[hider=Roland Leonis]Name: Roland Leonis

Appearance:
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ae/0f/f4/ae0ff437f0c21d4b603857bb481099fd.jpg[/img]

Alias(es): Sir Roland, Knight Commander, The Old Lion

Age: 62

Gender: Male

Description:
[list]
[*]Height - 6'7
[*]Build - Lean
[*]Skin Colour - White
[*]Hair Colour - Grey
[*]Eye Colour - Hazel
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Role: Knight

Specialty: Swordmaster

Personality:
Noble, dignified and at all times composed, Sir Roland Leonis cuts an imposing figure with his tall stature and commands the respect of every room he enters, though at heart he is a gentle mannered and soft-spoken man. Even in the heat of battle, he remains even tempered and is more a craftsman at work than a warrior fuelled by adrenaline. A master of his art, every movement precise and deliberate with the weight of experience behind them. As a show of contempt for the enemy, Roland sometimes lectures his foes on their technique during combat before they meet their demise at the end of his sword. All the better if his students are around to learn from it too.

As a veteran of many battles against the Vaimese throughout the world of Ith, he has seen the fall of many allies along with their nations. Despite such losses however, his resolve remains firm and now that the enemy approaches his very own homeland, he is all too glad for the chance to tweak their noses one last time on the field of battle if this should be the end. A paragon of virtue and bravery, his title of Knight Commander is well earned and perhaps also the affectionate moniker of 'Old Lion' as the other Knights like to call him, much to his chagrin.

Regarding mages, he upholds the longstanding tradition of rivalry between Knights and Battlemages, and encourages his subordinates to upstage them at every opportunity, but it is all done in the spirit of camaraderie and he ultimately respects them as fellow defenders of Belisio. The same cannot be said however of those who undergo the Spectre program, sacrificing their future and sometimes their very humanity in exchange for stronger bodies and unnatural psionic abilities. To Roland, such individuals are to be admired for what they are willing to give, but above all else pitied for their doomed existence. Were it not for the desperate situation at hand, such a thing would not be necessary.

Background:
[hider=Makings of a Knight]Growing up as the firstborn son of the Leonis family, Roland has held a sword in his hands from the moment he could walk and take a stance with proper form, and as the latest addition in a long line of Knights stretching back to the founding of Belisio, no expense was spared in his training and education as a future Knight-to-be. Afforded the best tutors, the best academy and the best equipment money could buy, the way of the sword had been laid out before him and though he lacked in natural talent, he more than made up for it in sheer enthusiasm.

Enamoured by the tales of his father's deeds, Roland spent almost every waking moment of his childhood practicing drills and techniques as though in a hurry to become like this father, a Knight of Belisio. After all, what could be more enchanting to the imagination than the thought of being like the heroes from the stories? To Roland, every bruise and callus he received from countless bouts with instructors, fellow students and even his father was like a badge of honour, marking each step towards the realization of a dream... but he had no idea how harsh the reality of such a dream could be.

By the age of 16, Roland had awakened his ki powers during a particularly intense sparring session with his tutor as each strike appeared slower than the last, allowing him to dodge, parry and counter with ease. In fact, his reflexes had been honed to such a degree that he could see every twitch of a muscle, every shift in weight and momentum telegraphing a move before it even occurred, and when he relayed this experience to his father, the man decided it was time for the boy's apprenticeship to officially begin. This was the moment his entire family had been waiting for.

Gone were the tutors or the company of the other students at the academy. It was now just Roland and his father, locked in an endless regime of training and studying from dawn til dusk without a single moment spared for leisure. Only enough rest for his body to recover from the point of exhaustion, everyday for the next 5 years. A living hell. It was no longer enough to be exceptional with the sword, he had to be perfect and it was not enough to read another swordsman's movements, but projectiles too. Bullets for instance. Simulated at first, then real as learning to control one's ki became mastery of it.

By the age of 21 when his father had deemed his training to be complete, Roland was brought before the Knight Commander of the time and made to undertake a battery of tests where failing even one meant rejection and another year of training before being allowed to try again. By a broad margin however, he passed every single test and the house of Leonis gained a new Knight to carry its name into battle. What remained of the boy who had dreamed of such a day however had been whittled away over time like a blade's edge to the grindstone. There was now only the man, Sir Roland Leonis. A Knight of Belisio.

From hereon, the rest of his tale is his to tell for the life of a Knight is only measured in deeds, of which there are many in Sir Roland's case. All else that is known according to the public records is that he once had a son who died in battle against the Vaimese forces many years ago, though the exact time and location remains undisclosed.[/hider]
Equipment:
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[*]Ancestral plate armour - Duty
[*]Ancestral longsword - Starlight
[*]Personal shield generator - protects against energy weapons. 
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Abilities:
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[*]Enhanced Reflexes - Able to perceive bullets in flight.
[*]Ki Reinforcement - Infuse armaments with ki to increase their durability.
[*]Air Slash - Charge sword with ki and send it forth as a flying blade of energy, attacking foes from a distance.
[*]Flash Step - Ki technique for bursts of accelerated movement speed.
[*]Light Step - Ki technique for negating one's weight.
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Extra:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROSoY4eY-vI[/youtube][/hider]