Remnant

**Remnant** is the future-fantasy world of *RWBY*, with airships, gadgets, high-tech weaponry and a form of natural energy called Dust existing side by side., and is the setting of Evernight's Eternal Reign.

## Geography

The six Kingdoms of Remnant are Vale, Vacuo, Atlas, Mistral, Menagerie and Evernight. Each of the Kingdoms has its own distinct culture - for example, Atlas was known for its martial nature and technological advancement, and Vacuo for its rough-and-tumble lifestyle. Vale and Vacuo is located on the continent of Sanus, Mistral on Anima, Atlas on Solitas, Other known landmasses include Menagerie, the continent to the bottom right, and Evernight on the dragon-shaped continent.

### Constellations

According to 18th Anniversary Star Chart T-Shirt, Remnant follows several Grimm-themed constellations in their northern skies. There are six major constellations in total, and they are as follows:

* January–February: Nuckelavee
* March–April: Cenitaur
* May–June: Sabyr
* July–August: Wyvern
* September–October: Sea Feilong
* November–December: Monstra

## History

### Legends

According to Ozpin, the race known as Humanity was created by two The Gods|brothers. The narration in "Ruby Rose" states that the early history of Remnant has been long forgotten, with recollections being passed down in the form of myths and legends.

Legend states that mankind was born from dust into a hostile world, forced to battle for survival against soulless creatures of darkness known as the Grimm. However, man discovered a power that would help them combat the forces of darkness; they named their newly discovered power, Dust, after that from which they were formed. Armed with Dust, described as "Nature's Wrath", mankind was able to turn the tide against the Grimm.

### True History

In truth, before it was called that, the planet was originally created by the God of Light and God of Darkness as part of an unexplained experiment. The Gods later created Humanity as a joint project to bridge their differences. Humanity existed alongside their creators for ages until a time when a young woman named Salem confronted the Gods, demanding that they bring her beloved Ozma back to life. After they refused, she tried to force the issue, only to be cursed with immortality.

Angry and frustrated, Salem spread the word to the various Kingdoms that they could overthrow the Gods, and take their powers for themselves. This got Humanity to rebel against their creators, but when they attempted to confront them, the God of Darkness effortlessly wiped them all out, leaving Salem as the lone survivor. The Gods then elected to leave, with the God of Darkness destroying the moon in the process, and leaving the world as a mere remnant of what it once was.

Eventually, Humanity recovered from its extinction and found themselves joined now by another intelligent race, the Faunus. However, the world was not the same, and without magic, they were vulnerable to the Grimm. To that end, they harnessed the power of Dust to defend themselves. Alongside Dust, they also possessed Aura, a form of innate energy that bestows its user with certain abilities and powers. Unique expressions of these abilities which are specific to individuals are known as Semblances.

### Modern Times

In the absence of darkness, mankind was able to build civilization and spread throughout the world. The mining of Dust would continue to be a major industry, leading to the rise of large enterprises such as the Schnee Dust Company.

However, having survived the Grimm menace, Humanity began to turn against itself, spiraling into a series of self-destructive conflicts. The largest of these was the Great War, fought over issues of individualism and self-expression. Conflict also arose between the Humans and the subjugated Faunus, eventually sparking the Faunus Rights Revolution.

In the current day, most people live within the four Kingdoms - Vale, Mistral, Atlas and Vacuo. Through a combination of Human tenacity and the use of natural barriers, these settlements managed to survive and are regarded as "safe havens" and "beacons of hope" for Humanity. Small villages and nomadic communities do exist outside of the territories of the main Kingdoms, though they are noted as being far more vulnerable to Grimm attacks. This serves to emphasize that Remnant is not a particularly welcoming world to Humans and Faunus.

Following the Great War, Huntsman Academies, such as Beacon Academy, were created to train Huntsmen and Huntresses, warriors whose sole purpose was to combat the Grimm using a combination of powerful weapons, Aura and Dust. In doing so, they protect those who cannot protect themselves from the dangers of Remnant.

The population of Remnant in the modern era is stated to be in the millions by Oscar Pine during his argument with James Ironwood in "The Enemy of Trust".

In "The Final Word", the Kingdom of Atlas ceased to exist when the floating city of Atlas crashed into Mantle destroying them both.

## Politics

While the Kingdoms of Remnant were monarchies in the past, they have since been dissolved at some point following the Great War and the founding of the Huntsmen Academies in favor of each Kingdom being governed by its own council.

In the *World of Remnant* episode, "Kingdoms", a brief description is given on how the Kingdoms are governed - each Kingdom has a governing council that represents the needs of their people. The powers and responsibilities of these councils, as well as how members are appointed, was not stated. However, it was later revealed that the Headmaster of each Huntsman Academy has one seat on the council. The exception to this was in Atlas, where the Headmaster of Atlas Academy, James Ironwood, had two council seats due to also being the General of the Atlas Military.

The council members are voted for by the citizens of the Kingdom in the form of an election. Robyn Hill and Jacques Schnee both ran for a seat on the Atlas council. The council also operated under a Checks-and-Balances system to keep members from abusing their power. Becoming a councilman grants them privileges, such as when Jacques gained access to the heating grid for Mantle.

In the area of security, they are known to have influence over the administration of the Huntsmen of academies - in "Breach", the council of Vale chastised Ozpin following a Grimm incursion into the city, and have demonstrated the authority to question his suitability as Headmaster of Beacon.

Some members of the council for each Kingdom have been shown to be corrupt, such as the former city manager of Vale, Jimmy Vanille who was working with the Xiong Family to smuggle Dust into the city while secretly taking parts of those shipments for himself and a member of the Mistral council served as a contact to Jack Plum, a rival of Lil' Miss Malachite.

Apart from Huntsmen, conventional militaries are also known to exist, but not all of the Kingdoms keep standing armies. The Kingdom of Atlas was known to maintain a sizable military force, fielding a large air fleet, as well as robotic soldiers and mechs before it's destruction.

Although the world was said to originally be in an unprecedented state of peace, social issues seriously threatened the status quo - racial tensions between the Faunus and Humans caused by continuing prejudice in society, the plots of various criminal organizations such as the Wave, the Hana Guild and The Crown, the immoral practices of the Schnee Dust Company, as well as agitation from the White Fang terrorist group, continued to cause friction in society. The Grimm still thrive in the wild areas outside the territory of the four Kingdoms, whilst plotting by mysterious groups threatened them from within. The narration of "Kingdoms" implied that the future of Humanity is heavily contingent upon the continued cooperation of the Four Kingdoms. Following Atlas' destruction however, only three of the remaining Kingdoms in the world remain.

## Culture

*Also see Food, Literature, Fairy Tales, & Religion*
Remnant has a vibrant culture owing to the diversity of its inhabitants. Each of the four Kingdoms has a unique identity and this distinctive character is encouraged by events such as the Vytal Festival, where the people of Remnant gather to celebrate their cultures.

Given the importance of Huntsmen and Huntresses in mankind's continued existence, part of this celebration also includes a combat tournament between students of the Kingdoms' respective academies.

### Names

Main article: Color Naming Rule

A significant part of Remnant's worldwide culture is the practice of naming children after colors.

During the Great War, attempts by tyrannical oppressors to limit individualism and self-expression were met by a violent backlash from the populace. In response to persecutors' attempts to destroy art, people began to name their children after a fundamental element of art - color - sending the message that the next generation would also fight to prevent the destruction of their individuality.

After the end of the War and the defeat of this subjugation, the practice continued into the present day, and virtually all citizens of Remnant have names derived from colors. The only exception to this rule was Professor Ozpin.

### Discrimination

There is a significant amount of discrimination towards Faunus in Remnant's past and present. Since the Faunus War, in which they gained freedom by law, Faunus have continued to face discrimination and exploitation from Humans. Whether this is the norm or the actions of a minority is unknown; however, it is enough to cause some Faunus to turn to the terrorist group, the White Fang. The Kingdom of Mistral and the former Kingdom of Atlas are considered the most discriminatory towards the Faunus, having signs in many of their establishments labeled "No Faunus".

By contrast, Remnant appears to be a very egalitarian world when it comes to the sexes, as seen at Beacon Academy. Both sexes share locker rooms, and teams that have both sexes in them share dorm rooms. There never appears to be animosity from men towards women or women towards men on the basis of sex.

### Marriage

Different cultures/Kingdoms have different ways of expressing their bonds to other people, and there is no set standard for that across Remnant. Most often it comes to incorporating it on their clothes/person in some way, usually through color. An example of that are Ghira and Kali Belladonna who wear arm bands in each other's colors on their arms.