Zelgius (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
covermyback) wrote2022-11-03 10:41 am
covermyback) wrote2022-11-03 10:41 am
Entry tags:
Application: Luceti
Mun
Name: Sami
Livejournal/Dreamwidth Username:sami_fire
E-mail: nbsami@comcast.net
AIM/MSN: samifire@hotmail.com (MSN)
Current Characters at Luceti: Hiro Kageyama |everyonesconfidant
Fattycakes |puubuu
Character
Name: Zelgius
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown, but appears to be in his 20's
Time Period: Just before his death as the Black Knight.
Wing Color: Dark blue, like his hair
History: Backstory Wiki Link
Zelgius was born in Daein. From his birth, he had a mark on his back- a "brand"- that signified that he had some Laguz blood in his ancestry somewhere. According to him, someone on his father's side was with a Laguz. (For reference, the Laguz are a race of people that can turn into various animals, while humans are called Beorc.) People with this mark are shunned by both Laguz and Beorc; neither side wants anything to do with them. As a result, Zelgius grew up hated by his family and as a source of shame for them. To escape this treatment, he joined the Daein army and served under General Gawain, studying swordsmanship under him as well. He developed an immense respect for his general, to the point that his dream was eventually to fight with him personally.
During his time as a soldier, he encountered Sephiran, the Prime Minister of Begnion. He showed his brand to Sephiran and asked if it could possibly be removed. He also mentioned that, due to being a Branded, he was aging more slowly and would have to leave the army to avoid detection. Sephiran and Zelgius made an agreement that, after he left the Daein army, Zelgius would seek out Sephiran and join him in his task. When Zelgius left the army, he did as he was told and joined Sephiran, becoming one of Begnion's top generals in the process.
When Path of Radiance begins, Zelgius has become one of Daein's Four Riders under the guise of the mysterious Black Knight. He finds Gawain (now known as Greil, Ike's father) and kills him in a fight, becoming Ike's enemy in the process. He spends most of the game aiding Ashnard's efforts to spark war across Tellius. He does appear to Ike's group as Zelgius when he asks if Begnion can aid Ike's army, but his offer is refused. Later, he duels with Ike as the Black Knight before disappearing for the rest of the game, thought to have been killed in the collapse of the castle he was in.
In Radiant Dawn, Zelgius (again as the Black Knight) assists Micaiah in various ways, such as saving her from being assassinated. He fights on the side of Daein until he is called back to Begnion to fight the Laguz Alliance. The war progresses until the goddess Ashera unleashes her judgment and turns all the people to stone. Then, Zelgius waits in the Guidance Tower for Ike and his army. Zelgius loses his final battle with Ike and dies satisfied that, in facing Ike, he fought General Gawain at the height of his power. However, he is taken to Luceti just before he dies completely...
Personality:
Zelgius is, above all, incredibly loyal to his masters. He rarely strayed from Sephiran's orders during the whole storyline; the only thing he did that wasn't ordered by Sephiran was seeking out and killing Greil (Gawain). One could say that he was utterly devoted to Sephiran after he joined him, and such devotion makes sense considering their relationship. Sephiran was the only person that Zelgius ever trusted enough to get close to and show his brand to. That gesture alone implies a massive amount of trust from Zelgius and perhaps justifies his loyalty.
The ones Zelgius places his loyalty in are people he admires on a deep level- and even then, there must be some sort of special element in place in order for him to perform what he considers the ultimate act of trust: revealing his brand. As much as Zelgius worshipped General Gawain, it's not likely that he would actually show him his brand. The only reason Sephiran even got to see Zelgius's brand was that Zelgius thought Sephiran might be able to remove it. Nonetheless, Sephiran clearly had something special about him that made Zelgius decide to risk scorn and reveal his brand.
Zelgius can also be something of a strength seeker. He idolized General Gawain and longed to equal and perhaps exceed him. It can be taken to mean that perhaps he sees his strength as the one thing he permanently "has." People betray him and nothing else in his life seems permanent but his strength and his brand, which is more of a loss than anything else. The way he was so consumed by his desire to fight his general implies a bit of an obsessive or singleminded quality to him.
On the note of his brand, Zelgius is a man who is very much defined by his status as a Branded. A life of being looked down upon and scorned by others has given him rather low self-worth. He never gets close to anyone for fear of discovery and subsequently being the subject of hate and shame once more; Sephiran is the sole exception. The fear of being scorned once more is a gaping vulnerability in this otherwise powerful man's defenses. He lived a sad life alone... or at least, he was alone until he met Sephiran.
That fear of discovery seems to be his one dominating fear. He doesn't even fear death as much as he fears seeing shame or hatred in another's eyes. That may be partly why he joined the Daein army in the first place; the scorn from his family rendered his self-worth so low that he didn't care if he died in battle. The fear defines many aspects of his life, such as his persistent loneliness and his refusal to get close to people.
Strengths:
Physical: Zelgius is very, very strong physically. He can wield swords that are several feet long (the one he wields in his official art comes up to about his chest) and also lances if need be. Naturally, when he shows up in the game, he has a very high strength stat. He also has a skill (as the Black Knight) that nullifies defense when attacking, making him very dangerous indeed. Over the course of the games, he defeats Ranulf and Skrimir (both very strong beast Laguz, with the former being a cat and the latter being a lion) in one-on-one combat, another indicator of his strength. In one scene, he just flat-out swats away a tiger that was running from him with his sword. All this means that, in Luceti, he could be quite the dangerous fighter.
Mental: Being one of Begnion's top generals means he has some great tactical smarts. At one point, he refuses to pursue the Laguz Alliance into the Kauku Caves because he knows how dangerous the caves are. He is also quite perceptive; in a cutscene, he notices that a chunk of the Laguz army is all going to a certain spot, something a less perceptive person may not have noticed. Also, he had the people-insight to know that Skrimir would not turn down his challenge to fight.
Emotional: In most cases, Zelgius remains composed and confident. Even when he's about to duel Ike in the Tower of Guidance, he doesn't seem excessively excited. He keeps a cool head and begins the duel ready to fight. When he dies, he shows no signs of losing his composure and is even sure that his life had meaning. Earlier, when members of the Laguz alliance approach him, there's even a slight smile on his face as he anticipates the challenge. Also, he possesses extreme loyalty and discipline; his loyalty to Sephiran is so unwavering that killing Greil/Gawain was the only move he made on his own.
Weaknesses:
Physical: For all his strength, Zelgius is not immortal. While he may be difficult to defeat, someone with sufficient skill can defeat him. Ike is the one to become strong enough to defeat Zelgius and, in the end, kill him. Also of note is that his resistance (that is, his defense against magic) is notably lower than his defense (a resistance score of 25 versus a defense score of 35). While it's still pretty high due to him being a high-level unit (not to mention a boss character), it still means that, when possible, magic is the better choice of weapon for taking him out. If anyone in Luceti were to use magic on him, he'd take more damage than from a physical blow.
Mental: Despite his tactical smarts, Zelgius is not psychic. He didn't exactly predict certain members of the Laguz Alliance being sent to try to take him out first. He even called it an "interesting maneuver" when the Laguz members arrived. He may also have his priorities minorly out of place; Sephiran's orders were for him only to collect the medallion containing the goddess Yune, but his strength-seeking behavior overrode the simple order. That lead to him fighting and killing Greil/Gawain as a result of putting his desire to duel Gawain over his simple orders.
Emotional: Under his composed exterior, Zelgius is very vulnerable. He avoids trusting or getting close to people out of fear of being discovered as a Branded. This behavior can be taken to mean that, to an extent, he fears personal scorn. He said that he "comes close to despair" when he imagines seeing the same hatred and shame in another's eyes as he saw from his family. That makes hatred and shame his one deep weakness. His loyalty could also be seen as a weakness; this makes him easily used as a tool by Sephiran to accomplish his own ends. He does have a conscience, but he is such a soldier-type that he regularly casts it aside to do some fairly nasty things by Sephiran's orders (such as kidnapping the one remaining Heron princess to make her sing the Galdr of Release and release Yune).
Samples
First Person: Requesting a Q&A!
[Q&A added for reference.]
1. Are you a brave person? Do you face your fears or run away from them?
I have fought full armies without flinching, and sent beasts sprawling with my blade. That would, on paper, make me "brave." But... I do not face my fear of being hated or viewed as a source of shame. I avoid people so that I do not have to be faced with those looks... in that sense, I am a coward. So am I "brave" or a "coward?" I can't say for sure.
2. Describe something you like to do for fun.
I spend my free time training myself or others. There is something rewarding about spreading my skill to others, and naturally training myself is important. I must stay in top form, and others should be as strong as they can be. I enjoy sparring with my fellow soldiers, as it is a test of their strength as well as mine.
3. Describe a weakness of yours and how you might overcome it.
A weakness of mine... I cannot stand seeing hatred or scorn in another's eyes. I have overcome it largely by avoiding people, but... I suppose that that isn't really overcoming it, is it? Perhaps... I could stand up to those who hate or belittle me. But it would be very difficult for me to do.
4. What is more important: friendship or power?
I would say that power is more important. I have been able to go most of my life without friendship, with the exception of my connections to the lord sage Sephiran. Power has gotten me to where I am today as the general of the Begnion Central army... or rather, where I was before the Goddess turned everyone to stone.
5. Do you value yourself? Do you think others around you value you? What would you say is your personal worth?
Do I value myself...? I cannot say I am sure. I joined the Daein army because I did not value my life. I have been treated for almost my whole life as if I had no value. The only exception, the only person who treats me as if I have any true value, is Sephiran. When I am with him, I feel as if I have some worth through serving him. I also feel worthy when acting as the general of Begnion's army, a reward for my strength. Otherwise, I am used to thinking that I am of little worth.
Third Person:
When Zelgius awoke, he blinked and looked around his apartment. It was bare as he was accustomed to, but the most important thing was that he was alone. This was also something he was accustomed to, and it was both a relief and a source of sorrow for him. When he was alone, he never had to fear discovery. His dark secret was safe on his back, under one of his wings (keeping said wings under his clothes and armor all the time was a tad uncomfortable, but he couldn't exactly make wingholes in armor, and cutting holes in his normal clothes came too close to showing the brand). Even if it had no meaning to most of the people here, he wasn't going to allow his secret to get out. No matter what, he was just a normal Beorc (or, in a word that more people would understand, human), or at least that's how he would appear to others. Being alone meant there was no risk of scorn from others.
Nonetheless, Zelgius couldn't suppress the yearning that sometimes came to him, that desire for someone he could trust. He had that in Sephiran, but now that he had been separated from him, he had no one. It didn't matter that his being a Branded meant nothing to the people here; he still kept his guard up, for his fear of scorn still remained implanted in his mind after years of abuse. He was accustomed to being alone, he told himself. Being alone was best for him.
After his morning preparations, he immediately made a beeline for the battledome. He refused to allow himself to get rusty in this strange, idyllic place that he had been taken to. It had taken some time for him to figure out the controls to the arcane device that controlled the battledome's scenarios, but he had managed to figure it out on his own (though he'd never admit that he figured it out by trial, error, and nearly getting overwhelmed by an excess of powerful enemy soldiers).
It would never be able to truly replicate the experience of training under General Gawain, however. Nothing would be able to replace that, and nothing would be able to replace the duel he had with Ike before being brought to Luceti. Those would be utterly irreplaceable in Zelgius's memory, and even if the battledome could some how conjure up their images, it wouldn't be the same.
Name: Sami
Livejournal/Dreamwidth Username:
sami_fireE-mail: nbsami@comcast.net
AIM/MSN: samifire@hotmail.com (MSN)
Current Characters at Luceti: Hiro Kageyama |
everyonesconfidantFattycakes |
puubuuCharacter
Name: Zelgius
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown, but appears to be in his 20's
Time Period: Just before his death as the Black Knight.
Wing Color: Dark blue, like his hair
History: Backstory Wiki Link
Zelgius was born in Daein. From his birth, he had a mark on his back- a "brand"- that signified that he had some Laguz blood in his ancestry somewhere. According to him, someone on his father's side was with a Laguz. (For reference, the Laguz are a race of people that can turn into various animals, while humans are called Beorc.) People with this mark are shunned by both Laguz and Beorc; neither side wants anything to do with them. As a result, Zelgius grew up hated by his family and as a source of shame for them. To escape this treatment, he joined the Daein army and served under General Gawain, studying swordsmanship under him as well. He developed an immense respect for his general, to the point that his dream was eventually to fight with him personally.
During his time as a soldier, he encountered Sephiran, the Prime Minister of Begnion. He showed his brand to Sephiran and asked if it could possibly be removed. He also mentioned that, due to being a Branded, he was aging more slowly and would have to leave the army to avoid detection. Sephiran and Zelgius made an agreement that, after he left the Daein army, Zelgius would seek out Sephiran and join him in his task. When Zelgius left the army, he did as he was told and joined Sephiran, becoming one of Begnion's top generals in the process.
When Path of Radiance begins, Zelgius has become one of Daein's Four Riders under the guise of the mysterious Black Knight. He finds Gawain (now known as Greil, Ike's father) and kills him in a fight, becoming Ike's enemy in the process. He spends most of the game aiding Ashnard's efforts to spark war across Tellius. He does appear to Ike's group as Zelgius when he asks if Begnion can aid Ike's army, but his offer is refused. Later, he duels with Ike as the Black Knight before disappearing for the rest of the game, thought to have been killed in the collapse of the castle he was in.
In Radiant Dawn, Zelgius (again as the Black Knight) assists Micaiah in various ways, such as saving her from being assassinated. He fights on the side of Daein until he is called back to Begnion to fight the Laguz Alliance. The war progresses until the goddess Ashera unleashes her judgment and turns all the people to stone. Then, Zelgius waits in the Guidance Tower for Ike and his army. Zelgius loses his final battle with Ike and dies satisfied that, in facing Ike, he fought General Gawain at the height of his power. However, he is taken to Luceti just before he dies completely...
Personality:
Zelgius is, above all, incredibly loyal to his masters. He rarely strayed from Sephiran's orders during the whole storyline; the only thing he did that wasn't ordered by Sephiran was seeking out and killing Greil (Gawain). One could say that he was utterly devoted to Sephiran after he joined him, and such devotion makes sense considering their relationship. Sephiran was the only person that Zelgius ever trusted enough to get close to and show his brand to. That gesture alone implies a massive amount of trust from Zelgius and perhaps justifies his loyalty.
The ones Zelgius places his loyalty in are people he admires on a deep level- and even then, there must be some sort of special element in place in order for him to perform what he considers the ultimate act of trust: revealing his brand. As much as Zelgius worshipped General Gawain, it's not likely that he would actually show him his brand. The only reason Sephiran even got to see Zelgius's brand was that Zelgius thought Sephiran might be able to remove it. Nonetheless, Sephiran clearly had something special about him that made Zelgius decide to risk scorn and reveal his brand.
Zelgius can also be something of a strength seeker. He idolized General Gawain and longed to equal and perhaps exceed him. It can be taken to mean that perhaps he sees his strength as the one thing he permanently "has." People betray him and nothing else in his life seems permanent but his strength and his brand, which is more of a loss than anything else. The way he was so consumed by his desire to fight his general implies a bit of an obsessive or singleminded quality to him.
On the note of his brand, Zelgius is a man who is very much defined by his status as a Branded. A life of being looked down upon and scorned by others has given him rather low self-worth. He never gets close to anyone for fear of discovery and subsequently being the subject of hate and shame once more; Sephiran is the sole exception. The fear of being scorned once more is a gaping vulnerability in this otherwise powerful man's defenses. He lived a sad life alone... or at least, he was alone until he met Sephiran.
That fear of discovery seems to be his one dominating fear. He doesn't even fear death as much as he fears seeing shame or hatred in another's eyes. That may be partly why he joined the Daein army in the first place; the scorn from his family rendered his self-worth so low that he didn't care if he died in battle. The fear defines many aspects of his life, such as his persistent loneliness and his refusal to get close to people.
Strengths:
Physical: Zelgius is very, very strong physically. He can wield swords that are several feet long (the one he wields in his official art comes up to about his chest) and also lances if need be. Naturally, when he shows up in the game, he has a very high strength stat. He also has a skill (as the Black Knight) that nullifies defense when attacking, making him very dangerous indeed. Over the course of the games, he defeats Ranulf and Skrimir (both very strong beast Laguz, with the former being a cat and the latter being a lion) in one-on-one combat, another indicator of his strength. In one scene, he just flat-out swats away a tiger that was running from him with his sword. All this means that, in Luceti, he could be quite the dangerous fighter.
Mental: Being one of Begnion's top generals means he has some great tactical smarts. At one point, he refuses to pursue the Laguz Alliance into the Kauku Caves because he knows how dangerous the caves are. He is also quite perceptive; in a cutscene, he notices that a chunk of the Laguz army is all going to a certain spot, something a less perceptive person may not have noticed. Also, he had the people-insight to know that Skrimir would not turn down his challenge to fight.
Emotional: In most cases, Zelgius remains composed and confident. Even when he's about to duel Ike in the Tower of Guidance, he doesn't seem excessively excited. He keeps a cool head and begins the duel ready to fight. When he dies, he shows no signs of losing his composure and is even sure that his life had meaning. Earlier, when members of the Laguz alliance approach him, there's even a slight smile on his face as he anticipates the challenge. Also, he possesses extreme loyalty and discipline; his loyalty to Sephiran is so unwavering that killing Greil/Gawain was the only move he made on his own.
Weaknesses:
Physical: For all his strength, Zelgius is not immortal. While he may be difficult to defeat, someone with sufficient skill can defeat him. Ike is the one to become strong enough to defeat Zelgius and, in the end, kill him. Also of note is that his resistance (that is, his defense against magic) is notably lower than his defense (a resistance score of 25 versus a defense score of 35). While it's still pretty high due to him being a high-level unit (not to mention a boss character), it still means that, when possible, magic is the better choice of weapon for taking him out. If anyone in Luceti were to use magic on him, he'd take more damage than from a physical blow.
Mental: Despite his tactical smarts, Zelgius is not psychic. He didn't exactly predict certain members of the Laguz Alliance being sent to try to take him out first. He even called it an "interesting maneuver" when the Laguz members arrived. He may also have his priorities minorly out of place; Sephiran's orders were for him only to collect the medallion containing the goddess Yune, but his strength-seeking behavior overrode the simple order. That lead to him fighting and killing Greil/Gawain as a result of putting his desire to duel Gawain over his simple orders.
Emotional: Under his composed exterior, Zelgius is very vulnerable. He avoids trusting or getting close to people out of fear of being discovered as a Branded. This behavior can be taken to mean that, to an extent, he fears personal scorn. He said that he "comes close to despair" when he imagines seeing the same hatred and shame in another's eyes as he saw from his family. That makes hatred and shame his one deep weakness. His loyalty could also be seen as a weakness; this makes him easily used as a tool by Sephiran to accomplish his own ends. He does have a conscience, but he is such a soldier-type that he regularly casts it aside to do some fairly nasty things by Sephiran's orders (such as kidnapping the one remaining Heron princess to make her sing the Galdr of Release and release Yune).
Samples
First Person: Requesting a Q&A!
[Q&A added for reference.]
1. Are you a brave person? Do you face your fears or run away from them?
I have fought full armies without flinching, and sent beasts sprawling with my blade. That would, on paper, make me "brave." But... I do not face my fear of being hated or viewed as a source of shame. I avoid people so that I do not have to be faced with those looks... in that sense, I am a coward. So am I "brave" or a "coward?" I can't say for sure.
2. Describe something you like to do for fun.
I spend my free time training myself or others. There is something rewarding about spreading my skill to others, and naturally training myself is important. I must stay in top form, and others should be as strong as they can be. I enjoy sparring with my fellow soldiers, as it is a test of their strength as well as mine.
3. Describe a weakness of yours and how you might overcome it.
A weakness of mine... I cannot stand seeing hatred or scorn in another's eyes. I have overcome it largely by avoiding people, but... I suppose that that isn't really overcoming it, is it? Perhaps... I could stand up to those who hate or belittle me. But it would be very difficult for me to do.
4. What is more important: friendship or power?
I would say that power is more important. I have been able to go most of my life without friendship, with the exception of my connections to the lord sage Sephiran. Power has gotten me to where I am today as the general of the Begnion Central army... or rather, where I was before the Goddess turned everyone to stone.
5. Do you value yourself? Do you think others around you value you? What would you say is your personal worth?
Do I value myself...? I cannot say I am sure. I joined the Daein army because I did not value my life. I have been treated for almost my whole life as if I had no value. The only exception, the only person who treats me as if I have any true value, is Sephiran. When I am with him, I feel as if I have some worth through serving him. I also feel worthy when acting as the general of Begnion's army, a reward for my strength. Otherwise, I am used to thinking that I am of little worth.
Third Person:
When Zelgius awoke, he blinked and looked around his apartment. It was bare as he was accustomed to, but the most important thing was that he was alone. This was also something he was accustomed to, and it was both a relief and a source of sorrow for him. When he was alone, he never had to fear discovery. His dark secret was safe on his back, under one of his wings (keeping said wings under his clothes and armor all the time was a tad uncomfortable, but he couldn't exactly make wingholes in armor, and cutting holes in his normal clothes came too close to showing the brand). Even if it had no meaning to most of the people here, he wasn't going to allow his secret to get out. No matter what, he was just a normal Beorc (or, in a word that more people would understand, human), or at least that's how he would appear to others. Being alone meant there was no risk of scorn from others.
Nonetheless, Zelgius couldn't suppress the yearning that sometimes came to him, that desire for someone he could trust. He had that in Sephiran, but now that he had been separated from him, he had no one. It didn't matter that his being a Branded meant nothing to the people here; he still kept his guard up, for his fear of scorn still remained implanted in his mind after years of abuse. He was accustomed to being alone, he told himself. Being alone was best for him.
After his morning preparations, he immediately made a beeline for the battledome. He refused to allow himself to get rusty in this strange, idyllic place that he had been taken to. It had taken some time for him to figure out the controls to the arcane device that controlled the battledome's scenarios, but he had managed to figure it out on his own (though he'd never admit that he figured it out by trial, error, and nearly getting overwhelmed by an excess of powerful enemy soldiers).
It would never be able to truly replicate the experience of training under General Gawain, however. Nothing would be able to replace that, and nothing would be able to replace the duel he had with Ike before being brought to Luceti. Those would be utterly irreplaceable in Zelgius's memory, and even if the battledome could some how conjure up their images, it wouldn't be the same.