Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-26397825-20160101143127/@comment-203.177.28.219-20160113020045

Twenty or so years prior to the onset of the RWBY series, a mysterious outbreak ravaged Remnant, a bubonic plague spread by the Grimm themselves. A sizable region of Remnant had to be quarantined and came to be named the Heart of Darkness. A slither hope came in the form of rumors of a cure. Thus 16 Huntsmen and Huntresses went into the quarantined zone to find this cure. Only four came back alive. The survivors formed a new team and initiated project TITN (Titan), promising to eradicate the virus known as the Black Plague. They were on the brink of a breakthrough, but betrayal and internal strife caused the project to collapse. Dreams were twisted into ambition when a few wished to use their research to create new weapons, sabotaging efforts for a cure. Though project TITN was disbanded it lived on through its successor Illuminate Labs (*pending name). Kidnapping children and orphans, enslaving Faunus, and developing dangerous technologies, Illuminate Labs continues to conduct many nefarious experiments.

Nevara, an illegitimate Schnee, was left to die by her family in the unforgiving cold. In her dying moments she thought she was saved when doctors in glistening lab coats found her. But she was wrong. Nevara was subjected to cruel experiments designed to empower one’s Semblance. Clawing her way up the ranks of the organization that imprisoned her, she shed her weaknesses and emotions to become a powerful fighter. As the new head of Illuminate Labs, Nevara found lost records of the Black Plague. References to a lost power that was greater than Dust were sprinkled in reports. It was called Dark Matter or Anti-Dust; she dubbed it-Ash.

The virus that was supposed to have been destroyed was actually weaponized into this form called Ash. Humans that were exposed to Ash manifested strange powers, their Aura and Semblance altered. It was as if they had no soul, no life. There were only two known successful subjects of Ash infusion. This was Project Revenants. Subject O1 was simply known as Reven. The other, Obsidian, was rescued. Acting as a vigilante, Obsidian would return to dismantle and destroy Illuminate Labs. But he could not do it alone. So he recruited others to his cause. These were teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses. FATE, SRPH, and Doll-they fought to stop Nevara and her forces. Nevara had discovered an ancient mirror that showed visions of the future. Through it, she learned of the existence of magic and a dark fate that would befall the world. Dust seemed to be a key in this bleak future. So she was determined to unravel the secrets of Dust. To her Dust and Magic were inexorably linked and altogether dangerous. She sought to replace Dust with Ash. Nevara emerged as the single most infuriating obstacle to Cinder’s plans for quite some time. They clashed often. If Cinder wanted to steal the Maidens’ powers for herself, Nevara wanted to create a warrior that would stop her Cinder and her terrible visions. She set her sights on a young Huntress named Ember, with the intent on training her to be her successor. For Nevara knew in her heart that it would take far longer than her own life to see her plans come to fruition.

Ember, the last and youngest member of team FATE, was a frequent sparring partner of Ruby Rose and rival of Weiss Schnee. In this young girl, Nevara placed her hopes for a better tomorrow. The mirror foretold that Ember would follow Nevara’s path. In this dark future Ruby would be corrupted by the Grimm as bring the world to its knees. Friends would turn on each. Weiss would become a ruthless general in service of Ruby. Blake would become a spy and assassin for the resistance opposing Ruby’s Reign of Terror. Ember would become the leader of this resistance. And Yang, who loved her sister so much, would have sacrificed her life. This sacrifice is what propelled Ruby’s fall from grace. The only thing left behind from Yang’s memory is a young girl, claiming to be her daughter. Now Ember must decide to take Ying Xiao Long as her apprentice. Strands of fate intertwine, ever-changing and inescapable.