Niklas Gran

Niklas Gran
I serve Hydaelyn as her knight.
Azure Wind
Gender	Male
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Ala Mhigan
Age	25
Height	5'10"
Weight	DISCLOSED
Profession	Gran Knight/Paladin
Patron Deity	Oschon, the Wanderer
Server	Balmung

Niklas Geno Gran（ニクラス・ジーノ・グラン）Nikurasu Jino Guran, nicknamed Nik or Nick（ニック）Nikku, by friends, is a player character on the Balmung server. Niklas is a master swordsman from Ala Mhigo, which was invaded by the Garlean Empire. He is in fact half-Garlean, as he is ((STILL RECONSTRUCTING. WORK IN PROGRESS))

Appearance

History

Backstory

Niklas was raised by a Conjurer mother, Selene, and a Paladin father, Croix, and an in Ala Mhigo. He truly felt at home around nature, tending to the local animals. However, in the year 1557, when Nik was only 5, the Garleans invaded. Both of his parents died in front of him, as he was running away to safety. He absolutely loved how beautiful the rest of Eorzea is, but he was struggling to survive in it as well. Eventually he found his way to Coerthas, where he managed to eventually build himself a home and get his own food. When he was 20, he started hearing a voice pleading desperately for help, and he stumbled into a cave filled with Orichalon, a rare material. He brought it home, but when he did, he heard the voice again, and it was revealed to be coming from a small Miqo'te girl the same age as him, being captured by poachers. He set off to save the girl, also revealing that her tribe has abandoned her, and feeling sorry for the girl, adopted her as his sister, naming her Rena. After a while, Nik started working on forging his own sword from the Orichalon he found in the cave, while at the same time getting used to his new sibling. Once it was finished, he christened it Ragnell, and he & Rena set out for the rest of Eorzea.

Birth of a New Legacy (Sixth Astral Era)

He wandered around the land of Eorzea with Rena during the Sixth Astral Era, although he was sometimes hidden among the masses. He made several friends who decided to accompany him on his adventures, including Arthurioux Rigaud, a mixed-clan Elezen, Maetiraet Sterrwaeksyn, a Roegadyn Sea Wolf, Sarah Cornelia, a Hyur Midlander who was actually a Garlean noble. When Dalamud started to fall, and when Niklas and his group, the original Gran Knights, were invading Castrum Novum, Sarah betrayed them for Nael. The despair this brought on Niklas awakened a different side of him. During the Calamity, he and the Gran Knights were among the adventurers fighting for the Eorzean Alliance, Nik being an Immortal Flame. Niklas and his group mysteriously survived the Mega Flare from the Primal Bahamut, however they were all separated as a result. For five years, and for the first time in years, he was truly alone once more. Eventually, five years later, he started his adventures anew, taking himself all across the reborn realm, hoping to reunite with his old friends, and to make new ones as well.

New Beginnings in A Realm Reborn (Seventh Umbral Era)

Niklas arrived in Ul'dah one day, and discovered many things seem different, while others stayed the same. He found allies in Aaron Glacier, Xuri Tia, and many others. Along the way he reunited with his sister Rena, and his big and friendly Roegadyn Warrior, Maetiraet. Together, they formed the Gran Knights Free Company, heroes who help those in need. Their first challenge was taking care of some giant tortoises that have been terrorizing Scorpion Crossing, but they prevailed. They also did missions against the beast tribes, so they can prevent the beastmen from summoning their Primals to wreak havoc. They were among the many adventurers who defeated Gaius van Baelsar and the XIVth Legion, but Niklas still has an uneasy feeling.

Adventures with the Gran Knights and Arcadeus (Seventh Astral Era)

The Gran Knights are still handling the beast tribes, and also doing leves and guildhests. Niklas trained day and night for the day he and his knights were needed. One day, he thought he saw Sarah, the same person that betrayed them five years prior. Niklas has actually developed feelings for her, and knows that she is conflicted inside, but wants her to figure things out without his own interference. He also has feelings for Khrys Relanah, a Miqo'te he befriended during his adventures, eventually confessing his love for her. Eventually he decided to team Gran Knights up with Arcadeus, a larger and more experienced free company. While there, the leader and Nik's current mentor, Anelia Sadowyn, gave him the title of Azure Knight, acting as a sort of officer for the company, while still leading his own in the same estate as Arcadeus.

Finding Out His True Heritage (Gran and Cornelia - The Truth Unfolds)

One day, while he was in his room, he remembered that he had a picture of him as a baby with his parents. However the parent has a torn part in the upper right area of the picture, which is where his father was. Noticing that his physique is not the same as the father that he grew up with, he determined that the man who he grew up with in Ala Mhigo was not his true father. Ever since he has been trying to figure out who is his true father, looking for clues and the missing part of his picture which may unfold the father's identity. He is also searching for his Garlean ex-companion, Sarah, who hasn't been seen by him since the Calamity.

Personality

Niklas has a pure heart and a benevolent & compassionate nature (both inherited from his mother), hating war for the deaths, misery and agony it comes with. However, he has also shown to be quite arrogant and hot-blooded; some consider it a split personality, but in truth, he just gets excited and hyperactive. Some people would say that he is overconfident and immature, but that is not the case. When it calls for it, Nik can be much more mature than he normally is, and also much more serious.

True Self

Deep down, Nik has the qualities of an hardass, but he is still pure heart. He developed this personality from losing his parents and living by himself for 15 years. Despite the way he behaves, he always smiles when Rena is around, as she is like the little sister he never had.

Affiliations and Known Associates

Khrys Relanah (Close Friend): A Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te that Nik met one day on his adventures. She and Nik share many traits, as they are both pure-hearted, determined, and love to help others in need. They share feelings for one another, but they did not say "I love you" yet. They both realized this when Nik and Khrys, both wearing masks at the Harbingers' Masquerade Ball, danced. Afterwards, he saved Khrys from a crazy Roegadyn while they were dining at the Seventh Heaven in Revenant's Toll.

Anelia Sadowyn (Mentor, Neutral Standing): A Sultansworn Paladin that has taken Niklas as a pupil for him to learn the way of the Paladin. She was the one that recommended that Niklas reforge his sword, which was far from complete.

Aaron Glacier (Close Friends, Good Standing): An ex-pirate of the Glacial Wolf Pirates. Described as the lancer to Niklas, he found him in the Quicksand, and became one of the founding members of the Gran Knights, given the rank of First Tsurugi, making him Niklas's unofficial second-in-command. He may be stoic, but that overrides when he parties! Niklas also won a high-quality sword from him after defeating three golems at the same time, before Aaron could find his sword, as part of a "friendly" game. They have once fought before, beating Aaron twice, even when he was dual wielding, which brought him into moral depression and generated animosity in him towards Niklas, thus a rivalry was born, as Aaron seeks a rematch, but Niklas is worried about him. Later while at the Kobold stronghold, Niklas finally confronted Aaron on about his attitude and calling him weak, and then Niklas called him a pirate, which almost unfolded into a fight if it weren't for the intervention of S'imba Tia. While they fought their rematch, Niklas suddenly went berserk and attacked Aaron's girlfriend Nysa. Nik felt extremely bad for what he did, and realizing he also disrespected Aaron, he apologized to him and Nysa the next day, and for the first time, Aaron smiled at him. He has also helped Aaron get over him funk by punching the seven hells out of him, and breaking his Mailbreaker to knock some sense into him after they were both attacked by Nysarias Ylrah, who at that moment was consumed with aether and shortly after passed out. Eventually, after Aaron had ceruleum inside him, Nik experienced gradually worse shiver-like feelings, which was in fact his aether reacting with Aaron's Ceruleum. Fearing a realm-wide disaster, Aaron challenged Nik to a fight in order to kill him. Nik, hesistant to do so, accepted Aaron's challenge and they fought on the same waterfall as their first time. When Aaron started using his ice affinity, Nik countered with his fire affinity, eventually using his ultimate technique on Aaron. Nik did not wish to kill his close friend, even when he countered with his own ultimate technique. When Aaron, with both of them exhausted and barely able to move, scolded that Nik had the easy life, Nik was appalled and finally told Aaron of his dark past, of being alone for 15 years, yet finding happiness in Rena, and newfound comrades, but feeling sadness when they were separated during the Calamity. Nik took a different approach to his life than Aaron's, therefore he was able to smile, despite all that he has been through. Even though Aaron tried to kill him twice already, Nik still considers him his closest friend, and even like a brother he never had. Aaron even called Nik impossible to kill, because he managed to withstood his ultimate attack.

Rena Gran (Adopted Sister, Good Standing): Niklas's adopted Miqo'te-turned-Hyur little sister who was raised by a Seeker Tribe in the Sagolii and was saved by him from her bondage by poachers. Niklas and Rena's relationship are just like a brother-sister relationship. Rena thinks of Niklas as a true older brother, and Niklas truly cares for Rena and her safety. When they were reunited, they were both overcome with joy. Even though sometimes Rena annoys him, Nik knows that is just her way of loving him.

Inessa Hara (Good Standing): (TO BE ADDED)

Talyn Shadowmoon (Good Standing): A female Hyur Midlander that Niklas found in the streets near the Quicksand. She is an aspiring thief and assassin, and one of Niklas's best friends. She stayed with the Gran Knights for a while before leaving, but not before Niklas christened her an Honorary Knight and gave her the task of spying on the Regnum Garlemald.

S'imba Tia (Good Standing): An energetic Mi'qote and a friend of Aaron and Niklas. He was accompanied by them during a visit to the Kobold stronghold. He slipped off the edge and Niklas tried to rescue him, but he couldn't and Aaron called him weak in return, causing an argument to erupt. S'imba returned and stopped them before they fought, just in time. Before leaving though, Niklas asked S'imba how much does he truly know Aaron.

Rutu Tutu (Good Standing): A flirtatious Lalafell that guided her sister all the way from Gridania to meet her brother once again. As such, Niklas holds high respect for him, despite his questionable flaws and habits.

Iron Sea (Good Standing): A Hellsguard Roegadyn that fought with Niklas against the Crows when his sister Rena was kidnapped by them. He told Nik that he can't stay in his friend's shadows, and encourages him to look for new mentors to better himself.

Characteristics

• Nicknames: Nik
• Age: 25
  • Nameday: 15th Sun of 1st Astral Moon, 1552
• Gender: Male
  • Sexuality: Heterosexual
  • Marital Status: Single
• Alignment: Neutral Good
• Height: 5 fulms and 10 ilms, which is tall for the Hyur Midlander
• Weight: 150 ponz
• Body: Toned, due to physical training
• Hair: Dark blue hair
• Eyes: Azure blue eyes
• Skin: Medium tan
• Clothing:
  • Primary (Armor 1): Midnight blue armor, fingerless gloves, jeans, and small boots.
  • Secondary (Armor 2): Valor Paladin armor
  • Tertiary (Casual): Same as Primary, but with undershirt instead of chestpiece.
  • He wears many other casual outfits and armors as well.
• Voice: Yuichi Nakamura (Japanese, voices Thancred and male Hyur), David Matranga (English, voices Genjyo Sanzo and Tomoya Okazaki)

Likes

• His Friends
• Peace
• Nature
• Kind People
• Eorzea

Dislikes

• Ascians
• Most Garleans
• War
• Deception
• People that do not understand him

Areas of Expertise

• Martial: Paladin (not officially)
• Crafting: Blacksmith (not that good)
• Other:

Strengths

• He also uses his shield at times, giving him a better defense.
• His training has made him more nimble and fast even in his armor.
• He has a pure heart, which means he will never do evil deeds.
• From training every day, Niklas has developed a strong body and muscles.
• He is attuned with his forged blade Gran Ragnell, and with Anelia's training, endows him with greater swordsmanship.

Weaknesses

• He is afraid of needles. Show him a needle and Nik will go ballistic.
• He tries to hold back, so that he does not go too far and kill his opponent when he spars.
• He is too proud and is not good with humility.
• He gets angry real fast when someone close to him gets hurt.
• When his emotions get out of control, he becomes a hard-to-control berserker.

Other Notes

Religion

Niklas doesn't actually have a religion.

Quirks

• Niklas is not fond of wine. He once got drunk after he drank a whole bottle.
• Niklas is not the smoothest when it comes to women. He gets nervous and heats up inside.
• Niklas is not that fond of riding in vehicles, preferring to ride on his chocobo, Choco.
• He carries an oak flask made by his Garlean friend, Sarah, which he holds dear.
• His middle name, Geno, is named after the first of the Gran swordsman, Geno Gran, which is Nik's ancestor.

Equipment

Gran Ragnell, modeled after Curtana

Gran Ragnell Modeled after Curtana: Niklas uses his own forged sword made from Orichalcon that he found in a cave in Coerthas. He modeled this sword after his father's Curtana replica, giving it the name Ragnell. Later in his travels, after getting a recommendation from Anelia Sadowyn, he sent Ragnell to a mastersmith that he knew before the Calamity to reforge it for him, also getting a matching shield for him to use, giving the reforged sword the name, Gran Ragnell. He is currently unable to wield it properly since it was reforged, so he is training from scratch again to master his newfound blade.

Ettard Cobalt Winglet: A winglet blade Niklas carries as a backup in the case that he cannot or does not use Gran Ragnell. He does not use this sword as often as Gran Ragnell, as it does not have the same power and attunement to Nik as the latter.

Amaterasu Mailbreaker: A Mailbreaker given to Nik by Aaron before a Grindstone tournament. He named it Amaterasu, which is the Japanese sun goddess usually represented as a white wolf, in respect to the man that gave it to him, who names his swords after wolves. In addition to using this sword as a secondary blade, he can also dual wield it with Gran Ragnell in case he can't use his sword or if the moment calls for it.

Combat

Niklas fights using a unique style of swordsmanship made up by himself, with some Paladin techniques learned from Anelia, fighting as a tank/DPS hybrid of sorts. He tanks by using his shield to cover himself and his comrades, and he damages his enemies by using his sword in conjunction. His training has made him nimble and allows him to move more quickly no matter how heavily armored he may be, allowing him to fight on par with lightly or unarmored opponents. Sometimes he dual wields both Gran Ragnell and Ettard together if he is without a shield.

Special Techniques

With his unique fighting style, he has developed several special techniques that he uses to aid himself and others in battle, either using his blade, magic, or both for each.

• Gran Strike （グラン・ストライク）: Nik's main technique that he made himself, he rushes at the enemy with his sword and shield, rampaging as he attacks everywhere before finishing it off with a grand overhead slash.

Rumours

The following rumours can be heard about Niklas, predominantly in Ul'dah. (If your character has an opinion about him, feel free to add it here.)

Common rumours

• "Walking one is very pure. These ones are happy that the Elder one was saved" -Sylphs
• "He helps the Brass Blades and the Immortal Flames with issues within the wall of Ul'dah, like with bandits. -Female Hyur commoner
• "I heard that kid and his friends protected western Thanalan from those giant rampaging turtles one time! -Male commoner

Uncommon rumours

• "That hero-whore keeps stopping us in our tracks! He is just too strong!" -Bandit
• "That blue-eyed fellow is a nice guy. He always wants to have a good time, especially when it's stopping those crooks." -Flame Captain
• "Why does he call that weird little Miqo'te his sister? I don't understand." -Random commoner

Rare rumours

• "I think he is from that place Ala Mhigo. -Merchant
• "Who is that guy?! I don't think he's even Hyuran!" -Head bandit

What PCs are saying

• "He's....certainly interesting, I'll give him that. Really wanted a cape for some reason. Quite eccentric too." Franz Renatus
• "Pretty sure he cheated in a contest of riddles once. I hope he really needed that gil 'f he was willin' t'deceive fer it..." X'unmei Noh
• "I tried to kill him, twice. As you can see. . . It's harder than it looks apparently." Aaron Glacier
• "He claims he didn't cheat during that contest, but.. I find that hard to believe when someone can answer complex riddles and doesn't know what 'coitus' means. I just hope he has the right mind to put that money to good use rather than use it for selfish means." - Cyrus Mulano
• "The boy calls himself a knight, though I don't recall ever seeing him in the training all. Free he may be, but I would not call him Paladin." - Coatleque Crofte
• "N-Nik has a big heart! H-He is strong, kind, a-and very sweet..!" - Khrys Relanah

Known Haunts

You might have run into or otherwise know Niklas from:

• Seeing him with his group before the Calamity before.
• Hearing of a silver-haired knight helping Eorzeans in need.
• Seeing him compete at the Grindstone.
• Hearing of the Gran Knights' deeds.

OOC Inspirations

I based Niklas off the Warrior of Light from Dissidia, since I liked his personality, and I wanted to create a heroic-oriented Hyur Midlander character. Niklas is the Swedish form of my real name, Nicholas, and his surname, Gran, is a pun on the word, Grand.

Gallery

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References

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