Category:Field Record

Field Record Icon.png
The Field Record is a collection of Lore entries about various NPCs relating to The Bozjan Southern Front and Zadnor, where all such entries are found.

Field Note Obtained From
01. Field Notes on Bajsaljen
02. Field Notes on Marsak
03. Field Notes on Xeven
04. Field Notes on Isolde
05. Field Notes on Stanik
06. Field Notes on Blaz
07. Field Notes on Velibor
08. Field Notes on Aggie
09. Field Notes on Llofii
10. Field Notes on Hernais
11. Field Notes on Dabog
12. Field Notes on Dyunbu
13. Field Notes on Clarricie
14. Field Notes on Sartauvoir
15. Field Notes on Sicinius
16. Field Notes on Albeleo
17. Field Notes on Lyon
18. Field Notes on Menenius
19. Field Notes on Misija
20. Field Notes on Gunnhildr
21. Field Notes on Lilja
22. Field Notes on Bwagi
23. Field Notes on Rostik
24. Field Notes on Mikoto
25. Field Notes on Misija, Part II
26. Field Notes on Gunnhildr, Part II
27. Field Notes on the Trinity Seeker
28. Field Notes on the Queen's Guard
29. Field Notes on the Trinity Avowed
30. Field Notes on Save the Queen
31. Field Notes on Atori
32. Field Notes on Kosyu
33. Field Notes on Oboro
34. Field Notes on Tsubame
35. Field Notes on Meryall
36. Field Notes on Lovro
37. Field Notes on Llofii, Part II
38. Field Notes on Fabineau
39. Field Notes on Yamatsumi
40. Field Notes on Pagaga
41. Field Notes on Daguza
42. Field Notes on Gilbrisbert
43. Field Notes on Dabog, Part II
44. Field Notes on Lyon, Part II
45. Field Notes on Menenius, Part II
46. Field Notes on the Diablo Armament
47. Field Notes on Cid
48. Field Notes on Fran
49. Field Notes on Hien
50. Field Notes on Noah

72556.png1. Bajsaljen Ulgasch
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 54

Birthplace: Bozja

A native of Bozja and leader of his people's resistance movement, Bajsaljen works to free his conquered nation from the tyranny of the Garlean Empire and reestablish the region as an independent state.

In his youth, Bajsaljen studied the medicinal sciences. His academic achievements saw him conscripted into the imperial army to serve as a medic, a career which in turn earned him the rights of citizenship. Such status allowed him the opportunity to marry and sire a child, but his happiness would be short-lived─while the Hrothgar was called away on campaign to suppress an uprising, his family perished in the now-infamous Bozja incident.

A devastated Bajsaljen later deserted the Empire, fleeing his unit along with several comrades, and it was not long until their underground activities brought them into contact with the Resistance.

During his time in the imperial army, he had not been one to dwell upon the cruelties of life. The events of the disaster, however, left him a changed man─few can match the hatred and bitterness he now feels towards his former masters.

Yet even so, Bajsaljen strives to master his emotions, for history has taught him that anger alone will not suffice to deliver his people the freedom they desire. Instead, he focuses his energies upon the newly reformed Gunnhildr's Blades and their sacred weapons, as he leads the fight to drive the IVth Imperial Legion from his beloved homeland.

72557.png2. Marsak Apella
Learned from: Field Notes on Marsak
Fate(s): All Pets Are Off
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 42

Birthplace: Bozja

Like many others, Marsak was a conscript in the imperial army. His duties often took him far from home, and he was thus spared the fate of his parents and siblings when destruction visited Bozja Citadel. Following the tragedy, he escaped the military to join the Resistance, and now serves as Bajsaljen's right-hand man.

In addition to attending to the Resistance leader, Marsak is responsible for procuring funds and supplies, as well as the training of recruits. Where the warm-natured Hrothgar truly shines, however, is in his capacity as a liaison with outside allies such as Hien of Doma or the East Aldenard Trading Company, contacts with whom he has built a trustworthy reputation.

This amiability extends even to the citizens of the Empire, amongst whom he was once raised. Marsak, by his own quiet admission, chooses to save his animosity for the imperial state rather than its people. Although some might consider such attitudes too soft-hearted, it is this gentle manner which sets the otherwise guarded minds of his counterparts at ease.

An avid student of Rostik's gunbreaker techniques, Marsak is also admired for his martial talents, and has earned his name as a stalwart shield for the Bozjan Resistance.

72558.png3. Xeven Svanasch
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 47

Birthplace: Bozja (unverified)

Xeven is a member of Gunnhildr's Blades, and assumed to be a native of Bozja...though none claim to know this for certain. Notoriously reticent, the little he has divulged of his past suggests his road led through many lands─Thavnair to the south, Hingashi to the east, even the imperial capital of Garlemald to the north─in his quest to master the arts of the arcane.

His obsession with magery began with a journey to Eorzea. He had traveled with his father to Gridania, desperate to find a cure to the wasting disease which afflicted his mother. Their efforts, however, were to be in vain─the illness took her life even as they sought the means to her salvation. Knowing only that his mother's ailment began with the Empire's occupation of Bozja, the young Xeven's grief soon grew into a wrathful hunger for vengeance against those he held responsible for her passing.

He considered the magecraft he had witnessed in his travels, and swore to take that knowledge back with him to Bozja. He would make his own study of the world's magicks, and bring those powers to bear against the imperial invaders.

Yet although Xeven succeeded in creating a unique school of spellweaving, he refrained from sharing this expertise with others. He simply could not risk his wisdom─focused as it was on dealing destruction─becoming the catalyst for misery in the hands of an unscrupulous practitioner.

Xeven himself soon became a peerless mage, his presence on the battlefield akin to a vengeful god, inspiring awe and terror in equal measure. He does not fear death. He tempts it─welcomes it, even. Such fatalism stems from a prophecy pronounced upon him by a seer of unknown origin, whom he chanced across in the ruined halls of Dalmasca. Though the words spoken were foreign to his ear, Xeven was nevertheless able to divine their meaning: when the fires of revolution stained the skies of Bozja, his doom would be at hand.

And now that the southern front is consumed by turmoil, he believes it is there that his grave awaits. He will not seek to avoid this fate, but carve a red trail through his foes as a proud blade of Gunnhildr, until such time as his inevitable demise rises up to claim him. He does not fear death.

With every moment that passes, the prophecy edges ever closer to fulfillment.

72559.png4. Isolde Covey
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★

Race: Hyur

Age: 26

Birthplace: Lea Monde, Dalmasca

Isolde's parents were respected Bozjans who fled to Dalmasca when war engulfed their homeland, only to look on helplessly as their new haven was forced to join the growing number of imperial provinces. Exhausted by conflict, the Coveys declined the Empire's offer to return them to Bozja with their fellow refugees, electing instead to settle in Lea Monde. Thus was Isolde born a provincial citizen, and educated in the imperial doctrine. Her heart, however, was ever drawn to the traditional music and dance of her Bozjan heritage─the frenzied tempo of its rhythms; the soaring peaks and plunging valleys of its melodies. Its lyrics told the tale of her people's lives and bond with nature, stories of love plucked on strings and beat on drums. Atop this was layered the dancers' song, strident voices blending with the booming steps of their furious measure.

From a young age, Isolde dreamed of becoming such a dancer, and so intense was her passion that others began to see her as the hope for a new generation of performers. To realize this dream, however, she would also need to learn the bow. The weapon doubled as an instrument in Bozjan dance, using one bow to saw on the string of another, or twanging the bowstring to keep time. But custom dictated that the bow be no mere prop. As a mark of respect for their ancestors, who were once nomadic hunters, all dancers were fully trained in its use.

Thus when Isolde joined the Resistance she was already an accomplished archer, her steady hand and keen eye soon earning her a place as one of Gunnhildr's Blades.

Yet even amongst the ceaseless violence, she harbors an abiding love and respect for what the people of the land once had...and hopes they might one day have again. Isolde yearns for peace to come swiftly, not only for the sake of Bozja, but for the Empire as well.

72560.png5. Stanik Alubov
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 36

Birthplace: Bozja

Long before he joined the ranks of Gunnhildr's Blades, Stanik had dreamed of becoming a hero.

Life under imperial rule was, for the great majority of Bozjans, a daily struggle against poverty, and the same held true for Stanik's parents─a slow day at the little stall they ran meant no food on the table that night. No coin could be spared to send Stanik to school, and that, too, was not uncommon. Stanik himself did what he could to earn money, whether that be minding the neighbors' children or polishing boots on the street, but no matter how bad things were, he never resorted to thieving. His parents had always taught him that being poor was no excuse for poor morals.

At the age of fifteen, Stanik presented himself at the imperial army's conscription office for evaluation, and was accepted as a soldier. He did this not because he sought a soldier's glory, but rather to ease the burden on his parents by giving them one less mouth to feed.

Of his meager wages, he sent home what he could. Though it be but a pittance, it sometimes helped Stanik feel like the hero he yearned to become. The letters he received in return were his sole source of comfort, evidence as they were that his parents yet survived.

Stanik was stationed at a distant post when reports of the “incident” flooded in. A message arrived from his parents five days later, and he felt a rush of relief...until he saw the numbers neatly printed in the corner. It was dated one day before Bozja Citadel all but ceased to exist...

72561.png6. Blaz Azetina
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 25

Birthplace: Doma

Blaz is a samurai, and direct descendant of the founders of the Verdant Path, an illustrious martial school famous for teaching everything from unarmed combat to swordplay to spear techniques.

The school had a history of forbidding its disciples from engaging in uprisings, adhering to the philosophy that martial perfection was to serve the enlightenment of the soul─not sharpen tools for base conflict. When insurrection broke out in Bozja, however, there were students whose hatred for the Empire overwhelmed their stoic sense of obedience. Those who joined the fight were expelled, and so did the Verdant Path avoid confrontation with the Empire's forces.

Despite being the youngest child of the school's founding family, Blaz's father also chose to rebel against his teachings and lend his blade to the Bozjan cause. In the end, however, the uprising was crushed. Blaz's father took shelter in Doma, where he was to eventually wed, and, as time passed, be blessed with a son.

Blaz, following in his sire's martial footsteps, entered a prestigious samurai school, and mastered the katana at a young age. Some years later, when Hien returned from exile to lead his nation in revolution, the eager Hrothgar seized the opportunity to repay his family's debt to Doma. Once Doma's liberation was secured, Blaz made ready to strike out on his own. But after hearing rumors of the Eastern alliance and the new uprising in Bozja, he knew his road must lead to his father's homeland.

The Verdant Path was experiencing upheaval of its own at this time, with the newly appointed schoolmaster championing the cause of rebuilding the Bozja of old. Blaz was welcomed with open arms, and even offered a position to teach the arts of the samurai. He declined the honor. Though his father had since passed on, Blaz was determined to carry on his legacy. He would join the Resistance and the ranks of Gunnhildr's Blades, swearing an oath to see the nation of Bozja reborn.

72562.png7. Velibor Azetina
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 24

Birthplace: Zetina's Grace, Bozja

Velibor is a knight, and second cousin to Blaz. And, like Blaz, he is a direct descendant of the founders of the Verdant Path, an illustrious martial school famous for teaching everything from unarmed combat to swordplay to spear techniques.

This prestigious institution has existed for over two hundred years, and its adherents rose up in strength to defend the city-state of Bozja against the Garlean Empire's incursion. As the invasion rolled on, however, Basch van Gabranth, then legatus of the IVth Legion, grew reluctant at the slaughter of so much promising martial talent. He promised the Verdant Path amnesty and protection, if it would but swear fealty to the Empire. The schoolmaster accepted, and by surrendering himself to the invaders' justice were his disciples spared further bloodshed.

It was Velibor's grandmother who inherited the schoolmaster's mantle, and she upheld Gabranth's pact with unflinching rigidity─tempers would flare and groups would form to rebel against the occupying forces, but any student she caught joining these uprisings was immediately expelled. Thus did the Verdant Path endure. It was on her deathbed, however, that she muttered these words to her successor, Velibor's father: “I have honored our promise to Gabranth, as my husband wished. His sacrifice was an act of love, to ensure that we survived. But you, my son, are not beholden to this oath. A new age is upon us...”

Blaz arrived to find the Verdant Path now aligned with his own purpose, and Velibor discovered in his second cousin a kindred spirit. He remembers their first meeting, and the sense that a missing part of his soul had returned. Indeed, Velibor felt his distant relative more a brother in truth. Within a short while, they were engaged in friendly rivalry, their mutual encouragement leading to the invention of new martial techniques.

Even as their companionship blossomed, the school took steps to formalize its allegiance to the Bozjan Resistance, and Velibor, along with some few dear comrades, was invited to join the vaunted Gunnhildr's Blades. This day, as on every other, is his greatsword poised to fall upon the oppressors of his people.

72563.png8. Aggie Glover
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Hyur

Age: 17

Birthplace: Martrvje, Bozja

An ancient and diverse settlement home to some two hundred thousand inhabitants, the Bozjan harbor city of Martrvje draws in laborers from malms around with the promise of plentiful employment. Yet despite its prosperity, this haven also shelters its fair share of vagrants and orphans. Whether it be through war, illness, or imprisonment at the hands of authorities, many are the children who lose their parents to unfortunate circumstance and end up huddled beneath the streets in sewers and drainage tunnels. Aggie had been one such child.

She never knew her parents, nor the name she was given at birth. “Aggie” was what the imperial clerks chose to call her on that brutal winter's day when they first found the five-year-old shivering outside, alone and half-frozen.

She claims to have little memory of the time before she was rescued, aside from the taste of zefir─a sweet marshmallow confectionery which remains her favorite food. She has no recollection of where or with whom she lived. Back then, she seemed unable or unwilling to even speak.

The clerks took the silent Aggie to be raised at the illustrious Verdant Path, a school of martial learning. And her transformation was nothing short of miraculous─the dead-eyed, listless child that was taken in from the cold came to life in the company of her classmates. She showed an incredible aptitude for reading and writing, devouring every scrap of wisdom her instructors set before her. Before long, she had blossomed into a young girl full of smiles and affection, her cheerful mood never failing to brighten a room.

Blaz and Velibor were the two with whom Aggie felt the most connected. Determined not to be outdone by their martial prowess, she devoted herself to the study of fist-fighting, and through a combination of hard work and natural talent, rose to the rank of master by her sixteenth nameday.

When her battle brothers left to join the Resistance, she would not be left behind. And there in the muddy camps, amongst soldiers prone to fits of despair or fury, Aggie was once again a welcome ray of sunshine. She became their living banner, a rallying presence on the field. They cheered when she was selected for Gunnhildr's Blades, Blaz and Velibor loudest of all, but she suspected Bajsaljen had based his decision more on politics than merit. Still, she saw no point in provoking argument. Aggie would continue as she always had, fighting the good fight and lifting the morale of her comrades.

72564.png9. Llofii pyr Potitus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★

Race: Miqo'te

Age: 19

Birthplace: Valnain, Dalmasca

A former member of the IVth Imperial Legion's mage detachment, Llofii is guilty of one of the gravest crimes an imperial soldier can commit: desertion during combat. This she did in order to free a monoceros, a creature of great worth to her unit, at the cost of all that she had achieved in the legion, and on pain of death. Such a brazen act may seem irrational to her comrades, but to the young Miqo'te, it was perhaps the most rational decision of her life.

Owing to the inability of native Garleans to wield magic, the Empire seldom incorporates the use of spellcraft in their military, but when they do, as is the case with the IVth, they take a meticulously scientific approach. Employing various creatures from wild animals to voidsent as test subjects, imperial mages study the magical arts of faraway lands and adapt them for use by people who possess limited affinity with magic. As a talented summoner, Llofii was charged with this task.

With her abundant reservoir of aether and precise touch in spellcasting, Llofii was far ahead of her class at the military academy. Upon graduation, she enlisted in the IVth Imperial Legion, where she completed a grueling initiation to earn a place in the mage detachment led by Sadr rem Albeleo. Yet though initially filled with pride, she would come to be racked by disillusionment in Bozja, where she was confronted with the cruel treatment that was forced upon test subjects.

One subject placed in Llofii's care was a monoceros, a rare and majestic beast with the power to vanquish undead beings. Despite her railing conscience, she bit her lips and dutifully conducted experiment after experiment upon the wretched creature, but her blood froze in her veins when she received the parchment bearing her next instructions and read the word: “Vivisection.” It was then that she came to a gut-wrenching realization: the spells she helps to create are born of suffering. Burning with guilt and regret, the Miqo'te made her choice: she would set the monoceros─and herself─free.

72565.png10. Hernais pyr Longus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hyur

Age: 24

Birthplace: Mons Falconis, Landis

When Hernais first enlisted in the legions, he shared the midland marshals' unfavorable impression of Lyon rem Helsos. The Beast King's tactics were unconventional and unpredictable, subject to sudden changes as he surveyed the shifting tides of battle─certainly no such rough-and-tumble strategy was taught at any officer academy. The man himself was uncouth in word and appearance, and apparently preferred the company of creature to man. They dismissed him as they would any borderland barbarian.

Hernais's opinion was flipped on its head, however, when he witnessed Lyon's handling of the insurrection in Dalmasca four years ago. While it was true the Beast King spoke brusquely, he knew each of his subordinates by name, and was well versed in their strengths and weaknesses. When battle was joined, he did not lead from the rear─indeed, he was often the first to leap into the fray. “Only the weak perish” was his constant refrain, and the young officer saw the truth of his words as the inept and the cowardly fell in droves before the strong.

Lyon's strategy sent his pets to the front lines to die in place of soldiers, and, while initially bemused, Hernais came to understand the man's fondness for the beasts. He doted upon them like children that might not wake to see the morrow, cherishing every moment they stalked the boundary ‘twixt life and death. Needing no more convincing of Lyon's savage greatness, Hernais requested placement with the War Beasts that he might serve as his new mentor's herald.

The following is an excerpt from Curious, the Mons Falconis town gazette.

Reporter: Your comrades in the IVth Legion have dubbed you the “Tenacious” and compare you to some well-trained cur. Do you take umbrage at being so described?

Hernais: I care not. They are simply envious.

Reporter: And what makes you think that?

Hernais: Most of these fools can scarce hide their ambition. They smile and scrape and follow orders, while inside they chafe at the indignity.

Reporter: A soldier must do as a superior commands, but is not a brief flicker of defiance only natural...?

Hernais: Not for me. Not anymore. With the whole of my heart, with the entirety of my soul, do I walk the trail of the Beast King. Let them mock my name! I accept it as a badge of honor, and may none question my loyalty!

–-

Reporter: ...So spake pyr Longus. Have you any comments for your subordinate, sir?

Lyon: To be honest, I'd completely forgotten the boy until you shared that story just now. Ah, yes, he's an eager little bastard─like a terrier! All fury and gnashing teeth! Pity that type doesn't last long amongst the big dogs.

Reporter: I...er...thank you for your time.

72569.png11. Dabog aan Inivisch
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 34 (estimate)

Birthplace: Bozja

A hypertuned soldier of the IVth Imperial Legion's magitek unit, Dabog pilots two of the latest warmachina to be conceived by the Empire: the scorpion-type Vigilia and the flying armor Gabriel.

In recent years, many of the Empire's weapons have been sent to Valnain, where they undergo enhancement under the supervision of Senior Engineer Sicinius mal Vellutus. Two notable fruits of this project are Vigilia and Gabriel, which are designed to be controlled both physically and mentally for superior responsiveness and maneuverability. Piloting these units, however, demands a heightened state of mental sensitivity verging on telepathy, and only those soldiers who have been augmented with magitek can achieve the requisite synchronization between man and machine.

While theoretically sound and showing promise in the laboratory, this new interface technology remains in its infancy, and being all too familiar with the fickleness of the flesh, Sicinius resolved to test it fully in Bozja in preparation for the outbreak of conflict in Dalmasca. For this he required a test subject, and the person chosen was Dabog─a cruel twist given that the Hrothgar was not a soldier of the IVth but of the enemy, the Bozjan Resistance.

The death of his parents and siblings in the Bozja incident prompted Dabog to join the Resistance, and for more than a decade he fought tirelessly against his hated Empire. Even when he was taken prisoner two years ago, he never stopped fighting, and ever sought a way to flee his captors. But on one such attempt, he plummeted from the castrum wall, the long fall shattering his spine. The chirurgeon's diagnosis was grim: he would not live out the week.

In the IVth Imperial Legion, testing is only permitted upon living men when their safety is absolutely assured, and be it friend or foe, all individuals are to be treated with compassion. Thus has the legatus himself decreed. Perverting his commander's noble intent for his own ends, Sicinius reasoned that he was saving a man's life, and proceeded with his testing in secret.

So it was that Dabog was reborn a hypertuned soldier and returned to the battlefield at the helm of fearsome new warmachina. And owing to a further act of so-called compassion on Sicinius's part, he is spared the pain of having to kill his former comrades─for he no longer remembers them.

72570.png12. Dyunbu pyr Potitus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★

Race: Miqo'te

Age: 24

Birthplace: Revenia, Dalmasca

A member of the IVth Imperial Legion's mage detachment, Dyunbu employs her puissant healing magicks to bolster her comrades in battle.

In the wake of Emperor Varis's assassination, the various wings of the Garlean military had braced themselves for another bloody war of succession, but few could have anticipated the unprecedented collapse of the chain of command in the motherland. Yet where others saw chaos, Dyunbu, a stout believer in Noah van Gabranth's ideals, espied an opportunity to realize her commander's goal of establishing an independent new nation.

The Empire's seemingly inevitable disintegration had cast a pall of uncertainty over the fate of countless soldiers, and none felt greater apprehension than those who hailed from the provinces. To such weary souls separated from hearth and home, Dyunbu extolled the virtues of the cause, encouraging them to cast aside past allegiances and join her in the promised land, while making clear her vehement disapproval of those who would align themselves with the Resistance. Such unbridled zeal places her amongst van Gabranth's most loyal, and one cannot help but wonder whence arose her convictions. To find the answer, one must glimpse into her past and see the path she walked which led to her adopting the surname Potitus, common among Miqo'te with imperial citizenship.

Orphaned at a tender age, Dyunbu grew up on the streets of Revenia. Though citizenship was not an unusual aspiration for those of her lot, she knew none who wanted it as badly as she did. Believing education to be the key to raising herself up, she took to stealing into the local school and learning as a student in all but name. Her efforts would not be in vain, for when she was eventually placed into imperial care, her impressive ability with letters came to the attention of officials, who sent her to be formally educated at the army reserve academy.

It was there that she first encountered van Gabranth's ideology, and it resonated with her to the very core. In the years that followed, she would enlist in the IVth and become the legatus's staunchest adherent, fighting every battle and weaving every spell in the name of her dreamed-of utopia.

72566.png13. Clarricie quo Priscus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★

Race: Elezen

Age: 33

Notorious among both friend and foe for her ostentatious presence on the battlefield, the true nature of this centurion of the IVth Imperial Legion's contingent of beasts remains shrouded in mystery.

Two facts are certain: Clarricie joined the ranks of the IVth Imperial Legion some ten years ago, and is one of the few beastmasters recognized for her talents by the “Beast King” Lyon rem Helsos. Beyond this, countless stories are told. Some call her a witch, saying they have observed her speaking to her pets in unholy, bestial tongues the likes of which have never been uttered by mortal mouths─indeed, that the monstrosities in her charge obey her every command because she herself is one of them. Others claim this is but a lie spread by those looking to smear her name, and that Clarricie is rather a saint, a figure of surpassing compassion and charity who tends to her wounded pets and comrades with self-sacrificing love and devotion, fighting to protect them as if she were the warrior goddess Gradia herself.

Perhaps both tales are true, and whether Clarricie appears as a witch or a saint depends only on the eye of the beholder. What cannot be denied are the nigh-countless triumphs she has claimed in war, and the profound fear she strikes into the heart of any foe unfortunate enough to meet her dangerously alluring gaze on the battlefield.

Little is known about her origins, save that she was born as one of the Eschva, a nomadic people that wandered across borders in the olden days. When the Empire came, they refused to settle, leading Legatus Gabranth to propose a compromise: they could maintain their itinerant lifestyle on the condition that they volunteered a dictated number of their strongest men to serve in the imperial army for a fixed period of time. The Eschva accepted these terms, and Clarricie's newlywed husband was one of those chosen to serve. A formidable beastmaster in his own right, he was recruited into Lyon's contingent, but tragically and suddenly lost his life on his very first mission─just months after he and Clarricie swore their vows. Feeling a strong sense of responsibility and pity for the poor girl, Lyon personally paid her a visit in Gabranth's stead, apologizing for causing her beloved's death under his watch. Lamenting the thought of any other Eschva women being widowed as she had been, she entreated Lyon to accept her into his ranks in her husband's place, a petition which the Beast King was all too happy to accept. Since that day, Clarricie wears the masks of both a witch and a saint, fighting for her husband's honor and memory, and to achieve an era of peace for her people that her beloved will never see...

72567.png14. Sartauvoir quo Soranus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★★

Race: Elezen

Age: 61

Birthplace: Mannatheihwo, Landis

An influential centurion of the IVth Imperial Legion, Sartauvoir quo Soranus does not originally hail from the Empire. After the successful invasion of Bozja, the IVth was ordered by Emperor Solus to proceed to their next target, the Kingdom of Dalmasca. Legatus Basch van Gabranth secretly feared Dalmasca's war mages and─seeking to fight fire with fire, as it were─hatched a plan to form his own contingent of powerful sorcerers. To accomplish this, he set his eyes on the subjugated former Republic of Landis─in particular, Mannatheihwo, the only city in the republic to boast its own company of mage-knights. Though it was common practice for the Garleans to disband the knight companies of the nations it conquered and absorb them into the imperial army, their hatred of all things magical compelled them to quash the mage-knights of Mannatheihwo entirely. Fearing for their lives, these sorcerers had fled their homes and scattered across once-proud Landis. Knowing this, Legatus Gabranth set out in search of them.

One such mage was Sartauvoir, who had taken up residence in a small farming hamlet a stone's throw from the city where he concealed his identity, posing as a local tutor and academic. Discovered and approached by the IVth, the proud mage initially rebuffed their advances, but began to take an interest in their offer upon hearing of Legatus Gabranth's vision, similar and yet fundamentally different from that of the Empire he so despised. Realizing what Sartauvoir could offer them, the IVth─patiently, yet persistently─reached out to him on multiple occasions, trusting the mage would have a change of heart. One day, Sartauvoir was greeted at his place of learning by a soldier unfamiliar to him. Though the soldier stood alone, was advanced in years, and carried not even a dagger in his hand, Sartauvoir knew in an instant that even his most potent incantations would be no match for this man. So it was that he exchanged words face-to-face for the first time with Basch van Gabranth, and so it was that the mage─struck to his very core by the legatus's words─did swear to him his undying loyalty.

In the nigh thirty years since, Sartauvoir has served the IVth well and true. Though he has honed his already-potent skills to greater heights of power under the tutelage of Sadr rem Albeleo, his pride as a mage-knight of Mannatheihwo still burns within him as fierce as the blazing infernos he wreaks upon his foes. And yet he wields his magicks not in the name of wanton destruction, but rather in the hope of realizing the long-held dream of Noah van Gabranth─the same dream once held by his father...

72568.png15. Sicinius mal Vellutus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Garlean

Age: 42

Birthplace: Garlemald, Garlean Empire

Senior Engineer of the IVth Imperial Legion's magitek detachment, Sicinius honed his skills as a researcher at the Resonatorium in the service of Lord Aulus mal Asina. When the facility was decommissioned after the fall of Ala Mhigo and the findings of its team transmitted to Garlemald, the accomplished Sicinius received orders to return to the imperial capital. He rebuffed his superiors' advances, however, and instead requested a transfer to the IVth Legion, which he knew to be in pursuit─and if the rumors were true, already in possession─of lost reliquaries and forbidden knowledge of ancient Allag. The IVth, for their part, having heard whispers of Sicinius's consummate aptitude as a magitek engineer, had extended an invitation for him to join their ranks, making the two a natural fit. Upon joining the legion, his talents were quickly recognized by Legatus Gabranth and his second-in-command and leader of the archaeological expedition, Menenius rem Lanatus. Profoundly moved by Gabranth's vision for a new nation, Sicinius swore an oath of loyalty, and was thus rewarded with his current position of senior engineer.

In recent days, he continues his research with yet greater zeal, in hopes of restoring ancient warmachina and other technology recovered from the Ridorana Lighthouse, which stands in the Valnard Sea in the southern reaches of Dalmasca. Sicinius began his experimentation with the so-called laborer-class models, and it is believed the project has progressed to a point where he is looking to deploy these new machines on the field of battle. Indeed, it is said that he has volunteered to depart for the front lines of the war against the Bozjan Resistance, hoping to collect data on the potency of his latest toys firsthand─a trait doubtless inherited from his esteemed former master...

72571.png16. Sadr rem Albeleo
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Elezen

Age: 37

Birthplace: Ul'dah

Pilus prior of the IVth Imperial Legion, Sadr rem Albeleo serves under Menenius sas Lanatus in the legion's Bozjan subjugation forces. A mage of surpassing skill, he particularly favors the lost and forbidden arts of ages past, incantations which he is known to practice on his prisoners of war─often with the expected grisly and gruesome results. The utter lack of care he displays for any mortal life has earned him the fear of friend and foe alike.

Once a member in good standing of the Ul'dah Thaumaturges' Guild, he was swiftly expelled by Mumuepo when the guildmaster observed the young mage's penchant for acts of unspeakable cruelty. Chased from the sultanate by an angry mob, Albeleo took to wandering the realm in search of yet more powerful magicks of destruction and summoning. Upon arriving in the province of Dalmasca, he fell in naturally with the IVth Legion and their assemblage of soldiers of various talents, and soon after was entrusted by Legatus Gabranth with command of a regiment of mages. In the fifteen years since, he has trained many in the arcane arts, and with only the most talented able to survive his harsh methods, he succeeded in creating a unit whose name would be spoken of in fear across Eorzea.

Feeling naturally drawn to Menenius and his archaeological expedition, Albeleo was quick to volunteer for the effort against the Bozjan Resistance, and so it was that he came to this land with a shard of auracite recovered from ancient Ivalice...

72572.png17. Lyon rem Helsos
Learned from: Field Notes on Lyon
Fate(s): Beast of Man Duty: Castrum Lacus Litore
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★★

Race: Hyur

Age: 68

Birthplace: Arnsbeirgs, Landis

Pilus prior of the IVth Imperial Legion, known also by the epithet “the Beast King.”

A mainstay of the IVth, the indomitable Lyon has faithfully served two generations of Gabranth legatuses─first the father, Basch, with whom he shares a homeland, and now the son, Noah. Having known the latter as an infant, he forgoes protocol and refers to his commander as his “dear boy” as he always has.

Since the beginning of his military career, he has exhibited tremendous talent for warcraft, swiftly rising through the ranks to become a centurion and distinguishing himself during the invasion of Bozja well before his twentieth nameday. Now a grizzled soldier of eight and sixty, it would seem that Lyon's best days are far behind him, but his vaunted skill at arms betray no signs of decline; on the contrary, his wealth of combat experience makes him all the more fearsome as he charges into battle at the head of his beast contingent in clashes against the Bozjan Resistance.

Yet as often as he has proven his worth to the IVth, Lyon also has a notorious reputation for being unpredictable. A warrior through and through, he relishes battle for its own sake, and is known to seek out worthy foes against whom to test his mettle, mission be damned. Not even strategies of his own conception are exempt from his impulses, and his comrades are no longer surprised when they discover that he has abruptly sallied forth on his own.

His conduct has garnered him the ire of his superior, Tribunus Menenius sas Lanatus, but not even demotion seems to faze the old Hyur. Having no patience for Menenius's love of machination and maneuvering, Lyon is often heard to say: “A warrior lets his weapon do the talking.”

72573.png18. Menenius sas Lanatus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Elezen

Age: 55

Birthplace: Garlemald, Garlean Empire

Tribunus of the IVth Imperial Legion, Menenius serves as the Garleans' chief intelligence officer, recruiting and dispatching spies, gathering information, and providing counsel to Legatus Gabranth in all matters of war. Furthermore, he commands the archaeological mission to the southern provinces of Dalmasca and Bozja, seeking to gain technological knowledge and arcane reliquaries from Allag and Ivalice of power surpassing anything born of present-day knowledge.

Recently dispatched to Castrum Lacus Litore after this key strategic point was the target of a massive strike by the Bozjan Resistance, Menenius oversees three armies: to wit, the beast army led by Lyon rem Helsos, Albeleo and his contingent of mages, and the tribunus's own pride and joy─a fearsome detachment of magitek warmachina.

In the days of the republic, the Lanatus family boasted a long and august lineage, until Menenius's grandfather Thyrus opposed and incurred the ire of then-Dictator Solus zos Galvus. Banished, Thyrus died famished and in ignominy, but nevertheless his son Lucius was taken in by the IVth Legion, which had been dispatched to the fringes at the time. Possessed of a sharp mind and innate aptitude for military strategy, Lucius earned the favor of Basch van Gabranth, who named the young man his second-in-command. Determined to restore his family's good name, Lucius, at his legatus's behest, married an Elezen noblewoman of diminished circumstances, adopting her son as his own─this was Menenius.

A close friend and confidant of Noah van Gabranth since their early years, his loyalty to the Gabranths─both father and son─is absolute. Perhaps for this reason, he is willing─even eager─to accept the most unsavory jobs, making him uniquely suited to his current role. His methods are known to be cruel and inhumane, earning him a reputation as one who will justify any means to accomplish his ends. In truth, however, even his worst atrocities are motivated by a burning, yet forever-unseen passion to serve the Gabranths to the best of his abilities.

When the Garlean war of succession broke out, Legatus Gabranth chose the path of independence, realizing his long-held dream. As a result, however, the IVth Legion ceased to receive provisions or reinforcements from the Empire, rendering their position increasingly precarious as their battle with the Resistance dragged on. It was this grave situation that inspired Menenius, devoted as ever to serving the Gabranths, to propose his most ingenious operation yet, one that might breathe new life to their ragged ranks, throw the Resistance into chaos, and one day lead to the formation of a proud new nation. And so the legend of Save the Queen was born...

72574.png19. Misija Votyasch
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Roegadyn

Age: 29

Birthplace: Bozja

A covert operative of the IVth Imperial Legion charged with infiltrating the Bozjan Resistance.

Like so many others, Misija grew up in one of Bozja's sprawling slums. Owing to an imperial initiative, she was afforded the chance to receive an education, and through hard work won a scholarship to attend the imperial capital's most prestigious institution. There, she studied in fields such as folklore and archaeology, and attained conversance in Bozjan history and culture─knowledge which serves her well in her mission for the IVth.

It was none other than Misija who proposed to the Resistance the idea to reforge the blades of Gunnhildr as a means to resurrect the primal Save the Queen─all in the interests of her legion, whose ends she serves absolutely. Her loyalty can be attributed to two factors, the first being rooted in the deep-seated inequality that pervades Bozjan society.

Since the days of old, the ruling nobles and merchant families of Bozja have held the lion's share of the nation's wealth, a Garlean census conducted following annexation revealing that seven out of ten earned less than half the average income while one in three lived in squalor. The situation improved somewhat when Bozja became an imperial province, but homeless children remained a common sight in the major cities, and Misija's was but one of many begrimed faces among them.

As a young girl, she survived by selling what scraps she could salvage from waste heaps, but many were the days when no food passed her lips, and hunger was her constant companion. It seemed as though this harsh life must continue forever when salvation came in the form of an imperial initiative. A welfare body was established to rescue homeless children, and it proceeded to take them off the streets and place them into institutional care. Yet resources were stretched thin, and more often than not those in need were left to fend for themselves due to naught save the whim of the gods.

Misija was one of the lucky ones, and she did not waste the opportunity given to her. Yet despite her many remarkable achievements, she faced discrimination from the Bozjan upper class, who continued to regard the poor as little more than vermin. Nigh daily, she was subjected to injustice and indignities, each occasion further stoking the fire of hatred she harbored for her betters.

Her grievance towards her homeland did not end there. Though few are privy to this fact, Misija is descended from the last Queen Gunnhildr, and the knowledge that her noble ancestor was betrayed by her own protectors is a source of great bitterness for her.

All of this served to deprive her of any sense of allegiance for Bozja, and she would instead pledge herself to the IVth. Since the time of the previous legatus, it has been the legion's creed to welcome all regardless of such things as race, faith, gender, and birth. What counted is one's ability and loyalty, both of which Misija possesses in abundance. Given her troubled past, it is of little wonder that she would find a home in the IVth, and there is no telling how far she will go to achieve her goals.

72575.png20. Gunnhildr
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

In days of yore, civil war raged on amongst the races of Bozja. This bloody, protracted struggle was at long last brought to an end when the land was united under the rule of a single queen. “Gunnhildr” was the name and title given to this first monarch, and one all those who followed her would inherit.

The queens of Bozja were not chosen from families of illustrious lineage, but rather from among the shamans who communed with the ancient gods. Only those deemed most favored by the gods─as manifested in their ability to read the stars─were chosen for the role, regardless of race or heritage. Though the vast majority of the Bozjan queens were Hrothgar, this was merely a matter of mathematics, as Hrothgar boasted the largest population of the land's many races.

When ancient Allag's hubris brought the Fourth Umbral Calamity upon the land, the nobles and oracles who made up Gunnhildr's Blades─the de facto ruling party of Bozja─sought to unleash the power of the legendary Save the Queen, that their nation might be spared from catastrophe. Yet Gunnhildr herself, wounded in battle against the Allagans and deathly fearful of forever losing her humanity, resisted. Sensing opportunity, the Blades contrived a plan to protect their position by instilling a minor shrinemaiden of the Votyasch tribe as queen, in hopes that the power of the blade would claim her own life. And yet this queen deemed disposable turned out to be anything but, wielding the blade to deliver salvation to her homeland and thence being transformed into a veritable god of war. Possessed of immeasurable power and a heart both pure and free, she struck profound fear into the hearts of those who had sought to manipulate her, and for this, she was assassinated by the very Blades who had orchestrated her ascendancy in the first place.

And yet, though her tragic life was brought to a premature end, her soul would live on in the form of the aether that inhabits the blade, a secret which the charlatans who betrayed her would realize all too late...

72577.png21. Lilja Sjasaris
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Viera

Age: 19

Birthplace: Rabanastre, Dalmasca

A new recruit to Garlond Ironworks, Lilja first awakened to her talents as an engineer while receiving an imperial education in her native Rabanastre. Her academic accomplishments won her acceptance to the prestigious Magitek Academy in the imperial capital, but ere she could relocate to commence her studies, resistance forces launched a large-scale offensive that transformed Rabanastre into a battlefield. The young Viera was forced to seek refuge in Doma, where she sustained herself by repairing machina and designing custom contraptions. Word of her uncommon expertise chanced to reach the visiting Jessie, who offered her a place at the Ironworks. Having been an admirer of the organization due to its part in the liberation effort, she accepted without a moment's hesitation.

Despite her cheery and optimistic facade, Lilja was a conflicted soul. Like no few Dalmascan orphans, she was taken into imperial care and underwent schooling intended to instill a sense of allegiance to Garlemald. And while most of her peers remained fiercely loyal to their homeland, only giving their tutors lip service, Lilja could not muster up the selfsame passion. For though she could not approve of Garlean rule, it seemed to her that the alternative, a Dalmascan monarchy, would not improve the lot of the common man.

Further blurring the lines of her loyalty was the respect she came to hold for the occupying IVth Imperial Legion, which did not forcibly conscript civilians to its ranks. During a public address, its commander, Legatus van Gabranth, proclaimed that it falls to each man to use his talents to forge his own way in life. Lilja was among those present when these words were uttered, and they spoke to her more than any nation's standard ever could. Nevertheless, she could ill turn a blind eye to the many wrongs the Garleans committed against those they subjugated.

All of this served to make of Lilja a woman who opposed the Empire, yet not strongly enough to take up arms against it, the seeming contradiction giving rise to a storm of self-doubt. In joining the Ironworks, however, she was able to quell her inner turmoil by focusing on a new objective: to simply be herself, a free spirit unburdened by whatever chaos may unfold around her. Witnessing the likes of Cid and Jessie devoting themselves to their work, she recalled the words of van Gabranth─and duly set about using such knowledge and skill as she possessed to the best of her ability.

“Hm, perhaps I'm overthinking it...but what if we were to─” “Ahem. You're definitely overthinking it, Lilja. Let's actually make the thing, shall we?” “Yes, I suppose you're right, Jessie... Ah! There was one other idea I had...” “<groan> Liljaaa...”

72578.png22. Bwagi Ennze Panca
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Bangaa

Age: 48

Birthplace: Valnain, Dalmasca

Bwagi is a member of the resistance group Lente's Tears, serving as their liaison with the Eastern alliance. Versed in the workings of machina, he is also charged with the maintenance of the airship Ia'sar. Despite being a fusilier by training, Bwagi struggled to master the slender swords employed by the style. He compensates for this weakness with his superior marksmanship, which sees him unerringly strike distant targets even with short-barreled weapons.

As a young Bangaa, Bwagi was scarcely a soldier blooded when he fought the Empire as part of the Dalmascan Royal Fusiliers. When the kingdom fell, his unit was incorporated into the imperial army, but he was disinclined to serve his conquerors, choosing instead to embark upon a rambling journey. While he had many a memorable moment during his wanderings, nothing is so close to his heart as his visit to the industrial city of Abdella in Garlean-occupied Landis.

As he strolled through the streets, he came upon a play being performed by a troupe of Eschvan nomads, who were known as much as a source of foreign rumors as they were for their song and dance. The play was a whimsical affair depicting the love lives of ordinary folk, but to Bwagi, who had lived his entire life under a grim pall of conflict, it was anything but ordinary. Even as he was moved by the tale, he was struck by the jovial mood of the city, which had since regained normality following its conquest. This was his first experience of peace, and it proved heady. Taken by a sudden longing, he begged to join the troupe...only to be politely rejected.

Soon thereafter, Bwagi reunited with his erstwhile comrades, and together they formed a pirating crew. But he never forgot the joy he felt that day in Abdella, and took it upon himself to lighten spirits whenever possible. His japes were more often daft than droll, but he persisted and beamed inside for every grin he succeeded in drawing from his crewmates.

Alas, the carefree days of reaving were not to last, for his leader, Ba'Gamnan, would fall under the influence of an auracite. The stone fed upon the battle-hardened Bangaa's burning hatred for the Empire, warping him into the draconic abomination Yiazmat, and only in death was he set free. Desiring to carry on his respected brother-in-arm's legacy, Bwagi chose to lend his strength to the Resistance, and with this decision a grim determination returned to his countenance, where it will remain until such time as his homeland is free once more.

72586.png23. Rostik Liubasch
Learned from: Field Notes on Rostik
 Quest: Fit for a Queen
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 56

Birthplace: Bozja

A key figure of the Bozjan Resistance, Rostik fights to free his country from the tyrannical clutches of the Empire.

He is the son of an elite gunbreaker who served Bozja in its days of independence, and there can be little doubt that the path he has walked has been in the footsteps of this great man─a man of whom Rostik himself remembers scarcely a thing.

In those days, the Garlean Empire marched mercilessly and inexorably on the scattered small countries in the southern reaches of Ilsabard. Fearing for his son's safety, Rostik's father entrusted the child to his elderly master before departing for the front lines, from which he would never return.

Though hailed as a hero by his people, the man's bravery was ultimately in vain, and once-proud Bozja fell under the imperial yoke. The young Rostik vowed that he would one day be strong enough to defend his beloved homeland, and devoted himself to training as a gunbreaker under the selfsame master who once taught his father, eventually being conscripted by the imperial army. I will be my nation's shield─or so he swore to himself. Yet Rostik was doomed to suffer a fate as tragic as his father's─if not more so. While he was serving the Empire, the Bozja incident occurred, and his beloved homeland was razed to nothingness.

After the fall of the citadel, Rostik awaited his chance and fled the army. For a time, he fought like a beast thirsting for vengeance, launching reckless strikes against imperial forces from seemingly every direction. Yet there was a limit to what one gunbreaker─no matter how skilled─could do against an entire army. One day, Rostik was ambushed by an imperial regiment, and suffering grave wounds, was left to die alone deep in the forest.

In a turn of good fortune, before succumbing to his wounds, he was discovered by Bajsaljen, who had seen the gunbreaker fall in battle against their common foe, and took him in, tending to his injuries. Persuaded by the cerebral Resistance leader to abandon his rage-driven quest for revenge, Rostik now fights to protect his countrymen, imparting his impressive skills to a new generation of gunbreakers as a mentor to his subordinates.

So it is that the art of the gunbreaker, once in danger of extinction, came to be preserved through the years. Indeed, the high-ranking Resistance officer Marsak and Thancred, the “Scion” who he met through a curious twist of fate, are among Rostik's countless pupils. Rostik continues his fight to this day, that he might see his techniques handed down to posterity, and his nation one day reborn.

72579.png24. Mikoto Jinba
Learned from: Field Notes on Mikoto
 Quest: Fit for a Queen
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Au Ra

Age: 24

Birthplace: Sharlayan

An Archon of Sharlayan, Mikoto studied aetherology at the Studium, and earned her mark via her contributions to the field. When not conducting research, she can be seen lecturing at the academy. Through the introduction of Jessie Jaye of Garlond Ironworks, she was invited to Kugane, where she demonstrated her academic prowess in the examination of an auracite. She would subsequently be called to Gangos to shed light upon the nature of the crystal focus, an artifact of Bozja.

Though possessed of a keen mind, Mikoto can occasionally be oblivious to her surrounds; when speaking on the subject of aetherology, she has a tendency to rattle off a flurry of advanced terminology to the confusion of those present. Yet by the same token, she is not easily flustered, maintaining her composure in times of danger and duress.

Like the Warrior of Light, Mikoto is blessed with the Echo, her manifestation of the power allowing her to see into the future. While resembling prophetic dreams and divinations, the visions that are revealed are events that cannot be changed, and given that she cannot see them at will, nor clearly, Mikoto does not regard the ability as particularly useful.

Mikoto has an identical twin sister named Kagura, but aside from their appearance and thirst for knowledge, she could not be more different from her sibling. Where she is calm and measured, Kagura is headstrong and forthright. And though Kagura won her Archon's mark earlier than Mikoto, she incurred the ire of the Forum for openly criticizing their policies and was ultimately stripped of her title. She left Sharlayan in disgust, and has not been seen since.

For as long as Mikoto could remember, she and Kagura did not see eye to eye, and conversations were nonexistent between them. Upon entering the Studium, they both went about their own business and seldom saw each other, and it was not until Kagura was already gone that Mikoto learned of what had happened. Though Mikoto may have had little interest in people, preferring instead the reliable company of tomes, her complete ignorance of her sister's trials underlined their estrangement.

Nonetheless, Mikoto could not help but worry for her sister, and though it was no fault of her own, she felt ashamed for not having done more to aid her. Her anguish did not go unnoticed by her senior Moenbryda, who took it upon herself to reach out to her lest she do something ill advised. Taking Mikoto under her wing, she would find every opportunity to make conversation, be it about academic matters or the mundane. In time, the boisterous Roegadyn would become like to a sister she never had, someone with whom she could share her hopes and dreams and disappointments. Their relationship was the catalyst for Mikoto to harbor an interest in others as well as the world beyond the Studium's walls. Yet despite Moenbryda's encouragement, it would be some years before she worked up the courage to take to the field. Even after the two had both graduated, their friendship would continue, every anticipated reunion seeing them while away the hours in chatter.

So it was that the news of Moenbryda's death came as a terrible shock to Mikoto. Unable to accept her friend's passing, she spent days in denial. It was only when she received a missive from Urianger confirming events that the painful reality finally set in. She wept as if her heart would break, and cursed herself for having helped to create the aetheric siphon. Had I only known what it was for... Had I only been there... For long moons such thoughts tormented her. But one day, she clenched her jaw, donned her traveling garb, and set out into the field for the first time.

Since that day, Mikoto has not shied from venturing forth, and gladly takes on tasks from outside groups such as the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. What matters is that she strives for the benefit of others─as her dear friend once did.

72580.png25. Misija Votyasch
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Roegadyn

Age: 29

Birthplace: Bozja

A covert operative of the IVth Imperial Legion charged with infiltrating the Bozjan Resistance.

Q. Upon joining the Resistance you provided your name and personal history, and we are in the process of verifying the truth of those details. If there were any falsehoods, now is your chance to correct them. A. It is regretful that the incident destroyed any evidence I might provide, but I swear that the information I gave was entirely truthful.

Q. Why, then, did you betray the Resistance to our enemy? Why turn traitor? A. “Turn traitor”? I was never on your side to begin with. My mission was to infiltrate your ranks.

Q. You were sent to spy on us. A. Correct.

Q. And what was your objective? A. I was to ensure the forging of the Resistance weapons, and the reformation of Gunnhildr's Blades. Once Save the Queen was safely in the possession of the IVth Imperial Legion, the plan was to summon the “eikon” and bend it to our will.

Q. An elaborate scheme that ultimately ended in failure. Have you learned from your mistakes? A. My only mistake was to underestimate the talents of Eorzea's champion. I knew that a seer's powers were essential to delve into the memories, but never did I dream that the renowned “liberator” would become so integral to the process. Or perhaps Mikoto simply felt uneasy, and sending for him was a means to guarantee the success of our work.

Q. Whichever the case, your operation is in shambles. What will the legion do now? A. I haven't the slightest idea. And even if I did know, why would I tell you?

Q. As we have discussed many times before, you have no reason to revile the nation we seek to build. It will be a society in which every citizen is treated as an equal, where poverty and bigotry are evils of the past. And yet still you choose to work against us. A. Altering the course of this country will not be a simple matter of claiming its helm. Establishing new laws and enforcing your ideals will be done amidst a storm of protest.

Q. Who in their right mind would oppose us? A. Consider the situation from my perspective. The imperials have imposed their order upon Bozja for half a century, but have all their subjects accepted their rule, as I have? Do all enjoy the same treatment? The same standing?

Q. The Empire invaded us. Even if its laws were just, we could not help but chafe beneath the yoke of its occupation. Your comparison is flawed. A. And I say it is two sides of the same coin. Even should you seize control and attempt to reform what you see as “evil,” there will always be those who cry oppression.

Q. I find that hard to believe. A. Then you lack imagination. Many folk are shortsighted and resistant to change. Some will prove so stubborn that you will have to kill them before they accept the new order you hope to impose. Even as you plan to kill me.

Q. Your punishment is yet to be decided. A military court will deliberate your fate once the nation has been liberated. A. A foregone conclusion. Why even bother to discuss it further?

Q. You are not beyond redemption. A. Do not tease me with talk of salvation. If you mean to execute me, then bring out the headsman's axe.

Q. I mean to save you. We both have our convictions, but mine do not demand your death. A. ...You are a gentle soul. People such as you and Bajsaljen are the pure stream trickling through the mud and muck which now suffocates poor Bozja. I pray the source of your kindness never runs dry.

This document records the interrogation of covert operative Misija Votyasch, as conducted by liaison officer Apella three days after the suspect was apprehended. Several remarks herein have been flagged as inappropriate for Resistance personnel, and the file is to be stored in the “full clearance only” section of the archives.

72581.png26. Gunnhildr
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

“Gunnhildr” is both name and title, inherited by every queen who ruled over the Bozja of old.

The last potentate to be ordained as such─the last Queen Gunnhildr in history─was born Nevembya Votyasch, ancient ancestor of Misija.

The bloodline of the Votyasch tribe has given rise to generation after generation of seers, and thus when a seven-year-old Nevembya showed signs of great promise, she was taken to study at the shrine. She learned to read the stars and the winds, and divined secrets in numbers; she immersed herself in prayer, spiritualism, and the performance of sacred dance. The reward for her devotions was a place amongst the twelve shrinemaidens, the personal servants of Queen Gunnhildr.

This shining era came to an abrupt end, however, when the hubris of the Allagan Empire brought about the Fourth Umbral Calamity. Bozja was plunged into chaos as great earthquakes caused the land to buckle and shift, the ragged rents in the ground spewing forth plumes of flame. In a desperate bid for self-preservation, the ruling class agreed that the power of Save the Queen should be invoked, and a champion summoned forth to deliver Bozja from destruction. But Queen Gunnhildr, knowing her essence and identity would be consumed by the ritual, refused their entreaties. Thus stymied, the statesmen raised Nevembya to the throne with unprecedented haste, imbuing their “disposable” figurehead with the authority to wield the sacred blade.

Meaning “pure and selfless” in the old tongue, Nevembya was true to her name─though unaware of the reason behind her rapid ascension, she dutifully took up the sword and poured her life energies into the weapon. In answer to her sacrifice, a mighty entity was made manifest, and Bozja─and her people─were saved.

What the instigators of this miracle did not anticipate was that the humble shrinemaiden would survive the rite, and return to her mundane form. In Nevembya flowed the blood of seers, and with her heritage came the power of the Echo. Though she had received no formal training in the art, she would often see visions of the past of others─a talent she never questioned as aught more than her birthright. But it was this very blessing which sheltered her soul from the dominating presence of the entity, and allowed her to wield its might as she saw fit.

This revelation filled the statesmen with abject terror. They plotted to murder their young queen with Gunnhildr's sword, and struck when she was most vulnerable. Believing the act to be righteous, that none could hold such tremendous power and remain uncorrupted, the commonfolk did nothing to defend her. And even as she lay dying, watching her lifeblood seep out across the floor, Nevembya did not curse her assassins. She knew her aetherial strength was unnatural, unpredictable─it had to be contained lest Bozja suffer further devastation. She would die secure in the knowledge that her people were safe. That was enough.

In that instant, a blinding light issued forth from the blade. Nevembya had, for one brief moment, wished to live just a little while longer, and as her soul slipped away from her body, both her fervent desire and a small portion of her aether were drawn into the sacred sword.

The first sight the last of Bozja's queens beheld upon her resurrection was a circle of Gunnhildr's Blades. Am I to be slain once more, then...? Towering waves of rage, grief, and rancor such as she had never felt before surged within her. Why!? Why must my life be forfeit!? Consumed by emotion, raw and unchecked, Nevembya unleashed her will. They shall kneel before me in worship. I am Gunnhildr. I am queen!

But another Nevembya watched the scene unfold in horror, her unheard voice screaming out in protest. This is wrong! This cannot be! Trapped within her own mind was the Nevembya from the days before she was crowned, the Nevembya who would do anything to protect her beloved Bozja. She understood that to take life, even that of the villainous, was to forge a chain of vengeance. And that chain would stretch on and on until all were strangled within its links...

72582.png27. Trinity Seeker
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★

Enthralled at the behest of Misija, these three members of Gunnhildr's Blades─Aggie the Ironfist, Velibor the Baleful, and Blaz the Merciful─have been warped even further, their bodies meshed into a single, abhorrent entity which serves the queen without question.

Several malms north of the harbor city of Martrvje, the land rises into a series of gently rolling hills. At the top of the highest slope looms a massive wall, an imposing barrier constructed of closely fitting limestone blocks and as thick as the outstretched arms of two grown Hyurs. Scarcely a quarter of the original edifice remains, however, with the scars of centuries plainly evident upon its crumbling facade.

Once beyond this encircling wall, a small settlement can be found nestled between two hills. This compound houses the illustrious martial school known as the “Verdant Path.” The school encompasses what was once a Bozjan shrine, the many spires of the central building marking the site where a host of holy men and women would practice their devotions. When not engaged in spiritual endeavors, it is said they tempered their bodies with physical training, a rudimentary fighting style upon which the Verdant Path was later founded.

When the Garlean Empire invaded, adherents of the school rose up in strength to defend the city-state of Bozja. As the incursion rolled on, however, Basch van Gabranth, then legatus of the IVth Legion, came to lament the slaughter of so much promising martial talent. He promised the Verdant Path amnesty and protection, if it would but swear fealty to the Empire. The schoolmaster accepted, and by surrendering himself to the invaders' justice were his colleagues allowed to continue their instruction.

One such teaching was the technique of “Three as One.” It was simple in concept, yet difficult to master, requiring three disciples to synchronize their actions in order to fell opponents far too powerful to engage alone.

During their training days, Blaz and Velibor were ever on the lookout for a third to complete their Three as One trio. Their incomparable skill, however, meant that none of their fellows could ever measure up to them in an even contest. Only one disciple refused to admit defeat, rising to her feet again and again. That student was Aggie, a girl who came to the school as an orphan, ragged and withdrawn, but now lit up the room with her infectious grin. Blaz and Velibor loved her as a little sister, and it was for this very reason they were hesitant to add her to their ranks. The day was near when Bozja would rise in rebellion, and the Verdant Path would lend its strength to the Resistance. And what sort of brother would drag his younger sibling off to war? One so bright and full of promise should be spared the horrors of such a battle, where blood would answer for blood in unrelenting conflict.

Yet Aggie was not to be turned from her chosen path. She earned the rank of master, and trained until she was able to claim one of every three matches she fought against the cousins. Blaz and Velibor were compelled to recognize her achievements, and at last accepted her as their third. Their decision was swayed not by Aggie's desire to fight, but by their need to protect her if she insisted she must. They swore to be her shields, come what may.

And what twisted fate did come. They exist now only as the trinity seeker─three as one, forevermore.

72583.png28. Queen's Guard
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★

The queen's soldier. The queen's knight. The queen's gunner. The queen's warrior. All four were once members of Gunnhildr's Blades, and all four now serve the queen as her unquestioning thralls.

Mladen the Vanished Before his “recruitment” as the queen's soldier, this unfortunate Hrothgar was known as Mladen the Vanished.

A second-generation Bozjan refugee born and raised in Doma, Mladen learned the arts of the ninja before joining the Liberation Front. In the days which followed the retaking of Doma Castle, he crossed over to Bozja to pledge his strength to Bajsaljen, where he taught ninjutsu to his new allies and gathered intelligence on the IVth Imperial Legion. Mladen was absent from the ill-fated assault on Castrum Lacus Litore, having been part of a unit deployed to northern Bozja. But tragedy caught up to him nonetheless when he was later enthralled on the southern front.

A solitary man with no living relatives, he would often quip that he could fall in battle with a light heart for there were none to mourn his passing. Perhaps, in some buried corner of his present cursed existence, that thought yet brings him comfort...

Adis the Spirited Once a noted member of the Resistance, Adis the Spirited now stands hollow and obedient as the queen's knight.

Adis hailed from Dirbenc, a remote region of Bozja. After receiving the standard imperial education, he served in the Garlean army as a centurion until the Bozja incident drove him into the arms of the Resistance. Although a commander of men, the hot-blooded Hrothgar was infamous for charging ahead into the enemy's midst, whereby he would call out rival officers to engage in single combat. Such selfless, reckless bravery inspired his men and demoralized the foe, and no few young Bozjans sought to follow his example. His final act was to fight a rearguard action on the southern front, ensuring the escape of as many allies as possible until the queen's undeniable aether overwhelmed him at the last.

When the survivors reached the safety of Gangos, their wails of grief echoed through the encampment. They had lost the best of them, and the entire company, their faces streaked with tears, wished they could have fallen in his stead.

Tugeim the Swiftram The queen's warrior is the aether-corrupted form of Resistance member Tugeim the Swiftram.

As a trueborn Bozjan who could trace her lineage back to one of the old nation's ruling families, Tugeim was afforded the rights of a free citizen in imperial society─a privileged position that she discarded in favor of joining the Resistance movement. Ostensibly one of the noble class despised by Misija, she herself never belittled the commonfolk through word or deed, and although her habitual reticence often led to misunderstandings, she was in truth the staunchest supporter of Bajsaljen's efforts to impose a fair and balanced social order.

In battle, this imposing Roegadyn would wade into enemy ranks like a war-goddess incarnate, swinging an axe longer than she was tall with terrifying ease. Enthralled and empowered by the queen, she can now manipulate the forces of gravity itself...

Ratimir the Pale Even before his transformation into the queen's gunner, Ratimir the Pale was feared among his enemies as a harbinger of death.

A hunter who dwelled in the wilds of Bozja, Ratimir left his simple life to take up arms against the Empire when the citadel was destroyed. As he saw it, imperial hubris had led to the deaths of countless innocents, and he would not leave his countrymen unavenged. Already skilled in the use of a firearm, his was a natural progression to the role of Resistance marksman.

Ratimir's legend began on the night an imperial company assaulted the encampment at Gorava. The surprise onslaught threw the Resistance ranks into helpless confusion, the lack of a coherent defense elevating the offensive into outright slaughter. The survivors rallied and sought to win free of the attackers, but the net was drawn too tightly to escape. As they waited grimly for their demise, one of the advancing imperials suddenly slumped to the ground. From the stygian darkness beyond the flame-lit camp, the sound of a firearm cracked again and again, and each time it spoke, another imperial soldier fell. The death toll mounted, and it was now the aggressors' turn to feel the cold grip of panic.

If they could have pierced that inky veil, they might have spied the determined features of Ratimir as he methodically dismantled the encircling force. When morning came and the weary Resistance troops surveyed the carnage, they found thirty-six imperial corpses with bullet wounds to the head.

Ratimir the Pale. Ratimir, the living legend. How fortunate for the queen to come into possession of so formidable a weapon...

72584.png29. Trinity Avowed
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★

Stanik the Unwavering, Xeven the Vengeful, and Isolde the Eagle-eye: these three brave souls─their corporeal forms twisted and warped beyond comprehension─continue to dutifully serve their queen as an odious amalgamation possessed of unholy martial and magical power.

Our tale takes us back to some moons before the Battle of Castrum Lacus Litore, to the western shores of Igalj Kelo. Those well versed in Old Bozjan will know that, just as Lacus Litore means “lakeside” in the language of the Empire, Igalj Kelo means “mirror of water” in that ancient tongue. It is said that on clear days when the wind was still, nary a ripple would form on the lake's surface, which would reflect the bright sun and majestic blue of the skies above.

It was here the Bozjan Resistance mustered their forces in secret at Volod, until one day when they were unceremoniously rooted out by the imperial army. Knowing his men stood no chance against the Empire's might in a face-to-face conflict, Bajsaljen ordered a full retreat from the outpost, dispatching his three most trusted lieutenants to cover those in flight. Stanik, Xeven, and Isolde succeeded in uniting with the surviving troops, but were ambushed on their return by Albeleo and his regiment, who sought to take advantage of the situation by picking off the Bozjans in their weakened state.

Surrounded on all sides, the three fought bravely, expertly employing the rocks, the trees─even the corpses of their ill-fated countrymen as a defensive wall against their foe. In the end, however, the Garleans' sheer firepower proved too much to overcome. Knowing they faced total eradication otherwise, Stanik and Xeven entrusted their wounded men to Isolde, then engaged in a diversionary attack, which succeeded in confusing the imperials, and thus buying much-needed time for her escape. Stanik and Xeven, however, now found themselves alone and entirely at their foe's mercy─it was only a matter of time before their enemy closed in and finished them off once and for all.

Gazing up at the moon for what they thought would be the last time, they sat together and waited for the inevitable. As dawn began to break, they heard in the distance an imperial officer barking the order that would herald their impending doom. Our fight ends here─the two men said to themselves, when a hauntingly beautiful melody rang out through the air.

It was Isolde, bending her bowstring to play an old Bozjan folk tune─their sister-in-arms had returned, and she had brought reinforcements with her.

The evening before the Battle of Castrum Lacus Litore, Stanik entreated Isolde to play the same melody for old times' sake. Xeven, enjoying a strong drink as he was wont to do, closed his eyes and reflected back on the night he had all but known would be his last. One day, this war too will be but a memory, he thought, and come then he would share a toast with his friends to the tune of Isolde's bow...

72585.png30. Save the Queen
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★★

A trigger weapon forged by the fallen Allagan Empire, Save the Queen was born from painstaking study of eikons and a desire to simplify and streamline the process by which they were summoned. Such devices─of which this holy blade stands as a prime example─serve as the catalyst by which an eikon may be called forth.

As for how this legendary sword did come to ancient Bozja, none can say. In light of Bozja's military weakness, it is inconceivable that they could have seized or stolen it themselves, and there is little reason to believe that Allag favored the Bozjans so much to have presented it as a gift. A more likely possibility is that an Allagan apostate who no longer looked kindly on the empire defected to Bozja and gifted his new countrymen the artifact of his own accord.

In any event, the fact remains that the holy blade of Bozja, that which could be wielded only by the hand of Queen Gunnhildr, was a trigger weapon─a relic of Allagan ingenuity.

The mechanism by which it is powered is a wondrous thing.

In the days of ancient Ivalice, the crystal known as auracite was worshipped as a reliquary. Come to this world from the heavens on the wings of Ultima, the High Seraph, it houses power beyond mortal comprehension─a power that resonates with the desires of man, giving them concrete form. It was in their quest to artificially improve upon this natural phenomenon that the Allagans did create such a fearsome weapon, which forges the wielder's deepest desires into a trigger for calling forth an eikon. Having succeeded in the summoning, the Allagans then sought a means by which to bend said eikon to their will, and─after much trial and error─came to the conclusion that this could only be accomplished by one possessing the power of the Echo. The discovery was a testament to the terrifyingly boundless knowledge of the Allagans.

In time, Misija─having heard tell of the blade and the tragedy of Bozja's final queen─sought to manifest its primal power, with herself as conduit. Yet summoning alone would not suffice─she required a means by which to retain control over her body and will throughout the process. For this, she would need the power of the Echo. So, with knowledge gained through the Empire's vast information network, she located a Sharlayan scholar by the name of Mikoto, known to possess the gift. Having succeeded in kidnapping her quarry, Misija employed techniques developed by Lord Aulus mal Asina at the Resonatorium to reproduce Mikoto's powers within herself, thus becoming Resonant.

Misija then sought to use the residual aether left in the blade by its former wielder─the woman born as Nevembya Votyasch─and her memories to conjure the shade of Queen Gunnhildr. While these reserves were sufficient to temper the Resistance warriors who stood before her, however, they were woefully insufficient to accomplish her ultimate goal of becoming an eikon. When she learned that a fount of abundant aether such as she required could be found in the ruins of the ancient Bozjan palace Delubrum Reginae, her path was clear. There, with the power of the great crystal housed in its innermost chambers, Misija at long last made the holy blade's true power her own.

So it was that the queen stood before the Warrior of Light, with years of bitterness in her heart, that she might see Gabranth's vision made real by her own hand...

72588.png31. Atori Moribe
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Au Ra

Age: 29

Birthplace: Dagluk, Southern Nagxia

Though born and raised in the southern reaches of Nagxia, her lineage can be traced back to Doma. Indeed, for several generations her family thrived in Nagxia making the land's culture their own, all the while dutifully upholding their Doman traditions. Unfortunately, her family line was cut woefully short twenty-six years prior, and Atori must now uphold these traditions on her own.

Under the command of the XIth Legion, the XVIIth infantry division was dispatched to invade the mountainous regions of southern Nagxia. While the Nagxian resistance lacked a comparable martial force, they were not without cunning. Rather than attack directly, they relied on their knowledge of the land, assailing the imperials via surprise raids and ambushes. The Nagxian resistance was relentless, stalking the imperials both by the light of day and in the dead of night. Thus the XVIIth infantry was deprived of rest, kept constantly on edge, and before long it was clear these tactics had taken their toll. Even so, no one could have foreseen what would befall the village of Dagluk.

It was a small village, and without the immediate aid of the resistance, the people found little recourse but to submit to the imperials' authority, offering up what little food and water they could afford to forestall uncertain death. Their uneasy peace would be broken, however, when an ale-sodden imperial soldier thought to assault a hapless villager. They tried to defend themself, but the drunken soldier escalated the altercation, and before long the villager was dead. When questioned by his superiors, the soldier claimed he was assaulted by the resistance, but the villagers knew the truth. Torches and tools in hand, they demanded the imperials leave Dagluk. But their cries of anger were answered only with gunfire.

The massacre of Dagluk's people was initially reported as the result of a bloody battle with the Nagxian resistance. But survivors from the village would give the lie to these claims, the dark truth made painfully clear when a soldier of the XVIIth infantry at last came forward, unable to bear the weight of his conscience. The unit was then recalled to the imperial capital where it was summarily dissolved. Emperor Varis was quick to denounce the infantry's actions, but the seeds of resentment had already been sown in Nagxia's bloodied soil.

Atori was but an innocent child of four summers when this atrocity came to pass, whisked away to safety by her mother. Though she did not emerge from the village unscathed, Atori's mother refused to stop until she was certain of their safety. And so they traveled without food or water for three days and nights, desperate to find sanctuary. Eventually they would find it in the arms of resistance soldiers out on patrol. It was only then she allowed herself to succumb to her injuries, her final breath a sigh of relief, comforted by the thought that Atori would live.

It was believed the trauma of her loss shocked Atori into silence. In time, she would find her voice again, and attest to the horrors visited upon her village.

Thanks to her mother's sacrifice, Atori had gained a new family among the resistance, none offering her comfort more so than Kosyu, who she would come to look up to as a brother.

When she was of age she joined the resistance, taking up the lance, and with Kosyu's help she quickly became one of their more accomplished fighters in the battle for freedom.

72589.png32. Kosyu
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★

Race: Roegadyn

Age: 38

Birthplace: Bunlai, Northern Nagxia

Raised in a remote village in northern Nagxia, this capable warrior of the Nagxian resistance is one of the few Roegadyn native to the region. His true name is difficult to pronounce for those not of his clan, so his comrades in the resistance have given him the nickname “Kosyu,” which means “tiger whiskers” in the more commonly used local dialect.

His thick accent paired with his habit of mumbling means he is often misunderstood, and as a result, he does not make friends easily. However, his skill with an axe is without question, and the decision to send him to the Bozjan front line was met with unanimous approval.

His experiences with the Empire began when the invasion of Nagxia reached Bunlai, his home. Kosyu was only eight years old when most of his kin were killed, and together with the other survivors, he fled the village and became a refugee. As the imperials advanced, they were forced farther and farther southward, and they were met with many hardships on their journey. Kosyu's younger sister by three summers was claimed by sickness, and he had no choice but to bury her himself. He swore on her grave that he would never shed another tear, and from that day forth, devoted himself to the resistance.

Although he initially struggled to fit in due to his manner of speaking, it quickly became apparent to those around him that he not only excelled in the martial arts but also had an aptitude for academic pursuits.

His life would take another dramatic turn one year before Nagxia finally lost its war with the Empire. Kosyu was patrolling the jungle when he encountered a mother and daughter, emaciated from hunger and exhaustion. The woman used her dying breaths to speak of the tragedy that had befallen the village of Dagluk. Traumatized by the passing of her mother and the barbaric scenes she had witnessed, the young girl could not utter a single word. Her name was Atori, though it would be some time before Kosyu would learn this. She bore a strange resemblance to his deceased sister, and he soon found himself caring for her as though she were his own flesh and blood.

Eventually, the pair grew to become two of the Nagxia resistance's most valued warriors, and they fought bravely in the battle for Castrum Viride, their achievements earning the acclaim of their comrades.

When the Eastern alliance was asked to send reinforcements to aid the Bozjan Resistance, Kosyu and Atori were quick to volunteer, and their requests were immediately accepted. Their devotion to liberating others from imperial oppression knows no bounds, and whether it be fighting for their home or for allies in distant lands, they will fight until the last.

72590.png33. Oboro Torioi
Learned from: Field Notes on Oboro
Fate(s): Parts and Parcel
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Hyur (Far Eastern)

Age: 24

Birthplace: Doma

A shinobi of Doma, Oboro is among the contingent sent by the Eastern alliance to aid in the battle against the IVth Legion. Though his homeland was already under the imperial yoke at the time of his birth, Oboro was raised in a secluded village where he was instructed in the art of ninjutsu by his master Gekkai. Blessed with equal measures of innate talent and dogged determination, he quickly rose through the ranks and was awarded the title of jonin, given only to the most skilled shinobi.

When Lord Kaien led his rebellion, Oboro proudly fought at his side. After a hard-fought battle, they succeeded in taking back Doma Castle, and it seemed for a fleeting moment that Doma's liberation had been won. Victory, however, proved as ephemeral as bubbles in the sea—owing in part to the machinations of a fellow shinobi who had already defected to the Empire, providing them with vital intelligence from the shadows.

Before long, Zenos's XIIth Legion was upon them, and Lord Kaien's revolt mercilessly crushed.

Oboro survived the battle, and upon returning home, was tasked with a new mission by the village elders—he was to make for Eorzea, and pursue the traitor who had betrayed his homeland.

So it was that Oboro came to practice the art of the shinobi in a new land, ready to return at a moment's notice should his homeland require his skills. And return he did when Hien, son of Kaien, led his own revolt, playing a vital role in the infiltration of the Dairyu Moon Gates.

This time, Oboro has been summoned by Lord Hien once more, to provide invaluable support to the Bozjan Resistance as a key member of the Eastern alliance.

Oboro is a serious-minded youth with a strong sense of justice—so serious, in fact, that he often comes off as rigid and inflexible. At the same time, he is passionate about defending others, and would sooner throw his own life away than put another's in danger—an almost reckless courage that has won him no small number of admirers among his fellow shinobi.

This all-consuming devotion to his duty, however, has left Oboro less adept at dealing with interpersonal relationships and everyday affairs. Though he is of more-than-marriageable age, he appears completely at a loss as to what steps might be required to go about finding a woman to take as his bride.

The following is the sworn testimony of a shinobi who insists on anonymity, but has accompanied Oboro on multiple forays to Eorzea:

“The elders have often suggested that it would be easiest if Oboro simply allowed a matchmaker to set him up with a suitable bride. As a jonin, needless to say, tradition dictates that he is bound by duty to father children and raise them to be great shinobi in their own right—a duty which Oboro has no intention of neglecting. And yet, it would seem that his exposure to Eorzean customs and lifestyles has colored his thinking somewhat, and recently he has expressed feeling a certain yearning to experience romantic love. You did not hear this from me, of course, but I have even seen him toting around a book on how to woo the fairer sex—whether he acquired it of his own devices or received it as a gift from a certain roguish acquaintance of his, I cannot say with certainty...”

72591.png34. Tsubame Oshidari
Learned from: Field Notes on Tsubame
Fate(s): A Just Pursuit
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hyur (Far Eastern)

Age: 22

Birthplace: Doma

A shinobi of Doma, Tsubame is among the contingent sent by the Eastern alliance to aid in the battle against the IVth Legion.

Not being especially talented in her ability to manipulate aether, her ninjutsu pales in comparison to that of jonin such as Oboro, but she compensates for this shortcoming with her exceptional physical prowess and skill at arms. These attributes, along with her knack for infiltration, previously saw her assigned on a mission to Eorzea, where she served as Oboro's right hand in his quest to track down and apprehend a traitorous shinobi. In the selfsame capacity, she has now come to the Bozjan front, and lends her covert expertise to the Resistance effort.

Contrary to appearances, Tsubame's relationship with Oboro is purely one of subordinate and superior. And while not overtly instructed to do so, she tacitly understands that her duty also includes acting as a chaperone to the shinobi master, who, despite his redoubtable combat skills, has ever struggled when it comes to infiltration.

Shinobi are often required to adopt new identities for moons at a time in order to gather intelligence; be it on foreign soil, they are trained to seamlessly insert themselves into new environments with no more than a few days' preparation. Yet while Oboro passed all of his other shinobi's trials with flying colors, in this facet of his art alone, he was borderline.

The reason for this, Tsubame well knew: Oboro is good-natured to the core. Deftly as he might otherwise maintain a disguise, his incurable earnestness and sense of justice cannot help but come to the fore. When he sees those in trouble, he would invariably go to their aid, and in so doing betray carefully cultivated personas. Even should it be slight, such deviations from character would not be lost upon the keen of mind and could rouse suspicion.

Yet in spite of his flaws─or perhaps because of them─Tsubame has resolved to do her best by Oboro. For there are worse things one could be doing, she understands, than to serve someone who is good to a fault.

72592.png35. Meryall Miller
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★

Race: Hyur

Age: 18

Birthplace: Bozja

When the Resistance stormed Castrum Lacus Litore, a detachment was tasked with cutting off the imperials' Dalmascan supply line by means of a surprise attack at the port city of Kralja. This joint mission was headed by Meryall of Gunnhildr's Blades. With calmness and composure well beyond her years, she led the operation to a rousing success. And it was because of this mission that she is the only of Gunnhildr's Blades who escaped the influence of Queen Gunnhildr.

Before joining the Resistance, hers was a life not unlike many of her compatriots. Her parents died in the Bozja incident, and thereafter she was provided for through the Empire's welfare system, receiving a standard imperial education. From the first, her marks were far and above those of her peers, and it was not long before she found herself transferred into a special program for promising young military cadets. It became clear, then, she was born for the battlefield, excelling not only in martial prowess, but tactical planning as well. Mock battles often found her the victor, even when matched with the most seasoned of her seniors.

Indeed, she was a student of seemingly unlimited potential, and it was thanks to the red mage Lovro that she would find a focus for her energies. The blending of white and black magic was practically second nature to her, and as her mentor, Lovro would see her aptitude for the art of red magic flourish.

Meryall learned a great deal under her instructor's tutelage, and when he believed her ready, he eventually taught her the truth of how Bozja was being stripped of its resources. How the Empire robbed the people of their freedom. The revelation reawakened a longing for home she had long since forgotten.

Her opportunity to return would come shortly after Lovro was accused of spying on behalf of the Bozjan Resistance. Before he could be made to stand trial, a small contingent of Resistance soldiers launched an assault on the imperials' encampment in the dead of night. With their help, Lovro made good his escape, and Meryall took advantage of the chaos to defect as well.

In their time together with the Resistance, Meryall and Lovro had been nigh inseparable. That is, until that fateful day when her mentor left for Castrum Lacus Litore. Upon hearing the news of his fate, mere moments before her unit was meant to strike, she wanted nothing more than to return to the southern front. She had a promise to keep.

If either of us should be taken captive, we must not allow the IVth Legion to make us pawns in their schemes. Should such a day come, promise me you will do what must needs be done...

It was a promise that weighed heavy on her heart, but she would bear it. For his sake...

72593.png36. Lovro aan Slanasch
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 38

Birthplace: Bozja Citadel

Lovro was conscripted into the imperial army, and he was away on a mission at the time of the Bozja incident, in which his entire family was killed. He later became a spy for the Bozjan Resistance while continuing to act as a member of the Garlean forces.

Lovro is trained as a red mage, and the tale of how he came to possess such abilities is somewhat unusual. When he took part in the imperial invasion of Ala Mhigo, one of the citizens who defected to the Empire was able to wield red magic. As Garleans generally lack the ability to control aether, it was decided that Lovro would be taught these techniques.

Lovro had an aptitude for red magic and enthusiastically absorbed all the knowledge he could. His teacher was a man named Lambard, a former member of the Ala Mhigan revolutionaries known as the Crimson Duelists, who were responsible for reviving the lost art of red magic. He offered to share the secrets of this rare form of magic with his new imperial masters as a sign of his loyalty.

Lovro despised Lambard's obsequious scraping and bowing to the Garleans, but he was resolved not to let his distaste show, and instead focused his efforts on mastering the Ala Mhigan's methods. Once his training was complete, he returned to the Far East, where he took on students of his own at academies in various imperial territories. However, his plan was to only teach red magic to those who bore strong feelings of animosity towards the Empire, that they may one day rise up and overthrow their oppressors. There were also students whose imperial education had made them trusting of their Garlean overlords, but Lovro sought to reverse their indoctrination without raising suspicion, all the while biding his time.

Lovro discovered an especially promising student upon his return to Bozja Citadel. Her name was Meryall, and despite only having fourteen summers to her name, she already demonstrated a gift for strategy, and it seemed she would make a valuable addition to the Resistance. Recognizing her vast potential, Lovro committed himself to her training as never before. Like droplets of water on an arid desert, his every teaching was absorbed almost instantaneously.

When the time finally came, the master and student joined the Bozjan Resistance, as they had sworn in secret. Their talents earned them a place amongst the select few inducted into Gunnhildr's Blades.

Unfortunately, it was not to last. Lovro fell under the spell of Save the Queen, losing all sense of himself and forced to serve as a tempered minion.

72594.png37. Llofii pyr Potitus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★

Race: Miqo'te

Age: 19

Birthplace: Valnain, Dalmasca

A former member of the IVth Legion's mage detachment, Llofii made the momentous decision to desert the imperial army, fending off the relentless pursuit of her former compatriots and successfully fleeing to the Bozjan southern front together with a monoceros—a fearsome-yet-pitiable beast she had previously been forced to subject to cruel and inhumane experimentation. Upon learning of the fall of Castrum Lacus Litore, Llofii surrendered herself to the Bozjan Resistance—partly out of an odd sense of gratitude to her former foes for the mercy they had shown her on the battlefield, but even more so because she realized that she and her beastly companion had nowhere else to turn.

Llofii offered her captors a proposition: she would reveal to them every last bit of knowledge she possessed about the IVth Legion. In return, she asked only that her animal friend be returned to its far-off mountain to live out its life in peace. As for herself, she would accept any sentence—even death. Moved by the girl's earnest plea and grim determination, Bajsaljen took her in—not as a prisoner of war, but as one of the Resistance's own. “Help us win our freedom,” he offered, “and you may see your friend safely home yourself.”

Llofii accepted these terms willingly, for in truth, she had unfinished business on the battlefield. She could not rest easy until she had freed all the other miserable beasts left trapped at the IVth Legion's research facility and personally ended the life of its overseer, Fabineau the Heedless—for only in doing so would his cruel and twisted experiments be brought to a merciful end. “Will you fight with me, my friend?” Llofii spoke gently to her imposing companion. “If it is not too much to ask of you, that is.”

Bajsaljen swore a vow to the girl that no matter what became of her, he would see her beloved beast returned to its rightful home when the battle was won. Llofii thanked him, then pondered for a moment whether or not—in leading the monoceros into the fray—she was no better than Fabineau himself. Suddenly feeling great shame, she patted the beast gently on the nose and tried to set off for the battlefield alone...only to find the monoceros following dutifully behind her. Though the creature no doubt cared little who emerged victorious in wars fought by men, it did know one thing—it wanted to stand beside and protect the only person in this world that had shown it kindness and mercy.

72595.png38. Fabineau quo Soranus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★

Race: Elezen

Age: 37

Birthplace: Mannatheihwo, Landis

A centurion of the IVth Legion's mage contingent, Fabineau was the commanding officer of Llofii pyr Potitus prior to her defection, the trigger for which was his cruel experiments on the monoceros.

While appearing to be cultured, in the name of his research, there is no depth of savagery to which he will not stoop. Utterly devoid of empathy, he considers the lives of men and beasts alike to be worthless, and delights in tormenting those around him without the slightest twinge upon his conscience. Results are everything to this monster who speaks like a gentleman, and all else is but a means to an end. Egotistical in the extreme, he holds himself in the highest regard and unerringly believes himself right.

Yet self-absorbed as he is, there is one individual who is capable of breaking through that shell to rankle him: Sicinius mal Vellutus. A native of Garlemald, Sicinius is an academic elite who served as a researcher under Aulus mal Asina at the Resonatorium. When Ala Mhigo fell to the rebels, he was given the choice to return to his homeland, but opted instead to transfer to the IVth Legion, where he won the favor of the legatus and was made senior engineer. With his peerless talents and thirst for discovery, he ushered in numerous advances in magitek, his successes cementing his authority in the IVth such that none dared to challenge his use of men as test subjects in contravention to the legion's creed.

Though Fabineau's pride will not allow him to admit it, deep down he regards Sicinius as his foremost rival. And it is his desire not to be outdone by the latter that pushed him to immerse himself ever more in his magical research. This led him to conduct tests on arcane entities and beasts such as the monoceros with ever-escalating barbarity.

When questioned on his methods, he is noted to have responded thus: “The lives of men are precious, and unlike certain individuals, I can rightly say I've not endangered even one. Yet if we truly desire to end this war and secure lasting peace, we must have power. And to have that power, we cannot balk at the sacrifice of a few dumb beasts.”

It bears mentioning that Fabineau is no relation of Sartauvoir, who shares the same surname─one commonly used in Mannatheihwo.

72596.png39. Yamatsumi pyr Urabe
Learned from: Field Notes on Yamatsumi
Fate(s): Mean-spirited
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hyur (Far Eastern)

Age: 41

Birthplace: Godo Village, Doma

The Urabe clan was once a well-respected house of Doma, and fervent practitioners of Onmyodo. Charged with the oversight of the nation's religious affairs, they served at the pleasure of Doma's royal family for generations. Under the Empire's rule, however, any and all religious exercises were strictly forbidden, the Garleans believing they would invariably lead to the summoning of eikons. All known to be onmyoji, practitioners of this spiritual art, were kept under close watch. The viceroy Yotsuyu's treatment of these people was said to be especially cruel, bordering on the inhumane─a true test of faith, some would attest.

When the opportunity arose, a great many of the onmyoji fled from Doma, some choosing to go underground and form a resistance group. The Urabe family could not abandon their pride, nor could they shake their sense of duty to the royal family. And so they chose to stand and fight─a valiant-but-fruitless endeavor that would prove the end of that once-noble house.

At least, that is what the Empire was led to believe. In truth, a small number of the Urabe clan─led by Yamatsumi─would escape, assisted by none other than Noah van Gabranth. Thus would the Onmyoji Brotherhood rise from the ashes of the Urabe clan.

Where the Empire abhorred the onmyoji─often based on misguided principles─Gabranth saw untapped potential, which is why he offered Yamatsumi a place at his side. The Doman fugitive was understandably apprehensive until he came to learn of Gabranth's goals to not only reclaim Doma from the Empire, but ultimately build a prosperous new nation in Dalmasca. Gabranth was not at all the cruel, callous imperial Yamatsumi presumed him to be, and his earnestness proved enough for the onmyoji to pledge his services to the IVth Legion.

Having been handpicked by Gabranth himself, one might expect Yamatsumi to hold high station within the IVth Legion, but his position among the rank-and-file soldiers would lend him the freedom needed to better fulfill Gabranth's plans. Menenius took advantage of this state of affairs, tasking Yamatsumi and his cadre of mages with seeking out certain holy relics.

The onmyoji possessed a penchant for finding such artifacts, it would seem, for after he fled Doma, a holy artifact─the kami-no-iwato─was discovered in his possession. It is uncertain how this votive jewel found its way into his hands, but Yamatsumi claims it was originally bequeathed to the royal line of Doma by his forebears, and he merely claimed what was rightfully his. Doman officials, meanwhile, refute such claims, and have charged him with the crimes of larceny and treason.

72597.png40. Pagaga quo Vochstein
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Lalafell

Age: 20

Birthplace: Neimrahava, Dalmasca

The house of Vochstein is known in Ala Mhigo for producing many skilled beastmasters. They specialize in the breeding and training of griffins, and those they have raised were much beloved by members of the royal family. As griffins offer their riders an unrivaled degree of mobility and are stalwart allies on the battlefield, they had a central role in Ala Mhigo's beastmaster battalion. In light of their achievements in the raising of griffins, the Vochsteins were made members of the nobility, and though their status paled in comparison with more established houses, they served the nation diligently.

So loyal were they to the royal family, that when Garlemald invaded Ala Mhigo, Cairm, the head of the Vochsteins, chose to let free the griffins he and his kin had raised rather than allow them to fall into the hands of the imperials. It is a tragic tale still told by the people of Ala Mhigo to this day.

Once the nation had succumbed to Garlean rule, the Vochsteins vehemently refused to serve the Empire, stating that the griffins of Gyr Abania must only be used for the good of Ala Mhigo and her people and should never become tools of the oppressors. The XIIth Legion would have executed Cairm were it not for one of his sons, Ganpp, requesting to join the imperial army. He was known for his wild temperament and uncontrollable nature, but he was also the most gifted beastmaster of all of Cairm's sons. In exchange for Ganpp joining the XIIth Legion and sharing with them his family's methods of griffin training, Cairm was released.

The fact that his family's name was in tatters and he was branded a traitor was of little concern to Ganpp, and he threw himself into the work of raising griffins. However, his coarse and haughty demeanor made him extremely unpopular among the XIIth Legion. Eventually, stories of the rambunctious newcomer reached Legatus Gabranth of the IVth Legion, who took Ganpp off of their hands in order to bolster his own battalion of beastmasters.

Being transferred to a new legion did naught to curb Ganpp's insolence, until he finally met his match. During a mock battle in which the IVth Legion's beastmasters were pitted against each other, Ganpp was clearly outclassed by Lyon, the Beast King. Not one to take such defeats lying down, Ganpp later challenged Lyon to various contests, all of which he subsequently lost. He became despondent and sullen, which only served to widen the rift between him and his fellow soldiers.

A pivotal moment came when troops of the IVth Legion had driven a group of Dalmascan rebels into the Neimrahava Woods. His commanding officer gave the order to set fire to the forest, but Ganpp refused, claiming that it would lead to the deaths of countless woodland creatures. These words fell on deaf ears, and when his fellow imperials set about lighting fires, he separated from the rest of his battalion and raced into the forest. His griffin discovered a helpless young Lalafellin girl who appeared to be one of the inhabitants, and though Ganpp normally had little interest in other people, he heeded the griffin's cries and rescued her from the blaze.

It soon became clear that she had been left to fend for herself in the wild, and she was utterly unable to communicate, let alone read or write. Ganpp named her Pagaga and decided to care for her as though she were his own. Although she did all she could to turn him away and refuse his affection, the look in her eyes told him all she wanted was to be loved. Perhaps she reminded Ganpp of himself.

Upon returning to the legion, Ganpp was charged with disobeying orders and absence without leave. Though this was enough to have him executed, Lyon recognized Ganpp's potential and requested a more lenient sentence. He was instead punished by flogging, and after being thrashed to within an ilm of his life, he was sent back to the stables. For three days and three nights he battled with a raging fever, and he may have died were it not for the kind ministrations he received from none other than Pagaga.

Having survived his ordeal, Ganpp was a changed man. Any vestiges of his abrasive and repugnant former self had vanished, and he now treated others with kindness and respect. While some members of the legion thought his flogging had finally beaten some sense into him, Lyon was sure that it was Pagaga's devotion that helped Ganpp to see the good in people. During their time working alongside one another, Lyon and Ganpp brought great renown to the IVth Legion's beastmaster battalion.

It was not destined to last, however, as Ganpp's fighting days were cut short by an incurable illness. As he lay bedridden, he formally accepted Pagaga as his foster child, that she may bear the Vochstein name in his stead. As he breathed his last, she vowed to build upon her father's legacy by becoming the greatest beastmaster of them all, and one day surpass Lyon himself.

72598.png41. Daguza oen Sus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★

Race: Seeq

Age: 46

Birthplace: Nalbina, Dalmasca

A beastmaster of considerable notoriety, Daguza commands a motley host of battle-trained creatures as part of the IVth Legion's War Beasts. By all accounts, the Seeq is a generous captain who regularly treats his minions to meat─a practice for cultivating loyalty he retained from his days at the head of his own mercenary company. Going back further still, Daguza was once a robber-knight. In the plainest terms, this refers to a knight who engages in robbery, but the status of knighthood accords a certain dubious privilege: the ability to challenge others to duels, which Daguza used as a pretext to divest people of their belongings.

The scion of a poor-but-noble family, Daguza inherited his knighthood and became the master of his household. Rather than tending to the affairs of his estate, however, he preferred to while away the days drinking and gambling with friends. When his coffers were inevitably spent, he took to robbing merchants who passed through his domain, but ere long his reputation came to precede him and that well of ill-gotten gains ran dry.

It was then, just as Daguza had resigned himself to a mundane and less lucrative calling, that Garlemald launched its invasion of Dalmasca. Sensing an opportunity, the Seeq formed a mercenary company and sold its services to his own kingdom, though he harbored no sense of allegiance towards it. And so, when the initial contract ended, he scandalously offered to fight for whichever side was willing to pay more. “I'm just trying to feed my family,” he declared in justification─said family being the rogues he called his brothers. Yet even as both armies were unimpressed with his unprincipled display, they recognized it was wiser to keep his potentially troublesome band out of the enemy's camp, and thus did the Seeq continue to be gainfully employed.

Following Dalmasca's annexation, Daguza kept up the selfsame antics, selling his company's services to the highest bidder. And as fearsome as he was in battle, he never shied from turning tail when the tide turned against him, remaining ever true to his motto: “Your life is worth more than your name.” As a result, his company members boasted a high survival rate, which, combined with their reasonable successes, brought them a steady stream of work. However, with Emperor Varis's ascension came a tightening of standards surrounding the use of mercenaries, and Daguza suddenly found himself without a contract.

Struggling to feed his company, Daguza was on the verge of disbanding it when salvation arrived in the form of Legatus Noah van Gabranth, whose IVth Legion had more than its fair share of troublemakers. If he could bring order to this unruly lot, he was told, he would be rewarded with rank and riches. He accepted the offer without hesitation and was made a soldier of the legion, yet in his heart of hearts his priority remained unchanged: looking after his own. So long as they have food to fill their bellies, it matters not under whose banner he fights. No, his allegiance is to no nation or army─but never let it be said that he doesn't give his employers their coin's worth.

72599.png42. Gilbrisbert quo Buteo
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★

Race: Elezen

Age: 29

Birthplace: Sal Ghidos, Dalmasca

A senior centurion of the IVth Legion Zealots, Gilbrisbert was a provincial citizen who received an imperial education. Though a brilliant student, his overweening manner won him few friends, and he took instead to the company of tomes, channeling his keen mind towards the study of forbidden magicks. In the course of his research, he acquired a copy of the Scriptures of Germonique, the sacred texts of the outlawed sect of the selfsame name. Curiosity piqued, he sought out the remnants of the sect, who initiated the willing youth into their arcane secrets.

In the olden days of the Kingdom of Dalmasca, the vast majority of the populace were adherents of the Church of Iocus, the state religion tracing its origins to Saint Ajora. Other faiths were tolerated, this being an acknowledgement of the diverse nature of the nation's peoples, yet the members of the Sect of Germonique alone were branded heretics, and were exiled if not executed. Wherefore were these individuals the subject of such brutal oppression? At the heart of it lies the sect's contradiction of church doctrine.

Whereas the church held that Germonique is the betrayer who slew Saint Ajora, the sect considered him the true savior. And whereas the church taught that Ultima, the High Seraph, is a servant of god, it believed that Ultima herself is god, from whom comes the gift of auracite─miraculous stones with the power to solve all of mankind's woes. Yet far from aiding mankind, these relics wrought disaster wheresoever they appeared and were regarded with fear by other citizens. This fear manifested as violence towards the sect, which fought back by committing indiscriminate acts of destruction across the kingdom.

So it was that the Sect of Germonique was designated an extremist cult. Its leaders were put to death, while those followers who refused to renounce their faith were banished. Yet beyond the borders of Dalmasca, the sect found a way to survive. And one day it welcomed a man named Gilbrisbert into the fold. Using an auracite fragment as a bargaining chip, Gilbrisbert enlisted in the IVth Legion, where, in exchange for the sect's preservation, he struck a deal to form a unit wielding the relic's power: the Zealots.

Members of the sect believe that, by sacrificing their lives, they will be taken unto heaven to join Ultima. Thus do they willingly offer up their flesh in a ritual that transforms them into the demonic Lucavi in battle─a ritual made possible by the power of the auracite fragment. Gilbrisbert is all too happy to assist his Zealots in this endeavor, and not only does he transform them; he also brings them under his control. For this twisted predilection, he has earned the reviled epithet of the puppetmaster, although it appears he has embraced it as a badge of honor.

72600.png43. Dabog aan Inivisch
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★★

Race: Hrothgar

Age: 34 (estimate)

Birthplace: Bozja

The following is an excerpt from the interrogation of one Sicinius mal Vellutus of the IVth Imperial Legion:

'Tis true Lord Valens and the engineers of the VIIth Legion laid the foundation for my work, but let it be known it was the genius of Sicinius mal Vellutus that perfected the hypertuned soldier!

To speak in terms that you might understand, I devised a technique that allowed the extraction of memories from my dear test subject VIII, Dabog. Said memories could then be implanted into other Hrothgar captives, thereby allowing mass production of hypertuned soldiers. Brilliant, is it not? It was a breakthrough that would forever change the face of war as we knew it. Or rather, it should have...

I am admittedly something of a perfectionist─it was not enough to simply manufacture an assortment of hypertuned soldiers. They had to be perfect. Uniform... Which is why I may have made more than a few aesthetic modifications to ensure they all resembled the original Dabog. I can hear Valens now. “Why even bother!? All those damned animals look alike.” And he certainly isn't wrong─they all do bear an uncanny resemblance to one another. Nevertheless, it was a detail I refused to overlook. And I could scarcely wait to see the looks upon your comrades' faces when my soldiers took to the field.

Ah, what a sight it was. The slackened jaws, the wide eyes of disbelief─a memory I shall treasure for all my days.

It is said the sign of true genius is innovation able to elicit shock and awe, even within the innovator themselves. After that crowning achievement, I've no doubt the genius─the spectacle─of my work will still be spoken of long after you and I are gone.

Please, do not frown so. Not everyone is made for greatness, and I have long since learned not to judge others for their mediocrity.

Now, I assume your plans after this are to lock me up and throw away the key as it were, yes? Well, before you do, I intend to tell you of each and every one of my technological achievements, and I expect you to write down every word. Your descendants will thank you. Assuming, of course, they have the forethought to put my knowledge to good use. And spare me the drivel about your new Bozja being free from the horrors of war. Whether you like it or not, there will come a day when you must again lock blades with enemy forces. When you must seek out new advanced weaponry, train soldiers, and plan strategy. On such a day, the people will remember me. My genius!

Wait! Where are you going? You have yet to even scratch the surface of my brilliance!

72601.png44. Lyon quo Helsos
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★★

Race: Hyur

Age: 68

Birthplace: Arnsbeirgs, Landis

Formerly a beastmaster of the IVth Imperial Legion, Lyon was blamed for the IVth Legion's defeat at Zadnor upon his return to Dalmasca, his punishment being a demotion to centurion and a lengthy spell in gaol. Then, half a year later, the unimaginable occurred─the assassination of Legatus Gabranth at the hands of Lyon.

The following information was obtained in an investigation carried out by the provisional government of Dalmasca:

Though Lyon served six months of his sentence, he was able to escape with the assistance of an accomplice within the IVth Legion. Rather than abscond when he had the chance, he instead infiltrated Gabranth's quarters in the dead of night. It is believed that the legatus had sustained injuries in battle with the Dalmascan resistance and was recuperating at the time, and that after an exchange of words, Gabranth accepted his fate before Lyon delivered the fatal blow. The assassin then set the room ablaze before fleeing Castrum Valnaini with his accomplice.

Following the IVth Legion's unconditional surrender, the resistance named Lyon as a wanted war criminal. Though a large bounty was placed on his head, his whereabouts remained unknown for some time.

Then, three months after the fall of his former legion, Lyon was sighted in Valnain by a member of Rumta-Zaraam, an organization─whose name means “the spear in the dark” in old Dalmascan─specializing in the hunting of escaped war criminals.

Lyon had come to turn over the former senior engineer of the IVth Imperial Legion's magitek detachment, Sicinius mal Vellutus, who was also a wanted man since his disappearance following the events at Zadnor. Once Lyon had handed over his captive, he vanished without a trace. The Rumta-Zaraam member who oversaw the matter assumed that Lyon was a mere bounty hunter, and failed to realize he was the man once feared as the Beast King. Sicinius himself was bound and unconscious at the time, and even when brought to trial, he seemed to be unaware that Lyon was the one who had captured him.

Why Lyon would seek to profit by turning in a former ally remains unclear. His bounty has since been raised, but no further sightings have been made.

Though the Rumta-Zaraam allowed Lyon to slip through their fingers, they were able to verify that he was accompanied by a young Lalafellin woman. There is reason to believe that she is Pagaga quo Vochstein, Lyon's suspected accomplice who has also earned herself a place on the wanted list.

72602.png45. Menenius sas Lanatus
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★★★

Race: Elezen

Age: 55

Birthplace: Garlemald, Garlean Empire

Tribunus of the IVth Imperial Legion, Menenius serves loyally as Legatus Gabranth's chief intelligence officer.

With the Empire now fallen, and no reinforcements from Garlemald on the way, the IVth was forced to make their last stand in Dalmasca and Bozja. Astutely concluding that fighting on two fronts would soon deplete their resources and rations—leaving the legion scarcely able to sustain themselves, let alone fight—Noah van Gabranth made the decision to abandon Bozja and focus on holding Dalmasca alone. And yet, he could not simply order a complete withdrawal, lest the Eastern alliance immediately swoop in and attack them from Bozja as well as Doma. Until such time as they were able to muster their full strength in Dalmasca, they had to hold strong on the Bozjan and Nagxian fronts.

This was the task entrusted to Menenius—to preserve a stalemate here and buy needed time by whatever means necessary. It was not a glorious task, but it was one the tribunus accepted willingly.

To this end, Menenius devised multiple stratagems. First among them involved employing the legendary might of Save the Queen and its powers of tempering. So it was that Misija gave her life for the cause, delivering a great blow to the Resistance.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the tribunus continued his search for the armaments—frightful weapons of ancient Allag. The expedition bore fruit in Zadnor, in the form of the Diablo Armament, which was quickly deployed in Dalmasca to keep the resistance at bay. Menenius then proceeded to unearth yet more frightful holy relics, which he employed to send further horrors to the battlefield to fight in the Empire's name.

All this succeeded in prolonging Garlean control in Dalmasca for a measure, but Menenius knew as well as any it would not be a final solution—and that the once-proud IVth Legion was nearing its last days.

Menenius had known Noah since the two were children. Since the day the latter assumed command as legatus, his orders were always delivered with confidence and clarity. Even more important, the full intent behind his orders, Gabranth's ultimate goals, and the repercussions and effects his actions would entail—all were clearly conveyed, explicitly or implicitly. This time, Menenius could not fully grasp his commander's intentions. Lyon, on the other hand, seemed quite certain of the truth—a truth Menenius himself vaguely suspected, but perhaps did not want to accept...

The scouts and intelligence operatives Menenius had dispatched throughout the region brought him regular reports. As they told it, Noah was most concerned with what would become of the various Resistance leaders after they had won their independence and the Garlean occupation was no more. He sought to know their plans—the blueprint they would follow.

As he considered this, Menenius realized with a sinking feeling that his suspicions were on target. Here in Bozja, so long as Bajsaljen occupied a position of leadership, Noah's ultimate goal would be realized. But what of Dalmasca? More populous than Bozja, and with its various factions far from united, the future was far from certain. Knowing Noah, he doubtless already understood this, and had already deployed a pawn to guide Dalmasca in his desired direction...

And so Menenius pondered. Lyon had once posed the question—is there a need for one so young and full of promise to throw away their life in a bloody war? Of course not, thought Menenius. With defeat, death is inevitable. But it is the duty of those at the top—myself included—to give our lives so that those who follow us may still live.

This Menenius knew, for he was above all a military man, and he knew the ways of armies and war. Still, was this truly the answer?

Noah van Gabranth. Young Noah, who Legatus Basch entrusted to him, whose life his father-in-law Lucius risked his life to protect—was this all Menenius could do now? To loyally assist as his legatus threw his own life away?

Lyon assured him that Noah's mind was already made up. Still, Menenius could not fully accept it. Is this truly the answer?

72603.png46. The Diablo Armament
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Origin: Allag Creator: Unknown

Eikons were perhaps one of the greatest threats to the Allagan Empire, and the Allagans devoted a great deal of their resources to two primary means of combating them. The first were warmachina akin to the Ultima Weapon, designed to feed on the very life force of the Eikons they were built to destroy. The second were biological weapons resembling the recently unearthed Diablo Armament, designed to harness the power of entities from the void.

The Allagans had long believed the voidsent could make for powerful thralls. However, there were two key obstacles to their weaponization.

Firstly, there was the matter of preparing a suitable host. The strength of the voidsent one may summon is largely dictated by the vessel it will occupy. The entity that might inhabit the corpse of a coeurl, for example, would be several orders of magnitude weaker than one inhabiting the corpse of a behemoth.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, was the unpredictable nature of voidsent and their need to feast on aether. A binding spell could be cast at the time of their summoning to subjugate them, but the efficacy of these incantations drops significantly when employed against the higher echelons of voidsent.

In short, the Allagans required immeasurably powerful hosts and an equally potent means of binding these creatures to their will. Neither could be obtained through natural means, and so, as one might expect, the Allagans turned to science for solutions.

In the end, they chose to use genetically augmented components to create what they believed to be the perfect host, paired with the restraints used to imprison Meracydian dragons.

The weapon discovered in Zadnor was in all likelihood an interim vessel for Diabolos, a demonic voidsent believed to occupy the second rung of the voidal hierarchy. It would not be easily summoned, much less bound, and so researchers speculate it could not have been encountered until after Emperor Xande formed the pact which opened a gateway to the World of Darkness. Moreover, it is quite possible the ancient Allags intended to unleash this chimeric monstrosity upon the fledgling nation of Bozja to test its capabilities.

Though we but glimpsed its power, it appears the Allagans succeeded in creating a formidable addition to their arsenal, perhaps even comparable to the Ultima Weapon. It remains to be seen if more such weapons lie buried beneath the plateaus of Zadnor.

72604.png47. Cid Garlond
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Garlean

Age: 34

Birthplace: Garlemald, Garlean Empire

Head of Garlond Ironworks, Cid is the firstborn son of former chief imperial engineer Midas nan Garlond. Following in his distinguished father's footsteps, the young Garlond embarked upon the path of science, which saw him attend the prestigious Magitek Academy and graduate with highest honors. When his father passed, he was nominated to replace him as chief engineer, but disillusioned with the Empire's use of technology for conquest, he made the decision to defect to Eorzea. In his adopted homeland, Cid came together with like-minded individuals to found the Ironworks, through which he provides technological support to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and their allies across the realm and beyond.

As a child, Cid revered his father and wanted nothing more than to emulate his brilliance, but cracks formed in their relationship when Midas became consumed with his work and began neglecting his family. Any hope that they might reconcile was dashed when the Meteor project, the senior Garlond's obsession, ended in catastrophic failure, resulting in the annihilation of Bozja Citadel and much of the surrounding city. Caught amidst the destruction, Midas was grievously wounded and passed away in despair shortly thereafter.

When the news reached him, Cid blamed himself. He and his father had spoken only the evening before the tragedy, and he could not help but feel he could have prevented it. In that last meeting, Cid had succeeded only in reaffirming the gulf between them. Had he persisted, perhaps he could have made his father see reason. But he did not, and chose instead to cut the encounter short and returned to the imperial capital. At the last, he admonished himself, it was not his father who had forsaken him, but him who had forsaken his father.

For fifteen years, the memory tormented Cid, a thorn in his breast that could not be extracted. But in the course of assisting the Bozjan Resistance, he came to learn the shocking truth of that fateful day. Through the power of the crystal focus to explore memories, it was revealed that the elder primal Bahamut, entrapped within the red moon Dalamud, had exploited Midas's lunar transmitter to take the engineer in his thrall. Subsequently, Midas advanced the Meteor project at a breakneck pace and ultimately brought about the citadel's destruction─all according to the fell being's design.

In revisiting that encounter with what he had come to know of tempering, Cid recognized the signs. His younger self, however, did not, and the trauma of having his father attempt to gun him down was such that he had subconsciously suppressed the event, replacing it with a false recollection. But now he accepts the memories, and takes comfort in remembering his father as the warm and caring man he once was─the selfsame man who smiles at him from the family portrait in his locket, which he found the courage to open again after fifteen long years.

72605.png48. Fran Eruyt
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Viera

Age: Unknown

Birthplace: Unknown

Though Fran seldom discusses her background, from her remarkable leadership and proficiency as both a tactician and warrior, it is presumed the general of Lente's Tears has many years of experience and most likely an age to match.

She is also believed to be a former member of the Dalmascan peacekeeping forces, which if true, further supports this theory. The organization was primarily charged with protecting the royal family and the capital of Rabanastre, with their jurisdiction limited to the confines of the city. Even among such a specialized group, Fran was assigned to a unit that dealt with organized crime and the most hardened offenders.

Fran and her comrades were known as the Saraab and their operation was completely separate from the rest of the peacekeepers. While the organization as a whole was established specifically to protect the royal family and the capital, the Saraab's activities included maintaining public safety and order throughout the kingdom. Were a threat to the realm to arise, the Saraab had the authority to take any measures necessary, even if said threat involved members of the nobility or the royal family itself.

As such, the Saraab worked in complete isolation, with the identity of its members only known to those belonging to the unit. It is for this reason that even towards the end of the war with Garlemald, members of the royal fusiliers such as Ba'Gamnan and Bwagi never came into contact with Fran.

Fran led one particular group within the Saraab whose duties included protecting designated persons from the shadows, pursuing suspected rebels and cult members, and preventing attempted espionage by foreign nations.

The final task assigned to Fran's group was the “assassination” of Princess Ashelia. In truth, it was a secret mission to fake the princess's death and have her live on in secret, thus protecting the royal bloodline. The plan was a success, with Ba'Gamnan and several other fusiliers witnessing the staged assassination, and unwittingly fulfilling their role of spreading the false news of her death. Even the ones who handled the princess's supposed corpse were Fran's subordinates. The mission was carried out under the permission of Princess Ashelia's twin brother Prince Rasler, who knew that defeat to the Empire would mean the execution of the entire royal family. Were the people of Dalmasca allowed to know that Ashelia was still alive, they would be incensed to fight the Garleans to the last man, despite there being no hope of victory. Rather than watch his people die in vain, he devised a means of spiriting her away, even going so far as to keep his plan a secret from his father, the king. The princess was put into a deep sleep using a method passed down among Fran's kin until the day arrived for the kingdom to be reborn.

When Ashelia finally awoke some thirty years later, many of her memories had abandoned her, but she could still remember her identity and purpose. However, whether it was a result of her induced slumber or because of the emotional scars left by the horrors of war, she would often find herself assailed by images of the past. In the years that had passed, Fran had become a general of Lente's Tears, and she continued in this role while also acting as advisor to Ashelia.

During the events surrounding the mystical auracite, Fran encountered the selfsame former royal fusiliers who had, unbeknownst to them, cooperated in faking the princess's death. To compound Fran's feelings of guilt, their leader Ba'Gamnan had undergone a hideous transformation and was subsequently killed, denying her the opportunity to make amends with him.

Although thirty years had passed since Ba'Gamnan was deceived into believing the princess to have been killed, Fran could not escape the feeling that had she revealed the truth to him, the terrible fate that befell him could have been averted.

Another of the royal fusiliers, Ba'Gamnan's brother Bwagi, eventually became a loyal friend to Fran. While he and his comrades are not aware that Ashelia is in fact the princess herself, they believe her to be a descendent of the royal bloodline. It remains to be seen whether their feelings of joy will be unchanged upon hearing the truth, but when the time finally comes for Fran to explain the events of that fateful day, she is prepared to face the consequences of her actions.

However, that time has yet to arrive. Now that Bozja has shaken off the yoke of imperial rule, the resistance cannot afford to let the opportunity to liberate Dalmasca escape them. Until then, Fran will continue to wear the mask of deception and keep the truth hidden from her allies.

72606.png49. Hien Rijin
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hyur (Far Eastern)

Age: 24

Birthplace: Doma

The renowned warrior-king of Doma—eldest son of the former king, Kaien, and his wife Mina—Lord Hien was conceived just before the imperial invasion of his homeland. By the time the infant gave his first cry, Doma was under the imperial yoke, and so did Hien grow up under the Garlean occupation. Allowed to learn traditional Doman culture and martial arts under the condition that he also received a proper imperial education, the young child immersed himself in his studies under his tutor Gosetsu, a loyal vassal of his father—mastering the swordsmanship of a samurai and developing a strong identity of himself as a man of Doma.

When still young, Hien took part in an armed uprising led by his father, an attempt that nearly succeeded in taking back Doma Castle until it was unceremoniously quashed by the XIIth Legion, summoned to the scene as reinforcements. In the struggle, Lord Kaien was tragically cut down by Zenos yae Galvus. Bereft of his beloved father, Hien fled desperately for his life to the vastness of the Azim Steppe.

Over time, Lord Hien would come to join forces with a hero come from distant Eorzea to the west. Together with loyal subjects Gosetsu and Yugiri, and with the unwavering support of his people, the Domans, Lord Hien would succeed in toppling the occupying Garlean army commanded by acting viceroy Yotsuyu, achieving independence for his homeland anew.

Painfully aware of the difficulty of resisting the might of Garlemald as a lone, isolated nation, Lord Hien entered into an agreement with the Eorzean Alliance, while simultaneously enlisting the aid of such independent-minded entities as the nomads of the Azim Steppe and the pirates of the Ruby Sea. Together with the forces of Nagxia and Dalmasca, recruited to the cause some time after, these would form the Eastern alliance that would stand against the Empire across the continent of Othard.

Before commencing their own large-scale rebellion, the leaders of the Bozjan Resistance paid a visit to Lord Hien, receiving from him a promise to offer military support as necessary, as well as inspiration for a method by which the internal conflict within the Resistance itself might be mediated—to wit, by the reforging and re-forming of Gunnhildr's Blades.

For Lord Hien's part, though he was heartened that his Eorzean friend had also promised to join the battle on the Resistance's behalf, lingering doubts remained. The Garleans were an invading force, yes, but were they not also men driven by their own sense of justice? A war waged between two mighty forces, the leaders of each believing their own cause the righteous one, would no doubt prove a bitter struggle, and one that would not end without considerable tragedy and suffering on both sides.

When he heard that, in fact, the new incarnation of Gunnhildr's Blades had been reborn into a tempered monstrosity, only to perish in the end, Lord Hien was deeply troubled. What was the meaning of his presence on such a nightmarish battlefield? A true hero should be a beacon of light to all, akin to the kami who illuminate the heavens. Yet all he could accomplish here was to lead the victor over the vanquished—leaving his hands stained with the blood of the fallen at battle's end.

And yet Hien understood that this, too, was a role that someone must fulfill—if not, a people would suffer indeterminately under a rule of tyranny. And so he would put an end to it, even if it meant bloodying his own hands. Better that he accept this now, than force a similar fate upon the next generation when they grew to adulthood.

If this conflict could be resolved without bloodshed, he would give anything to see it done—but sadly, that was not an option now, and mayhap had never been at all. No doubt his Eorzean friend, too, realized this—and no doubt it weighed equally as heavily on both their hearts.

My friend, if you would bloody your hands for this cause, then pray let me bloody mine with you. After all, it is no greater or less an evil than that which I once asked of you. Until the day when all the peoples of our world can live in peace, let us walk this path together...

72607.png50. Noah van Gabranth
Field Record
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Rarity: ★★★

Race: Hyur

Age: 48

Birthplace: Arnsbeirgs, Landis

Legatus of the IVth Imperial Legion, Noah van Gabranth assumed his position at only twenty summers when his father, Basch van Gabranth, succumbed to a deadly illness. In the nigh three decades since, Noah has effectively and efficiently kept Dalmasca and Bozja under the imperial yoke, marching his men across the region to quell rebellions and revolts wherever they arose.

The IVth is oft regarded as anomalous and eccentric among the Empire's legions, and with good reason—for it is the only one to count a greater number of foreigners than native-born Garleans among its ranks. This includes the legatus himself, who has made it his policy to accept any and all capable individuals into his company. So long as the individual in question swears loyalty to the Empire, the IVth welcomes their contributions, regardless of race, gender, or country of origin. Ability and results delivered are valued above all—a true meritocracy. Gabranth applied a similar philosophy to the provinces under his rule, eschewing the traditional Garlean approach and tailoring his style of governance to suit the people of each individual region. Emperor Solus found this most admirable, though it is said Emperor Varis was far more skeptical—believing it a sign that Gabranth harbored lofty and dangerous aspirations ill befitting his station.

A charismatic figure beloved by almost all in command, Gabranth's fate took a dark turn after his defeat in Bozja, his once-vaunted legion left struggling to fend off the combined counterattack of the Dalmascan resistance and Eastern alliance. Depleted and run ragged after multiple battles with the resistance army—and with no reinforcements from his homeland coming to save him—morale dropped to an all-time low, and the IVth stood in danger of losing a vital outpost.

It was then that events took another unexpected turn, as the Beast King Lyon—taking extreme umbrage at being held responsible for the IVth's defeat—plotted mutiny against the selfsame leader to whom he once swore undying loyalty. Escaping his gaol cell with the help of his co-conspirators, he snuck into the chamber where Gabranth lay wounded in the dead of night. After an exchange of words between the two men, it was clear the legatus's mind was made up—he succumbed to his subordinate's blade with no resistance. The deed done, Lyon set Castrum Valnaini ablaze and fled the scene to destinations unknown. Later, the body and armor of the ill-fated Gabranth would be discovered by the resistance, though he was not immediately identified as such—in part because the burns were so severe that his face could scarcely be recognized, and in part because so few had seen the face under the mask in the first place. Still, in the end, the identity of the corpse was confirmed, and news of the death of Noah van Gabranth spread across the land.

Bereft of their charismatic leader, the once-proud IVth Legion quickly crumbled, some two-thirds of its numbers surrendering unconditionally to the resistance, while the remaining third fought in vain before being unceremoniously decimated by their foe. So did the long and bitter struggle come to an end, and Dalmasca shook free from the imperial yoke for the first time in over three decades.

And yet still, there are those who believe that Noah van Gabranth did not perish that day in Castrum Valnaini—that the corpse, mutilated beyond identification, belonged to another. Meanwhile, Lyon and the other former officers of the IVth—war criminals, all of them—remain at large, and the provisional government approved the repatriation of the vast majority of the IVth's rank-and-file soldiers as free citizens, electing not to try them for their crimes on the battlefield.

So it is that the people of Dalmasca still live in fear of the “ghost of Gabranth”—further details regarding which will be filed in a future report.

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