Rhia Teysa. Fox Faunus.

Rhia and her sister were born in Atlas under the "protection and shelter" of a branch of the Schnee Dust Company. From the age of seven, she and her family were given jobs by the world renowned dust company, her parents as miners and Rhia and her older sister as maids for the branch manager. Like most Faunus Rhia and her family suffered near-constant discrimination from their employers. In addition to the racial discrimination, she was treated poorly often talked down to and insulted and sometimes physically reprimanded for not doing a good enough job.

She and her family were paid for their work, but far below even the most menial job, a human would have. It was just the reality of her kind. All Faunus were treated like this, like lesser creatures or base animals just because they looked a bit different from humans. On the worst days she would cry herself to sleep while her sister held onto to her and over the years she grew to hate humans.

As she grew, she started spending her free time reading, wanting to learn about the world beyond Atlas. The other kingdoms she had always dreamed of being able to break free from the Schnee Company and Atlas, but she never thought of where she would go, not that anything could be worse than where she was now. After reading about the rest of the world, however, she started dreaming about each of the kingdoms and which ones she would like to visit. The older she got, the more tasks she was given and one day while cleaning the hall outside the branch manager's office she overheard talk of a group of Faunus that called themselves "The White Fang."

She listened closer to hear more, according to the branch manager the White Fang was a radical group of terrorists comprised solely of Faunus that traveled around and attacked the Schnee Company and their property and violently harmed anyone who got in their way. Based on the discrimination against the Faunus, Rhia was sure the parts about the White Fang being violent criminals was an exaggeration. Although even if it weren't, she would care because from that day she dreamed not only of escaping but of the White Fang coming to destroy this evil place and the monsters that ran it. In the face of her growing hatred for humans especially the ones that worked for the Schnee Company, Rhia was able to smile on some days and keep her childish innocence thanks to the protection of her sister even if it only lasted for a short time.

Her life only got worse when she turned thirteen. Her mother had passed out from exhaustion, and the foreman's and supervisors did nothing to help her, instead of ordering the other workers to force her back up and back to work. Her mother became sick within the next few days and by the end of the week died. Rhia cried herself to sleep again that night hoping, praying that something would come to free her from the hellish nightmare that was her life and at the end of the next day her wishes had all come true.

Rhia and her sister exhausted from another day of being overworked met with their father outside the entrance to the main mine tunnel so they could walk home together. Before they reached their home, an explosion ripped through the air, and an enormous ball of fire shot into the sky above the main factory and the station where the refined dust was to be shipped out. She heard gunshots and screams as swarms of guards ran to confront whatever was going on and she heard one of them declare that they were under attack by the White Fang. This was it she thought, finally this place would be destroyed, and her family would be free. Her father must have had the same thought as he began pushing them away from the factory and mines and toward the transport station, this was their chance to escape to stowaway on one of the trains and flee.

Arriving at the station her father called out to the members of the White Fang and begged them to take him and his daughters with them. The attacking Faunus allowed them on, but before they could leave a squad of guards appeared to try and stop them from stealing the transport train. Rhia's father pushed both of his daughters onto the train and turned to block the path of the guards allowing his children and the White Fang to escape. Rhia's sister covered her eyes as her father was gunned down by the guard's, but Rhia could hear the screams of not only her father, but the people fighting and dying amongst the chaos of the attack.

She was finally free of that nightmare, and as relieved as she was she couldn't bring herself to feel joy over it. Both her mother and father were dead, and she was left with only her sister the two of them continued to flee eventually parting ways with the White Fang to find their way in the world.

Ulrich "Brick" Mauer. Bear Faunus.

Ulrich barely remembers his parents; he was forced to work in one of the mines owned by the Schnee Company. Due to his large size, the corrupt branch manager put Ulrich to work in the nearby dust mine at the age of nine. Ulrich was big for his age, standing at almost six feet by the time he was ten and weighing just under one hundred-sixty. Although he was large and vigorous, Ulrich was quiet and passive always doing what he was told.

He would do the mining work of two men before his teenage years, and as he aged, he did more and more work eventually doing labor that would take at least four to pull off when he was fourteen. Because of his size and strength and the fact that he never talked many of the Schnee workers thought he was challenged in some way and often made fun of him, something Ulrich never let bother him. Ulrich only ever talked to the other children or the vulnerable workers, human or Faunus, it made no difference to him.

The overseer of the mine was as corrupt as he was cruel, feeding the workers only enough to keep them alive and forcing them to continue working, children included and if one of the workers ever became a liability, he would sell them to one of the many gangs or criminal circles that populated Mistral. The only person Ulrich ever felt rage toward. When lunch time would come around Ulrich would only keep small portions for himself and give most of his food to the exhausted or child workers so they wouldn't starve any more than they were forced to . Even though they were the only people, he ever talked to he would usually only mutter one word to them, "Eat ."

Even though he was younger than half of the workers, Ulrich took it upon himself to protect and look after them. One day there was an accident, no one knew what caused it, but part of the mine had caved in trapping dozens of miners and a few Schnee workers. No one would enter the mine again, too afraid of the possibility of another cave-in instead, Ulrich went back in alone and with his large hands began digging the trapped people out. Eventually, he freed them all and carried some back outside. He was considered a hero by the other miners even some of the Schnee workers congratulated his actions, but the corrupt overseer hated him.

The overseer blamed the cave in on Ulrich and used it as an excuse to get rid of him, knowing that his absence would cause the remaining miners to become miserable again. He sold Ulrich to a crime boss who was looking for a potential bodyguard for her son, and Ulrich was forced to leave without getting to see anyone. Ulrich was soon introduced to his new employer a human boy the same age as himself.

With a smile that reminded him of the people he was forced to leave behind the human boy walked up to him and held out his hand to introduce himself, "I'm Sin" he said, "What's your name?"

Taken by surprise at the boy's apparent friendly approach Ulrich told him his name and shook his hand, but when his massive hand wrapped around Sin's the human seemed surprised by it.

"That is a powerful grip you've got there," he said, "A strong, big guy like you. Mind if I give you a nickname?" he asked, "I'm thinking something that sounds tough, maybe…Brick ."

The burly Faunus lowered his hand, and a soft grunt rumbled in his throat which the human took as an approval. Ulrich's initial assumption upon hearing he would be working for a criminal's son was that the boy would be as bad as the overseer, but he was surprised time and again by how friendly he turned out to be. Over the course of the next year, Ulrich finally got used to the nickname Brick had become close friends with Sin and even came to trust him.

Sin Saber. Human.

Born is Mistral his mother a crime boss and his father an underground fighter, Sin grew up learning the ways of the street and the laws of the criminal underworld. Always treated with respect by those who feared his parents and their gang Sin had it easy for many of his early years, getting anything he wanted. Until the week after he turned ten.

Sin's carefree days ended and his father began teaching him to fight from that day forward. Brutal from the start Sin soon realized that he would have to learn fast or risk permanent serious injuries. Between his father and his associates Sin spent the next five years training, always being pushed harder and further until he collapsed, only to be dragged to his feet and forced to keep going and after five years Sin was put into his first fight.

Sin almost didn't survive, his opponent someone six years older and over a foot taller than him nearly beat him to death, but it was through this that he unlocked a power within him and discovered his Aura. When his Aura manifested itself, Sin was able to throw one last punch catching his opponent off guard and knocking him out for the referee's count. Amazed by their son's newfound power his parents reveled in the possibilities it would bring them.

His mother reached out to some of her contacts to find someone she could hire to teach her son how to utilize and control his new Aura since both her and his father lacked an Aura of their own. Sin would spend the few months training under other criminals that would teach him how to use his Aura and through some study of his own and after seven months he found his Semblance. With another ability available to him Sin's parents put him in another fight again against a seemingly stronger opponent, but with his Aura and Semblance, Sin made short work of him.

Before his first fight Sin's mother bought a Faunus worker from a corrupt Schnee mining foreman, a large boy the same age as her son, but much bigger. At age fifteen he stood at six feet tall and weighed just over two hundred pounds. She intended for the burly Faunus to be her son's bodyguard however despite the intended relationship Sin and his bodyguard became inseparable friends.

Not long after his second fight Sin had grown to hate the life he had grown up with, despising the criminal underworld and the way they operated, so one night he and his Faunus friend fled and stowed away on a ship heading for Vacuo.

Alena Teysa. Fox Faunus.

Alena like her little sister Rhia grew up in Atlas under the "protection" of a branch of the Schnee Dust Company who in return for giving them free shelter made them work for them. The entire labor force were Faunus, those who were old enough to be considered adults worked in the dust mines while the younger ones were given different tasks based on their age. While her parents worked in the mines, Alena and Rhia worked as maids for the Branch Manager.

When her little sister was born, Alena's parents told her it would be her job to look after and protect should anything ever happen to them. She was only two years older than Rhia still a baby herself, but Alena understood what her parents were saying to her. Since childhood Alena was never far from Rhia even when they started working for the Branch Manager, she was always close by ready to help her with anything , her dear, beautiful baby sister.

As they grew and Alena saw how depressed her sister was becoming she did everything she could to cheer her up, no matter how little it was as long as she got to see Rhia smile that was all that mattered, even if it was just for a second. Despite only having a primary education while growing up Alena proved to be exceptionally intelligent and observant, noticing even minor differences in a room from the last time she was in it. Though this made her skilled at cleaning, it often led to the supervisors reprimanding Rhia for not being as good as her kin.

The continual insults and racial discrimination filled Alena with nothing, but anger and hate toward the humans that pushed them around and she hated them, even more, when she realized that her innocent little sister was starting to hate them as well. Her sister was too beautiful to be filled with hate, and as much as she tried Alena knew she wouldn't be able to get rid of that hate her sister was beginning to harbor, all she could do was try to protect her against it. Some nights she would wake to the sound of Rhia crying and she would leave her sleeping bag and crawl into Rhia's and embrace her sister, letting her cry into her shoulder until she fell asleep and continue to hold onto her until morning.

The worst day was when Rhia turned thirteen, one of the foremen got drunk and stumbled into his office before the two sisters were finished cleaning. In his stupor, he knocked over a porcelain vase that fell on his bare foot before shattering which caused Rhia to yelp and fall backward in surprise. The drunk foreman became angry and blamed Rhia for breaking the vase and raised his hand to hit her, but Alena tackled him and pinned him against the wall before grabbing him by the throat. Her fingernails hooked into his neck pressing against his skin like needles as she looked into his drunken eyes.

She growled at him, "I don't care how powerful or connected you think you are. I don't care what the reason or consequence is. If you ever raise a hand to my sister again, I will rip your spine out and impale you with it."

Alena finished working alone that night keeping Rhia within arm's reach in case any of the other humans tried anything. When the night ended, and they could go home, they thought that would be the end of their horrible day, but it only got worse when they returned home. Their mother had collapsed from exhaustion, and without proper help or care from the supervisors or the branch manager she became sick and died. Alena kept Rhia close that night as she cried into her shoulder, holding her sister tighter than she ever had as her rage and hate toward the humans seethed.

A few days after their mother died the mines and the notorious White Fang attacked the nearby facilities. Using the chaos as a distraction their father rushed Alena and Rhia to the nearby transport station and begged the White Fang members to take his family with them. He ushered his daughters onto the train car before a squad of guards rushed in to try and stop the White Fang only to gun down their father as he tried to protect them. Alena covered Rhia's eyes and closed her own unable to watch as the train began moving and they escaped.

During their travel deeper into Atlas, Rhia had fallen asleep from the exhaustion, and Alena thanked the White Fang for saving them. The member she spoke to apologized for her father's death before encouraging her to rest and leaving to see to his duties. Try as she might, however, Alena couldn't sleep, after gently setting Rhia down she got up to walk around the car they were in, and it was then that she heard the White Fang members celebrating and bragging about what they had done. Not just destroying the facility freeing the workers and stealing a large shipment, but they were celebrating the murder of most the Schnee workers.

Alena held nothing, but hate toward the humans that mistreated her family and honestly she was glad most of them were dead, but when she heard the White Fang members discussing the new potential recruits they had picked up she knew her and Rhia would have to run. No matter how much she hated humans, no matter how much she desired revenge for her suffering she would not allow her sister to be exposed to these people and their hate.

The first chance she got, Alena grabbed Rhia and fled from the White Fang that had rescued them, stowing away on a boat not knowing where they were going and it didn't matter. As long as her sister was safe, that's all that mattered, her dear, beautiful, baby sister.

A/N. So, not really a chapter, but more of the background of each character I will be introducing. I kind of wanted to do it in a similar fashion to the character trailers when RWBY was first coming out and ended up with this. That being said I hope it will be enjoyable to those that read it.