Qrow Branwen

### Affliations

Ozpin's group, (formally) Branwen Tribe, Team STRQ, Signal Academy, Beacon Academy

## **Appearance**

Appearance: Qrow typically bears the look of someone who just blew into town after a hard journey. More scruffy than disheveled, not so much worn as weary, as quick with a dismissive grunt for anyone who tries to bother his as he is with a roguish smile for a pretty face. His jawline bears a perpetual shadow of thin stubble and the red cloak he almost always wears is tattered from top to bottom.

He’s a lanky, long-legged man who moves with a hunched gait reminiscent of a carrion bird. His spiked black hair resembles feathers, further adding to his birdlike appearance. When he’s in a fight he’ll often push his bangs back away from his dull red eyes. Some of his hair has grown streaks of gray, which he puts no effort into concealing.

His standard outfit has recently changed to a dark gray collar shirt he wears with a black vest with cross-shaped buttons. The sleeves of his shirt bear a floral pattern similar to his emblem. He wears this over a white v-neck shirt, along with dark grey dress pants and black dress shoes. On his right hand he wears a black wristband as well as three black rings, one on his index finger and two on his ring finger.

When he’s in his corvid form his feathers are black with a crest atop his head.

## **Powers**

Aura: On the world of Remnant, all those with a soul can use Aura, which is, in the simplest terms, a physical and psychic manifestation of that soul. Channeling Aura takes skill and practice, and those with great experience, such as Qrow, can use it for a variety of effects. The most common ways Aura is used is as a barrier against harm, allowing the user to absorb blows that would fell most. This barrier can be extended to objects, making weapons and armor, even improvised ones, more durable. Aura can also be used to rapidly heal wounds, deliver shockwaves of force, create limited extrasensory perception and shield the user from the effects of hostile environments. Aura is a limited resource which will drain quickly when put through extreme use, and is unusable again until it’s replenished. When Aura is depleted there is a visible flicker of colored light around the user, which will then shatter and disperse when completely broken. Qrow’s Aura is a red color.

Semblance: Each individual has a unique ability tied to their Aura which, when unlocked, creates a manifestation of their innate and personal power. Qrow’s Semblance is misfortune. Unlike most Semblances, Qrow’s is constantly active and he has no control over it. Wherever he goes bad luck befalls him and those around him, randomly and indiscriminately. This can be as minor as a glass getting knocked to the floor or can lead to severe chain reactions. Sometimes Qrow can turn this to his advantage, but its unpredictable nature motivates him to keep his distance from those he cares about.

Shapeshifting: Qrow has been infused with a small amount of magic, which grants him the ability to change into a crow. When in this form he can fly, move more stealthily, and cross great distances.

## **Talents**

Qrow is one of the most skilled and formidable Huntsmen currently active in Remnant, highly trained in combat, tracking, stealth and espionage. His weapons of choice are swords, firearms and polearms, having modeled he style off the legendary scythe-wielding Huntress known as the Grimm Reaper, but in a pinch he is a capable hand-to-hand fighter as well. He is comfortable in the wild, able to forage, hunt and live off the land. He can spin a decent yarn and, having spent some time as a teacher, can also pass his knowledge and training to others.

## **Interests**

Drinking (although recent events have persuaded him to cut back), goofing off, video games, card games, spending time with the people he cares about (as long as his luck doesn’t ruin things), flirting, calling out high ranking members of the military out on their bullshit.

## **History**

Spoiler Warning – This background contains information that might be considered spoilers for RWBY.

Qrow grew up in a bandit tribe along with his twin sister, Raven. The tribe sent them to enroll in combat school and, eventually, Beacon Academy. However, this was not so they could become a Huntsman and Huntress. The true purpose was for them to learn how to slay Hunters and Huntresses and bring that knowledge back to the tribe.

At Beacon they became friends with Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long, forming Team STRQ. When they were issued school uniforms for the first time, Taiyang tricked Qrow into wearing a skirt by telling him it was a kilt. The prank worked in Qrow’s favor, however, as the female students thought he had nice legs, and he had no problem with the idea of showing them off.

After graduating, Raven and Taiyang married and had a daughter, Yang. Eventually the entire team was recruited by Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon, who revealed to them the true struggle taking place on their world. He tasked them with secret missions to gather intelligence and track important people needed in the fight against an immortal being known as Salem. To aid in this, Ozpin bestowed a sliver of his own magic to both Qrow and Raven, granting them the ability to transform into birds.

Raven would soon lose faith in this cause, however, and desert both Ozpin and Taiyang, choosing instead to return to her tribe. Qrow, however, remained loyal, and the two have had a strained relationship ever since. Taiyang eventually married Summer Rose and had a second daughter, Ruby. Qrow would become a mentor to both Ruby and Yang, even spending some time as a teacher at Signal Academy to help them both prepare for when they would be old enough to enroll at Beacon themselves.

After the fall of Beacon, Qrow followed Ruby and her friends as they journeyed across Remnant, seeking the four Relics in the hope of finding some way to put an end to the threat of Salem. Their travels eventually brought them to the flying city of Atlas, and from there Qrow found himself wandering through a portal to Wall. Just his luck…