The Black Knight

The Black Knight
The Legendary Black Knight
Name	Zelgius
Alias	The Black Knight, General of Daein, Black Rider
Gender	Male
Species	Branded
Alignment	Neutral, with a heavy good leaning
Notable Powers	Superhuman physical abilities Vast lifespan Skilled in magic Holy energy channeling
Weapons	Alondite Ragnell Wishblade Black Armor
Universe of Origin	Fire Emblem
Player	Cap'n Failz

The Black Knight, Zelgius, is the half-human and half-Laguz general of the Begnion Empire and the Earl of Kadohl. Under orders from his longest friend, Zelgius was sent to the kingdom of Daein to serve as a general to the Mad King, Ashnard, in his war of conquest against all of Tellius. In this role he served as The Black Knight, most feared officer and general of Daein, inciting fear and awe across the entire continent.

Throughout the entire war he served impeccably, never once sustaining a single lost soldier under his command or even a single injury to his person. After the war was over, he all but vanished, only to re-appear mysteriously several years later in much the same role, serving once again as The Black Knight in the rebuilding of Daein. At the war's conclusion, he once again faded into obscurity, gone from Tellius as a whole.

Story

Canon History

Nearly all of Zelgius's early life is a mystery. What is known is that sometime during his life he became a powerful general in Begnion's army, and he was the Earl of Kadohl. He was friends with the Prime Minister, Sephiran, who sent him into Daein to spy on the one who would become the Mad King, Ashnard.

Under his false role as a servant of Ashnard, Zelgius became The Black Knight. He rose through the ranks to become one of Daein's mighty Four Riders, and then on to become the most powerful of the Four. He was feared as much as respected and admired, for he was quiet and withdrawn and impossible to figure out. He went on numerous tasks and missions for his "King", all to hide his identity and gain the trust of the Mad King.

One of the few things he did of his own volition during this time was to seek out Greil, the legendary Sir Gawain, and challenge him to combat. Effortlessly defeating his former master, The Black Knight was unsatisfied with the result, feeling that something was...amiss. He pushed it aside and fled the scene, as the Beast King, Caineghis, was nearing the scene, and he did not yet wish to test his strength against him.

Eventually, The Black Knight faces Ike, the son of Greil, in a duel. The duel is fierce and somehow, Ike manages to emerge the victor, and leave just as the entire castle they were fighting in collapses.

Thanks to the protection afforded by his armor, The Black Knight survives even this seemingly impossible fate, and vanishes from the ruins of the castle without a trace, much to the shock and surprise of the good Bastian, who had sent men to retrieve the Black Knight's body.

He returned to battle a handful of years later, appearing out of the blue to protect Micaiah from General Jarod of the Begnion Occupation Forces. Thanks to his aid, nearly the entirety of the force sent to assassinate Micaiah was slaughtered, with only Jarod himself escaping due to a combination of The Black Knight's honor dictating he let him go and Micaiah's pleas to spare his life.

He continued to protect Micaiah through the war, until vanishing at the fall of the Occupation Army. Returning to Begnion, he led the Begnion Central Army against the Laguz Alliance as Zelgius, defeating both Ranulf and Skrimir in single combat and forcing the Laguz to retreat.

He re-dawned his mantle as The Black Knight to protect Micaiah when Daein attacked the retreating Laguz. He remained at their side throughout the remainder of the fighting, until Ike and his companions began fighting against Micaiah's forces. He then left to await Ike's challenge. Many weeks later, when they finally crossed swords again, the Black Knight revealed a shcoking truth: he had let Ike win their previous duel.

Wishing to fight Greil at the very height of his skill and power, he had given Ike, the only other person to have been taught by Greil, time to train and devlop his skills to the level of his father so as to have that chance. Their duel was protracted and fierce, but in the end Zelgius prevailed, striking down Ike. As he stood victorious over his greatest foe, he was filled with sorrow and he nearly wept.

But he had no time for such. Taking up his fallen foe's weapon, he proceeded to finish the task his foe had undertaken. Ascending the tower, he would enter battle against the Goddess Ashera. The duel was long and fierce, but he was finally able to strike down even the Goddess, using her own powers against her.

The resulting explosion of power that resulted from Ashera's defeat hurled the Black Knight through a wall of the tower and out into empty air. Feeling that his mission was at last complete, he uttered a silent prayer to his long-time friend, Sephiran, and closed his eyes as he fell toward the earth below.

Physical Appearance

Zelgius, when not clad in the imposing black armor, still retains the regal and commanding nature of his station. Long years of war and strategy have hardened his face into a nearly perpetually grim, stoic expression that rarely betrays his emotions or thoughts. Only his eyes, bright green and full of life, give any sort of warmth to his iron-hard militaristic expression and mannerisms.

Zelgius, minus his Black Armor

He bears himself with the regal posture and airs of his station as a once-Earl, and with the rigid stiffness and precision expected of a General. His is a station expected to be the utmost perfect, and though he no longer bears the heavy weight of an entire empire's pride and expectations, he maintains the posture and mannerisms, both polite and firm, both in terms of speech and bearing.

To look at Zelgius, one would assume him to be young indeed, perhaps barely nearing the end of his twenties, or perhaps just entering his thirties. This is far from true, however, though it would never be guessed from simply looking at him. The strange grimness of one who has seen far too many years of command and battles mixes with the perpetually youthful face cursed upon and afforded to him by his mixed blood in an almost frightening combination

Powers and Abilities

Superhuman Physical Capability

As a Branded, Zelgius was born with intrinsic abilities many times superior to a normal human. To say this makes him inordinately powerful is a vast understatement, as even a "normal human" in the land of Tellius is a fine physical specimen, with even an average person being equitable to the peak of an Earth-born human's physical limits twice over. While Zelgius is not quite as physically powerful and capable as the Laguz, he is many times superior to normal folk.

Blows from his fists can shatter stone and steel, and he can easily hurl a man as if he were fired from a catapult. His footspeed, even when weighed down by his massive suit of armor, is well over a hundred miles per hour at longer distances, and at a full sprint, faster than can be perceived by normal humans as more than a blur. Notwithstanding his armor's protection, Zelgius is extremely hardy and durable, able to withstand blows that would slay a normal man, even of Tellius, and remain standing with only minor, if any, injury. Even powerful magic and devastating blows, such as a barrage of lightning or a direct hit from a catapult or ballista, have failed to even incapacitate him. And even when he has been injured severely, and dealt what should be a "mortal wound", he can often times simply shrug it off and continue fighting, and survive for it to heal on its own or for medical assistance to be sought.

Laguz Heritage

The Laguz are an inordinately hardy race, with even the weakest of them being far more than even the most experience and powerful soldiers can cope to even match in a fair fight. While Zelgius does not have a transformation like full-blooded Laguz do, he possesses even more raw physical ability than an untransformed Laguz, and he is even more physically hardy and capable than some transformed Laguz. Also hailing from this bloodline is the sheer longevity of the Laguz, who can live for hundreds or thousands of years. The Laguz heal and recover from what injury they do sustain at a highly accelerated pace when compared to a normal human, and while this is somewhat diluted in Zelgius's mixed blood, he still retains a much swifter regenerative pace. He is capable of resisting most natural poisons and toxins in far larger quantities than a normal human, and recovers more quickly from poisoning that actually effects him.

Equipment

Black Armor

The Black Armor

Alondite

Alondite, the Silver Blade

Ragnell

Ragnell, the Golden Blade