Azulius Cardamom

Note: This is still a work in progress, so please don't judge too harshly. As a WIP, content is subject to change without warning. Though I just warned you, so who knows...

Profile
Name: Azulius Mignoli Cardamom. For pronounciation purposes, if you're worried about that, if the first name sounds like the Spanish word for blue, followed by the second half of "Julius", you're close enough. Mignoli, when anyone bothers to use it, should be pronounced like it's an Italian word. Due to reasons in his backstory, he often uses the last name Cardoso; you'll see why. SInce a name like that is sort of unwieldly, Azulius is quite open to the use of nicknames, except for "Zulie" (rhyming with Julie.) Only his sister calls him that, and he still hates it. For brevity's sake, I'll call him Az and Azzie in this article. Age: 21, but looks younger or older depending on his shaving status.

Height: 6' 2" (~188 cm)

Weight: 150ish pounds (70ish kg), but looks skinnier. Azzie blames the pinstripes for being too slimming.

Hair: Dark brown

Eyes: Dark brown

Voice: Medium pitch, rather fast talker, somewhat of a New England accent. If you've seen Newsies, just mix that with a hint of Chicago Gangster. Or a slightly deeper-voiced TF2 Scout. Also, expect his speech to be peppered with classic 1920's slang.

Appearance
"I'll tell ya two reasons they don't keep me around: My hardboiled physique, and my movie star good looks."

- Azulius Cardoso, on his purpose in life

Physically, Azzie has much more in common with Jack Skellington than Al Capone. He's tall and thin, though not as thin as he looks with the pinstripes, with a focused, intelligent look to his face. His facial hair varies from clean-shaven to "roguish 5-o-clock shadow," depending on the day. Not particularly handsome, but not ugly either. Az has long arms and legs for his size, and his fingers in particular are long and dextrous. Thought he's not as strong as he'd like to be, Az is surprisingly tough for what you would expect, rarely getting sick and healing a little faster than average. (In Dungeons and Dragons terms, his Strength is below average, but his Constitution is surprisingly good)

In regards to clothing, if Remnant had such a thing as gangster movies, Azulius would look like he just walked out of one. His preferred attire is a dark blue suit, with brighter blue pinstripes, a white shirt, some dark blue slacks, and black sneakers (He prefers fancier shoes, but you can't really fight in nice shoes, so pragmatism). Even in not preferred situations, he believes strongly in dressing up for the occasion, and rarely stoops lower than a buttoned shirt and maybe blue jeans. If he's wearing anything else, it's because they either forced him into it or there were lives at stake. Besides his nice clothes, Azzie usually keeps a fair number of accessories on him: his watch, scroll, deck of cards, ring, knuckledusters, and whatever his latest scheme or magic trick requires. When he knows a battle is imminent, or it's just cold, Az pulls out a large blue reinforced trench coat, which gives him a little more protection

and space to carry a lot more ammo.

Personality
"There's two sides to every person, slick; what they show the world, and what's really going on in their heads. The one should never be confused for the other."

- Azulius Cardoso, on personalities

To the rest of the world, Azulius seems like the classic nice guy: easygoing, charismatic, and just generally well put-together. Although older than most students, he says he was traveling the world beforehand, and has a long list of amazing stories to share. He's pretty intelligent, but he never lords it over anyone, and he's always willing to listen to what others have to say, especially when they have skills in something Azzie lacks. Want to learn how to bluff at cards better? Swell! But how about you show me a bit about that (insert thing here) you do so well? Fair trade? He's a consummate gentleman, always showing respect until a person shows themselves unworthy of it. Az also seems very slow to anger, and has repeatedly said that holding grudges is "A complete waste of time that I could be using for better stuff." When he's not fighting, his main hobby seems to be magic, and he's almost always willing to put on a quick show, though he only parts with his secrets to someone who really wants to learn. And if it's not magic, Azzie is playing some kind of game of strategy/luck or has his head forcefully lodged in a book of some kind. Regardless of what he's doing, though, he always seems willing to drop anything and everything for his "family", be they related by blood or just the ties of friendship.

All in all, a great guy, right?

Of course, Az's quote applies to himself as well. On the inside, he's fairly insecure about a number of things, first of which being his family. While certainly not as well known or dangerous as the White Fang, the family name still carries a lot of negative stigma that Az would rather distance himself from; as a result, he usually uses the last name "Cardoso" instead of his original one. If he's near anyone from _____, especially where the Cardamoms are well known, he will take great pains to hide his accent/origin (with varying results), lest his guise be seen through. In addition, he's extremely perfectionistic with himself, especially in regards to his self-perceived weaknesses. (physical strength, melee combat, Dust working in general, building stuff, the list goes on) In fact, the reason he's so willing to trade skills with others is an effort to cover his gaps, and if he can help someone else at the same time, there's a new potential friend, contact, or even just a favor he can call in. Lastly, Az is somewhat annoyed with himself that he even gets annoyed about these things. Growing up, he had two parents who cared for him, three square meals a day, and an all-around decent upbringing. Compared to the lives of some of his classmates, what does he really have to complain about? Though his public confidence is "fake it until you make it", Azulius still has no idea how to make it yet.

Weapons and Abilities
"I triple dog dare ya to stand up right now!"

- Azulius Cardoso, on the merits of suppressive fire

Roaring Moxie (this probably should be another page, but I'll do that later)
Azulius's weapon of choice is a gray and blue SMGG (Sub-Machine Glaive-Guisarme) that he calls Roaring Moxie. In her (Azzie always refers to RM as female) basic form, she looks like a classic Thompson submachine gun, with a modified sight and a drum magazine. Transformed, she takes the form of a glaive-guisarme (though Az just calls it a glaive, since no one really knows their polearm terminology that well anyways) with a variable-length handle.

Gun Form
As a Tommy gun, RM is a sturdy firearm built mainly around shooting lots of bullets very fast at the enemy. While it's fairly accurate with single shots and "short, controlled bursts", Azzie really likes just using it as a bullet hose. And with a .45 ACP round being fired every 1/10 second, Az can unload impressive amounts of damage on unarmored targets. This is actually one of his preferred tactics in a team fight: Unload towards the enemy, and everyone in the way will either be chopped finely or pinned behind whatever cover they can find. Let his more melee-oriented friends close the distance, then stop shooting and let them work their choppy, stabby, or bludgeony magic. Also increasing the versatility of Roaring Moxie is the ability to use different types of ammunition. Besides the "classic" bullets he stores in drum magazines, Azzie also owns limited magazines of elemental Dust ammunition. Since these rounds aren't cheap, he mainly uses them by the smaller box magazines associated with the Thompson.

Azulius has experimented with flying using RM, but the idea is still far too dangerous to use in the field. Just imagine a balloon flying around without being tied off. A balloon that sprays bullets.

Glaive(-Guisarme) Form
While Azulius really prefers ranged combat, low Strength and all, there are times where it's unavoidable. For those times, Roaring Moxie's stock opens into a blade, ammo is ejected, the twin grips rotate flush with the body, and the entire action of the gun extends into a serviceable handle. As a glaive, RM's blade is best described as a large knife on a stick, though Azzie added a sharp point to the end of the blade for added effectiveness against heavy armor. For even more versatility, the head of the weapon also includes a hook-like protrusion (the guisarme part) to block, pull or throw targets. In style, Az uses the glaive-guisarme to maintain distance, with lots of thrusts, spinning attacks, handle strikes, and feints. (being a magician, Azzie can feint like a boss)

Unarmed/other notes
Azzie likes hand-to-hand even less than regular melee, but desperate times and all that jazz. To give him a slight edge, he usually carries with him a pair of knuckledusters to augment his punching power. The metal is Dust-infused both for added punch and to toughen them a little. With the knuckles, Azzie can now use his hands to block low-powered blades and claws, but any super-cutting attack is still out of his league. His actual hand to hand style probably most resembles Bartitsu, with a hint of various other styles thrown in from his travels around Remnant. To compensate for his low strength, Azzie draws on his magic skills by using lots of misdirection and bluffing. You think he's coming in for a haymaker, but he instead opens up a flurry of jabs. Or he closes the distance for a grab, but instead throws a knee or two. In hand to hand, no one can really know what to expect when fighting him, which is just how he likes it.

Semblance
Since I can't decide on a semblance, I actually had three ideas that all seemed to fit with the character. I'll just put all three here and see which ones the admins accept or reject.
 * Illusionist: Azulius loves magic, especially seeing how the mind works in deception and the reaction of people.  With his Semblance, Az can manipulate light and sound and make appear things that aren't there, or hide things that are there.  Some of his favorite uses of the power include distractions of light and sound, "summoning" Grimm or other threats to distract enemies, or making himself and allies invisible and inaudible.  While this ability can come in real handy, it suffers the twin serious flaws of sustainability (Azzie has a real hard time keeping a convincing illusion up when he's doing anything besides running around) and the immateriality of his creations (Yeah, that illusion Death Stalker is scary and all, but when the first guy throws a rock at it and it passes clean through, someone's going to put two and two together)
 * Play the Odds: Azulius has figured out how to leverage his knack for probabilities and chance in to a legitimate combat skill, giving him a way to hedge his bets. Though he doesn't really have a clue how this semblance works, Az describes it thusly:  When he uses his semblance, he decides on two or more different courses of action. (attack high or low, take the left door or the right, hold still or run for it)  He then "sees" aspects of himself playing out both actions until he decides which route is the "correct one", which then happens as forseen.  Problem is, this Semblance is extremely draining to Azzie, especially if he tries to make too many aspects (2 is normal, 3 and 4 are risky, and 5+ borders on suicidal in a fight unless he can guarantee winning with the attack) or tries to see too far ahead with the aspects.  (1-2 seconds is all he usually uses in a fight, but he can go up to 10 seconds if needed.  He once made it an entire minute, but was bedridden for the next two days from fatigue.)  In addition, Azzie must choose an aspect to follow; if both options are bad, he must choose the lesser of two evils.
 * Split Second: This semblance takes "thinking fast" to a whole new level. When turned on, Azulius can see and process information many times faster than normal, effectively giving him superior reflexes and kinetic vision.  To him, it feels like the universe is slowing down and giving him time to decide what to do.  Some of the applications of this semblance include help in dodging or aiming, planning a reaction to a problem in a moment, or anytime Azzie wants to see something in slow motion.  How draining this ability proves depends on how much he uses his power, but mainly on how much he decides to slow time.  Slowing enough to treat a fistfight like a chess match is mildly exerting, watching bullets fly by is hard, and laser/plasma beams are extremely demanding.  In addition, only Azzie's mind is sped up; if his body can't move fast enough to take advantage of his new information, then he's stuck as an observer.  Imagine seeing someone's fist coming towards you in slow motion, but not being able to do anything about it.

Non-Combat Abilities
Azulius may be a valid threat on the battlefield, but his true element is that of a planner and strategist. Give him a goal, a list of available tools/people, and enough chocolate, and he could probably break into anywhere. Or give Az some teammates and he'll have a list of potential combo attacks (a la the shipping names from "Painting the Town") by morning. He is also extremely well-read, especially in regards to psychology and how people think. As a magician, he is well-versed in sleight of hand, working a crowd, and even a little pickpocketing. But what Azzie really loves is learning about anything else he doesn't know, and his reading speed and retention are also second-to-few.

Backstory
"Sweetheart, my life's an open book! Though I admit to ripping out a few pages to protect the innocent. And guilty.  And those who I still can't tell which were which."

- Azulius Cardoso

The Cardamom Family
Ever since there has been crime, some people have realized that it is much easier to commit big crimes by working together instead of going it alone. Many years ago, Jasper "Jay" Cardamom set his sights on becoming the big cheese of organized crime in _____. In a few years, he had accomplished exactly that, through a mixture of skill, professionalism, applied violence, and more luck than anyone really cares to admit. Bribery, gambling, smuggling, protection, even a little wetwork--if it was a way to make money, the Cardamoms had some degree of influence over it. While several "branch offices" were founded in other kingdoms, Jay always focused most of his efforts on _____. (If you've played any Civilization games, Jasper Cardamom preferred playing "tall" instead of "wide") Once on top, Jasper kept a hold of power through bribing, befriending, or intimidating other gangs into submission, a constant willingness to hear new ideas, discipline throughout the ranks, and a surprisingly progressive (for the time) recruitment policy towards Faunus; Jay cared much more about how you could fight, sneak, think, or earn money for the family than how funny your ears looked. Some of his own advisors joked that Jasper would even hire an Ursa as a foot soldier, if he could just teach one to wear a suit and follow orders. This dynasty continued until Ochre Cardamom (called Grandpa Cardamom by many) took the reins. After a few years on top, he made the unexpected decision to begin moving all of the family resources in to more legitimate ventures. Was it guilt about the years of violence? Sadness over the loss of his beloved wife Rosa? Or just another vision of the future? No one knows, but Ochre has been true to his word.

A Modern Family
Nowadays, the Cardamom family interests are mainly in the "shady" side of the law, as opposed to the "overtly criminal" side. The protection money actually protects (with a money-back guarantee), the loan shark's rates are somewhat reasonable, and all of the family-owned businesses neatly follow the letter of the law, if not the spirit. The family even accepts "alternate" forms of payment in exchange for services. A restaurant that can't pay protection might just have to cater a family event, or a craftsman gives away some free gear or consultation in exchange for the rent. In fact, Azulius owes Roaring Moxie's superior construction to the materials and tools he was lent by Thompson and Sons Weapons in exchange for some back rent. Though the transition has been going smoothly so far, old habits die hard, and there are plenty of voices in _____ wondering or scheming about who will fill the power vacuum left by the Cardamom's repentance...and they left a big vacuum to fill.

New Kid on the Block
It was during the beginning of this time of change that Sienna and Opal Cardamom welcomed their second child into the world, Azulius. Though he was a brilliant child growing up, he was extremely indecisive, because his incredible curiosity wouldn't let him make any decision without exploring all of the options first, though he did get better. When he became of age, lacking a better direction for a carreer, he started working for the family as an "auditor" of sorts, travelling to the "branch offices" to make sure all was well. It was on one of these trips that he first met and saw Hunters in action, since before, the family always did most of the protecting of _____ (at no small expense to the ruling council), and most of the Cardamom bigwigs were already on par with Hunters in terms of skill. After talking with the Hunters, Azulius couldn't believe that people would just wander Remnant and risk their lives for little-to-no compensation. He had to understand better. So Azulius called in some family favors, passed the test, and got admitted to Beacon Academy, which was hopefully far enough away that his family legacy wouldn't color people's perceptions of him. Where his tale will take him next, time alone will tell...

Notes/Trivia

 * For the required RWBY-name-color rule, Azulius's name comes from corrupting azul, the Spanish word for blue. Also, his real last name, Cardamom, is a type of spice used in lots of Eastern cooking.
 * Azulius's symbol is based on a playing card, with three stylized cardamom pods in the middle.
 * The name for Roaring Moxie comes from two different terms: Roaring from "The Roaring Twenties", considered by many to be the golden age of the gangster, and Moxie, an old-fashioned term for energy and courage.
 * According to Azulius, his love for games may be hereditary: one staple of Cardamom family gatherings (the actual family, not the criminal one) is the over-the-top, scoundrel-style games of Remnant: the Game. Noteworthy tactics that have been employed over the years include bribing houseservants to gather intelligence, providing gimmicked cards, dice, or game boards, and the one time Uncle Trigo Cardamom had some of his goons fake an attack on a family business to serve a distraction.  To this day, Azzie has come up with decent plans by remembering something some family member did during a game.

Quick Questions
These words here are mainly questions for the admins (I'll delete this once the character is accepted), but if you have a decent answer, please comment.
 * In regards to the kingdom of origin for this tale, I've still left it blank until I can nail down. Vale doesn't make any sense (especially since he wants distance from his family), we don't know much about the other kingdoms, and inventing a fifth kingdom makes even less sense than Vale.  Any thoughts are appreciated.
 * Will I have to re-submit this page any time I make any alterations? More pics, tweaked format, etc?
 * Would it be required to move all of the Roaring Moxie info to another page, or just a decent idea?
 * In case I wasn't obvious enough, Azzie will not have three semblances.  I just had three ideas for semblances, and figured I would see which ones were approved before I killed any good ideas.