Geddoe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lightningbearer) wrote2014-03-20 06:19 pm
lightningbearer) wrote2014-03-20 06:19 pm
Entry tags:
[Warforged] App
CHARACTER NAME: Geddoe
CHARACTER SERIES: Suikoden III
SPECIES: Human
AGE: 112 (physically appears 37)
CANON POINT: Post-game; Hugo as Flame Champion route
CLASS/ABILITIES: First of all, I have a writeup of pretty much all his in-game stats and abilities from Suikoden III here, along with some explanations/commentary! Beyond that, it's probably safe to assume that he can be creative and use his lightning magic for things other than the just the combat-related spells, like deliberately giving someone a small jolt or such. Obviously that's beyond what's covered withing videogame mechanics, but it would be reasonable to assume (and the various manga and novelizations of the games imply) that it's possible to use the runes in that manner as well. Additionally, at least one of the Suikoden games has featured a runebearer lending power from their own rune to another to give the other a sort of magic boost; it's unclear precisely how this is done, but suggests that a skilled and experienced enough runebearer can conceivably channel raw magical energy from their True Rune to a degree.
Aside from the basic lightning magic, however, Geddoe's True Rune has another few tricks. For one thing, it technically has a will of its own; while Geddoe clearly is quite used to keeping it under control, if he were ever in a situation where he lacked the willpower to keep it in check and/or were in severe mortal danger, the rune might react on its power on its own, and possibly even try to protect its bearer by doing so. Additionally, the rune may at times give Geddoe dreams or visions of possible futures or memories of its past bearers, though as he's had it for over seventy years he seems to be pretty used to tuning those out most the time.
Geddoe is also almost surprisingly good at information-gathering; as a mercenary he finds informants and makes arrangements for the sharing of information. In some cases these are with people who know him personally and are familiar with his past and status as a runebearer, but many are clearly contacts he's made just in his time as a mercenary, suggesting that he's reasonably adapt at the sort of negotiations and efforts required to establish and maintain such a network. He has at least some diplomatic skill as well, when he chooses to exercise it, as shown by the fact that he helped to negotiate the treaty at Budehuc Castle.
...perhaps obviously, Geddoe will be retaining his canon powers instead of swapping them out. For classification purposes though I'd put his class as Warrior.
HISTORY: This is a pretty good summary of in-game events, but I'll also cover some of the points it doesn't touch on.
To start with, Geddoe's distant past is largely a mystery; while it's known that he obtained the True Lightning Rune when he was about 37 years old, it's unknown what his life was like before that or under exactly what circumstances he obtained it. In fact, his history really is only known from the time he was with the Flame Champion onward, though much of his past before that point was so longer ago it probably has little to no bearing on things now; Geddoe himself certainly never even hints at anything earlier than the Firebringer War. Aside from participating in the Firebringer War, he also helped create the treaty that established Budehuc Castle as an independent free trade zone. During his wanderings after leaving the Grasslands, he likely participated in the Toran Liberation War, albeit as an ordinary (and probably mercenary) soldier.
By the time the events of the game roll around, Geddoe had earned himself enough of a reputation as a mercenary to be known to some of his fellows and the people at the Caleria base as "The King of the Southern Frontier Defense Force." Which fact is probably part of what prompted another mercenary, Duke, to become Geddoe's self-described rival. He also lost his right eye at some point prior to the events of canon. The game never specifies when; the manga adaptation/retelling indicates it happened while fighting in the Firebringer War, which is as likely to be the case as anything.
PERSONALITY: Geddoe generally comes across as taciturn, distant, and overall disinterested in most anything other than a mug of beer and occasionally carrying out a mission. He dislikes talking about himself, let alone being the center of attention, and while he's dedicated and resourceful in getting a job done, you might not guess it from his blunt, gruff demeanor. He tends to both look and act the career mercenary he is, picking and choosing his missions as he's able, but almost never getting particularly fired up or deeply interested in much of anything.
Of course, that's just what you see at first glance. If you look a bit more closely, it's clear Geddoe does possess a sense of humor, albeit one that's often subtle and rarely seen, and for all his appearance of not particularly caring about what those around him are up to, he'd never let a friend or his team down. He can be incredibly patient and tolerant of the quirks of other people around him, and is even downright diplomatic when he wants to be or the situation demands it, but heaven help anyone who succeeds in earning his ire: Geddoe once held a grudge for decades, with it even ultimately outliving the man he held it against. And that was just a case of a severe difference of opinion with someone he respected and considered a friend; he gives no quarter to anyone who somehow manages to make themselves his enemy. He doesn't suffer fools gladly, either, and while he'll ignore idiocy up to a point when he can, persisting in something he considers to be stupid in front of him is a good way to get him to say more than two words at a time--and harsh words, at that.
Geddoe is shown to be quite intelligent: all of his team looks to him and respects his insight in difficult situations, even when he keeps them totally in the dark as to why he's making the decisions he is, and he acts as a strategist for the group as well as being its leader. He's incredibly private about his personal life and is good at keeping secrets, the latter of which combined with his intelligence and experience means it's not unusual for him to be involved in covert operations, even though going by appearances he probably looks more the part of a brute force sword for hire. Given that he cares little about what other people think of him, he doesn't mind getting his hands a bit dirty when needed, though much as he'll happily ignore any rule or law he doesn't feel ought to apply to him, he has a certain personal sense of justice. He's also definitely got a streak of what might charitably be called tenacity, but it may be more accurate to just say he's a stubborn old man.
When all is said and done, however, deep down Geddoe is truly an idealist at heart. He firmly stands by the notion that change happens when individuals stand up and do something, rather than waiting for a "hero" to come and solve their problems for them, and he chooses to have faith that the world can change for the better and wants to believe in the best of people. He's deeply hurt when he feels this faith is betrayed by a friend, and is pained by both the loss of so many old friends and the prospect of ultimately losing even more--the unfortunate but inevitable fate of any of the immortal bearers of a True Rune such as his. As such, much of his distant demeanor seems more to shield himself from the risk of that loss, and while he's beginning to come to accept the rune's presence, a certain sullen bitterness at being "trapped" by its power still lingers. Nonetheless, he's never lost his idealism, which shows in his continued efforts to find a purpose in his life while steadfastly refusing to flee the "destiny" imposed upon him.
FIRST PERSON SAMPLE: Here is a network post (with replies!) from another game. And yes, yes it was a Pokemon game. If you prefer a more recent sample I can provide some; I just picked that one as Geddoe was starting from the same canon point as this app. :|b
THIRD PERSON SAMPLE:
There was definitely something to be said, Geddoe thought, for any mission that took him out of an anyway from the sanctum. While it didn't mean he could just forget about the pointless rivalries and endless hostilities between the flights that so thoroughly hamstrung any efforts to combat the real enemy, at least it meant he wasn't being slowly but steadily more and more tempted to punch one of those idiots in the face. That he hadn't done so already was more testament to his keen awareness that it would do nothing to solve the underlying problem than any care about what personal consequences might befall him.
Which is why I'm just not cut out for these things, he thought grimly. My friend, we need someone like you here, someone who can unite everyone... Finding a sheltered spot largely screened from view in the lee of a craggy outcropping, Geddoe paused for a moment, closing his eye and letting his thoughts run their course. He was not the Flame Champion, the hero who had united disparate tribes and nations against a common enemy, no. He'd never had any interest in being in the spotlight, but neither could he just sit back and hope that someone else would come take care of things here and now. If he wanted to get anything done, he'd simply have to do it himself... he just didn't know what to do. So far all he'd accomplished was exchanging some harsh words and a heated argument or two. Geddoe snorted softly and shook his head, smiling wryly at the thought. He really wasn't cut out for this, but it didn't mean he had any intention to stop trying.
In any case, however, he did still have a scouting mission to complete, so after taking a moment to scan the area for any signs of threats, he left the shelter of the outcropping and continued on his way. The terrain here was rough going; the ground uneven and sloping up and down into small hills and valleys, sometimes covered with long prairie grasses sprouting from the thin soil, sometimes simply bare rock jutting out exposed to the elements. In theory, a good place to hide and move unseen, but just as easy to stumble across something else that a moment before had been hidden from view. As such, Geddoe made his way slowly and carefully, his eye and ears alert for any sign of enemies, be the monsters, or members of opposing flights.
Even so, he nearly didn't see the corpse before almost literally stumbling across it. As it was, his sword was already half unsheathed out of reflex before it registered that it was, indeed, dead. Geddoe let his sword slide back into its sheath with the soft hiss of steel on leather, and frowned at the scene before him. The slain dragonkin was not of his flight, and thus there was truly nothing to be done about it... at least, there wouldn't have been, if not for what was very clearly a dragon's egg on the ground beside it, as though it had been carrying it when it was slain. Crouching, Geddoe reached out to touch the egg, feeling the rattling that he'd learned was a sure sign it was near hatching as he considered. The egg's color was not of his own flight, but nor was it that of the slain dragonkin. Perhaps it had been stolen, and the thief slain while fleeing. But if so, why had the egg not been retrieved back to its home sanctum?
Geddoe shook his head and stood, then climbed to the top of the nearest rise, risking being seen himself as he briefly scanned the area for any sign of dragons or other members of other flights. In any were there, he couldn't spot them. He climbed back down, and quickly considered his options.
First, there was the possibility that whoever had slain the dragonkin was still coming back, and had merely been delayed. If that were the case, and the slayer of the same flight as the egg, then it would undoubtedly be safe in their hands. However, it was just as likely that either the slayer had been killed themselves, or was of a different flight entirely and cared nothing for well-being of what they undoubtedly considered an "enemy".
Second, it could be that members of the egg's flight were somewhere nearby, whether searching for it or not. In that case it might be possible to seek them out and return the egg to them, though Geddoe didn't doubt that they probably would suspect him of having stolen it in the first place anyway. But even so, there was no way to be certain, and searching was just as likely to turn up nothing or an enemy, not to mention that the more time spent, the closer the egg came to hatching.
Which brought him to the third point. If nothing was done, and quickly, the egg would undoubtedly hatch, and the newborn hatchling's squalls would alert anyone in the area to its presence. Perhaps its own flight would hear and come to retrieve it... or perhaps others would, and come to kill it. And that was assuming no wildlife or other such monsters reached it first.
Geddoe let out a sigh. It took only a moment to consider the possibilities, but they all had one thing in common in the end: a high risk that at least the hatchling, and perhaps both of them, would be killed. He crouched by the egg once more, resting his hand on and feeling its rattling as he considered. Were it just some animal, valuable for its power and rarity but ultimately property that could be replaced, it would have been one thing. But like the Lizard Clan of his own world, the dragons here were a people, and enemy or not, this was one of their children. And Geddoe never had thought of the other flights as his enemies, anyway.
That left only one option, really, he decided as he rose, carefully cradling the egg in one arm. Besides, Geddoe didn't doubt he'd probably already earned a reputation as a troublemaker back at the sanctum, so what would be one more strike against his name? Assuming he didn't find--or end up being found by--a member of the egg's rightful flight on his way, he didn't doubt he could find someone at the sanctum who could be talked or bribed into caring for the hatchling, enemy colors or no.
And maybe, just maybe, it might just get people to start to realize that there really isn't a good reason to be fighting with each other, and that the real enemy lies elsewhere. Or maybe, Geddoe thought, that was just wishful thinking. Still, one could hope, couldn't he?
"As long as people have a glimmer of the truth..." he muttered to himself, and started off. From the sound of it, he didn't have much time in which to find a portal back to the sanctum, so he pushed any further musings out of his mind and focused on making his way as quickly as possible. Getting there was the important thing right now; he'd just sort out the consequences later.
CHARACTER SERIES: Suikoden III
SPECIES: Human
AGE: 112 (physically appears 37)
CANON POINT: Post-game; Hugo as Flame Champion route
CLASS/ABILITIES: First of all, I have a writeup of pretty much all his in-game stats and abilities from Suikoden III here, along with some explanations/commentary! Beyond that, it's probably safe to assume that he can be creative and use his lightning magic for things other than the just the combat-related spells, like deliberately giving someone a small jolt or such. Obviously that's beyond what's covered withing videogame mechanics, but it would be reasonable to assume (and the various manga and novelizations of the games imply) that it's possible to use the runes in that manner as well. Additionally, at least one of the Suikoden games has featured a runebearer lending power from their own rune to another to give the other a sort of magic boost; it's unclear precisely how this is done, but suggests that a skilled and experienced enough runebearer can conceivably channel raw magical energy from their True Rune to a degree.
Aside from the basic lightning magic, however, Geddoe's True Rune has another few tricks. For one thing, it technically has a will of its own; while Geddoe clearly is quite used to keeping it under control, if he were ever in a situation where he lacked the willpower to keep it in check and/or were in severe mortal danger, the rune might react on its power on its own, and possibly even try to protect its bearer by doing so. Additionally, the rune may at times give Geddoe dreams or visions of possible futures or memories of its past bearers, though as he's had it for over seventy years he seems to be pretty used to tuning those out most the time.
Geddoe is also almost surprisingly good at information-gathering; as a mercenary he finds informants and makes arrangements for the sharing of information. In some cases these are with people who know him personally and are familiar with his past and status as a runebearer, but many are clearly contacts he's made just in his time as a mercenary, suggesting that he's reasonably adapt at the sort of negotiations and efforts required to establish and maintain such a network. He has at least some diplomatic skill as well, when he chooses to exercise it, as shown by the fact that he helped to negotiate the treaty at Budehuc Castle.
...perhaps obviously, Geddoe will be retaining his canon powers instead of swapping them out. For classification purposes though I'd put his class as Warrior.
HISTORY: This is a pretty good summary of in-game events, but I'll also cover some of the points it doesn't touch on.
To start with, Geddoe's distant past is largely a mystery; while it's known that he obtained the True Lightning Rune when he was about 37 years old, it's unknown what his life was like before that or under exactly what circumstances he obtained it. In fact, his history really is only known from the time he was with the Flame Champion onward, though much of his past before that point was so longer ago it probably has little to no bearing on things now; Geddoe himself certainly never even hints at anything earlier than the Firebringer War. Aside from participating in the Firebringer War, he also helped create the treaty that established Budehuc Castle as an independent free trade zone. During his wanderings after leaving the Grasslands, he likely participated in the Toran Liberation War, albeit as an ordinary (and probably mercenary) soldier.
By the time the events of the game roll around, Geddoe had earned himself enough of a reputation as a mercenary to be known to some of his fellows and the people at the Caleria base as "The King of the Southern Frontier Defense Force." Which fact is probably part of what prompted another mercenary, Duke, to become Geddoe's self-described rival. He also lost his right eye at some point prior to the events of canon. The game never specifies when; the manga adaptation/retelling indicates it happened while fighting in the Firebringer War, which is as likely to be the case as anything.
PERSONALITY: Geddoe generally comes across as taciturn, distant, and overall disinterested in most anything other than a mug of beer and occasionally carrying out a mission. He dislikes talking about himself, let alone being the center of attention, and while he's dedicated and resourceful in getting a job done, you might not guess it from his blunt, gruff demeanor. He tends to both look and act the career mercenary he is, picking and choosing his missions as he's able, but almost never getting particularly fired up or deeply interested in much of anything.
Of course, that's just what you see at first glance. If you look a bit more closely, it's clear Geddoe does possess a sense of humor, albeit one that's often subtle and rarely seen, and for all his appearance of not particularly caring about what those around him are up to, he'd never let a friend or his team down. He can be incredibly patient and tolerant of the quirks of other people around him, and is even downright diplomatic when he wants to be or the situation demands it, but heaven help anyone who succeeds in earning his ire: Geddoe once held a grudge for decades, with it even ultimately outliving the man he held it against. And that was just a case of a severe difference of opinion with someone he respected and considered a friend; he gives no quarter to anyone who somehow manages to make themselves his enemy. He doesn't suffer fools gladly, either, and while he'll ignore idiocy up to a point when he can, persisting in something he considers to be stupid in front of him is a good way to get him to say more than two words at a time--and harsh words, at that.
Geddoe is shown to be quite intelligent: all of his team looks to him and respects his insight in difficult situations, even when he keeps them totally in the dark as to why he's making the decisions he is, and he acts as a strategist for the group as well as being its leader. He's incredibly private about his personal life and is good at keeping secrets, the latter of which combined with his intelligence and experience means it's not unusual for him to be involved in covert operations, even though going by appearances he probably looks more the part of a brute force sword for hire. Given that he cares little about what other people think of him, he doesn't mind getting his hands a bit dirty when needed, though much as he'll happily ignore any rule or law he doesn't feel ought to apply to him, he has a certain personal sense of justice. He's also definitely got a streak of what might charitably be called tenacity, but it may be more accurate to just say he's a stubborn old man.
When all is said and done, however, deep down Geddoe is truly an idealist at heart. He firmly stands by the notion that change happens when individuals stand up and do something, rather than waiting for a "hero" to come and solve their problems for them, and he chooses to have faith that the world can change for the better and wants to believe in the best of people. He's deeply hurt when he feels this faith is betrayed by a friend, and is pained by both the loss of so many old friends and the prospect of ultimately losing even more--the unfortunate but inevitable fate of any of the immortal bearers of a True Rune such as his. As such, much of his distant demeanor seems more to shield himself from the risk of that loss, and while he's beginning to come to accept the rune's presence, a certain sullen bitterness at being "trapped" by its power still lingers. Nonetheless, he's never lost his idealism, which shows in his continued efforts to find a purpose in his life while steadfastly refusing to flee the "destiny" imposed upon him.
FIRST PERSON SAMPLE: Here is a network post (with replies!) from another game. And yes, yes it was a Pokemon game. If you prefer a more recent sample I can provide some; I just picked that one as Geddoe was starting from the same canon point as this app. :|b
THIRD PERSON SAMPLE:
There was definitely something to be said, Geddoe thought, for any mission that took him out of an anyway from the sanctum. While it didn't mean he could just forget about the pointless rivalries and endless hostilities between the flights that so thoroughly hamstrung any efforts to combat the real enemy, at least it meant he wasn't being slowly but steadily more and more tempted to punch one of those idiots in the face. That he hadn't done so already was more testament to his keen awareness that it would do nothing to solve the underlying problem than any care about what personal consequences might befall him.
Which is why I'm just not cut out for these things, he thought grimly. My friend, we need someone like you here, someone who can unite everyone... Finding a sheltered spot largely screened from view in the lee of a craggy outcropping, Geddoe paused for a moment, closing his eye and letting his thoughts run their course. He was not the Flame Champion, the hero who had united disparate tribes and nations against a common enemy, no. He'd never had any interest in being in the spotlight, but neither could he just sit back and hope that someone else would come take care of things here and now. If he wanted to get anything done, he'd simply have to do it himself... he just didn't know what to do. So far all he'd accomplished was exchanging some harsh words and a heated argument or two. Geddoe snorted softly and shook his head, smiling wryly at the thought. He really wasn't cut out for this, but it didn't mean he had any intention to stop trying.
In any case, however, he did still have a scouting mission to complete, so after taking a moment to scan the area for any signs of threats, he left the shelter of the outcropping and continued on his way. The terrain here was rough going; the ground uneven and sloping up and down into small hills and valleys, sometimes covered with long prairie grasses sprouting from the thin soil, sometimes simply bare rock jutting out exposed to the elements. In theory, a good place to hide and move unseen, but just as easy to stumble across something else that a moment before had been hidden from view. As such, Geddoe made his way slowly and carefully, his eye and ears alert for any sign of enemies, be the monsters, or members of opposing flights.
Even so, he nearly didn't see the corpse before almost literally stumbling across it. As it was, his sword was already half unsheathed out of reflex before it registered that it was, indeed, dead. Geddoe let his sword slide back into its sheath with the soft hiss of steel on leather, and frowned at the scene before him. The slain dragonkin was not of his flight, and thus there was truly nothing to be done about it... at least, there wouldn't have been, if not for what was very clearly a dragon's egg on the ground beside it, as though it had been carrying it when it was slain. Crouching, Geddoe reached out to touch the egg, feeling the rattling that he'd learned was a sure sign it was near hatching as he considered. The egg's color was not of his own flight, but nor was it that of the slain dragonkin. Perhaps it had been stolen, and the thief slain while fleeing. But if so, why had the egg not been retrieved back to its home sanctum?
Geddoe shook his head and stood, then climbed to the top of the nearest rise, risking being seen himself as he briefly scanned the area for any sign of dragons or other members of other flights. In any were there, he couldn't spot them. He climbed back down, and quickly considered his options.
First, there was the possibility that whoever had slain the dragonkin was still coming back, and had merely been delayed. If that were the case, and the slayer of the same flight as the egg, then it would undoubtedly be safe in their hands. However, it was just as likely that either the slayer had been killed themselves, or was of a different flight entirely and cared nothing for well-being of what they undoubtedly considered an "enemy".
Second, it could be that members of the egg's flight were somewhere nearby, whether searching for it or not. In that case it might be possible to seek them out and return the egg to them, though Geddoe didn't doubt that they probably would suspect him of having stolen it in the first place anyway. But even so, there was no way to be certain, and searching was just as likely to turn up nothing or an enemy, not to mention that the more time spent, the closer the egg came to hatching.
Which brought him to the third point. If nothing was done, and quickly, the egg would undoubtedly hatch, and the newborn hatchling's squalls would alert anyone in the area to its presence. Perhaps its own flight would hear and come to retrieve it... or perhaps others would, and come to kill it. And that was assuming no wildlife or other such monsters reached it first.
Geddoe let out a sigh. It took only a moment to consider the possibilities, but they all had one thing in common in the end: a high risk that at least the hatchling, and perhaps both of them, would be killed. He crouched by the egg once more, resting his hand on and feeling its rattling as he considered. Were it just some animal, valuable for its power and rarity but ultimately property that could be replaced, it would have been one thing. But like the Lizard Clan of his own world, the dragons here were a people, and enemy or not, this was one of their children. And Geddoe never had thought of the other flights as his enemies, anyway.
That left only one option, really, he decided as he rose, carefully cradling the egg in one arm. Besides, Geddoe didn't doubt he'd probably already earned a reputation as a troublemaker back at the sanctum, so what would be one more strike against his name? Assuming he didn't find--or end up being found by--a member of the egg's rightful flight on his way, he didn't doubt he could find someone at the sanctum who could be talked or bribed into caring for the hatchling, enemy colors or no.
And maybe, just maybe, it might just get people to start to realize that there really isn't a good reason to be fighting with each other, and that the real enemy lies elsewhere. Or maybe, Geddoe thought, that was just wishful thinking. Still, one could hope, couldn't he?
"As long as people have a glimmer of the truth..." he muttered to himself, and started off. From the sound of it, he didn't have much time in which to find a portal back to the sanctum, so he pushed any further musings out of his mind and focused on making his way as quickly as possible. Getting there was the important thing right now; he'd just sort out the consequences later.