a being, natural incubation within a human womb had never crossed their minds. It was brilliant, and with a son secured to continue the Schwarzwald legacy, the eighteenth head proceeded to experiment.
This information that the eighteenth head had acquired was of course a trade secret of the Einzbern, and the very knowledge of this was enough to put the Schwarzwald in the reticle of the Einzbern. The Einzbern waged a secret war on the neighboring Schwarzwald territory, hoping to erase all knowledge of their coining method. With cunning and backing from the mages association, the Schwarzwald was able to resist the Einzbern at every turn, and the experiments continued as planned. It was quite the ego booster, defeating the Einzbern family in terms of war, but it wasn't enough. They're pride must be stomped into the ground, their ambitions stolen away from them, and their family must crumble at the very foundation. That is complete victory.
The initial experiment was a failure, resulting in the loss of both the child and the heads wife, much to the despair of the family heir. To the eighteenth head, the knowledge gained was well worth the sacrifice. His son refused to acknowledge it as anything more than murder, but he would learn. Sentimentality could not impede progress. The second experiment yielded much more fruit. A serving girl acted as the incubator for the next child, the heads genetic material combined with the alchemic materials needed to bring about the formation of life. The child was born successfully at the cost of the mothers life. The heir, unable to cope with his fathers experiments, left to study at the Clock Tower with a relative, leaving the head with his newborn pet project.
MY HISTORY: // The circumstances surrounding Elfrida's birth were far more complicated than any child could possibly understand. Even an infant such as her, who was born with an innate knowledge of everything around her, it was impossible to understand what it cost to be born. Her mother died in child birth, her brother left before even getting to see her face, and her father... well he had his reasons for keeping her around, and no veil of false love could hide the sinister objective he had in mind. But what else could Elfrida do? She was but a child, unable to unlock her full potential, nor survive in the outside world alone. There was only one path for her, and that was to go along with the purpose she was born for.
With Elfridas' birth came several new obstacles to overcome for the Schwarzwald family. With her brother gone to study under a family friend, there was the question of who would receive the family crest? There was the firstborn renegade son on one hand, and the second born experiment who had not yet learn to awaken her full potential on the other. There were risks to the second option, and Elfrida's father knew it well enough. Putting his full faith in the experimental homonculus was too risky. If she died in some way and her body became unrecoverable, the family would be out of their most valuable possession. Any normal magus family would send the girl away, but under these circumstances, she could prove to be more valuable than her brother, Alfred. Time would have to tell.
The success of the girls birth was shown in her massive amount of magic circuits and the quality of their make. If her father was a prideful man, he would boast that she held the highest prana count in the mages association, but he was not, and nobody knew who held the highest prana count among their peers. For all he knew, the Einzbern homonculi trumped his childs' circuits by miles. For Elfrida though, this mattered little. After all, what did she care for the outside world? If word got out that he had created a Homonculus, her father would have a sealing designation marked on him before the day was done, and her life would most likely come to an abrupt end. All that mattered was improving herself for the sake of living. Her life was in the hands of a man that only saw her as his pet project. What a pitiful existence.
Years passed, and the young child grew quickly, much to the surprise of her father. By five years, she had the appearance of a child in their mid teens, and by ten, she looked like a grown woman. It made her tutelage much more rushed, as her longevity had come into question. Her training as a magus, knowledge of earth magecraft, as well as its sub-elements and alchemy were filtered into her head everyday with close to no time for respite. When not learning of magic, she trained her body, as well as her mind through martial arts. She proved an expert with the foil, beating anyone including her father in a fencing match. With this in mind, her father created a mystic code out of a rapier, encrusting it with jewels containing magic. It would be one of her most powerful tools.
By her eleventh year, Elfrida was an excellent scion to the Schwarzwald family, but the past would always haunt this child. It had been ten years since her brother had made any contact with the family, and it had become apparent as to why. Alfred, over the past decade, had become a member of the associations left hand, an Enforcer made to deal out Sealing Designations. Perhaps Elfrida's father knew of this, and perhaps the two men had agreed to avoid each other for that very purpose. If Alfred saw what was going on behind the closed doors of the Schwazwald estate, he would have an obligation to report it in, and most likely pursue his own family. Alas, despite this decision, word would inevitable come out.
One cold winters day, a servant had run off from the estate without a word. Nobody knew why, and a search was conducted to find her to no avail. Weeks later, word reached the Schwarzwalds ears that the girl had resurfaced in Clock Tower and was spilling her guts to the lords of the association. The enemies of the Schwarzwald spun this as ammunition against the family, and A sealing designation was put out on Elfrida's father in due time, and she herself was marked as material to be seized and studied. Alfred was the one made to bring them in. Fate was cruel that night, as the evening Elfrida met her brother was when they would first clash. Alfred had become an enforcer of great reputation and skill, matching Elfrida in combat, despite the difference in power between the two as magi. Elfrida was routed and made to flee from her home while Alfred took custody of his father. In one single night, the young Homonculus' life was turned upside down.
Meanwhile, as word spread of Elfridas existence to Clocktower, it also reached the ears of the Einzbern. This information that the eighteenth head had acquired was of course a trade secret of the Einzbern, and the very knowledge of this was enough to put the Schwarzwald in the reticle of the Einzbern. The Einzbern waged a secret inquisition on the neighboring Schwarzwald territory, hoping to erase all knowledge of their coining method. With as much cunning as she could muster, and instructions laid out by her father before his capture, Elfrida was able to elude both groups who sought to do her harm. Even if the Schwarzwald stole information from the Einzbern, it was a simple thing to eliminate a lesser homonculus such as Elfrida. Before she left, her father instructed her to flee to their hidden estate in Lucca. Something was going to happen there supposedly, and she was to study everything in their estate in order to understand.
This is where her fate intertwines with the Grail. A story of a girl whose power she does not yet understand, and of familial ties that threaten to strangle or save her. Will the grail answer her pleas? Or will she succumb to the fate that awaits all those never meant to exist?
MY GOALS: // To live, to reconcile with my brother, to no longer be alone, and to surpass the bounds of humanity as I was born to.
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EQUIPMENT: // Jewels - A variety of jewels have been acquired in order to replace them should they run out of uses. 2 B Rank jewel, 4 C Rank jewels, 5 D Rank Jewels, and 6 E Rank Jewels. Should Elfrida perhaps learn to use higher levels of Jewel magecraft, these jewels would become much more deadly weapons on their own.
RANK: // Would place at Rank 2 to 3 if she had ever joined the association.
ELEMENT: // Ether/Earth
EXPERTISE: //Jewel Magecraft - The Schwarzwald family has always been acclaimed for their expertise in earth magecraft, but Elfrida's abnormal birth and her Ether alignment opened a door to jewel magecraft which her family had only recently began to study four generations ago. With the Schwarzwald mining company monopolizing all jewels and alchemic materials in their lands, Jewel magic was an easy thing to acquire materials for, as well as develop a stock for Elfrida to use as she wished. Many jewels found are tinted with the residual energy of spirits, and are quite potent in their use of magic. None but the best for Elfrida.
When a jewel is filled with the prana of a magus, the energy becomes influenced with the magical properties inherit within the stone. A Magus can use this power in whichever way they find convenient for the situation. Jewels such as the topaz which carry anti-spirit properties is an excellent example. It is feasible to alter a jewel for purposes different from their natural one, but the trade-off is a loss in potency and effectiveness.
The charm of jewel-magecraft is in its ability to expediently cast spells, and its mana efficiency. However, it must be noted that liberal use of jewel magic is financially costly, as using all the prana within a jewel immediately may cause it to crumble into ash. In any case, depending on the amount of prana used, one can cast High Thaumaturgy-level spells instantly with but a single verse. If you are conservative in your use, it is possible to preserve the jewel by channeling the stored prana to strengthen a normal cast spell. The trade-off is an overall decreased effect.
Example: A Rank gem used to create a D rank spell blade would cause the jewel to drop to a C rank gem.
Unfortunately for Elfrida, the recent interruption of her studies have prevented her from learning and preparing high level spells. She is limited to the use E-B rank spells and with no income of resources, her chances of acquiring more potent gems or replacing her currently owned gems is very slim.
Fencing - Elfrida is an expert fencer to compensate for any physical shortcomings she may have. Her focus is in the classical styles of the 19th century to the early 20th century, focusing on accuracy and footwork rather than strength. Her ability to analyze a situation and turn it into a tactical advantage makes her a deadly opponent in matters of the sword, with or without her thaumaturgy.
Prana Tank - As a Homomculus made from Einzbern techniques, her body is a magic circuit in human form and has an output of Prana well above that of the average humans. Her Servant will have no worries when it comes to Prana, so long as she remains out of combat in dire situations, and does not liberally spend it. She is not designed to feed a Berserker class Servant, but the average servant is quite within her scope.
MAGIC CIRCUITS: //
Being born a Homonculus, Elfrida has a natural edge over the rest of her Grail War participants. As she is a prototype and nowhere near the scope of an actual Einzbern homonculi, her Prana output is by no means high as theirs, but she is still quite capable of giving beings such as Enforcers a run for their money.
Her quality is very highly rated, at 16 PrC, while the number of Magic Circuits that comprise her is beyond anything a mere human can ever hope to muster: 100. Her max prana count is thus, 1600.
SPELLS: //
Edelstein Flugen (Earth/Jewel)
Rank: E-B
Cost: 10 Pr + Gem
Range: Close range
Effect: A custom made Rapier designed as a ceremonial piece for Elfrida Inheritance of the family. Each head of the Schwarzwald family was gifted with a weapon or tool to suit their skills. With Elfrida's talent in jewel magic, this blade was crafted as a fitting tool in her future endeavors. The guard of the blade is designed to house two gems within. The gems inserted are of Elfrida's choice and are interchangeable between encounters.
With the use of Earth magecraft, Elfrida is able to transfer the properties and spells contained within the jewel into the blade itself, creating a pseudo-mystic code with utility. If a topaz with a fire spell is inserted into the guard and subsequently channeled into the blade, the blade will take on the burning effects of fire, and the anti-spirit quality of the topaz. This effect lasts for as long as the gem contains Prana to channel. This effect is the same for any other gem, and spell contained within said gem.
((The laws of Jewel magecraft apply to Edelstein Flugen as they would on their own. It can only hold two gems per thread and can only be changed between battles.))
Rank: E-B
Cost: 10 Pr + Gem
Range: Close range
Effect: A custom made Rapier designed as a ceremonial piece for Elfrida Inheritance of the family. Each head of the Schwarzwald family was gifted with a weapon or tool to suit their skills. With Elfrida's talent in jewel magic, this blade was crafted as a fitting tool in her future endeavors. The guard of the blade is designed to house two gems within. The gems inserted are of Elfrida's choice and are interchangeable between encounters.
With the use of Earth magecraft, Elfrida is able to transfer the properties and spells contained within the jewel into the blade itself, creating a pseudo-mystic code with utility. If a topaz with a fire spell is inserted into the guard and subsequently channeled into the blade, the blade will take on the burning effects of fire, and the anti-spirit quality of the topaz. This effect lasts for as long as the gem contains Prana to channel. This effect is the same for any other gem, and spell contained within said gem.
((The laws of Jewel magecraft apply to Edelstein Flugen as they would on their own. It can only hold two gems per thread and can only be changed between battles.))
Jewel (Jewel)
Rank: E-B
Cost: 1 Pr
Range: -
Effect: Jewels are basically stored spells. The jewels will be lost including the spell after they were 'casted', but allow an instant result, even for high level spells, but this depends entirely on the jewel. High quality and expensive jewels can hold more prana than low level jewels and of course need longer to charge. Elfirda only requires a one word command and a little amount of prana to trigger the jewel spell. All stored spells are standard spells, taught in clock tower.
Elfrida only carries four gems at a time in battle.
(Elfrida has no knowledge of A-rank techniques and can only learn them through someone with knowledge in jewel magecraft.)
Rank: E-B
Cost: 1 Pr
Range: -
Effect: Jewels are basically stored spells. The jewels will be lost including the spell after they were 'casted', but allow an instant result, even for high level spells, but this depends entirely on the jewel. High quality and expensive jewels can hold more prana than low level jewels and of course need longer to charge. Elfirda only requires a one word command and a little amount of prana to trigger the jewel spell. All stored spells are standard spells, taught in clock tower.
Elfrida only carries four gems at a time in battle.
(Elfrida has no knowledge of A-rank techniques and can only learn them through someone with knowledge in jewel magecraft.)
Structural Analysis (Ether)
Rank: E
Cost: 2 Pr
Range: Direct Contact
Effect: A foundational spell, which gathers all known structural information about a piece of material, right down to the molecular level and projects it into the user's memory. The result is a highly accurate and detailed knowledge of an object, from the compounds used in its construction, to the chemical composition of every single separate component of the item.
In practice, if one were to use this spell on a heater, she would be able to differentiate which parts of it are made of plastic, metal, rubber, etc so as to ascertain which parts are usable in Schwarzwald's metal-based alchemy. She would also be able to determine the molecular structure, and thus the overall integrity of the metal parts, to conclude whether or not it needs to be transmuted to create superior toughness.
In a word, it is total material knowledge of an item, in order to help facilitate high-quality transmutation. Although it is not necessary to cast this in order to transmute an object, it greatly enhances the efficiency, as it helps the alchemist determine every last detail of the transmutation that will follow.
A Single-Action spell, this is a trade skill in the Schwarzwalds business. At her present level, Elfrida is capable of analyzing up to 300kg of matter per casting.
Rank: E
Cost: 2 Pr
Range: Direct Contact
Effect: A foundational spell, which gathers all known structural information about a piece of material, right down to the molecular level and projects it into the user's memory. The result is a highly accurate and detailed knowledge of an object, from the compounds used in its construction, to the chemical composition of every single separate component of the item.
In practice, if one were to use this spell on a heater, she would be able to differentiate which parts of it are made of plastic, metal, rubber, etc so as to ascertain which parts are usable in Schwarzwald's metal-based alchemy. She would also be able to determine the molecular structure, and thus the overall integrity of the metal parts, to conclude whether or not it needs to be transmuted to create superior toughness.
In a word, it is total material knowledge of an item, in order to help facilitate high-quality transmutation. Although it is not necessary to cast this in order to transmute an object, it greatly enhances the efficiency, as it helps the alchemist determine every last detail of the transmutation that will follow.
A Single-Action spell, this is a trade skill in the Schwarzwalds business. At her present level, Elfrida is capable of analyzing up to 300kg of matter per casting.
Basic Metal Transmutation (Metal)
Rank: D
Cost: 18 Pr
Range: Direct Contact
Effect: Transmutation of metals, particularly precious metals. With this spell, it is possible to manipulate the structural properties of metals, particularly the precious ones like gold, silver, platinum, palladium, etc.
The result is the ability to reshape, as well as transmogrify a piece of metal at a molecular level: altering the molecular structure to suit the purpose at hand, combining various metals and other known secondary elements like carbon to fashion alloys, etc. A gold bar can be converted into gold coins, and an iron block plus some coal into a steel sword. It is also possible to purify ores of impurities, as well as extract metals from existing structures like the steel beams buried in the concrete of a building. Elfrida's limit at this level of training is metal with a maximum mass of 12.5 kilograms per casting, or one gold ingot. Naturally, the combat applications are pretty useful, assuming you bring around a 12kg block of steel everywhere you go... which is obviously impractical.
This spell is ancient and stable, and can be cast at the Single-Action level. Developed sometime in the middle of their history. Elfrida activates her magic circuits by clapping her hands together, much like another alchemist from some two decades ago, who also happens to be involved with 'metal'.
Rank: D
Cost: 18 Pr
Range: Direct Contact
Effect: Transmutation of metals, particularly precious metals. With this spell, it is possible to manipulate the structural properties of metals, particularly the precious ones like gold, silver, platinum, palladium, etc.
The result is the ability to reshape, as well as transmogrify a piece of metal at a molecular level: altering the molecular structure to suit the purpose at hand, combining various metals and other known secondary elements like carbon to fashion alloys, etc. A gold bar can be converted into gold coins, and an iron block plus some coal into a steel sword. It is also possible to purify ores of impurities, as well as extract metals from existing structures like the steel beams buried in the concrete of a building. Elfrida's limit at this level of training is metal with a maximum mass of 12.5 kilograms per casting, or one gold ingot. Naturally, the combat applications are pretty useful, assuming you bring around a 12kg block of steel everywhere you go... which is obviously impractical.
This spell is ancient and stable, and can be cast at the Single-Action level. Developed sometime in the middle of their history. Elfrida activates her magic circuits by clapping her hands together, much like another alchemist from some two decades ago, who also happens to be involved with 'metal'.
FACE CLAIM: // Weiss Schnee, RWBY
OTHER CHARACTERS: // Alfred Di Schwarzwald, Parsifal
MISC. INFORMATION: // Figured I would play with the alternate universe stuff and make a character out of the what-if scenarios I have based around Alfred. What I can tell you about Elfrida is that she doesn't exist in Secundus, whereas Alfred does in Primus, but is never brought into the Holy Grail War in this universe. No affiliation with the Einzbern, though Schwarzwald does challenge itself to surpass them as a family of Alchemists. Joining the war and stealing the third magic from them would be quite the ego booster, neh?[/font][/ul][/font][/ul]
