Roland

Strong, unyielding, noble, and possessing a dazzling smile. This holy knight cares not for riches, but cherishes his love for his God. So long as he is treated with courtesy, he will reciprocate, even to an enemy. Uncouthness and rude behavior make him tremble with rage. Possessed of a hot temper, he will rise to meet any injustice he encounters, no matter the odds.

...Usually, anyway. Every so often, though, he goes into a love-besotted mania and strips naked. That single shortcoming aside, he really is an incredible knight. It's just the disrobing thing...really...

Height/Weight: 183cm, 99kg

Origin: Legend of Charlemagne

Region: France

Alignment: Lawful-Good/Chaotic when running amok

Sub-Attribute: Earth

Gender: Male

"Ninety-nine kilograms is, of course, my weight after I've stripped. It even excludes my underwear."

Summon Roland in a Holy Grail War, and chances are very, very good that he'll carry you to victory. His stats, skills, and Noble Phantasm are all quite impressive, making it extremely difficult to take him down with fair or conventional means.

As a Servant, his attitude towards his Master is nothing if not moderate. No matter their gender, he remains steadfastly polite, sincere, and straightforward, making him incredibly easy to command. As long as his Master is neither wicked nor malicious, he will fight by their side, and is sure to win them the Holy Grail.

This is not to say Roland is completely without weaknesses, of course. Most notably, he has no resistance to temptation whatsoever. If a beautiful woman who appeals to him should appear on an enemy's side... Well, let's just say you really don't want that to happen. But be warned, that sort of thing happens to him all the time...and with consistently terrible timing.

Diamond Body: A

Ranked ten on the Mohs scale, Roland's body is impossible to damage with spears, swords, arrows, or any other conventional method. But legendary abilities like this always have some kind of weakness. In Roland's case, that weakness is the soles of his feet. As for how one might actually exploit this particular weakness...well, that is a matter for a tactician.

Bitter Tears Shed for Love of Love: C

A variant of Madness Enhancement that makes Roland both highly susceptible to falling in love with perfect strangers, and very prone to getting dumped by them. You may think this is less of a skill and more of a character flaw...and you might be right, but try not to think about it too much. At least this skill does benefit Roland in a number of ways, even if at the price of easily falling for other skills and Noble Phantasms that hinge on charming opponents.

Roncesvalles Olifant: EX

Originally a Noble Phantasm. See below for an explanation.

『Durendal』

Rank: A+

NP Type: Anti-Personnel

Range: 1

Maximum Targets: 1

Unbreakable Holy Sword.

A legendary sacred sword frequently touted as the equal of Excalibur. It never ages, dulls, or chips, and can cut through just about anything. Its golden hilt is inlaid with many rare holy relics which did not exist in Hektor's time, making it extremely effective as a Conceptual Weapon as well. One of its lesser-known effects is its ability to create miracles. As long as a given phenomenon is physically possible, Durendal can probably help make it happen, albeit at tremendous cost.

『Roncesvalles Olifant』

Rank: C

NP Type: Anti-Army

Range: 1 - 10

Maximum Targets: 100

Greatly Delayed Horn.

An olifant (etymologically derived from an alternative spelling of "elephant") is a type of hunting horn. Roncesvalles is the place where most of the Twelve Paladins, including Roland himself, died in battle. Despite falling into a trap and finding himself and his companions vastly outnumbered, Roland was reluctant to use this horn to call for help. Eventually, though, he did so. However, according to his friend, the wise general Olivier, this decision came too late. Roland blew his horn as loud as he could, and succeeded at calling Charlemagne and additional reinforcements. But they arrived too late and most of the Twelve Paladins died in battle.

A somewhat unusual Noble Phantasm that can help its user break free of a sticky situation. In one sense, you could even think of it as a miracle within Durendal's possession.

The harder the horn is blown, the easier the situation at hand becomes to deal with, but at the expense of injuring Roland. In this game, Roncesvalles Olifant appears as a skill rather than a Noble Phantasm.

A virtuous, devout young hero who gained popularity in epic poems like "The Song of Roland" and "Orlando Furioso." Unfortunately, he still has some growing up to do, as is amply demonstrated by the way in which he absolutely loses his mind when rejected in a romantic pursuit.

His Monstrous Strength is sufficient to let him tear a person apart with his bare hands, and his body is so tough some sincerely believe it to be made of diamond. Seldom were these qualities more clearly demonstrated than in his showdown with a great sea beast; he crushed the creature with his own ship's anchor. However, he is not without his flaws. Most notable is his extremely regrettable proclivity to abandon his given mission and chase after the beautiful Angelica. Still, at least up to that point, he was the very model of a brave and valiant paladin.

One day, Roland fell into a trap laid by his resentful stepfather, Ganelon. Expecting to encounter minimal resistance to their twenty-thousand strong force, he and the other Twelve Paladins instead found themselves facing an army of four-hundred thousand. Though they fought valiantly, in the end, many heroes fell to the foe's sheer numbers.

Despite being so dreadfully outnumbered, Roland could not use his olifant to call for reinforcements until the very end. Olivier reproached him for his indecision on a matter so crucial, in circumstances so dire.

"Were you really so desperate to prove your heroism?"

To which Roland replied, "It wasn't that..."

"Then why didn't you swallow your pride and call for help sooner?" Olivier asked.

In response, Roland said, with deep shame in his heart, "It's pathetic. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't blow it. Even now, I still can't believe my own stepfather turned on me."

That was when Olivier finally realized that the unabashedly kindhearted man standing before him, despite knowing both tragic love and deeply held anger, would never adjust to the notion of those he trusted betraying him.

Only when he was the last one standing could Roland bring his olifant to his lips. Even as blood gushed from his body, he shoved his regrets aside and blew as long and hard as he could...until it felt like his brain itself was about to burst. When he was done, he kept fighting until he drew his dying breath...confident that the help his horn had summoned would see his stepfather brought to justice.

In Traum

Not a single record or memory of his deeds remains. Not even his emperor, Charlemagne, or his fellow Twelve Paladins, Astolfo and Bradamante, remember that he fought by their side or that he gave his life for the miracle that opened the Revenge Realm's Retribution Gate in the final battle between realms. Indeed, not only did he sacrifice his life, but also his honor. Now, there is no one left who remembers what he did. Not even himself or the Master of Chaldea are exceptions.

With neither record nor memory of his deeds remaining, the only monument to his exploits is not even etched with his name. Even without a trace of recollection, there may yet be light and salvation for the one who prevented the tragedy of Roncesvalles from taking place once more.