app for babylonwood.
And I think it's still the winter of our innocence
Before we sacrificed our childhood in the name of self-defense
The Player
User Name/Nick: Sam
User LJ: hezul
AIM/IM: terrorfortune
E-mail: melodyoflogic [at] gmail.com
Other Characters: --
The Character
Character Name: Prince Leaf of Lenster
Character Journal: aheromade
Canon: Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Age: 15
From When?: After Chapter 19: Remorse and Retaliation.
Abilities/Powers: Leaf is a descendant of two of the holy crusaders from his homeland -- Noba on his father's side, and Baldo on his mother's side. The holy crusaders originally gained great power through blood rites with the dragon gods, and some of that power continues to be passed on through their bloodlines. In video game logic, this takes the form of better stat growths and the ability to equip more powerful weapons; to translate this to real world logic, I'd simply put it as him having a little more strength, speed, and stamina than a normal human, and having a natural gift for fighting with swords or lances, and improving with them more quickly than would be normal.
At his current point in canon, he hasn't trained extensively with most weapons, and he's most comfortable with a sword in his hand; he's very good with swords, however, and the sword he inherited from his mother has some minor innate magic to it (a light-elemental attack spell, and a self-targeted healing spell).
Despite having been raised away from court, he does seem to have a decent enough grasp of noble etiquette, as his guardian tried to instill all the important things in him. He's learning the ins and outs of military command, although that's still very much a work in progress and he's used to working with a few good advisors to make up for his own youth and inexperience.
Power Limitations: The boosts to his own physical attributes are part of his bloodline, and I think they're reasonable enough to stay -- he's stronger than normal, but he's not throwing cars like Superman or anything. The powers attached to his sword, I'd like to keep around, since they're not all that powerful (he has a pretty crappy magic stat, so he can't fling them around like a proper mage can anyway). But I'm willing to bend to mod judgment if you guys feel differently!
Inventory
- The clothes on his back -- medieval, suitable for wearing under armor, and not particularly fancy or in any way indicative of his nobility.
- His armor. I lack the terminology to be really specific about it, but it's not head-to-toe plate, more like a collection of parts to cover what he can without losing too much mobility.
- The Light Sword, which he inherited from his mama. In close quarters, it's just your average sword, reasonably well-balanced between power and speed. However, he can also use it at range to cast a minor attack spell (light elemental), and in really dire circumstances he can use it to cast a minor healing spell -- but only self-targeted; it won't work for anyone but the wielder.
- One vial of holy water (in-game, it temporarily boosts one's magic stat, which also affects their defense against magical attacks; I assume it could also be put to more traditional use here, though, if the opportunity were to arise).
Personality: Leaf has inherited his father's ambition and lofty goals, his mother's tenacity and tendency towards being openly emotional, and he wraps it all together with some added confidence issues and a triple dose of duty and responsibility. He does nothing halfway; when he sets a goal for himself, he doesn't just move towards it -- he throws himself at it, plows through every hardship standing in his way, and would almost certainly have gotten himself killed out of his sheer stubbornness by now if his guardians and advisors hadn't drilled the point into him that his life is no longer only his to waste.
This is probably the most important thing to note about him, actually -- his sense of responsibility to his ancestors, his kingdom, and his people. Leaf's never really set his own goals for himself; from the time he was young and his kingdom was overthrown, his driving motivation has been to regain the throne, unite the Manster District, and put an end to the injustices committed by the Empire. It's not so much a matter of wanting the throne for himself as it's a desire to fulfill his father's dream of reuniting the region and ending the constant border disputes. Leaf rarely addresses what he wants personally.
This borderline-fanatical loyalty to his bloodline is worth an essay in itself, but to put it succinctly: loyalty to one's bloodline is a huge cultural thing in his canon. The descendants of the holy crusaders are all marked -- literally, they have birthmarks that show exactly who they're descended from. They still pass down the weapons used by the crusaders in a war centuries prior. Most of the noble houses in the world are descended from one of the crusaders, and they're thorough about educating their children about the duties and responsibilities that come with the bloodline. It is this big, big thing that they're raised with, and it's made clear many a time in canon that betraying your own blood is a huge deal. Leaf takes it completely seriously, and despite the fact that he wasn't even old enough when his parents died to actually remember them, he's more than willing to throw his own life towards doing what he thinks they would've wanted from him.
Despite being raised in exile, Leaf's guardian Finn did his best to keep him proper, so he's for the most part polite, careful not to burn any bridges when he speaks, and treats others with respect and courtesy unless he's given a reason not to. On the other hand, most of the friends he had once they settled down in Fiana were hot-headed commoners, and it'd be a lie to say nothing rubbed off -- and besides that, well, he's fifteen. He's prone to his occasional outbursts, and he has moments of immaturity here and there. For the most part, however, he's quick to either check himself, or to back off when someone else calls him on it, and he's constantly striving to improve himself, to exercise better self-control, and to learn from those around him who have more experience -- for the most part, he's very good about recognizing the fact that no, he does not know everything, and some of the vassals watching out for him have been fighting for as long as he's been alive twice over.
Thinking he knows more than he does is almost never a problem, in fact; if anything, Leaf is more competent and capable than he himself is actually willing to admit. He has quite a few doubts (though he keeps them mostly private) about whether he can live up to the example set by his ancestors, and also to the example set by his cousin, who's fighting a similar war of liberation in a neighboring kingdom. And at his current canon point, his self-confidence is at its low point, as a misjudgment on his part just got a good portion of his army and one of his closest advisors killed.
Leaf isn't sure if he's the hero his kingdom needs -- not yet, at least. He's still relatively inexperienced (though he's been forced to learn a lot, very quickly), he's still somewhat immature (though he's been forced to grow up very quickly, he's still not immune to stupid teenage outbursts and angst). But his saving grace, and the quality that pretty much ensures that he can become the hero his kingdom needs, is the fact that his sense of duty is highly developed, and he's constantly doing everything in his power to learn, to grow, and to become the leader he needs to be, no matter what the cost to his personal life.
History: Leaf hails from the royal family of Lenster, a small kingdom on the Thracian Peninsula of the continent of Jugdral (a fairly standard medieval fantasy realm, mostly notable for having a huge fixation on bloodlines and genealogy, and some ridiculously convoluted inter-kingdom politics). Lenster was the most prominent of the kingdoms in the Manster District, a loose confederation of small holdings on the northern half of the peninsula who generally stood allied against the southern kingdom of Thracia -- as Lenster was the first line of defense for the rest of the District, they were in a constant state of conflict, though the border disputes rarely gave way to full-scale war.
Around the time of Leaf's birth, the political situation on the continent was even more volatile than usual, and his uncle, Lord Sigurd of Chalphy, was being set up to take the blame for traitorous acts against his home kingdom of Grandbell, though said acts had been committed by several other nobles. Tensions mounted, fighting erupted, and Leaf's father, Prince Cuan, went to take a detachment of Lenster's army to back him up, because Sigurd wasn't just his brother-in-law, but also his best bro ever. Leaf's mother, Ethlinn, went with him as far as the border to see him off, and had brought Leaf's older sister Altenna with her. Unfortunately, King Trabant of Thracia decided this was too good an opportunity to waste, and ambushed and killed them in the desert, taking Altenna to raise as his own.
Lenster was thrown into chaos with the loss, and soon after, the allied kingdom of Conote betrayed them to Thracia. The capital was lost, and Leaf only escaped thanks to his father's loyal knight, Finn. They spent years on the run, hiding out in the kingdom of Alster and then the free city of Tahra, before finally settling down in a small fishing village on the Thracian coast, Fiana. For a time, all was well.
But eventually, when Leaf was fifteen, they were discovered by the Grandbellian Empire -- nominally allied with Thracia, but it was no secret that the Empire, run by cultists of the dark god Loputous, had become the real power on the continent. Sick of running, Leaf decided that this time, he'd fight back.
His campaign started small, with low manpower attempts to free prisoners already held by the Empire, and gained momentum as he found allies among other resistance groups. At the advice of his strategist, August, he swallowed his pride and sought help from a prominent Thracian general, knowing that the Thracians were just as bitter about Imperial occupation as anyone else; with that help, he was able to reconnect with the remnants of Lenster's army, who had been hiding out in the mountains, and his army grew bigger. The time seemed right, so he struck at the capital and took Lenster back.
Immediately after the battle, however, Miranda, the princess of the neighboring kingdom of Alster, came to beg for his help, as the civilians in Alster were about to rise in rebellion, but stood no chance without reinforcements. Although Leaf's advisor, Count Dorias, warned him that they were in a very delicate position, Leaf couldn't turn his back on Alster, knowing that Miranda's father had hidden him from the Empire for several years before. He wanted to go himself; Dorias, expecting the worst, persuaded Leaf to stay back, let some of the army rest of a day before moving on Alster, and Dorias himself would take the reserve forces there immediately.
Alster was a trap. Dorias and the reserves were wiped out, and Leaf and his remaining troops were forced into a siege at Lenster. After six months, the Empire was clearly preparing for a final push to try and break into the castle. It could be Leaf's finest hour...or his last stand.
This is the canon point from which I plan to take him.
First Person Sample: I've previously applied him to CFUD, where the app is just one big long first person: as seen here. (Note: CFUD is a crack game, hence the mentions of zombies, sinister gorillas, and sudden camp-enforced crossdressing. But he does treat it quite seriously in the app, even if the situation itself is pretty off-the-wall, so I think it's still reasonably demonstrative of his voice. If you'd rather I come up with something new and All Srs All The Time, though, I can do so.)
Prose Sample: The hour was late, but in the past six months, Lenster had became a city that never slept. Or rather, one that slept in shifts, catnaps, never restfully and never secure in the knowledge that it would live to see the next day. Supplies ran low, Imperial morale ran high, and earlier in the day, August had reported that there were rumors of reinforcements coming from Alster.
Not Leaf's reinforcements, of course.
Trying to sleep was an exercise in futility, and Leaf quietly got up, making his way towards the great hall. There were fewer torches lit at night, he noticed -- not surprising when they were down to bare scraps and had to conserve everything possible. One way or another, the siege of Lenster would soon be over.
And then he might never have the chance to do this again. He stopped in the middle of the hall, his gaze drifting to the portrait hanging on the rear wall.
He'd been surprised to see it, when they'd taken the castle six months ago. Finn had been even more surprised, dropping straight to one knee as if he were standing before Prince Cuan himself and not just a painting. Glade had jokingly suggested that perhaps the Empire's soldiers were simply too lazy to redecorate.
Selphina had just smiled. "It's a sign," she had said. "Noba watches over us still."
If they could ever use a miracle from Noba, now would be the time.
Leaf shook his head slowly. He would expect no miracles here. "I led them into this," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Gods willing, I will lead them out." If he could be half the man his father was. If he'd been even a quarter of the man his father was, maybe they wouldn't have fallen into this trap in the first place --
He exhaled. Focus. Berating himself would win no battles.
There were a thousand things he'd always wanted to say to his father, and even though this was the closest he'd ever be able to come to him, everything sounded trite and stupid when he tried to say it, and the words died before they even left his mouth. Only one thing felt right, in the end.
"I'll make you proud."
He turned and left the hall.
Special Notes: There are a lot of nods to Celtic mythology in the names of people and places from Leaf's kingdom, so in my headcanon Lenster's native language is very similar to Irish. As such, even when he's speaking the common language of Jugdral, Leaf's got something of an Irish accent. (Though he will of course be pretty confused if anybody asks him about this Ireland place.)
The canon is...kind of a media-spanner; the story spreads over two video games (which don't fit together seamlessly) and there were five different comic adaptations, each of which took some of their own creative liberties. So I kind of pick and piece together from the different versions, but I tend to give the games highest priority and anything I can pull out of the comics is just a bonus. I've literally never seen anyone play from Thracia 776 on LJ but myself, so I doubt it'll end up being an issue, but in the unlikely event that I ever pick up canonmates, I'd be happy to hash things out and adjust my play if necessary.
Before we sacrificed our childhood in the name of self-defense
The Player
User Name/Nick: Sam
User LJ: hezul
AIM/IM: terrorfortune
E-mail: melodyoflogic [at] gmail.com
Other Characters: --
The Character
Character Name: Prince Leaf of Lenster
Character Journal: aheromade
Canon: Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Age: 15
From When?: After Chapter 19: Remorse and Retaliation.
Abilities/Powers: Leaf is a descendant of two of the holy crusaders from his homeland -- Noba on his father's side, and Baldo on his mother's side. The holy crusaders originally gained great power through blood rites with the dragon gods, and some of that power continues to be passed on through their bloodlines. In video game logic, this takes the form of better stat growths and the ability to equip more powerful weapons; to translate this to real world logic, I'd simply put it as him having a little more strength, speed, and stamina than a normal human, and having a natural gift for fighting with swords or lances, and improving with them more quickly than would be normal.
At his current point in canon, he hasn't trained extensively with most weapons, and he's most comfortable with a sword in his hand; he's very good with swords, however, and the sword he inherited from his mother has some minor innate magic to it (a light-elemental attack spell, and a self-targeted healing spell).
Despite having been raised away from court, he does seem to have a decent enough grasp of noble etiquette, as his guardian tried to instill all the important things in him. He's learning the ins and outs of military command, although that's still very much a work in progress and he's used to working with a few good advisors to make up for his own youth and inexperience.
Power Limitations: The boosts to his own physical attributes are part of his bloodline, and I think they're reasonable enough to stay -- he's stronger than normal, but he's not throwing cars like Superman or anything. The powers attached to his sword, I'd like to keep around, since they're not all that powerful (he has a pretty crappy magic stat, so he can't fling them around like a proper mage can anyway). But I'm willing to bend to mod judgment if you guys feel differently!
Inventory
- The clothes on his back -- medieval, suitable for wearing under armor, and not particularly fancy or in any way indicative of his nobility.
- His armor. I lack the terminology to be really specific about it, but it's not head-to-toe plate, more like a collection of parts to cover what he can without losing too much mobility.
- The Light Sword, which he inherited from his mama. In close quarters, it's just your average sword, reasonably well-balanced between power and speed. However, he can also use it at range to cast a minor attack spell (light elemental), and in really dire circumstances he can use it to cast a minor healing spell -- but only self-targeted; it won't work for anyone but the wielder.
- One vial of holy water (in-game, it temporarily boosts one's magic stat, which also affects their defense against magical attacks; I assume it could also be put to more traditional use here, though, if the opportunity were to arise).
Personality: Leaf has inherited his father's ambition and lofty goals, his mother's tenacity and tendency towards being openly emotional, and he wraps it all together with some added confidence issues and a triple dose of duty and responsibility. He does nothing halfway; when he sets a goal for himself, he doesn't just move towards it -- he throws himself at it, plows through every hardship standing in his way, and would almost certainly have gotten himself killed out of his sheer stubbornness by now if his guardians and advisors hadn't drilled the point into him that his life is no longer only his to waste.
This is probably the most important thing to note about him, actually -- his sense of responsibility to his ancestors, his kingdom, and his people. Leaf's never really set his own goals for himself; from the time he was young and his kingdom was overthrown, his driving motivation has been to regain the throne, unite the Manster District, and put an end to the injustices committed by the Empire. It's not so much a matter of wanting the throne for himself as it's a desire to fulfill his father's dream of reuniting the region and ending the constant border disputes. Leaf rarely addresses what he wants personally.
This borderline-fanatical loyalty to his bloodline is worth an essay in itself, but to put it succinctly: loyalty to one's bloodline is a huge cultural thing in his canon. The descendants of the holy crusaders are all marked -- literally, they have birthmarks that show exactly who they're descended from. They still pass down the weapons used by the crusaders in a war centuries prior. Most of the noble houses in the world are descended from one of the crusaders, and they're thorough about educating their children about the duties and responsibilities that come with the bloodline. It is this big, big thing that they're raised with, and it's made clear many a time in canon that betraying your own blood is a huge deal. Leaf takes it completely seriously, and despite the fact that he wasn't even old enough when his parents died to actually remember them, he's more than willing to throw his own life towards doing what he thinks they would've wanted from him.
Despite being raised in exile, Leaf's guardian Finn did his best to keep him proper, so he's for the most part polite, careful not to burn any bridges when he speaks, and treats others with respect and courtesy unless he's given a reason not to. On the other hand, most of the friends he had once they settled down in Fiana were hot-headed commoners, and it'd be a lie to say nothing rubbed off -- and besides that, well, he's fifteen. He's prone to his occasional outbursts, and he has moments of immaturity here and there. For the most part, however, he's quick to either check himself, or to back off when someone else calls him on it, and he's constantly striving to improve himself, to exercise better self-control, and to learn from those around him who have more experience -- for the most part, he's very good about recognizing the fact that no, he does not know everything, and some of the vassals watching out for him have been fighting for as long as he's been alive twice over.
Thinking he knows more than he does is almost never a problem, in fact; if anything, Leaf is more competent and capable than he himself is actually willing to admit. He has quite a few doubts (though he keeps them mostly private) about whether he can live up to the example set by his ancestors, and also to the example set by his cousin, who's fighting a similar war of liberation in a neighboring kingdom. And at his current canon point, his self-confidence is at its low point, as a misjudgment on his part just got a good portion of his army and one of his closest advisors killed.
Leaf isn't sure if he's the hero his kingdom needs -- not yet, at least. He's still relatively inexperienced (though he's been forced to learn a lot, very quickly), he's still somewhat immature (though he's been forced to grow up very quickly, he's still not immune to stupid teenage outbursts and angst). But his saving grace, and the quality that pretty much ensures that he can become the hero his kingdom needs, is the fact that his sense of duty is highly developed, and he's constantly doing everything in his power to learn, to grow, and to become the leader he needs to be, no matter what the cost to his personal life.
History: Leaf hails from the royal family of Lenster, a small kingdom on the Thracian Peninsula of the continent of Jugdral (a fairly standard medieval fantasy realm, mostly notable for having a huge fixation on bloodlines and genealogy, and some ridiculously convoluted inter-kingdom politics). Lenster was the most prominent of the kingdoms in the Manster District, a loose confederation of small holdings on the northern half of the peninsula who generally stood allied against the southern kingdom of Thracia -- as Lenster was the first line of defense for the rest of the District, they were in a constant state of conflict, though the border disputes rarely gave way to full-scale war.
Around the time of Leaf's birth, the political situation on the continent was even more volatile than usual, and his uncle, Lord Sigurd of Chalphy, was being set up to take the blame for traitorous acts against his home kingdom of Grandbell, though said acts had been committed by several other nobles. Tensions mounted, fighting erupted, and Leaf's father, Prince Cuan, went to take a detachment of Lenster's army to back him up, because Sigurd wasn't just his brother-in-law, but also his best bro ever. Leaf's mother, Ethlinn, went with him as far as the border to see him off, and had brought Leaf's older sister Altenna with her. Unfortunately, King Trabant of Thracia decided this was too good an opportunity to waste, and ambushed and killed them in the desert, taking Altenna to raise as his own.
Lenster was thrown into chaos with the loss, and soon after, the allied kingdom of Conote betrayed them to Thracia. The capital was lost, and Leaf only escaped thanks to his father's loyal knight, Finn. They spent years on the run, hiding out in the kingdom of Alster and then the free city of Tahra, before finally settling down in a small fishing village on the Thracian coast, Fiana. For a time, all was well.
But eventually, when Leaf was fifteen, they were discovered by the Grandbellian Empire -- nominally allied with Thracia, but it was no secret that the Empire, run by cultists of the dark god Loputous, had become the real power on the continent. Sick of running, Leaf decided that this time, he'd fight back.
His campaign started small, with low manpower attempts to free prisoners already held by the Empire, and gained momentum as he found allies among other resistance groups. At the advice of his strategist, August, he swallowed his pride and sought help from a prominent Thracian general, knowing that the Thracians were just as bitter about Imperial occupation as anyone else; with that help, he was able to reconnect with the remnants of Lenster's army, who had been hiding out in the mountains, and his army grew bigger. The time seemed right, so he struck at the capital and took Lenster back.
Immediately after the battle, however, Miranda, the princess of the neighboring kingdom of Alster, came to beg for his help, as the civilians in Alster were about to rise in rebellion, but stood no chance without reinforcements. Although Leaf's advisor, Count Dorias, warned him that they were in a very delicate position, Leaf couldn't turn his back on Alster, knowing that Miranda's father had hidden him from the Empire for several years before. He wanted to go himself; Dorias, expecting the worst, persuaded Leaf to stay back, let some of the army rest of a day before moving on Alster, and Dorias himself would take the reserve forces there immediately.
Alster was a trap. Dorias and the reserves were wiped out, and Leaf and his remaining troops were forced into a siege at Lenster. After six months, the Empire was clearly preparing for a final push to try and break into the castle. It could be Leaf's finest hour...or his last stand.
This is the canon point from which I plan to take him.
First Person Sample: I've previously applied him to CFUD, where the app is just one big long first person: as seen here. (Note: CFUD is a crack game, hence the mentions of zombies, sinister gorillas, and sudden camp-enforced crossdressing. But he does treat it quite seriously in the app, even if the situation itself is pretty off-the-wall, so I think it's still reasonably demonstrative of his voice. If you'd rather I come up with something new and All Srs All The Time, though, I can do so.)
Prose Sample: The hour was late, but in the past six months, Lenster had became a city that never slept. Or rather, one that slept in shifts, catnaps, never restfully and never secure in the knowledge that it would live to see the next day. Supplies ran low, Imperial morale ran high, and earlier in the day, August had reported that there were rumors of reinforcements coming from Alster.
Not Leaf's reinforcements, of course.
Trying to sleep was an exercise in futility, and Leaf quietly got up, making his way towards the great hall. There were fewer torches lit at night, he noticed -- not surprising when they were down to bare scraps and had to conserve everything possible. One way or another, the siege of Lenster would soon be over.
And then he might never have the chance to do this again. He stopped in the middle of the hall, his gaze drifting to the portrait hanging on the rear wall.
He'd been surprised to see it, when they'd taken the castle six months ago. Finn had been even more surprised, dropping straight to one knee as if he were standing before Prince Cuan himself and not just a painting. Glade had jokingly suggested that perhaps the Empire's soldiers were simply too lazy to redecorate.
Selphina had just smiled. "It's a sign," she had said. "Noba watches over us still."
If they could ever use a miracle from Noba, now would be the time.
Leaf shook his head slowly. He would expect no miracles here. "I led them into this," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Gods willing, I will lead them out." If he could be half the man his father was. If he'd been even a quarter of the man his father was, maybe they wouldn't have fallen into this trap in the first place --
He exhaled. Focus. Berating himself would win no battles.
There were a thousand things he'd always wanted to say to his father, and even though this was the closest he'd ever be able to come to him, everything sounded trite and stupid when he tried to say it, and the words died before they even left his mouth. Only one thing felt right, in the end.
"I'll make you proud."
He turned and left the hall.
Special Notes: There are a lot of nods to Celtic mythology in the names of people and places from Leaf's kingdom, so in my headcanon Lenster's native language is very similar to Irish. As such, even when he's speaking the common language of Jugdral, Leaf's got something of an Irish accent. (Though he will of course be pretty confused if anybody asks him about this Ireland place.)
The canon is...kind of a media-spanner; the story spreads over two video games (which don't fit together seamlessly) and there were five different comic adaptations, each of which took some of their own creative liberties. So I kind of pick and piece together from the different versions, but I tend to give the games highest priority and anything I can pull out of the comics is just a bonus. I've literally never seen anyone play from Thracia 776 on LJ but myself, so I doubt it'll end up being an issue, but in the unlikely event that I ever pick up canonmates, I'd be happy to hash things out and adjust my play if necessary.