hadriel application

[dragonsgrasp]

PLAYER
Player name: Lisa
Contact: vorpal
Characters currently in-game: N/A

CHARACTER
Character Name: Kain Highwind
Character Age: 21
Canon: Final Fantasy IV/Dissidia 012
Canon Point: After he goes to Mount Ordeals at the end of Final Fantasy IV and after falling in battle in Dissidia

History: Final Fantasy IV and Dissidia 012

Personality: Kain’s personality is summarized perfectly in his canon character description: “The solitary, gentle-souled dragon knight whose heart lies with the dragons.”

A loner by nature, Kain also keeps a lot of things to himself throughout the course of FFIV and Dissidia 012. Not even his best friend Cecil knows what's going on in his head as evidenced by Kain hiding his feelings for Rosa in IV. Kain keeps his secret for a very good reason… he actually cares deeply about his friends, and doesn’t want to hurt his friendships with Cecil or Rosa. He's also willing to isolate himself from his homeland and friends at the end of the game in order to strengthen himself on Mount Ordeals and atone. There's additionally a Dissidia scene in which Jecht implies that many people on their team were becoming worried about Kain’s solitary tendencies. The real motives behind his actions are often misunderstood, such as his seemingly-traitorous plan in Dissidia.

Although it can be a strength to be so independent, Kain’s habit of keeping his thoughts to himself can also be a huge weakness. He's more likely to seethe and obsess about something that bothers him than talk about it openly. He’s hard to figure out, misunderstood sometimes even by his closest friends. This can be a real disadvantage, because he’s much less stable mentally and emotionally than he appears to be. His secret instability leaves him vulnerable, and easily manipulated by those with stronger willpower if he isn't careful. For instance, Golbez was able to put Kain under mind control by manipulating his hidden, dark feelings toward his friends. Jealousy in particular has always been Kain's greatest downfall… he’s intensely envious of Cecil for having the King’s favor and being well-liked, as well as his relationship with Rosa. Kain is deeply ashamed by this mental weaknesses in particular. Since he won't be open about his problems, he never really gets the opportunity to confront or work through them. Instead, he just isolates himself further.

Kain's emotional repression makes him seem a very indifferent type of person, cold and even a bit intimidating. He’s serious, but on occasion comes out with dry, sarcastic remarks. Although he’s stoic on the surface, he’s also very prone to moments of somber contemplation underneath. This is where that whole “gentle-souled” part comes in. At the end of FFIV, Kain is seen standing on Mount Ordeals, being very pensive as he considers what lies ahead for him. It’s this brooding side that also makes him incredibly remorseful for his actions in FFIV. Despite the fact that he was mind-controlled into betraying his allies, Kain still largely blames himself for what happened. The guilt weighs upon him so heavily that he’s willing to do anything it takes to redeem himself.

Loyalty is a huge part of who Kain is, whether it’s to his allies or to some loftier concept (country, family honor, etc). A lot of this ties into his prideful side, as well. First of all, Kain is extremely proud of his heritage and nation; this pride makes him come across as a bit arrogant at times. As a child, he was known to brag about being the son of the Dragoons' Commander... and that's still a very important part of his identity. He cares deeply about his family honor: making his late father proud is one of his ultimate life goals. This strong sense of honor also again extends to close friends and allies. He's an unwavering, loyal supporter of whatever side he happens to be on. He comes barging in to defend Cecil against the King at the very beginning of IV, and is quick to join his cause when it looks as if their King is up to no good. In 012, Kain offers to stay behind and fight Exdeath on his own while the rest of his team goes on ahead to their next battle. In this moment, he displays his bravery, his loner tendencies yet again, but most importantly, his willingness to sacrifice himself for others. He will have your back in a battle, no matter what.

Speaking of fighting… Kain is at his most confident on the battlefield. He'll often insult and make sarcastic remarks to his enemies, more than willing to put them in their place as he feels they deserve. He thrives on rivalries, whether friendly or something more serious. Cecil, for instance, is both Kain’s best friend and his greatest rival. Kain also has several snarky exchanges with Exdeath in 012, a good example of an outright malicious rivalry. Fighting and training are how he spends most of his downtime and he’s very skilled in combat. Overall, Kain has the hardened attitude of a warrior, putting his duty above all else.

Kain’s stubborn side also especially shows up while fighting (though it can definitely be seen in non-combat areas too). If faced with a challenge he won't back down and sometimes overestimates his own capabilities. He pushes himself too much at times… twice in Dissidia he's nearly collapsing but still makes himself keep going. He's capable of enacting tactical battle-plans on his own or in collaboration with others, such as the fake-betrayal plan he and the Warrior of Light were involved in. He’s risen through the ranks of the Dragoons to Commander in IV, and shows himself to be very experienced at combat. There's often some element of risk-taking involved in Kain’s plans, and he’s the type who'd much rather take action through fighting than sit back and do nothing... especially if it means breaking free of a bad situation. This is seen in Dissidia (the fake betrayal and staying behind to battle Exdeath), and in IV (he helps battle Zemus despite the risk of being mind-controlled again). Kain also very much takes a “the end justifies the means" approach, not afraid to act in ways that might disturb others (or ruin his own reputation) in order to achieve something for the greater good. This can be seen in the original game when he jumps in to defend Cecil at the beginning, as well as in Dissidia when he enacts his plan to save his fellow warriors by pretending to betray them.

Kain lives with a constant struggle against his dark side. This amounts to a battle against emotional and mental darkness. In the game, he becomes almost a different person under Golbez's power, speaking his mind more, and being even more abrasive than usual. This side must literally be fought in his world, to be overcome. Because he has not done this task, it remains part of him... rather like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. “Alignmentally confused” is a great way to describe him. He wants so badly to do the right, good thing, but his flaws always being him up short of that ideal. He’s a conflicted individual, but one who won’t ever give up without a fight.

Inventory: He’s armed with a weapon, Abel’s Lance, and wearing dragoon armor (full suit of armor along with a draconic helm).


Abilities: Kain is physically very strong. He's a Dragoon, a knight class with a jumping ability. He spent his childhood and onward training in this fighting style, so he's very experienced. The air is Kain's element, and he dominates strongly over enemies of the sky. Jumping to great heights wielding heavy weaponry gives him an advantage over opponents on land as well. When he jumps, it allows him to evade some attacks. His main attacks include different variants of jumping, as well as throwing his lance or using it to create a Cyclone. He has a special desperation move called Ex Mode, which involves a temporary boost in power along with specialized attacks... of course, this extra powered mode wouldn't come into play very often, since it takes a lot of energy to unleash.

Kain is a fierce, determined warrior, and stubborn about winning his battles. In game he even challenges Cecil to a duel, to prove himself better in combat. His preferred weapon is the spear, and that's the one he primarily uses. He has passable skill with a sword, and is able to hold his own in a fist fight (in a flashback in the updated game, he threatens to beat Cecil up as a kid). Kain puts his duty as a fighter above everything else. Since he was in a commanding position, this means he has familiarity with battle tactics and strategies, as well as a leadership role.

Outside of battle, Kain is able to remain in the mountains for long stretches of time- and somehow live!- so he's rather skilled at survival in the wilderness. Since he's a dragoon from a long ancient line of them, he also has an innate connection to dragons. This skill allowed him to care for his father's dragon for a while after he'd died. Kain also has outstanding endurance, and is capable of pushing himself beyond points where many might give up. He can be a loyal companion, despite the problems in his past. He spoke up to defend Cecil against the false king, and even while under mind control, had an underlying need to keep Rosa close. Once a person has won his trust, he will support them through anything. He is also quite confident and prideful, with a strong sense of honor. Adhering to this honor is important to him, because it was his father's way as well. He doesn't back down from challenges, no matter the danger, and isn't afraid to use extreme measures to achieve his goals.


Flaws: Kain isn’t innately skilled with magic, and therefore his offense and defense in this area are both very low. This leaves him very vulnerable to magical attacks. Being covered in armor makes his defense particularly weak against lightning-element attacks, and since his main element is air, he doesn’t fare as well against earth-element. Fighting in closed quarters (such as the Phantom Train) can potentially limit him, since he can’t use his favored jump attacks as easily. He's especially weak against mind control and possession, as shown by the ease with which Golbez/Zemus invaded his mind. He’s also only human for all his great endurance, and often pushes himself much too hard in battle… especially when injured.

He’s much weaker mentally than he appears. His habit of keeping his thoughts to himself works against him more often than not. He's more likely to seethe and obsess about something than show it outright. He’s hard to figure out, even by his closest friends. This can be a real disadvantage, because he’s much less stable mentally and emotionally than he appears to be. His secret instability leaves him vulnerable, and easily manipulated if he isn't careful. He's deeply ashamed by all of these mental weaknesses. Since he won't be open about any of these problems, he never really gets the opportunity to confront or work through them. Instead, he tends to isolate himself.

Kain can seem to be quite intimidating and unapproachable. He sometimes taunts those he holds a low opinion of... especially when in a bad mood, or all out evil mode. For instance, he makes snide remarks at Cecil when their paths cross, while he's serving Golbez/Zemus. He generally seems condescending toward many of those he doesn't already consider a close friend, too, and who seemingly don't make a great impression on him- notably Edge when they first meet him. This trait is definitely more likely to make him enemies than friends.

Kain is tormented by guilt for past actions, which certainly weakens his emotional state. Jealousy in particular has always been Kain's greatest downfall. Indeed, it was this flaw which ultimately allowed Golbez to gain control over his mind. He also has a fondness for Rosa, which he prefers to remain quiet about. Even so, these feelings can be used against him. Kain lives with a constant struggle against his dark side. This amounts to a battle against emotional and mental darkness. In the game, he becomes almost a different person under Golbez's power- speaking his mind more, and being even more abrasive than usual. This side must literally be fought in his world, to be overcome. Because he has not done this task, his darkness remains part of him... rather like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. It’s this side which would get him pulled in.


SAMPLES
Action Log Sample: "I am at your side. We must face forward."

With these words Kain turned his attention upon the manikin horde awaiting them. He pushed back all the pain he was in, ignored the exhaustion and steadied his mind to the task at hand. They would fight and they would die today, here on this battlefield. He'd accepted that. As soon as he'd known the truth of this place he'd come to realize what must be done. Was it really worth regaining his memories, after all? Especially since every time he looked at Cecil or spoke with Golbez he was slowly beginning to have thoughts that disturbed him.

Truth. The more he knew of it, the less Kain wanted to know.

So he dashed away instantly, racing toward the inevitable as swiftly as the wind. He knew that Lightning would soon follow, to join the rest of them against the mindless attackers. Kain hurriedly targeted his first opponent. He sprang up and flipped through the air, slamming down from above to strike the manikin with Sky Rave.

Kain saw a flash of fire to his side: Yuna and her summoned creatures... Eidolons, his mind kept wanting to call them. Then just ahead of him a loud rattling of gunfire that could only mean Laguna. He saw Vaan and Tifa in the distance, burning and pummeling the enemies in their way. They were all here, those who were still awake. His allies. Comrades in arms. Maybe even... his friends. He'd thought carrying through his plan, labeling himself a traitor, would mean their connection severed forever. He hadn't wanted that. But he'd also felt it was what had to be done. Duty outweighed personal desire. Always.

Besides, somewhere in his mind... Kain believed he deserved to be called a traitor. There was something very wrong inside him. A dark feeling in a vague memory that pained him whenever it surfaced. He would have taken this fall alone. Perhaps he should have. He could have made them all sleep and do what he could by himself. He'd have shouldered the burden and repented for whatever it was because... because they all deserved better than this. They all should have made it through to fight again. Yet he knew he wouldn't have lasted this long without them here.

So the battle raged on. He leapt, stabbed, blocked, evaded and took blow after blow and still the foes kept coming. There was no end to them. Perhaps it was all in vain but he needed to believe otherwise. That the risk was worth it. But he knew he'd probably never find out.

A shout from a human- one of theirs- caught his attention. He didn't see them drop but he knew it was coming. For all of them. One more hit and he was done for. In the next instant, agonizingly, Kain's strength gave out. He collapsed and lay there with the last of his energy fading.

I apologize... Although for what or to who, Kain was no longer certain.