Carmot Arken

"Laugh and jeer as you wish. My kingdom will come. Your opinion is irrelevant."

- Carmot Arken

Overview
A young, ambitious huntsman who was a former 3rd-year student at Beacon academy. Originally born in Atlas, he left his home country to pursue his dreams instead of joining the military as a Specialist and uses his huntsman training as a means to an end. He currently wanders Sanus in search of a land to start his own Kingdom.

Carmot is accompanied by a teammate from Beacon named Jade Teal. He is on bad terms with his other former teammates, Rosetta Raine and Mithral Vale, who have since gone their own ways after their collective time at Beacon.

Once a haughty, uncaring individual, Carmot has since learned the error of his ways and is currently trying to move forward from his past baggage and abrasive personality. He is still a stern and confident individual, but he has begun tempering himself with compassion.

Quite intelligent and competent in most areas, Carmot continues to learn as he wanders. He practices his immense Dust Casting skills whenever he can and actively studies statesmanship, economics, and other subjects related to building and maintaining a successful Kingdom.

Early Life
Born in Atlas to a military research engineer and Specialist named Aurum and Argenta respectively, Carmot's career path as a Huntsman was decided for him since birth. As he was growing up he was surrounded by Dust from his father's research and his mother's armory, learning all about it from a young age. He developed a fascination with Dust from a young age primarily because it was colorful and shiny, and as he grew up, because of its utility and importance in society.Reading fairy tales as a young boy only fueled his imagination further, and caused him to develop a dream of starting his own Kingdom, like those great warriors and heroes of ancient times. His parents believed that Carmot could do whatever he put his mind to, but also cautioned that he should expect to have to make great sacrifices for his dreams. Though he didn't fully understand what they meant at the time, he was still happy to be encouraged by his parents. His fascination with Dust and his dream of creating a Kingdom would later drive him forward in his studies, but also isolate him from his less ambitious peers.

While Aurum and Argenta were loving parents who wanted the best for their child, some would argue that their behavior was radical and borderline abusive. The day Carmot was old enough to hold a weapon in his hands (probably around the age of 4 or 5) his parents unlocked his Aura, and his mother began training him as a Huntsman. Much of his life before the age of 13 was spent being homeschooled, having the fundamentals of combat, Dust, and other such subjects pertinent to a Hunter's career. He was more or less raised as a child soldier, subject to militaristic discipline coupled with loving care from his parents.

Early Schooling and Semblance Discovery
Early on in Carmot's private lessons it was clear where he wanted to specialize: Dust. Not only was he a prodigy when it came to using Dust, he saw Dust casting as the ultimate expression of his creativity, enabling him to bend the elements to his will and form whatever he desired. He worked especially hard on mastering the basics of Dust casting, obliterating targets and solving puzzles by day while pouring over tomes of knowledge by night, often falling asleep with a book in his lap or his head on his desk. Amused and proud of his hard work, his parents continually rewarded his voracious hunger for Dust knowledge and casting expertise with more books and lessons on the subject - so long as he kept up with other areas of study.

It was only a few years after his private lessons began (around the age of 9) that Carmot discovered his Semblance during a particularly difficult training session with his father, having run out of Dust to use in shortsightedness. Under duress, indignation, and strong desire, Carmot's Semblance of Dust creation awakened. His parents both knew that such a Semblance was not only dangerous in the wrong hands, but also put Carmot at risk of being hunted by those who knew of his Semblance to take advantage of such power. All three agreed that Carmot's Semblance should be kept a closely guarded secret, but that it should also be honed to the highest degree so that Carmot would not be at a disadvantage when he had to use it. Semblance training was added to his already busy training regimen so that he could use it at a moment's notice later on.

Combat Schooling
For his 13th birthday Carmot received his acceptance letter to a local combat school called Sentinel Academy. By this age he had a firm grasp on many of the fundamentals of being a Huntsman, and while he was a little bit behind in some areas he was in a position to where he could catch up if he worked hard. He was above average for his peer group in combat training, the role of a Hunter and Grimm studies, but was just shy of average in general education. He had yet to construct a personalized weapon, but given how he desired to focus on Dust casting he knew that he would make a weapon conducive to that.

He had certainly mastered the basics of Dust and many of its uses by this time, and was well-versed in advanced techniques. He tested out of multiple courses involving Dust, and was placed in the most advanced classes with the highest honors, typically finding himself with older students in higher grades. The however, the age difference between the students in his advanced Dust classes placed a social strain on Carmot as he was shunned as a highly skilled brat by the older students, while Carmot saw his normal peers as mediocre with no higher ambitions of their own.

He frequently voiced his dream of starting a new Kingdom and found himself a laughing stock to his peers. However, his parents and the odd student or teacher that actually saw he was serious kept encouraging him, letting him know that anyone who wanted to achieve a dream had to face opposition and trials. He took those encouraging words to heart and pushed on, knowing that as long as he worked toward his goal one day he would achieve it.

Between Semesters he was tutored further by his mother in the arts of a Hunter, often accompanying her on low-risk missions once his customized weapons were finished. The fact that he had named them Godhand and Godspeed were already hints of developing an inflated ego due to his skill with Dust Casting and lofty goal. Even worse was the fact that he often had the power and skill to back up his ego in most cases. However, the occasional defeat in sparring matches and close call in the field helped bring his ego in check, at least for a little while.

Enrollment at Beacon
When the time came to enroll in a Huntsman Academy, Carmot decided not to enroll at Atlas Academy in order to preserve the freedom to pursue his lofty dreams rather than become an arm of the Atlas military. He was looking at various other Huntsman academies, including some outside of Atlas. During his time at Sentinel, however, footage of him using his Semblance in secret was recorded by a less-than-reputable company without his knowledge.

This company, the Dust Arms and Engineering Corporation (DAEC for short) had been eyeing Carmot for his stellar Dust casting abilities and knowledge and wanted to have him as a potential researcher, tester, and in-house Dust producer once they learned of his Semblance. Well-funded by contracts with the Atlas military and a blind eye turned to their less savory methods because of their results, the DAEC had almost free reign to pursue potential employees with a variety of underhanded methods - provided they didn't go too far.

Though he planned on leaving Atlas anyway, Carmot was forced step up his timetable to avoid conscription by the DAEC coupled with the greased palms of unethical military commanders. Shortly after he fled, his parents were blackmailed into an ultimatum: retrieve their son by any means necessary, or have his secret exposed to the world and their jobs in jeopardy. Worried that unsavory people would be after their only child on top of a dishonorable discharge, Aurum and Argenta painfully decided to find and retrieve Carmot, though they bought as much time as they could to avoid the inevitable confrontation.

Ending up in Vale, Carmot decided to make the most of his sudden egress from Atlas, though he did worry about what his parents would do in face of the DAEC's mission to conscript him. Now 18, he enrolled at Beacon Academy and passed the trials, although there were concerns about his interpersonal development and potential conflict in a team environment. Regardless, a pass is a pass, and Carmot was enrolled at Beacon Academy about 1 year prior to the events of RWBY.

Beacon: Year 1
<p class="MsoNormal">After initiation Carmot was placed on a team with 3 other students and named its leader. Though there were noted concerns about his social interactions with others, his ambition, confidence, and cool head were deemed enough to earn him a leadership position on the team. Indeed, Carmot was a good leader, able to direct his teammates well on the battlefield, develop winning strategies, and play to all of their strengths while finding ways to cover their weaknesses. However, he was a poor friend, doing little with the rest of his team when it came to social time and was generally aloof and reserved.

<p class="MsoNormal">He continued with the policy of keeping his Semblance a secret, only using it in absolute privacy or whenever there was enough chaos that he was certain nobody was observing him. On top of that, he managed to stockpile enough to start selling Dust himself, often to other students or passerby Huntsmen at a premium price that undercut local Dust shops. He rarely went to Dust stores because of his ability, which only raised further suspicions on how he was able to stockpile so much Dust in a short period of time. Little questions such as these began to pile up, and suspicion slowly started to develop in Carmot's teammates.

<p class="MsoNormal">The second semester included the biennial Vytal Festival Tournament, and naturally team CRMT signed up for it. They fought valiantly, but a bad matchup in the doubles round coupled with a bad call by Carmot cost team CRMT the match. However, during the tournament Carmot used his Semblance in secret to make a special type of Dust only a teammate of his had access to and gave it to her, causing further distrust to arise - especially since he refused to talk about it afterward.

<p class="MsoNormal">Soon enough the year was over and team CRMT was near the top of its class, though tensions between Carmot and his team were predictably starting to mount. It wasn't too bad and he still had most of his team's trust, but the seeds of dissent were planted. Regardless, they entered the next year ready to learn and grow together with dreams of becoming Huntsmen, and in Carmot's case, starting the foundation of his Kingdom.

Beacon: Year 2
<p class="MsoNormal">In Carmot's second year of Beacon was mostly uneventful: he did well in many of his classes and passed Dust-related classes and assignments with the highest marks. The relationship between Carmot and his team was becoming more openly strained. Carmot saw himself as a commander and treated his teammates like subordinate soldiers thanks to his militaristic upbringing, while the rest of his team began to see him as an overbearing, egotistical jerk that only saw them as tools.

<p class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, Carmot's parents could forestall leaving Atlas no longer, and were forced to actively pursue Carmot. This time, however, they could do minimal stalling against the DAEC thanks to the constant surveillance agents dispatched to communicate with them and monitor their progress. They genuinely had no idea where Carmot had gone, however, and spent the vast majority of the year looking for what Kingdom he was in now.

Beacon: Year 3
<p class="MsoNormal">The 3rd year of Beacon academy is when the conflict between Carmot and his team came to a head. During a heated argument with the other teammates, Carmot's normally confident and aloof demeanor was cracked as his lack of empathy for his teammates was beaten over his head. Additionally, this flaw was used to point out that his dream of starting his own kingdom would be impossible because of it. Absolutely shocked and baffled that he didn't see this fatal flaw himself, for once in his life Carmot was forced to turn a critical eye at his own character rather than his skills or studies.

<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot finally realized that he needed to change in order to realize his dream. While he was a good commander in the military sense, what he truly needed was an example of good leadership to observe and learn from. Carmot began seeking the counsel of teachers and tales of legendary leaders in both reality and fiction, at the cost of chastising by teachers who warned him of his flaw and long nights in the library.

<p class="MsoNormal">His team was surprised to see how much effort he was putting into becoming a better leader, including them in more decisions and trying to learn about them as people. Two years of bitterness, resentment and festering social wounds would take far more than a few weeks of effort and study to heal, though. They were not about to reward someone who had treated them like tools with their trust and respect after only a few weeks of effort. They were going to make him work for it.

<p class="MsoNormal">With the Vytal Festival starting again soon, Carmot suggested the team fight in the tournament but was turned down by the rest of the team. He conceded the point rather than argue over it, settling to be a spectator. Starting to notice a trend, Carmot quickly caught on that his team was paying him back for how he had treated them in the past. Rather than call them out on it, he took it as a challenge of wits, patience, and character in addition to being a form of atonement. There were other such "trials" during the semester, and Carmot slowly started to win back his team.

Battle of Beacon
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot and his team fought tenaciously during the Battle of Beacon. Still feeling guilty over how he treated his team, Carmot let his emotions get the better of him and started taking unnecessary risks by throwing himself into the fray and constantly getting separated from the rest of his team. It was also during this time that his parents finally caught up, cutting a bloody swath through Grimm and White Fang alike and soon encountered Carmot battling enemies on his own after getting separated from his team.

<p class="MsoNormal">While the reunion was touching, the DAEC agent with Aurum and Argenta reminded them of their mission, and the choice was given: leave Beacon and Vale behind or have his secret exposed. During this, Carmot's team messaged him with a distress call, putting more pressure on his choice. If he left he could have a secure and lucrative job in the safety of Atlas, have an impact in the Dust industry, and keep his Semblance a secret from other possibly dangerous factions. However, this also meant abandoning his dream, his team - whom he was now trying to be friends with for the first time - and whatever integrity he had left.

<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot made his choice, blasted the DAEC agent into unconsciousness, and charged into the fray to rescue his team. He arrived just in time to save them from being overwhelmed, and his parents, remorseful for having been so blind and proud of how far their son had come, followed Carmot into the fray. It was a fierce battle which pushed everyone to their limits and even forced Carmot to openly use his Semblance so he could continue Dust casting after exhausting his initial reserves. Their battle was hard won, but Beacon fell regardless - their victory was too small to have an effect on the much larger battle around them.

<p class="MsoNormal">However, the battle was not without consequence. The DAEC agent got away and Carmot's Semblance would soon be public knowledge to those who sought such things. Two of Carmot's teammates left the team entirely after learning Carmot's secret and that he had an enormous amount of baggage that put him in a dangerous position. Jade remained partly out of pity, partly out of curiosity, and partly out of genuine trust. Though they were loathe to leave their son, Aurum and Argenta knew they had to return to Atlas to report on the DAEC's treachery and see if they could untangle the web of lies and money - and keep their jobs in the process.

Present Day
<p class="MsoNormal">During the 6 months after the fall of Beacon Academy, Carmot and Jade travelled and fought together, Carmot in pursuit of his dream and Jade out of wanderlust and desire to see where Carmot would go. They traveled from town to town, Carmot searching for a good plot of land with plenty of natural barriers and resources to support the first town of his new kingdom. Though he knew Jade didn't take him seriously, that didn't deter him from his dream. He had thought about it too long to be swayed by one person's opinion.

<p class="MsoNormal">Between bandits, Grimm, White Fang cells, and now hired guns from DAEC and other unsavory factions after Carmot's Semblance, the duo had seen plenty of conflict and several close calls. However, the victories they did get under their belt greatly boosted Carmot's confidence in his own abilities as he continued to hone them in live battles rather than controlled sparring matches. Though he had learned his lesson about being a real leader and was working on that flaw, his ego started to return in a different and possibly more dangerous form of overconfidence.

<p class="MsoNormal">Now the two wander the continent of Anima, travelling to and from Vale's borders to villages and potential areas to start Carmot's kingdom while selling the Dust he creates to fund their adventure…

Relationships
Aurum Arken: Carmot’s father and the one who taught him about Dust and gave him general military training. Aurum also gave Carmot his signature tailcoat after graduating from Sentinel Academy. Despite the blackmail debacle, the two remain on excellent terms though their communication has been cut off from the destruction of Vale’s CCT tower. Carmot views his father with great respect and takes his counsel with a weight normally reserved for teachers or scholars. The two could spend hours talking about the latest applications of Dust in various industries - they are not only father and son, but best friends. He is currently in Atlas.

Argenta Arken: Carmot’s mother and the one who trained him in combat and Dust casting. Being an Atlas Specialist, she is highly skilled and trained Carmot harshly but fairly. Their relationship is primarily professional, but as Carmot advanced in his training she began to act more warmly to him, eventually taking him with her on low-risk missions - though he was competent, Carmot could always tell his mother worried about him and kept one eye on him at all times. While Carmot has a better relationship with his father, he respects his mother and always goes to her if he needs a sparring partner or a good home-cooked meal. The two are currently out of communication due to Vale’s downed CCT tower. She is currently in Atlas.

Jade Teal: The only member of team CRMT that stayed with Carmot after the Fall of Beacon. She believed that while Carmot still has a ways to go, his efforts at becoming a better person were genuine. She was the least fazed by the way he treated the team during their time at Beacon, mainly due to her laid-back personality and developing crush on him for the positive qualities she saw in him. Jade has also been the most effective at communicating Carmot’s flaws to him in a way that got around his ego. Currently she functions as his primary means of transportation, and is enjoying her time with him now far more than she did at Beacon due to the large amount of one-on-one time she gets as well as having a greater feeling of importance. Jade is unsure about how Carmot feels about her and hopes he will reciprocate her feelings once she’s comfortable revealing them. Carmot himself sees her as nothing more than a teammate and assumes she feels the same.

Rosetta Rainer: Former team member of CRMT and on bad terms with Carmot. Being both the youngest member of the team and a Faunus caused Rosetta to be viewed with less seriousness than the other teammates, primarily due to her youth. Her constant criticisms of Carmot’s leadership methods behind his back caused a lot of turmoil for the team, eventually leading into the explosive confrontation with Carmot. While she respects and grudgingly admires Carmot’s grand ambitions due to her own dreams of a fully-claimed Menagerie, Rosetta found Carmot’s military-style leadership and order-barking to be unacceptable for her tastes, with his secret-keeping and lack of openness being the proverbial back-breaking straw. She has since returned to Menagerie to try and organize a new team for the purpose of claiming the uninhabitable parts of the continent.

Mithral Vane: Former team member of CRMT. He’s currently on hostile terms with Carmot and bad terms with everyone else. A thug to the core with contempt of authority, the fact that Mithral had to listen to someone else while in a school setting was jarring enough. The fact that Carmot was secretive, authoritative, haughty, and barked orders only made Mithral hate his guts and the school he was in even more. Mithral’s only listened to Carmot there were two things about him that he respected: Carmot was strong, and he was competent. Like Rosetta, being constantly treated like a soldier without thoughts or feelings of his own threw fuel onto the fire, causing various small conflicts that popped up here and there and eventually culminating the big confrontation along with Rosetta and Jade that shattered the team. Always the first to criticise Carmot, once Mithral learned his secrets (and how serious they really were) Mithral lost all respect for Carmot and cut ties with the rest of the team shortly after. He is currently believed to be in the slums of Mistral.

Pre-Fall of Beacon
Physical: Carmot has a rugged, stocky build from years of military-esque physical training and Atlas' harsh environment while he was young, in addition to physical combat classes taken in school. Carmot keeps himself clean-shaven and wears a full head of short, white hair. His eyes proudly display his ambition, confidence, and unshakable faith in the future reality of his dream - a strength and brightness untainted by fear or doubt. Unfortunately, his serious demeanor shows through just as much, and coupled with their red color he can appear rather intimidating.<p class="MsoNormal">He has a few scars from notable encounters: a mid-sized burn on the right side of his torso from a training accident involving a backfired Dust spell, a large gash across his back from a Grimm ambush in which he narrowly escaped with his life, and a strange, 5-pronged gnarled scar on the front of his left shoulder that he refuses to discuss.

Standard Clothing: Carmot's usual outfit consists of a white button-up shirt made of a light, breathable fabric coupled with white dress slacks and a sturdy grey belt. Over it all he wears a sturdy and expensive-looking blue (hex color #3bafff specifically) tailcoat with calf-length tails, gold buttons, a gold trim, and a large white version of his emblem embroidered on the back. He wears the Godhands in a way that covers the sleeves of his coat and Godspeed over his dress slacks in lieu of shoes. Attached to his belt is a bandolier with 10 tubes, each holding a Dust crystal sized for his gauntlet.

Uniform: Carmot wears his uniform unmodified, save that he wears his gauntlets, boots (instead of dress shoes), and blue tailcoat over it.

Post-Fall of Beacon
Physical: Since the fall of Beacon Carmot's physical appearance has changed slightly. He's grown a bit stockier from having to fight and be more physically active than usual, and now sports a new scar: a long, narrow cut across the middle of his face, stretching lengthwise from the outer corner of his right eye to the outer corner of his left. It’s located around the midpoint between the bottom of his eyes and the tip of his nose.

Standard Clothing: Carmot's standard clothing has changed to be more suited for his currently nomadic state. He wears a thick white shirt and white traveling pants, though his blue coat has remained the same.

Pre-Fall of Beacon
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot displays clear traits of being raised in a military family: he is orderly, disciplined, and respect for authority. As he continued to grow up in an environment of constant training he learned incredible time management skills, budgeting his free time with extreme precision. He places great value on his personal time despises having his activities being interrupted unless the matter is important. He expects others to manage their time as well, and finds idleness particularly distasteful unless it was specifically planned - whether for rest or necessity such as waiting on another.

<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot carries himself with a great, almost overbearing confidence and air of stern authority that gives him a strong presence in whatever social setting he encounters. Unfortunately, most of the time this atmosphere is interpreted as either arrogance (which isn’t far from the truth) or aloof, passive hostility toward others, garnering a reaction of either disdain or fear upon first impressions. Carmot’s stoic and seemingly humorless demeanor often makes for tense or stressful conversation to those who are more laid back or have a poor self-image, as he maintains strong eye-contact and keeps a serious expression with whomever he speaks no matter their station in relation to himself.

<p class="MsoNormal">He values hard work and carries with him a disdain for average thinking or settling for less. Carmot demands excellence of himself and of others, always trying to bring out the best in people when he can. He gives praise when merited, but more often he gives advice for improvement or correction. He sees sharp or harsh criticism as unhelpful and unnecessary, the antithesis of developing excellence in others. There are times, however, when his temper gets the better of him and he lets loose a cutting remark or condemning speech on particularly egregious offenses of his sensibilities - extreme laziness being one of them.

<p class="MsoNormal">His parents fostered in him a strong sense of ambition and desire for greatness. In line with ancient stories of great wizard-kings, emperors, and other wise, powerful rulers Carmot decided that he wanted to start his own kingdom. After seeing the various flaws of not only Atlas but other kingdoms around Remnant as well, this only further solidified his dream: envisioning a great nation where people (human or faunus) can freely pursue their dreams, ambitions, and excellence with as much support as possible.

<p class="MsoNormal">His father's work with Dust on a technical level and his mother's use of it in battle caused him to take great interest in the substance at a young age, and it’s obsession he's held since then. Carmot always sets aside time to review Dust literature or catch up on the latest scientific or technological developments related to Dust, as well as practicing his Dust casting skills. He can often be found toying with various effects of Dust in small ways when he can afford to, such as waiting in line or walking down the street. He can easily get into a discussion about Dust that lasts for hours if he meets someone with a level of interest similar to his.

<p class="MsoNormal">In terms of morality, Carmot’s upbringing has led him toward more conservative values: protect the weak, don’t interfere with other’s lives, stop bad guys and report them to the proper authorities, obey the law, etc. Despite his hard, stoic exterior he is a grand idealist that sees potential for greatness in everyone and seeks to bring it out in those he interacts with. Though he sees the best in others, he lacks empathy when dealing with their personal issues that could prevent them from achieving the potential he envisions for them. It is personal flaw he appears to be blind to, and in addition he sees himself as a coach and commander rather than a leader and friend. The two dire flaws often work together to sabotage fledgling relationships and foster bitterness in existing ones.

<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot’s Semblance has played an integral role in shaping his future, and it isn’t hard to see why. While it has marginal use on the battlefield, the ability to create Dust would have incredible applications to a wide variety of fields, from business, to science to manufacturing and even everyday usage. Carmot was told by his parents that he could be put in great danger should such an ability become public knowledge: greedy Dust traders, unscrupulous researchers, or unethical manufacturers that worked with raw Dust and others of their ilk would go to great lengths to acquire Carmot as an asset of theirs with or without his permission. Even close friends, motivated by greed, could become a potential enemy. Naturally, Carmot keeps his Semblance a very closely guarded secret.

Post-Fall Of Beacon
<p class="MsoNormal">With the dissolution of his team, confrontation with his parents and the DAEC, and destruction of the place he called home for 3 years, Carmot’s personality has changed substantially for both better and worse.

<p class="MsoNormal">The constant tension between Carmot and his team came to a head just before the Vytal festival, and he began to change his ways. He began to empathize with others more, trying to be a better leader in terms of personal relations and building trust rather than a military-style commander who expects obedience without question. The revelation of this very deep flaw struck a great blow to Carmot’s ego, and he now acts far more humbly toward others - however, his trademark confidence still lingers. The dissolution of his team after the Battle of Beacon further cemented the point, and he took the experience to heart. He regrets not seeing his flaw earlier, and now is on the lookout for other such issues and regularly asks others he works with for long periods of time if there’s anything he could improve on.

<p class="MsoNormal">Upon seeing the results of keeping his Semblance secret in the form of his parents blackmailed and his team trusting him that much less, Carmot no longer cares about such secrecy. Though he won’t mention it openly, he will not hide it from those who are curious and has decided to roll with the consequences of such knowledge being freely given. Additionally, he knows that the DAEC will be after him regardless, and that his secret is effectively out to any who has positive connections to the DAEC anyway.

<p class="MsoNormal">The destruction of Beacon caused Carmot to adopt a more nomadic lifestyle and now pursues his dream of starting a Kingdom with full force. He is now always on the lookout for good land with natural barriers, rich resources, and people willing and ambitious enough to share in his dream. He also knows that in addition to feeding himself and whoever joins him, his Kingdom will require a solid financial foundation. To that end he has become far more business-minded, openly trading and selling Dust for money, goods, and services, in addition to offering his skills as an unlicensed Huntsman for profit.

<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot has also become far more flexible when it comes to using his time. As he spends a large amount of his time in the wilderness now, budgeting time has become less important than survival. He still tries to study Dust when he can, typically when he has stopped for the evening or stays at a town. He has also begun to study politics, management, and governmental structures to further prepare himself for a position of authority.

What Could Be...
<p class="MsoNormal">Although he is focusing in curbing his ego, humbling himself to others, and generally learning to be more empathetic and compassionate, Carmot’s old vice is starting to take on a new form: that of a god complex. It is very faint, virtually invisible, but his subconscious comparisons of similarities to himself and the ancient wizard-kings and god-emperors of the past legends and fairy tales he idolized as a boy is starting to take root. Should that small seed begin to grow, Carmot could become a confident, benevolent (if egotistical) leader or horrible, authoritarian tyrant. Given his power and growth rate, it may only be a matter of time before he can start justifying such claims - so long as he doesn't run out of Dust.

Non-Combat Skills and Talents
Shrewd Merchant: Through his Semblance, trial and error, common sense, and hard experience Carmot has become a savvy businessman, often taking advantage of his ability to undercut the prices of conventional Dust shops when selling Dust to private individuals.<p class="MsoNormal">He has also become skilled in negotiating good deals in exchange for his skills as a Huntsman through interaction with others and tips gained from other Huntsmen.

Dust Expertise: Raised around Dust and related technologies ever since he was a young boy, Carmot knows just about everything there is to know about Dust that modern science has discovered. He is actively studying the Dust research when he isn't on a mission or preparing for the next one.

Intermediate Military Training: Having been schooled privately by military parents and attended a combat school in Atlas, Carmot has received extensive military training from an early age. He has great discipline and a focus in tactical, strategic, and commanding knowledge. However, his Huntsman training at Beacon shifted his learning to be more focused on being an independent Huntsman and team leader rather than military commander giving him two perspectives to work with.

Low Empathy: A flaw rather than an actual skill, Carmot has difficulty dealing with the average person when it comes to things requiring empathy. Carmot treats having a bad day, family not doing well, and other such situations bluntly and matter-of-factly, providing solutions to problems rather than emotional comfort. While he has started to improve on this tendency, currently his empathy is limited to things he has experienced - betrayal, secrecy, difficulty with others, stress from schooling or deadlines, and similar situations.

Strong Management Skills: Over the years Carmot has groomed himself to be a leader and manager of men. He is adept at heading projects, resolving problems (though not necessarily between people), delegating tasks, and giving direction when it is needed. Efficient, effective, decisive, and pragmatic, Carmot knows how to get a job done and done well, knowing when he needs to access outside resources or knowledge pools to resolve an issue and when he can resolve something with his current resources.

Physical Fitness: Long years of physical training in military-style environments as well as at Beacon have rendered Carmot quite fit, giving him confidence in physical confrontations despite his standard role as ranged support. While he may not built like a tank or front-line fighter, he is no weakling and perfectly capable of handling most physical tasks himself.

General
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot is a Dust caster through and through and fights best at medium or long range depending on the environment and number of enemies. When fighting three or more enemies or when fighting on a team, Carmot prefers to be at long range to get a good view of the battlefield and cast Dust spells that hit multiple opponents. When fighting only one or two enemies or when fighting solo, Carmot fights best at a medium range where his faster Dust spells are more effective and he can predict his opponent's’ strengths, weaknesses, and moves more easily.

<p class="MsoNormal">While competent in melee range Carmot is limited in his Dust usage and strategic planning, often forced to use his reflexes and instincts more than his brain in such situations. However, he has plenty of Dust-related tricks up his sleeve which he uses with extreme prejudice to gain the upper hand or build distance between himself and an opponent. However, multiple skilled enemies in melee often prove to be a problem.

Armed
<p class="MsoNormal">Having no real weapon to speak of, Carmot rarely fights armed in the traditional sense. Thanks to his training by his parents and Atlas he can use a variety of guns and melee weapons in a pinch, but his skill with such weapons are basic at best and anyone with real, professional training or skill will outmatch him hand over fist.

Unarmed
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot chose to study on an unarmed style of combat because of his focus on Dust casting and desire to never be helpless for lack of a weapon. He has intermediate skill in unarmed combat, capable of holding his own against most single opponents but having trouble with multiple skilled enemies. He focuses more on “soft” unarmed combat such as redirects, throws, and momentum-based styles to deal with the common situation of a physically stronger opponent barreling toward him. He is decent in "hard" form unarmed combat, with his gauntlets providing an extra layer of offense and defense thanks to having metal plates covering his hands and forearms. Carmot also has no qualms about grabbing an opponent’s weapon with his armored hands and using the leverage to his advantage.

<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot mixes Dust into his unarmed fighting seamlessly, often catching his enemies by surprise when they expect a "squishy wizard" type enemy. While on their own Carmot’s unarmed skills are intermediate and typically not enough to match a dedicated melee fighter, adding Dust effects to punches, kicks, grabs, and the throws lends him an edge that many don’t expect until it’s too late. This practice of using Dust to enhance his physical attacks not only displays more of Carmot’s expertise with Dust but also keeps him in the fight longer when compared to other caster-type fighters.

Dust
<p class="MsoNormal">As his primary method of fighting, Carmot’s skill with Dust is far beyond many of his peers due to prodigious natural talent, spending nearly his entire entire life in training from his parents and schooling, and a voracious appetite for independent study on all things Dust. Many, many spare hours outside of traditional education were spent honing his skills, and it shows in every second he’s in battle. There are few moments when he isn’t casting Dust in some way, whether it be to maneuver himself around the battlefield, provide covering fire for his allies, position enemies into an unfavorable position, modify the environment to create an advantage, or simply obliterating anything in a particular spot with a rain of fire, ice, and lightning.

<p class="MsoNormal">With access to and experience with nearly every known type of Dust combined with his skill and imagination, Carmot has achieved a dizzying level of versatility. He favors casting Dust directly from its crystalline form and eschews powdered Dust almost entirely. His two pairs of weapons, Godhands and Godspeed, are designed with this casting style in mind. Over the years of vigorous training he has learned to use Dust with both his hands and his feet, greatly expanding his options in battle. Worse yet, he has the tactical acuity to keep up with the large array of options he has most of the time, ensuring that he almost never misses an opportunity.

<p class="MsoNormal">He has learned to use most basic Dust spells with effortless grace, requiring only the briefest of gestures to unleash a flurry of lesser Dust-based attacks, often casting multiple simple Dust spells at once. He has also learned to use minimal Dust to fuel his Dust attacks, enabling his crystals to last longer than the average Dust user when it comes to using normal Dust abilities. Naturally, Carmot has also has developed terrifying high-level Dust abilities, some requiring the power of two or even three Dust crystals at once! Carmot’s skill at using Dust can be likened to that of a master artist who’s movements and gestures create destructive bursts of color and energy that scorch the earth and crack the sky.

<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot’s great skill with Dust has led him to combine his Dust skills with other aspects of battle, such as using bursts of energy from his hands and feet to perform sudden maneuvers to evade or gain higher ground, or anchor himself in place to brace for a high-force attack or aftershock. He is notorious for lulling overconfident melee attackers into a false sense of security, only to use Dust at the last moment to give himself a sudden advantage and/or make a fool of his opponent. Common tactics include reducing the impact of an enemy’s strike, freezing their feet to the ground, grabbing their weapon to send a nasty electrical shock, or increase the impact of one of his own counterattacks (one of his favorites tricks).

<p class="MsoNormal">Suffice to say, on the surface Carmot appears to be your standard Dust caster with a similar role on the team. On the battlefield, Carmot’s power, skill, creativity and versatility make him the stuff of nightmares (relative to a 3rd-year student, anyway).

Aura
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot's aura is white, but when disrupted, made visible from an impact or other such interaction it disseminates into the visible light spectrum at the impact or disruption point, similar to how a prism splits white light into its component colors.

<p class="MsoNormal">Years of Aura training from a young age coupled with an even longer and ever-increasing difficulty of Dust casting training has naturally resulted in Carmot gain a massive reserve of Aura to draw upon in addition to being skilled in its use.

<p class="MsoNormal">In particular, he has developed the “sixth sense” aspect of his Aura to great sensitivity, allowing him to pinpoint enemy locations around him within about 10 feet without needing to see them. To the irritation of many ranged specialists, he is also adept at using his Aura to block bullets (similar to Cinder) and other projectiles of similar strength.

Weaknesses
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot’s greatest weakness is dealing with multiple skilled opponents in a mass melee. Such assaults force him to constantly be on the defensive and play keep-away while he tries to secure an advantage. Coupled with high-accuracy, high-power ranged attackers like snipers, Carmot will go down fairly quickly as he burns through his Aura and Dust on defensive abilities and blocking attacks.

<p class="MsoNormal">Another more subtle weakness is Carmot’s extreme reliance on Dust. While his Semblance can help refuel his Dust reserves in a pinch (provided he can get a breather for any length of time in a fight), once he is out he is easy pickings.

<p class="MsoNormal">A lesser weakness of Carmot’s is related to the first one. Rather than multiple skilled opponents, a single tenacious, highly skilled opponent capable of keeping up with Carmot’s evasion attempts or countering his various Dust tricks in melee can be quite effective. Such an opponent will often keep Carmot’s focus on him rather than other enemies, leading to an opportunity to gang up on Carmot.

Godhand(s) - Primary
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot's primary weapon is a pair of Dust Launching Utility Gauntlets (DLUG) that have an ornate simplicity which belies its complex design. While it has no transforming capability, the Godhands have 4 primary components: the glove, the plates, the ejection rigs, and the Dust chambers.

<p class="MsoNormal">The glove covers Carmot’s forearm from the end of the elbow to the tips of his fingers. It is made from a nanoweave of carbon, rubber and other choice materials to make it tear-resistant, waterproof, fireproof, and electricity resistant while being lightweight, flexible and relatively thin. The glove also has small circuits interwoven to safely carry Dust energy to ejection rigs. The glove is light grey in color and has a similar texture to polyester or elastic. The circuits glow the same color as the Dust energy being channeled

<p class="MsoNormal">The plates are forged from a carbon-titanium alloy for durability and lightness to protect the glove and the arm. The plates are formed around the Dust chambers and are a bright silvery color with intricate golden filigrees, always kept to a near-mirror finish. The plates consist of vambraces and gauntlets, the plates articulated for maximum mobility and protection akin to what a medieval knight would wear with a suit of full plate mail.

<p class="MsoNormal">The ejection rigs are small and located at the top knuckles, fingertips, and palms. They are connected to the Dust circuits in the glove and launch Dust energy on command to assist with Dust casting. The ejection can be regulated as a slow/sustained stream or a violent burst similar to a gunshot, with similar recoil (useful for recoil-boosting like Yang or Ruby’s weapons). (Author note: this part of the gauntlet may not be necessary since the details of Dust casting mechanics are few and far between.)

<p class="MsoNormal">Last are the Dust chambers. Formed from a durable, impact-resistant glass so the Dust within is protected and visible, there are a total of 5 Dust chambers on each Godhand, each designed to hold a long, relatively thin crystal that contains the same volume of Dust as a common Dust crystal but trading width for length. These crystals are about as long as Carmot’s forearm, reaching from the end of the elbow to the start of the wrist. The crystal chambers pop up at an angle so the crystal can be exchanged from behind, similar to a break-action shotgun.

<p class="MsoNormal">Unlike other gauntlet designs such as Yang's Ember Cecilia, any propulsion or recoil must come from raw Dust energy rather than Dust ammunition since there is no gun component. While similar recoil-boosting techniques are possible using the Godhands, they require more "ammo" to achieve similar results.

Godspeed - Secondary
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot's secondary weapons are a pair of Dust Launching Utility Boots (DLUB) collectively called Godspeed. The boots share a similar design philosophy to the Godhands, but have greater launching power in exchange for more weight. While not designed to shoot bullets, the Godspeed is designed to release Dust energy for maneuvers, stronger kicks, and Dust-casting involving foot movement.

<p class="MsoNormal">Godspeed is has a similar construction to the Godhands: 4 primary components consisting of a waterproof, fireproof, tear and electricity-resistant knee-high sock with Dust energy circuits. The armor plates overlay the sock like a medieval articulated full-plate boot, built around the Dust chambers. The ejection rig is designed for slow/sustained or burst energy releases, and there are 5 chambers for Dust crystals.

<p class="MsoNormal">For example, Carmot could use Fire or Wind Dust to launch himself into the air with explosive force, similar to how Yang or Ruby launch themselves with their weapons. He can also use a controlled, sustained release to enable himself to hover slightly off the ground to enable fast, fluid movement at the cost of control (he essentially moves like a hovercraft). Note that Carmot CANNOT achieve true, free flight with this mechanism - the sustained release is not powerful enough to achieve those kinds of results, though it can help slow his fall and let him hover-skate around (think Shadow the Hedgehog, not Iron Man).

Misc. Gear
Tailcoat: This expensive blue (hex #3bafff) tailcoat was a gift from Carmot’s father upon his graduation from Sentinel Academy and has become his iconic garment alongside his gauntlets and boots. It is made of a comfortable yet sturdy material to make it damage-resistant. It has twin pointed tails that extend to the middle of his calves, giving it a billowing cape-like effect in windy conditions or during intense movement. It has a golden trim, gold buttons, and his emblem embroidered on the back in white.<p class="MsoNormal">Recently Carmot has modified his coat to have 2 pockets on the inside of each breast flap, useful for storing small items like notes, handkerchiefs, keys and the like.

Dust Bandoliers: This bandolier was designed to attach to a belt worn around the waist and sports 10 detachable tubes (5 on each flank) intended to store one Dust crystal each. The tubes attach to the bandolier in such a way that they open from the bottom, allowing the Dust crystal to drop out into an open hand for quick retrieval. The tubes themselves are connected to the bandolier via a carabeener-like device, ensuring that they don’t fly off at inopportune moments.

Carmot's Scroll: An ordinary scroll of its kind with all of the same functions including an Aura tracker. It also has access to mountains of digitized Dust research, studies, and theories for him to reference during his travels via miniaturized external storage media.

Semblance - All Is Dust
<p class="MsoNormal">Born out of his life experiences of being surrounded by Dust, his strong desire to master Dust in all it's forms, and his underlying creative tendencies, Carmot's Semblance allows him to create Dust after first scanning it. Carmot has named his Semblance All Is Dust to reflect its Dust-centered nature and how Dust has influenced all areas of his life - down to his very soul.

<p class="MsoNormal">After the Fall of Beacon, Carmot has learned to use his Semblance to modify existing Dust addition to creating it.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Note: The phrases "commonly-sized Dust crystal", "standard Dust crystal", or similar are used throughout the Semblance description (and some other parts of the profile) as a unit of measure, primarily because we have no idea how much Dust weighs and thus cannot calculate how much "X grams" or "X pounds" of Dust would look like. Therefore, the "commonly-sized Dust crystal", "standard Dust crystal", and similar monikers I refer to is a rough estimate of size/volume using the size of a Dust crystal most commonly shown throughout the show, specifically the more uniform, cylindrical crystals shown in this picture.

<p class="MsoNormal"> Note 2: I also use the term "Dust object" throughout the Semblance description. This is a category that refers to any collection of Dust that forms a coherent unit. For example, both a single crystal and a pile of powdered Dust would each be considered one "Dust object." Each bullet in a magazine would count as a separate object, however. In general common sense and context clues apply.

Abilities
Additionally, Carmot can create up to 2 Dust objects at once, but it costs him an extra 1% Aura and 30-second-jog's worth of stamina on top of the cost for both objects.
 * Scan: Before Carmot can create Dust, he must first scan it with his Semblance. The scanning process requires him to have the Dust (or thin container of it) in Aura contact and concentrate on it.
 * The scanning process takes about 5 minutes to complete. While concentrating, Carmot can’t do anything else more involved than breathing - his focus must totally be on the scanning process (similar to meditation). If Carmot’s concentration is broken at any point, he loses all progress and must start over again.
 * Scanning leaves Carmot mentally winded for about 10 minutes after completion, but otherwise only requires time and concentration.
 * As a passive benefit of this skill, Carmot can "sense" Dust in contact with his Aura and automatically knows the type, location, and volume of any Dust object on his person or otherwise in contact with his Aura. Naturally, he loses this benefit if his Aura goes down.
 * Create: Carmot can create Dust of any kind he has scanned before. He can create Dust in crystal or powdered form.
 * Carmot uses his Aura and physical stamina as the fuel for his Semblance. A commonly-sized Dust crystal (or powder pile of equal volume) costs an equivalent amount of stamina to a 30-second jog (that is to say, not much) and 2% Aura.
 * All Is Dust has a range of 1 foot within Carmot's body and bypasses physical barriers (excluding other Auras), allowing Carmot to use his Semblance to fill containers.
 * It takes about 2 seconds to create a commonly-sized Dust crystal or equivalent amount of powdered Dust. Larger objects take more time - about 2 seconds per common Dust crystal volume equivalent.
 * Larger deposits of Dust naturally require more stamina, more time, and more Aura to create, and deposits beyond the volume of a 2’x2’x2’ cube are beyond him.
 * Carmot must focus on creating Dust exclusively, and can only perform minor actions that don't require much concentration such as moving, fidgeting, or passive listening.
 * Timeskip: Carmot has learned to create more complex shapes, allowing him to create Dust crystals in specific sculpts such as low-detail statuettes or simple, inelegant weapons. This serves no practical purpose in combat - pure Dust weapons are too fragile, too volatile, and not sharp enough to be effective in battle.
 * Transmute (Timeskip): Carmot can change one type of Dust into another (Fire dust to Ice dust, for example).
 * Transmuting takes half as much time, stamina, and Aura as creating to affect the same amount of Dust.
 * Transmuting takes less concentration than creating or scanning, allowing him to run and perform basic punches and kicks, but no Dust casting.
 * Carmot must be in Aura contact with a Dust object in order to transmute it. He cannot transmute Dust protected by another Aura.
 * Carmot cannot transmute and create at the same time. Carmot can transmute up to 2 Dust objects at once.
 * Colorize (Timeskip): Carmot can change the color a Dust object, which in turn changes the color of the Dust effect (for example, to get blue fire or red ice). It doesn’t modify any other attributes.
 * Colorizing is purely cosmetic in nature, though it can be useful for misleading observant opponents. However, Carmot needs to be careful as he may fool himself as well!
 * Colorizing has a 1-foot range within Carmot’s body and cannot bypass other Auras.
 * Colorizing costs no Aura or stamina, and only takes ½ a second to completely recolor a standard Dust crystal. It takes minimal concentration and allows him to perform any task except Dust casting and other uses of his Semblance.

Other Limitations

 * If Carmot's Aura is broken, All Is Dust cannot be used in any way. Carmot cannot create Dust in an infused or melded state; he can't create Dust ammunition using his Semblance and empty bullet cartridges (unless the bullets simply use a reservoir of Dust and no Dust alloys or hybridization), nor can he infuse Dust into clothing using his Semblance, etc.
 * Carmot's Semblance cannot bypass Aura. For example, he cannot create Dust in someone's personal space (assuming the two were close enough for that) unless their Aura is down. This same rule also applies to scanning - Carmot must be the only one in Aura contact with the Dust in order to scan it.
 * If his concentration while creating, scanning, or transmuting is violently disrupted involuntarily, such as getting taking a strong hit, the Dust goes off as if it were used against him as a weapon.

Cosmetics
<p class="MsoNormal">Carmot's Semblance is fairly subtle, but observable by the careful viewer through its effects. The Aura around the body part near where Dust is being affected glows faintly, changing to be the same color as the Dust being created while small specks of colored energy create the Dust object. For example, if Carmot was creating Fire Dust and holding it or reaching out with his hand towards it, the Aura around his hand would glow red.

<p class="MsoNormal">In the case of transmuting or colorizing, the Aura instead glows the color of the appropriate end-result Dust type or color. For instance, changing Fire Dust to Gravity/Mass Dust would cause Carmot’s Aura to glow purple, and colorizing Ice Dust to be green would cause his Aura to glow green.

List of Scanned Dust Types
<p class="MsoNormal">Having been exposed to multiple types of Dust over the course of his life, Carmot has scanned these types when he's gotten the chance to do so in secret. The following Dust types are available for creation:


 * <p class="MsoNormal">Fire/Burn
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Water
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Earth
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Wind
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Lightning
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Ice
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Steam
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Mass/Gravity
 * <p class="MsoNormal">Nitro* <p class="MsoNormal">*Nitro Dust is formulated by Jade's family specifically for use with vehicles as a high-performance fuel source and is highly explosive. For now, in combat it is best compared to a more powerful volatile version of ordinary Fire/Burn Dust and out of combat is the rough equivalent of fuel used high-end sports cars or NASCAR. Expanded details will come when Jade's profile is complete.

Color Naming Rule

 * Carmot is another name for the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary stone that could transmute base metals into gold, silver, or other precious metals and also extend one's life. The stone is typically depicted as red in color.
 * Arken is a reference to the Arkenstone from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, the only one of its kind and beautiful beyond compare. As described by Thorin Oakenshield: "It was a globe with a thousand facets; it shone like silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the Moon!"

Trivia/Notes

 * Carmot's emblem is a stylized version of the alchemical symbol for creating the Philosopher's Stone, also known as "Squaring the Circle", combined with a Dust crystal pointing into the center at an angle to suggest either the crystal emerging from the emblem or piercing into it.
 * Despite the philosopher’s stone normally being depicted as red, Carmot’s primary colors are blue and white, colors of nobility, purity, and wisdom.
 * Carmot’s name and theming are meant to portray a person of incredible power coupled with a sense of nobility or kingship, the Philosopher’s Stone being a stone with incredible powers while the Arken Stone is a one-of-a-kind treasure of ancient kings.
 * Carmot’s outfit was inspired by the clothing of the Samurai in Shin Megami Tensei 4 and Elpizo’s coat from Mega Man Zero 2.
 * The main inspirations for Carmot’s gauntlets were the gauntlet from SMT 4 and the star chip glove from the Yu-Gi-Oh duelist kingdom arc.
 * Carmot himself was inspired by an amalgamation of archetypes and characters, namely the Demi-Fiend from Shin Megmi Tensei III: Nocturne, Griffith from Berzerk, the Wizard and Sorcerer classes from Dungeons & Dragons, and the concept of the “Muscle Wizard” or “Martial Arts Wizard” that can both use magic and hold his own in a fight.