My brother recently got me into Gundam Evolution, a new squad based shooter title. While they aren’t my usual cup of tea, I decided to give it a shot, because, well – I generally like Gundam properties. And while my squadmates and myself aren’t the best pilots out there, we’re having a lot of fun with it so far and I’m curious to see how the game continues to evolve (see what I did there?).
More to the point, this has caused me no small amount of desire to go back and watch/rewatch the various and sundry Gundam anime series. So the other night I reactivated my Crunchyroll and jumped into Mobile Suit Gundam, a series I had never actually fully watched likely due to it’s age relative to my own when I was first introduced to it. (It was difficult to go from Gundam Wing back to the classics when I was in high school). And while it is definitely showing it’s age, I’m finding it a way more compelling now than I did twenty some years ago.
I just recently finished up the Garma Zabi arc and was struck by the character of Icelina Eschonbach. Spoilers incoming for a 40 year old property. In a Romeo and Juliet-esque storyline, the youngest son of the rulers of the Principality of Zeon and the daughter of New York City’s mayor carry on a relationship despite the disapproval of her father. After Garma is killed in battle against the Earth Federation forces, Icelina convinces his remaining troops to launch a revenge attack against the ship and crew that killed her lover. But in the chaos of battle she is killed herself, an event that imprints strongly on Amuro Ray, the young Gundam pilot who watches her fall to her death.
I started thinking to myself – if you place a more heroic angle on that backstory, there’s a character hook in there. So here we go – Icelina was born to a minor noble family and though she was promised at a young age to the scion of another noble family, she fell in love with the youngest son of a military family a relationship that her family did not approve of. But she continued to defy their wishes and the relationship continued to deepen. But one day she received word that he had been killed on campaign against an extremist separatist movement and the news devastated her. But instead of retreating into herself like she might have in years past, she took the lessons that he had taught her through his example to heart and swore vengeance on the people that had taken the love of her life from her and went to war. And while her family doesn’t understand or respect her decision, she continues her campaign in order to make them understand. In the meanwhile, she works to make sure that no one else suffers like her. Or if they do she makes sure they are properly avenged.
I went with a Oath of Vengeance Paladin for this, but with only minor changes this could easily work as a background for a Warlock of whatever pact you deem appropriate.
Ben Erickson
