[hider=The Knight]
[b]Name:[/b]
???; "The Knight"
[b]Age:[/b]
Mid-twenties
[b]Gender:[/b]
Male
[b]Race:[/b]
Hylian

[b]Appearance:[/b]
[url=http://i.imgur.com/HZU5aNx.png]The Knight[/url](The drawing is my own, please do not steal) once wore bright armor and a tabard bearing the colors and sigil of the Royal Family. There were once a mantle and cape to gracefully done his shoulders, and once a half skirt to make his movements appear smooth and flowing and give an air of regality. Once, he bore a youthful exuberance and a disciplined posture.

Now his armor has been blackened and twisted, cruel spikes rising from the metal on his arms and helm. The cape, mantle, and skirt have been ripped asunder, mail has cracked. Though the plate steel still holds a dull luster, and though the crest of Hyrule is still engraved upon his cuirass, none could ever think this bestial knight, whose gauntlets have turned to claws and who moves with a feral crouch where once he stood proud, to be anything but a monster. The red, unnatural glow from beneath his visor has lost its dignity, and become an ever growing furnace of rage.

[b]Personality:[/b]
The Knight is ruled by two things: Rage, and the Code of Chivalry. Which one rules at any one moment is a hazardous guess at best. 

Devoted to the destruction of Ganon and anything that stems from him, the knight will howl, snarl, and single-mindedly destroy until he reaches his goals. He still knows the meaning of retreat, though it must always be from necessity, never from fear. He lacks true tactical ability, but has a predator's instinct and cunning. Still, he would much rather openly challenge the forces of evil and bathe in their blood than he would slink like a wolf through the shadows. Outside of battle, the Knight often seems a blank canvas. He is still, almost tranquil, though he shivers as if in anticipation...or as if he can barely contain himself. Yet he seems to bring no harm to those he recognizes as allies...still, much like any wild animal, his actions are uncertain and often his purpose cannot be grasped by the rational mind.

[b]Background:[/b]
Once the Knight was a man born to low nobility, to a line of proud--if not wealthy--warriors. Yet in training he showed both aptitude and zeal, and in time surpassed expectation and potential. A loyal and faithful servant of the crown, he won glory in the tournaments and fame on the field.

Yet all of that, save one last moment, has been forgotten. All of his former life now lies shrouded in shadows, and only the final memory before his transformation remains.

The Battle of Castle Town--the final stepping stone towards Ganondorf's ascent to godhood. The forest boy, in whom the Princess saw a Hero, entered the Temple of Time with three Sacred Treasures. He had accomplished great feats to attain them, and even if he were not the child of destiny already the land was beginning to sing his praises. Perhaps, had things played out differently, he too would have attained knighthood, and they would have fought as allies. Alas; the seal holding the Master Sword was undone. The child had proved his worth, and drawn the ancient blade. He became master of Evil's Bane, yet he was only a boy. And so he was whisked away by magics to a place unknown, and protected. The way to the Golden Realm now lay opened, and its golden, radiant light shone through a portal into a pristine realm.

Into that light, Ganondorf took his last steps as a mortal man. With the Gerudo King's treachery revealed, the Knights of Hyrule were assembled. But Ganondorf's followers were ready to meet them, and the city became a battleground. Though their princess had been seen safely away, Ganondorf had already begun to slay the soldiers as they sought to slow his pursuit. One of the Knight's friends died in a back alley, the last to see the boy in green before he took those fateful steps into the Temple of Time. In the battle that followed, where the knights set out to defend Castle Town as Ganondorf lay seige to it in order to follow the Hero into the Sacred Realm, the dark lord left fire and blood in his wake. He ascended the steps and entered the portal.

The Knight followed. He bled from a dozen wounds, and both sword and shield had shattered. Yet with trembling legs he climbed the stairs, his life's blood dying the velvet carpet a deeper shade. It was too late. From the realm of light, now only shadows poured forth. But Ganondorf still lay beyond. He could not rest until he had destroyed that foul creature. On his honor, on his pride, for the good of the realm, for the sake of the princess...even for the hope of the boy in green. The Knight stepped into the darkness.

Though he had always been a good and just man, in his heart lay the seeds of darkness. This was nothing, in and of itself--such a thing exists in all who tread the mortal coil. It does not define them. Yet those seeds had become coals in a white hot, seething fire called hatred. He hated Ganondorf. He hated the monsters whom had come to the dark one's aid. He hated his own weakness. The Dark World--the former Sacred Realm twisted by Ganondorf, now Ganon, and his influence--seized upon that hatred, that curling tendril of darkness inside him, and pulled it out. His body was torn asunder, then sewn back together. He was twisted, and blackened by the flames of his own fury. Split between his knighthood and beasthood, his new form drove him mad. Still he would not give in; still he desired to find the King of Darkness, and destroy him.

For seven years, he treaded the shadows. For seven years, he fought among a landscape of tangled trees with gnarled faces, upon fallow, cursed soil. He fought with all manner of monsters, who had once been men. He overcame trials and challenges. Yet always, always in the darkness, always in the shadows, groping and crawling and clawing his way forward. Until he found the light.

How had it come to him? How had it passed through this place, uncorrupted? He could not know, or even wonder. All he could do was reach for the light, grasp it, and feel Courage flow into him. It brought with it the scent of the forest, just like the child in green...but also blood, and the unmistakable pang of parting with a dear and treasured friend.

The Knight rose yet again, and with Courage lighting his way, he began to fight his way back along the paths hidden in the shadows...

[b]Skills:[/b][list]
[*]Knight's Training: The Knight is highly efficient in all the standard training regiments of Hyrule's Royal Army. This includes certain special skills such as the Ending Blow.
[*]Weapon Skills: In addition to the standard martial arms trained by the Knights of Hyrule, in his previous life the Knight also practiced with less common weapons such as axes and flails.
[*]Proficient in Armor: The Knight has been trained to run, fight, and even mount a horse while in armor, and his gear is specific to his measurements. It doesn't impede his movement nearly as much as it might another.
[/list]
[b]Magic:[/b] 
None Yet

[b]Gear:[/b][list]
[*]Plate Armor: Like all true knights, this armor was made specifically to the wearer's measurements and preferences, and despite the myths of "clunky and slow" armor it has as much range of motion as the body inside it. It weighs roughly 25 kilograms, and consists of various plate pieces over thick underclothes, with some chainmail covering the most exposed places. The fittings are of supple leather and adjustable buckles, while other leather bits in the joints are of thicker stuff that can still absorb blows and hold back blades.
[/list]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b][list]
[*]Madness - The Knight, though he is still guided by what little memories of his former life and his strong spirit that remains, is indeed truly berserk. His behavior, even among allies, is highly unpredictable and he cannot be counted on as anything more than a body on the battlefield.
[*]Inability to Speak - The Knight's mind is so fractured that he cannot form coherent communication, and he must rely on body language and gestures.
[*]Obsession - The Knight will take any opportunity that presents itself to attack Ganon or his forces, regardless of strategic significance. He will only retreat under the threat of death, and even then only to give his wounds the minimal treatment before charging back into the fray.
[*]Cannot Swim - The Knight seems unable to completely remove his armor, and thus sinks like a stone in water.[/list][/hider]