Klaut Nickolas Rosefield

Riflemaster Klaut Nickolas Rosefield (a.k.a. The Rough Rider)

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Klaut is an aging man that, like a lot of dwarves, is of an overweight and short but robust stature. He has notably worn skin with age patches all over, especially on his shoulders and back. Despite being in his mid-50s, he already shows signs of aging such as a bad back and knees, low stamina, and poor hearing. Most of his less than stellar physical traits can be attributed to his moderate obesity, serving in the army, and his habit of smoking a pipe.

Body Features

Klaut has body features that fall in line with the average Bylian dwarf, save for an above-average height for a dwarf. However, he does retain the typical robust physique of dwarves and much like others in his race has issues maintaining a slim shape.

Facial Features

Klaut has an upside-down egg-shaped head generally with a straight cut mustache resembling that of a walrus. He also has a full beard covering the lower half of his face with round cheeks and a rounded nose tip. By default, he typically has a very contented smile on his face which reflects his approachable personality. He also has tan lines around his eyes, because he wears goggles very often.

Identifying Characteristics

Klaut is very much an apt representation of the dwarven race. He would not exactly stand out in a crowd in terms of appearances, but what is his most identifying trait is the way he carries himself. Klaut has very jovial mannerisms, always with a smile on his face and an arm resting on his belly or held before it holding either his pipe or trusty walking stick/rifle. He stands with a straight back, and chest (and gut) thrust forward making him look quite confident but also friendly.

Physical quirks

Klaut has several physical quirks, most of which related to how his body is generally in bad shape. The most notable one is a limp, which is why his main rifle is custom built to serve as a cane to support his bad leg, an old war injury. He also has very shaky hands, another war injury form being shellshocked in the past.

Apparel & Accessories

Klaut, being an influential political figure dresses very formally. He generally wears brown pants with brown shoes, a white shirt with a brown undercoat, and a darker brown jacket. He has a silver chain of a pocket watch running across his belly, looping over one of his undercoats' buttons, and wears a black tie under his undercoat. The shirt cuffs poke out under the sleeves of his jacket which feature gold cufflinks.
He almost always has an eye covering off sorts. He typically wears thin, rounded glasses with well-groomed short hair that is swept to the left with a balding spot on the back of his head.
Unsurprisingly, he dresses very differently when he expects there will be a fight. In that case, he will still try to retain his formal look, but instead of glasses, he will wear a full helmet and goggles to avoid getting dust and gunpowder in his eyes. He will also replace his jacket with body armor and roll up his sleeves up to his elbows. His body armor has 5 slots for weapons and even more places for ammo. He will carry his typical cane rifle but also a shotgun and 4 pistols. He will also replace his shoes with boots and his brown pants with green cargo pants.

Specialized Equipment

Klaut's "thundercane" is essentially one of the earliest, if not the very first weapons made to be fired with one hand while also being capable of shooting more than once. It uses an intricate system of springs, gears, and locks to load bullets from the magazine into the firing chamber while resetting the firing pin with just the turn of a gear next to the trigger (called a gearlock system).
Whether it is the first multi-shot weapon ever is up for debate, as the famous dwarven engineer Andrei and even the much older engineer Natascha Valentinovich have created weapons potentially capable of the same. Kat's pistol has stood the test of time and is suspected to be made by Natascha Valentinovich.
It is however undisputed that thundercane is the first fully-fledged sniper rifle because it is known that Kat created her scope much later after Klaut made his long-range scope. Thundercane has an effective range of up to 750 meters (whereas most rifles at the time capped out at 100-350 meters) and was extremely accurate for a weapon of its time. It was, however, also quite heavy which forced Klaut to use both hands or keep aiming very brief.
Thundercane was also unique in the fact it was the first rifle to have a double trigger system. One trigger was located close to the stock, allowing it to be fired quickly even when still being used as a sniper rifle. The second trigger was much closer to the firing system itself, allowing it to also be held like an ordinary rifle.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Klaut's story is told in several short chapters:

Chapter 1: The only way to go

Klaut's story begins truly in his mid-20s when he already had a wife, stable job, and social circle. He was always a good man, working hard to provide for his wife who, at the time, was not allowed to do any factory work under the conservative Bylian government. They were like the typical couple at the time, highly romantically committed which led to them conceiving a child by accident. "The best accident that can happen to a man." his wife would say at the time.

Their child was born, a girl that they named Sarah. Now having a daughter to take care of, Klaut's dedication to work and family increased. He did everything to keep them safe. He would spend his weekdays working hard to earn the money his family deserved and his weekend playing with his daughter and looking after his weary wife. To him, his life could not be better.

Of course, from the peak, the only way to go is down. His daughter fell victim to an illness sweeping the city and was taken away from him just before the coldest winter Bylyn ever had. He began drinking, smoking, and eating poorly. His positive attitude began to melt away and all that was left was a strong sense of guilt and self-loathing. He blamed himself for what had happened to Sarah and would not let it go.

A few years later, due to his increasingly belligerent behavior due to the drinking, his wife also left him and his boss fired him not soon after. Klaut had to move into a small apartment because he just couldn't turn his life around anymore and spiraled deeper and deeper into self-medicating.

After a few years of misery, Bylyn declared war in Gloomshade and millions joined the army to fight Spectre. In Klaut's eyes, joining the military had no drawbacks; he could earn a living and there was a solid chance he would not survive because at this point Klaut had no desire anymore to live. He signed up and was sent off to fight Spectre, despite his ex telling him not to.

During the war, his entire platoon was butchered and it was here where Klaut reached his lowest point; by playing dead right next to the corpse of one of his newest friends, Klaut could survive the butchering his platoon endured. He spent a while in disbelief of what he had done when he was hit by another wave of self-loathing, and memories of what he had lost. He was going to die here, but he would do so with dignity.

He marched towards Spectre's stronghold where he ran into 3 other misfits: Tower, Blaze, and Viktor whom he never would have guessed would become his best friends. They stormed the stronghold together and by the will of the Vanguard, or in defiance of it they beat Spectre. Klaut may have lost everything but he had met new friends. He had written history. He had saved his country from spectre. Without him, thousands would have lost their daughter, so perhaps he did have a place in this world after all.

Him, Tower, Viktor, and Blaze were knighted into the first immortals for stopping the most brutal dictator of Jeslore. Upon returning home, he apologized dearly to his wife and over time won her back.

"From the top, the only way to go is down, but from the bottom, rest assured the only way to go is up."

Chapter 2: Confident Assertions

After the war, Klaut had dipped his toes into politics and with his status as the greatest hero of Bylyn, he certainly had the influence to begin changing Bylyn for the better. At the time, Bylyn was moderately conservative; while gays and lesbians, and women did have rights, there was still immense amounts of discrimination with no protection from the government.

Klaut joined a major party, otherwise known as the Rational Conservative Committee was ecstatic to welcome him in their part, not aware of the fact that one day he would be its de facto leader. Unsurprisingly he quickly climbed the ranks and was pitted against one of the more regressive candidates as opposition. Klaut was always decent at improvising so the debate went well for him.

Klaut's political career was faster than any other career in Jeslorian history. He became an ambassador in only half a year and was up for elections within the first year of becoming a public official.

It did not take long however for his detractors to begin vilifying him. He noticed that a common line of play was to ask for trust or attempt to undermine any sort of criticism, which he was very much bothered by. The political climate was beginning to get more heated as the election season approached, and to make things worse, due to the eruption of a volcano a lot of farmland was destroyed and cities had to deal with handing out aid on top of said farmers seeking refuge in the city.

Like many, Klaut was not opposed to dwarves seeking shelters and would give out aid to help rebuild said farmlands. His opponents on the other hand would rather have had the farmers stand by in their homes and argued that aid would not only be bad for the economy but also reduce the incentive for the farmers to work hard as they would become reliant on handouts. On top of that, there was the conflict over what to do with nature preserves going up in flames.

At the time, the Bylian President was very much in the same camp as the latter party. He would very frequently ask people to trust them before making statements, especially when attacking opponents. Undaunted and with very limited campaign founding, Klaut ran for Bylian presidency, promising to offer aid and shelter to the farmers hit by the catastrophe and have "Het Byliaans Roosevelt Natcionalen Parcken Projeckt" (Rosefield Bylian National Park Project), a project to fortify the remaining nature preserves to protect endangered animals against the now more frequent volcanic eruptions.

Klaut won by quite the landslide. Leaving the sitting president in the dust with a 30% gap in votes. He was sworn in and set his plans into motion during the very first week of his presidency while maintaining good relations with his friends in the immortals and, despite being a president, still going on missions frequently.

"No one confident in their assertions will ask you to stand by them."

Chapter 3: Judged By Their Actions

Klaut was one of the few politicians to die in battle, and very much the first president. This was because he insisted on joining the immortals on the mission that would be their downfall, he would not turn their back on them. So he joined, and he ended up giving his life to helping the citizens of Goldshade escape as hostiles swarmed the city. He had reached a morbid but somehow familiar point again, where he knew he was going to die. Unlike last time, however, he was not alone, he was not scared, and he had no loose ends. He had lived a fulfilling life and he was not sad it came to an end but happy that he was given a second chance.

So he turned to the enemy with his closest friend Viktor by his side and held them back for as long as he could. A story of misery and darkness came to an end. Even saving the entire continent, improving the country he loved by a significant amount, and winning the love of his life back could not return his daughter to him. Sarah was gone, but he now had Tower, Sylvia, Blaze, and Viktor in his life whom he loved just as much. It was a family, one he didn't choose to have, but that was exactly why he knew he could never let them go. Not because he had to fill a gap in his life or pay his dues. Just because it was the right thing to do.

"It is but one thing to know what is righteous, but a person is judged by their actions."

Chapter 4: The Life You Are Remembered For

Thousands of years after the fatal incursion, the immortals were brought back by an ill-intentioned plot to weaponize ancient heroes. They all had to adapt to a new era of computers, guns, and political unrest. A world where war was more than just 2 sides beating each other but more of a perpetual cat and mouse game. Klaut got to see what his actions lead to and was quite pleased, all the people he defended had their rights, preserves still stood up, people remembered him as the man who smiled and not the alcoholic who ruined his own marriage.

Of course, it was not an era of unending peace. The immortals may have been brought back by a scientist loyal to the empire, while they were here they might as well get back to what they did best. Time passed and the immortals slowly adapted to the age of science and space flight. Eventually, though an old enemy did eventually rise again, they were products of the new era.

Klaut was not one to give up, however. He would find a way to keep the freedom people so desperately valued and deserved safe. He began assembling the new wave of immortals, made up of people from this era. Younger people, the generations after him. Citadel, Glitch, Kugz, Nightshade, Maul, Vayelyth. Klaut knew that he and his friends from the olden times could not defeat the new empire. They had their time and it was time for the next generation to take their place.

Even if they were still unskilled and inexperienced, he raised them like his own. He prepared them not only to fight the empire but to thrive in a world without war. Even with the technology to revive someone from skin and bones, Klaut knew he could never have Sarah back. In her place were the Neo Immortals, brave, young heroes that looked at Klaut for guidance. Time always goes on and with or without his approval, a newer generation was always going to come and take his place. So even if none of these kids were Sarah to take his place, he would give them the same love and guidance. Neither Sarah nor the neo immortals were ever a big part of his life, but he was their entire world.

"One does not choose their family. But they can choose the world they are remembered for."

Sexuality

Klaut was raised by a fairly conservative couple, so while he does respect the rights of people unlike him, he could never see himself fall in love with another man.

Education

Klaut studied at the Aergique college where he earned a Ph.D. in military tactics and a bachelor's degree in construction and law. He also studied engineering and manufacturing but had to drop out of the courses. He went into school wanting to do things related to politics but ended up taking an interest in military educations instead. Unsurprisingly, with how dwarves are generally very smart, colleges generally hand out degrees like candy so for Klaut, his degrees are much less impressive.
Klaut's intelligence among dwarves would be classed as above average. But just above average for a dwarf is leagues above members of most other races.

Employment

After graduating from college, Klaut began working as an accountant while doing inventing on the side. When Bylyn entered the war against Gloomshade, Klaut signed up to fight. Following the war, Klaut used his newfound fame to go into politics, becoming extremely influential and successful in pushing for progressive policies in Aergique.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Klaut has many game-changing inventions and extremely progressive policies attributed to him, so he is generally one of history's most influential people. Historians state that his biggest achievement was ending spectre's reign before joining the immortals. Post-revival he himself has often said that he considers his greatest achievement to be the assembly of the neo-immortals.
One of his more minor accomplishments that are rarely ever cited is the fact that he has the respect of Glitch (someone who hates politicians, older people, and the rich, which klaut is). Also convincing Nightshade and Maul to leave the lorrian in favor of the governmental union without resorting to using the name of the immortals.

Failures & Embarrassments

Klaut's biggest embarrassment was a brief period where he treated Sylvia as his daughter in an attempt to fill in the void that Sarah left behind, only to get annoyed at her for not acting like his daughter.

Morality & Philosophy

Klaut's morality is mainly defined by his friendly nature. He will always attempt to take others in need under his wing.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Klaut is motivated by his desire for an accepting society that does not exclude anyone from the right to start a family. Although he would never admit it, one major motivation and also the reason he is as resilient as he is, especially when faced with hardships, is his late daughter Sarah. Everything Klaut did was in honor of her.

Savvies & Ineptitudes

On top of being a savvy businessman, a cunning politician, brilliant inventor, and skilled tactician, Klaut has an unusually good understanding of human nature and what drives other people. Without ever studying psychology, Klaut can read people like an open book and, effectively, make a total stranger feel like they are speaking to a person they've known for their whole life. Klaut invokes a strong feeling of familiarity and friendship into anyone he talks to.
Almost everyone he's befriended describes him as a kind, understanding grandfather-type figure.

Hygiene

Klaut usually smells of gunpowder, even if he does shower daily.

Social

Contacts & Relations

• Viktor Larsvor, Best friend
• Tower Charlot, Friend, Leader, De facto apprentice
• Sylvia Sunshard, Friend, political ally, colleague
• Blaze Crimson, Friend, colleague
• Spectre the Reaper, colleague, political opponent, rival
• Katja Kheylana, Friend, political opponent
• Saji "Glitch" Kheylana, unofficial granddaughter, friend, employee
• Nightshade Eratigena, unofficial granddaughter, friend, employee, stylist
• Koizumi Keiko, employee
• Citadel Charlot, unofficial grandson, friend, employee, apprentice, bodyguard
• Maul Keiko, unofficial grandson, friend, employee, bodyguard
• Prof. Kugz Warguard, unofficial son, friend, employee
• Percy Wright, friend, employee
• Dexter Diasun, friend (not very close), rival
• Franklin T Atlee, a political ally
• Ascenda Aveniscii, enemy
• Zartor, enemy
• James Hector Orwell, de facto employer, investor
• The Lorrian, political opponent
• Verena Larsvor, daughter of a friend, employee
• Chloe Red, right hand woman
• Beatrice Moliere, rival, employee, friend
• Zindro Akter, enemy
• Hannah Von Hammersmark, friend, employee, unofficial granddaughter
• Cassie Webb, friend, unofficial granddaughter
• Mayhem, friend
• Jessie Red, friend of a friend
• Daxi, Employee, friend

Family Ties

• Theodore Rosefield (Deceased) Father
• Eleanor Rosefield (Deceased) Mother
• Sarah Rosefield (Deceased) Daughter
• Patricia Rosefield (Deceased) Original Spouse
• Luttgarde Rosefield, Current Spouse

Religious Views

Klaut was raised religiously and thus still practices and approves of religion, attending the church of the vanguard weekly. He very much disapproved of the war on the vanguard, seeing it as excessive and unnecessary. While moderately religious, Klaut does often use the guard as a metaphor for nature when talking to more zealous people. Despite being religious, Klaut still advocates for a secular state.

Social Aptitude

Klaut always has a very confident and charismatic demeanor. He makes people feel safe and secure, being quicker than most to earn the trust of someone.

Hobbies & Pets

Klaut has several hobbies. For one, as a dedicated conservationist, he often partakes in recreational hunting, with the intent to make sure that wild animals don't suffer long painful deaths due to overpopulation. He's also a writer of several philosophical literary works. Klaut also enjoys walks through nature and a very discriminating enjoyed of culture, attending opera shows and theatre shows. His tastes are very refined but also very outdated.

Speech

Klaut speaks in a somewhat gruff but still kind and gentle voice. He speaks in a very strong dwarven accent but has no issue switching to another language to help a conversation. He also likes using figures of speech, specifically ones used back in his day that people he converses with don't typically understand.

Wealth & Financial state

As a former politician and current shareholder, Klaut is quite wealthy. He's also started several successful projects of his own.

War-Hero

Divine Classification

Guardian

Religions

• Guardian's Faith

Species

Bylian Dwarf

Ethnicity

Human races

Church/Cult

Guardian's Faith

Currently Held Titles

• Badasses

Life

805 AGW 857 AGW

Circumstances of Death

Klaut died in battle with his friend Viktor to oversee the evacuation of goldshade.

Birthplace

Aergique, Bylyn

Current Residence

Fountainvale

Gender

Male

Eyes

Dull blue eyes with wrinkles from a smile

Hair

Greying brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Dull worn white

Height

1.69 meters (5'7 ft)

Weight

105 kg (231 pounds)

Quotes & Catchphrases

"From the top, the only way to go is down. But rest assured that from the bottom, the only way to go is up."
"No one confident in their assertions will ask you to stand by them."
"It is but one thing to know what is righteous, but a person is judged by their actions."
"One does not choose their family. But they can choose the world they are remembered for."

Aligned Organization

Council Commando

Other Affiliations

• DECTA
• The Galactic Council

Character Prototype

Klaut is generally based on the average dwarf from fantasy, although the more advanced variety and not the short Viking type. His names are generally cobbled together from German, Russian, Scottish, Dutch, and British names. His personality was very early on planned to be defined by his wisdom, patient cunning, and his friendly keenness to help others in need.
His last name and by extension is dress code and his general political stance is very close to the greatest president Theodore Roosevelt, who much fits the general attitude of the general dwarven race. Much like his namesake Klaut is titled a "progressive conservative". He also has a very similar demeanor towards his detractors responding with wit and confidence even when faced with danger.
Despite being labeled a conservative, like T.R, Klaut is one of the most progressive figures of his time, advocating for any sort of individual freedom even if it goes against the dominant religion.
He also bears a strong resemblance to Del Conagher from Team Fortress 2, and was originally intended to have a similar ability to construct automatic turrets. This was dropped in favor of a more gadget-centric set of abilities. But similarities still remain in the goggles and helmet combo, high intelligence, general friendly nature, and the premise of the brain being their strongest weapon.

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