Alder, the Forest Keeper

Model #: NG-950411

Codename: Alder

Title: Forest Keeper

Favored Skill(s):
- Chlorokinesis
- Archery Skills
- Support Magic

Weapon: Hardlight Forest Bow

Character Concept

So, this was actually one of a few Gizoid ideas that I requested from my friends and family. I asked each of them to give me an idea for a Gizoid. Just a little gift to them. Right now, I've got three of four ideas from my two closest friends and my brother (my sister decided not to input any ideas, so I'll just leave it be).

The idea for Alder came from my friend Caitlin. She told me about the tree known as Alder, and many of the details behind it, including the tree type's presence in folklore. Based on the idea of fairy tales, when creating the design myself, I took a bit of inspiration from forest-related stuff like Robin Hood and fairies.

She wanted a support-focused Gizoid, and while I am honoring that, I also thought a ranger-druid type of ability set made sense for the theme, so I wanted to work with that. I even gave Alder a hardlight bow, like the one I made for my OC, Sapphire the Hedgehog, as I think it fits the forest theme, while also having the tech-theme needed for a robot.

I also want to admit, I wanted to make all of these Gizoids that I requested for from my friends for their respective birthdays. But this one is about a month and a half late, due to a combination of laziness and lacking motivation right away, a bunch of stuff going on in my personal life, including preparing for a move, and the unfortunate timing of working on other projects I wanted to do first.

I just wanted to finish this before MY birthday, because it's the last important project I have for now, and I just wanted everything completed before then. Hopefully, this doesn't mean this is rushed because of this, and what I wanted to do.

But, I will say, the Gizoid's model numbers include the date I posted the Gizoids, but for these ones that I am making for my friends, that date in the model number is instead their respective birthdays, so this is a very different model number.

I hope you like this, Caitlin!

Alder's Design

Alder is an interesting fusion of machine and nature, at least in his design. Much of his frame has a leaf design, including his horn, chest plate, and gauntlet-backs. The rest of his body has medium and light browns for color, and he has purple gems embedded all over his body, including his upper chest plate, shoulders, arms, hands, and knees.

Wrapping around his head, by his horn, is a set of green ribbons, mimicking a hat, much like the one worn by the famous story-character, Robin Hood. And a set of four large leaves (albeit fake) are on his back, like a set of fairy wings.

His eyes are the same purple as the gems on his body, and his bow has a fancy wood / forest design.

Alder's Weapons and Combat Style

Alder's abilities are kept simple, themed to his love of the forest. He used a hardlight bow, a mechanical weapon that forms condensed light into the solid shape of an arrow, then shoot them as a projectile, just like a regular bow and arrow.

Alder's aim with his bow is incredible, and he has a mastery of tracking, with great knowledge of traversing unfamiliar and challenging terrain. Despite this, his weakness lies in his lack of melee skill. While he is proficient, Alder is not practiced in close combat, which means he can easily get overwhelmed if his enemies get too close.

Although, he does have one other way to protect himself, besides just his skill with a bow. He has nature magic, and can use the plants around him, even growing new ones from even places where they shouldn't, to fight and defend himself.

Alder also uses a lot of support magic, so he fights better as part of a group, assisting his allies with his abilities and bow skills. But when alone, he is still no slouch, especially if he has no allies around him to worry about, and can go all out.

Alder's Favored Skills

Alder's Skills are primarily focused on the use of magic spells, centered around nature and support, but he also has a few skills with his hardlight bow.

The forest is his home terrain, and he can draw energy from the trees and other flora around him, as he attempts to maintain the balance of life.

- Chlorokinesis:

Nature's magic, in kinesis form. With this power, Alder can control plants around him, controlling their growth, and changing their shape. He can even form seeds out of thin air, and use them to grow vines and such in places where they wouldn't usually, like stone and metal. He's even grown full trees in underground bunkers before. A perfect power for both offense and defense.

But as always, there are limits to such power. The less nature there is around Alder, the more he has to from plants on his own, and the more energy it takes. So if he's not in his home terrain, it can be challenging for him to use his greatest power.

Chlorokinesis can be a broad ability, which allows Alder to use many different techniques with this Skill. But he has a few more specific Skills based on this power.

- Vine Grasp:

A very basic, obvious, but useful Skill, Alder will grow vines out of the ground to entangle and trap his foes.

- Nature's Gale:

Using nature magic, Alder can command the winds, similar to Argentum's "Frost Gale" Skill, but based around nature and leaves, not wintery winds. With this, Alder can blow you away, redirect projectiles, or even control himself in the air.

- Razor Leaf Storm:

Alder will form razor-sharp leaves swirling around him, and then shoots them forward with spiraling wind in a storm of sharp flora to shred his opponents apart.

- Thorn Bomb:

Alder will create large seeds that he'll toss at his enemies, where they'll explode into thorns and brambles, bursting outward to pierce through anything caught in range.

- Lilac Rain:

Focusing his magic into a hardlight arrow, Alder will fire into the air, where the arrow will burst into hundreds of projectiles, and rain down onto the area Alder targeted.

(The name of the Skill is based on the color of Alder's eyes and arrows, which are purple, and intended to be close to the lilac shade.)

- Piercing Stream:

A specialized magic arrow Skill, Alder will focus magic into his bow, and when fires an arrow, a stream of copies of the arrow will be fired behind it, like a machine gun bullet stream, but with hardlight arrows. Alder can even spin around to redirect the stream of arrows, until the magic runs out.

- Leaf Step:

A magic speed and lightness buff that Alder can place on his allies. It increases speed and agility, while also slowing their falls, allowing for safe landings from high heights.

- Nature's Blessing:

A healing Skill that Alder has mastered, however, much like Cobalt's "Heal Boost" Skill, it simply speeds up the natural healing process, rather than directly mending wounds, making it ineffective in battle.

- Nature's Fury:

A strength-enhancing support spell, although it also increases rage while under the effects, so Alder and his allies must use this power carefully.

- Nature's Guard:

Alder's best support spell, as this boosts one's defense, thickening their skin to act as armor, or making existing armor tougher.

Story and Character

Early on, Alder had few moments of solitude. In order to help him grow, he was put under the tutelage of [REDACTED], the Ringed Celestial. He appreciated the values she taught him, as he followed in her footsteps as a support fighter. But Alder always wanted to head out on his own. At the same time though, he didn't want to disappoint his allies, so he stuck around. But as Alder and other Gizoids under [REDACTED]'s watch continued to learn support, Alder really grew to love the nature around him, as they traveled out many times.

When [REDACTED] was chosen as an Elite Gizoid, Alder asked what he should do now. So, he was asked to join a team. As the threat of Kronos drew ever closer, Alder supported his new team in trying to slow down the Ancient Weapon's progress. But this caused Alder to spend less and less time near nature, or in battles where the nature around them would be destroyed in collateral damage. The members of Alder's new team noticed that this caused him distress.

When asked about it, they realized that Alder really appreciated nature, so they told him to go further with it, and make it a part of his favored abilities. So Alder spent any free time he had trying to connect with nature more closely, learned how to traverse more challenging terrains, and eventually gained mastery of nature magic. His team also tried to be more attentive to their surroundings, keeping the collateral damage low (unfortunately, their enemies often didn't).

Then it happened. Alder and his team had a big mission, take down an enemy airship. During the mission, they were ambushed, the enemy saw them coming, and the Gizoids slowly fell, one by one. Alder himself was knocked off of the ship, never to see his friends again...

After some automated recovery, Alder woke up in a forgotten forest. His home turf. He considered going back, but knew that his creators wouldn't mind if he left the cause for one of his own. So could he stay? Should he?

He decided yes, he would stay in the forest, as a keeper of nature. He'd rest up in trees, protect the animals, and enjoy the solitude.

Then the time came. Kronos's followers had tracked down Alder, and attacked his home. Alder fought back, and the followers claimed the world's end was coming, as Kronos's plan would bring this world to an end, and soon, time itself. But Alder didn't care. All he cared about was protecting his home.

Sadly, a storm came, and Alder realized that it wasn't a normal storm... And that was before the massive laser bolts came down, destroying everything. Alder vaguely recognized the power, and was worried about what happened to the one he knew to have this power...

But it didn't matter to him, because he would fight to last to protect the forest he called home. And so he did, up to the end of the world...