[DornKoon] Gaius van Baelsar {Final Fantasy}

"It was your strength that made me proffer my hand in friendship, and it is your strength that makes me proffer now my blade. Save as an ally; you are too dangerous to be let to remain"

General Information

Name: Gaius van Baelsar
Alias: The Black Wolf
Age: 56
Origin Game: Final Fantasy IVX
Homeland: The Kingdom
Faction: Noxus
Gender: Male
History:

Early years

Gaius was born in the Empire of Noxus, in the capital of Noxus Prime. Gaius served in many campaigns throughout his career; through his exemplary leadership, cunning and combat ability, Gaius earned the rank of legatus of the newly formed XIVth Imperial Legion, becoming the emperor's favourite legatus and being known as the Black Wolf. He displayed his loyalty by seeing to the slaughter of nine usurpers, a deed that earned his blade the moniker Heirsbane and came to give him a fearsome reputation. Due to his years of dedicated service, Gaius was charged with conquering the surrounding lands and bringing them into the fold of Noxus. Through subterfuge, Gaius turned the populace of a small nation known as Ala Mhigo against their king and struck when the city-states defences began to crumble at the prospect of civil war, allowing him to capture the city with minimal bloodshed.

Gaius earned renown in the area of the Kingdom due to his abilities as a commander and his sensibilities as governing administrator by ruling the conquered stronghold. He became known for granting honorary citizenship within the Empire in return for the militant service of those in the areas they had conquered, making control of the regions all the easier as their recruits had more intimate knowledge of the layout of the land.

Gaius's conquest stopped after the attack on an area known as Silver Tear Falls, where the XIVth Airship Fleet was almost destroyed in a conflict with the dragonkin and their leader, the great wyrm Midgardsormr. The Imperial vessel was destroyed, but as a bonus, the great wyrm was also slain. By killing the great dragon, the Empire had broken the magical seal, unleashing a vast amount of magical energy which petrified both the remains of the great wyrm and the vessel—leaving them both as a permanent reminder of what happened that day.



Unwilling to risk further casualties, Gaius and his legion retreated. At a point after, Gaius's friend Midas nan Garlond became enraptured with a project called Meteor. Seeing how it affected his son, Gaius took it upon himself to raise the young Cid. In a moment of clarity, Midas told his friend that Cid would never be satisfied with a life of making weapons for the emperor. Midas was killed in a tragic incident when testing a new magitek invention, and Cid deserted his post and defected.


Joining the Inner Circle

He became a stalwart ally of Jericho Swain during his rise among the ranks. The two men shared similar ideas on what constitutes a rightful ruler and that only those strong enough would have the right to rule. As such, the Black Wolf was already on the side of the Raven Lord when he staged his coup to take over Noxus. His devotion was rewarded when the new Grand General made him a member of his inner circle, giving him a seat as a Black Rose. Where some would call Swain a monster, Gaius sees him as a strong leader, one worthy of his loyalty.

Following his rise to his current rank, he was given more freedom than before; he was not going to let that go to waste. Using his connections, he began to work on building a new Magitek vessel, a Dreadnought to function as a flagship for Noxus, created to lay siege to all the empire's enemies. He has decided to name this endeavour the Fenrir Project. Signs that something is going on are felt in many parts of the Kingdom and even areas outside, resources are being transported into the heart of Noxus, and people with knowledge in Magitek, magic and technology have gone missing, taken in the night. Gaius is determined to salvage the failure at Silver Tear Falls and expand the empire's borders simultaneously.

Rivalry with Hyrule

The Legatus has had his eyes focused on the Hylian borders for many years now, and his greatest desire is to tear down their temples and pull their primitive population into the fold of Noxus. That wish was made even stronger after his ascension to the Inner circle as such Gaius has a long-standing rivalry with King Regis. A relationship made even worse upon the Black Wolf's assault and subsequent conquest of the city-state of Ala Mhigo. He cares little what the ruling body of Hyrule thinks, his cause is just, and they will see for themselves ere long exactly how blind they are.





Visual Appearance:

Gaius van Baelsar is a rugged middle-aged man with messy slicked-back dark hair, tanned skin, and dark yellow eyes and as a Garlean, he can be distinguished by the presence of a "third eye" on his forehead. The third eye improves Gaius' capacity for spatial recognition, giving him an advantage over other races when navigating an aircraft or firing weapons. His body is well-toned and shows a life of combat and training, even if his general appearance is often hidden beneath his armour and clothing.

Clothing/Armor:

Gaius is a Garlean who wears an intimidating suit of black armour over a long red coat and a horned helmet bearing a skull-like visage and gasmask-like breathers; it has also been designed with regards to his Garlean third eye. A ceruleum cannon is attached to the back of his left hand.

Personality

"Only a man of power can rightly steer the course of civilization. And in this land of creeping mendacity, that one truth will prove its salvation!"

Gaius lives by the idea that it is the strong's duty to shepherd the weak, and he has constructed his life and character on this devotion. Those with the strength to rule should be in charge, and the very notion that anyone with such power would willingly submit to someone beneath them is absurd in the mind of the Black Wolf. He believes in the edict of Noxus; "Victory is strength". Gaius can be harsh when needed, ruthless even, but none could ever say he is cruel. He despises the use of methods that will endanger innocent lives and often oppose the use of such brutal tactics, those are tools of extermination rather than of conquest. There is no purpose in destroying lives that more readily needs guidance and a firm rule. That said, he is not opposed to forcefully claiming land and subjugating citizens if that is for their "own good",

He genuinely believes that only the strength of the people is something to count on, and he view those who follow higher powers as little more than misguided savages. He hates gods and creatures that claim divinity. While he could be seen as more forward-thinking than many of his peers in his strong opposition to senseless destruction and fighting only for the sake of the thrill, his stewardship is nevertheless characterized by brutal oppression and control.

Despite his loyalty, Gaius is willing to betray orders if he deems the outcome to serve a greater purpose. He would never betray the Grand General outright, but he is not above changing orders to achieve similar results. Gaius is not easily intimated and has complete faith in the righteousness of his cause; fear must be controlled, and willingness to lay down once life in the line of duty is to be expected of any soldier, no matter what rank.

Those who approach Gaius will find him a reasonable and eloquent man, not prone to emotional outbursts and with a collected composure. He is generally not unkind, polite and even charming. He believes in the superiority of his faction and the use of war as the tool to gain control of the ignorant masses. Contrary, those who face him in battle will find a most determined and brutal adversary. Gaius is efficient and seeks to end conflicts as quickly as possible. The Black Wolf is not afraid of getting his hands dirty if he feels doing so will achieve success. That is not to say he does not trust or value his subordinates. On the contrary, those who work below him will have a most devoted commander who puts great faith in the abilities of his soldiers.

Weapons/Items

Heirsbane



Gaius' weapon of choice is the gunblade known as Heirbane; its function and design allow Gaius to fight efficiently in both melee and ranged combat. It is said to have spilt the blood of eight aspiring heirs.

The Fenrir Project


Prototype drawing

Gaius' HQ is primarily centred around the drydock of his project, a magitek vessel called The Fenrir. It is currently under construction and testing and is not close to finished. The ship is located deep inside Noxus territory, and only a select few know where this project is taking place.

Abilities/Powers

"Unworthy is the ruler whose subjects seek the solace of false gods."

Gaius van Baelsar is an accomplished officer in the Noxian army, holding one of the seats in the inner circle of The Black Rose. In his military career, The Black Wolf has been rewarded and honoured for his tactical genius and ability to think on his feet. Gaius is a pure-blooded Garlean of fifty-six summers possessed a natural flair for wartime command, perhaps equalled only by his sensibilities as a governing administration. Known as the Black Wolf, his accomplishments include the conquest and political assimilation of cities and regions now part of Noxus.

Gaius is a most accomplished warrior. A skilled swordsman and marksman, he wields his gunblade's dual purpose with brutal efficiency and his arm cannon. He can fend off multiple skilled opponents simultaneously, which he has done on several occasions. Gaius can gain blinding speed to vanish and reappear in a blink of an eye. He can launch cross-shaped arcs of energy from his sword (Known as Terminus Est) and use magitek to conjure blue fire to incinerate enemies and encircle his blade. Even if he possesses no magic, or as a Garlean is unable to manipulate the aether needed to cast spells, he is not to be underestimated and make up for this weakness with the usage of magitek-based armaments, as such Gaius is a skilled pilot of magitek.

Roleplay Sample

" And you're saying they tried attacking him on the road?" 

Gaius watched as a group of engineers walked past below the drydock's observation platform. He continued to follow them with his eyes until they vanished out of sight. "Yes, Lord van Baelsar, it appears that is the case, going by the information we gained from the capital." The young courier replied, nervously adjusting his uniform.

"Not sure if I should admire the Hylians for their brave attempt or pity them for the stupidity in believing such a predictable ambush would have ever worked," Gaius said to himself. He raised a hand to his chin, sighed and let out a dry chuckle. " Although it does pose the question of how they even found out that his Radiance was to travel in the first..." His voice died away, and his gaze drifted out over the drydocks again. There could not possibly be a traitor in Noxus, could it? But how else would they keep getting this kind of information? It would serve them nothing to try and fail repeatedly; at some point, anyone would realize it was not a plausible plan. "What drives them, I wonder? Is the loyalty to their... gods... so important that they throw their lives away for nothing? One would have thought their leaders to value their lives more."

"Sir?" Gaius cleared his throat and shook his head before returning his attention to the messenger.

"Nevermind, just a bit of philosophical contemplation. You're dismissed, soldier." Gaius gestured for the soldier to leave before returning to looking at the blueprints at the table. It took him a few seconds to notice that the young messenger had not left; he raised an eyebrow behind his mask. " Was there anything else?"

"Y-Yes, our scouts have found a small settlement in a thick forest near here." As he spoke, the courier pulled out a folder, handing it over to van Baelsar, who took and opened it. He continued to listen as he was flipping through the pages. "It appears to be a tribe of Yoshis."

"Yoshi..."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Plural of a Yoshi is still Yoshi. Go on."

"W-Well, what should we do about them?"

"Do? Are they a threat to the empire?"

"Well, no... but"

"Are they in possession of something which could be a threat to the empire? Or have access to resources which would profit the empire?"

"No"

"Then we shall let them go about their lives, keep an eye on them if you must, but we shall not waste precious resources on harassing a village of Yoshi." Gaius dropped the folder onto the table with a scowl. "What would the general population think if we view such primitive creatures as a threat to the stability of his Radiance's rule? We have more serious enemies to contend with. Remember that, soldier."

The courier nodded. " As you say, sir."

"Dismissed..."He watched as the courier turned and quickly left down the ramp. "Yoshis... hmpf...What do they learn in school these days..."