[hider=Master: Renaud de Guiscard]
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[center][h2]Renaud de Guiscard[/h2]
[b]Age:[/b] 26 
[b]Gender:[/b] Male[/center]
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[center][h2]Appearance[/h2][/center]
Anyone seeing the short, dark haired man would likely not make much notice of him, except of course as a foreigner in a relatively small Japanese city. He is neither particularly attractive, nor does he possess any physical remarkable traits. Those who take the time to look will, however, notice two things that catch the eye: first, his impeccable dressing standards, wearing at all times as he does a suit likely worth more than the average person makes in a month; and secondly, his remarkable confidence. He seems to radiate an air of purposefulness, as if he has absolutely no doubt of his innate superiority over those around him. 
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[center][h2]Personality[/h2][/center]
Renaud was drilled from birth to be the paragon of a mage, the epitome of nobility. He carries himself with grace, dignity, and assuredness - or at least, he tries. He appears calm and collected at all times, as if he were in complete control of whatever situation he was in. This air of arrogance is often to bolster his own resolve as much as it is to make an impression on others. He is not brash or emotional - those traits were beaten out of him at a young age. He makes decisions pragmatically and always with his duty in mind.

In spite of being raised to partake in this conflict his entire life, he cares nothing for the grail and its war. Oftentimes he curses the misfortune of his existence. But everything he does he does for the Guiscard name, to bring it power and glory. If that means partaking in such a senseless bloodbath he has no compunction about doing so. 
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[center][h2]Skills[/h2][/center]
Renaud is quite useless at most aspects in life, such that one might wonder how he has managed to survive so long. The answer, of course, has been prodigious quantities of servants. His mother never considered things like technology, cooking, or cleaning to be anything but distractions from magecraft. In those areas that were judged important, he excels: he is formidable in hand to hand combat, he has vast knowledge on the mechanics of magecraft as expected from a graduate of the Clock Tower, and he has read several libraries worth of tomes on all subjects imaginable, from the musings of the ancients to the workings of modern aircraft. He thusly considers himself an "expert" in everything (though, of course, only in the sense that he once read a book that mentioned it in passing). 
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[center][h2]Abilities[/h2][/center]
Renaud has a passable understanding of most schools of magic. Generally he gets by on the strength of his crest and his magical circuits. 

[b]Divination:[/b] One field of magecraft that he has specialized in is the art of divniation, particularily haruspicy (the reading of entrails) and scapulimancy (the throwing of bones). Both rely on the same principal, the infusion of energy into the tool in question to reveal answers to one's questions. Not many mages practice these arts still, chiefly because they are difficult and often provide unclear or misleading answers, but Renaud has become quite skilled in interpreting these signs.

[b]Blixt Runes:[/b] The Guiscard attributes of air and fire have been honed into mimicking Blixt runes. When activated, these runes can combine those elements into a beam, creating thin crackling lighting in a direction. The effect is similar to a gunshot: while the effect is not particularly destructive as such, it is efficient (in no small part due to being perfected for centuries), and can be as lethal as a bullet wound if aimed properly. 

[b]Magic Code - Scepter of Chartres:[/b] The ancient heirloom of the House de Guiscard, the Scepter of Chartres is a mystic code created to escape notice by non-magi, and to maintain their dominance over them. When imbued with energy it renders those around the wielder susceptible to suggestion. This effect is naturally dampened by magical circuits, however: against mages, particularily those of long lineages, it has little effect. 
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[center][h2]Backstory[/h2][/center]
The Guiscard name is old, even among mage clans. The family boasts of serving (and perhaps, they often insinuate smugly, controlling) numerous famous Frankish kings, and has accrued both considerable magical power and financial resources. They are true old nobility, the image of a bygone age. Their prestige and success has been in many ways however a double edged sword. For centuries they have rested on their laurels, content with their level of magical mastery, even as they were surpassed by other clans. Now, they are no longer preeminent in their home country. No longer does the mage's association allow them to influence its decisions; indeed, many now consider the family to be nothing more than a page in the history books. 

The solution to their stagnation is typical to their class: whereas other families might redouble their efforts and earn a name for themselves, the Guiscards have sought to steal their way back into prominence through the Holy Grail, to harness the power of the Root for their own power. Their participation in a previous grail war ended in humiliating defeated, showcasing their obsolescence. Proper breeding, the heads of the family decided, was the only way they could compete. His grandfather and mother married specifically chosen individuals to maximize his magical capacity. Nor was his innate ability considered sufficient, as he was put through an excruciating, even by mage standards, training since he was born. Independence and improvisation were drilled out of him. Only by displaying the most noble of qualities, comporting himself with utmost dignity, and a rigid adherence to the norms and structures of mage combat could he find glorious victory. 

Despite caring little for the contest himself, Renaud has some quiet satisfaction that the time is finally at hand to accomplish his purpose for living. For, as he enjoys quoting Plutarch: "They were the only men in the world for whom war brought a respite in the training for war."

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