“ | He's gotten pretty attached to that hypocrite. | ” |
Gano (ガノ, Gano), formally known as Gano of Bloodstone (
In spite of his high rankings within the Church, Gano is most notable for being the Plague Doctor, a member of Charlatan who has directly attempted an assassination of Grand Duke Luca Oriflamme during the bal masqué. Alongside the likes of Monsieur Spider and Lord Ruthven, the organization of seemingly at-odds individuals operates in secret to ends that as of yet remain unclear.
Appearance[]
Gano has black hair, short and curly, with an undercut. He has very defined facial features, visibly sharp cheekbones and nose, and deep sunken eyes. He has both ears pierced with black studs. He also has a vertical scar on his face, that stretches from his chin up and almost touches his lower lip.
He first appeared wearing a black mid-length trench coat on top of a dark hood, black pants, dark knee-length boots. Along with that, he also wears a black hat and a stitched-up white plague doctor mask.
Later on, when he's introduced, he wears the standard chasseur's uniform, including black pants, a cassock, a pale harness, a ribbon-like belt, dark leather boots, and a rosary, covered by a pale cloak. His hands are protected with dark, scaled, armored gloves.
Personality[]
Gano is very deceptive and cunning, pulling strings and working behind the curtains. He is very cruel towards anyone regardless of whether they're human or not, but seems to show even greater disdain towards Dhampirs and Vampires. Gano has a penchant for violence and torture, and will do the bare minimum to keep from getting in trouble with the Church.[1] He's usually shown wearing a crooked creepy smile and a devious expression.
History[]
Coming soon!
Plot[]
Bal Masqué Arc[]
Upon infiltrating Marquis Machina's bal masqué, Gano — disguised as the Plague Doctor — Naenia, and Monsieur Spider witness Vanitas proclaiming himself as a kin of the Blue Moon looking to utilize the power of The Book of Vanitas to save Vampires in order to tarnish the reputation of Vanitas of the Blue Moon, whether they are of willing party or not. This prompts a riot among the guests, leading to the Beastia Veronica de Sade revealing herself to be among the crowd. Veronica attempts to kill Vanitas herself, but when he is saved by Jeanne, Veronica calls for a human hunt, rallying the Vampires to help find and kill Vanitas. Seeing this as an opportunity, Naenia remarks on the luck of the situation, as she, Gano, and Monsieur Spider prepare to carry out their mission to eliminate the Grand Duke Luca Oriflamme.
Naenia lets out a dirge that affects four Curse-Bearers in attendance with the Malnomen Dissonance, providing the Beastia with a distraction. With everyone else busy, Monsieur Spider and Gano confront Luca, killing both of his personal attendants in the process. When Monsieur Spider goes after Luca, Noé defends him and demands to know what the assailants are. A concerned Luca calls out to Noé, only to be told by him to stay back as he continues to fend off the vessels. As Gano attacks Noé, the latter successfully manages to break his sword and cast him back.
Gano remains out of commission from this point forward, until after Naenia is cast back and Monsieur Spider addresses that it is time for them to leave, as they had already gone over their allotted time and the Beastia would soon catch on to them otherwise. As such, Gano vacates the premises with the Monsieur Spider and Naenia, however, Naenia looks back and addresses Noé, stating that she'd decided she likes him, asking him that the next time they meet, he should give her his true name. Confused and furious, Noé asks what Naenia is and why she's been creating Curse-Bearers, even mentioning his confusion in relation to her and Louis, but rather than answer Noé, Naenia simply bids him farewell and follows her associates off of the balcony. Though Jeanne follows Charlatan out the window, Gano, Naenia, and the Monsieur Spider manage to escape into the night.
The Beast of Gévaudan Arc[]
Gano and his squad went to Gévaudan to secretly retrieve research materials from Chloé's castle under Ruthven's orders. After Naenia was dealt with and Chloé and Jean-Jacques were saved by Vanitas, Dante and Johann stay in the castle's library to retrieve the Alteration Device core, so Gano and his subordinates proceeded to knock both Dhampirs out in order to steal the core and flee from the scene, saying that the fuss that Astolfo Granatum kicked up made it easier to work. After that, he went to meet up with Olivier and Roland to say hello.
Current Arc[]
Astolfo woke up with a pained gasp in a hospital bed at the Chasseurs’ medical clinic after the attack that killed his family. Mira, who had been watching over him started and, with a mildly disturbed mutter, called out beyond the curtain and ordered for someone to get Olivier. Olivier appeared, worry evident on his face, as he called to Astolfo and asked if he can recognize him. Astolfo’s thoughts began to mix and his sense of time still was twisted, his eyes went wide and alert with horrified urgency. He grabbed at Olivier’s arm and half coherently begged him, desperately asked if she was okay. Olivier, faced with such a question, had no idea how to answer, and in his moment of hesitation, someone else did. “She’s dead.”[2]
Appearing beyond the curtain beside Mira, Gano and Ogier stood. Gano snickered smarmily as Ogier sighed with exasperation next to him. Gano continued with sadistic cruelty, revealing to Astolfo that his baby sister, his father, his mother, all the servants, they were all dead. Olivier shouted at Gano to stop, but Gano didn’t, and Astolfo continued to hear every word. Gano remarked how impressive it is that Astolfo remained alive despite the innumerous Vampires who had drank his blood and Marked him for life. Olivier shouted Gano’s name once more and surged forth to grab the man by his shirt. Before anything more violent can break out, Mira snapped at them a reminder of where they were, and if they wanted to fight they should bring it to her room so she can watch as she drank. Ogier sweating with exasperation scolded Mira for provoking them further.
As an angry shouting match immediately unfolds, Astolfo stared forth with dead eyes, finally realizing the fate that was met by his family. As this scuffle went on in the background, Ogier, now seated at Astolfo’s bedside, smiled. He commented on the absolute and specific hell that it is to be the sole survivor. Poor kid, he called Astolfo. He surreptitiously moved his hand which rested on the desk behind him beside a pair of scissors and pushed, causing them to fall off the desk and next to Astolfo’s pillow.
Astolfo stared at the object, his eyes at once darkened and cleared and solidified with certainty. His weakened fingers slowly grasped towards the scissors and he recalled himself helping that Vampire — he knew it was his fault. Astolfo raised the scissors high above. At this point, as Ogier half-heartedly tried to calm everyone, Mira had grabbed Gano’s jaw in her hand to force his mouth shut and was threatening worse. But even amidst all this, Olivier turned and saw Astolfo, his eyes widened in horror as blood spilled.
After having Astolfo's wounds treated, the gossiping voices of other Chasseurs milled about as they spoke of how Astolfo had finally woken up and even met with their commander, Charles, who planned to make him the twelfth Paladin one day despite his near dead state. To the side, Gano and Ogier watched their coworkers drinking and laughing. Gano entertained the idea of the sole survivor of the Granatums rose to the rank of Paladin in order to avenge his family’s deaths, with Ogier finishing the thought saying it would be the perfect kind of beloved story to feed to the populace. Gano with a wide smirk added that Astolfo would thus make a perfect symbol for the Vampire Eradication Faction and began walking off. Ogier meanwhile sighed with exasperation at how terrifying their commander Charles was. It would’ve been kinder to let Astolfo die.
Some time later, Astolfo while walking along encountered Gano, who immediately opened by sardonically remarking on his attachment to Roland. Ogier next to him sighed and reprimanded Gano to not provoke the boy too much, but Gano just brushed him off, shooing Ogier off and thus Gano and Astolfo are left alone standing across from each other. The younger male takes a moment to recall what he knows of the man known as Gano of Bloodstone, a Paladin whose ranking was so celebrated he had been given the sacred stone that specifically held the meanings of “salvation” and “devotion.” But, looking at the smarmily smirking man in front of man, Astolfo could only deadpan at how awfully, almost comically villainous his face looked. Astolfo sighed and asked the man for his business with him as he was in a hurry, but Gano already knew that Astolfo was on his way to train with Roland. With a widening grin, Gano insults even the commander’s decision to group the two of them together — Astolfo, a child raised in high society by a wealthy family, with Roland, whom Gano called “a tattered urchin who grew up in the slums.” He even remarked that Astolfo would learn nothing aside from vulgar language from the man. Astolfo bristled and snapped at Gano for his words, asking what he even had against Roland. Gano, looming ominously over the boy, answered with a long and drawn out “everything.” With disgust and contempt, Gano revealed to Astolfo that the reason why Roland became a Chasseur was the money. No matter how noble he spoke or acted, Roland’s faith was never truly within God.[3]
Astolfo took in these words quietly. Then, softly to himself, he muttered that he himself may not be much different. Gano was confused, and Astolfo spoke up and told Gano that his face scared him. He walked off, leaving Gano behind with a sharp command to leave him alone unless absolutely necessary, leaving the now annoyed older man behind.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Unnamed weapon - His weapon of choice seems to be a katar, which is a type of push dagger, characterized by its horizontal hand grip and the blade sitting above the user's knuckles.
- Enhanced Speed, Strength, and Stamina - Gano is capable of enhancing his body through the use of drugs provided by the Chasseurs in order to make him better equipped for combat with Vampires.
Relationships[]
Roland Fortis[]
Roland seems to treat Gano coldly but politely due to his kind nature, but is shown to have some level of distrust towards him and is seen discussing with Olivier about Gano's suspicious movements. For his part, Gano absolutely despises Roland — referring to him as “a tattered urchin who grew up in the slums” — believing his heroic bravado is nothing but an act, and that Roland’s faith was never truly within God. Gano sees Roland as a hypocrite who is obsessed with the ideal of salvation despite his own flimsy faith, and a vulgar man who only joined the Chasseurs for the money.[3] Roland probably is aware of Gano's hatred towards him, but makes no effort to confront him about it or give him the satisfaction of a fight.
Olivier[]
Olivier seems to dislike and distrust Gano, not even bothering to greet him when he shows up. Olivier is well aware of Gano's tendency to cause trouble and has little to no patience for his antics. After the tragedy that befell Astolfo's family, Olivier was infuriated with Gano's mean comments and lack of empathy, grabbing Gano by the collar and being ready to start a physical fight in order to shut him up.[2] It is likely that Gano dislikes Olivier just as much, considering he is the best friends of Roland, the man he despises the most.
Astolfo Granatum[]
Coming Soon!
Ogier[]
Ogier and Gano seem to have a friendly relationship. He sometimes reprimands Gano when he goes too far with his antagonizing, but seems to put no real effort into stopping him or defusing the situation, instead opting to let Gano go on with his antics. Being close to Gano, Ogier knows to some extent about his evil streak and possibly even shares it — when both of them visited Astolfo after the death of the younger's family, it is likely that Ogier already knew what were Gano's intentions, and simply used the commotion to carry out his own scheme of getting Astolfo to take his own life.[2]
August Ruthven[]
Gano and Lord Ruthven seem to have a secret arrangement, probably due to their affiliation with Charlatan, with Gano helping him behind the scenes, although it's yet unknown what are their terms or the end goal of either party.
Naenia[]
Coming Soon!
Monsieur Spider[]
Coming Soon!
Quotes[]
- “He talks like a shiny hero… but what he believes in isn’t God. Going on about salvation when his own faith is so flimsy… He makes me sick!!”[3]
- “Dhams should make like Dhams and live in the shadows, holding their breath.”[1]
- “Hey, as long as nobody knows what we did, it won’t matter.”[1]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
- Mémoire 8: Louis — Sinking In A Pool Of Blood (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 10: Salvatio — Uncertainty
- Mémoire 25: Endroit Approprié — Melee (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 43: Encens Restant — Lingering Scent of the Dream
- Mémoire 44: Mal d’Amour — The Incurable Illness (Part One)*
- Mémoire 58: Observation — The Darkness in Between*
- Mémoire 59: Fuga — What the Organist Plays*
- Mémoire 62.5: Bourdonnement — Wingbeats of Scattered Thought (Part Two)
- Mémoire 63: Quelqu'un — Someone
- Mémoire 4: Bal masqué -Night of Mocking Masks- (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 5: Réminiscence -Friends-
- Mémoire 6: Salvatio -Questions-
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia[]
- Gano is based off of the character Ganelon[4] from The Song of Roland,[5] one of the three cycles of the Matter of France,[6] a body of literature containing legends that have defined the history of France. In The Song of Roland, Ganelon is the villain whose traitorous actions lead to the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in which Roland and his companions die honorable deaths, for which Ganelon is eventually executed by Charlemagne.
- Gano shares this eponymic origin with all Chasseur Paladins.
- Bloodstone, the gem Gano was granted that represents his Paladin rank, has several meanings ascribed to it, though two are drawn attention to in particular: "salvation" and "devotion."[3]