Characters > Protagonists > Scathe Crew

The Scathe Crew

There are many, many interesting people who reside at Scathe Academy, but these six get themselves into the most mischief. While they’re outside of classes, they are often exploring the secrets of the school, concocting new spells, inventions, or brews, or they’re pulling pranks on each other and on their teachers and classmates. Despite their unpredictability, they are also some of Scathe’s brightest, and their friendliest.

Nikephoros Bicaust

After literally falling out of their normal life and into Scathe, Nike is the curious newcomer to the Academy. Hailing from the land of Kerios and shouldering many duties placed upon them by their current guardian and mentor, the young dragonkin seems sometimes to offer more questions than answers. Still, their arrival and the return of a planet seemingly lost should bode well, if they can keep themself out of harm’s way.

Gender: Nonbinary (They/them)

Allegiance: The Valt/Scathe Academy

Profession: Alchemy student, botany major, “Herald of Two Flames”

Sexuality: Biromantic Demisexual

Race: Dragonkin (Rougnis/Vertin halfbreed)

Conditions: Social Anxiety, PTSD, [REDACTED]

Wealth: Moderately poor 

Equipment: Suppressant, sharpened trowel, satchel with herbs, journal and pencils, Shifter’s Clothes, vials, Fae dust, mana dust

Special Abilities:

• Draconic Abilities

  • Vertin Acid - Nike secretes a highly venomous and caustic acid from their hands and salivary glands. It reacts with flammables and makes them burn longer and are unable to be put out, while remaining acidic. They use their suppressant to help control it 

  • Rougnis Fire - Nike can breathe fire thanks to a flammable chemical they secrete from their salivary glands. It automatically mixes with their acid, and instead of burning orange it burns a yellowish green. They use their suppressant to help control it. 

  • Wing Shift - Nike can summon draconic wings through their ancestral link, and uses them to fly often. 

• Ancestral Link - Nike has a magical link to the dragons that are at the head of their ancestral lineage. They are the only dragonkin known to have links with two ancestors; Fermuni of the Vertin and Rasja of the Rougnis. Nike can call upon their great powers and significantly increase their strength, speed, and resilience for a short time, known as Ancestral Wrath. They also can communicate with Rasja and Fermuni’s spirits on occasion, often through dreams. 

• Wilderness Experience - Nike has spent days on end in the mountain forests of their home and can identify nearly any naturally occurring plant by sight alone, and most other plants with some short examination from textbook descriptions. They also are highly self sufficient, and can care for themselves for a long time. 

• Destiny’s Call - Nike is thought time be the mystical “Herald of Two Flames” and is often under a lot of pressure to perform their “duties” to the world. However, they struggle to accept these ideas, given the nature of the tasks that have been asked of them. 

• Whisperer’s Gaze - Nike is under the gaze of the Whisperer in Darkness, and is often subject to horrifying nightmares, and can often see and hear the Whisperer speaking to them, attempting to advise them. Nike doesn’t know what to make of the strange entity. 

Pastimes: Nike enjoys caring for plants, flying and exploring, and making new alchemical and botanical discoveries. They’re an introvert, but they almost always are seen with the Primal Spirit of Sparks, Varnica— whom they call Nugget. They also like to daydream, often about a certain teacher’s assistant that they keep running into.

Terence Scarletspear

One of the few natives to the rift that Scathe resides in, Terence was born and raised at the Academy, where both of his parents are professors. Some believe he is favored by the staff because of his family, others are suspicious of his simultaneously celestial and demonic lineage. Meanwhile, his parents are each increasingly busy with their careers and their own magical issues. These feelings have made him an ironic outsider, and yet Terence has found friends who help him stay cheerful, and calm him when his fierce anger rears its head, and his lineage begins to truly show.

Gender: Male (He/him-they/them)

Allegiance: Scathe Academy

Profession: Duelist/Warlock, teaching assistant, student

Sexuality: Pansexual

Race: Demon/human/celestial hybrid

Conditions: Curse of Wrath, Blood of Asharderis

Wealth: Wealthy

Equipment: Class 4 Warlock Grimoire, naginata (spear), darksteel sword, mithral cutlass, boots of swiftness, coat of fire resistance, amulet of demon binding

Special Abilities:

• Wall Walk - Terence can walk on walls and ceilings as though they were the floor as long as he’s carrying less than his own body weight. 

• Speed - Terence runs and reacts roughly twice as fast as a normal human in base form.

• Strength - Terence can lift things weighing up to 1,000 pounds without damage in base form.

• Swordsmanship - Terence is a skilled one on one duelist, who has trained for many years to be as good as he is.

• Quick Healing - Terence heals from damage in 1/4th the time it takes a normal human to.

• Antimagic Vulnerability - Terence is a highly magical being, so areas lacking magic cause him to become more lethargic and dizzy.

• Spellcasting - Terence is an advanced warlock with a full grimoire, and can summon demons up to an Archdemon level. He is good at casting magic spells but often requires vocal or written components to do so. He is working to master the Glyph of Pacification.

• Demon Blood - As he gets angrier Terence’s strength and speed increases and he gains access to dark magic abilities, making him much more dangerous.

• Soul Touch - Terence can interact with intangible things as though they were semisolid.

• Survival Skills - Terence is trained in some wilderness survival and has a naturally hardy physiology, so he is good at surviving in harsh conditions.

Pastimes: Terence enjoys drawing, reading, and doing gymnastics. He likes to practice new uses for his magic as well as mindfulness to deal with his anger. His favorite pastime is spending time with his friends

Veronica Stormhand

Few people can say they apprentice under a dragon, and fewer can say they’re even half as intellectually capable and inventive as the professors of Scathe. Veronica can proudly proclaim both feats, and she is an enthusiastic contributor to Dragon Lord Aerious’s studies. Practical, level-headed, and always tinkering, Veronica can make something from anything. What she lacks in natural magical talent, she more than makes up for in sheer ingenuity. While they sometimes joke she’s too busy for even Lith to catch her eye, Veronica makes a point to spend time with her friends, and employs all of her skills to make them smile.

Gender: Female (She/her-they/them)

Allegiance: Scathe Academy/Dragon Lord Aerious

Profession: Artificer, Storm Channeler, Assistant Teacher, Mad Scientist

Sexuality: Aro/Ace

Race: Kelratran Human

Conditions: None

Wealth: Moderate

Equipment: Mana Pack, Storm Conduit Gauntlet, Artificer’s Gauntlet, Artificer Boots, Storm Staff, Leyline Goggles, Scathe Standard Time Watch

Special Abilities:

• Mana Synch - Veronica’s equipment setup allows her to negate spells via absorbing their energy into the storage tank on her back, and either using her artificer’s gauntlet to use it to engrave runes onto something, or using her storm gauntlet and storm staff to turn it into electrical magic and cast it back. This invention is a big work in progress, and is prone to minor errors, over absorbing magic, and is also a bit delicate.

• Ley-Sight - Veronica can detect major and medium leylines while wearing her Leyline Goggles.

• Mad Scientist - Veronica is quite good at thinking up and creating new mechanisms to aid her at Scathe or in general, and is considered a talented student.

• Cooking - Veronica is not only good at alchemy, but standard cooking, and enjoys finding creative ways to cook things.

• Artifice - Veronica is a fourth year in the artificer program, and is one of Dragon Lord Aerious’s favorites, meaning she’s good at what she does.

Pastimes: Veronica enjoys working on new advances in her gear and ideas and showing them off to her friends. She also spends a good deal of time attending classes or helping Dragon Lord Aerious. When she’s not tinkering in the workshop, she also experiments in the kitchen, much to the delight of her friends.

Nugget (Varnica)

Few primal spirits are personable, and this easily can be seen in the sharp-tongued, witty Varnica. As the Primal Spirit of Sparks, he may not be the most powerful, but he can easily singe even the most careful of foes with a few quick jabs. Despite his fiery persona, he has a soft spot for Nike— whom he protects relentlessly. They gave him the nickname ‘Nugget’ after they mistook him for a strangely glowing ember. He considers himself their older sibling, and will do anything to protect them, and a select few of those they care deeply for, even if he'd happily trade insults instead.

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Allegiance: Nike/the Valt

Profession: Bodyguard, Spirit of Sparks

Sexuality: Pansexual

Race: Primal Spirit

Conditions: Thrice Bound

Wealth: N/A

Equipment: Phoenix Rapier

Special Abilities:

• Oath of the Guardian - Nugget is bound to protect Nike from harm by an agreement with Reyn, and since the Primal Spirits of Kerios have a close affinity with the Fae, to break this bond would be almost impossible.

• Heat Synch - Nugget absorbs heat and sparks, gaining power up to a certain point, this effectively refills his mana reserves and can even heal him.

• Shapeshifting - Nugget can choose to take a variety of forms including a small dragon-like form, and that of a fiery masked duelist.

• Fire Magic - Nugget can innately cast a multitude of fire spells.

• Speed - Nugget is as quick as an arrow and can fly in both humanoid and dragonoid forms.

• Immortal - Nugget is immune to the ravages of time, and even magical aging has no effect on him. He is also resistant to normal damage, which has a hard time hurting him like his flesh is as tough as wood. He is resilient to some poisons, most mortal diseases, and won’t die of normal starvation. His need for air is much less than a human’s, his need for water is nonexistent, and he can sustain a near mortal injury without dying. Nugget isn’t completely immortal, but does regenerate very quickly, healing in minutes or hours rather than days or months.

• Primal Weaknesses - Lead and Darksteel weapons cut deeply into and sicken Nugget, as does necrotic magic.

• Cold Vulnerability - Nugget is vulnerable to cold magic, and has an innate fear of cold tempratures.

• Phoenix Blade - Nugget’s sword in humanoid form can absorb flames and shoot out blasts of fire and heat.

Pastimes: Nugget enjoys spending time sleeping near heat sources and teasing Nike and their friends to a large degree. As well, Nugget also enjoys practicing his dueling abilities.

Back to Protagonists