godshattering | info - spoiler warnings for three houses / not up to date with three hopes yet

QUICK INFO

NAME: Khalid, prince of Almyra
BETTER KNOWN AS: Claude von Riegan
BIRTHDATE: 24th of the Blue Sea Moon, Imperial Year 1162 (July 24th)
AGE: 23-24
CANON: Fire Emblem: Three Houses
CANON POINT: Verdant Wind, post-timeskip (other routes and post-game on request!)

HISTORY

After being announced as the legitimate heir to House Riegan by his grandfather, Claude went to Garreg Mach Monastery to attend the Officers Academy in Imperial Year 1180. There he was quick to throw himself into learning all he could about his new homeland - not that his classmates knew he'd only recently started calling Fódlan home - and observed everything that he could. He quickly became known as a schemer, a trickster with any number of plans up his sleeve, and was regarded with some curiosity for going against the grain. Of particular interest to him was the new professor, Byleth, who chose to lead the Golden Deer house after seemingly also appearing out of nowhere. He was determined to uncover their past as one event after another made it clear they were not who they seemed to be, but Fódlan fell into war before he could find his answers.

When Garreg Mach fell, Claude returned to the Leicester Alliance and began preparing to take over for his grandfather who soon passed away not long after. From there, he walked the fine line of balancing the nobles, developing wartime plans, and running the Alliance as best he could until five years passed and he decided to honor a promise made with his classmates in simpler days. Returning to the monastery upon the day of the Millennium Festival happened to be the same day Byleth reappeared, and their old alliance was forged once again.

War meant losses of loved ones and former friends. The costs on all sides were extreme, and by the time the Golden Deer emerged victorious Claude was the only former house leader left still alive. All expected him to step forward as the first king of the now United Kingdom of Fódlan. But at the end of the war, Claude signed the lands of the Leicester Alliance back over to the new kingdom, resigned as duke and left Fódlan with little to no warning. His friends were stunned by what seemed like an abrupt change in Claude's future. Hadn't his plan been to unite the land and rule?

Well, yes - but not for Fódlan alone. Unbeknownst to his former classmates, Claude grew up in the nearby country of Almyra. His father was the reigning king and his mother a former noble from House Riegan. Together, they raised a son determined to tear down the walls no matter how difficult it may be.

first impressions

VISUAL: Just about 5'9" in height. Build-wise he's more of a wiry strength due to a somewhat slender frame, but is deceptively physically strong thanks to muscles built from years of training and combat (and using bows basically the size of him) and won't hesitate to use that perceived lack of strength to his advantage to surprise an opponent. Has brown hair that curls considerably more when it's cut shorter and green eyes, and generally friendly body language if not rather closed off when one really looks closely. Has several scars on his hands, arms, and other places generally hidden by shirts and jackets mostly from combat and a few more from assassination plots, and many calluses from wielding bows over the years. He commonly dresses in clothes tailored with Almyran accents (post-time skip concept art / Fire Emblem Heroes Legendary Claude) and has a class exclusive to him, Barbarossa. He tends to wear yellows, golds, and greens when wearing casual clothing, and wears gloves or gauntlets only when training or in battle. Claude carries a bow when traveling or going into battle but has also been known to carry a sword. He might also have a dagger hidden in one of his boots more often than not.

AURAL: Tends to speak in a calm, even tone in order to not betray his true feelings when speaking on any serious topic or trying to make a point, and is often heard joking around more often than anything else. Sarcasm is often present and anyone is a fair target for it. Claude can move with stealth when he chooses to in order to eavesdrop or sneak up on someone in his never ending attempts to gather information that might be useful.

For a voice sample, see here: Fire Emblem Three Houses / Fire Emblem Heroes.

OLFACTORY: Bow oil if recently training or fighting, extinguished candle smoke, tea, coffee, and ink if caught up late studying documents or reading; and otherwise faintly like pine needles from soaps he brought with him from home.

DEMEANOR: The best description of Claude is one given not long after meeting him in FE3H: "His easy smile is striking, but that smile doesn't reach his eyes." Claude tends to hold others at arms' length while examining them (either openly or not) until he makes up his mind about them. He has no shame in using someone to meet his desired ends, and is charismatic enough to potentially manipulate a situation without the other person fully realizing it. That smile is always at the ready, though it might turn into a real one if he discovers a shared viewpoint with whoever he's interacting with.

Personality

Charming, but rarely for anything beyond surface deep as it's a method to get answers to his questions and to disarm whoever he's around. Flippant and easygoing 90% of the time though the gears are usually churning underneath it, leading others to keep their guard up around him lest they be lulled into a false sense of security. Never met a puzzle he didn't like. Intensely distrustful and keeps others at arms' length though it's disguised beneath friendliness or casual indifference to stay a few steps ahead. Keeps secrets and enjoys hoarding them. Fairly idealistic despite it all, but won't hesitate to remind others of the current realities. Prone to hiding his real feelings beneath several layers of joking or diverting the conversation to take focus off of him. Always has a contingent plan for his contingent plan. Can be swayed into doing something with the promise of a feast (or just a lavish meal). Never turns down a conversation about tactics or a chance to cause mischief, with extra interest added if it can involve one of his many homemade poisons to help keep things interesting. Cares greatly for anyone under his command or supervision and values their lives over all else.

Abilities

— archery
A skilled archer since childhood, Claude's favored weapon is a bow of any kind though he is also proficient with swords. After becoming Duke Riegan in the events of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, began to carry the Hero's Relic Failnaught into battle.

— magic (spell casting)
Reason is black/dark and anima magic in Fódlan. Its most common use is in battle to either damage or knock out an opponent.
✧ Spells known: Wind, Sagittae, Cutting Gale
Faith is white/light magic in Fódlan and commonly heals who it is directed towards, but may also damage an opponent while healing the user if used offensively.
✧ Spells known: Heal, Nosferatu, Recover

— minor crest of riegan
Believed to be blessings from the Fódlan goddess, Sothis, and carried down through bloodlines, Crests grant special powers to those who have them. When using a combat skill tied to a bow in game, this Crest provides a chance for health (HP) recovery based on a percentage of damage done. Anywhere else, this will be reflected as injuries healing quickly and/or leaving no scars.

— poisons
Skilled at creating a variety of mild poisons - generally meant to give someone a temporary setback and nothing more, but knows stronger varieties if needed. Learned this skill as a child working on his schemes (and after being poisoned himself), and can learn to adapt the ingredients to wherever he's located.

— swords
In addition to archery, Claude was trained in combat from a young age and is proficient to talented with a sword. Knows several combat arts as a result of continuing to study while at Garreg Mach under Byleth's guidance. The Sword of Begalta is tied to the Crest of Riegan, and Claude can either have it on hand or simply have "regular" swords.

— wyvern rider
Has a white wyvern from Almyra. No canon info given on it, but it's usually assumed he raised the wyvern himself. Wyvern riding is a rite of passage in Almyra, and the image linked is for Claude's exclusive lord class post-timeskip in FE3H.

MISC INFO

— basic personality tropes & descriptions
⇁ Beneath The Mask
⇁ Breaking Old Trends
⇁ The Chessmaster
⇁ Good Is Not Soft
⇁ Had To Be Sharp
⇁ Hidden Depths
⇁ Jerk With A Heart Of Gold
⇁ Master Poisoner
⇁ Nerves Of Steel
⇁ Obfuscating Stupidity
⇁ Rebellious Spirit
⇁ Safety In Indifference
⇁ Stealth Expert

— family
▸ Tiana von Riegan - mother
▸ King of Almyra (unnamed) - father
▸ Several half siblings - also unnamed
▸ Oswald von Riegan - grandfather (deceased)
▸ Godfrey von Riegan - uncle (deceased)

— resources
⇁ fe datamine
⇁ fe fandom wiki - claude

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