Deus Ex Machina: The Xenogears Tale ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PERSONA SHEET ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Player Information ------------------ Name or Alias: Chris Butler Age (optional): College (that outta say enough) Sex: Male E-mail address: cgbutler@coe.edu ICQ/AIM/Yahoo! Pager/etc. (if applicable): N/A Character Information --------------------- -Name: Durant Baum Feizar -Age: 17 -Sex: Male -Occupation(s): Ruler of Aveh -Substitutes which Xenogears Character? (if applicable): Shakhan -Birthdate: (August 17) -Height: 5' 10" -Weight: 150 lbs. -Eyes (colour and shape): Slightly angular, deep-set eyes that pinch somewhat upward at the outer edges. They are a striking ash-blue. -Build: compact with muscle tone (not bulging muscles). -Complexion: A slightly orange tan. -Facial Features: Despite the warrior's geometry of his face which he inherited from his father, Durant still exudes a boyish quality of innocence and kindness due to his general facial expressions. He does not hide emotions well, which is the chief departure from his warrior heritage. -Identifying Marks: A scar crosses from the top of his right ear down to his chin, crossing at the right edge of his lips. Otherwise, his face is free of marks. -Hair (colour and style): His head is shaved except for a single ponytail which begins in the middle back of his scalp and flows down to his waist in a waterfall of blinding grey. -Voice: Peaceful baritone; when he speaks, others could swear that he's either a poet or a philosopher. -Dress/Attire: Generally, he wears loose, flowing pants and tunics in light earthy shades. He generally either goes barefoot or in slippers with reinforced soles. -Jewelry (if any): N/A -Weapons/Tools (if any): Durant is trained in the art of swordsmanship, several martial arts (the focus being a variant of Tai Chi, his favorite), small bladed weapons, and the longstaff (bo). -Armour (if any): N/A -Personality: Durant is a quiet, reserved, boy who harbors an abiding love of nature. His chief hobby is horticulture, with a special place in his heart for bonsai. His room in the castle at Bledavik has open-air windows in three of the four walls, and he has filled all the available space within reach of the sun with his bonsai trees. He also enjoys sculpting bushes and trees in the palace garden, and a large part of the garden has been reorganized by him. Though trained in the arts of combat, Durant doesn't place a great deal of importance on such things. He maintained his skills through daily training at the direction of his late father, and continues to do so in order to honor his memory. This dedication to responsibilities is an integral part of Durant's personality. When he accepts a duty, he commits himself to fulfill it to the utmost of his ability. Despite this wonderful personality, though, Durant has not experienced life in the world outside the palace except for a very short period in his early childhood. He believes a great deal in showing kindness for all beings, and eagerly spends time talking with anyone he encounters, often recruiting them to spend time gardening while he talks with them. He pretty much has his ideal life right now; a peaceful existence where he is free to pursue his love of nature and (so he believes) others are free to pursue their own peaceful existence. In a sense, Durant is the epitome of naivete. -Background and History: Durant's father, Takeil Feizar, was a shrewd and greedy man. His ambition exceeded the limits of his position in life, and when he saw an opportunity to move up the ladder, he took it. He was the Prime Minister of Aveh when he saw a chance to eliminate the royal family and usurp the throne for himself. He recruited warriors and bid his time until the right day struck. That day was perhaps one of the bloodiest days in Aveh's domestic history. What was originally intended to be a swift, quiet execution of the royal family with a suitable excuse to place Takeil in power ended up becoming a fierce battle between Fatima loyalists and the hired killers of the Prime Minister. Apparently, the information that the attack was imminent had been leaked to a knight in the royal guard, and they had just enough time to gather some defense forces before Takeil's attackers slew the royals. Despite the bloody battle, Takeil's plan succeeded, and that evening, the sun set on the existence of the Fatima dynasty. (Or so Takeil thought. He never learned that one child of the royal family had been spirited away by a resourceful knight.) After deposing King Cyril, Takeil ascended to the throne. He began working in cooperation with Gebler in his war against Kislev, and he was harsh in his rule over the Aveh people. As time passed, however, Takeil's health failed. In the seventh year of his rule, he died. The false rule of Fatima's throne did not die with him, though. Durant was Takeil's only son. He never learned who his mother was; she apparently died in childbirth. (This is actually false; Takeil had, in reality, had a mistress whom he passed off as his wife. When he tired of her, he sent her to the Etone Ministry where she could find her own future. However, Takeil was quite fond of his son, and chose to keep him. Takeil simply spread the lie that his "wife" had died in childbirth to head off any scandalous rumors.) Having been born only a short time before Rivian Fatima, it was only natural that the two boys spend time together. Though they were young, they developed a strong friendship with one another. Since his own mother was "dead", Durant was often treated as a part of the family by Cyril and Marian Fatima. Takeil allowed this to continue, as it would only serve to further convince the royals that he was a good and loyal Prime Minister (sinister chuckle). The two boys were four years old when the attack on the royals occurred. In the confusion, Durant found his way out of his room and stumbled into the floating melee. An errant swing of the sword by a Fatima guard slashed open the right side of Durant's face, the cut slashing from ear to chin. Durant was fortunate that no severe damage resulted: his ear, eye, nose, and mouth were all spared. The wound took weeks to heal, and in the end left the prominent scar which still mars his face. After the battle, Durant lived through a time when his young mind could not understand the events that had taken place. Mental defense mechanisms kicked in, and the memories were buried deep within. Much like Rivian, Durant's memories do not extend back to the coup or the times before. His only vague memory is of a hellish confusion with loud cries and chaotic movement. Since then, Durant has lived a protected life in the palace, and while his father was alive he was given the opportunity to study anything he wished. Many of his studies and pursuits were guided by his father, but he didn't mind. When his father died, Durant lapsed into a long depression that lasted several weeks. Throughout the whole time, his father's "advisor" (whom we all know to be from Solaris) took care of the administrative duties and consoled the young prince. When he finally recovered from his mourning, the eleven-year-old Durant was not ready to take control of the kingdom. Instead, his father had appointed his advisor, Tomaru, to be the warder of the kingdom until Durant was ready to rule. Though Durant doesn't realize it, his peaceful freedom is actually a carefully contrived tactic to keep him ignorant of the outside world so that Tomaru can keep control of the kingdom and work unhindered in his dealings with Solaris. Tomaru is, if anything, even more shrewd and selfish than Takeil was. What would Durant do if he were to discover the truth about Solaris? The truth about what happened to the royals? If he met up again with Rivian? These are all possibilities which I hope to explore throughout the Xenogears IF. -Birthplace: Bledavik, Aveh. -Mother: Fiona Baum (yes, she requested that Takeil use her surname as Durant's middle name.) -Father: Takeil Feizar -Siblings: No full siblings; it is possible that Fiona moved on and married, bearing half-siblings of Durant. -Mate: None. -Children: None. -Other relations: None whatsoever, although he was sort of an honorary member of the Fatima family; deep inside, he felt that way. He has simply buried those feelings and memories. -Secondary Skills: Very agile with slightly above-average strength; he performs acrobatic maneuvers well. -Abilities/Disabilities: His high level of peacefulness contributes to a higher level of healing and recovery from illness. -Hobbies: Horticulture (particularly bonsai), martial arts, general acts of kindness. -Current residence: The palace in Bledavik. -Current Life Conflicts: See History and Background. At the moment there is no conscious conflict, but the situation is ripe with possibilities. -Other notes: Durant has a high level of innate resilience. Even if his world were turned upside down (which it sort of has already. Twice.), he could bounce back given some time. His immediate resilience level will very likely be tested to the limit with the events to come in the Xenogears world. -Gear name: Gaea -Gear description: An emerald green Gear with onyx black framework, the Gaea is a light, winged recon Gear. It is extremely agile; the designers only had one thing in mind when they created it: escape. The Gaea's equipment and specs are tuned for eluding all pursuit (or so is hoped). There is a significant stealth device which escapes detection from most sensors. Each wing sports a jetpack for added speed, with a third emergency jetpack in the back of the gear. This emergency jetpack is incredibly fast and powerful, but designed for only one use. The speed burst lasts approximately two minutes, and must be repaired and reloaded before it can be used again. (And only a few Gear technicians have the required tools and components to do so.) -Class: Recon Gear -Primary function: Escape from dangerous situations to seek protection or cover. -Weapon(s): A laser cannon attached to each of the Gear's wrists. These cannons are not powerful enough to cause major damage to any Gear class (except, perhaps, other recon Gears or civilian Gears). They are instead intended to hasten an escape, and perhaps slow down pursuit a little. -Abilities/Disabilities: Very low defence and attack, but incredibly high speeds and maneuverability with a relatively sophisticated stealth mechanism. -How your character acquired the Gear: It was his father's, and is now in a hidden, protected storage facility near the palace. (It can be accessed through a secret passageway in the palace itself.) The underground facility has a tunnel which the Gear follows to an escape hatch in the mountains to the west.