An out-of-work strategist and wandering mercenary who throws his chips in with the highest bidder.
Nature: Mostly calm and collected, the epitome of a Solecian gentleman. He rarely curses or raises his voice except when situationally appropriate, and is always kind to the womenfolk. When a challenge is issued, he is honor-bound to not back down. However, he has always had a fondness for the drink, and when he has imbibed enough he grows somewhat irate and posesses a short-fused temper.
Likes:
- Fine wine: What gentlemen doesn't enjoy a glass of Chianti every now and then? However, Alistair is more prone to the bottle than most other gentlemen, and his fondness for a fine vintage of wine is almost unparalleled.
- "High society" things: Being a member of the aristocracy and a very affluent man himself (descended from old money into new money), Alistair enjoys anything having to do with the upper crust of society: fine music, formal balls, et cetera.
- Fencing: The 'original gentleman's sport', Alistair, despite being old enough to be the father of most modern fencers, nonetheless enjoys the feel of drawing steel against another man after the gauntlet has been thrown.
- The Feeling Of A Well-Won Victory: Any competitive man, especially one with a background like Alistair's, knows that the greatest feeling in the world is the one of elation that you get after defeating a worthy opponent. Be it in fencing or a duel of the wits, victory is victory, and to Alistair, nothing is sweeter.
- Chess: Self-explanatory.
Dislikes:
- Imbeciles: Alistair despises stupid or annoying people, partly due to his superior nature and partly because he, like all men, came from imbecility to become something more.
- Losing: The exact opposite of victory is defeat to Alistair, and nothing is worse to him than losing. He is an extremely sore loser, especially when drunk, and has been known to be a downright asshole when he's defeated.
- Non-Wine Alcohol: Alistair believes any drink other than whine is 'unsophisticated and barbaric', and will not drink it.
Strengths: Alistair's strength lies not in force, but in his intellect: his seemingly boundless tactical knowledge, fencing skills, psychological manipulation and public speaking ability all account for his combat ability.
Weaknesses: However, Alistair is given to many weaknesses, the most striking of which being his actual lack of strength in melee combat (he relies on speed, agility and the element of surprise when fighting with his rapier). Also, when facing an enemy in single combat, Alistair believes in a fair fight, heavily supporting a sense of 'honor' in combat. He is also given to severely underestimating some opponents depending on the quality of their stance, the quality of their armament, and in general their appearance - if you don't look clean and gentlemanly or big and intimidating, you aren't a threat in his book. This has led to many embarassing failures in the past.
Fears and Phobias: Necrophobia (fear of death and the dead/dying), Atychiophobia (fear of failure), Gerontophobia (fear of growing old)
Actions around others: Outwardly, Alistair appears well-conducted and cultivated, if a bit smug and hoity-toity. The gentlemanly fighter doesn't treat anyone of a lower class as a full equal unless they are a good friend or a close relative. If challenged, he will immediately take steps to defend his honor.
Ideals and Views: The upper class is the pinnacle of society and everything below it stays below it, unless of course a person is willing to buck up and do the work to become a middle- or upper-class citizen. Also, to be an officer of an esteemed military is the highest honor a country can place on someone, regardless of actual rank or decorated status.
Personal Goals: To increase his wealth and generally do something with his post-military life.
Education: Doctorate in Psychology, also several years of military schooling and field experience.
Maritial status: Single (widowed)
Afilliations: Himself
Love interests: None (would be awkward after his wife's death)
Theme Song (Item Blatantly Ripped Off From GreenSweatshirtGal): "Gentlemen, tonight we go to battle. I'm absolutely sure that the enemy thinks we will all die, but I know otherwise. Now! Ladies and gentlemen! To Glory! *music*
Weapon of Choice: Pistol
Weapon Class: Duelist (Is 'Pistoleer' an acceptable class name?)
Style of Combat: Generally, Alistair prefers to keep his opponents at a safe distance. In combat, he will always engage first with Mercury, and then - if the mighty pistol proves to be unable to subdue his opponent - he will resort to his rapier or, if the situation is especially desperate, his beloved tippling cane. The best way to describe him would be as a mid-range combatant - not exactly a ranger, but not a melee fighter either.
Weapons:
- Mercury: A nine-chambered revolving pistol. A carryover from Alistair's military days, this massive revolver, made of blackened iron etched with gold filigree and a lacquered maple handle capped with brass. The gun is a priceless military relic handed out only to officers of great distinction, and one 'Mercury' revolver is worth more than a months' wages for a normal middle-class factory worker.
- The Gentleman's Choice: A double-edged steel rapier with an ornate basket hilt. The basket hilt is made of elegantly curved steel and guards a handle wrapped with soft calf leather. Perfectly balanced for swift swings and quick thrusts, it is not a simple serviceman's cutlass - if one were to hurl the blade around like a fool, it would almost surely shatter and be completely useless. Although it is one of many, many blades that the officer has wielded in his time, it is definitely his favorite and is the one most often at his hip.
- Tippling Cane: A walking cane with a lacquered ebony shaft and brass tip and handle. The secret of this cane is that the tip screws off, containing a hidden flask that is always filled with wine. Alistair keeps this hidden to almost everyone due to the fact that a tippling cane is almost always owned by a drunkard - a most banal occupation - and if word were to spread that he not only owned, but used one, he would surely be ruined.
Support: None
Valuables: Basically, everything Alistair owns is a valuable. His clothing is of the finest Faubuaxan (pronounced Foe-bwan?) weave, his armaments are worth more than most modern houses and even his family name is synonomous with "Old Money Aristocrats". However, it is more than likely that he would go to the ends of the earth after one thing - his wedding ring, a simple band of braided steel. It's the one memento he has of his late wife.
Transportation: His feet, mostly.
Elemental Attribute: Psyche
Powers: None.
Abilities:
- Inspiring Words: (Buff, Psyche) Alistair's nature as an adept speaker can swell the spirits of his listeners and tap reserves of strength they did not know they had. All allies within hearing range gain a slight bonus to their offensive and defensive capabilities.
- Harangue: (Debuff, Psyche) The inverse side of Alistair's speaking ability allows him to hurl insults and demoralizing words at his enemies, which cause them to lose some of their strength. Enemies within hearing range lose a small amount of their attack and defensive power.
- Analyze: (Active Ability, Psyche) Alistair's knowledge of battle tactics and enemy behavior allows him to look at his opponents and predict, to some extent, their next move. Alistair has a chance of correctly determing the moves that his enemies will make in the next turn.
- Underhanded Throw: Alistair tosses his rapier underhand at his enemy's chest; a dirty tactic used only as a last resort against an especially stubborn opponent. Low chance of hitting his opponent, but counts as a melee attack.
Alistair was born into the prestigious MacNeill family, and from a young age was brought up to be a gentleman. His mother was descended from another wealthy family and his father was a baron of industry, specializing in the production and sale of military weaponry. Although he wasn't necessarily a sheltered child; being brought up in the high society of Solecia lent him a certain degree of detatchment from the normal people in the kingdom. He was raised in the highest quality homes, mixed with the best of the community and attended the best primary school money could buy, which led to his great intelligence. He attended college for psychology, and eventually obtained his doctorate in said subject. His life was set at this point for a career in letting people sit on a cushy couch and spew their problems at him.
So why in the hell did he join the military?
Well, at this point in his life (Alistair was in his late twenties), a draft took place where all men of a certain age were liable to be pulled into the armed forces, and Alistair was one of the men who were drafted for service. Given the rank of Sergeant and attached to the Solecian Brigade, MacNeill found himself in charge of a squad of poorly trained recruits with little to no training or combat experience, being deployed to fight an uprising in a province on the borders of Solecia. Alistair and a fairly large detatchment of the Brigade marched on this province to quell the uprising with extreme prejudice. Little is known about this policing action or what happened, but it is well known that the commanding officer of the Brigade detatchment was killed during intense fighting and Alistair took up the reins.
Once in command, it took the young, untrained MacNeill one day and a matter of hours to completely subjugate the uprising, quickly bringing to a close what had taken a week to begin. Alistair was raised to the rank of Captain and served honorably for the rest of his career until a bullet planted itself in his leg and he wound up with several medals, a hefty retirement sum and a piece of paper tendering his discharge on medical grounds.
At this point Alistair settled down, having come into his father's immense wealth (he himself having died of a heart attack around the time that he recieved the news that Alistair had been shot) and living the luxurious life of a gentleman, never again raising a sword or a pistol outside of a duel, and planning to die wealthy and lazy.
He met the love of his life, whose name he only discloses as 'Mary-anna', when he was in his late thirties. She would define the rest of his life.
The two met while Alistair was travelling through Faubuax, experiencing the local tastes, and they connected almost immediately. After about a year of courting her, MacNeill proposed and, much to his elation, the woman accepted the proposal. They were married in a small ceremony and lived together for five years, until Alistair's past returned to haunt him. A disenchanted rebel from the Solecian crown and member of the uprising that Alistair had crushed years ago had been tracking the ex-Captain for years and found him in bed in his Faubuax manner. The man stabbed his wife to death, and would have stabbed Alistair too if it weren't for her shrieks waking him.
Alistair choked his would-be assassin to death with his bare hands and then was forced to hold his wife in his arms as she slowly bled to death.
The former Captain took to a life of wandering after Mary-anna had been committed to the ground, promising to live out the rest of his days as the warrior he now knew he was destined to be. He set out on the high-road and began to wander, selling himself as a tactical genius and mercenary.