Post by Charlemagne on May 18, 2011 21:16:42 GMT -5
Saber
"Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do what is right, we must know what is right."
"Right action is better than knowledge; but in order to do what is right, we must know what is right."
OTHER ALIAS: //[/color] Carolus Magnus, Charles the Great
CURRENT AGE: //[/color] died around 73 years old, restored to around 31 years old
YEAR OF BIRTH: //[/color] approximately 742 AD
GENDER: //[/color] Male
ALIGNMENT: //[/color] Lawful Good/Neutral
OCCUPATION: //[/color] Former King of the Franks, Former Emperor of the Romans
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Casual
HEIGHT: //[/color] 1.84 m // 6’0
WEIGHT: //[/color] 79 kg // 174.2 lbs
EYE COLOR: //[/color] Blue
HAIR COLOR: //[/color] Blonde
PIERCINGS: //[/color] N/A
TATTOOS: //[/color] N/A
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: //[/color] He tends to dress formal or semi-formal on all occasion, so he can be quite out of place on the streets depending on the crowd.
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- Lawful
- A king, a lawgiver. Charlemagne had been the just leader of the Frankish kingdom for many years. Under his guidance, the relationship between the Church and the State is at its strongest. He will not hesitate to punish those that he deemed guilty, but generally his judgment is fair and well-informed. There are those rare moments of emotions clouding his judgment, and they remain his shames.
- Charismatic
- Charlemagne knows the finer point of rousing his subjects, and how to manipulate the emotion of men and women in the game of diplomacy and subtlety. He knows when to fold and when to press, and knows how to utilize his charisma to the fullest. Back in his younger days, he was quite the ladies’ man too, and it shows in his mannerism even if they’re more refined in his older days.
- Pragmatic
- As someone who understands war and the necessity of it sometimes, Charlemagne approached it like what you would expect from someone that has been fighting in it his whole life. He can be quite merciful sometimes, mostly to defeated and spared enemies, but his judgment can be severely skewed for the unrepentant. On the battlefield though, expect no mercy. Charlemagne had been known to order the utter massacre of the other army; such terrible was his fury and anger. There’s a reason why Charlemagne was considered one the greatest defenders of Christianity, and it’s not just because of his piety alone.
- Approachable
- Charlemagne was always a devout man; this is perhaps the trait that earned him both many admirations and enemies. However, beneath the devout protector persona, there lies someone that can be a great conversation partner. There’s a reason why there are a lot of people that considers Charlemagne as their steadfast friend. He’s an amiable sort of person once you get to know him better, and can be counted upon to stand beside his dear friends and families.
- Chivalrous, but not Perfect
- Charles the Great, Blessed Charles Augustus, these are some of the epithets that had been associated with Charlemagne. This is a man that had been cited as one of the finest ideals of chivalry, and he can be the shining example of the idea of chivalry that people looks up to, at least some of the time. He’s not perfect, there are times where his emotions and desires get the better of him, and he’s not proud of that fact. Nevertheless, Charlemagne understands that fact better than anyone, and he would be the first one to admit his shortcomings.
LIKES: //[/color]
• Law and Stability
• Wines
• Women (he’s capable of reining this particular vice most of the time)
• Christianity
• Joyeuse
• ALL his vassals, almost no exceptions
• Families (All his wives, sons and daughters. Even his relatives like Roland)
• War (He never will admit that, however)
DISLIKES: //[/color]
• Traitors (the only exceptions)
• Pagans (not if they converts, of course)
• War
STRENGTHS: //[/color]
As a Saber, Charlemagne is deadly in close combat. All should be because of his enchanted sword Joyeuse. In addition to possessing incredible sharpness, Joyeuse can also act as a supernatural bulwark against mind-affecting enchantments, making Charlemagne a superb team player as well.
Because of his time as a leader and King, Charlemagne has ample ability and experience of leading people. He can inspire people with his superb charisma, or perform just as well in diplomatic endeavors.
WEAKNESSES: //[/color]
For all his skills in close combat, Charlemagne falls prey to surprise attacks a little too often for anyone’s taste. There are numerous accounts of surprise attacks in the battlefield catching him by surprise and either puts him in a bad predicament or injures either him or one of his horses. He can be too focused to his current enemy in front of him that he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings, which can prove disastrous in a free for all.
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MY LEGEND: //[/color]
King of the Franks
MY HISTORY: //[/color]
The son of Pippin the Short, king of the Franks and heir to the Carolingian dynasty, the young Charlemagne has been living in luxury ever since his childhood. Understandably, this has a negative effect on his teenage attitude, with the way that he became somewhat of a trouble maker for his family. Particularly his womanizing way, it’s believed that Charlemagne has numerous bastards before his marriage because of this.
However, it all changes after this one incident. Charles never really told anyone the exact story, but when he rode by himself one evening, he returned with the enchanted sword Joyeuse. Charles gradually became a changed man after that incident, and there are rumors that Joyeuse was given to him by the angels, but Charles never did open up to anyone on that incident. Whatever happened to him, the sword’s power is evident, and Charles seems to be fond of the sword.
When his father Pepin passed away, Charles and his younger brother Carloman were named joint rulers of the Frankish kingdom. Both brothers knew that this decision is a sham because Pepin never wrote a will. This situation was the result to best avoid a civil war, and both their relationship remains lukewarm as respect towards their mutual mother Bertrada. It all change because of Charlemagne’s snub to Princess Desiderata, daughter of King Desiderius of Lombard, who Charlemagne abandoned after courting only to marry a Swabian girl named Hildegard. Because of the snubbed Princess’ protest, Desiderius decided to take the insult personally and supports Carloman’s cause for the throne. The stage seems set for a civil war for the throne, and the vultures lined up for a chance to pick up the scraps.
But the war never came. Carloman died on 771, leaving his territories free to be annexed by Charles.
However, the feud of Charlemagne and Desiderius didn’t stop there, as Carloman’s widow Gerberga fled to Desiderius’ territory and Desiderius recognized Gerberga’s sons as the rightful heir of the territory of their father’s taken land and attacked Pope Adrian who refused to crown them king. Charlemagne’s response was to aid the Pope and attacked the Lombard’s territory. Charlemagne would march his troops across the Alps and defeats the Lombards soundly in Mortara, and would go on to march his army to the capital. In 774, the siege ended and Lombard’s annexed to Charlemagne’s territory. Desiderius himself was exiled to Corbie until his death, while his son Adelchis spent his entire life in futile attempts to take his father’s kingdom back.
Continuing his conquest, Charlemagne turns his attention to the area of Southern Italy, with the blessing of the Pope. Charlemagne conquered Palermo, and installed his sons to as kings in the tradition of kings of the past. His son Louis, for example, will grow into a formidable ruler of his own right, and would succeed his father.
Firmly believing that the matter on the East front settled and the Saxons a defeated faction, Charlemagne would turn his attention to the West front and the Iberian Peninsula. In around 777, Charles received representatives of the Muslim rulers of Iberia requesting Charles’ aid to break the continuous attacks perpetrated by the Emir of Cordoba. Charles, who saw the opportunity to expand the Christian influence in the Iberian Peninsula, accepted the proposal.
After seven years of valiant fighting in the Iberia however, Charles had a falling out with the Basques, Charles knew that he can’t trust the Basques, hypothesizing that they would sooner ally with the Moors and stabbed him in the back. However, since there’s only one Moor stronghold remains, Charlemagne persists on remaining there to finish his campaign. The one particular stronghold was Saragossa, ruled by the Basque King Marsilla and Queen Bramimonde, both Pagans. Marsilla, fearing that the defeat was inevitable, proposes a truce to Charlemagne via his messenger. In the condition of Charlemagne’s removal of his troops from the Iberian Peninsula, Marsila will persuade all of his peers to convert to Christianity. Charlemagne, weary of the long war, debates on the topic of who will be the envoy to negotiate with Marsilla in Saragossa with his councils, Paladins and military leaders.
After a day of council, Roland, Charles’ nephew and his most trusted Paladin, nominated his step-father Ganelon to be the envoy to Marsila, presumably out of a sense of trust rather than any malicious thought. Ganelon, however, chose to interpret that particular recommendation as a sign that Roland is sacrificing him to the Pagans and get rid of him. Ganelon choose this opportunity to betray Charlemagne’s army to the Basques, Moors and the Pagans, revealing the army’s intended route to the Saragossa rulers and staged an attack with the betrayal.
And so, with all the wheels in motion, the Battle of Roncevaux’s Pass happens. The rear guard of Charlemagne’s army was ambushed by the Basque army that broke their treatise, not even a week after it was signed. The first ‘battle’ was a massacre. Roland, the leader of the rear guard, managed to blow his horn Oliphant in order to warn Charlemagne of the attack. However, when Charlemagne and the rest of the army arrive, it was already too late. The massacre brought grief to the army, and Charles himself was said to faint briefly at the sight of his nephew’s body. However, he rises as soon as he faint, and with a newfound grim determination leads his army to pursue the ambushing army responsible.
The Pagan-Basque army tried to escape by using the cover of the night that approaches, but suddenly the scenery changes. The battlefield now replaced by the noonday sun and strangely familiar hills and grassy field. The pagan forces were unable to escape, in addition of sudden loss of fighting ability and motivation, and were soon killed to a man by the advancing Franks army. No one is really sure what happened, except Charlemagne, who remains stoically silent throughout the whole ordeal.
After rooting and killing the Basque army, Charlemagne returns to the Pass to pay respect to the dead and bury them with honors. However, the Saracen army under the command of Baligant, Emir of Babylon, Damascus, advances to the army’s current position in hope to root and kill Charlemagne himself. Baligant, long envy Charlemagne’s position on Central Europe, intend to take Saragossa by himself now that the Basque and Charlemagne’s position was weakened. On the way to Saragossa, however, he grew greedy and would like to try his hands on slaying the Emperor of Central Europe and take the fame for himself. Hearing about the massacre of Roncevaux Pass, he hypothesized that Charlemagne’s army is undermanned and low on morale right now. For the most part, Baligant was right, and the sight of his great army marching towards the pass strikes fear in the heart of all Charlemagne’s warriors.
But there was one man among few that stood there undaunted. That man can inspire crowds of army by the sound of his voice alone. That man can send an army on the verge of routing to turn around and fight the enemy to their end.
That man was Charlemagne.
With the sight of his Joyeuse withdrawn, the Frankish army raises their banner up high; draw their weapons and shields, held it firm in front of them, daring the Saracens to move them from their position. The Saracens answered with a thunderous charge, and the second battle of Roncevaux begins. The Saracens attacks with a savage fury, but the Frankish army was equally steadfast, if not more so. After an exhausting battle, the Saracens are visibly pushed back, but the numbers are still heavily favoring the Saracens, and it looks like fatigue is finally catching up to the Frankish army. But at the thick of the battle, an important duel is taking place. It was The Emir Baligant versus Charlemagne himself.
At first, they appear to be evenly matched, but Charlemagne participated on an earlier battle and appears to be more fatigued the longer the fight goes. Baligant, sensing his enemy’s weakness, move in for the kill.
Miraculously, Charlemagne moves out of the way before Baligant’s sword can hit.
As if a rainbow has descended upon the sword, Joyeuse glows brightly and blinded Baligant’s eyes. He can’t even see where Charlemagne’s attacks were coming from, and he was getting panic. It was not long that Charlemagne struck a decisive blow on Baligant’s head, separating his head from his body. The rest of the Saracen army was disheartened after their leader was dead, and their morale immediately plummets. The Frankish army, on the other hand, was overjoyed and they managed to route the Saracen army after Baligant’s death despite being outnumbered heavily.
With no one defending Saragossa, the city was ripe for the taking and Charles managed to conquer it even with the reduced troop number that left after the two battles. The traitor Ganelon was hanged and all of Saragossa’s population was forced to convert at sword-point, including the now widowed queen Bramimonde.
Charlemagne himself withdraws back to Central Europe, spending the rest of his life battling threats from the Saxons and expanding his territory. His rules were fair and he has no tolerance for the non-Christians. However, Laws regarding religious matters was draconian and the enforcement of them really cemented Charlemagne as the ‘Christian Emperor’ and his slaughter of Pagans who refused to convert didn’t help matters.
MY GOALS: //[/color] He’s curious as to why he’s still here in this world and would like an answer.
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Joyeuse:
Charlemagne’s personal sword, the name translates to ‘joyful’ in English. Some legends claim that it was forged to contain the tip of the Holy Lance that pierced Christ’s side within its pommel. This sword is also the sister-sword of Durendal and Curtana, the swords of Charlemagne’s vassals Roland and Ogier respectively. When its enchantment is active, it is a beautiful sword, capable of changing the color of its glow thirty times a day. On any other time though, this sword will only appears as a well-crafted sword, but nothing special. As its name implies, the sword brings joy upon the person who glance it, dispelling any doubt from their mind.
NOBLE PHANTASM: //[/color]
Joyeuse
Title: Joyful Sword of Miracles
Type: Support/Passive
Rank: C+
Range: maximum of 10 meters, centered on Charlemagne.
Maximum Number of Targets: 50 people
Effect:
The personal sword of Charlemagne, named after the emotion that it conveys in the battlefield. This Noble Phantasm is the original function of the sword Joyeuse, which have countless times saved the Franks army from feeling of dread from enchantments and other similar effects.
True to its name, the enchantment of the sword grants the user and everyone within the radius of the enchantment immunity to mind-affecting effects of any origin. It is the absolute conceptual defense of mind-affecting effects, and is a passive ability that grants an aura of absolute joy around Charlemagne while the sword is drawn. Though it is a passive effect, it won’t drain Charlemagne’s prana until there’s an attempt to use a mind-affecting effect on someone within the aura.
Charlemagne has the absolute control of anyone who gets affected by the aura, within the maximum number of 50 people. He’s free to determine which ones that will be blessed by the protection and which ones will not. He can also shut the protection down anytime he wishes to conserve prana.
Joyeuse
Title: Roncevaux’s Defender
Type: Anti-Unit
Rank: B
Range: 1-2
Maximum Number of Targets: 1 people
Effect:
The crystallization of the deed that allows Charlemagne to defend the Roncevaux pass after the attack of the Saracens under Baligant, emir of Babylon. While the Franks are mourning their dead after the first Roncevaux attack, Baligant attacked the pass with the whole might of his army. It is said that Charlemagne himself participated on the front lines and slain Baligant with Joyeuse himself. The Franks, despite severely outnumbered, managed to defend the pass and would go on to conquer Saragossa.
Once this Noble Phantasm is active, Joyeuse will emit its signature glow, therefore signifying the identity of Charlemagne. When this enchantment is active, Charlemagne’s Strength and Agility stats receive one rank bonus modifiers that are active for as long as this enchantment is active. When this Noble Phantasm is active, it seals the passive defense enchantment above. This effect can be maintained for around 7 minutes.
Montjoie
Title: The Day the Sun Stood Still
Type: Anti-Army
Rank: A++
Range: 1-99
Maximum Number of Targets: 500 people
Effect:
Ironically named after a battle cry of the French army, it is a Reality Marble that manifests itself after the death of Roland and subsequent defeat of Charlemagne’s army in the first battle of Roncevaux. It is said that so great his anguish was; Charlemagne collapsed near his nephew’s body. After the realization of Roland’s death, Charlemagne understands the true meaning of Roland’s martyrdom, and solemnly accepted his nephew’s sacrifice. Charlemagne’s soldiers saw their king act surprisingly calm afterwards, a stark contrast over the way he acted before.
The army rode after the pagan force, who tries to escape by using the cover of night. Suddenly, the night changes, and the battlefield now replaced by the noonday sun and strangely familiar hills and grassy field. The pagan force found themselves unable to escape, in addition of sudden loss of fighting ability and motivation, and was soon killed to a man by the advancing Franks army. No one is really sure what happened, except Charlemagne, who remains stoically silent throughout the whole ordeal. After the incident of Roncevaux, Charlemagne was said to be a much more calm, if somewhat stranger, man.
This Reality Marble embodies Charlemagne’s realization of his own mortality and subsequent wish for martyrdom like Roland. In a sense, it is Charlemagne’s ideal place of death. Though he’s not a magus, the Reality Marble was realized because of Charlemagne’s state of mind at the time and help from the Enchantment of Joyeuse. By Charlemagne’s depression and Joyeuse’s joy, Montjoie was born, and is the embodiment of Charlemagne’s acceptance of death itself.
Once fully materialized, it appears as a serene hill and grass plain as far as the eye can see, with an unmoving noonday sun floating above it. All abilities of the enemies ranked lower than or equal to B-rank will be disabled, while abilities above B-rank will have their rank reduced by a letter (A+ to B+, for example). 'Abilities' doesn't include Noble Phantasms, merely skills or expertises that a servant can posses. The only skill that can't be affected by the Reality Marble is the Mental Pollution skill of Berserkers, since the insanity is simulated by the Third Magic and is inherent in the class' nature. Charlemagne himself will be able to use any of his abilities or Noble Phantasms as he desires, but depending on his prana supply, it might be too much. In addition, it is the serene plains of death, so the enemy will suffer a severe bout of depression of their own mortality, which signified by a reduction on all stats baring Endurance.
Magus and mortals somehow trapped in this plain will get struck by inescapable bouts of depression, and should be unable to do anything. Of course, Charlemagne is free to decide on who gets affected by this ability, since the Montjoie is fully under his control. The Reality Marble can only be maintained for a few minutes, 5 minutes at most, after that the world will crush this anomaly.
CLASS ABILITIES: //[/color]
Magic Resistance: A
Protection against magical effects, differ from the resistance effect that merely rejects prana, this ability cancels the spells altogether. Important to note that the term "verse" seen below refers to a set of three lines, thus a chant of two verses is equivalent to a Six-Line incantation. At this skill level, the servant is theoretically untouchable to modern magi.
Riding: B
The expertise to ride animals and vehicles, most vehicles can be handled with above average skill. However, the servant cannot ride the likes of Phantasm Races such as Demonic Beast and Holy Beast-rank creatures. Charlemagne’s rank in this skill is lower because he wasn’t summoned as a Rider.
SKILLS: //[/color]
Charisma: A
Natural talent to command an army; increases the ability of allies during group battles and a rare talent. At this level the servant can be said to have achieved the greatest level of popularity as a human being. Charlemagne, who began to reign in 768, found himself lord of a realm so large that he could think of reviving the title of Latin Emperor. His territory was so large the he could be considered the first ruler of a Western European empire since the fall of the Roman Empire.
Golden Rule: B
Measures one’s fortune to acquire wealth and represent the accumulated wealth that one possesses. At this skill level, one can easily gather monetary resources under a short amount of time because of the fortune gained by this skill. For Charlemagne, this skill represents his court and his resources as an Emperor.
Military Tactics: B
Tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. Bonus modifiers are provided during use of one's own Anti-Army Noble Phantasm or when dealing against an enemy Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. At this skill level, it means a rank increase for the servant’s Anti-Army Noble Phantasm (B to A, for example) but only a - modifier for enemy’s Anti Army NP.
Protection of the Faith: A+
A Skill possessed only by those who have sacrificed themselves for a religious view. Despite being a form of divine protection, it is not a blessing from a higher existence. It is only the absoluteness of one's body and soul, which is born from faith.... But if it is too high, it causes abnormalities in the personality. Charlemagne lived for his religion, and was a very pious person. He steadfastly defended the territory of the Christian Kingdom and would very much love to die a martyr. This makes him a hard man to talk to at times, but he can be amiable once you pass the outer shell.
STRENGTH: //[/color] B
ENDURANCE: //[/color] A
AGILITY: //[/color] C
MANA: //[/color] C+
LUCK: //[/color] A+
NOBLE PHANTASM: //[/color] A++
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FACE CLAIM: //[/color] Reinhard von Lohengramm from Legend of the Galactic Heroes
OTHER CHARACTERS: //[/color] See: Cu Chulainn plays on the sidebar, plus Brad McDowell and Emilia Conti.
MISC. INFORMATION: //[/color]
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