Revision as of 17:44, 9 March 2013

Personality

Generally Percival has a good and kind heart. He is however naïve and eminently honorable, which makes him rather gullible when faced with deception. He generally follows the ‘ideal’ of what it is to be a knight, and has his own personal code of Knighthood which is modified by Gargoyle culture. He will thus attempt to always protect the innocent, be respectful to those he believes are deserving, and be valorous in combat. Retreat will only be considered an option if everyone else is out of harm’s way first. While he is young, he is not impatient, and has a keen tactical mind in battle honed by training with various mentors. Unless circumstances do not permit it, he will usually take some time to take in the measure of a foe before acting. The exception is when he witnesses abject cruelty, which tends to override all reason and cause him to charge into battle.

He was raised in what would be considered a ‘backwards’ group by modern humans, and has had very little exposure to modern humanity, which his clan considered generally rather decadent. While he would have a lot of negative things to say about modern humanity, he does secretly lust for sweet food and is fascinated by old films(Excalibur and Errol Flynn movies tend to be his favorites) and television programs. He tends to also be an avid reader of mythology, old folk tales, and various legends.

In regards to love, he's a hopeless romantic, and a big proponent of courtly love. He is exceedingly shy when it comes to making these feelings known.

His flaws would be pride and temper. If you asked him what his greatest flaw is though, he will always answer that wrath is his greatest sin, and generally he does not elaborate upon it further.

Background

After the fall of Castle Wyvern, Demona led an offshoot clan of Gargoyles in Scotland. After the ‘Macbeth incident’ in which Demona betrayed Macbeth to the usurper Canmore, the majority of the clan was slaughtered. The surviving remnants fled south, away from Scotland, and were eventually captured by the forces of Henry II during the end of the anarchy. Facing certain annihilation, the dejected Gargoyle clan did the only thing they could do, they bent their knee to the crown.

While at first they were only a sort of grotesque curiosity to the monarch, he eventually made use of them as a special force in his military campaigns. In a drunken fit on the night of one his victories, he mockingly knighted them. Despite the crown’s low opinion of the Gargoyles in general, the clan took their unofficial title quite seriously, and the Order of St. Castorius(Saint Castorius being the patron saint of Sculptors) was born.

They continued to serve as a sort of special force through the line of kings up until Henry VIII, for which he nearly purged the order for refusing to follow a command they considered dishonorable. Barely escaping with their lives to Scotland, the order was returned in secret to London by his daughter Elizabeth, in return for their aid against Mary Queen of Scots. They were wielded now entirely in secret by Sir Francis Walsingham against the enemies of the crown.

And so it continued that they served the crown as a state secret privy only to the Kings and their spymasters. On multiple other occasions in British history, they had fallings out with the crown which resulted in attempted purges upon their kind, but they typically would reconcile with the next monarch down the line.

The clan has had difficulty adjusting to modern changes to Great Britain. The monarchs are now little more than figureheads, and generally the only ones aware of their presence are the Prime Minister and the director of SIS. Due to their archaic knightly behavior, they’re rarely made use of, though they have had several missions against ‘terrorists’ in Ireland and other areas around the globe. Percival is a young member of the order, and has not yet been knighted. His chivalric mentor was John, nicknamed Marshall affectionately by the other squires because he's missing an eye.

When Castle Wyvern was moved to the states and placed atop Xanatos’ corporate office, the implications of such were not lost on the Order. They were however forbidden from sending their Knights to investigate by the current director of the SIS for fear of creating an international incident or having the group go rogue. While implicitly loyal, the letter of his command was only that they not send their knights to investigate. Percival as a young squire was exempt in their eyes, and clan ties are important enough in the minds of a gargoyle to disobey the spirit of that command. Upon his arrival in Manhatten, he found Manhatten spirited away, and shortly after it was under siege by the Heartless.

During the evacuation of Manhatten, young Percival attempted to be of aid, but in the end it was a frightened woman with a gun that nearly did him in. While defending her against the heartless, she mistook him for a monster and shot him in the back. The naïve gargoyle never thought for an instant that those he was trying to protect would turn upon him in such a way. Nearly beaten to death by a mob of frightened humans then fallen upon by the heartless, he lost his blade in the chaos.

In the end who saved him isn’t important, but left in a dejected corner of traverse town, the critically injured Gargoyle could not instantly adapt to the traverse town’s eternal night. It has been a month now and he has only recently recovered due to his body finally adapting and relearning how to become stone.

The Order of St. Castorius

Location

A hidden Aerie just outside of London.

Size

Medium sized clan, ~60 members, ~20 hatchlings/adolescents, ~15 young adults, ~20 adults/full fledged Knights, 5 elders. All gargoyles. Usually a handful(1-5) of human SIS liasions are dwelling with them at any given time.

Hierarchy

Ranking is entirely merit based, but in times of peace or when they are out of use by their masters it is not uncommon for seniority to determine advancement. Due to the distance they currently have from the current Monarch, they are not ‘Knighted’ by royalty but by a Lord within the SIS when it is deemed time. Each youth begins their training as a hatchling, and becomes a squire in their adolescence. Once they are deemed worthy of it through merit in battle and how well they adhere to the clan’s, and their own personal code they are typically knighted. The elders of the clan work as a sort of loose council, and have absolute authority over all internal clan matters. There is no discrimination within the clan on basis of gender as is the Gargoyle way, which often leads to an comedic sort of role reversal amongst the Knighted Dames when it comes to matters of chivalry. Not all Gargoyles are considered worthy of Knighthood, and those who show no talent for it become ‘Arma Patrina’ after a certain age, and are given more domestic yet important duties around the Aerie.

Religion

This group of Gargoyles is generally Christian in nature, but they follow the tenets of no one denomination. Some of their beliefs would be considered pagan or heretical by mainstream modern churches, especially in regards to the children of Oberon. The reason they are Christian is due to pressure by early monarchs which they served, in which they thought to ‘civilize’ the beasts and bring them into God’s church, as well as it being a necessary part of following a chivalric code.

Relations with other London Clans

Relations with the other London clan have been strained, as they see the Order as the personal hit squad of human masters. While they were still on speaking terms prior to the English Civil War, their failure to protect Charles I caused a period in time where Cromwell tried to wipe them out. They sought refuge with the London clan, and were rejected because they were told that they reap what they sow, and that being given sanctuary would endanger the far larger clan. Ever since that time period they’ve had no friendly contact, though they each know the other exists and have had chance encounters with one another. Whether the SIS knows the location of the London clan is unclear at this point.

Typical Knight's Code in the Order

To fear God and keep the faith.
To serve their liege lord in valor and faith.
To live by honor and for glory.
To protect the weak and defenseless.
To fight for the welfare of all.
Never to refuse a challenge from an equal.
Never to turn the back upon a foe.
To guard the honor of fellow knights.
To eschew unfairness, meanness, and deceit.
At all times speak the truth.

Relationships

Allies, Friends

Acquaintances

Annoying Acquaintances

Enemies, Rivals

Themesongs

Main Theme

Frog's Theme, Orchestrated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P430tEE1mz0

Themesongs of Battle

Fairy Tail, Magic Last: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX6rKETIaCw
Xenoblade Chronicles, Unfinished Battle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbVt041PAWA

Themesongs of Sorrow

Fairy Tale Piano Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiW1I3TgnAk
Prisoners of Fate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-nHIY-ahn8
Naruto, Tragic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHlStiZWn5E

Themesongs of Rage

Unchained: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zU3OZ6ICnE
Fatal Fury: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUw7fsS7WQM

Logs

Cutscenes