The Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen are four deities that, before the knowledge of time even existed, and before light was allowed to maintain on the planets, were created by the victors in order to bring judgement upon Earth should the need arise and its inhabitants become ungrateful for the millennia-long struggle. Or so they say. In actuality, their origins are meaningless in the grand scheme of things. And being older than time itself, makes an origin story, less then practical. The Horsemen appear in many of the arcs, under various guises (these also tend to differ from person to person), the most well-known being Aldric, who also serves as a death deity.

## General Abilities

All four horsemen are capable of magic and supernatural conjuring that are unique to them. Within those specific magic sects, they are the most powerful wielders (as to be expected), however, this does not mean they cannot be bested, as was the case with Aldric and Planty. Furthermore, stamina and "reserves" play no role in they casting, should they wish to do so.

The four can change their appearance depending on the person gazing at them without them necessarily controlling it (Conquest once appeared as a king to Aelfweard, but a merchant to Albrecht). However, normally they stick to one form as all but Aldric have implanted themselves, to varying degrees of "success" into humanity.

## Horsemen of Death

Aldric Frederick von Hauptmann is the current horsemen of death, having inherited it from a previous deity following an unfortunate series of events that befell his original homeland, most notably the Necromancer-King and his dark and devious deeds. The path he took to become the Horsemen of Death is not quite as well-known or known at all, especially considering his numerous appearances and importance to the modern arc in particular. Regardless, shortly before the Napoleonic Wars, he was reincarnated as a human and once again tried his hand at living like a human, but failed at the dying part until a mysterious order blew up his house one day.

Although the horsemen's powers are similar in strength, Aldric is generally regarded as the strongest, being able to kill anything living, and more importantly, those that are undead or are of daemonic origins. Although some of his powers are similar, to Decay's, his are more akin to natural decay, rather than engineered. As he is the horseman of death, his magic is akin to Dark Magic and Necromancy, and can be weakened by a significant amount of Life Alchemy, as well as Dark Magic itself (although this requires nigh impossible amounts).

### **Normal Appearance**

* Black suit and tie, with a white button-down and black trousers, sometimes with a red stripe down the seam
* Face and body partially decaying
* Blue gray eyes and gray hair
* Carries a cane with him, sometimes with a tophat

### **Horseman Appearance**

* Wearing his old Colonel's uniform of the 1st Life Hussars Regiment (Totenkopf)
* Wields a saber or a scythe in his right hand, the horse's reigns or a firearm in his left
* Occasionally, black wings appear hazed behind him
* Rides a white horse, that has been grayed slightly (emphasized when next to Conquest)

## Horsemen of War

Born Philip Siegfried Neumann, he holds the record for longest time spent as his current person, without either reincarnating as a human, or changing the person or appearance altogether. Philip was a prince in Prussia, and at a young age joined the church in an endless search for knowledge, but seeing and hearing the daemonic horrors of the outside realm, later joined the Teutonic Order as a knight and quickly rose up through the ranks, becoming a ruthless and bloodthirsty commander, to the point of being mistaken for a vampire prince. His path to becoming the Horseman of War is the most detailed and less straightforward than that of Conquest or Decay. Essentially, because of his constant thirst for blood, he became the Horseman by simply outdoing the previous incarnation.

War is also the only case of either of the horsemen being able to fully utilize his magic powers before becoming the horsemen, albeit this is a) due to the fact that he slowly became it; and b) Aldric never really meddled with his powers while he was human, but did use it to alter certain scenarios. He wields fire magic and has pretty much enchanted everything he owns to burn both holy and unholy depending on the situation.

### **Normal Appearance**

* Within the modern arc, he has no confirmed normal appearance, other than an implication that he works at a War Museum in the United States
* It is implied that both he and Otto, as well as other characters, have met on numerous times without them realising it
* Presumably, he is the one who hid the Hauptmann family sword, at the behest of Ludwig von Hauptmann

### **Horseman Appearance**

* He remains dressed as a Teutonic Ritterbruder and wears a red cap with a golden cross on it
* Wields a great Zweihander that is described as being surprisingly mobile considering its name
* When close to the enemy, his sword will light up in flames, and his horse as well as the land behind it, will appear to be engulfed in flame
* Rides a red horse

## Horsemen of Conquest

### **Normal Appearance**

* Similar to War, he has no confirmed modern appearance, however, he is last being dressed as a stockbroker on break, or an aspiring diplomat
* It is unknown if any of the other characters have actually met his human form, although he has appeared in many visions and dreams of the characters

### **Horseman Appearance**

* He is dressed in a similar manner to that of a cuirassier or royal guard, wearing a glistening metal chestplate and golden epaulettes, as well as flamboyant plumes and feathers on his helmet
* Wields a long and straight cuirassier saber on his right side, generally sheathed as well as a carbine strapped to his horse; carries a unit's standard in his left hand or a scepter, using both hands to control the reigns when not using his sword
* The flag/scepter itself is the unit in which his storm and lightning magic can be conjured
* Rides a pure white horse

## Horsemen of Decay

### **Normal Appearance**

* His appearance is one that revolves around staying in the shadows and covertly
* Wears a black trenchcoat when in colder areas, or a desert explorer's attire when in warmer climates
* He too is only mentioned by Aldric, but presumably has encountered the Group on a few occasions
* Presumably, his flesh is in a constant state of decay and regeneration, hence why all of his appearance have him wearing long and loose clothing

### **Horseman Appearance**

* Dressed as a Great War lancer, wearing a gas mask and a coat, where he keeps several concoctions
* Wields a poisoned halberd in his left hand, and a pestilent flamethrower in the other, having gasseous vials in his coat pockets
* Has poisonous grenades and smoke bombs strapped to his person and his horse
* His mere presence is enough to conjure his magic of decay
* Rides a horse darker than Aldric, which also wears a gasmask