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| Designer | Zakuro "zaku6" Aburidashi |
| SK Number | [SK002 Zwei] |
| Relationships | Freudia Neuwahl (template, adversary) Strudel (fellow homunculus) Iris Zeppelin (creator, master) |
| Weapon | Eiferstachel |
| Weakness | Schneekristal |
| Voice Actor | Sou Raika (JP) Sarah Wiedenheft (ENG) |
| Sprite |  
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Eifer Skute [SK002 Zwei] (アイファー・スクテ, Aifaa Sukute, pronounced Eye-fer Skoo-teh), also known as Ei (アイ, Ai) for short by Strudel, is a Dark Magus and a member of Schwarzkreuz appearing in Rosenkreuzstilette ~Freudenstachel~. She is always dressed in heavy clothes due to her hypothermia, and has a strong resentment towards Freudia Neuwahl. As the story of the game progresses, it is eventually revealed that Eifer hides a dark secret.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Appearance[]
Due to her hypothermia, Eifer is dressed in a thick, heavy dark blue coat and hat with a pompom. She wears a gingham patterned scarf around her neck with pompoms on each end of her scarf and mittens on her hands. Her legs appear to be undressed, save for her feet which are dressed in blue shoes. Eifer has long, pale blonde hair and sky blue cat-like eyes.
Later, in Iris Stage 2, it is revealed that those hair and eye colors are fakes; her real hair color is white, and her real eye color is red. When she takes off her hat, she reveals herself to also have an ahoge in her hair.
Character Profile[]
- "Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust."
- —Eifer Skute, Rosenkreuzstilette ~Freudenstachel~
Due to chronic hypothermia, Eifer is always wearing heavy clothes. Despite her young appearance, she is very cool-headed and mature. However, her emotions and mood violently fluctuate, resulting in her sometimes acting out of character and becoming a rage-obsessed monster under the wrong circumstances. She is sharp-tongued and seems to carry a deeply seated resentment towards Freudia.
Abilities[]
Eifer possesses the miracle power known as "Fever Spike" Eiferstachel. Using it, she can manipulate the location, density, and hardness of objects around her and uses them to attack. She can turn earthly metals and flora into dangerous weapons in an instant.
Rosenkreuzstilette ~Freudenstachel~[]
Over the course of the story, Eifer is seen working with Schwarzkreuz, acting as their ally. She, along with Schirach Fühler, play a role in kidnapping Spiritia Rosenberg in the beginning of the story, with Schirach telling her to wait for Freudia. Freudia finds her and confirms that she was behind Spiritia's abduction when she asks her about it. Eifer attempts to kill Freudia only to be defeated by her and stopped by Pamela Arwig, who commands her to stand down and orders Freudia to surrender. Freudia refuses, prompting Pamela to cease wasting time on her words and head back to the High Chapel alongside Eifer. Before they leave, Eifer warns Freudia that she would kill her later.
Later, Eifer, alongside the rest of Schwarzkreuz, is observing Freudia with their viewing globe. She suggests being the one to handle her while telling the others not to bother lest they wish to keep each other company on the way to Hell. Pamela tells the others that they don't need to worry about her thinking she wouldn't matter to any of them and calling her a relic of the old ways.
Eifer awaits Freudia at the Phalanx Cathedral Ruins, where the latter identifies her. She asks Eifer if she really thinks she can stop her from saving Spiritia. Eifer is left wondering if Freudia was actually putting in effort, while the latter replies that effort means nothing in the shadow of defeat. Enraged by what Freudia just said, Eifer threatens to rip her apart and attacks her only to be defeated. Eifer vows to return to finish their fight and utters the mysterious words "Ashes to ashes... Dust to dust..." before disappearing.
Eifer is later revealed to be one of the two main antagonists of ~Freudenstachel~. After all of the Dark Magi are defeated, when Pamela is about to force herself (severely weakened from her previous battle with Freudia) to battle again at the High Chapel, Eifer suddenly attacks and nearly kills her. She reveals herself to be working for Iris Zeppelin, who is the mastermind behind Schwarzkreuz's and the Empire's witch hunts. Eifer also reveals that she assassinated the Pope moments before and declares the witch hunts to be over, telling Strudel to return to her side, but Strudel decides to stay by Freudia's side instead, much to Eifer's agitation. Freudia chases after the two after they leave, but not before talking Liebea Palesch into tending to Pamela's wounds and letting the others at RKS know that Iris was behind everything.
When Freudia encounters Eifer later in Iris's palace, she tells her that Strudel told her about both of them being homunculi created by Iris, using Freudia as a base. Eifer confirms it referring to Iris as her master and saying that she serves her until death for the sake of setting the stage and making sure her show goes on without a hitch. Freudia finds it hard to believe, saying that both Eifer and Strudel look real to her. Eifer assumes her true form leading Freudia to say that Rosenkreuz's research had gone so far, and reveals that two incomplete beings were made from one imperfect one; one is a humanoid who doesn't know joy or serenity, and the other is a fairy who doesn't know sorrow or rage. Strudel succeeds in assuming her true form, leading Freudia to believe that it makes all three kind of like sisters to each other. Freudia asks Eifer why she would feel the need to fight her, but the latter responds saying that she wants to kill her instead of fighting her, which she claims is all that matters to her. She then transforms into the Darkside Devil, and from there, a battle breaks out.
After her defeat, Eifer returns to normal and Freudia asks her what she could gain from killing her. Eifer is unable to finish stating her reason for wanting to do so. Strudel understands that Eifer is dying yet still wants to be friends with her. Eifer weakly complains how cold she feels, leaves behind her last word, "Freu...dia...", and then dissipates. Strudel asks if this is where people cry and understands that she can't cry despite wanting to. Freudia tells Strudel that she believes emotions to be more important than the act of shedding tears.
Rosenkreuzstilette ~Weißsilber~[]
Eifer attends a meeting held by Pamela between her and the rest of Schwarzkreuz. She mentions that the reason why their plans to apprehend Spiritia have been delayed is because RKS has been interfering with their operations and that the Empire's non-magical personnel are no match for fully-trained Magi. Schirach agrees, saying that it was a stupid plan to begin with, suggesting executing them and getting it over with instead of capturing and throwing them in camps. When Pamela announces her intent to pursue Rosenkreuzstilette and defeat its members, Eifer voices her distrust towards the idea, but Pamela reassures her colleagues that the Pope will be pleased if the mission proves to be a success. Pamela gives the order for Eifer, Rect, and Link to remain on guard duty at the High Chapel while she's gone, and for Schirach to follow suit after she captures Spiritia.
After Pamela returns to the High Chapel following her victory over Rosenkreuzstilette, she learns to her shock and disbelief that the Church has branded her a heretic and enemy of the state, as informed to her by Recht and Link. Pamela claims that someone has started a conspiracy against her, and vows to expose them and make them pay dearly for it. Eifer, when Pamela meets her in the ruins of Phalanx Cathedral, is especially bitter in her remarks. She demands that Pamela leave, but Pamela asks her if she was responsible for her excommunication. Eifer calls her stupid and accuses her of still clinging to her delusions. Pamela states that the pride of Schwarzkreuz is not a delusion, voicing her refusal to yield to such slander. Eifer tells Pamela that she has outlived her usefulness and threatens to eliminate her if she gets in their way. Pamela declares that she will beat the truth out of her and then proceeds to fight and defeat her. She commands Eifer to speak, but Eifer leaves without doing so, leaving her to wonder if she had anything to do with her excommunication.
After all of Schwarzkreuz is defeated, Pamela heads to the High Chapel to seek an audience with the Pope. She encounters Eifer there and asks her to step aside. Eifer is infuriated about the thought of Pamela ruining everything for her, while Pamela, understanding that she is a homunculus despite not knowing who created her, is willing to invite her back to her side to use her powers for justice and righteousness. Pamela also tells Eifer that Schirach deserves the credit for everything she told her and admits that she was arrogant and didn't even try to get to know her colleagues, which is a flaw that she's determined to correct. She pleads to Eifer to fight alongside her again, but the latter reveals herself to have been working with Iris all along. She also reveals that the pope was murdered by her and replaced with a homunculus that had been posing as him since then, and tells Pamela to pay attention to the mana surrounding the Pope homunculus. After Iris reveals her entire reasons for humiliating her with excommunication and exile, Pamela asks Eifer if the times they fought as comrades were a lie. Eifer replies that she was just following orders from Iris, after which Pamela gives her pity, much to Eifer's shock and agitation. Pamela voices her understanding that Eifer may look human, yet she considers her a soulless puppet and a sad little doll with no will of her own who does nothing but follow orders. She lets both her and Iris know that her duty has always been to remove threats to the Empire and the Church whether they be members of RKS or pretenders to the throne of heaven and that she intends to lead a new Schwarzkreuz to glory. Eifer and Iris invite Pamela to come to the Iris Palace II to attend a show planned out, and Pamela chases after them both, following them there.
Pamela later finds Freu being wounded by the Darkside Devil. Pamela looks horrified at the appearance of the abomination. Thinking that she had been sandwiched, Freu makes the judgment and leaves, leaving the now delirious devil to Pamela. Pamela then immediately recognizes the monster as Eifer and asks her what her form is. Realizing that she's lost control of herself and that there would be nothing left to hold her physical form together if she pushes herself too far, Pamela fights and defeats Eifer, telling her that she doesn't need to be a puppet anymore, pleading to her to open her eyes, and finally reverting her back to her normal form. Seeing her white hair, red eyes, and frost magic, Pamela finally understands that it explains her obsession with Freudia. Eifer asks Pamela where Freudia went and the latter replies that she's already gone, telling her not to go after her again because she can't defeat her and she has no chance against her when she's with her allies. Pamela asks Eifer to join her in forming a new and truly honorable Schwarzkreuz, telling her that they'll deal with RKS later after taking out the even bigger threat that she sees in Iris, which Eifer responds with more acidity, calling Pamela a discarded pawn. Pamela, not losing her poise, tells Eifer that Iris discarded her as well and that both of them were manipulated by her, and asks her how either of them are different in that respect and whether she's going to keep following Iris' orders and fade away when all her power is used up. She tells her that she can understand that rationale if she really is just a puppet. Eifer tells her to shut up before she leaves. Pamela lets out a breath for preaching so much in presumably the first time in her life and leaves.
After the defeat of Iris, Eifer, along with other Schwarzkreuz members, greets Pamela on her way back from her odyssey.
Boss strategy[]
Eifer makes her first appearance at the end of Rosenkreuzstilette ~Freudenstachel's~ Opening Stage. She acts similarly to Freudia in Rosenkreuzstilette's Opening Stage; Eifer will release batches of leaves that spread out as they travel, which she does about 3 or 6 times. Staying close to Eifer and jumping over the swarm of leaves is the best method of avoiding her attacks. After releasing her leaves at the player, Eifer will disappear and reappear at a random location. She will sometimes reappear behind the player before attacking. Eifer will sometimes hover above the ground and create vine spikes that shoot up from the ground. These spikes can be avoided by sliding away from them. Eifer is rather easy in the Opening Stage.
In the more recent versions of ~Freudenstachel~, Eifer attacks differently; she will disappear and reappear on either side of the screen and fire green energy balls that cover the screen from there. These energy balls can be destroyed by Freudia's Freudenstachel. After firing her energy balls, she will levitate and summon vine spikes that pop out of the ground, two at a time. Two vine spikes will shoot up away from the player, then two more will shoot up closer to her, and finally, two will shoot up in an X-like fashion from below her, which she can slide away from to avoid. Again, just like in earlier versions, Eifer is a simple boss in the Opening Stage.
When the player fights her at the end of her respective stage, Eifer becomes significantly tougher than before. Eifer will teleport around the area, releasing a small energy ball that floats about before enlarging itself and splitting in two as they travel sideways across the screen. Eifer can also turn transparent and fly sideways above the player's level before turning solid again and firing her own version of Freu's Freudenstachel. If she reappears a little higher, she'll summon two vine spikes that will shoot up from the ground and then summon three more that'll shoot up from the ground below the player, with two of them doing so in an X-like fashion and connecting with the one in the middle that does so in a straight upward fashion, and then she'll repeat the same attack again. In Desperation Mode, after the first energy ball she fires splits into two large ones that travel sideways, she'll fire a second one that splits into two more that'll travel up and down. When she uses her variation of Freudenstachel, she'll create two copies of herself that will fire their "Freudenstachel" shots at the player, one at a time, before she and her copies disappear. The player can tell who the real Eifer is because her copies are transparent.
Her weakness is Schneekristal, which is learned from Schwer-Muta Casasola Merkle.
Quotes[]
Rosenkreuzstilette ~Freudenstachel~[]
Opening Stage[]
- Introduction:
- 「クソムカつく女だな…」 ("Kuso mukatsuku onna dana...") ("What a nauseous woman...")
- 「漆黒に染めてやる…」 ("Shikkoku ni somete yaru…") ("I will soak you in jet black...")
- Eiferstachel:
- 「行け。」 ("Ike.") ("Go.")
- 「砕け。」 ("Kudake.") ("Smash.")
- 「ぶち撒けろ。」 ("Buchi makero.") ("Get splattered.")
- 「アイファーシュタッヘル。」 ("Eiferstachel.")
- Vine Spikes:
- 「眠れ。」 ("Nemure.") ("Sleep.")
- 「消えろバカ。」 ("Kiero baka.") ("Begone, fool.")
- Defeat:
- 「クソッ！」 ("Kuso!") ("Dang it!")
- 「ううっ…！」 ("Uu-...!")
- Victory:
- 「灰は灰に。塵は塵に。」 ("Haihahaini. Chirihachirini.") ("Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.")
- 「チッ…弱すぎるぞお前…」 ("Chi~tsu… yowa sugiru zo omae…") ("Tch... You're too weak...")
Eifer Stage[]
- Introduction:
- 「塵に還れ…フロイディア。」 ("Chiri ni kaere... Freudia.") ("Return to dust... Freudia.")
- 「祈れ、己の安らかな死を。」 ("Inore, onore no yasurakana shi wo.") ("Pray, for a peaceful death of yourself.")
- Giant Energy Ball:
- 「砕け散れ。」 ("Kudake chire.") ("Shatter.")
- 「逃さん。」 ("Nobasan.") ("You are not getting away.")
- Vine Spikes:
- 「どこを見ている？」 ("Doko wo miteiru?") ("Where are you looking at?")
- 「切り刻んでやる。」 ("Kirikizande yaru.") ("I'll carve it into you.")
- 「跪け。」 ("Hizamazuke.") ("On your knees.")
- "Freudenstachel" Variation with Eiferstachel:
- 「消えろバカ。」 ("Kiero baka.") ("Begone, fool.")
- 「このゴミ虫が。」 ("Kono gomi mushi ga.") ("You bug.")
- 「アイファーシュタッヘル。」 ("Eiferstachel.")
- Desperation Mode:
- 「ムカつく女だ…！」 ("Mukatsuku on'nada…!") ("Disgusting woman...!")
- 「クズが…！」 ("Kuzu ga…!") ("Scrap...!")
- Damage (Schneekristal):
- 「チッ…よくも…！」 ("Chi~tsu… yokumo…!") ("Tch... how dare you...!")
- 「羽虫がッ…！」 ("Hamushi ga ~tsu…!") ("You beetle...!")
- Victory:
- 「当然の結果だ。」 ("Tōzen no kekkada.") ("It's a natural result.")
- 「無様な最期だな。」 ("Buzamana saigoda na.") ("What an unbecoming end.")
- Defeat:
- 「嘘だ…こんな…！」 ("Uso da… kon'na…!") ("It can't be... to lose like this...!")
- 「クソッ…馬鹿な…！」 ("Kuso... bakana...!") ("Damn... this can't be...!")
Iris Stage 2[]
- Introduction:
- 「これで終わりだ…フロイディア。」 ("Kore de owari da... Freudia.") ("This is the end... Freudia.")
- 「闇に飲まれて朽ちるがいい。」 ("Yami ni nomarete kuchiru ga ii.") ("Soak in darkness and rot.")
- Defeat:
- 「フロイ…ディア…」 ("Freu...dia...")
Art Gallery[]
Portraits[]
Musical Themes[]
| Title | Artist | Context | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle of Eternal Night 夜恒城 Yorutsunejō |
Sky God Corridor | Home Stage Theme (~Freudenstachel~) | |
| Ripple Flower 漣華 Renka |
SHW | Iris Stage 2 (~Freudenstachel~) | |
| Winter Waltz 厳冬円舞 Gentō enbu |
Sky God Corridor | Dialogue Theme |
Trivia[]
- One of Eifer's lines when she is defeated "It can't be! To lose like this!" (嘘だ！こんな！ Uso da! Konna!) is the exact same thing that the boss Pegasolta Eclair from Mega Man Zero 4 says when he is defeated by Zero in their rematch. This was probably done by this game's developers as a subtle reference.
- Eifer's name comes from the word "Eifer," meaning "zeal" or "eagerness" in German. It also comes from the word "Eifersüchtig", which means "jealous" in German, and reflects her violently-fluctuating emotions and her resentment towards Freudia.
- zaku6, Eifer Skute's designer, created a Rosenkreuzstilette h-doujinshi titled "Fukurou no Youni - Himawari" ("The Sunflower Like an Owl"), which debuted at Summer Comiket 76 in August 2009.
- Eifer's voice actress, Sou Raika, also provides the voice for Freudia Neuwahl.
- Eifer's hair color varies between WOMI's and zaku6's artwork. In WOMI's, Eifer has pale blonde hair, while in zaku6's, she has white hair instead. WOMI's artwork also shows her hair turning white when she reveals her true form as a homunculus.
- Eifer is the only boss that is fought thrice during the course of the game. The third time she is fought, she is in her Darkside Devil form.
- Eifer Skute has the same number in Schwarzkreuz (SK002) as Freudia does in Rosenkreuzstilette (RKS002).
- Eifer can easily be considered one of the few characters in the Rosenkreuzstilette series to use the most amount of profanity out of any character, the others being Zorne Zeppelin, Trauare Wrede, and Grolla Seyfarth. This is very notable as she lets out an instance of "damn" several times when she's defeated as well as when Pamela tells her that Freudia left when she ponders where she is after her defeat in her Darkside Devil form, tells the other members of Schwarzkreuz that they can keep each other company on the way to Hell if they get in her way while they're observing Freudia with their viewing globe, calls Freudia and Pamela "bitches" in their respective story modes (the former after she mentions that effort is nothing in the shadow of defeat and the latter during their encounter at the High Chapel when Pamela asks her to step aside and she accuses her of ruining everything for her), and says "hell" again when she asks Pamela who would join a "discarded pawn" as she calls her after the latter defeats her in her Darkside Devil form.
- Players were left wondering what happened to Eifer after she dissipated following her third and final defeat in her Darkside Devil form in Rosenkreuzstilette ~Freudenstachel~. According to WOMI's recent diary response following that, Eifer actually died fighting Freudia. However, he also notes that there is a chance that she could be revived in a similar manner as Michael Zeppelin in future games.
- Eifer's origin as a homunculus and her strong resentment against Freudia are later paralled to Ypsilon, who is a special Worker that bears an uncanny resemblance to his arch-enemy Copen, in Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2.
Spoilers end here.
External Links[]
- Zaku6's site (Japanese) Contains Mature (18+) content.
- Zaku6 on Pixiv (Japanese) Contains Mature (18+) content.
- Sou Raika's site (Japanese)
- Sarah Wiedenheft's site
| Rosenkreuzstilette | Spiritia Rosenberg · Freudia Neuwahl · Zorne Zeppelin · Trauare Wrede · Luste Teuber · Grolla Seyfarth · Sichte Meister · Liebea Palesch · Schwer-Muta Casasola Merkle · Doris Warmind · Raimund Seyfarth · Kahl Palesch · Rosenkreuz |
|---|---|
| Schwarzkreuz | Pamela Arwig · Schirach Fühler · Recht & Link Refraktia |
| Fairies and Animals | Lilli · Strudel · Zeppy · Talos |
| Villains | Michael Zeppelin · The Pope · Eifer Skute · Iris Zeppelin |