What are the backstories for the other apostles

[LordYAM]

I honestly doubt we're going to get another novel, largely due to how poorly received Flame Dragon Knight Was. Still Aazealh did their own thought exercise on how Grunbeld's story should have played out and that got me wondering about the other members of the Neo Band of the Hawk and what sort of pasts they have. So I decided to post my own guesses, with any criticism or feedback being appreciated.

Grunbeld's backstory is fine in the basic details (he was a freedom fighter protecting his kingdom, one of his friends betrayed him out of jealousy, and that this betrayal is what made Grunbeld willing to sacrifice.) The problem is more execution and Aazealh did their own thought exercise that kept the basic details but changed the more ridiculous elements.

Locus: This one took some thought but I do think that something similar to Grunbeld played out. Locus is a man of honor in a lot of ways, and it was also pointed out elsewhere that he never served a lord before Griffith. Someone made the suggestion that like Grunbeld he too experienced betrayal, in this case from the lord he had sworn himself too. I think that such a thing makes sense for him, and would explain why he didn't want to tie himself to another lord until Griffith.

Irvine: This is admittedly the one I've developed the most but I like to imagine that Irvine was a kind of Robin Hood figure once upon a time. Steal from the rich to give to the poor; he even had his own band of merry men and a love interest a la Maid Marian (not to mention a nemesis akin to the Sheriff of Nottingham). However, things end up going tragically wrong when the Sheriff of Nottingham figure tracks Irvine down and burns down the sanctuary, killing most of the merry men and the love interest. At this point, Irvine sacrificed the surviving members of the band out of a belief that they were all doomed anyway and that someone needed to avenge them. Irvine than used his apostle form and powers to wipe out the attackers and kill the Sheriff of Nottingham figure.

Rakshas: The guy seems somewhat more psychotic and lacking in loyalty, and he was also thrown out of the Bakiraka before becoming an apostle, so I'm entirely sure what drove him to make a sacrifice. The best I can think of is that he might have fallen in love with someone after being exiled; when he faced death he sacrificed the person he loved because he didn't want to die....mainly so he could keep killing.

 

[Aazealh]

Locus: This one took some thought but I do think that something similar to Grunbeld played out.

Well that's not very imaginative now, is it? How about something more romantic, suited for a knight such as he. He was exceptional and undefeated for years, serving no master and bowing to no one. One day he came into the court of a great king, whom he defeated in combat, and instantly fell in love with his queen. He accepted to join the court for her sake and became her protector, indulging in their culpable love in secret. Eventually they were found out, and so he fought off all of the king's valiant knights... but couldn't beat them all. To save himself, he sacrificed the queen. A suitably Arthurian tale, but with a Berserk twist.

Irvine: This is admittedly the one I've developed the most but I like to imagine that Irvine was a kind of Robin Hood figure once upon a time. Steal from the rich to give to the poor; he even had his own band of merry men and a love interest a la Maid Marian (not to mention a nemesis akin to the Sheriff of Nottingham). However, things end up going tragically wrong when the Sheriff of Nottingham figure tracks Irvine down and burns down the sanctuary, killing most of the merry men and the love interest. At this point, Irvine sacrificed the surviving members of the band out of a belief that they were all doomed anyway and that someone needed to avenge them.

This doesn't really factor in the hunter aspect, nor the fact he's blind. Those are Irvine's biggest traits...

Rakshas: The guy seems somewhat more psychotic and lacking in loyalty, and he was also thrown out of the Bakiraka before becoming an apostle

Not sure what makes you say that. We don't know why he was banished from the clan, but it seems likely to me to be related to him becoming an apostle. That aside, he's got some peculiar obsessions that are clearly clues to his past: collects masks, fixated on Griffith's pretty face, prefers to stay unseen... No doubt this relates to what happened to him.

 

[LordYAM]

Fair enough, but I do think a dark take on the Robin Hood Tale would be interesting and he could have easily gotten blinded in an attack or battle of some kind.

I think Irvine might have left out hints of killing someone he cared for from Sonia.

 

[Odysseus]

I remember reading on here once someone speculate that Irvine was some kind of lone hunter who spent all his time tracking some kind of legendary game. He'd spend years in the woods having this back and forth with it until one day the beast gets the better of him, or perhaps he just begins to succumb to fatigue and illness, and in the end he has to sacrifice his hunt in order to become an apostle and survive, knowing he never got the best of the beast.

Not sure I got all the details right, but I was really fond of the idea when I read it. I think I enjoy more non-traditional sacrifices in general.

 

[LordYAM]

Maybe. I do think the idea for Locus that Aazealh put out is pretty good, but I do think that if Locus is a dark arthurian character than Irvine could be a dark robin hood character.

I've also seen a few theories about the Godhand. The one that stood out to me was that Conrad was a renowned doctor.....but also a Typhoid Mary (i.e. he spread the disease without having symptoms). When this got out Conrad was burned at the stake, and that's when he carried out the mass sacrifice. It fits in with him as a plague spreader and adds a sense of tragedy.

 

[Matthias the Wyald]

Just a minor concept for an apostle; Borkoff was once a proud knight during the Hundred Years War and served under a Midland lord during the many conflicts that started the war. He was a mighty, if not gluttonous, individual whom was a master of the saddle despite his own physical shortcomings. However, tragedy struck as his lord's fortress and lands were sacked by Tudor forces that had anti-calvary measures prepared in advance, Borkoff was the first of a hundred men who died in a final charge. Crushed under a fallen horse, shoulder impaled by a broken lance; Borkoff was about to give into defeat as Tudor soldiers charged over the wounded. That is, until a familiar pendant that belonged to a younger lancer, awakened angels to the travesty.

The God Hand arrived to embrace the lancers somber call.

Their leader gave an ultimatum to the fallen warrior, in exchanged for a dire sacrifice, Borkoff would be rejuvenated to a new form more stronger than his fatter human side. Not questioning his options as the Tudor forces started to assault his lords castle, the lancer agreed to the sacrifice and in a split second, the lancer sacrificed his own unit and horse to the God Hand's will. Revived after said sacrifice in a ferocious reptillian frame, Borkoff began a gluttonous rampage that grew beyond the opposing Tudor troops. As of the period, the lancer would serve as a renowned guard for the angels will.

 

[Dark Knight]

With the exception of a few like Grunbeld and the Egg of the Perfect World, this question can’t really be answered for most of them. You can can somewhat infer portions the backstories of some like Wyald, for example, who can likely be assumed to have been a lecherous, power-hungry nobody who did not have the means to achieve such status until becoming an apostle.

 

[Walter]

Wyald, for example, who can likely be assumed to have been a lecherous, power-hungry nobody who did not have the means to achieve such status until becoming an apostle.

Well, Wyald clearly wasn't power-hungry in the sense that he cared about status. He was living out a power fantasy, having fun under his terms, which means doing whatever he wanted. He killed his own men because they were too cautious to cross the bridge. Then there's a pretty telling moment, when he says: "If you start worrying about living and dying you'll end up wasting your life away."

Given that he's revealed to be a frail-looking old man, one could surmise that his child-like dream of "ENJOY AND EXCITING" came from having lived a life of caution, following the rules and not indulging himself at all. Becoming an apostle gave him the power to seize what he thought he'd been missing his whole life.

As for the others, there are way too many missing pieces to tell their backstories without assistance from Miura. You can just get the barest outline of who they were through who they chose to become as an apostle.

 

[Dark Knight]

Well, Wyald clearly wasn't power-hungry in the sense that he cared about status. He was living out a power fantasy, having fun under his terms, which means doing whatever he wanted

Yeah, that’s what I meant. I didn’t articulate that well. “Status” was a poor choice of word. What I meant by that was the ability to live by his own terms without restriction rather than wanting to achieve things like wealth and inter-realm influence like Griffith.

 

[dstn]

It's cringy but I am writing fanfiction about the apostles' human lives as part of my larger Berserk Warband mod project to help me explore the characters.

I was working on Wyald's backstory first.

Spoiler: Outline

The outline boils down to him being an unmarried, anonymous laborer in some barren village.

He spent his life focused on keeping his head down, doing what is expected of him. Just following the rules and doing what is easy.

One day he wakes up, realizing he has grown old and wasted his time being just a passive bystander in his own life.

This leads him to harbor a bitterness to the world in his old age since he feels ignored and unseen, denied what he feels he should be entitled to for following the rules and doing what he was told was right.

He grows jealous of a young, local brigand leader who lives life on his own terms, doing what he wants when he wants.

While cleaning himself up after a work day in a stream he finds his beherit, bad stuff happens involving that bandit, he sacrifices his beloved sister in order to finally live life on his own terms.

I haven't written anything that wasn't purely functional in like 20 years so quality is going to be iffy, but it's a fun exercise. I'll link it in this thread when I start publishing chapters.

 

[Wyld Dreams]

Rakshas: The guy seems somewhat more psychotic and lacking in loyalty, and he was also thrown out of the Bakiraka before becoming an apostle, so I'm entirely sure what drove him to make a sacrifice. The best I can think of is that he might have fallen in love with someone after being exiled; when he faced death he sacrificed the person he loved because he didn't want to die....mainly so he could keep killing.

Just FYI, "Rakshas" means daemon/monster in Hindi/Sanskrit. However, monsters in Hinduism are not really ... just pure evil but they are a form of creation ie like minor Gods, Humans they are also a part of creation and have a place to live. Incidentally, they can progress and become powerful by spiritual training.

That being said, they are mostly depicted as doing evil deeds, being somewhat obtuse (though some of them were depicted as extraordinarily intelligent), enjoying drinks excessively, making havoc, kidnapping women, causing misery to others and so on.

I think Miura did not get chance to fully develop Rakshas. He was shown as knowledgable for he only hinted to Salit (AFAIK, thats the name of "prince" of Bakiraka?) about reality of kind of messed up sorcery going on in man-made behelit to create magical army of Kushan.

I believe he was a little bit too twisted assassin of Bakiraka, who betrayed someone and got even more betrayed causing his audience with God Hands. He also feels like someone who would backstab his confidants.

 

[Aazealh]

Salit (AFAIK, thats the name of "prince" of Bakiraka?)

It's "Silat", and he's not a prince per se, just the young leader of the clan.

 

[Wyld Dreams]

It's "Silat", and he's not a prince per se, just the young leader of the clan.

Interestingly Silat is a Malay word. Comes from arabic Silah which means ... weapons. Silat itself is a martial art and involves long daggers and other weapons too BUT "Silah" has a lot of other influences as well...

If I am not incorrect (or who knows), Punjabi word Asla (weapons or means for fighting a battle) comes from the word Arabic word Silah too.

Now Silat has been shown wielding weapons used by Sikhs (traditionally Punjabi speaking folks), like Chakram rings.

Silat art:

 

[Aazealh]

Interestingly Silat is a Malay word. Comes from arabic Silah which means ... weapons. Silat itself is a martial art and involves long daggers and other weapons too

Yeah yeah, I know. We found that out decades ago.

 

[Enoch]

So I've been thinking super hard lately about potential backstory ideas...
And I've found myself entertained with a very specific concept.

When it comes to the reborn/Neo Band of the Hawk, I have found myself most interested in Irvine. He is my favorite among them -- but that's purely because I really love his Apostle form and his whole "hunter + loner" theme that he has. I have thrown around a few potential ideas in my head about what type of life could have resulted in the type of Apostle he is now... so I wanted to offer up one of my favorite ideas that I've come up with!

Please note that I fully acknowledge that my idea has some plot holes. I'm merely offering it up for the sake of discussion -- I hope that's alright!

So for Irvine, I feel like he could be a potential shout-out to the German folklore/legend of the Pied Piper.

For anyone who doesn't remember the legend, the Pied Piper was a story that dates back to the Middle Ages. A town known as Hamelin was (very likely) dealing with the fall out of the Black Plague and thus, they were swarmed with rats. A man dress with bright, flashy and multi-colored clothing appeared one day in town. He claimed to be a professional "rat-catcher" and he could use his magic pipe and enchant the rats to follow him with his music.

The town agreed to pay the man for his services and, using his music, he lured the rats out of the town -- enchanting them to drown themselves in a river. The town was saved but when the man came to collect his payment, the mayor refused to pay him. He was bitter over being used for his services and claimed to come back one day to get revenge.

On exactly June 26th, the man returned. Some accounts claim that the man was dressed in a hunter outfit now... but I've noticed that those accounts differ on the exact color. Its said to be either green (or) red. But the outfit is described as (most definitely) being the exact outfit that a hunter would have worn-- complete with the hat and a feather. The man played his pipe and the children of the town were enchanted by his music. They followed him out of town... except three children who were left behind.

One child could not follow quickly enough due to being physically disabled
One child could not hear the music due to being deaf
One child could not see where they were going due to being blind

The three children who were left behind told the adults of the town what had happened. Depending on the specific story being told, there was a possibility that the children came back home once the payment was obtained. But there's just as many stories claiming that the children either disappeared or were found drowned in the same river that the rats were drowned in...

Alright that took a bit to explain -- but allow me to offer up a few details on why I think this would make sense for Irvine.

--The specific detail of the Pied Piper being in a hunter outfit when he came to collect the children really stands out to me. Also the color choice seems to be important too. Since people are un-sure on whether it was green (or) red, I feel like we can apply that to Irvine who wears a reddish-magenta outfit.

--Going even further, the over-all backdrop of the story and why it happened in the first place... a town overrun by rats who carry the plague. We are certainly no stranger to the plague popping up in Berserk. I have no doubt that it was a constant threat over the years -- probably popped up more than once over the course of Midland's history.

--And that's not to forget that Irvine has an honest talent with music... something that seems to be one of his only pleasures.

Now I acknowledge that there are (also) plenty of details that go against Irvine being a reference to the Pied Piper.

--Irvine uses a lute for his music... not a pipe.

--Irvine doesn't have any specific "rat" symbolism or aesthetic with him... his Apostle form is more akin to a deer or wolf.

--There is no explanation for why Irvine is blind if we applied this folklore/legend to him. Although if we squint hard enough, we could claim that Irvine might've been that final child who wasn't able to follow the Pied Piper because they were blind. I feel like that could work too.


Either way... I think this idea could (potentially) work depending on how its written.
Thanks for reading! I'm happy to have a chance to start throwing out my ideas-- even if they are flawed!

 

[TheItCrow]

I see no connection between Irvine and the "Rattenfänger von Hameln".

But the outfit is described as (most definitely) being the exact outfit that a hunter would have worn-- complete with the hat and a feather.

We studied the tale when I was in 5th grade or so, and he was always depicted wearing a colorful or red robe—often with some sort of nightcap. That said, I agree the hunter-ish depiction seems more common, perhaps outside of Germany.

Anyway, there is no connection between Irvine and rats. Aside from playing a lute—which suits a lone hunter—there’s nothing particularly musical about him. I mean, you said it yourself... what connection even is there aside from both being a hunter and both medieval worlds having rats (duh)?

 

[Enoch]

We studied the tale when I was in 5th grade or so, and he was always depicted wearing a colorful or red robe—often with some sort of nightcap. That said, I agree the hunter-ish depiction seems more common, perhaps outside of Germany.

Anyway, there is no connection between Irvine and rats. Aside from playing loudly—which suits a lone hunter—there’s nothing particularly musical about him. I mean, you said it yourself... what connection even is there aside from both being a hunter and both medieval worlds having rats (duh)?

Oh wow, I appreciate your addition!
And your knowledge on the subject helps a lot too -- in comparison, my own knowledge regarding the tale is pretty base level.

Regardless of the fact, I really do agree with you. I'm certainly not disagreeing as I stated it myself that there wasn't much of a link.
I suppose for the sake of this thread, I was merely offering the idea as a means of discussion.
I wanted to see if there was any potential lore that I was missing, if that makes sense?

Although I hope I did not come across as ignorant or anything. I'm just rather curious.

 

[veritas]

Rakshas was ugly and shunned by everyone for it. He peeled the skin off the face of attractive people to make masks which he would wear in private and admire himself in front of a mirror. The Bakiraka learned about this and banished him. Something like that.