[Business] - Aries Academy

[Tio Silver]

Off Topic

On hold until Tio is no longer imprisoned in Emea. A rework may follow afterwards.

Aries Academy

"Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everybody you meet."

• ABOUT THE PC
  • Character Name: Tio Silver
  • Current Wealth Tier: Tier 6
  • Business Management Skill: 35 (Competent)
  • Profession's Main Skill (your level in it): Teaching (41)
• ABOUT THE BUSINESS STARTUP
  What is your target tier?: Tier 5
  • Step 1: What is your startup wealth differential?: +1
  • Step 2: What is the base cost of set up for your business?: 30wp
  • Step 3: What is the startup cost?: 29wp
  • Step 4: Is this business a small or large business?: Yes, a large business. 29wp x 1.5 = 43.5
  • How will this be funded?: Personal Funding
• ABOUT THE BUSINESS
• Business Name: Aries Academy
• Business Location: Yarlaon
• Business Description: Yaralon is perhaps the most dangerous land on Idalos. The animals are vicious, the environment is unforgiving, and half the people would stab their own grandmothers if there was a decent contract on her head. The law of the land is that only the strongest survive. But nobody is born strong. All too often promising young warriors are cut down before they can reach their full potential, or fall prey to the many tricks and traps of the land that can't be solved with a weapon. The younger generations often have little choice but to become strong through trial-and-error, yet making an error can often lead to death.
  
  Aries Academy aims to provide a solution to (or take advantage of, some would say) this problem by creating an environment where the promising young mercenaries of tomorrow can learn the skills they need without the constant risk of death. Within its walls students learn not just how to be physically strong, but how to survive in the wilds, wield a variety of weapons, and maybe even run their own company one day. They are given a chance to better prepare themselves for the dog-eat-dog world of mercenaries before being thrown straight into the deep end, and for some this may prove to be the difference between life and death.
  
  Public opinion of the Academy is very mixed. There are rumours floating around that the faculty are all insane, the lessons would be illegal in any other city, and that the entire student body is literally at war with itself. There are some who claim it could never prepare students for the harsh reality of mercenary life, and others who whisper that the lessons in Aries are far crueller than anything nature could create. Whatever the truth, the students who graduate leave far more skilled than they were when they entered. It's just a question of whether the mental scarring many of them seem to pick up is worth it.
  
  Course Overview
  Aries Academy offers regular students three main courses: physical training, survival training, and combat training. Each course is taught by a specific member of staff, and focuses on developing a set of three related skills up to at least competent level.
  • Physical Training: Teaches Strength, Acrobatics and Endurance. This course is essentially an unending stream of brutal exercises designed to whip the students body into fighting condition. The department head is Rhom Kingsley.
  • Survival Training: Teaches Stealth, Mount and Field Craft. Students are taught tips and tricks for survival, and taken on supervised expeditions just outside the city walls to practice them. The department head is Jack Bowers.
  • Combat Training: Teaches two weapon skills that are either related (e.g. sword and shield) or one melee weapon and one ranged weapon (e.g. spear and bow), as well as a form of unarmed combat. Students fight each other in a practice arena and develop their own unique fighting style. The department head is Queen.
  Every trial there are two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These sessions last for four breaks (hours), and during these times every course will have an open lesson that students can join. This allows students to study in whatever manner suits them best. They could keep attending a single course over and over, rotate between all three, or even just drop in for a lesson whenever they feel up for it. The only exceptions to this is that every fifth trial the Academy closes so the teachers can take a break, and that it sometimes closes for public festivals or when some kind of disaster hits the city.
  
  There is also a fourth course available that teaches students to command their own mercenary companies, however in order to be attend these lessons students have to either pay higher fees or have a recommendation from the headmaster. These lessons only take place in the afternoon sessions and a student can only attend one class every five trials, resulting in a much smaller class size.
  • Commander Training: Teaches Business Management, Tactics and Logistics. This course mostly takes place in a classroom, but is very fast-paced and requires a lot of concentration. It is taught solely by Elizabeth Ace.
  Graduating from Aries Academy is a fairly informal affair. Once the teachers of all three main courses, and the commander course teacher if the student is taking it, agree that a student is ready (at least competent level in the skills taught in the courses), they are asked to prove themselves. They can do this by taking and completing a contract, retrieving a well from a fracture, hunting a dangerous beast, or completing some other kind of challenge that requires them to demonstrate the skills they have learnt. Once they complete their task the student receives a certificate and gold medallion bearing Aries Academy's emblem, which proves that they are graduates to anyone looking to hire a mercenary they can be sure is skilled.
  
  
• Number of Employees: 4
• Which Categories from the Shoppe does your business sell?: None
• Which non-Shoppe items / goods / services do you provide?:

  Name	Details	Price
  Mercenary Soldier Training	Enrolls students on the following courses: Physical Training Survival Training Combat Training	100gn per cycle (1wp?)
  Mercenary Leader Training	Enrolls students on the following courses: Physical Training Survival Training Combat Training Commander Training	150gn per cycle (1.5wp?)

• Are there any exceptions: Nothing is taught on the fifth day of a five-trial week, or during certain festivals and special events.
• Which Wealth Tier does your business target at? Tier 5
• What is your Business Management Skill? 35

[Tio Silver]

Staff Roster

All players enrolled at Ares Academy are free to use the faculty in their threads as they please to teach them skills, but are asked to please read their profiles first and keep them in character as much as possible. They can be used in threads other than lessons and can talk to players about their personal lives, though please PM me (Tio Silver) first about what you have planned for them.

Elizabeth Ace

Name: Elizabeth Ace
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 31st Saun, 690
Skills: Business Management - 30, Tactics - 30, Logistics - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: Tall and lithe with punkish red hair, tanned skin and cool grey eyes, Elizabeth clearly looks like someone not to be messed with. She always has one of her big golden earrings on and her trademark cigars on hand.
Personality: Stern, strong and with a sharp sense of humour, Elizabeth is not a woman to be messed with. She is a genius in the art of warfare, and applies the lessons she learnt in battle tactics to pretty much every other aspect of her life. She is the teacher for the Commander Training course as well as the vice headmaster of Ares Academy, and in truth is the one who actually does most of the work that keeps the place running. Only those very few students who meet her impossibly high expectations will earn her respect.
Job Role: Vice Headmaster and Commander Training Teacher.

Rhom Kingley

Name: Rhom Kingley
Race: Lotharro
Date of Birth: 20th Ymiden, 669
Skills: Strength - 30, Acrobatics - 30, Endurance - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: A large, heavily set man verging on his fifties with a bald head, impressive black handlebar moustache and a web of tattoos. There is a solid wall of muscle behind his layers of fat.
Personality: Rhom is normally a jovial, hearty man who loves his drink a bit too much and is always happy to talk people’s ears off about some heavily exaggerated story about his long former career as a mercenary. In his lessons though Rhom becomes an unrepentant drill sergeant, and is more than happy to stomp on anyone who slacks off. He is not a smart man; in fact he folds firmly to the belief than any problem can be solved by hitting it hard enough, but the fact that he’s survived for so long as a mercenary means he must have a point.
Job Role: Physical Training Department Head.

Queen

Name: Queen
Race: Sev’ryn
Date of Birth: 8th Zi’da, 684
Skills: Blades (Sword) - 30, Ranged (Bow) - 30, Unarmed Combat (Ki’enaq) - 30, Teaching - 10.
Appearance: Dark haired and skinned, with a lithe figure and preference for black clothing, Queen has obviously abandoned her Sev’ryn heritage. Her calloused hands show she’s no stranger to wielding weapons, but there are no scars on her body.
Personality: Queen is usually calm, logical, and fairly easy to get along with. She is sociable and great at balancing praise and criticism in her lessons, making her an efficient teacher. That being said anyone who asks what her real name is, where her familiar is or why she ignores Sev’ryn culture soon become familiar with her cold temper. Rumours say that she was an assassin before taking her post at the academy, though curiously Queen never seems to acknowledge them.
Job Role: Weapons Training Department Head.

Jack Bowers

Name: Jack Bowers
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 6th Saun, 687
Skills: Stealth - 30, Mount - 30, Field Craft - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: A very tall man with a short black beard, ponytail and rather bland expression. His clothing is practical yet surprisingly expressive, hinting at some kind of a noble background.
Personality: Jack is a very taciturn man, and even when teaching always chooses as few words as possible. There is an air of sadness that clings to him which only fades when he’s out in the wilds, but even then he is peacefully silent. The only thing that can make him angry is disrespecting or threatening his horse, which is the only creature he shows any sign of friendship towards.
Job Role: Survival Training Department Head.

Joker Ace

Name: Joker Ace
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 1st Zi’da, 700
Skills: Pickpocketing - 30, Lockpicking - 30, Intelligence - 30, Teaching - 10.
Appearance: Joker has the same hair, skin tone and body type as her older sister, Elizabeth Ace, although is perhaps a little smaller. An intricate tattoo runs from her left hand up to her arm, and she’s also never seen without the same golden earrings and cigars as her sister.
Personality: It’s easy to dismiss Joker as a nasty woman. She’s rude, always willing to say what she thinks, and rarely seems to actually do her job. Yet those who get to know her find that she’s far more loyal than she lets on, and her cheeky attitude is quite fun to be around. If any students prove to have a more… open mind to criminal activities they’ll find her cornering them in private one day with an offer to teach them what she knows about thievery. All completely off the record of course.
Job Role: Groundskeeper

Lily Tenn

Name: Lily Tenn
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 7th Ymiden, 796
Skills: Medicine - 30, Surgery - 30, Poisons - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: Small and fairly weak with light brown hair and eyes, it’s easy to tell that Lily isn’t from Yaralon. She’s very pretty in a delicate way, and is always carrying around bags packed with scrolls, potions, books and all sorts of other academic equipment.
Personality: Originally from Viden, Lily is a passionate academic. She came to Yaralon to study how the tempered flora could be used for medical purposes, and stayed when she found out how in demand medics were. Lily is extremely bubbly and talkative, especially about scientific topics, but lacks the confidence and toughness most Yaralese possess. Ares Academy’s hospital wing is never short of patients, and she’d more than happy to share her medical knowledge with anyone who volunteers to help out around the place.
Job Role: Head Nurse

Captain Redheart

Name: Balthazar Redheart
Race: Mixed Race
Date of Birth: 55th Zi'da, 686
Skills: Seafaring - 30, Navigation - 30, Shipbuilding - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: An interesting mix of avriel, aukari, qi'ora and a bit of biqaj, Balthazar truly is unique in appearance. Red-eyed, talon-handed and with patches of feathers for hair, to some he seems to look like an entirely new race unto himself. He often wears little besides red shorts and his beloved scarlet captain's coat, and a strange skull shaped amulet with an ominous aura surrounding it.
Personality: Roguish, level-headed and utterly ruthless when he needs to be, Redheart made a fine pirate in the past. Yet love can change a man, and after recently becoming a father Balthazar found a new streak of compassion in him that led him to hang up his hat and find an honest job. He adores the sea and his ship, the Blazing Star, which he commands with the help of a small crew in order to transport students around Yaralon when needed. When he has the time Balthazar is willing to teach students a thing or two about sailing, so long as they don't make a fool of themselves.
Job Role: Captain

Spader

Name: Briar Spader
Race: Biqaj
Date of Birth: 40th Ymiden, 670
Skills: Smithing - 30, Fletching - 30, Construction - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: Years working behind the forge have made Briar one tough woman. Beneath her rather revealing clothing it's easy to see that she is completely ripped with muscles, and her skin is well tanned from long hours working out in the sun. She wears a lot of piercing that she made herself, and keeps her auburn hair wrapped up in an impressive braid filled with metal trinkets.
Personality: Briar is tough with a capital T. Tough on the rest of the smithing team to keep the buildings and the students weapons in perfect condition; tough on the students to look after their equipment as if their life depended on it; and especially tough on herself to never become weak or cowardly. She is a straightforward woman with pure morals, but is more than happy to smack anyone who doesn't listen to her over the head to clear their ears out. She can teach students how to make and repair weapons so long as they put their utmost effort into it.
Job Role: Head Blacksmith and Foreman

Mistress La'Diamonde

Name: Francine La'Diamonde
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 11th Saun, 675
Skills: Brewing - 30, Cooking - 30, Gambling - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: Tall, slender and with an easy grace about her movements, Francine is easily able to make heads turn. She never seems to wear the same clothes twice, except for her beloved high-heeled black boots, but always manages to look fashionable. Her accent is very exotic, but nobody can quite place where it's from.
Personality: Francine is an easygoing, mellow lady who seems more than happy to just go with the flow of life. She leads the kitchen staff at the academy, and is pleased as long as there's enough hot food and cold beer to go around for everyone. She loves games, and can always be found holding a poker game or something similar in the dining hall whenever there's no work to be done. She can cater for special occasions, but insists that the one requesting it helps out the kitchen staff as they make it for free in exchange.
Job Role: Head Chef and Tavern Keeper

Jinny Clubb

Name: Jinny Clubb
Race: Yludih
Date of Birth: 2nd Ashan, 701
Skills: Animal Training - 30, Disguise - 30, Forgery - 30, Teaching - 10
Appearance: Like all yludih, Jinny's real appearance is a mystery even to herself. Her chosen illusion however makes her out to be a short, slender girl with short brown hair and an interesting tattoo on her left forearm. She normally wears quite plain, practical clothing, since the small troop of monkeys she keeps around with her pretty much all the time can be a bit much to handle sometimes.
Personality: Jinny isn't the most trusting person. Life as a yludih hasn't been easy for her, and as a result she is naturally wary of pretty much everyone. She places her faith in animals, particularly her troop of loyal monkeys that she trained to help her care for stabled horses. Few people care to try and befriend the usually antisocial woman, but those that do soon discover the secret skill set that make her a mean smuggler once upon a time. She can teach these skills, but will always demand a favour in return.
Job Role: Head Hostler and Beast Master