application to soul_campaign

[iskandarized]

[ CHARACTER INFORMATION ]
Name: Iskandar/Alexander the Great also known as Servant Rider of the 4th Holy Grail War
Age: He can't be older than 33.
Gender: male
Canon: Fate/Zero
Timeline: Volume 2, Act 8 of the novels, just after his drinking session with Archer and Gilgamesh. (This would be episode 11 in the anime.)

Character History:
http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Rider_(Fate/Zero)

Character Personality:

Given his outward appearance and his usual demeanor, it's easy to dismiss Rider as a reckless brute. He talks loud. He laughs loud. He disciplines his own Master with a finger flick which can send his Master flying. In a war where one's identity as a Servant would be a dangerous thing for opposing Masters to find out, Rider loudly declared himself as Alexander the Great when he interfered with Lancer and Saber's fight. When he stole a map and a copy of Homer's works from a library after he was summoned in Fuyuki City, he literally broke out from the building. In Rider's defense, a thief would run away into the night. A king would walk away triumphantly with the spoils of his conquest.

And Rider is a king, THE King of Conquerors, mind you. That's one thing that he will never let anyone forget. Every hero summoned by the Holy Grail has a wish that only the grail can grant, and Rider's is to become human again so he can continue his quest for the endless sea. It basically means that he plans on amassing another army, wage war against other countries (he's particularly fixated on the USA and Bill Clinton), and find out where everything ends. Rider has developed his own philosophy on conquering and he can be very stubborn about it. It's a philosophy that Saber, a more chivalrous king, has dismissed as tyranny. As far as Rider's concerned, a king must be grand. He must be the type who dreams big, acts big, and acts upon things in a very grand manner. He then becomes an inspiring force to his people. They will find themselves dreaming with their king and therefore acting for their king, even if the king's actions might lead to their death. This is an unspeakable act for Saber, who has (in Rider's opinion) turned herself into a martyr for her people. For Rider, people dying for their king is just a normal part of being a king.

It's probably safe to say that Rider and brute force go hand in hand, even if he's not trying to hurt you. But it would be wrong to dismiss him as a mere brute. Rider's idea of grandness includes being grand to other people. He has managed to make friends with the people Waver was living with, despite Waver's intention of keeping Rider's existence a secret to them. While he does acknowledge that he's at war with the other Servants, he would prefer that they find a way to settle it without much fighting. He tried that out with Archer and Saber by inviting them to a banquet held in the Einzbern palace (after forcing himself through Irisviel's barrier), and who knows how it might have ended if Assassin wasn't ordered to attack them? He would have invited Assassin to join in too, believing that the people have the right to be blessed with what their king has to say. He is very open about his opinion on things, to the point that he can be boisterous or nosy. He does give his honest opinion on Waver's actions, whether the boy wants to hear it or not. In turn, Rider dislikes deceitful people, cowards, and those who he deem small. He made this clear to Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi when he ordered Lancer to fight Saber against his own will. As powerful as Kayneth might be next to Waver (Waver almost broke down next to Rider upon seeing his former teacher), Rider detests people who make their subordinates do things against their own will. As a king who led his own army in the frontlines, someone who leads while hiding himself in a war is a coward. Things definitely would end worse if Kayneth had successfully summoned Rider instead of Lancer.

But it would be wrong to assume that Rider charges in with reckless brute force. He is Alexander the Great, after all, the same king who has managed to turn a small Greek city called Macedon into an empire that stretched until Persia. He was tutored by Aristotle himself. He has a thirst for knowledge and culture, even the culture of the places that he conquered. This is clear from how he appears in Asian instead of Greek armor, and how he insists in dressing in modern clothing in Fuyuki City, though the latter is also influenced by how he refused to be outdone by Saber, another king, who was walking around in a suit at that time. As he has led many battles in his time, Rider is a strategist who prefers to have knowledge of his enemies and his terrain before fighting. So he does not he charge recklessly into battle, he charges grandly with prior knowledge of what might happen throughout the fight and an acknowledgement that just having this knowledge isn't enough to automatically win. And he shows genuine concern for his men as he shows genuine concern for Waver. Knowing that Waver is a lot weaker than he is (though Waver does have his strengths and a lot of potential, Rider'll give him that), Rider chooses to use his own prana instead of Waver's when using his Noble Phantasm. And he obeys the boy (albeit with a lot of questions involved) as his Master, respecting his intelligence and his potential. Rider's philosophy also includes conquering but not humiliating. That's probably why some of the people he conquered chose to join his army and precisely why Kayneth's treatment of his own Servant rubbed him the wrong way. Rider's men, his army in particular, are his treasures. That's why Rider's Noble Phantasm, the power a Servant gains based on his identity and fame as a hero, is his Ionian Hetaroi, an army of men ready to fight and die for him over and over again for as long as Rider has the power to summon them. He does not regret their deaths, the knowledge of his own, or what happened to his own kingdom in the end. That is irrelevant to the experience of fighting together to search for the endless sea.

Rider also likes munching on crackers, lounging on your floor, watching TV, and shopping.

If you want him to stay at home, all you have to do is steal all his pants as Waver forbid him to walk around in public without them.

Character Abilities you would like to expand on further:

Rider is, as his Servant class makes obvious, excellent in horseback riding and driving chariots. He is also skilled in using a sword and a spear (the Macedonian army was famous for its phalanx), and most likely knowledgeable in the use of every weapon available to him during his time. He has a strong love for literature, especially for the works of Homer.

Character Weaknesses you would like to expand on further:

I should probably stress that Rider uses his philosophy on conquering for everything, even if it's old fashioned and if it doesn't seem to fit the situation at all. Historically, Alexander the Great never had a great relationship with his father and had a strange one with his mother, so he won't be any good in dealing with family issues. He can also be gullible, possibly because he didn't have to worry about resources much when he was a king so there wasn't much for him to lose.

[ SOUL CAMPAIGN SECTION ]

What abilities will your character retain in Soul Campaign?

Nothing. He'll be just another mortal man in Soul Campaign, albeit a very big and brawny mortal man.

What weaknesses will your character lose or gain in Soul Campaign?

He'll lose all the abilities that he gained when he became a Servant for the Holy Grail War. He is now a mortal man.

Since that's what Rider would wish for if he had gotten the Holy Grail-- CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

The wish Death the Kid made to the BREW in 2009 was to “rescue Death City and stop the waves of Madness from overtaking the world.” By whatever means necessary. Pretend you are the BREW. Why would you choose to bring this character to Death City?

Because he's Alexander the Great, a renowned historical king and conqueror. As an ally of Shibusen, he can offer his knowledge when it comes to politics and warfare, albeit his style is definitely dated. He's an able fighter as well, and can do more than just strategize from the sidelines.

If your character has difficulty verbally communicating or can’t verbally communicate at all (mute or non-humanoid), elaborate on how this will be treated in the game.

THE POWER OF BRO n/a

[ MEISTER ONLY SECTION ]

Why is your character a Meister and not a Weapon?

Because Rider has more potential as a Meister as a Weapon. This is not to say that he can't be a Weapon. He himself wields a sword and his army was known for being good with the spear. But even if he was the head of an army, Rider was the type of person to lead the charge no matter how dangerous things might get. Even as a Servant, Rider didn't just hide while Waver settled things with other Masters. Rider's potential is unlocked when he is made to fight in the front lines, when he's made to make crucial decisions in the midst of danger and utilize the terrain and his enemies' abilities to his own advantage.

Besides, here we have a big man with lots of meatshield potential who can most likely wield almost every military weapon known to man during his time, and with an interest in how modern weapons operate. He is definitely built to be a Meister.

What is your character’s Meister Ability? Why?

Seismic Soul - Rider's the type of warrior who takes full advantage of his terrain. His Ionian Hetairoi also allows him to modify the terrain into that of a desert. While Seismic Soul isn't as grand, Rider will definitely have fun with this ability and all its possibilities.
Soul Shatterpoint - Because despite Rider's outward appearance and his easy-going nature, Rider's a perceptive person and, whenever he observes a fight, does make it a point to figure out what the fighters' weaknesses are. For example, during Archer and Berserker's first confrontation, it was Rider who figured out the nature of Berserker's Noble Phantasm and why Archer was losing.
Soul Summon - Rider's Ionian Hetairoi allows him to summon all soldiers who've fought with him during his lifetime. While Soul Summon isn't as grand (nothing will ever be as grand), it is somewhat similar in a way that it gives him the ability to summon anyone who he has fought with as a Weapon.

I was also thinking of Manly Soul butthe world might implode if you give Rider an extra dose of manliness.

[ SOUL INFORMATION ]

Describe your character’s soul with six adjectives.
grand, tyrannical, boisterous, adventurous, observant, honorable

What does your character’s soul look like? Be creative.

An naturally large soul that burns red with the flames of conquest! It also has facial hair. Despite Rider's normally expressive demeanor, the expression on his soul's face is that of calm contemplation, a sign that he's always thinking about things. But sometimes he doesn't understand things so his eyebrows are furrowed. Anyway, he is the hairiest, if not manliest, soul ever.

He loosened his grip on the reins and let out a heavy sigh. That was when the darkness took him.

[ SAMPLES ]

Provide a First Person style sample in the form of a post to the DEMISE network.

[video]

Hmmm...

[ So this big man, dressed in leather and fur armor, sits down just in front of the couch in his own quarters, which is good because it doesn't seem like that man would fit that couch. He scratches his bearded chin and he looks around the ceiling as if he's in deep thought. ]

So we've all suddenly been brought from our own worlds to fight a war against the Witches by this BREW thingy whether we want to or not. They've given us powers as Meisters or Weapons, but they've stripped us of the powers we've had before we got here.

On one hand [ and he does open his left hand to prove to accentuate this point ] I don't have to follow any Master and fight in the Holy Grail War for the time being. On the other hand [ and now he has both hands open in front of him ] I've lost all the abilities granted to me as a Servant, which makes me a mere, mortal man.

[ And then he puts his hands on his hips and laughs a laugh that matches his very stature. ]

Very well!

Citizens and fellow recruits of Death City, I am the great Iskandar, King of Conquerors! I may be a new recruit, but with me, victory is assured! We will conquer those Witches! We will crush their forces! We will take their land, their women, their treasures! Nothing will be able to stop us!

[ He spreads his arms, pausing as if expecting some applause for his speech. But whether or not he gets his applause does not stop him from continuing. ]

But for this, I would need a Weapon. I could wield a sword and a spear. But I've always wanted to try out one of those grenade launcher things. Hmmm...

[ He waves his hand dismissively. ]

You know what, just send all the Weapons over. [ He grins. ] We'll figure this out.

Provide a Third Person sample set during the last minutes on their world and/or their first few moments in the Kishin Chamber.


The last thing Rider remembered was riding into the night in his Gordius Wheel with Waver Velvet by his side. He was filled with feelings of disappointment towards the girl who claimed to be the King of Knights and the weakness of her ideals. He pitied her men, those who were made to serve under a king who tended to take everything on by herself. Those men never shared her ideals, her principles. They must have hated her. A ruler who is hated by his people is not a king. A ruler who stands alone is not a king, for a king can not be grand without people to rule over. A tyrant, as she has accused him and Archer of being as if it were an insult, can still be a king. Her physical stature was irrelevant to this discussion, she was too small to be a king.

But she never understood his words, did she? Ah, that Saber had such a dangerous mindset. He sighed as he loosened his grip on the reins. That was when the darkness took him. He had no idea where he had landed, or where his sword went. So he turned to his side and asked, "Oi, boy, do you have any idea what's happened?"

He had expected to be answered by Waver Velvet's high-pitched voice, possibly with a complaint about getting them lost or at least a distressed whine. But there was no reply. That was when he acknowledged the possibility that he had found himself someplace dangerous. His Master may be puny and he may be the type to get overcome by fear, but he was no deserter. Rider clenched his fists, preparing himself for the possibility of a fight.

Fortunately, what followed was a video message on a screen that reminded Rider of the tiny television Waver had in his room. And the messenger made it clear that they weren't here to attack him. There was a war, there was a brew, and this was all just an unfortunate accident. Rider was inclined to believe him.

But if soever this was all a trap, and they had attacked Rider the moment he stepped outside the chamber, he would make sure that this their meeting would be very unfortunate indeed.


all the typos all the time