Zander Taxe

The Master of MLG

> "*I didn't write this*"
> ― Zander Taxe?
>
>

**Sir Zander Taxe** is an elf ranger, MLG, and apparent skill in The Party. He primarily takes the role of striker, focusing targets down with a barrage of high damage arrows. In addition Zander is quite acrobatic, often using these skills to easily traverse difficult terrain. Zander has the quietest personality of the group, generally not speaking up unless necessary. He also appears more attached to his pet rat Zipper than any other Party member. This go-it-alone approach has actually worked well for Zander and he by far holds the most of The Party's earnings, with them often pining for his aid in acquiring items. Zander's morals are ambiguous and he often sneaks around stealing treasure where possible. Zander was knighted by The Rat King for the safekeeping of Prince Nhil.

# History

Zander's mother died in childbirth, and he was raised by his father, an expert bow-maker. This led to Zander taking up archery as a hobby, and becoming quite adept at it. When he was 15, Zander lost one of his fingers in an unfortunate shooting accident. Remarkably, this did not hinder Zander's talent with a bow and he simply learned to shoot without that finger.

At some point Zander joined the Elven Army, his skill with a bow garnering him the title of MLG. He also saw deployment in a combat zone. It is unknown where Zander fought, but from his occasional flashbacks it is possible he has PTSD. This may also account for why Zander decided to leave the military and take up painting. Similar to archery, Zander quickly learned and became a master at painting, possibly using the techniques of Bob Ross, who Zander very much respects. The long years spent painting with little bow training may account for why Zander starts A Heart of Sorrowful Power at level 1.

When Rob Boss arrived in the mortal world, he destroyed Zander's painting supplies. Why Rob Boss did this is unknown, but it is possible he feared Zander would become a second Bob Ross. This caused Zander to have a personal vendetta against Rob Boss, taking to the road for vengeance.

# A Heart of Sorrowful Power

## Meeting the Party

Zander first met The Party near Harken as he was attempting to pickpocket Blarg Deaff. When Psych Diety fell out of the sky and woke Blarg up, Zander pretended he was doing nothing, and apparently joined the Party partially to keep suspicion of him down. Despite this, Zander's motives to defeat Rob Boss kept him aligned with the Party.

## War in Harkenwold

Zander quickly made a name for himself amongst the Party as the damage dealer in their encounters. From this it was once again decided that Zander was indeed MLG Pro. In the Marldowne Caves, the Party came across a den of rats. Rather than kill the rats like the others, Zander used his nature affinity to become friends with a rat. Zander then named the rat Zipper. Psych Diety and Blarg Deaff disapproved of Zander's keeping of a diseased rat, and attempted to kill Zipper. However, Zander succeeded in shielding Zipper. When Cavern Chokers ambushed the Party, Zander's choice proved its worth and Zipper saved multiple Party members from being grabbed by the Chokers. During the later battle with the Dream Beholder, Zander was notably the only Party Member to deal significant damage to the beast.

Following these first few mission, Zander had acquired a sizable wealth for himself, mostly the result of him sneaking through areas and looting all the treasure before the rest of The Party caught up. Zander further appeared to distrust his other Party members as a result of them attacking Zipper, and seldom shared his wealth.

When praying to his patron goddess Melora in the Druid's Grove, Zander gained Melora's Instruction from her, telling him to slay abominations of nature.

Zander continued to use his MLG skills during the Siege of Tor's Hold, often targeting enemy archers. This led to his MGL duel with a Bloodreaver Archer who ran a CS:GO Lottery Website. When the Party met and dealt with Fefe the Ferret, Zander generally stayed out of the issue. Zander also dealt considerable damage to Chief Larkk during their battle in the Tor's Hold main tower.

## Aiding Fallcrest

As the Party entered the Fallcrest region, Zander initially did not take part in the botched first attempt to sneak inside The Raven Roost on account of him not really being included in the plan. During the second attempt, Zander pretended to be a prisoner captured by Aisu Kurimu (disguised as an Antipaladin). As Khelis the Valet was putting the "prisoners" in the dungeon, Zander swiped his key and used it to unlock the door to escape.

As the Party ended up fleeing The Coronation of Emperor Krand which happened to be occuring in the castle, Zander shot out a window so that the Party could escape through it. Zander's jump out the window received a 10/10 from the Goblin Judge. Unfortunately, Zander killed the Goblin Judge moments later.

In the city of Fallcrest itself, the most purchasing was done by Zander on account of his wealth. Among Zander's purchases were Catstep Boots, Poison Arrows, and a horse named Zagger. Zander attempted to learn more of the art of MLG at the High Library, but the book only told him how to install aimbot.

Zander continued honing his abilities at The Sword Barrow, and was the only Party Member not to panic when one of the Automatons went nuclear. His ability to disarm traps once again came in handy, helping the Party not be killed by the myriad of dangers in the tomb.

While sailing back to Varstel Crossing, Zander took post in the ship's crow's nest to spot the attacking Red Thegn Pirates. From this position he also was able to shoot multiple enemies. When he jumped down from the crow's nest (and shot a Pirate on the way down), Zander earned his second 10/10 from the Goblin Judge.

A New Empire Sagittarius challenged Zander to an MLG duel during the Third Battle of Fallcrest. Zander killed the opposing MLG, cementing his MLG Pro status. At one point during the battle, Zander had a flashback and almost shot Whitey Shieldington, though he regained composure just in time. When the Party boarded the enemy Airship, Zander once again used the crow's nest to shoot from. When the Airship crashed Zander received his third 10/10 from the Goblin Judge when he once again jumped off the crow's nest.

# Personality

Zander is pragmatic, cunning, and reserved. He usually stays out of any trouble the Party causes outside of their objectives and only speaks up when he feels is necessary. He knows his skill-set very well and attempts to maximize its potential, often attempting to sneak attack enemies and loot any treasure he can. Zander seems to distrust the other members of The Party, excluding perhaps Aisu Kurimu. This distrust is not without cause, as Zander has come into conflict with other Party members on numerous occasions- including being attacked by Psych and Blarg on one occasion and being antagonized by Enel on numerous others. Enel in particular tends to knock heads with Zander on account of their differing personalities. As a result of this Zander has kept relatively distant from the others and prefers to take matters into his own hands whenever possible. This has resulted in Zander acquiring considerable wealth by looting as much as possible without consulting the others, an act which has led them to often pine for his help in purchasing power.

Though Zander keeps The Party at arm's length, he has become attached to the various animals he has acquired (by his skill in nature or by purchasing) over the course of the campaign. These include his pet rat Zipper and trusty steed Zagger. Zander is very protective of both, to the point of using his own livelihood to protect Zipper just after he met the rat. This connection appears to go both ways, and his pets seem to be as loyal to Zander as he is to them.

# Abilities

Zander has no magical abilities and instead draws from pure skill. Normal attacks from Zander are usually more powerful in terms of damage than any other member of The Party, and when he crits he can easily one-hit-kill equivalently leveled opponents. This is further impressive as Zander achieves this without any magical aid. Most of Zander's more powerful attacks are based around him shooting multiple arrows, either in quick succession or at the same time, and focusing either on two different targets or the same one. Zander's Melora's Instruction ability causes him to deal an additional two damage to abominations of nature, and his acrobatics allow Zander to get to strategically advantageous locations. Zander further has the ability to reroll his own rolls or allies (provided he is trained in the skill they are rolling). This often saves Zander from missing the few times he does, and saves allies who may slip up at a bad time.

Finally, Zander can release Zipper at will, giving the Party an additional ally in the field. Zipper's ability to curse enemies and save allies from grab status can be considered an extension of Zander's abilities.

Zander is highly trained in stealth, thievery, perception, acrobatics, and nature. using stealth Zander attempts to ambush enemies, and his thievery skill comes in particular handy disarming traps spotted by his high perception. Zander uses acrobatics to dodge dangerous areas and reach favorable shooting positions, and has used nature to become friends with animals like Zipper.

# Trivia

* Zander has a assumed kill count of 8433.
* Zander has gotten 3 10/10s from the Goblin Judge, tied with Enel Enlee for the most out of any character, which is ironic considering he killed the Goblin Judge.
* Zander often duels opposing archers 1 on 1. He always wins.
* While Zander is not the only MLG in the world, it is implied he is the best. Zander has also killed other MLGs in combat.
* After being knighted by The Rat King, Zander is the only member of The Party to become a knight