| Vandheer Lorde | |
 | |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Alternative Name(s) | The King |
| Allies | Network, Eivana (formerly), Hawkin (formerly), Unnamed Man (AWW 2), Soldiers, Elites, Razors (all formerly) |
| Enemies | Lone Warrior, Leo, Eivana, Hawkin, Quema Tormenta, Vindstot, Smoking Martillo, Blackmist |
| Weapon | Ice Blade Blade of Water Blade of Wind Blade of Fire Blade of Lightning (non-canon) |
| Occupation | Ruler |
| Affiliation | His Kingdom Legacy Network |
| Appearances | |
| First Appearance | Armed With Wings |
| Latest Appearance | Armed With Wings: Rearmed |
Vandheer Lorde, also known as The King, is the central main antagonist of the Armed with Wings game series.
Biography[]
Pre-Game[]
A powerful warrior king, Vandheer Lorde's sole goal was to build a strong everlasting Empire, and become the most powerful man in the world. At some point, he had achieved this dream, and became the world's one true king; unfortunately, his rule proved to be less than appeasing, as it was apparent that any who so much as spoke out against him would be promptly executed; his status for such oppression soon earned him the ire of a great many people, who saw his rule as nothing more than vile.
As such, one man formed a considerable army and sought to destroy Vandheer with the help of his rebellion, only for Vandheer's superior numbers and power to win the war, and kill the man who led the rebellion against him. Despite his victory, much of the world remained in ruin after the war, with discarded weapons and destroyed architecture littering the world surrounding his kingdom. Even so, Vandheer continued to rule the world without a care for those who passed.
Red Moon[]
Some time after the war, two of Vandheer's subjects, a man named Hawkin and a woman named Eivana, sought to usurp Vandheer's rule by harnessing the power of the red moon to 'spill [his] blood'. Unfortunately for them, Vandheer simply scoffed at their intent, marking the obvious fact that he too, could harness the power of the red moon. After a lengthy battle, Vandheer overpowered both of his former servants, and prepared to strike them both down. However, the untimely arrival of a dark being interrupted the battle, allowing the wounded Hawkin and Eivana to escape.
Armed with Wings[]
Five years after the rebel army's defeat, the Lone Warrior, now empowered by Blackmist itself, sought to once again slay Vandheer, and after fighting his way into his kingdom, eventually confronts the king himself, sitting calmly on his throne. Remembering the former rebel leader well enough, Vandheer takes the arrival as a delightful opportunity, and he promises to enjoy killing him a second time. After a long, hard fought battle, the Lone Warrior, Armed with Wings, defeated the King, and usurped his throne, forcing Vandheer to make a quick escape in order to avoid death, but not before promising to take back what he believes is his.
Armed with Wings 2[]
In Armed with Wings 2, Vandheer takes the role of the protagonist, and declares his usurption an annoyance above all else. After fighting his way out of the palace against his own guards, Vandheer is confronted by one of the five generals of Armed with Wings' army, Quema Tormenta. After defeating him yet again, the fallen general reveals that his master has the power to control Blackmist; Vandheer refuses to believe this, and promptly slays him.
Knowing he will not be able to reclaim his throne without more power, Vandheer travels to the domain of Hawkin and Eivana, both whom still have grudges against their 'brother'. Vandheer explains his predicament to them, and reveals the existence of four powerful weapons, known as the Blades of Eden, blades, when combined, can break down and destroy blackmist. Vandheer then explains his hiding of the weapons, as even he understood that their power was too great, and after securing an alliance with his 'siblings', Vandheer claimed the first of these blades, the blade of water, which becomes his permanent weapon throughout the rest of the series.
With Eivana saving his progress and an unnamed man keeping his inventory, Vandheer entrusts Hawkin with guarding their home, and sets out to recover the remaining swords. He recovers the blade of wind from the general known as Vindstot (whom tells him how his master can control blackmist, but again, is not believed), and while Hawkin seeks out the blade of lightning, Vandheer recovers the blade of fire from the general Smoking Martillo, and promptly kills him.
As he returns home, Eivana, having learned that Hawkin has betrayed Vandheer for Armed with Wings, rushes to warn her 'brother', only to be skewered from behind by Hawkin, who dares Vandheer to catch him. An enraged Vandheer can only hear Eivana's warning that Armed with Wings is coming for him, before rushing to confront Hawkin. When he catches up to him, the two fight, but despite Hawkin's best efforts, Vandheer emerges victorious. Held at swordpoint, Hawkin reveals that Armed with Wings has the blade of lightning, and chastises Vandheer, correctly stating that Vandheer only sought his help to restore his own status as a king, and knowing that his master will resurrect him, allows Vandheer to kill him.
Now with all the power he can possibly acquire, Vandheer Lorde storms his former castle and confronts the calm and composed Armed with Wings, and the two argue over who will rule better, before crossing blades. At first, Vandheer seems to win, and holds the new emperor at swordpoint. Armed with Wings recounts his death, and reveals that he was not the one the generals had referred to as 'master', but Blackmist himself; the being that was unhappy with Vandheer's rule, and sought to use the Lone Warrior to destroy him. Amused more than intimidated, Vandheer challenges his claim, daring Blackmist to come out and strike him down. Blackmist complies, and emerges within the body of the Lone Warrior, resurrecting the generals he had killed, and sealing the King away in a chamber, which he was to be sealed in for all eternity.
Armed with Wings 3[]
Unfortunately for Blackmist, the dark being that confronted Vandheer during the events of Red Moon, Network, immediately sensed Vandheer's peril, and sought to free him. The two beings collided, and cancelled each other out, depowering Network and leaving Blackmist on the brink of non-existence, only saving himself by concieving himself within the revived Eivana, while the now powerless Lone Warrior remains to guard Vandheer's prison, which becomes his soul purpose now that his power is gone.
Vandheer remains trapped for some time, left alone in his prison. One day, however, Eivana returns, now accompanied by her son Leo, a promising young warrior who is, in fact, destined to become the new Armed with Wings. Eivana, having seen Network's horrid power, remembers how Vandheer confronted him in the past, and believes that he will stop him, only for the Lone Warrior to reveal their status as allies. As they discuss this, Network himself appears, dispatches all three warriors, and sets Vandheer free, now able to take revenge on the warrior who trapped him for so many years. As he plans to strike however, Leo intervenes, earning the former king's wrath. He is saved however by the Lone Warrior, but he is beaten back easily. Vandheer is unimpressed by how weak he's become, and is caught off guard when the Lone Warrior seals him in a much weaker prison. He is only sealed momentarily, and by the time he's freed again, the trio have escaped.
Vandheer would then return to what remains of his kingdom, saddened by the death of his legacy. Leo confronts him, and the two share words regarding his mother, Vandheer himself admitting his respect for her skills, and admitting that it is a shame that she (and the former Armed with Wings) are the only people truly left in the world worth harvesting by Network. The Lone Warrior then arrives, but Vandheer no longer wishes to fight him, and chastises how his once great army has been reduced to nothing more than a single boy, and teleports away.
Culmination[]
The Lone Warrior chases after him, blinded by rage, but Vandheer refuses to fight him, declaring him no longer worth killing. As the Lone Warrior continues his pursuit, Vandheer declares that his kingdom will be rebuilt in time, and that he will not stop him. Eventually, the Lone Warrior corners Vandheer, and demands once again that he fight him. Deciding to finally oblige, Vandheer fights and mortally wounds the former Armed With Wings, declares he will 'rise to godhood', while he will die alone; that is all.
Vandheer leaves the Lone Warrior for dead, and is summoned by Network, who was recently defeated by an empowered Leo. Recognizing him as Blackmist's new chosen, Network chooses his own champion within Vandheer, and grants him his power; Vandheer declares his great satisfaction in slaying the young boy, but is taken aback and shell-shocked to be overpowered by him. Leo, having gone through a metamorphosis throughout the game, reveals that he was not chosen by Blackmist, but is Blackmist himself, reincarnated after his previous scuffle with Network. The defeated Vandheer can only watch as he gives life back to both Eivana and the Lone Warrior, and neither he nor Network can stand up to Leo now that his powers have been fully realized. Leo declares his intent to use his powers to wash the earth free of the stain of evil, and slays both Network and Vandheer Lorde, ending their tyranical rule over the planet once and for all.
Appearance[]
Vandheer Lorde has a very muscular build with wavy black hair, and his facial features are concealed by a large, unique mask. His attire consists of a dark-colored fur-trimmed overcoat that is left open exposing his chest, with seemingly ripped off sleeves. The bottom of his outfit has two layers. The first layer is tied in a bow around his waist. The second layer covers his feet.
In Rearmed, he is shown to have a different attire than in previous games. His mask is redone, and has a smoother crest and light emanating from it. His fur cloak is replaced with a lighter cape equipped with built-in armor plating, but he still has a bare chest and a bow on his waist. His armor covers his shoulders, and his hips.
Personality[]
Vandheer's attitude is cold. He mastered the art of not caring about irrelevant things. He simply ignores those who can't serve his goal, and uses those who can. He is proud, determined, ferocious, fearsome, full of himself, smug, and stubborn. He is capable of showing some emotions however. Mainly disappointment, anger, and he can be very wrathful sometimes.
He actually has some determined aims and wants. Apart from fulfilling his conquering wish by ruling the world, and "rise to godhood", possibly reaching incomprehensible strength, he once mentioned Lonely Warrior and Eivana being the only worthy men to be "harvested", close to overpowered in meaning. While he was overthrown as a king, he never breaks down and merely swears revenge against the rebel who has scorned him. Network once described him as one who was "sealed by the hands that created everything... therefore, he hates everything." This is not necessarily true, but Vandheer does not seem to enjoy peace, or well-being at all, as he mercilessly killed many of the citizens in the world.
Vandheer Lorde's combination of power and cruelty has attracted the attention of Network, who reveals himself to the king for the first time during the events of Red Moon. It is unclear whether they had already struck a deal back then, but it's possible (since in Armed With Wings 1, Vandheer has a couple of shadow creatures among his troops). Network calls on Vandheer's services in Armed With Wings 3, where he frees him from his prison and makes him his Chosen, much like Armed With Wings himself is the Chosen of Blackmist. It is possible that Vandheer received his powers from a pact with Network, as Network goes as far to invest his energy in Vandheer at the climax of the third game.
He only mentions it once, but he is in fact the king of the world. Little information is given about the way he ruled, but he seems to have been a tyrant, and he did something that resulted in an open rebellion. One reason for this could be that he sentenced his subjects to death for speaking out, as hinted in his encounter with the Lone Warrior in Armed with Wings 2. Apparently he was cruel and tyrannical enough that Blackmist himself, the creator of the world, decided to speed up his demise. Perhaps this is due to his possible connections with the powerful force of evil and destruction, Network.
He never appears in front of the people, his orders are carried out by the army. The members of royal guard are the only ones who are permitted to see him - an elite, handpicked group of warriors, with powers that resemble some of the abilities of Armed with Wings in the first game, which is probably controlling the flow of energy in the body.
His age is unknown, and it seems no one knows when his rule began, but some say that he is immortal, that he conquered the world ages ago. Others claim that the helm had been passed on from father to son. And some claim to know when he took over the throne. The truth behind that remains in mystery.
Abilities[]
While Armed with Wings was aided by the creator, Blackmist himself, Vandheer's powers were both born with him (Except in the final stage of AWW III when Network hosted his power in Vandheer) as well as learned and polished trough training. He excels at the art of combat with a diverse range of skills.
Vandheer Lorde has reached an unsurpassed proficiency of swordsmanship. He fights in reckless ways, often attacking with exaggeratedly powerful and heavy blows, yet without losing stability or getting interrupted easily. His most powerful sword attacks unleash residual blasts of energy.
Vandheer Lorde is a master of many sword types. He usually uses a hooked sword (possibly the Water Blade of Eden), but has also been seen using a straight katana and is also skillful in using all the Blades of Eden, exotic weapons with odd shapes. In Rearmed, he uses both a straight katana and the sword called Ice Blade, a white blade with several long adornments on the hilt and pommel.
One of the signature moves of Vandheer Lorde is becoming a flurry of shadows, being briefly immune to all attacks towards him. He finally comes to a stop next to his victim and draws his blade upwards, cleaving that person high up into midair. In Armed with Wings 3, a large burst of energy can be seen when blow is launched. In addition to being powerful both defensively and offensively, this attack is also hard to avoid, and in later years Vandheer even combined it with the usage of teleportation to follow up the first strike with additional blows.
Vandheer does not show his unarmed skills often (only in Armed with Wings 1, 2, and Rearmed), but if forced to do so he shows himself to be wild and quick, able to annihilate multiple enemies in an instant. He showed his martial skills during the search of the Blades of Eden. His ultimate unarmed attack is a grappling move in which Vandheer catches the target with energy emitted from his hands, levitates it over his head, then unleashes a massive energy burst which sends the target flying very far forward, inflicting immense damage.
During his first confrontation with Armed With Wings, Vandheer was able to unleash a powerful punch imbued with ice, strong enough to send enemies flying. He also charged Armed with Wings and was able to throw him, contrary to his normal movement.
Vandheer does not seem to be as powerful in aerial combat as he is in ground combat, but he can still bash multiple enemies away with a simple punch or kick, although this is difficult to aim. He can gather his energy to jump to extremely great heights.
Vandheer is able to either teleport or move so fast that he seems to be teleporting - vanishing in a puff of black mist. He can use this technique to avoid attacks or to ambush an opponent, following his teleports with a swift strike. By the time of Armed with Wings 3 and Culmination, he is able to teleport in midair, making him formidable even in aerial combat, able to cast an energy wave below him. In Rearmed, he boasts the ability to jump into the air to unleash a burst of black lightning. This attack is less impressive in radius that the previous attack, but takes less time to charge up and execute.
One of the signature moves of Vandheer Lorde, the Ice Shot is cast by quickly freezing the air around his hand and throwing the air projectile in a straight path. This attack has an extremely long range, able travel very long distances, although at a slow pace. It can instantly kill Royal army soldiers, sometimes even several of them if they are standing too close. The only man able to block this move is Lone Warrior as Armed with Wings, who uses his sword to slash apart the Ice Shot (or block it in Rearmed). This move can prove a liability to Vandheer, however, as a skilled opponent can actually deflect it back at him with a well-timed strike.
Vandheer is able to channel the powers of ice and water to unleash a large avalanche that not even Armed with Wings can withstand at all. It is impossible to avoid and can only be survived by blocking and not being thrown too far. In Rearmed, this move is slightly less deadly as it no longer covers the entire arena, can be interrupted if Vandheer is hit during the casting time, and can be dodged through. He does not use this ability after Rearmed.
Vandheer shows several additional ice powers in Rearmed, the most notable is the ability to create jagged ice shards. He typically summons them hanging in midair before raining them down upon his enemies. The more time Vandheer spends preparing the attack, the more shards are created and the bigger and deadlier they get. In cutscenes, he is also shown firing similar shards forward like lances, and can create uncountable amounts of them.
He has also shown the ability to unleash a massive blast that leaves an entire area covered in ice.
Vandheer has shown many times the ability to disappear from his position in a blur and reappear elsewhere, though it is not entirely clear whether this is teleportation or simply moving at speeds defying the human eye. In Rearmed, he displays something that appears to be true teleportation in order to escape from Armed With Wings.
In Red Moon, he is known to channel the power of the Red Moon, which grants him a limited unique move. Channeling energy into his sword, he smashes the ground and a barrage of energy eruptions occur, spreading from his position. The eruptions seem to spread slower over time, but they also grow more powerful.
When he is concentrated, he can endure large extents of injury, only slowing his attacks when damaged. He is even able to change his attacks as he is hit, but only for the time of Armed with Wings 3, when he shows a skill similar to Leo's Anti-Flinch. (This is true in Rearmed as well, when Lone Warrior has this skill.)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In the intro of the game Armed With Wings 2,there is a logo of Sun-Studios and a person who attack something in front of the viewer with a sword. The person who attack something in front of the viewer with a sword could be Vandheer Lorde himself but without mask because there was his muscular chest, his long wavy hair and his skinny arms.
- Vandheer is the only character to have ever appeared in all of the games.
- In the Hyun's Dojo collab known as Ping Pong Collab 2 (hosted by Zettai Absolute), Vandheer Lorde makes a cameo in D-Sun's animation, where he (his sword replaced with a ping pong paddle as he competes in the game) makes a dramatic fighting stance, stomps into the ground, and strikes the ping pong ball with a vast amount of power, spiking it far beyond the table.
- Vandheer's appearance is notably more simple than his game appearances, as his cape is now missing, and his mask has less details.
- According to Daniel Sun's statement on discord, Vandheer Lorde as a child would have ripped the throat out of anyone who bullied him. Also, he is approximately 6'8".