AZRE: Vacuo
The kingdom of Western Sanus, Vacuo is a kingdom found on the necessity of teamwork in a harsh environment, the desert proving deadly to anyone living there. For milenia, the land was split up in countless territories ruled by different tribes. While people fought Grimm and wildlife on the surface, many had gone underground, building many cities and highways that stretched past the boundaries of the kingdom. Yet eventually, the Grimm had managed to break past the cities' defenses, and much of what was built had been lost.
During the Great War, Vacuo remained neutral for the first couple of years. However, after Atlas started to invade their kingdom, taking Dust and resources to fuel their war machines, Vacuo pledged allegiance to Vale and helped push Mistral and Atlas back, winning the war and retaking their lands.
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Shade Academy
One of the four Huntsman Academies in Remnant, Shade Academy is located in Isidis City with Eliana Kokkinos as its headmistress.
Eliana Kokkinos
- “Why have the Gods forsaken me with such disrespectful, reckless, blasphemous children?”
The Headmistress of Shade Academy, leader of both Isidis City and the kingdom of Vacuo, and one of Ozpin's most trusted allies, Eliana Kokkinos is a woman who had brought Vacuo together with disaplys of strength and cunning. A snake Faunus, she was once just a member of the large and powerful Kokkinos tribe, but eventually left and travelled across Vacuo for spiritual guidance. After years, she came across Shade Academy and, disgusted with how it was being led, took over from the last leader and created Isidis City, a sanctuary for her people.
A pious if battle hardened, Eliana believes in action, preparing her kingdom for war that she strongly believes will come.
- Action Mom: She's the adoptive mother of Chase, Roxanne, Aurora and Sun, and is also the leader of not only the Academy, but Isidis City and the kingdom of Vacuo as a whole.
- Color-Coded Characters: Like the rest of the headmasters, Eliana is shown primarily through one colour; red. Not only is she predominantly dressed in it, but her Semblance has her control fire and her office and Academy are decorated in red.
- Disappointed in You: Her attitude to Chase after his reckless behaviour causes more stress for her and her people. Given that he's meant to be a Huntsman, which is the highest position of power in Vacuo, her attitude is justified.
- Fairytale Motif: To fit with the Wizard of Oz allusions that Ozpin and his inner circle all have, Eliana is Locasta, the Good Witch of the North.
- Foil: She's one to James. Both are leaders who've climbed up to their positions, preferring to using logic rather than emotions and are seem as more morally grey compared to Jin and Ozpin. However, while Eliana is a deeply religious woman who trusts her allies completely, being particuarly close to Ozpin, James is a man who doesn't confine himself to any religion, having issues with trusting Ozpin or the inner circle and is known to keep secrets from them.
- Good Is Not Nice: Despite firmly being on Ozpin's side, Eliana is a woman who's deeply affected by a life of war and death, and so makes decisions based on logic rather than emotions. This includes choosing her own daughter to be the next Summer Maiden, as the combination of Roxanne's silver eyes and the powers of the Summer Maiden would prove an invaluable ally to their cause. This also means that Roxanne has to take on immense responsibilities at a young age, and will have to sacrifice everything for the war against Salem.
- Hypocrite: Ironwood calls her one during their argument in After the Storm, as she's quick to call him out for treating people and souls as tools to win against Salem, despite using her own daughter as a potential Maiden to fight against Salem.
- Iron Lady: Vacuo has no royalty anymore, and Eliana was born in one of the many tribes that live in the deserts. As such, she took over much of the kingdom, browbeating certain tribes into following her lead, and conducts herself in a stern, no-nonsense manner, though she is too hotheaded to be stoic. Despite her hard exterior, she shows genuine warmth and kindness to her friends and family, especially Ozpin and her children.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: She and Roxanne are very similar in personality; both being strict, logical and unmoveable in their beliefs and decisions. It's fitting that they both share the same colour scheme too.
- Little Bit Beastly: She's a snake Faunus, having scales all over her body.
- Meaningful Name:
- Eliana is a Hebrew name, meaning "My God has answered me", tying into her being the most religious of the cast, and strongly believing in the Gods blessing her with bringing Chase, Roxanne and Aurora to her, as they all have silver eyes.
- Kokkinos is a Greek name, meaning "red", tying into her red colour scheme and fire abilities.
- Her title in Isidis City, Manhig, is the Hebrew word for "leader". Fitting as she's the Headmistress and leader of the Academy, city and the kingdom.
- Parental Favouritism: Downplayed, but Eliana does seem to show favouritism to Sun. While Chase and Sun were both responsible for the destruction in her city, she chews Chase out almost exclusively, and is far gentler when Sun disagrees with her. However, she spends the most time with Roxanne, as she's building her daughter up to handle the responsibilities of future leader and Summer Maiden.
- Platonic Co-Parenting: Eliana and Theodore (her deputy and Right Hand Man) fall under this, both taking on parental roles to Chase, Roxanne, Sun and Aurora; however Eliana is their only legal guardian as their adoptive mother.
- Playing with Fire: Her Semblance is pyrokinesis, allowing her to control already existing fire.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite her hotheaded tendencies and questionable parenting, Eliana is fair and just to her people and her students, allowing them chances to prove themselves and also ensure that they will be safe when doing so. When team AZRECRMN come to her with information about the missing civilians, she accepts their words as truth and immediately makes plans to deal with the issues.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Eliana's eyes are a lighter shade of red, and while she's on the side of Ozpin against Salem, she's been shaped by her fractured country and dark life left her a short tempered woman with less than squeaky clean morals.
- Technicolor Eyes: Her eyes are a natural red.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Eliana and James really don't get along. Given the tense history of their kingdoms, and their similar personalities grating against each other, they're only able to settle things if the situation desperately calls for it or Ozpin orders them to.
- Tough Love: Seems to favour this. Whenever her children act out of line, she is quick to put them back, especially Chase given that he's the eldest.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Choosing your own daughter to join a war that's lasted for millennia and give up everything is a pretty bad move, but Eliana genuinely believes that combining the silver eyes and the maiden powers would give them an invaluable ally and give Salem enough pause that they could move forward with their plans.
Theodore "Theo" Gale
- “I ain’t ever believed in that gods schtick. If they ever existed, they left long ago when they saw just how fucked up this world is.”
A professor at Shade Academy, Deputy Headmaster, and an old friend and trusted ally to Eliana.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: His outfit and appearance is described completely different to how he's described in RWBY.
- Adaptation Personality Change: While RWBY Theo is larger than life, passionate, and eager to fight, AZRE Theo is quiet, gruff, and prefers to let his actions do the talking, not really speaking unless it's during a lesson or he's with Eliana.
- Affectionate Nickname: Eliana calls him "Theo", though the rest of her children tend to call him Professor Gale to his face.
- Armour-Piercing Question: Gives on to Eliana when discussing Roxanne becoming the Summer Maiden.
- An Arm and a Leg: His left arm is gone and he wears a metal prosthetic in its place.
- Brutal Honesty: He doesn't really hold his opinion back about anyone, even Eliana's own children.Theo about Chase: "I love that boy, but I wouldn't trust him to run a bath, let alone save the world."
- Cool Old Guy: Older than Eliana and most of the Headmasters even, Theo does have moments where he's an amicable guy, even letting Eirian join in teaching the class when he notices that she seems to know what she's talking about.
- Covered in Scars: He has countless scars on his body and his face, setting his battle worn look.
- Decomposite Character: He's the Headmaster himself in RWBY, but that role went to Eliana instead in AZRE, with Theo being demoted to Deputy Headmaster and one of the professors in Shade.
- Eye Scream: His left eye has been scarred heavily.
- Fairytale Motif: He's Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz.
- Little Bit Beastly: He's a dog faunus, with a set of canid teeth rather than human.
- Meaningful Name:
- Theodore is an Ancient Greek name meaning "God-given", related to his close friend Eliana's own name meaning and are funny twist given their very different views on Gods. It can also spell out "Dorethe" or Dorothy, his allusion's name.
- Gale is the name of a powerful wind, and is the last name of his allusion.
- Papa Wolf: Despite his gruff attitude towards them, Theo has shown that he deeply cares about all of Eliana's children, especially with Roxanne being chosen to be the Summer Maiden, and the stress it could then put on Aurora and Chase.
- Platonic Co-Parenting: He helps raise the kids along with his closest friend, Eliana, though only she is considered their legal guardian with Roxanne calling Theo "Professor".
- Screw Destiny: Opposite to Eliana's deep beliefs in Gods and destiny, Theo has no belief in such things, rather believing that destiny is just the name people give to their own actions.
- Secret-Keeper: He knows about the Maidens, Salem and silver eyes, keeping it all a secret due to being Eliana's oldest and most trusted friend.
- Smoking Is Cool: He's shown to smoke when not teaching, showing no hesitation in lighting one up in front of the headmistress.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: He says this to Eliana during their conversation in Chapter 36, noting that she's more willing to give her achievements to the Gods than through her own hard work.
Isidis City
One of the two capital cities of Vacuo, along with Khenti-Amentiu, Isidis City is the youngest capital in Remnant, having only existed for around two decades. Originally just Shade Academy with tribes surrounding it, the city was built after Eliana Kokkinos took over leadership of Shade and brought many of the tribes together. The first years were hard, with tribes fighting over who should lead the new settlement, with the bloodshed and loss earning that time period the name "The Nights of Tears".
Ankhesenamun
- “I came to our sister city because I wanted to be in a place where I was just me. Not the chieftain’s daughter, just… Ankhesenamun.”
A priestess in the Temple of Meresankh (The Sun), Ankhesenamun is a girl originating from Khenti-Amentiu, having come to Isidis City to work and earn a name for herself, away from her royal heritage.
- An Arm and a Leg: She's completely missing her left arm, having lost it when a Grimm bit it off during a ceremony outside the city.
- Collared by Fashion: She wears a choker type collar that has an Egyptian Ankh hanging from it.
- Exotic Eye Designs: Her eyes aren't a simple colour like most of the cast, but rather blue with yellow flecks and a yellow pupil, resembling the night sky.
- Facial Markings: She has gold markings around her eyes, lips, and running down her chin.
- Fairytale Motif: She's Anubis from Ancient Egyptian Mythology.
- Friends with Benefits: This with Chase. Both of them openly flirt with each other, and have slept together, but neither are interested in a relationship with Ankhesenamun wondering if Eirian was a new girl that Chase had picked up.
- Innocently Insensitive: Like many others, she notes that Eirian doesn't exactly look like a Faunus, unknowingly pushing one of the girl's sore spots.
- Little Bit Beastly: She's a wolf Faunus, having wolf ears. Somewhat a
Genius Bonus as Anubis was originally thought to be a jackal, but is actually revealed now to be an African Golden Wolf instead. - Naughty Nun: She's a priestess, and openly enjoys the body and everything with it, as well as wearing pratically nothing besides a skirt and a headdress.
- Nice Girl: Very friendly and willing to help, she doesn't even mind when Eirian is caught staring at her missing limb, confessing that she stares at it too sometimes.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: She doesn't wear a shirt, instead shoving off her nude top half of her body.
- What Beautiful Eyes!: Not said outloud, but Eirian is amazed by Ankhesenamun's eyes; given that they look more like night skies than a normal eye colour.
Abram
- “Manhig ’s sons. Chase Marrón and Sun Wukong. This sort of childish behaviour is almost a daily occurrence with those troublemakers.”
An old man who runs a fruit stall and is the father of Yishaq, the missing Huntsman.
- Cool Old Guy: He's very friendly to Zanthus and his team when they first meet, obviously happy that he met someone from the twelve tribes of Vacuo given that most tend to stay away from the city. When they meet him again in Hotep Palazar, he's willing to help them however he can with finding Sable.
- Fairytale Motif: Likely Abraham from Biblical stories.
- Meaningful Name: Abram is the Hebrew translation of Abraham, which is his allusion.
- Mr. Exposition: A minor case, but he's the one to reveal just who Sun and Chase are, explain how the religious law works in Isidis City, and even some info on the twelve Tribes of Vacuo; one of them being the one Zanthus himself belongs to.
- Only One Name: He's only known as Abram, with no mention of his or his family's surname.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Though it's unknown if he had more children than Yishaq, his only son was killed by Eirian in What Lies Underneath after being turned into a Grimm abomination.
Yishaq
- "Come... back..."
The missing Huntsman and Afra's friend, Yishaq is eventually discovered to be the Alpha Stitched, having been experimented on by Doctor Merlot.
- An Arm and a Leg: His arm gets trapped in the lab door when he tries to grab Ruri, resulting in it being cut off.
- And I Must Scream: The Stitched are shown to at least have some ability to know what's going on around them, and Yishaq is no different since he could answer Eirian's question when she asked him who he was. That said, he was unable to stop himself from following out Merlot's orders.
- Attack the Mouth: Eirian beats him by throwing a Dust-infused clay bomb into his mouth, blowing his jaw clean off.
- Bioweapon Beast: The Stitched, including Yishaq, are the result of Grimmification experiments conducted on people by Doctor Merlot, and so isn't seen anywhere like naturally occuring Grimm.
- Dead All Along: Not quite dead, but he was already turned into a Grimm when the heroes first heard of him, with the next time they meet him being when they reach Gaza.
- Fairytale Motif: He's Issac from Biblical stories.
- Fate Worse than Death: He had been experimented on, had most of his soul taken along with his Aura and Semblance, and was turned into a Grimm abomination that was barely coherant. Some of the few lines he speaks as the Alpha Stitched shows that deep down, he was at least somewhat coherant and knowing what was happening.
- It Can Think: Because Yishaq is still alive as a Grimm, his Stitched form is able of high cognitive thought, including teamwork, tactics, and retreating.
- Meaningful Name: Yishaq is the Hebrew translation of Issac, his allusion's name.
- Mercy Kill: Eirian kills him when she finds out that the Alpha Stitched that had just attacked her and her friends was Yishaq all along. Eliana later tells the distraught Eirian that she gave Yishaq peace.
- Nice Guy: Described as such. Even when he was studying and later working as a Huntsman, Yishaq would spare time to help Abbas, his father's elderly friend, with running the stall in Hotep Palazar. Even as a Grimm mutant, he was coherant enough to hold Ruri in a more comfortable way when he found she was struggling to breathe.
- No Body Left Behind: Like every other Stitched Grimm, Yishaq's body turns to a tar-like fluid when Eirian kills him.
- Only One Name: Like his father, Yishaq's surname was never revealed.
- Right-Hand Attack Dog: He's the strongest Stitched Grimm that Merlot has, likely because unlike the other Stitched being made of civilians, he's a Huntsman who was kidnapped and experimented on. So, Merlot uses him either as protection, or as the main one to lead the Grimm on assaults.
- Rubber Man: One of his abilities as a Grimm is that he can stretch his limbs to grab distant targets.
- Tragic Monster: The Alpha Stitched only exists because Yishaq was kidnapped, painfully tortured, and had his Aura, Semblance and most of his soul stolen from him for unknown reasons. The results is a beast that speaks in broken sentences, works as his kidnapper's attack dog, and is ultimately killed with his remains left behind in a hideout that quickly blew up.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: In his Grimm form, he is able to grow extra limbs, sprout wings, and even stretch any part of his body out to close distances between him and his target.
- Walking Spoiler: Not much can be said about him without revealing that He's the Alpha Stitched and was a victim of Merlot's experimentation.
- Was Once a Man: He was just a Huntsman that was kidnapped, being transformed into the Grimm that attacked Gaza and the heroes.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Nearly nothing is known about Yishaq before he became a Grimm and was killed, with only his name, job as a Huntsman and his illnesses being revealed to the heroes.
- White Mask of Doom: Like the rest of the Stitched, Yishaq has a white mask similar to a porcelain doll rather than the typical animalistic masks that Grimm have.
Afra Hawrā
- “Sure! What is it? Dust Lung, Rockjoint, Sand Rash? Anything troubling you won’t be a problem for me to fix!”
A young girl working for Isidis City's most famous pharmacy alongside her mother.
- Bookworm: Admits to enjoying her books and work when Zanthus pointed out that she loves her work more than usual.
- Fairytale Motif: She's based on the Houri, an Islamic myth of women who accompany faithful Muslims in Paradise.
- Meaningful Name:
- Afra is Hebrew/Arabic for "young deer/colour of earth", connecting to her dark, earthy skin tone and job working with plants and herbs.
- Hawra is a Quranic name for "white" or "fair", connecting to her hidden white hair, only seen with her white eyebrows. It's also connected to those with black eyes and intense white parts of the eyes, which are the Houri; Afra's allusion.
- The Medic: Though not a doctor, only being a teen younger than Zanthus and Roxanne, Afra is surprisingly knowledgeable in herbs and medicines along with various different illnesses and diseases. Given that she works in a pharmacy, she needs to know a lot of this to be good at her job.
- Mind over Matter: She has a telekinesis Semblance, which she uses a lot around the pharmacy she works in.
- Ms. Exposition: A more minor one, but it's Afra to explain the whole science behind Aura and how doctors monitor such a thing with hospitalised Huntsmen, along with the unnamed doctor.
- Never Bareheaded: She wears a pink headscarf in all of her appearances.
- Nice Girl: She's friendly, patient and always willing to lend a helping hand. The first thing she does when she hears of Yishaq's disappearance is to go and check up on his children, even when she's supposed to be working.
- Technicolor Eyes: Her eyes are a solid black with white pupils.
Captain François Vouivre
- “I ain’t ‘bout to deal with no land loving, fruit eating, words before action diplomats today! Go ‘way before I open this door!”
An ancient sailor who once served in the Great War for Atlas, before settling down in Vacuo afterwards and opening the Southern Shipping Company; the largest company of sailing ships in Remnant.
- The Captain: He became one during the Great War, and is still referred to as Captain even after retiring 80 years later.
- Easily Forgiven: Subverted. He worked for Atlas during the Great War, which saw Atlas occupying Vacuo and draining the kingdom of its resources and trying to surpress its culture. However, when Atlas was forced to retreat after the war, Francios remained, defending Vacuo's ships from the pirates that had took advantage of Atlas no longer being around. His hard work meant that, eventually, Vacuo and its people accepted Francois as one of their own.
- Grumpy Old Man: His only appearance has him practically threatening whoever is knocking on his door with violence, and even when it's revealed to only be Academy students, Francois is still noticeably crabby.
- Hero of Another Story: How he eventually defected from Atlas, protected Vacuo from the increase pirate raids, and later created Remnant's biggest shipping company is all unknown, but is hinted at by Mauve; another Atlesian.
- Meaningful Name:
- Francois is the French translation of the name Francis, which is his allusion's name. It can also mean "Free Man", with Francois freeing the people of Vacuo from pirates.
- Vouivre is derived from the word Vipera or Viper, and commonly refers to dragons. His allusion's last name was Francis Drake.
- Mr. Exposition: The Southern Shipping Company is his company, and the problems with the pirates, including name dropping the Pirate Queen herself, is done by him to Mauve and Adam, first introducing these topics to the reader.
- Old Soldier: He used to sail under the Atlas Military in his youth, having fought in the Great War itself. Afterwards, he remained in Vacuo because of his work protecting the kingdom's ships from pirates.
- Privateer: Just like his allusion, Francis Drake, Francois was one working for Atlas, having seen plenty of war during his sailing years in Vacuo.
- Seadog Beard: A captain and has a white beard to match.
- Spanner in the Works: This to the pirates of Isla de Teroso, as Atlas' withdrawal from Vacuo left an opening for the pirates to attack, only to find that one captain remained and singlehandedly fought them off.
- Technologically Blind Elders: Refuses to have any sort of technology in his office, preferring to use the old fashioned ship log books instead. A strange thing since he originated from Atlas; the most technologically advanced kingdom in Remnant.
Chavi Kokkinos
- “Chavi is as good as any woman can be at a hundred and thirty years old. The Nitzkhi are a people blessed with a long life, but even we aren’t immune to the effects of age. We won’t find a teacher under her anymore.”
The matriarch of the Kokkinos tribe, Eliana's mentor, and the current Summer Maiden.
- Meaningful Name:
- Chavi is a Hebrew name meaning "Life", with Chavi herself belonging to a long race of people that are blessed with long life.
- While not just her name, the name of her people that Eliana also belongs to, the Nitzhi, is Hebrew for "Eternal" or "Undying". They're one of the few races stated to live for longer than others, with Chavi being confirmed to be 130 years old, and many living far past that.
- Really 700 Years Old: While she hasn't been seen yet, Eliana confirmed that Chavi is actually 130, which is noted to be abnormal amongst the races outside the Nitzhi.
- The Unseen: Despite being talked about by Ironwood, Roxanne and Eliana, Chavi actually hasn't made an actual appearance in the story.
Samson's Valley
The mountain range separating Vale from Vacuo, Samson's Valley is the territory of the largest tribe; the Leib Tribe.
Leib Tribe
- “The Leib Tribe occupies Samson’s Valley, and that’s on the other side of the kingdom. The distance alone would deter most merchants, not counting in the dangers from Grimm and wildlife that live in the desert.”
The original tribe of Sable Leib and her children, the Leib Tribe is considered one of the 12 Tribes of Vacuo, occupying Samson's Valley and the Scarlet Fields.
- Fairytale Motif: All the named members of the tribe are based off people from the story of Moses, namely Jethro and Sable.
- Found Family: Many are not related by blood, but they protect each other as if they're their own. The tribe is willing to even fight Banesaw when he appears looking for Blake, Jethro going as far as to lie to protect the teenage girl.
- In the Hood: The women, and some men, of the tribe wear religious headscarves that cover their head and hide their faces in shadows, with the two examples being Sable and Zanthus.
- Little Bit Beastly: The Faunus-exclusive tribe.
- Meaningful Name: Their names are all the original Hebrew spellings of the Biblical names.
- Seeking Sanctuary: They're known to take in Faunus that have no other home, one of them being Blake Belladonna.
