Post by Xander Niklaus on Aug 13, 2008 22:13:37 GMT -6
Picture: 
Alias: Living Forest Alchemist
Name: Xander Niklaus
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Weight: 180 lbs
Height: 6' 1”
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Brown
Personality: Xander has a very quiet personality. He seems to be standoffish, but is very friendly and kind when people get to know him, astounding others with his intellect at times. Fighting in the war, Xander grew relatively cold and heartless, allowing him to be the “dog of the military” that he was trained to be. A bad habit learned during this time was to not always answer verbally, but through his actions. Due to his fighting, Xander has troubles wearing his emotions on his sleeve. This usually leads to him not knowing how to express himself, and resulting in a friendly smile. Xander is also a very patient person, even more so now then he was during the war and has regained his once lost unusual sense of humor. His favorite things in life include dogs, growing vegetation, and books(novels, comics, you name it).
Physical Description: Xander has a semi-muscular build. He practices and trains as much as he can through activities such as basketball, baseball, soccer, yoga, kendo and fencing. These exercises help to keep Xander in good shape and keep him flexible and dexterous. Xander is not a fan of keeping clean-shaven, so most of the time is seen with a rough stubble.
Because of a logging accident when he was younger, Xander lost both his right arm and left leg. Both have since been replaced by Automail. His Automail hand has an Organic array etched on the back and a Basic array etched on the palm. These arrays are tattooed in the same fashion on his left hand.
Xander's on duty outfit is the typical State Military uniform, worn in a more casual feel when not required to be proper. This includes unbuttoning the jacket to varying degrees, rolling up the sleeves, and leaving it completely unbuttoned. Off duty, he wears typical semi-casual clothes.
History: Xander grew up in a village southeast of Central. His family owned land just outside the city limits, where their family logging business was located. Around age 14, Xander was helping out with the logging when something went horribly wrong. He was preparing to move a tree with the horses, fixing the tangled ropes between the two, when a tree being cut down fell at an awkward angle, hitting another tree and breaking it. The horses got spooked from the horrible noise and jolted forward, pulling Xander down to a laying position and trapping his right arm. The broken tree landed on Xander's left leg, completely destroying it, and causing the horses to jolt again. This jolt, as his luck had been going, ripped off his right arm. He blanked out due to the tremendous shock of the situation, waking up a few days later. Upon waking, he realized that he had been given Automail limbs for the ones lost. Knowing that his family didn't have the kind of money to pay for it and for their own health, Xander felt a deeper feeling of love than ever felt for his family, vowing to pay them back in every way that he possibly could. During the time he was told to rest, Xander read up on Alchemy. Everything he could find, from the basics to the history, to possible feats and taboos.
Once he was able to work again, Xander started learning his organic type of alchemy. His father taught him the basics of this style, showing how to apply the teachings to the trees that are cut down by the logging. After Xander got comfortable with the basics, his father explained a general way to advance this alchemy, but was told that “this alchemy is as fluctuating in its uses as how vegetation itself grows and adapts.” Taking his father's teachings to heart, Xander worked on his methods for a number of years, finding out many things along the way, most notably that a transmutation array doesn't stand much of a chance of lasting for more than one attempt when its on paper, and that “losing” important items (such as an Automail arm) can happen when experimenting with alchemy.
Feeling confident with himself, he headed to Central to try and become a State Alchemist. He arrived and worked a little more on his abilities, ultimately going for the exam and failing in the practical exam. Feeling defeated, Xander spent two years studying and training even more, trying to perfect his abilities as best he could. Trying once again, Xander finished the exam, disappointed and feeling like he failed the practical exam again, only to find out he passed! He guessed he was selected because of his combination of Basic and Organic alchemy to create a botanical garden, using a nearby tree to move some rocks into a ring, then using another tree to create common and popular vegetation from their country, ranging from the desert to the marsh. This earned him the title “Living Forest Alchemist.”
Not long after being accepted into the military, Xander was pulled into the Ishballan War. While not one of the initial soldiers, he was brought in quite early, causing him to see the true horrors that war could cause. The horrors seen at their highest when he participated in the overnight extermination of the rebel forces. Xander was promoted to Lt. Colonel and, while being moved around a good deal, has been stationed at South Headquarters for the most part.
Other: While being quite proficient with Basic Alchemy, Xander specializes in an alchemy that is targeted at organic life. This specialization includes manipulating trees, grass, creating simple weapons and protection, and creating simple poisons and antidotes.
Alias: Living Forest Alchemist
Name: Xander Niklaus
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Weight: 180 lbs
Height: 6' 1”
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Brown
Personality: Xander has a very quiet personality. He seems to be standoffish, but is very friendly and kind when people get to know him, astounding others with his intellect at times. Fighting in the war, Xander grew relatively cold and heartless, allowing him to be the “dog of the military” that he was trained to be. A bad habit learned during this time was to not always answer verbally, but through his actions. Due to his fighting, Xander has troubles wearing his emotions on his sleeve. This usually leads to him not knowing how to express himself, and resulting in a friendly smile. Xander is also a very patient person, even more so now then he was during the war and has regained his once lost unusual sense of humor. His favorite things in life include dogs, growing vegetation, and books(novels, comics, you name it).
Physical Description: Xander has a semi-muscular build. He practices and trains as much as he can through activities such as basketball, baseball, soccer, yoga, kendo and fencing. These exercises help to keep Xander in good shape and keep him flexible and dexterous. Xander is not a fan of keeping clean-shaven, so most of the time is seen with a rough stubble.
Because of a logging accident when he was younger, Xander lost both his right arm and left leg. Both have since been replaced by Automail. His Automail hand has an Organic array etched on the back and a Basic array etched on the palm. These arrays are tattooed in the same fashion on his left hand.
Xander's on duty outfit is the typical State Military uniform, worn in a more casual feel when not required to be proper. This includes unbuttoning the jacket to varying degrees, rolling up the sleeves, and leaving it completely unbuttoned. Off duty, he wears typical semi-casual clothes.
History: Xander grew up in a village southeast of Central. His family owned land just outside the city limits, where their family logging business was located. Around age 14, Xander was helping out with the logging when something went horribly wrong. He was preparing to move a tree with the horses, fixing the tangled ropes between the two, when a tree being cut down fell at an awkward angle, hitting another tree and breaking it. The horses got spooked from the horrible noise and jolted forward, pulling Xander down to a laying position and trapping his right arm. The broken tree landed on Xander's left leg, completely destroying it, and causing the horses to jolt again. This jolt, as his luck had been going, ripped off his right arm. He blanked out due to the tremendous shock of the situation, waking up a few days later. Upon waking, he realized that he had been given Automail limbs for the ones lost. Knowing that his family didn't have the kind of money to pay for it and for their own health, Xander felt a deeper feeling of love than ever felt for his family, vowing to pay them back in every way that he possibly could. During the time he was told to rest, Xander read up on Alchemy. Everything he could find, from the basics to the history, to possible feats and taboos.
Once he was able to work again, Xander started learning his organic type of alchemy. His father taught him the basics of this style, showing how to apply the teachings to the trees that are cut down by the logging. After Xander got comfortable with the basics, his father explained a general way to advance this alchemy, but was told that “this alchemy is as fluctuating in its uses as how vegetation itself grows and adapts.” Taking his father's teachings to heart, Xander worked on his methods for a number of years, finding out many things along the way, most notably that a transmutation array doesn't stand much of a chance of lasting for more than one attempt when its on paper, and that “losing” important items (such as an Automail arm) can happen when experimenting with alchemy.
Feeling confident with himself, he headed to Central to try and become a State Alchemist. He arrived and worked a little more on his abilities, ultimately going for the exam and failing in the practical exam. Feeling defeated, Xander spent two years studying and training even more, trying to perfect his abilities as best he could. Trying once again, Xander finished the exam, disappointed and feeling like he failed the practical exam again, only to find out he passed! He guessed he was selected because of his combination of Basic and Organic alchemy to create a botanical garden, using a nearby tree to move some rocks into a ring, then using another tree to create common and popular vegetation from their country, ranging from the desert to the marsh. This earned him the title “Living Forest Alchemist.”
Not long after being accepted into the military, Xander was pulled into the Ishballan War. While not one of the initial soldiers, he was brought in quite early, causing him to see the true horrors that war could cause. The horrors seen at their highest when he participated in the overnight extermination of the rebel forces. Xander was promoted to Lt. Colonel and, while being moved around a good deal, has been stationed at South Headquarters for the most part.
Other: While being quite proficient with Basic Alchemy, Xander specializes in an alchemy that is targeted at organic life. This specialization includes manipulating trees, grass, creating simple weapons and protection, and creating simple poisons and antidotes.
