[hider=A River of Regrets] [img]https://safebooru.org//samples/4546/sample_4089917976b83795f54202a01acf1c88d5a6dcec.jpg?4740246[/img] Hagen von Tronje Titles: Elf-Blooded Knight Class: Lancer Gender: Male Era: 440-450 Alignment: Lawful Evil Attribute: Earth [b]Identity[/b] The Elf-Blooded Knight who slew the hero Siegfried and brought great tragedy to all involved. One of the most famous anti-heroes of Germany, about whom many legends speak. His treachery and tragedy are primarily attested to in the “Nibelungenlied”, in which he usurps the main character role after his murder of Siegfried. Yet, the real main character is Siegfried’s wife, Kriemhild, and Hagen is the deuteragonist to her great tragic revenge plot. The tragedy began when Siegfried arrived in the Kingdom of Burgundy seeking Kriemhild’s hand in marriage. Hagen was there alongside him, battling in war, seeking Queen Brunhild’s hand for King Gunther, and the two became peerless friends. Yet due to Siegfried’s treachery for the sake of King Gunther, conflict between his Kingdom of Worms and the Kingdom of Burgundy began to arise. The honor of King Gunther was damaged by the insults of Queen Kriemhild towards Queen Brunhild, and needed to be rectified. So to preserve the king’s honor, Hagen tricked Kriemhild into revealing Siegfried’s one weakness, and murdered him on a hunting trip. He stole the great hero’s weapon and treasure, keeping the former on his person and dumping the latter in the river. All to prevent Kriemhild from having any leverage with which to strike back at her husband’s murderers. Yet his advice was repeatedly ignored. Kriemhild married King Etzel, and the Kingdom of Burgundy went to their wedding feast and their doom. Many foreboding omens and conflicts occur before they even reach Etzel’s Court, and further tragedy only follows after they arrive at the court. Hagen and Kriemhild’s plans danced around one another until, eventually, Hagen brought about open conflict by slaying Etzel and Kriemhild’s young son Ortlieb. Open conflict followed, which saw many slain, and Gunther and Hagen as the last survivors. Hagen refused to tell Kriemhild where he hid the Rheingold, and was decapitated for it. Yet, there are a great many inconsistencies in Hagen’s actions throughout the tale… [hider=The Truth] [b]“Ah, the situation is beyond my control. Hagen, I am invincible and so have never once been wounded by you. But even so, if I don't have you kill me…”[/b] [i]Siegfried, you do not know what you ask. You do not know how it will destroy your wife. You foolish hero, you don’t understand what will come of this. Yet you stand there asking this of me, with such sincerity. No one else can do this for you, can they? … One more favor for you, my dearest friend.[/i] [b]“I told you lies for the sake of getting my clothes back. Now the truth is otherwise: you are all doomed to perish. None will return save the worthy chaplain.”[/b] [i]Ah… It is like that, isn’t it? I told them this would be our end, but they didn’t listen. It was fate, then, that we die for the sin we have committed. His death was for nothing; in the end, we would have always died. That foolish, foolish hero had to act so selflessly… It won’t be long before I see you again, my friend. [/i] [b]“The one who started the plot to murder your husband… was Siegfried himself.”[/b] [i]Was it cruel to admit the truth in the end? Perhaps. Yet, she deserves to know. Deserves to understand what a fool her husband was. Her revenge was ultimately without justification. The primary conspirator was already dead. This entire affair was as pointless as it was inevitable. [/i] [b]“I am sorry, Kri-”[/b] [i]Schlict.[/i] [/hider] [b]Personality[/b] Quiet and withdrawn, Hagen presents as a man with no pride or principles. An extension of his master’s will, he tries to act as the epitome of a loyal knight. Yet comes across as a treacherous and otherworldly figure. Someone who would do whatever he was ordered, as he has already committed the gravest of sins. He who would give advice willingly, who sees far more than any man should, but will never truly act on it and bring about the world he wants. Truly, he is more like that foolish hero than he’d ever admit. Because of his self-hatred following the events of the Nibelungenlied, he has extremely low self-esteem. Viewing himself as little more than an instrument of the misfortune brought about by Das Rheingold, he will ignore his desires in favor of his masters, while trying to guide them away from ruin. Yet, if pressed about what his wish would be… He’d simply like the chance to meet with his dearest friend again and apologize for failing to stop the calamity that came after his death. [b]Parameters[/b] Strength: C Endurance: B Agility: A Mana: B Luck: E [b]Class Skills[/b] Magic Resistance: B Cancels spells with chants below three verses. Lancer's inhuman blood and decent class container result in an above-average Magic Resistance rank. [b]Personal Skills[/b] Human-Observation: A A technique to observe and understand people. At an A-Rank, it is not simply observing, but the capacity to hypothesize livelihoods, preferences, and even the lives of those whose names are unknown. He contemplates the natures of many people. His brother, the Queen of Iron, the Dragon-Blooded Knight, and the Queen of Revenge. When the Dragon-Blooded Knight spoke, he could see what he truly wanted. When the Queen of Revenge cried, he knew she'd never forgive. He tried to warn them, but they never listened. Mind's Eye (Fake): B A natural talent to foresee and avoid danger based on innate intuition. He always saw a way out, always knew what he needed to do to achieve victory. Knowing who they needed to defeat the Queen of Iron, finding the weakness of the Dragon-Blooded Knight, how to forestall the Queen's Revenge, and how to get across the Danube, he always found a way. Until he faced the Devil-Blessed Knight, and he could no longer find a way out. Fairy-Eyes: B The eyes of a fairy that can see through lies. A bastard half-elf, born from an elf intermingling with a queen. The inhuman monster that slew the great Dragon-Blooded Knight through treachery. Nothing good can come from a human contemplating the difference between good and evil. [b]Noble Phantasms[/b] Rhine-Ward Title: Veil of the Rheinmaidens Rank: D NP Type: Anti-Unit Range: 1-2 Maximum Number of Targets: 1 Description: The first noble phantasm of Hagen. A veil of water that surrounds Das Rheingold and contains its terrible curse. A bounded field constructed by a trio of water spirits and maintained by Hagen, it is an immense amount of water within a slim bubble around the spear. This hides its true appearance and prevents its curse from flowing freely. It provides Hagen with additional attack power, increasing his spear’s mass through the weight of the water. By manipulating the water, Hagen can perform many actions, such as long-range attacks or boosting mobility. It is even possible to unleash all the water at once in a pressure jet with magical energy equal to a true name release. To utilize Das Rheingold’s true effects, Rhein-Ward must be dismissed. When this is done, it coats Hagen’s body. It provides additional physical protection and insulates him from Das Rheingold's curse. Das Rheingold Title: Treasure of Inevitable Calamity Rank: A+ NP Type: Anti-Country Range: 1-99 Maximum Number of Targets: 500 Description: The Second Noble Phantasm of Hagen. It is a one-handed, golden spear with a dragon-like motif at its guard and an elegant, otherworldly style to its construction that speaks to an inhuman origin. The treasure of Fafnir, won by the great hero Siegfried after slaying the worm. After Hagen murdered Siegfried, the treasure was destined for Kriemhild, his wife. Yet knowing she'd only bring ruin using it, he stole it and dumped it in the Rhine, where only he knew. Even when faced with death at Kriemhild's hands, he refused to reveal its location, taking it to his grave. An unending treasure that brings great wealth to its owner but also curses them with great misfortune. The spear that took Siegfried’s life and the treasure that cursed him with misfortune have been combined due to “both bringing about the hero's downfall.” A terrible weapon whose curse is only kept in check by Rhine-Ward preventing it from being seen. If Rhein-Ward is dismissed, the spear's wealth and curse flow freely. It's unending wealth and abundance flowing freely from it in the form of a mana reactor to be utilized by Hagen. Yet while its wealth flows, so too does its curse. Taking the form of a Curse of Greed, those who see it will be forced to make consecutive luck checks to avoid falling under its effects. Starting as a simple fascination effect, those without mental resistance can quickly become obsessed with the spear, even as the curse brings them to ruin. The logic behind the obsession differs per person, but the effect remains the same. A true name release sends the reactor into an out-of-control overdrive. Magical energy and the curse flowed in a flood from the spear. Those caught in the effect will find themselves consumed and drowned in the curse, their minds lost under the weight of gold. A noble phantasm reaching the rank of “Anti-Country” due to its wide-reaching effect and potential if left alone, rather than its raw power. Hagen would prefer to never use the true name release. [/hider]