Ravelyn Rouge

"No one is a completely open book. Everyone has a secret, some being much darker than others. Mine... is one of the darkest."

- Ravelyn Rouge "I only seek the truth."

- Ravelyn Rouge, as Yatagarasu

Ravelyn Rouge is the fourth member of Team EMIR (Ember); the partner of Islingr Fiarie. Unlike many in the RWBYVerse, she doesn't carry a single transforming weapon. She is also a part of the organization Vale's Pilgrims.

Appearance
Ravelyn has long, black hair, part of it bundled up almost like a ponytail with a braid, and bangs covering her forehead. Her skin is slightly pale, and she has a scar across her nose, a bit below her moody, dark brown eyes. She's of average height, being about 5'9". Her arms are well-muscled, thanks to the use of Enshi.

When out of her Haven Academy uniform, Ravelyn wears a black shirt under a button-up white jacket, which she keeps unbuttoned at the top. Around her neck she wears an inner necklace with a black charm in the shape of a pair of wings above and three small claws/talons below a circle. She also wears black pants, and dark brown sandals. Her katanas are kept in sheaths on a sword belt around her waist, while her quiver and bow are slung over her left shoulder.

As the Yatagarasu, Ravelyn wears a white camisole under a white-trimmed black cape, held together by a strip of metal made of silver with onyxes on either side. Over the camisole, but under the cape, is a brown strap belonging to a brown bag, in which Ravelyn puts what she stole. The top part of her hair is in a ponytail, held with a black holder with three black feathers attached to the upper-left side, while the rest is part of two braids that start above the middle of her forehead down to the top part of her neck and are put together into one short braid going to the middle of her neck there. Around her head she wears a silver circlet with five onyxes in a row set in it. Ravelyn keeps her necklace, and wears a pair of black earrings with the same symbol on them. Enshi and her katanas are also kept.

Personality
On the outside, Ravelyn seems to be kinda emotionless, having an emotionless expression most of the time. She's quite calm and very mature, rarely being startled, and sometimes acting like a grown woman/mother, though she's not always one to give advice. Though Ravelyn does have a habit of pointing out people's flaws and weaknesses, in a tone of observation - something that ticks off some people.

Ravelyn is also quite stoical, often ignoring pain. However, she is no sadist. She's quite close to what people call an "emotionless killing machine". Except Ravelyn has a conscience - she won't kill a person unless it's completely necessary, often apologizing to the body afterward - an apology that's quite ruined by her straight face. But it's not that Ravelyn can't feel emotion, it's that she doesn't show it.

Part of why she's like this is the fact her father disappeared. The other reason is a much darker secret in Ravelyn's mind. She is, in fact, homosexual. Though not exactly ashamed of it, Ravelyn would still rather not have it known to the general public.

To Ravelyn, the truth is worth more than anything in the world. She'd do anything in order to bring truths to light. But it's not personal secrets she reveals, it's dirty dealings and other activities that are against the law. This shows a hatred for people who get away with their crimes - a little ironic, since she takes the occupation of thief to find proof of these crimes.

The thing is, though - Ravelyn doesn't see herself as a criminal. She sees herself as a vigilante, partly because of her membership in the Pilgrim's organization and partly because that's how her father thought of himself when he was the Yatagarasu.

On another note, Ravelyn doesn't like nicknames, and makes a point of not using them. She doesn't mind others giving others nicknames, but refuses for herself to be called by nicknames, or to use nicknames with others. It's unknown why she dislikes them, but the fact is she does.

History
"There are some promises that have to be broken. I know this firsthand."

- Ravelyn Rouge, to her teammate Islingr Fiarie

(Note: Divided into sections for easier reading, as this is very, very long--probably the longest history I've ever done.)

Early Years
Her mother dying in childbirth, Ravelyn grew up with her father, Byrne Rouge, in the town of Fulton. She soon learned to be self-sufficient, though, as her father was often away for work purposes. In fact, Ravelyn would've been taken away by child services if her father hadn't gone underground with her - a fact she didn't know until much later in her life.

To her, her life was normal. She knew nothing of what others' families were like, or what it was like to have friends and go to school. All Ravelyn knew was what her father told her, which was to never go outside without him. This partially led to Ravelyn's quite pale complexion, as she took his words seriously. Any promise she made to him was kept without fail.

As such, most of Ravelyn's childhood was spent at home, waiting for her father to come back from whatever work he was doing. Sometimes she'd wake up in the middle of the night to find her father leaving the house, or coming back. Other times, he'd be gone for days at a time. Yet she never asked about it, knowing her father worked some odd hours.

Secrets and a Disappearance
One day when she was 10, Byrne left and never came back. At first, Ravelyn believed it was one of those long trips, and he had just forgotten to tell her, or he had gotten delayed. But as the weeks went by with no contact, this belief dwindled. She wanted to go search for him, but her vow to never break a promise started warring against her heart.

Soon, Ravelyn was looking around their home for clues - she thought there was something around the house that could help her figure out where her father was and why he was taking so long. What she found, though, was much more startling.

There were several secret rooms in the house that she had never knew of. Two were filled wall-to-wall with books and journals, and the third was part electronic storage, part weapons stash. In these rooms, Ravelyn found out a lot of the secrets her father had been hiding. He was a thief - a "retriever of truths", as his journals showed he liked to put it. Whenever he went out for things other than necessities, it was to steal these "truths". Ravelyn didn't realize her father was a criminal because of the way he got things, albeit a noble one, and thought of him as a hero.

For a while, these rooms and the information in them kept her fascination, and Ravelyn almost forgot about the fact her father was missing. Some part of her, though, must have thought that this info might be helpful in tracking him down.

Breaking a Promise
Ravelyn's patience was rewarded. She found a journal that detailed what truth he was going to steal next. But her promise to her father still held her back. She remembered his stories of Grimm, and feared she would encounter one. Then she remembered the weapons stash.

After a little research, Ravelyn took a pair of cylindrical weapons that were supposedly called "strikers", according to one of the many books she had read in the past few months. They were made of glass, with metal caps on either end. They were similar in function to knuckledusters, but meant to be held in the fists with the ends poking out. She also grabbed a pair of katanas, the ones she still uses today, and a gadget her father called "Little Raven", which could recreate scenes based on blueprints, reports, and other info relating to the scene in question.

At this point, Ravelyn was almost ready to leave. But there was one more thing that she wanted to take: The promise book her father had given her. After grabbing it, the only thing that kept the young, sheltered girl from going was her promise to her father. Ravelyn knew what Byrne would want her to do: Stay, and wait for him. Her heart, though, was telling her the opposite: To leave, and find him. Ravelyn went with her heart; she didn't think she could bear life without her father. She left her home, venturing into the streets of Fulton on her own, knowing she'd need to learn how to fight if she was to ever go to Mistral, the place of her father's most recent target.

As such, the young girl sought the help of the people of Fulton, who were more than happy to train her. As Ravelyn lived with them more, she found that everyone in the town either knew how or were learning to fight. She also built Enshi, her bow, in that time, as well as unlocked her Semblance.

Ravelyn also heard plenty about Huntsmen from the townspeople, and the subject raised her curiosity--the fact that there were people who would willingly face Grimm and selflessly protect the people was a bit unusual to her. The people of Fulton protected themselves out of necessity, while these Huntsmen did what they did because they wanted to. It was a point of fascination for the young girl.

The 2nd Yatagarasu
Eventually, after three years of training, Ravelyn left her hometown, in the middle of the night, telling no one, and leaving a simple note. She headed to Vale. From there, she hoped to somehow get transport to Mistral.

Unfortunately, the only way was by airship, as the boat service was down because of a recent storm, and Ravelyn didn't have the money for the ride, having used it all on supplies just to get to Vale. She didn't want to steal, so instead, she took a small job at a jewelry store. It hurt her to not be going after her father, but Ravelyn knew she didn't have much of a choice.

One day, Ravelyn saw a wanted poster, detailing a jewel thief. There was a reward for information on him, though Ravelyn didn't think much of it. She didn't know anything about him, and wasn't really inclined to try to find information on the thief. That is, until the thief tried to rob the store she was working at.

Ravelyn, 15 at this point, decided she wasn't going to hide under a counter. Rather, she grabbed one of her strikers, which she always kept on her. In an action that surprised the thief, Ravelyn moved close and struck him under his chin, knocking the man unconscious in her anger. She was surprised by her own strength, though didn't really have time to think about it as the police arrived soon after and took the thief away.

For (technically) catching the thief, Ravelyn was offered the reward money. She took it, now having way more than enough for the ticket. The officers, impressed at how she'd taken the thief down, even offered to put in a recommendation to a nearby combat school, which Ravelyn turned down. She was so desperate to find her father, so close.

Ravelyn also decided something else in those moments. She would become the Yatagarasu alongside her father. Criminals deserved to be punished, and Ravelyn was determined to not let them get away, like the jewel thief would have.

Vale's Pilgrims
The ride, unfortunately, never finished. The airship crash-landed in Forever Fall. Ravelyn herself barely survived--only because she'd jumped out with a parachute that caught on the branches of a tree, some minutes before the ship actually crashed into the ground.

For a few weeks, Ravelyn lived off the land, having no way to get back to Vale or get to Mistral. She knew nothing of the geography between the two kingdoms. In that time, she fought more Grimm than she ever wanted to.

It was the Pilgrims who found her. They offered to take Ravelyn back to their fort, and she accepted, knowing she couldn't stay in the woods forever - nor did she want to.

After about a couple weeks, Ravelyn realized that her ideals and the Pilgrims' were similarly aligned, and it wasn't long after that she asked to join, going through the initiation to become one of them.

A few months passed, and Ravelyn knew she couldn't stay any longer. She had to go after her father. The Governor of the Pilgrims gave his blessing, seeing it as a bit of a sabbatical. The Pilgrims provided transportation, and Ravelyn was on her way to Mistral.

Mistral and Haven Academy
Once there, Ravelyn immediately searched for her father. It had taken her so long to get to Mistral, she didn't want to wait another moment.

Yet Byrne was nowhere to be found. It was like he'd vanished off the face of the earth. Ravelyn couldn't find one clue to his whereabouts. She didn't want to ask the citizens, as for all she knew, her father had been caught and his identity revealed.

It was around this time that Ravelyn learned more about Huntsmen and Huntresses. The people of Fulton sometimes talked about them, of course, but didn't really have no need for them as they trained themselves. So Ravelyn didn't know much about them when she got to Mistral.

Curious, and thinking that perhaps the life of a Huntress would give her more of an excuse to ask about her father (under the guise of a curious student) and search for him, Ravelyn applied to the nearby Haven, passing the exam and being put into Team EMIR.

At first, Ravelyn didn't really get along with all of her teammates, especially Metagh, who kept calling her nicknames. Eventually, though, they kinda grew on her, and Ravelyn began to appreciate the value of a team. While she hasn't found anything out about her father yet, she's still searching, but is also looking forward to another year with her teammates.

Present Events
Ravelyn and her team took part in the Vytal Festival, and as such, were there when the attack happened. She helped defend the citizens of Vale, but didn't go back to Mistral. Rather, she stayed behind to help kill the Grimm attracted to the city, feeling it her duty as a Pilgrim. Out of respect for her, her teammates stayed behind as well.

Relationships

 * It can be inferred that Byrne, Ravelyn's father, was - and still is - someone she respects, looks up to, and cares for. Almost anything he had her promise on, she kept, and has kept to this day. She even took the promise book, the one with all the promises he had her swear on, with her to Haven. And as stated, his disappearance is partially responsible for her mostly-emotionless ways today. Ravelyn would love nothing more than to see her father again, waiting patiently for him to come back to her.
 * Ember is Ravelyn's leader, and someone she respects. The tomboy's antics are quite amusing to her, though she neither encourages or discourages her leader. Despite this, Ravelyn wants to help Ember tone down her short temper, knowing it could get her - and the rest of the team - in trouble, but doesn't know how to do so.
 * Ravelyn tends to be annoyed by Metagh, wishing her teammate wouldn't call her by nicknames all the time. Often, their interactions result in Ravelyn either marching off or completely ignoring her talkative teammate. Ravelyn can tell that because of this, Metagh tends to tip-toe around her. She also worries that, one day, Metagh won't take no for an answer, and be the first to find out Ravelyn's darkest secret.
 * Islingr, to Ravelyn, is someone she can depend on to always be there. They're good friends, though Ravelyn doesn't talk much. She's been wondering whether or not to tell her partner her past and secret identity, if only Islingr would tell why she's often very distracted.

Weapons & Equipment
"I want to be ready for any situation. Especially ones that require Dust or stealth."

- Ravelyn Rouge, defending her weapons

Enshi
Ravelyn's main weapon is an ebony LBDL (Lightweight Ballistic Dust Longbow) that she calls Enshi (遠視), which means "far sight". It's slung over her left shoulder, along with a quiver of arrows. Enshi can fire both regular arrows and Dust-infused ones.

Dust Arrows: Made out of ebony, with black feathers and iron arrowheads, these arrows have small sheens to them, the color(s) representing the type(s) of Dust. Some have small chambers in the middle of their shafts for Dust powder, with a divider in the middle that opens on a timer, so Ravelyn can make the arrows have different effects (these will be labeled with "Dust Powder", and be under the normal effect of the Dust combo).

Dust: Ravelyn uses many types of Dust with Enshi. These include Impact, Ice, Gravity, Earth, Wind, Fire, and Lightning. Mostly, she carries Dust powder, but she does have some crystals.

Regular Dust Arrows

 * Fire (Red Dust): The arrow, when shot, leaves behind a very faint trail of flames. When it hits it's target, it explodes.
 * Ice (Cyan Dust): When it hits, ice covers the target.
 * Impact (White Dust): The arrow hits the target with twice the force of a regular arrow. Sometimes used to penetrate a thrown Dust crystal.
 * Gravity (Purple Dust): Pulls the arrow down faster. Usually used to make targets/spectators think she's aiming at something else.
 * Earth (Brown Dust): The arrow becomes solid earth before hitting, shattering into deadly projectiles that fly in every direction.
 * Lightning (Yellow Dust): The arrow is surrounded by crackling lightning. When it hits it's target, lightning arcs out and fries anything nearby. Can be pulled off course by metal, as lightning is electricity. In fact, that's often what Ravelyn uses it for - to find metal.
 * Wind (Green Dust): The arrow travels faster than normal, whipping up the wind as it goes. By the time it hits it's target, there's usually a strong gust of wind that smacks into the target after. Also hits with twice the force of a normal arrow.

Combo Dust Arrows
Other Modifications: Enshi was made with that fact that Ravelyn is a girl in mind. This means that the draw-weight of the bow is considerably less than a normal one, being about 50 pounds. It still has all the strength of your usual longbow, however, having the modifications to compensate for the lower draw-weight.
 * Fire + Wind (Red + Green Dust): This arrow has the same effects of a regular Wind Dust arrow. The added Fire Dust, though, makes the gust after impact consist of smoke thanks to the regular Fire arrow's flame trail. Usually used to blind the target and push them away.
 * Dust Powder: Arrow explodes sometime after being shot, depending on what Ravelyn set the timer to. Literally creates an explosion, fueled by the Wind Dust.
 * Impact + Wind (White + Green Dust): Hits with quadruple the force, with a strong gust of wind following. (Quadruple because both separately hit with twice the force) The least used out of all her Dust combos, she usually uses this against heavy, metal enemies or to strike through multiple enemies.
 * Gravity + Wind (Purple + Green Dust): Literally just the effects of a Gravity arrow and a Wind arrow combined into one. Used to make the arrow travel farther/faster than a normal Gravity arrow (aka it's for really long-range and speed purposes).
 * Ice + Fire (Cyan + Red Dust): The effects of both combined, the target is freezing cold then blazing hot.
 * Dust Powder: The arrow explodes sometime after being shot, when depending on what Ravelyn set the timer to, creating a mist in the air.
 * Gravity + Impact (Purple + White Dust): Literally the effects of both Dust arrows combined. Often used if she can't aim directly at the object she needs to hit/break.
 * Impact + Fire (White + Red Dust): The effects of both combined.
 * Fire + Earth (Red + Brown Dust): The effects of both combined, with the Fire Dust expanding the range of the Earth Dust arrow's projectiles.

Shade & Shadow
In addition to the bow, Ravelyn carries a pair of black-hilt katanas around her waist. Just like a real pair of katanas, one is shorter than the other. The longer one is named Shade, while the shorter one is Shadow. They don't use Dust, but were made by an expert blacksmith.

Blades: The blades themselves have a slight blue tint to them, showing their expert craftsmanship, and are able to make dents in regular swords.

Little Raven
Little Raven isn't an actual weapon. It's a device that can recreate scenes based on inputted info from various sources, including: blueprints, reports, statements/testimonies, objects found/known to be at the scene, and many others. It can also switch between moments and act-out the scenes. Once owned by Byrne Rouge, Ravelyn now uses this for the same purpose - to get around security systems. All of data is put in by her, while casing out the place she's targeted. This, she does in various ways, which are explained more in detail in Abilities.

Semblance
Ravelyn's Semblance is called Lights Out. It gives her the ability to disable electric networks by sending an electric pulse into the power supply. The larger the amount of power needed to keep the network up, the more of her Aura is used up. In other words, it'd be impossible for her to make a city-wide blackout - even just one of Beacon Academy's systems would make her nauseous. It can also only be effectively used in front of a power supply. Anywhere else, and the pulse will only disable the nearest objects that use electricity, not the network. Lights Out is partly why Ravelyn uses Little Raven: to find the security system's power supply so she can disable it, and then steal what she wants.

Abilities
Ravelyn is very proficient at stealth, an expert in moving without being seen or heard, thanks to her years on the run. She prefers it when it comes to fighting, often using her stealth skills to move around the edges of the battlefield so she can find new vantage points for shooting, liking to strike from different directions so as to confuse enemies.

Ravelyn also has enhanced speed, for the same reason as stated before. Though she could never beat those with a Semblance like Ruby's.

As she uses a longbow, it's safe to say that Ravelyn has a considerable amount of strength as well, considering the weapon's draw-weight of 50 pounds. Most don't realize that the longbow was specially made for her, so they tend to think it has the usual draw-weight, which has lead to rumors that Ravelyn's transgender and that she has super-strength, neither of which are true.

In order to input data into Little Raven, Ravelyn must go to the target's home/workplace herself and case the place out. She does this in various ways - from pretending to belong, to pretending to be a burglar, to simply just observing from a distance. Over the years, Ravelyn has become quite good at lying and deception. And as said before, she's an expert in stealth as well.

Trivia

 * I originally wanted to name her Raven, but as there's already a canon character named that (Raven Branwen), I settled for a twist of it instead, which I actually like better.
 * Ravelyn Rouge alludes to both the Yatagarasu from Japanese mythology, and the Yatagarasu heir from the Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth game series, which is Kay Faraday.
 * This is apparent in her backstory, which is similar to Kay's, as well as her symbol, which represents both the Yatagarasu from Japanese mythology and the Yatagarasu's symbol in the game.
 * It is also apparent in Little Raven, which has the same function as Kay's "Little Thief".
 * Her weapons were based off those of the Rangers in Ranger's Apprentice - the longbow, the dual knives, and the strikers. The dual knives, one being a saxe knife and one being balanced for throwing, have the same properties as Ravelyn's katanas.
 * Speaking of her weapons, I know there's a huge amount of Dust arrows. That was mainly because I was coming up with all of these effects and thought, "I think I want Ravelyn to be the type who wants to be ready for every situation." Hence the absurd amount of Dust arrows.
 * The Earth arrow itself was based off the effect of the Mangler's shatter bolts. The Mangler is the crossbow mounted in the front of the wolfship Heron in the Brotherband Chronicles.