Application

[counterharmonics]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Saff
Contact: Saffire @ Plurk | undersaffiresky @ AIM
Age: 26
Current Characters: Shinjiro Aragaki


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Rowen J. Ilbert
Age: 62
Canon: Tales of Xillia
Canon Point: After entering the Temporal Crossroads just before the final battles.

Background: Here. There is also the Tales of Xillia timeline that helps outline some important points in his history.

Personality:

"Is it my role to offer support or is it to lead?"

When we first meet Rowen, he is introduced to the party as the Sharil family butler, and by all accounts, he fits the preconceived stereotypes of one. He is well-mannered, polite, neat and orderly, with a calm disposition and a willingness to serve. It, however, becomes quickly apparent that Rowen is definitely more than a mere butler when he helps the party elude escape by Rashugal forces, and later set up a strategy to invade the heavily guarded military Fort Gandala and stage a rescue, making use of the men and women that had been sent to infiltrate it earlier. It is within these walls that we learn that he is indeed more than a mere servant of the Sharil family: he is Rowen J. Ilbert, "The Conductor," a famous strategist and military man, and former Chief of Staff of the Rashugal army who served under King Nachtigal.

This, naturally, more than adequately helps explain his obvious familiarity of politics, strategy, and military affairs. It also explains his seemingly intimate knowledge of King Nachtigal, whom Rowen became friends early in Nachtigal's time of service within the army, and aided him in his rise to power and kinghood many years before the start of the game. And his past is, indeed, where his development and issues lie. What we see now of Rowen is a product of his many years of living and experience. We do not know much about what he was exactly like during his younger military years; however, we do know is that he was very heavily involved in his military career, and according to Rowen himself, was only concerned with "flaunting" his abilities.

Using this knowledge, we can hazard some guesswork about how his past actions affected him and turned him into and the far more modest man of the game's present. He no longer enjoys "flaunting" his abilities—indeed, for all intents and purposes, he was content with living as a servant to the Sharil family, and being a mere butler, having left the military years before. His intense zeal that followed him at least in his early career has clearly faded, replaced by regrets concerning his actions that have stuck even to the current day. Now he is a level-headed, moderating influence, able to keep calm even in emotionally-heavy situations, and a voice of reason with seemingly limitless patience for those around him, acting like something of a mentor to those willing to listen. He's always ready to assist, but encourages independent thought and action, and discovering things for oneself, as exemplified in his actions with Driselle as she attempts to follow the footsteps of her brother and become a leader, as well as in the group cast, such as encouraging Elize to ask about Jiao on her own, because it would likely mean more if discovered for herself rather than if he did it for her. He's very adept at working with people and his powers of observation certainly come into play here when it comes to noticing other people's feelings or problems, not only just guessing about what their next move will be.

As said before, Rowen is a strategist (even if that past is more behind him), whose former job was to calculate every possibility and choose the best path. Even at the start of the game, after being absent for a number of years out of the military, he still shows that analytical quality even in more mundane situations, such as being worried about having left a lamp on, and its ability to cause a potential fire, that, in all likelihood, wouldn't happen. However, he worries about it anyway because of the possibility of such a thing occurring.

As such, it is hardly surprising that he is a man who often dwells on what could have been, and takes the blame for all his decisions. He doesn't rise to taunts that point out his legitimate mistakes and failings or deny them; instead, he freely admits and agrees to them, as is often the case in his interactions with Wingul, who is quick to point out his weaknesses with no small amount of scorn. Hindsight is always 20/20, after all, and Rowen is definitely acutely aware of what might have happened if he had done things just a little bit differently. And this regret is likely what helped temper some of his former personality, undoubtedly starting with the Battle of Fezebel, where in the confusion of the battle (as it was being led by an incompetent general instead of the more capable Nachtigal due to family power conflicts) Rowen was not able to produce clear orders, and much of the Rashugal forces were decimated by a very large, destructive tsunami, which resulted in the apparent death Carrie (who we learn to later be alive in Elympios later on), Nachtigal's sister and Rowen's fiancee. Carrie's apparent death in turn helps trigger King Nachtigal's downward spiral, as Carrie was, in Rowen's words, a very tempering influence and would've kept the king's future decline in check.

And this leads into Rowen's main issue, the one Rowen lives under the shadow of for the majority of the game: the weakness of inaction—or, as Wingul enjoys putting it, "leading from behind"—and running away to avoid possible confrontation with a friend, instead of standing up for one's beliefs and fighting for what is clearly the greater good. Rowen's forever conflicted on whether to take the proactive approach or do things more passively from the sidelines, as he says in the earlier quote, "Is it my role to offer support or is it to lead?" And is he worthy of that role? He often comments that he wouldn't be cut out for such a role.

This inner conflict what King Nachtigal symbolized. Though it's noted that Rowen often brought up disagreements with the King and his methods his actions as king became more and more questionable, nothing of any consequence was done. Rowen hesitated to fight against someone he felt was a friend (which says something about his loyalty to those he befriends).

However, because of his unwillingness to confront the king, Nachtigal's downward spiral was allowed to continue, even if Rowen never necessarily "enabled" nor condoned his behavior, except through perhaps inaction. Perhaps if he had acted, Nachtigal might not have become what he was as he began to consolidate power and be swayed by Giland's infuence. Instead, when Rowen could no longer in good conscience work under him, Rowen left, leaving the army and wandering around Rieze Maxia for a short number of years before becoming employed under the Sharil household and keeping to himself. This is the issue Wingul brings up most and Rowen agrees with. He even shows this continued hesitancy before the fight with the king himself, part of him still unwilling to fight against someone that was a friend of his for so many years. In the end, however, he takes responsibility for his inaction, and finally starts to be able to take the initiative and lead, as Cline Sharil had asked him to do as he died. By the end of the game, he has finally made peace with his resolve to do so and becomes one of King Gaius' right-hand men as he leads the country into its new future.

With all the serious matters aside, Rowen also shows himself to be a very good-natured individual and an occasional flirt with the ladies (mostly lightheartedly so) with a very clear sense of humor (though it can be subtle for it to fly over some people's heads, as with his joke with the wanted posters). He also isn't afraid to be self-deprecating and make fun of his own age, or do things that are occasionally silly (unless you view inviting others to stroke your beard as not being silly) and taking the silly things others do in stride (like some of Milla's idiosyncrasies). He's also not afraid to play up his own age for the sake of others, falsely complaining of a bad back or joins so others don't lose face or pride (as it was with Milla).

In the end, he is a good man that, despite the mistakes he made in his past, is willing to change for the better.

Abilities:

Being a man who has spent most of his life within the military, Rowen is an extremely proficient and accomplished tactician and fighter, formerly the Chief of Staff of the Rashugal army.. His talents as a strategist and combatant earned him the nickname of "The Conductor" while in the service, due to how he magnifies his Spirit Artes using an ability the game defines as "Arte Tuning," that allows him to manipulate each art in ways others are not able to, using the rhythm of a dance from his hometown to aid in his channeling. As such, Rowen specializes in a variety of spells, and is a character notable for being able to use every except Dark. To help aid in this is an object called the Lilium Orb, which allows a person to develop their mana lobe and the abilities associated to it. I won't bother repeating the specifics since it's already been discussed in detail by the other applications you've read already. However, link the other members of his cast, he can also link up with other members of the party, and while tethered to another party member he's able to use his "Auto-Magic Guard" ability, which works as you'd expect: the ability, when activated, summons two shields to surround both he and the person he is tethered to, negating the damage from a magical-based attack.

In battle, he also excels in using the saber and throwing knives, though his speciality is still in his formidable Artes use. …He's pretty spry for a 62-year-old man, all told.

A list of his specific abilities can be found Here.

His other noteworthy accomplishment is that of being a published author—in the realm of apparently steamy love poetry. Though he'd prefer to pretend it didn't exist now that the years have passed and his poetry has (unfortunately) fallen into obscurity.

Other: N/A.

⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
First Person Sample:

Here and here are some samples from the test drive.

There's also this one though it doesn't meet the length standards.

Third Person Sample:

Being thrust into another world again. Will the excitement ever cease?

Not that he has any complaints about this world in particular, even if he has walked into more sudden rain showers than he can remember having in months of traveling. All that this emotion-fueled business has taught him is that he is in dire need of a proper umbrella (and to learn when to make a slight change in course when faced with those quick to anger). Here, you don't exactly get the luxury of an incantation or a channeling circle before the air itself it set abruptly on fire. There are signs, of course, and they can be profoundly (and often humorously) unsubtle depending on the personality involved, but when you are unused to seeing your emotions be made manifest in such a way, it still takes time to get used to. Though there is certainly something to be said of how infectious happiness can quite literally be here.

It's a fascinating thing to be sure, and he is learning how to take the effects of emotions into account in his interactions with this world and its people—as with himself and his companions, as well. He has much to learn, and is making his adjustments. Channeling, for instance, is familiar but not quite the same—though he certainly considers himself fortunate that they are able to make use of their Artes at all. One should not expect a place to conform with the rules that you yourself are used to, and at this point he wonders if this place has spirits at all. The exchange certainly doesn't feel the same and feels far less about making an exchange with a spirit as it is something else entirely.

Still, there's a part of him that's ashamed to admit he's at least to some degree glad for the sudden respite into a world that shows no signs of war. Glad to be temporarily away from the conflict and the promise of immense change that he is still determined to see through. Though the other part of him worries still, because back home, they did not truthfully have the ultimate luxury of time, and he knows the value of each second intimately, and even with assurances, he can't help but wonder if he is losing that time. He has seen lives taken away in the mere seconds it takes to breathe, and how easily a decision can turn the tide for both good and ill and knows better than to waste an advantage.

But now that they are here, they should at least try to make the most of it.

Questions: None.