Manfred
| NPC | Enemy |
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- General
- Supreme Commander of the Military Commission (nominally, post-crisis)
| “ | Kill me? With these grotesques of yours, barely able to lift themselves off the ground? You know that even if the Gargoyles of the Royal Court stood here, they might not be victorious against me? | ” |
| —Manfred to Mandragora, making a testament of his power. |
Manfred is an NPC in Arknights. He is one of the main antagonists in Act II of the Main Theme.
Background[edit]
Manfred is a high-ranking general of the Kazdel Military Commission and the leader of Regent Theresis' forces in Londinium. A trusted and upstanding student of Theresis alongside Ascalon, Manfred is given a major role in managing the occupation of the Victorian capital, overseeing the production of weapons for the Sarkaz mercenaries, and the training of their forces. His sheer vigilance and profound tactical acumen earned him a respected and frightening reputation among his allies and foes alike, although some of the Sarkaz Royal Court still looks down upon him, likely because he is the only high-ranking member of both the Court and the Military Commission to be truly loyal to Theresis.
After Hoederer's house arrest early in the occupation of Londinium, Manfred released and reenlisted his talent as a mercenary to work under him.[1] Though Manfred retained some suspicions due to Hoederer's past as loyalist for Theresa, he eventually treated him as a trusted friend. He often entrusted Hoederer with key tasks and held long conversation with him about the Londinium occupation or the Military Commissions' plans, up until Hoederer was again incarcerated[2] and eventually defected to Rhodes Island.[3]
In addition to possessing incredible physical strength and speed along with his profound military experience, Manfred wields the "Teekazwurtzen",[4][note 1] a special Arts unit gifted to him by Theresis. It can be used to perform long-ranged energy manipulation Arts, causing sudden explosive shockwaves and bolts of energy as well as scattering invisible "beacons" to catch and detonate his attacks. Manfred is also an accomplished swordsman, having trained directly under Theresis himself.
Story[edit]
Babel[edit]
Before the Kazdel civil war, Manfred was a young boy who studied at a Military Commission institution.[5] Wishing to help other kids who have lost their parents, like Odda, Manfred strives hard to become a warrior capable of defending his homeland and fight the Sarkaz's enemies. Seeing his potential, Theresis takes Manfred in as his own student and teaches him the art of swordsmanship. During his time there, Manfred formed a strong rivalry with Ascalon, often butting heads with each other due to her being the better fighter.
Years later, Manfred would become part of the Military Commission's army as a general in service to Theresis. To him, violence is necessary in order to prevent the Sarkaz from falling further into the abyss. As such, he is disappointed in Ascalon's mission to support Theresa and Babel, viewing it as an empty promise for peace that could never be fulfilled. After Ascalon kills Odda's father, Manfred himself returned his personal effects to the young boy.[6]
After Theresis began talks with the Duke of Cavendish from Victoria, Manfred was ordered to learn "Victorian etiquette" in order to make the negotiation process smoother. Manfred was initially displeased at how the Victorians treated them like "tamed beasts," relaying complaints from Sarkaz mercenaries reassigned to Londinium. Theresis contends that honor and respect are not needed, especially when they are preparing to destroy Victoria from the inside out. Shortly before his departure, Ascalon threatens to kill Manfred, but the latter reiterates his stance. Perhaps out of sympathy, Ascalon lets him live, promising that she won't hold back next time.[7]
When Babel's assassins arrived to Victoria to kill Theresis, Manfred attempted to stop them, but Theresis tells him to step aside and let him deal with it personally. Following news of Theresa's death, the rebels yield and pledge allegiance to them. Manfred was initially reluctant to believe them, but Theresis assuages his concerns and places them under his supervision.[8]
Episode 10[edit]
Manfred is first seen talking with Hoederer while overseeing the preparation of the Londinium Secondary Defense Artillery. While discussing Hoederer's past, the rebels that his men have just detected, and the ongoing fight between the Sarkaz and Dublinn, Manfred expresses disapproval of Mandragora's overzealousness and hatred towards the Sarkaz, mentioning that he's looking for a way to take Dublinn out of the picture. When it comes time to fire the artillery, Manfred is impressed by its power and notes potential improvements, intent on improving the weapon's performance and continuing the bombardment to force Eartha out of hiding, while also pondering the difficulty of the task laid out before him.
Manfred later meets up with Mandragora, who apologizes for the conflict Dublinn instigated with the Sarkaz at the port. Manfred informs her that as long as Dublinn does not interfere with their operations, they are free to occupy their designated area of Londinium. However, he also expresses disapproval with her actions, and asks her to show him that Dublinn is sincere about their cooperation. To that end, he appoints her and her men to guard a Sarkaz-occupied liquor plant where he suspects Eartha will attack.
After meeting with a spy, Manfred attends the ensuing battle at the liquor plant and confronts Horn and her squad of survivors, addressing her by her title "White Wolf of Victoria". Despite their efforts, Manfred easily overwhelms the squad, but just as he is about to kill Horn, Misery appears and rescues her, sinking Manfred and his men into the ground with his spatial Arts. Manfred remains composed and prepares to counterattack, but Misery disappears with Horn and her soldiers before Manfred can retaliate.
Manfred later encounters Mandragora and her men, who are trying to rescue a Dublinn spy from Sarkaz custody and escape Londinium. His men slaughter all of the Dublinn forces, enraging her into attacking Manfred head-on as she curses him. However, Manfred handily defeats her; even after Mandragora combines all of her available Tombkeeper Grotesques into an enormous golem, a single strike of Manfred's sword is enough to instantly destroy it. With Mandragora at his mercy, Manfred indirectly informs her that her beloved Leader has already left her for dead thanks to her blind rage compromising Dublinn's objectives. With that, Manfred spares the devastated and critically wounded Mandragora before leaving.
Once the Damatzi Cluster uncovers Eartha's main base, Manfred orders a full-scale artillery bombardment on the area to completely annihilate the rebels. When Rhodes Island and Eartha executes their plan to escape and disable the artillery, Manfred is already waiting for them atop the citadel. Amiya battles Manfred as his wide-range Arts suppress the Rhodes-Eartha coalition, but is overwhelmed as Manfred berates her for not understanding the true suffering of the Sarkaz. Nonetheless, Amiya holds him off long enough for Horn to return with a small group of Victorian soldiers, occupying him as Amiya and the others head for Londinium's defense gun.
Manfred quickly gains the upper hand, singlehandedly taking down Horn's comrades one by one with ease, breaking the Lupo's formation. Enraged, Horn fires all her remaining bullets at once at Manfred, only briefly stopping him. Out of ammunition and remaining comrades, Horn draws out her sword, the sword that Steam Knights use, prolonging the battle. Some time during the duel, Manfred realizes that the Lupo's presence is only to buy time for Rhodes Island's plan; but at that point, it's too late, as Londinium's wall and defense gun are destroyed by the violent explosion from the bombs installed by Rhodes Island's squad, with the Doctor being the detonator. Seeing that the plan succeeded, Horn collapses onto the ground due to her finally running out of strength. Since there is nothing Manfred can do now, he orders his troops to retreat, ending the duel. Before Manfred retreats, however, he compliments Horn and spares her, saying she is a worthy opponent.
Episode 11[edit]
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Episode 13[edit]
Manfred briefly meets with Theresa aboard the Military Commission's airship, looking at the dark skies over Londinium. Theresa asks him about his memories of Kazdel. Manfred states that he remembers it as a bustling nomadic city with overcast skies and the pungent stench of industrial waste. When asked whether he considers that place as "home," Manfred says that he does.[9]
Episode 14[edit]
Manfred is responsible for taking back the Lifebone after it was captured by Rhodes Island. After receiving valuable intel from Ulšulah, he orders his soldiers to surround the valley and take it back at any cost.[10] Hoping to retake the Lifebone without destroying it, he orders his troops to only carry light weaponry. Believing that the group would send Ascalon to assassinate him, he works together with the Damazti Cluster, having them impersonate him while he secretly leads a squad to cut through the front lines. He breaks into the Lifebone and quickly incapacitates Hoederer with his sword.
After successfully retaking the Lifebone's central area, he orders his troops to rout the remaining enemies and rig the Lifebone with explosives. He firmly orders all the mercenaries they captured to be executed. Upon finding Paprika hiding in the Lifebone, he gives her one last chance to redeem herself by executing the prisoners. Seeing that she remains unwilling, Manfred expresses his disappointment in her and prepares to kill her, when he is suddenly interrupted by W and her mercenaries' counterattack.
Manfred attempts to kill W when he is blocked by Ascalon. He is surprised to see her appear so full of determination. The two lifelong rivals begin dueling once again, with Manfred having the advantage due to Ascalon being exhausted after getting ambushed earlier. The Lifebone then suddenly activates, leaving Manfred no choice but to detonate the Lifebone. However, he hesitates, believing that the Lifebone could still bring the Sarkaz home. Ascalon uses his moment of weakness to grab him as they tumble off the Feranmut and into the space-time turbulence.[11]
Manfred is later rescued by Nadine's squad, who discovered him while they were cleaning up the battlefield. Despite Nadine's protests, he orders that they immediately return to Londinium and discuss the next phase of their plan with Regent Theresis. He states that this for the sake of "the remaining, living Sarkaz." The two of them suddenly feel a strange sensation after the myriad souls are put to rest, with Manfred wondering whether this was the price that Theresa spoke of.[12]
A Kazdelian Rescue[edit]
Manfred is shown to have survived the Victorian crisis. He currently guards the Military Commission of Kazdel's Airship when the airship cannon which is fueled by the Soul Furnace's Revenants went out of control and suddenly fired on its own.[13]
See You Soon[edit]
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Manfred is first seen in the Command Center, wondering where Theresis is. He was then captured by Ines, Hoederer and Wiš'adel to be transported back to Kazdel along with other Sarkaz and mercenaries. On the way they noticed originium storms forming in the distance which they noticed to be effect of Amnanas' usage. Manfred then elaborated that the storms specifically targeted capitals of Terran nations. Wisadel then told him to keep quiet, emphasizing that they took him as "prisoner" and the reason why they let him live is because he's there to keep the Military Commission intact which, they believed to be the pillar of support for the Sarkaz race. Manfred then exclaimed that this has all been planned by both Theresis and Theresa, where Babel and Military Commission will work together in the future. He then continued that if such day ever comes in the future, he and the other members of the Military Commission will have to distance themselves from Kazdel. Wis'adel then told him to keep quiet again, noting that every single person they brought for this plan died in Londinium and they're responsible for it.[14]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ "Root of Teekaz" in German/Yiddish
References[edit]
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