Jem

Jem Carnelia is a freelancer mercenary and former Azurian Royal Guard, who is the third member of Squad 2. Her first appearance is in Chapter 2, Part 3. Her weapons of choice are a warhammer and a hand cannon, and is a user of Forestry and Earth Aether. She wishes to stop corruption in kingdoms across Capellus, as well as bringing her guild to the greatest heights it can reach. She has one of the highest bounties in Capellus.

JemOCChart: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WdeCx23ploZT89OXV4oCUccearWq2ZbNROTqXUF2bR8/edit?usp=sharing

Backstory
Jem was born into a branch family of the Azurian Royals that has a long history of being the King of Azuria's right hand in the royal military, the Carnelia's. She was born and raised in the kingdom of Azuria. Her father, Sirus Carnelia, was a renowned and war general, and her mother, Fiora Carnelia, was an appointed mage of the Azurian Royal Court, so expectations were high for her. She had to prove her worth. Due to this pressure, she put everything she had into her studies and combat practice, sometimes going for days without rest in order to gain the approval of her peers and family. Her father was hard on her, but she knew that it was so that she could find the success she strove for and that he cared greatly for her. Overtime, Jem kept her pent up emotions inside, until she eventually became prone to an occasional outburst of being vulgar and brash. She tried often to stay very positive, in an attempt to keep others' spirits up. Her mother was often not around due to her duties as a mage. When she was only 5, her father gave her a white scarf that he had hand-knitted himself, which she wears it to this day.

It was discovered at an early age that she had an affinity for Earth Aether, an ability not before seen in her family. She honed this Aether ability as much as she could, propelling her combat prowess to new heights and thus making her a perfect candidate for joining the Azurian Army. She had a proficiency for using hammers, falling out of line of the typical weaponry of an Azurian soldier.

When she was eventually eligible to join the military, she was accepted without a second thought due to her combat prowess and battle instincts, and especially her heritage. To celebrate this, her father hand-crafted her Almandite, a warhammer he custom made himself just for the occasion, and she has treasured it since receiving it. Around this time, her mother mysteriously disappeared on a mission outside the kingdom. Nobody knew what had happened to her, and her book on forestry Aether was left behind at the King's castle. The book contained many findings on the uses of Forestry Aether in both combat and practical use, primarily about growing wood from one's body. It was given to Jem, and though she didn't realize it at the time, it would be instrumental to the development of her Forestry. It was also around this time that Jem aquired her most prized possession from her father. This possession is her white scarf, which is an heirloom of sorts and has been worn by nearly all prominent members of her family. As such, she is very protective of it.

During Jem's first survey mission as a squadron leader, Jem's squadron was ambushed and she discovered her powers of Forestry manipulation in self defense. Due to this discovery, doubled with her Earth Aether, she quickly rose to the rank of the Royal Guard and Captain of an Azurian regiment. She also worked to build a strong reputation with the Azurian people, gaining their support in the process. She made her way through these military ropes at the age of 15, a feat matched by her military predecessors of the Carnelia family.

She was eventually appointed as a bodyguard to the successor to the throne, Kevin, with the King believing that the two working together would allow them to have a strong bond when they both reached their roles of King and Head Military General respectively. Jem had known Kevin from when she was a child, as her father and the King had worked alongside another before as the King and Head General respectively. She believed he was more than capable of defending himself, but the King has insisted on it. Through being his bodyguard, they became childhood friends. The two often sparred together to better their combat prowess, as both had things they could learn from one another. This led the two to develop a friendly rivalry, which motivated Jem to achieve greater success than she already had. She saw him as a natural born leader capable of being a great king.

Kevin eventually gave up his right to the throne, and the kingdom became angry with Kevin. Jem felt she was the only one left on his side, with her convictions of loyalty refusing to leave her side. Kevin went into town one night and Jem, worrying for his safety with the political situation, tailed him. She lost track of him until she heard screaming, and when she found the source of the screaming, she didn't believe what she saw. It was Kevin, sitting against a wall with tears streaming down his face, 6 bodies of citizens and soldiers alike around him. His sword was covered in blood. Military were already on the scene, but she stood still and the world seemed to stop for her. She knew Kevin well enough to realize that this could not be true–that he wouldn't kill innocent people–there had to be more to the situation. Kevin was ultimately exiled from the Kingdom, waving goodbye and giving a smile to Jem as he walked down the path until she could no longer see him anymore. This became the turning point in Jem's life; where things began to decline from the highs she had reached. She was certain he wouldn't kill those people without reason and began to investigate, which eventually lead her to believe there was corruption from within the military.

In Kevin's absence, the king and his government became more and more corrupt, perplexing Jem due to the King's previous nature of putting his people first beforehand. Jem eventually uncovered how deep the corruption ran due to the building suspicion about the ambitions of the military, feeling betrayed and crushed that she had worked all her life towards a corrupt rule that harmed its citizens and cast them aside. As she was vocal about her hate for governmental corruption previously, she attempted to expose the government for its corruption, to which the citizens listened. As a result of her words beginning greater unrest, the King took measures out of the ordinary. He ordered Jem's father Sirus Carnelia to be executed so that she may feel the gravity of her rebeliousness towards the throne. Her father was attacked by Azurian Royal Guardsmen at their home, left on the verge of death in the rubble of their home. Her father, being the King's former right hand, now understood that there was no saving the King from how far he had fallen into corruption and that the Kingdom was doomed to fall into a dark period.

Sirus bleeding out in her arms, he told Jem that his death wasn't her fault and that he was proud of what she had accomplished, dying of his injuries. In his passing, Jem's emotions reached their peak, causing her family's inherited Aether to awaken within her. This Aether is known as Ire, an alternative Aether inherited from the Carnelia bloodline that grants a boost in power in response to a rise in blood pressure, essentially being a more powerful form of adrenaline. In Jem's case, raises in blood pressure were often a result of rage, causing Jem to aptly name it Rage Boost.

Her family's Aether awakened, her blood boiled as her own squadron that she once led into battle stopped before the ruins of her home and ordered her to come peacefully to the castle. She rose to her feet and extended the handle of Almandite and slammed its hammerhead into the ground, turning to reveal her eyes, now lacking pupils and appearing entirely white, with her veins bulging from her face. This was the physical sign of her first activation of Rage Boost. In pure anger, she incapacitated her squadron with brutal and powerful swings of her hammer and striking them with her Aspen Arms. After the squadron was taken down, Jem began to march towards the castle on her own, intent on giving the King comeuppance for what he had done to her father and her home.

Citizens were rioting in the streets as a result of the corrupted governments actions. Jem walked through the riot-filled streets with nothing on her mind but the King, failing to notice a golden-eyed figure around a corner, smiling to himself and watching as she continued to move towards the castle.

Eventually she reached the castle, incapacitated many guards in anger before walking into the throne room, as the King, who was known to be quite powerful in combat, awaited her. They had a long and grueling battle, though Jem felt something was off about the King. She didn't pay it any mind, however, with her sole focus being on bringing justice to the King. Exhausted from such a high level of Rage Boost and acting purely on instinct, she was able to grow a wooden spike from her arm and impale the King with it, resulting in the his death. This made her a wanted criminal in Azuria and beyond, and forces from across the kingdom began to close in on the castle. She managed to narrowly escape the kingdom alive in her very weakened state.

That night had scarred her, and her previously cheerful and often happy go lucky self became more hot-tempered and serious. She developed a deep sense of wishing to carry out justice to those who wrong their people. She deeply believed that those who betray their comrades should face justice, and this became ingrained into her spirit. She kept her past secret from others until she knew they were worth entrusting her life to and vice versa. She managed to travel for 2 days before collapsing in a forest southwest of Azuria due to her injuries from her battle with the King. She stayed in that forest for a month, studying its nature and practicing her forestry and earth Aether. She eventually became a freelance mercenary, conducting her work under the alias of "Judas," a name that she borrowed from her brother, Judas Carnelia. She became well-known around the land for her work. Despite this, she had not been caught by Azurian soldiers, and continued to be on the run from them for months.

Ever since leaving Azuria, she has lived with a guilt that she quietly bears. She had convinced herself that what she did was righteous, but worried for the citizens of Azuria. She searched for Kevin in order to tell him of what had happened, regardless of what his reaction would be. For months she searched for him, following any trails she could pick up, until she was discovered by a certain wolf and kitsune that would aid her in her search.

Appearance
Jem is a girl that has somewhat pale skin, bright red eyes, and waist length red hair that she ties up into a ponytail. As an outfit, she wears a dark turquoise sleeveless shirt, with white bandages wrapped around her arms from her hands up to her shoulders. Over this, she wears a white leather jacket with a red interior and gold trim, with two gold cross emblems on each side of it's collar. She also wears a white pleated skirt with a dark turquoise belt, as well as gloves and boots of the same color, each with gold trim. Additionally, she has a white scarf around her neck and red tights. She also wears a cloak that is the same color as her shirt with a white line going around the bottom when she wishes to conceal her identity.

Before the events of the story she wears a black, sleeveless military uniform with a long open skirt that has a gold trim, as well as black boots that extend into tights, black arm sleeves, and her white scarf. Her hair is shorter but still in a ponytail, just reaching her shoulder blades.

Personality
Jem is determined and very hot-blooded. She is hyperactive with her thinking, which is the cause of her habit of trying to predict an opponents movements, which is both good and bad. Often being very blunt, she can come off as disrespectful to others. She typically keeps her past a secret from those who don't know it to prevent others from getting involved, with the only acception being those she absolutely trusts. In her past, she was very upbeat, playful/cocky, and joking. She slowly begins to go back to this personality through her time with HaTGanG, but her seriousness remains intact. She might not say it aloud, but she gets attached to people easily and can make reckless decisions to protect them. She feels a heavy need to carry out justice to those who wrong their people, which becomes a driving force in her motivation as well as her reckless and headstrong nature.

Forestry Aether
Jem has the ability to create and manipulate forestry. Ex. Trees, Plants, Vines, Wood. Can make created nature grow and move at will. Created nature will have roses scattered on them. Requires Jem to use a catalyst(i.e. a seed) in order to create forestry, but she can manipulate forestry as long as she touches it. She has vines wrapped underneath her gloves and carries things like seeds and roots in pouches along the backside of her belt.

Earth Aether
Jem can manipulate the ground/soil and rocks. This allows her to be able to make many things from the Earth including walls, pillars, domes, and weapons, as well as practical things like stairs, ramps, etc. Some things she can do include: use pillars created from the earth to give her high ground or to attack opponents with, create domes of soil and rock for protection, create a shield from a strong kind of rock, etc.

Close Quarters Combat
Jem is decently proficient in close range combat due to her physical strength. She does not know martial arts, however, and relies on more of a street brawling style.

Almandite
Jem's signature weapon. It's a warhammer made from gold and silver, with a large circular red jewel, which she calls the Irestone, in the hammerhead's center that absorbs some of her Aether and Ire from Rage Boost to be used for attacks. Though it is large, it is relatively lightweight, allowing it to be spun and swung with ease by Jem. She carries it on her back with the handle retracted and hammerhead disassembled, all wrapped in a white, bandage-like cloth.
 * Retractable Handle: Almandite's handle can retract, making it easier to carry or also allowing it to be wielded with one hand.
 * Dismantleable Hammerhead: Almandite's hammerhead can disassemble with the use of Earth Aether to allow it to be carried more easily. This also allows Almandite to rearrange its hammerhead into two other forms, which are Helm Splitter and Drill Spear.
 * Forestry and Earth: It is able to be used in tandem with Jem's forestry abilities, meaning forestry can grow from the weapon if Jem is in contact with it. Additionally, Almandite can create tremors in the ground if struck with enough force, allowing it to be a good tool to shake up her Earth Aether use.

Rose
A hand cannon that Jem acquired during her time as a freelancer. It holds 16 rounds, able to fire 4 shots per second. It has holographic laser sights for improved accuracy. Being relatively lightweight, it can be drawn quickly and fired with hardly any recoil. When Rage Boost is active, Ire seeps into the chamber, causing the bullets to have increased damage.

Purity Scarf
A white scarf that belonged to Jem's father. It is her most treasured possession. If put over her mouth, it works as an air purifier and protector for things like poisonous gas and sandstorms.

Forester's Garb
Jem's outfit has the ability to have Jem's Forestry Aether permeate through it, so any wood that is grown from Jem's body will not get snagged on her clothing or rip it, but instead go through it without damaging it.

Rage Boost
This gives her a boost in physical strength and aether potency when she is angered or experiences a rise in blood pressure. This is fueled by a form of alternative Aether passed down through Jem's bloodline called Ire, which grants the user power in reaction to a rise in blood pressure. In Jem's case, her blood pressure rises easily from her temper, giving the transformation its name. Rage Boost activates automatically rises in intensity as she gets more angered. She typically doesn't like to rely on it, so the only way to control it is to be self conscious of it and keep emotions in check in battle. It is esentially a more powerful form of adrenaline, and it does not expend her energy if she isn't exerting herself.
 * Red Tiger's Rush: Jem funnels as much of her Ire and raw Aether into her arms as possible, causing them to give off a red-ish glow. If the opponent is within close range, she quickly springs forward and strikes the opponent with a flurry of strikes that increase in speed the longer she attacks. faster as she funnels more and more of her energy into her arms, striking all over the opponent's body. The final blow transfers the energy from her other arm into a single arm for a powerful finishing strike. This strike, carrying so much energy behind it, explosively sends the opponent flying with a sound similar to a shotgun firing.
 * She can use between 100 and 1000 strikes between increments of 100. Her limit at the beginning of the story is only 100, but as she gains more control of Rage Boost, she is better able to access this ability. At endgame, she is able to achieve 1000 Blows.
 * The higher the number of blows, the more destructive power as well as drawback it has. 100 Blows could potentially KO her opponent, while 1000 strikes could destroy structures. With its drawbacks, 100 strikes would leave her open to an attack following the finishing blow and would cut about a sixth of her aether pool, while 1000 strikes leaves her out of commission for some time.
 * Regardless of how many strikes she does, the timer on Rage Boost will be shortened, causing the drawbacks of Rage Boost to take effect quicker based on what stage she's in.

Trival Information

 * Jem has a habit of saying "hoo boy" in response to a lot of things.
 * She keeps a journal of people she meets that are not human that notes their features, like demon horns, angel wings or kitsune ears. She has always been interested in other races/species' differences compared to humans.
 * In the second half of the same journal, she has pages filled with different things from her studies of nature, like vegetation and even different kinds of minerals. These journal entries give her ideas on different ways she can use her earth and forestry in combat, as well as for practical uses.


 * She hates fighting someone when they are not at their full strength, and often insists on not fighting unless the opponent is at their full capacity.
 * She only does this for the sake of pride, and wants there to be no questions about the winner's victory.


 * Jem feels the need to examine/touch parts of people that aren't human to satisfy her curiosity(e.g. demon horns, kitsune ears). For example, she tries to touch Phantom's ears whenever they aren't hidden.


 * She hates mushrooms, and they are one of the only things she refuses to eat.


 * She almost always tries to keep a serious face and tries to keep up a front of being tough, but she has a shine in her eyes and when she's excited and will sometimes drop her tough act from excitement.
 * She smiles more often around Phantom because of his personality, which is something that she tries to play off.


 * She gets oddly excited about using earth and forestry aether and has a fascination with things related to her elements of aether.


 * She has a habit of smirking when she's proud of herself or finds something funny.


 * Her last name is derived from the red gemstone called the Carnelian.