Application for Escordvi

[philancer]

PLAYER INFO

Player: Rynn
Age: OLD
Invited by: Christine
Contact: chaneystarr or discord (same un)

CHARACTER INFO

Character: Sylvain Gautier
Canon: Fire Emblem Three Houses. Original canonpoint is just before the battle of Gronder, Blue Lions route. He is also a CRAU from Golden Peacock.
Age: he's 27 now.

Background Information:

Sylvain's Wiki
Everyone has their own reason to fight. At least I'm honest about mine.
Background

Sylvain is the youngest son and heir of the Margrave of Gautier, the northernmost territory in the Kingdom of Faerghus. Despite having an older half-brother, Sylvain is named the heir of their lineage because he was born with the birthright of a Crest, something that sets certain bloodlines apart as descendants of Heroes of legend and allows them to wield the heirloom Relic weapons passed down through the generations. Usurping his elder brother at birth and being his father's favored son sowed a great deal of animosity in his older brother, leaving Sylvain growing up with a dangerous threat at his back, one that nearly cost him his young life on several occasions.

Growing up seeing the imbalance and unfairness of the system in place - and being forced into a role he never asked for and quite frankly wanted no part of - has Sylvain growing very jaded and cynical from a very young age. Especially because he's so sought after and seen as a commodity to be won and bartered because of his Crest. Lacking any real choice or say in his fate, the young noble becomes an expert at playing the ambitious games of courtly flirtations and quickly grows tired of constantly be used as a pawn. So he decides that if he's going to be pursued and coveted like a prized stud, he's going to play them all at their own game, and if he uses them before they can use him, he's less likely to get trampled and broken. Only he becomes far too good at being the careless shallow playboy until that's all his identity is, and by the time he encounters Byleth, the protagonist of his game, he's in so deep he doesn't see a way - or a reason - to stop.

His time in the Academy can be a very eye-opening experience for him (depending on what route he ends up on) and while he can't do much to change his terrible reputation (and isn't so keen to do that without considerable guidance and character growth), he does start to question his own actions and the way he's perceived by others around him. Especially the people who become important to him. It's enough to make him want to start changing those perceptions, even if being more will raise people's expectations of him, something that's always gone terribly for him in the past. He believes, ultimately, he will always disappoint those around him because he can never be what they want.

And then war breaks out and his prince goes missing and is presumed dead. The Empire invades Faerghus and it's only Sylvain and his best friend Felix who manage to rouse a resistance force, using the cold and often-inhospitable terrain in northern Faerghus to keep the Empire from successfully conquering the entire kingdom. Using all the battle tactics and fighting skills instilled in them at the Academy, they manage to hold off the Empire for five long years until Dimitri once more reappears, as does Byleth, and it counts as a turning point in the war, as the forces of Faerghus finally start gathering and fighting back.

Sylvain is right there on the front lines, supporting his prince and defending his friends from their enemies. The Battle of Gronder, where he is taken from in canon, is a massive three-way battle between all three countries within Fodlan and is set to have them facing off against old friends and allies alike. It's not a battle Sylvain wanted to fight and hoped there would be some other way to negotiate with their old friends in the Alliance and the Empire, but that wasn't to be.
CRAU
Luckily for Sylvain, he got kidnapped before the dawn of that battle arose, and he found himself captive in a strange, gilded resort instead. Golden Peacock is a sex game set inside a modern casino where all the characters are assigned to a suit of cards that manifested effects in different ways. As a Diamond, most of those effects were focused on physical changes and influences, whether they be sensual or transformative (as opposed to the mental, emotional, or soul effects of the other suits). They were also given Ranks, similar to levels of prestige or influence within the casino. And while Sylvain started out as a lowly Four, the games at the resort were very familiar to him and not so different than the ones he'd played back home for most of his life, if in a far different setting. It wasn't long before he found himself accumulating influence to start moving up the ranks.

Along the way, he learned a lot about himself. For the first time in his life, no one gave a damn about who he was, or the fact that he was the Heir of Gautier, which was the single most impactful change he'd experienced in his entire life. It was freeing, and that freedom was far more addicting than anything else the resort could have offered him. He could finally start figuring who Sylvain was, when you separated him from his Crest, and that's a journey he's still in the early stages of. He embraced this with everything in him and this place became a haven for him, despite the fact that he'd been brought there without a choice in the matter. And while the events often stripped choice in varied ways, he would still take that over the cage he'd been trapped in back home.

This freedom also had turning over a new page in his life, not having to constantly hide behind the mask of the shallow playboy for sheer defense and survival. Though he still embraced a lot of the pleasures and even hedonism of the resort, he finally started letting his walls down with certain close companions, letting himself form real, emotional connections and even relationships, something he'd always sworn off in his life back home. Such things were far too dangerous to allow to blossom and grow.

While he is still absolutely a playful flirt with a tendency for innuendo at the most inappropriate moments possible, he's also finally allowed himself to become more, and to let people see behind the walls he's always kept so carefully erect. (heh. see?) While it might sound a little cliche to say he finally let himself become a real person and not just a caricature of himself, that is still the simplest way of phrasing it. And while he still has a long way to go when it comes to leaving behind his bad habits, his toxic cynicism, and his self-destructive and self-sabotaging ways, he's at least started along his journey, helped especially by those he became close to in that world, who had the patience to put up with him while he started to figure this out.

He still finds it hilarious that he had the most constructive character growth and freedom in his entire life... while captive in a sex casino.

Personality:

1) Tell us about who your character is and what someone’s first impression would be upon meeting them.
Much of this was covered above but this has changed from canon after his time in Peacock. He's more likely to assess who he's approaching and adapt accordingly, rather than instantly fall back on old masks that only showed a two-dimensional version of him. A shallow playboy who had no interest in commitment or anything real. While he's more than willing to flirt and tease his way through conversations, it holds less of the malice and manipulation it once did. And he's more inclined to let his own personality and intelligence show - something he'd kept hidden from even his closest friends back home. When he smiles, it's more likely to reach his eyes and be real, not a show he's putting on for someone's benefit.

For those who put effort into his character growth in later chapters of the game, this side sometimes comes out more visibly there, but with his in-game growth, he's arriving in a better place than he ever manages to reach in canon.
2) What is a driving force your character has? What goals do they have, what motivates them, etc?
At one point, Sylvain's honest answer would have been 'spite'. Growing up, knowing he wasn't going to get a say in his future, being pursued like a prize to be won, Sylvain tosses out any idea of 'goals' or motivations. This pissed off his friends, who were very driven and couldn't stand that he didn't care about anything. He worked hard to make sure everyone underestimated him so no one would have expectations, because that made problems for him down the road and he didn't want to deal with their anger or disappointment. Along with that, he had no expectations for himself. he floated aimlessly, at least until Byleth showed up and started showing him that maybe his life choices needed some readjusting.

Maturity and war handled the rest, because in the years after the Academy, he was too busy trying to survive to worry about what came after. And honestly? He wasn't expecting to survive the war, so it was probably a moot point anyway.

Now, though, this is very much going to be his journey. I said earlier that he's starting to figure out who Sylvain is, outside of all the bullshit he wallowed in all his life. He doesn't actually know the answer to this question yet, but I'm looking forward to him figuring it out.
3) What are their flaws as a character? What is something they've messed up, or have done that they regret?
Unfortunately, he is full of regrets. He regrets most of his choices growing up, even if he doesn't see a viable alternative. It's an odd internal conflict because while he will be the first person to admit he treated people terribly and made terrible life choices, he can't imagine any different outcome than the path he walked. He can't see how he wouldn't have been shaped and molded into exactly the same person even if he'd tried to do things differently.

As for his biggest flaws:
• 1. Cynicism. For much of his life, Sylvain was exposed to some of the worst traits in humanity. Between the murderous hatred of his brother and his father's greedy ambitions for an heir, he was shaped by the grim understanding that people wanted him, not for who he was or what he could do, but because he was one of the "lucky" few born with a Crest. That idea was enforced after adolescence, when he was pursued by females who thought landing the Heir of Gautier would be their meal ticket. It shaped his outlook in that he didn't need to push himself beyond the bare minimum because the only thing important about him was his Crest. "He" was inconsequential. It gave him a jaded outlook, expecting everyone to have ulterior motives, whether it be friendship or anything more. "These girls don't love me. They only love the potential rewards of loving me." He also says, "Now women smile at me for the same reason my parents adored me and my brother wanted me dead."
  
  It's also his reasoning behind keeping people at arm's length and not letting them see/know the real him. He never lets himself get attached and made sure to keep anyone else from getting attached to him, sabotaging short-term relationships or one-night stands before anyone could get ideas of more. Using them before they could use him, hurting them before he could get hurt. This is shown in his social links with fellow students, in that he has the largest number of social interactions in the game, but the fewest that deepen past surface level.
  
• 2. Deceit/Manipulation. Sylvain is a master of wearing many masks to hide who he truly is, never letting anyone peer beneath the surface. It's a defense mechanism because he has a lot of ugly reactions and thoughts he stifles. A lot of anger at the unfairness of how things are that he doesn't see any way to change. The feeling of being trapped in a situation he didn't want and never chose, but unable to get free of. But he hides all of that behind a grin and easy laughter, always having a joke or an outrageous suggestion or a string of flirtatious lines to distract from the truth of him. He makes himself appear shallow because then no one looks too closely and picks up on how damaged he actually is.
  
  He's worn those masks so long and so well that even his closest friends believe it to be real and don't realize there's more happening under the surface. And he's done it so long that even those who do know him well aren't sure when he's being genuine or offering empty flattery. He's done this himself, and seems resigned to the fact that he's not going to change people's opinions about him. He strings people along, plays his own games of mental chess with those he doesn't trust. Because at least if he's controlling the pieces, he can't be turned into a pawn himself. Even if he believes that will still be his inevitable - and unavoidable - fate one day.
  
• 3. Envy. As a result of both of the previous vices, it's also resulted in this one, directed at those that have avoided falling into the same trap. It's shown in his conversations with Byleth. "You know what? I'm jealous. The whole time you were growing up, you never knew you had a Crest. You were free. Nobody pretended to like you. I kind of hate you for that." He even goes so far as to threaten them over it, but then laughs it off as a joke. But his reality makes him feel trapped and he's envious of those who escaped sharing his fate, who don't have to question every interaction they have with suspicion and doubt. "Those of us with Crests have been envied and desired but never for who we are. I understand the value of my blood. Believe me, I hate how much I understand it. I know better than to dream of being free from this burden. If I thought I could have escaped, I would have tried. I'd leave behind House Gautier and the life of a nobleman and anybody who knew I had a Crest."
  

Abilities:

Combat
Sylvain has been training to be a knight and a warrior all his life and has a range of experience in various weapons, hand-to-hand, and battle strategy and tactics, as well as a surprising understanding of magic. He excels at combat in teams or acting as support with fellow soldiers and is versatile and quick to adapt to unexpected circumstances.

He's coming in classed as a Paladin, which is the FE tactical way of saying he's trained in moving swiftly over longer distances, isn't slowed down by difficult terrain, has extensive practice with lance (mastery level), sword, and riding, and is adept at evading both ranged attacks (from archers, etc) and magical/spell attacks. He's had training over the years in multiple classes/styles of fighting to give him a wide range of battle experience and knowledge.
Magic
Sylvain's experience and understanding of magic is rudimentary, at best, but he does have some low level training in both Faith (healing/white magic) and Reason (black/offensive magic).

Faith Skills (Rank C)

• Heal. basic Faith spell that heals an adjacent ally
  
• Nosferatu. Faith spell that restores health equal to 50% of the damage the spell does to a foe.
  
• Physic. Faith spell that can restore health to a distant ally.
Reason Skills (Rank C)

• Fire. basic black magic used to attack with flames; launches a fireball at a target and does light damage
  
• Bolganone. superior black magic used to attack with flames. When cast, this spell will forcefully open up a fissure into the surface of the earth, and trigger an eruption to occur, burning the selected enemy target.
Crest of Gautier
Sylvain possesses a minor Crest of Gautier he inherited from his bloodline. Gautier was one of the original Ten Elites who first possessed a Crest in the war between Seiros and Nemesis and possessing a Crest is a requirement to inherit the title and seat of Margrave, due to the House's constant defense against the incursion of the northern warlike clans of Sreng, as a Crest is required to safely wield their ancient relic, the Lance of Ruin.

Sylvain's Crest also has the added effect of being able to increase his might/strength in a fight and the damage he creates when using certain attacks, although this isn't something he can control and seems to happen at random.

Inventory:

Because Sylvain is a CRAU he'll be coming in with no inventory whatsoever. His previous game, Golden Peacock, had all characters arriving naked and with none of their possessions from home, so he won't have anything on him to be taken along with him, outside of the personal items he gained in his time there.

ARMADA SELECTION

Paladins would be my first choice for him. While Sylvain can fit in either, as a knight of Faerghus, he already comes very Paladin-coded (plus Paladin is already one of his two main specializations in his canon build). Ironically, if given the choice, he would have probably picked Corsair, mostly because he has a fondness for breaking rules, but that doesn't change the fact that his knightly virtues (the ones he lets himself have, at any rate) are very deeply ingrained in him.

On the OOC side of things, since I was chucking Varric at the Corsairs, I wanted a little balance between them.

SAMPLE

Test Drive Sample: Sylvain's TDM top-level