Maison Aetherthorne Ascensions – Familiar Training Codex
Section: Advanced Chivalric Disciplines – Approved for Courting Gallants, Devoted Gallants, and Guiding Ladies of Ascension
The Scout Vanguard subclass elevates a gallant into the elusive harbinger of harmony—the stealthy operative who strikes from shadows, scouts unseen threats, and turns ambush into elegant preemption. Suited for Courting Gallants weaving intrigue in blimp shadows or Devoted Gallants patrolling cloud fringes, Scout Vanguards blend pedigree mammal instincts (fox cunning, squirrel glide, cat silence) with human tactical genius, ensuring disharmony crumbles before it blooms.
Unlike thunderous Mecha Knights or flashy Gunslingers, Scout Vanguards favor subtlety: silent takedowns, intel relays, and opportunistic strikes that disarm foes with whispered finality. Non-lethal precision—smoke nets, pressure pins, or evasion traps—preserves lives while showcasing devotion. Their feats whisper through salons: “He saw the pirate before the clouds parted,” earning a Lady’s secretive smile and clandestine human-form rendezvous.
The Scout Vanguard path unlocks at Level 3, rewarding gallants who excel in base Fighter evasion and senses during Refined Prospect trials. The Maison prizes this subclass for preemptive island security.
Process: Petition at Blimp Nexus’s Shadow Observatories or Eclipse Enclave’s Veil Chambers. Approval features a clandestine oath under steam lanterns, with the Guiding Lady attuning the cloak to her ring’s subtle pulse.
Mandatory Registration: Cloak and vanguard tools must register with municipal harmony arbiters. Logs capture whistle resonance, camouflage spectrum, and stealth calibration to regulate shadow operations across the skies.
Gallants murmur of elusive Mark 2 cloaks—deeper aether weaves, self-repairing vapor threads, or extended glide boosters—awarded for pivotal intel saves or covert expo triumphs.
The Scout Vanguard’s kit manifests with ghostly finesse via the Harmonious Call Whistle:
The Call: A hushed, ethereal trill-hiss (tuned to pedigree—e.g., gliding squirrel whisper or stealthy cat sigh) exhales faint mist veils.
Deployment: The Phantom Vanguard Cloak – Mark 1 (steam-infused camouflage mantle with integrated pouches for pins, flares, and mini-blades) drifts silently from concealed caches or mist folds, draping the gallant in swirling arrival. Human Form: Full envelop for infiltration poses. Mammal Form: Lightweight scarf for hyper-agile scouting.
Combat Flow: Stealth-to-strike dominance—cloak for positioning, ambush pins for stuns, multi-leap chains for evasion. Vapor tools deploy nets or disorient bursts; cooldowns build tension in cat-and-mouse pursuits.
Dismissal: Reverse whistle dissolves the cloak into harmless steam wisps.
Level 3: Vanguard Veil – Summon cloak for Shadow Step: Instant reposition + initial pin strike (pressure stun).
Level 7: Mist Leap – Chain two leaps through vapor; health overlap shrugs off detection traps.
Level 11: Whisper Assault – Three-tool combo (pin-net-flare); loyalty relays intel to Guiding Lady mid-action.
Level 15: Phantom Surge – Four-ambush barrage; agility overlap chains invisibility bursts.
Level 18: Eternal Shade – Permanent Aether Mirage: Cloak projects decoys for allies; ring-sync grants flawless foresight senses.
Unauthorized tweaks to cloak or tools are rigorously banned—risking veil breaches or uncontrolled shadows that fracture societal balance. Aether resonators permit remote scans, shutdowns (mist dispersal), or arbiter audits for deviations.
Still, in fog-shrouded nooks of Blimp Nexus alleys or Eclipse Enclave’s dim vaults, shadowy tinkerers proffer discreet “sharpenings”—thinner vapor layers, etched glide fins, or hushed rune boosts. These minor indulgences, pragmatically ignored amid oversight’s expanse, let a vigilant Scout Vanguard glimpse just a shade deeper… so long as harmony’s core directive gleams untouched.
See the Unseen. Secure the Bloom.
(Embossed with the Misted Shadow Emblem)