Entry tags:
application for exit void.
player.
NAME/HANDLE: Valya
PERSONAL JOURNAL:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
windhover
ARE YOU 16 OR OVER?: yup!
CONTACT: grandSolovey @ plurk, aim, etc
OTHER CHARACTERS: n/a
character.
CHARACTER NAME: Noah Gabranth, aka Noah fon Ronsenburg
SERIES: Final Fantasy XII; here is a link to Gabranth's history in particular.
CANON POINT: while he's still en route to the Pharos at Ridorana to confront Ashe.
AGE: 36
APPEARANCE: Here is one picture and here is another. In canon he is never seen without his armor (except for exactly one instance towards the very end), and he is only rarely seen without his helm.
PREVIOUS GAME HISTORY: n/a
PERSONALITY: There are three traits that primarily define Gabranth’s character: his ruthless determination, his priority of honor above nearly all else, and his steadfast loyalty to and pursuit of the people and things that matter most to him. Together these traits make for a well-rounded primary antagonist, but they also tell the story of a broken man who is both chained to his past and driven to regain his honor at any cost.
Throughout Final Fantasy XII, he is shown to interact with most others in a stoic, calm, sometimes aloof and often calculating manner, whether it’s reporting to the Solidors, dismissing an unruly bangaa bounty hunter, or discussing the safety of his charge with fellow Judge Magister Drace. But his true colors show when he confronts his brother Basch, or even when the subject of him comes up in conversation. The grudge Gabranth holds against him for abandoning Landis is one he’s carried for years, and the depth of his hatred shows through in nearly every interaction he has with the player party, and even beyond that. In Basch’s flashback to the night of Raminas’s murder, when Gabranth looks down at him, seeing his twin brother for the first time in many years and in the act of framing him for regicide—essentially sentencing him to death—he regards him with a smirk on his face. Atop the Pharos, he tells him “When you abandoned home and kin, your name was forever stained with blood,” and even after being defeated there, he accuses him of “leav[ing his] debts unpaid”.
He is relentless in most everything he does, but this ruthlessness and drive is particularly evident when it comes to anything concerning Basch. In Gabranth’s mind, the only thing that could absolve Basch of his sins is his death, and he will stop at nothing to deliver it to him. He says this much to Emperor Gramis himself, and it also shows in his interactions with Basch in the latter parts of the game. After his defeat at the Pharos, he still doesn’t lay down his swords until Venat violently incapacitates him; when he later encounters them on the Sky Fortress Bahamut, even though he’s still disgraced and heavily wounded from their previous encounter, he picks a fight with Basch anyway and doesn’t give up until he can no longer stand.
For all his hatred and begrudging of his brother, though, Gabranth’s resentment does not lie wholly with him. Even years after the fact, and despite all that he has accomplished in his service to Archadia, he is still wracked with guilt over joining the empire that conquered his homeland. He feels as though his honor was lost the day Landis fell, and his dignity continues to be broken down throughout the course of FFXII, after Vayne forces him to kill Drace and Dr. Cid condemns him for breaking Larsa’s trust; even though both of these instances were only partially his own doing, he blames himself for both and slips deeper into self-loathing. He believes the only way he could possibly lay claim to honor once again and atone for his own misdeeds is by somehow avenging his fallen homeland, which becomes clear when he addresses Ashe at the Pharos: in provoking her to battle, he tells her “we cannot escape the past,” and asks if her subjugated kingdom and fallen subjects do not demand revenge.
The fact that no vengeance can change the events of the past is something that Gabranth cannot bring himself to recognize, whether he’s too stubborn for it or simply unwilling to admit that all he has struggled for in his quest for honor has been for naught. When he finally is forced to come to terms with that reality, he doesn’t accept it easily; for all the shame, humiliation, and despair he has inflicted upon his brother throughout the years, all in the name of punishing him for abandoning his family and home, Basch still manages to maintain his own honor and dignity, which both vexes and enrages Gabranth. At his lowest and weakest point, he confronts Basch on the Bahamut: “You failed Landis, you failed Dalmasca—all you were to protect, yet you still hold onto your honor! How?”
Of course, Basch’s answer—that he has kept his honor by protecting the princess Ashelia, as Gabranth protects his lord Larsa—isn’t something he easily accepts either. He has spent so many years blinded by his hatred, resentment, and self-loathing that he has somehow failed to recognize what truly renders him an honorable man: his steadfast dedication to the protection and welfare of Larsa Solidor.
While he is one to double-cross others without much second thought should his orders call for it—as evident in his framing of Basch, as well as his reporting on Vayne’s doings with Dr. Cid—when he is truly loyal to someone, he is loyal to the very end. After assuming his father’s throne, Vayne uses and orders Gabranth like his own personal hound, but it’s clear that Gabranth’s true loyalties lie instead with Vayne’s younger brother Larsa, and it is that true loyalty that stirs him to battle once more. Despite his resentment of the empire, and despite the wounds and shame he’s suffered from his defeat just minutes prior, he raises his sword once more in open defiance to Vayne for the sake of protecting Larsa and the future of Archadia. In doing so, he is shown to be willing to ultimately put the lives of those he values above himself and above his own pain, no matter what the cost, and in giving his life to do so, he finally manages to prove himself an honorable man.
ABILITIES: Of Gabranth's abilities, his most notable would be his prowess with battle and swordsmanship. The position of judge is inherently military in Archadian government, and so his ascension to the rank of Judge Magister was propelled by more than mere politicking. Nevertheless, his skill with the ins and outs of Archadian politics is not one to be considered lightly. Despite the disadvantages and discrimination he undoubtedly faced as a foreign Landisian in Archadian society, the fact that he was able to attain the lofty office of Judge Magister at such a relatively young age is a testament to such skill. Beyond that, his position as head of the Archadian military's Ninth Bureau, charged with all matters concerning intelligence and espionage, indicates that he is well-versed in the art of gathering information through any means necessary, particularly means that are underhanded and at times brutal, and dealing with it however he must. To this end, he is shown acting as a double agent on at least one occasion, as he secretly investigates Vayne Solidor's affairs by the emperor's will.
Returning to his physical ability, his favored weapon — a pair of large swords that can be joined at the pommel into a double-headed lance, both signature of and unique to each of the Judge Magisters — is further evidence of his martial prowess, as its apparent unwieldiness attests to his skill. He has only a very basic proficiency in Ivalician magicks, but he does have command over a variety of technicks (special skills, usually combat-oriented, that are unrelated to the use of magicks), and he can gather Mist to power certain attacks.
POSSESSIONS: As his canon point is almost immediately prior to a boss battle, he will have his armor, as linked above, and his weapons, a pair of swords — Chaos Blade and Highway Star — which join together like so.
samples.
JOURNAL ENTRY SAMPLE:
[Hello network, how would you like to be greeted by a thoroughly inhuman-looking metal face today. The video starts as a close-up, but quickly pulls back to show the "face" belongs to a horned helm.]
If I understand the usage of this device correctly... [The voice (and frustrated grunt) that emanate from it are distinctly human, though somewhat distorted by the metal.] Gabranth, Judge Magister of the Archadian Empire, reporting to whomever may find these words. I had thought myself the victim of some Mist-borne illusion upon waking here, but the more I have seen and heard more of this place...the less I am certain of that. Any information concerning this city and its whereabouts in Ivalice are urgently requested of any and all within the vicinity.
[He pauses and gives another grunt, this one sounding less of frustration and more of pain.]
Furthermore... Should there be a single one of you in possession of curatives or healing magicks, I would avail you of them at your earliest convenience.
PROSE SAMPLE:
Battle raged in the sky above Dalmasca, both surrounding and aboard the Bahamut, between the Empire and those who wished to see Her fall—between the princess and her faction, the nethicite-maddened Emperor, and the lone Judge Magister.
Gabranth could feel his end nearing; there was little else he could feel. His armor felt no longer like his second skin, no longer like something meant to protect, but rather some prison of iron and steel, clanking about him and binding his wounded flesh. It bore heavily upon him, slowed his movement, and rendered his blades little more than dead weights in his hands. His helm narrowed his vision, which was already growing starry and dim, and all he could hear was the rasp of his breath and the pounding of his blood.
Yet still, he had to press on.
What sort of man would stand against his emperor? What sort of man would raise his sword against the very symbol of his nation, in alliance with those who would seek only to undermine it? Surely, the only title such a man deserved was that of traitor, for only a traitor would dare act with such defiance.
But this Judge was no stranger to the title of traitor, and this monster was now less a man than he was ever emperor. This was no act of defiance, he was now certain—this was all he could do to protect the empire he served, those who would guide it without need of an iron fist, and the only identity left to him.
For Archadia—
He dropped the shorter blade, leaving it to clatter against the floor, and took his other sword in both hands to charge at the man he once called his liege. Even if it meant treason—one more sin for his soul to bear—for the future of Archadia, he would cleave a path.
NAME/HANDLE: Valya
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
windhoverARE YOU 16 OR OVER?: yup!
CONTACT: grandSolovey @ plurk, aim, etc
OTHER CHARACTERS: n/a
character.
CHARACTER NAME: Noah Gabranth, aka Noah fon Ronsenburg
SERIES: Final Fantasy XII; here is a link to Gabranth's history in particular.
CANON POINT: while he's still en route to the Pharos at Ridorana to confront Ashe.
AGE: 36
APPEARANCE: Here is one picture and here is another. In canon he is never seen without his armor (except for exactly one instance towards the very end), and he is only rarely seen without his helm.
PREVIOUS GAME HISTORY: n/a
PERSONALITY: There are three traits that primarily define Gabranth’s character: his ruthless determination, his priority of honor above nearly all else, and his steadfast loyalty to and pursuit of the people and things that matter most to him. Together these traits make for a well-rounded primary antagonist, but they also tell the story of a broken man who is both chained to his past and driven to regain his honor at any cost.
Throughout Final Fantasy XII, he is shown to interact with most others in a stoic, calm, sometimes aloof and often calculating manner, whether it’s reporting to the Solidors, dismissing an unruly bangaa bounty hunter, or discussing the safety of his charge with fellow Judge Magister Drace. But his true colors show when he confronts his brother Basch, or even when the subject of him comes up in conversation. The grudge Gabranth holds against him for abandoning Landis is one he’s carried for years, and the depth of his hatred shows through in nearly every interaction he has with the player party, and even beyond that. In Basch’s flashback to the night of Raminas’s murder, when Gabranth looks down at him, seeing his twin brother for the first time in many years and in the act of framing him for regicide—essentially sentencing him to death—he regards him with a smirk on his face. Atop the Pharos, he tells him “When you abandoned home and kin, your name was forever stained with blood,” and even after being defeated there, he accuses him of “leav[ing his] debts unpaid”.
He is relentless in most everything he does, but this ruthlessness and drive is particularly evident when it comes to anything concerning Basch. In Gabranth’s mind, the only thing that could absolve Basch of his sins is his death, and he will stop at nothing to deliver it to him. He says this much to Emperor Gramis himself, and it also shows in his interactions with Basch in the latter parts of the game. After his defeat at the Pharos, he still doesn’t lay down his swords until Venat violently incapacitates him; when he later encounters them on the Sky Fortress Bahamut, even though he’s still disgraced and heavily wounded from their previous encounter, he picks a fight with Basch anyway and doesn’t give up until he can no longer stand.
For all his hatred and begrudging of his brother, though, Gabranth’s resentment does not lie wholly with him. Even years after the fact, and despite all that he has accomplished in his service to Archadia, he is still wracked with guilt over joining the empire that conquered his homeland. He feels as though his honor was lost the day Landis fell, and his dignity continues to be broken down throughout the course of FFXII, after Vayne forces him to kill Drace and Dr. Cid condemns him for breaking Larsa’s trust; even though both of these instances were only partially his own doing, he blames himself for both and slips deeper into self-loathing. He believes the only way he could possibly lay claim to honor once again and atone for his own misdeeds is by somehow avenging his fallen homeland, which becomes clear when he addresses Ashe at the Pharos: in provoking her to battle, he tells her “we cannot escape the past,” and asks if her subjugated kingdom and fallen subjects do not demand revenge.
The fact that no vengeance can change the events of the past is something that Gabranth cannot bring himself to recognize, whether he’s too stubborn for it or simply unwilling to admit that all he has struggled for in his quest for honor has been for naught. When he finally is forced to come to terms with that reality, he doesn’t accept it easily; for all the shame, humiliation, and despair he has inflicted upon his brother throughout the years, all in the name of punishing him for abandoning his family and home, Basch still manages to maintain his own honor and dignity, which both vexes and enrages Gabranth. At his lowest and weakest point, he confronts Basch on the Bahamut: “You failed Landis, you failed Dalmasca—all you were to protect, yet you still hold onto your honor! How?”
Of course, Basch’s answer—that he has kept his honor by protecting the princess Ashelia, as Gabranth protects his lord Larsa—isn’t something he easily accepts either. He has spent so many years blinded by his hatred, resentment, and self-loathing that he has somehow failed to recognize what truly renders him an honorable man: his steadfast dedication to the protection and welfare of Larsa Solidor.
While he is one to double-cross others without much second thought should his orders call for it—as evident in his framing of Basch, as well as his reporting on Vayne’s doings with Dr. Cid—when he is truly loyal to someone, he is loyal to the very end. After assuming his father’s throne, Vayne uses and orders Gabranth like his own personal hound, but it’s clear that Gabranth’s true loyalties lie instead with Vayne’s younger brother Larsa, and it is that true loyalty that stirs him to battle once more. Despite his resentment of the empire, and despite the wounds and shame he’s suffered from his defeat just minutes prior, he raises his sword once more in open defiance to Vayne for the sake of protecting Larsa and the future of Archadia. In doing so, he is shown to be willing to ultimately put the lives of those he values above himself and above his own pain, no matter what the cost, and in giving his life to do so, he finally manages to prove himself an honorable man.
ABILITIES: Of Gabranth's abilities, his most notable would be his prowess with battle and swordsmanship. The position of judge is inherently military in Archadian government, and so his ascension to the rank of Judge Magister was propelled by more than mere politicking. Nevertheless, his skill with the ins and outs of Archadian politics is not one to be considered lightly. Despite the disadvantages and discrimination he undoubtedly faced as a foreign Landisian in Archadian society, the fact that he was able to attain the lofty office of Judge Magister at such a relatively young age is a testament to such skill. Beyond that, his position as head of the Archadian military's Ninth Bureau, charged with all matters concerning intelligence and espionage, indicates that he is well-versed in the art of gathering information through any means necessary, particularly means that are underhanded and at times brutal, and dealing with it however he must. To this end, he is shown acting as a double agent on at least one occasion, as he secretly investigates Vayne Solidor's affairs by the emperor's will.
Returning to his physical ability, his favored weapon — a pair of large swords that can be joined at the pommel into a double-headed lance, both signature of and unique to each of the Judge Magisters — is further evidence of his martial prowess, as its apparent unwieldiness attests to his skill. He has only a very basic proficiency in Ivalician magicks, but he does have command over a variety of technicks (special skills, usually combat-oriented, that are unrelated to the use of magicks), and he can gather Mist to power certain attacks.
POSSESSIONS: As his canon point is almost immediately prior to a boss battle, he will have his armor, as linked above, and his weapons, a pair of swords — Chaos Blade and Highway Star — which join together like so.
samples.
JOURNAL ENTRY SAMPLE:
[Hello network, how would you like to be greeted by a thoroughly inhuman-looking metal face today. The video starts as a close-up, but quickly pulls back to show the "face" belongs to a horned helm.]
If I understand the usage of this device correctly... [The voice (and frustrated grunt) that emanate from it are distinctly human, though somewhat distorted by the metal.] Gabranth, Judge Magister of the Archadian Empire, reporting to whomever may find these words. I had thought myself the victim of some Mist-borne illusion upon waking here, but the more I have seen and heard more of this place...the less I am certain of that. Any information concerning this city and its whereabouts in Ivalice are urgently requested of any and all within the vicinity.
[He pauses and gives another grunt, this one sounding less of frustration and more of pain.]
Furthermore... Should there be a single one of you in possession of curatives or healing magicks, I would avail you of them at your earliest convenience.
PROSE SAMPLE:
Battle raged in the sky above Dalmasca, both surrounding and aboard the Bahamut, between the Empire and those who wished to see Her fall—between the princess and her faction, the nethicite-maddened Emperor, and the lone Judge Magister.
Gabranth could feel his end nearing; there was little else he could feel. His armor felt no longer like his second skin, no longer like something meant to protect, but rather some prison of iron and steel, clanking about him and binding his wounded flesh. It bore heavily upon him, slowed his movement, and rendered his blades little more than dead weights in his hands. His helm narrowed his vision, which was already growing starry and dim, and all he could hear was the rasp of his breath and the pounding of his blood.
Yet still, he had to press on.
What sort of man would stand against his emperor? What sort of man would raise his sword against the very symbol of his nation, in alliance with those who would seek only to undermine it? Surely, the only title such a man deserved was that of traitor, for only a traitor would dare act with such defiance.
But this Judge was no stranger to the title of traitor, and this monster was now less a man than he was ever emperor. This was no act of defiance, he was now certain—this was all he could do to protect the empire he served, those who would guide it without need of an iron fist, and the only identity left to him.
For Archadia—
He dropped the shorter blade, leaving it to clatter against the floor, and took his other sword in both hands to charge at the man he once called his liege. Even if it meant treason—one more sin for his soul to bear—for the future of Archadia, he would cleave a path.