The Gilded Plunderer

 is a Rider that appears in the Riders of Discord DLC featured in ''Monster Hunter Stories Ultimate.

Description
The Gilded Plunderer, true to his name, wears a gilded set of Ukanlos armour, and wields a gilded Ukanlos Slicer. He is a human of average height and build, and has tan skin, red eyes, and short, blonde hair underneath his helmet.

Personality
As his name would imply, the Guilded Plunderer is a kleptomaniac, stealing Monsties from other Riders and claiming them as his own, and his signature Monstie, a golden Ukanlos with access to the Light Element, was stolen from a faraway land. He has been known to get hostile when confronted about his activities, demanding people to go away if they question his activities, and has no sense of loyalty to his fellow Riders of Discord as well, stealing from them whenever he can, even when they provide him with the cover and protection he requests from them. He also loves the colour gold, and decorates himself with any he acquires.

Background
Not much is known about what the Gilded Plunderer's life was like prior to his arrival on the Discordant Isles. Before he arrived, he had pilfered faraway lands of their goods and Monsties, claiming them for himself and selling them on the black market for ludicrous prices, and acquired his signature Monstie, a gold Ukanlos, by breaking into its Rider's stables while he was off to hunt an Akantor that was threatening to destroy his town, using a powerful, calming fragrance to render it harmless, and making off with it, having it fire blasts of blinding light at witnesses to keep them from alerting the authorities. News of this broke out within this region, and there were calls from the village to have Guild Knights hunt him down for his actions. Fearing for his own safety, he sailed all the way to the Discordant Isles with the Monstie and the money he stole, and requested refuge from the Riders of Discord taking up residence there, claiming that he was an innocent man who was falsely accused by jealous individuals who only wanted to smear his name. Because news of his activities had not reached the isles, and because the group was already made up of various rogues, the Riders of Discord were led to assume that he was harmless to them, and welcomed him into their group, giving him his own small isle that he could customize as he saw fit. He crafted a golden, poorly-lit colosseum filled with stolen goods on his portion of the land, and was able to make a new name for himself, pilfering the new lands around him and stealing Monsties as he pleased.

However, this peace would not last very long. Eventually, the Riders of Discord would become suspicious of him, as the items and Monsties left in their Stables would suddenly disappear when they were away, and those that were suspiciously similar to the ones they had would pop up on the black market for ludicrous prices, with merchants mentioning a mysterious individual only known by the name of "Jayden Dosanjh" when questioned. The isles would also have a large amount of Guild Knights visiting the isles and threatening the entire group with legal action if none of them could prove that they weren't behind a string of high-profile muggings, meaning that they had been framed. Never having heard of that name before, they began to wonder if their new friend was the one behind it all, and sought him out for questioning, but whenever they searched for him, he was nowhere to be found, and his portion of the island looked unusually fuller with gold over time. Believing that he double-crossed them, but having no proof it and knowing that he most likely spied on them to record their patterns, thus knowing their every move, they decided to test their theory by sending an invitation to a curious young Rider with a Felyne for a companion to come to the isle, knowing about their accomplishments in unveiling thieves. Undercover, they instructed the Rider to investigate the golden coliseum, telling them that they would find great fortune there. Upon arrival, the Rider would find his adversary there, ready to plunder any who witnessed him...

Abilities
The Gilded Plunderer specializes in the Light Element, using a gilded Ukanlos Slicer with that attribute and a gold Ukanlos that uses it. He displays some degree of combat ability in battle, and if he wins a battle, he will steal the Monsties in the player's party along with all their items, and will use them against them.

Tropes that Apply to Them

 * Berserk Button: Questioning his activities, as the player does when he tells them to shove off without provocation, causes him to become notably more aggressive.
 * Bitch In Sheep's Clothing: He passes himself off as an innocent Rider who was framed by jealous individuals from a faraway land, but in truth, he's a kleptomaniac who has no problem betraying those who offer him protection, hospitality, and friendship.
 * The Farmer and the Viper: He was offered protection, refuge, and friendship within the Riders of Discord. In exchange, he robbed the Riders of their Monsties behind their backs and sold them on the black market. Suffice to say, they're not happy when the player exposes him after his defeat.
 * Greed: He's obsessed with gold and luxury, and wants to acquire as much as possible, even if it means stealing from everyone in sight, including his (now former) allies.
 * Hoist By His Own Petard: His kleptomania can be used against him by using weak, under-leveled Monsties and equipping useless or situational items in the Battle Pouch; if he defeats the player, he'll take them and use them all (or at least try to) in the rematch, being too dumb to realize that he was given a bad deal.
 * Hope Spot: After his defeat, he becomes relieved that the Riders of Discord came to save him from the player... only to find out that they sold him out to the Hunter's Guild after he revealed himself to be a thief and traitor during the fight instead. His shocked reaction to it says it all.
 * Hypocrite: He's an unrepentant thief and traitor, but when talked to, he berates the player for supposedly trying to rob him, and slams the Riders of Discord for being traitors when they sell him out to the Guild, even though it was his betrayal of them that prompted the action.
 * Jerkass: He tells the player to shove off without provocation when they encounter him, then gives them hell over a crime they didn't commit before the battle with him.
 * Light Em' Up: He uses the Light Element in battle.
 * Light Is Not Good: He uses the Light Element and wears gilded armour, but is an unrepentant thief and traitor.
 * Laser-Guided Karma: When defeated and exposed for who he really is, the Riders of Discord sell him out to the Hunter's Guild as revenge for betraying their hospitality and robbing them. In addition, upon his arrest, the golden Ukanlos he stole is returned to its original owner, and everything that made up his portion of the isles is sold off, leaving him with nothing to return to, should he be released.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes are red, and he's a villainous Rider with a penchant for mugging and betrayal.
 * The Friend Nobody Likes: Although he was offered a place within the Riders of Discord, the group as a whole grows to hate and distrust him when they suspect that he robbed and betrayed them. When they find out he really did, they stop associating with him altogether.
 * Video Game Stealing: If he defeats the player, he steals every Monstie in their party and uses them against them, as well as all the goods they had in their Battle Pouch. Fortunately, the player gets them all back upon defeating him.

Notes and Trivia

 * The Gilded Plunderer was inspired by Jaydos2608, a former user on the fanon wiki and Discord who was permanently banned from both after he stole many creations here, posted them on his own wiki, and tried to claim them as his own. In one infamous instance, he ripped off another user named DinoHunter2, making a Golden Ukanlos page that clearly knocked off the Gold Ukanlos concept that user had on his DeviantArt page.
 * His Birthday, Dec. 20th, is when Jaydos2608 joined the wiki.
 * If The Gilded Plunderer defeats the player, he'll take their Monsties for himself, but only the ones currently in the party, and use them against the player. They can get their Monsties back by defeating him.
 * Him being sold out to the Hunter's Guild in response to his theft and betrayal is a reference to Jaydos2608 being reported to Fandom.com itself over his acts of theft and plagiarism, which resulted in his wiki getting completely wiped out and him being permanently banned.