Brogust 2024: Iskandar vs Lion El'Jonson[]
Iskandar[]
| “ | A king must live a life more vivid than any other and be a figure for all to admire. The king is the one who collects the envy of all his heroes and stands as their guide. Therefore, the king is not alone.
— Iskandar
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” |
Iskandar, King of Conquerors, historically known as Alexander the Great, in life was the King of Macedon who forged an empire that ruled much of the known world, having never lost a battle, and after became a Heroic Spirit.
Ascending the throne at the age of 20, Alexander annexed the hostile Greek city-states to the south before moving to the east, clashing with the Persian Empire, lead by Darius III. Victorious, Alexander adopted the name Iskandar and lead his men into India. Although he planned to conquer the lands beyond so he could see Oceanus, the mythical ocean at the end of the world, his men were tired of the endless war and forced him to return home where they could retire with their spoils. Upon reaching Babylon, Iskandar died and his empire shattered.
Like many who accomplished great deeds in life, Iskandar's soul ascended to the Throne of Heroes and became a Heroic Spirit. His spirit would be summoned by Waver Velvet in the Fourth Holy Grail War and by the Moon Cell in the Moon Holy Grail War, where he joined Altera's party and possibly became Hakuno Kishinami's Servant if they were the one to summon Altera. Ritsuka Fujimaru would also summon him to aid Chaldea in the Grand Orders.
At some point, Iskandar's spirit visted an adult Waver, now known as Lord El-Melloi II, in a dream, still sharing a strong connection to his former Master. Doctor Heartless planned to transform Iskandar into a Divine Spirit and summon him into the modern day to return men to the Age of Gods. Although successful in the former, the latter part of his plan was foiled by El-Melloi.
- Sword of Cypriots: Used by Iskandar in life after being gifted it by the King of Cypriots. The Sword is a Greek sphata, known for it's great dexterity and light-weightiness. It is utilized in the invocation of both of Iskandar's Noble Phantasms.
- Armor: Iskandar wears a generic fantasy set of a chestplate, cuffs and greaves made of unstated material.
- Strength: Iskandar is ranked B in Strength. He is strong enough to cut down trees, crack the ground with one strike of his sword, rip a metal gate off of it's hinges, create shockwaves with his stomps, knock aside a multi-ton stone and is strong enough to contend with other Servants like Nero and Artoria, both superhuman themselves, the latter also having a B ranking in strength.
- Speed: Although being ranked D in Agility, Iskandar is still quite nimble for his size. He was able to react to the fast Excaliblast rather quickly and save Waver, and could block some of the weapons shot by the Gate of Babylon.
- Durability: Ranked A in Endurance, Iskandar could take a large fall from a bridge onto his chariot with no harm and took repeated hits from the Gate of Babylon before eventually succumbing to his wounds.
- Riding A+: Iskandar's class is Rider. He rode a horse in every battle he fought in life and was quite good at it. A rank allows a Rider to be capable of driving almost any mount or vehicle up to Phantasmal or Divine Beasts.
- Magic Resistance D: A skill allowing Servants to protect and resist magical attacks. At D it can cancel single-action spells.
- Charisma A: Iskandar was one of, if not, the most successful military commander in life and kept close with his men (at least in Fate). An A rank in Charisma makes it possible for him to become as popular as a human can be and can boost the morale of his army.
- Divinity C: A skill which measures the divinity of an individual. It has been said that Iskandar is the son of Zeus, though this is contradicted by real history.
- Tactics B: A skill focusing on engagements between two armies.
- Gordius Wheel: Iskandar summons a war chariot the size of a truck pulled by two Divine Bulls. Two large curved sickles are placed on it's sides for dealing with obstacles and hurling the debris at enemies, while the bulls and chariot tread atop lightning strikes that allow it to traverse either the air or the ground.
- Via Expugnatio: An A+ rank Noble Phantasm with the focus of anti-army. The bulls charge towards the enemy line, with lightning striking around them as they pull towards the enemy, granting great speed. It can be used as an effective teleport as it allows Iskandar to jump over 100 meters in an instant.
- Ionioi Hetairoi: An EX rank anti-army NP, Ionioi Hetairoi brings Iskandar's opponent to an open desert in a pocket dimension, where every soldier that served him in life will be summoned against the opponent. These soldiers carry generified Classical Greek-styled armor with pikes, swords, shields and javelins. They also have rank E- Independent Action, allowing them a small supply of Mana so they may act without a Master. Iskandar rides at the front of his army atop his horse Bucephalus or the Gordius Wheel depending on what he chooses. The NP lasts 30 turns (so probably awhile) and ends if Iskandar dies. It is typically in reserve by Iskandar due to the Mana cost, only coming out as a last resort.
Experience[]
Iskandar in life was, as previously said, one of the greatest military commanders of the known world in his time, having success for over 33 years of conquest before his death. Alexander the Great historically did lead by example in battle, so that can be applied to him, but his participation in the Fourth Holy Grail War would come much more important for a battle like this. He faced off against other Servants such as Artoria, Gilgamesh, Hassan of the Hundred Faces, and a giant eldritch monster summoned by Gilles de Rais with help from Artoria and Diarmuid, each of them having unique powersets and abilities as well as physicals to compete with or exceed his own.
Martial Skill[]
Iskandar spent much of his time in life as a soldier, and later commander, but his actual skills in a one-on-one don't seem very developed. Rather, he focuses much more on the raw power of his physicality and Noble Phantasms to secure an edge over an opponent rather than outmatching them in direct bladework. He isn't a moron and is still one of the best tacticians ever, but this is more valuable in a direct army-on-army confrontation.Lion El'Jonson[]
| “ | The measure of true glory is not to give battle in the bright noon of war, surrounded by brave comrades upon the field of victory, but to valiantly fight on alone in the darkness, with no hope of aid or even remembrance, and to spit defiance in midnight's eye.
— Lion El'Jonson
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” |
Lion El'Jonson, known also as The Lion, The First, and The Son of the Forest, was the Primarch of the Dark Angels 1st Legion before the Horus Heresy and the later Chapter after his return in the 42nd Millennium in Imperium Nihilus.
One of the 18 Primarchs, "sons" created by the Emperor of Mankind to serve him in his Imperium, the 18 were scattered by the Chaos Gods across the galaxy through a Warp Vortex. The young Jonson landed on the Death World of Caliban, a large forest world inhabited by voracious wildlife inhabited by humans under a Feudal society. He survived within the forests for a decade, likely inherited to his unique physical genetics crafted by his father, until he was eventually found by The Order, one of the dominant knightly factions of the planet. Nearly killed by one of the knights and having almost gone completely feral, Jonson was left in a critical state, but was saved by the knights' leader Luther, who convinced him to return with them to their Fortress Monastery. There, he would be given his name by The Order, and would be raised by Luther, learning quickly to adapt to Caliban's society and becoming an advanced tactician and strategist far beyond any human contemporary.
Rising to the top of The Order alongside Luther, the two petitioned for a Crusade against the Great Beasts which inhabited Caliban's forests, leading to various Monasteries agreeing to the Crusade, ridding out the wildlife problem within a decade. With this influence, Jonson would move to secure the planet and demanded all knightly orders to swear fealty to him, only opposed by the Knights of Lupus, who were deeply connected to an ancient sentient Warp device and began to worship Chaos. Under Jonson's leadership, they were wiped out entirely. Caliban would remain relatively peaceful until forward scouts from the Emperor arrived on the planet.
Jonson would meet the Emperor and, upon realizing he had found one of his sons, gave the Primarch immediate command over the 1st Legion. Jonson departed to join the Emperor on the Great Crusade across the galaxy to cement the Imperium as a dominant power, with his early career taking part in the Rangdan Xenocides, a devastating interspecies conflict that saw the Imperium fighting against the mysterious Rangda Xenos. Jonson proved once again to be an outstanding tactician, even amongst his fellow brothers who possessed very capable minds tailored for battle analysis, and would be considered for the role of Warmaster, only to be outdone by Horus due to being too secretive and stoic, something he had admitted himself, but an act that would potentially cost the Imperium later in spite of his acceptance of it. After the Rangdan Xenocides, Jonson would take part in the Dulan Campaign alongside his brother Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion.
When the Horus Heresy broke out, Jonson sided with his father and made a critical action after securing the world of Diamat, which Horus would have used to besiege the Imperial Palace on Terra, cementing himself as the new Warmaster after Horus' defection. However he traded the siege weapons to Perturabo in exchange for his support to become Warmaster, an action made disastrous when Perturabo proved himself to be a turncoat at the battle of Isstvan V. Jonson would lead the Dark Angels against the Night Lords under their Primarch Konrad Curze in the Thramas Crusade. Blocked from Terra by a Ruinstorm, Jonson and the Dark Angels would take refuge in Imperial Secundus alongside his brothers Roboute Guilliman and Sanguinius, continuing to hunt for Konrad and eventually capturing him once again, and placing Curze on trial.
The Lion and his brothers continued on the warpath to Terra, battling against Chaos on Pyrrhan and the destruction of worlds such as Chemos and Barbarus, however the Dark Angels would arrive too late to meaningfully impact the battle. Wracked by grief from nine bloody years of civil war, the Lion finally returned to Caliban, only to be attacked by the planet's forces. He discovered that Luther had taken control of the planet, and seeing it as the taint of Chaos, Jonson ordered a bombardment of his homeworld. After whittling down the defenses, Jonson led his forces down to the planet's surface and began a bloody ground campaign, and eventually discovered Luther, now enthralled and empowered by Chaos. Jonson would battle his old friend, though was mortally wounded by the latter and though Luther had a change of heart and became unwilling to fight. Enraged, the Chaos Gods unleashed a warp storm that completely destroyed the planet save for the Fortress Monastery which had been protected by vast forcefields. The comatose Jonson would be taken by the Watchers in the Dark to the deepest remains of Caliban to sleep, and eventually be reawakened when he was needed. Only they and the Emperor knew the truth.
Jonson would reawaken in the Mirror-Caliban in M42, having lost his memories, though he quickly regained them over time. Traveling through the Mirror-Caliban using the corruption's stench upon the trees, he eventually reached the world of Camarth and discovered Zabriel, a member of the Fallen who had defected from the Dark Angels after the events at Caliban, allowing Jonson to fully regain his memories. Learning to use the Mirror-Caliban as a way's of travel, Jonson set upon reclaiming Imperium Nihilus from the forces of Chaos and began rallying members of the Fallen into a new loyalist Risen. He would eventually link up with a force of the Blood Angels under their Chapter Master Dante, learning that his brother Guilliman was still alive. Jonson and the Blood Angels made way to the Idolatros System and the Wyrmwood through the Mirror-Caliban. There he would aid the Blood Angels in the battle of Idolatros and battle against his corrupted brother Angron, malformed into a Daemon Prince of Khorne. Jonson managed to defeat his brother after a lengthy battle, and escaped the Wyrmwood after another ancient device known as The Key was activated. Since then Jonson has led the forces of Imperial Nihilus in an attempt to eventually link up with the rest of the Imperium under his brother.
- Fealty: Fealty is a radiant power sword discovered by Jonson in the Mirror-Caliban. With the weapon, he could easily cut through Chaos Terminator armor, a Chaos Obliterator, the arm of a massive Hive Tyrant, and the skin of his Daemonified brother Angron, who could take firepower from entire fortresses of Imperial troops, large amounts of tanks, and anti-titan yields,
- Emperor's Shield: Once wielded by the Emperor of Mankind, the Emperor's Shield possesses unique Warp properties. It could permanently kill Daemons, who if "killed" by normal means would only return to the Warp and effectively respawn, reflect projectiles including tank shells back at opponents and rebound close range enemies with shockwaves including large bioforms such as Tyranid Screamer-Killers.
- Arma Luminus An archaeotech combi-plasma gun found on Avalus, it was a surprise in itself that the gun could fit into the Primarch's massive hands. The gun was powerful enough to shoot through tanks and bulkheads, as well as vaporize ceramite, a material used to create Space Marine armor.
- Power Armor: Jonson wields a full set of Space Marine Power Armor tailored for his unique size and strength. Likely made from some of the best materials in the Imperium such as ceramite, the main material used in making Power Armor, making it generally bullet and lasgunproof and allows Marines to survive close impacts from explosions such as artillery or shrug off lightning strikes carrying the force of missiles. It provides an almost full-body coverage including a helmet with a personal heads-up-display.
- Strength: With just one blow, Jonson could smash down a fortress gate, slice through 6 Daemons with one stroke, strangle a Calibanian Lion, throw his brother Curze through 6 stalls, and then 10, punch the head off of a superhuman Space Marine, throw Leman Russ across a parapet, break iron, said to have been able to easily kill Terminators with his barehands, and smack Angron with a tank so hard he knocked him into a ruined building with enough force to collapse it on top of him.
- Speed: Despite his gigantic size, Jonson is deceptively fast even for other superhumans. He could swing a sword fast enough to leave an afterimage for superhuman Space Marines, slice bullets out of the air so precisely the split portions hit another person, keep up with Leman Russ who could also block automatic gunfire, is faster than Curze who could slice apart bolter rounds when only a meter away, "begin moving" in a microsecond, dodge "lightning fast" attacks and a split second in his perception is "like an hour."
- Durability: Jonson could survive blows from his brothers Curze, Russ, and Angron, who are all incredibly superhuman themselves and the latter able to explode tanks with his swings. He could tank the shockwave of a thunderhammer to his face, thunderhammers being anti-armor weapons, continue to fight after a 50 meter fall, tank a blow from a 32 foot tall Daemon, survive fighting with Curze after he had "little of his skull remaining," survives another fall, this time 35 feet, and tank a whip from a Hive Tyrant with seemingly little care, Hive Tyrants being strong enough to shatter ferrocrete, a material similar to concrete used for buildings.
- Enhanced Senses: Jonson possesses a higher degree of senses than normal, even on a psychic level. He can sense psyker powers and the muscles of armored Space Marines tensing up. He could pretty much blink through the various options of his helmet's heads-up-display and could track down a chaos beast in the forest by smelling it. He can also sense malign presences.
- Stealth: Despite standing at about 9 feet tall, the Lion is remarkably stealthy. He was swift and careful enough to not leave paths while traversing the forests of the Mirror-Caliban, and used the environment of the Wyrmwood to repeatedly ambush his brother Angron during their duel. Even with aid from the Watchers in the Dark, Space Marines have had difficulty locating the Primarch when he chooses not to be found.
- Master Swordsman: The Lion stands as one of, if not the best outright fighter of the Primarchs, at least in terms of pure bladework, and has been praised as such by his brothers. He was able to disarm the much physically stronger Leman Russ in their fight, considered the best on his homeworld of Caliban (though to be fair, he also had a specific genetic advantage here), managed to hold his own against Angron in a duel who, even in his Daemon berserker rage, still uses the several millennium of combat experience and skill he has since his days as a gladiator
- Excellent Marksman: While not as explicit and more likely due to his genetics, Jonson is still a very good shot with his gun. He has been shown in-combat to dome two Chaos terminators through the head with Arma Luminus, just after he speedblitzed the Chaos Lord with Fealty and had to draw the gun.
Experience[]
Jonson has lived for about several millennium by the time of the current day in Warhammer, having been created sometime during or before the Unification Wars of Terra which took place from M29-M30. Jonson was discovered in 846.M30 and would've served from then until 0.15 M31 where he would slumber until he returned in M42. That gives Jonson a fairly long breadth of experience from his start on Caliban to what he's doing now, though there was a large gap due to him not being conscious. But in that time, he faced countless foes who were both technologically superior to his own forces or possessed powerful psychic abilities, yet has managed to pull through at almost every turn, from his feral youth on Caliban to old age in the 42nd Millennium.
Martial Skill[]
Jonson, as gone over before, was known to be one of the best fighters out of all the Primarchs. He was capable enough to fight Russ, Konrad and Angron who were all quite skilled fighters in their own right, and each time he saw much success against them both in bladework and keeping up with them, along with the fact that each of them would've had a similar amount of experience as himself in terms of combat. While his style is not necessarily unorthodox, he has been shown to incorporate ambushes into his attacks when fighting and even bluffed Konrad's ability of foresight to land a hit on him.Scenario & Notes[]
The scenario won't be as intricate or silly as the previous one so I'll conjoin these to a single category once again.
Scenario: Both warriors encounter one another in the courtyard of an overgrown castle surrounded by an open grassy plain with a thick tree line at it's edges sprawling into a large forest. They will be forced into a confrontation won by either death, knockout, or one side retreating from the battle.
Notes:
- Voting will end on September 7th.
- A valid rebuttal can reduce a vote to half a point and potentially reduce the vote to nothing if I feel it is overwhelmingly sufficient. A successful (if I agree with it) counter rebuttal can return the full point to the original voter. Other than that, just don't be too low effort in your vote.
- If you have any questions regarding either warrior in the battle or the battle itself, contact me via Discord or message me through the wiki and I'll do my best to help. I'd also recommend checking these existing reddit threads on Iskandar and The Lion to get a more concise view of their abilities.