GRANDIS PLOT POINTS
On this page, I’ve compiled a list of all open plot points in the Grandis story as a way for people to get an overview of the overarching story. It will be updated periodically as new developments come out.
DARMOOR'S ACTIONS:
The Nova believed until recently that Darmoor was an opponent of the Flora Civil War, and that he had been a strong proponent of peace between the High Flora and the Verdant Flora. With the carnage and bloodshed breaking the balance of life on Grandis, Darmoor awakened as the Transcendent of Life during the final battle of the Flora Civil War. Driven to insanity from the senseless violence around him, Darmoor believed that life, as it currently existed, was imperfect and incapable of living in harmony, and so he now seeks to destroy and remake all life in order to bring about true peace.
In reality, Darmoor instilled an illness into his father, the previous God-King, which caused him to begin losing his sanity. Though Darmoor’s father was initially a benevolent and just man, he inexplicably experienced a sudden change of personality several years into his reign, which caused him have a deep desire to "fix" the other races of Grandis, believing that the Flora were superior to all others.
This resulted in a schism within the Flora, with the Verdant Flora being stripped of their wings and exiled, and the High Flora remaining in power. As a result of this schism, the balance of life was broken on Grandis, causing Darmoor to awaken as the Transcendent of Life. However, Darmoor kept this fact secret until the end of the Flora Civil War.
When Darmoor awakened as the Transcendent of Life, the former Transcendent of Life disappeared from their sanctum of Sephiroth, as well as their Priests of Life. Because Darmoor kept his awakening secret, it was believed by the people of Grandis that the Transcendent of Life had disappeared altogether.
Even as a mortal, Darmoor was deeply disillusioned by the “folly of lesser beings”, believing that most living beings selfishly dragged others down in order to protect their own' ‘worthless’ lives. Hoping to see things from a different perspective, Darmoor planned to awaken as the Transcendent of Life, believing that it would give him an enlightened viewpoint. However, after awakening, Darmoor was disappointed to find that he still saw the world the same way, claiming that the arrogant High Flora and the Verdant Flora, who claimed to be different, were all ultimately the same.
Meanwhile, the God-King, whose illness grew worse, began preparing to wage war against the other races of Grandis, though his plans were delayed when Adele publicly refused to follow him into battle, which created a schism within his royal guard, the Knights of the Einherjar. Over time, the God-King began transforming into a monster and lost his ability to speak or reason. He began to absorb magic mindlessly, which further worsened his illness. The truth about the God-King’s illness was covered up by the Knights still loyal to him, who hoped to find a cure.
Together with Darmoor, several knights traveled to the sanctum of Sephiroth, hoping that the Transcendent of Life could cure the God-King. Knowing that the capital was not safe with the Verdant Flora possibly attacking, they left the God-King’s double to keep the ruse that the God-King was still in the palace.
In Sephiroth, they met a gardener named Asha, who was the only person left in Sephiroth after the priests disappeared. Asha tirelessly tended to the garden, as it was said that the Transcendent of Life would return if the flowers were kept pristine and beautiful.
Darmoor was intrigued by Asha, who selflessly tended to the garden, and bonded with her over their shared viewpoints. Asha explained that in order to keep the garden beautiful, she needed to prune away the weeds that dragged the flowers down, with Darmoor agreeing that pruning the worthless parts of the whole was necessary in order to protect the parts that were truly important.
During the mission, Darmoor and Asha encountered the spirits of the fallen guardians who had died protecting Sephiroth from an attack in the past. Darmoor claimed that the fallen guardians had not truly made a noble sacrifice, as they had left behind their malevolent spirits, which embodied their last emotions. He believed that very few people had the strength to make a complete, true sacrifice given whole-heartedly to a cause, selflessly leaving nothing behind.
Darmoor and Asha also found a tablet. which stated that only the sacrifice of a noble life would catch the Transcendent’s eye. Interested to know what kind of life was worth the prior Transcendent’s attention, Darmoor secretly arranged for an experiment by calling several Verdant Flora who sought to rejoin the High Flora once again.
During this time, he ordered his knights to fight each other in order to determine which of them was a noble life, claiming that only a Flora, as the superior race, could be considered noble. Neither of the knights wished to die, and both of them instead chose to sacrifice the Verdant Flora visitors so that they could survive, while the Verdant Flora ran away, choosing to save themselves.
In the end, the Verdant Flora were killed, while the knights perished after setting the garden on fire and attempting to flee. Asha, who had given her whole life to the garden, was killed in the fire while praying for the Transcendent of Life to restore the garden with the sacrifice of her life, which she believed to be worthless. Darmoor then revealed himself as the Transcendent of Life, restoring the garden and bringing Asha back to life with his powers before taking her hand.
Soon after, a faction of the knights chose to rise up against the God-King before he could wage his war. This coup resulted in the death of the God-King, the sealing of Adele, who had chosen to protect her liege, and Prince Darmoor seizing control of the capital. During the coup, the Verdant Flora attempted to stop Darmoor, but instead found him standing over the body of his father - who appeared as a Flora, despite having become a monster. Darmoor then framed the Verdant Flora for the murder of the God-King, sparking the Flora Civil War.
During the Flora Civil War, Darmoor resumed his father’s war of genocide against the other races, while simultaneously fighting the Verdant Flora. After centuries of fighting, Darmoor chose to reveal himself as the Transcendent of Life during the final battle at the Verdant Flora capital of Aboris. Because of this, the rest of Grandis mistakenly believed that Darmoor had awakened at the bloody battle, which had broken the balance of life.
During the battle at Aboris, Darmoor trapped the God of the Verdant Flora - the creator of the Verdant Flora’s mechanical wings and the creator of the Elder Crystal that Illium inherits - inside the mytocrystal on the back of his hand, thereby keeping him alive for some purpose.
Soon after, he invaded the Chronica Sanctuary and attempted to convince Chronica, the Transcendent of Time, to join him. When they were unable to come to a resolution, Darmoor stole Chronica’s powers and sealed them within their own sanctuary.
Darmoor stole Chronica’s powers knowing the limitations that the Overseers had placed on Transcendent powers - namely that stealing another Transcendent’s powers would cause him to be severely weakened for a time, as well as to tear the fabric of spacetime, resulting in the creation of several Interdimensional Portals that bridged to other worlds, including Maple World. This is identical to how the Black Mage stole the powers of Rhinne, although only a single Interdimensional Portal was created from his actions.
Ark’s storyline suggests that Darmoor had intended to bridge their dimensions in order to invade Maple World, whereas the Black Mage sought to merge their worlds in order to create the Arcane River. It is also suggested that Darmoor has used an Interdimensional Portal to travel to another world, though it is unknown whether this world is Maple World.
Darmoor recruited Magnus and sent him to conquer Heliseum. After Magnus was gravely injured at the hands of the former Kaiser, Magnus returned to Darmoor, who was seemingly unable to restore Magnus’ lifespan, which had been shortened by Kaiser’s attack. Darmoor then sent Magnus to Maple World through the Interdimensional Portal in order to find a way to restore his lifespan.
In Maple World, Magnus became a Commander of the Black Mage and stole the life powers of Guwaru before returning back to Darmoor. Given that it should have been simple for Darmoor to save Magnus, it is possible that he deliberately lied about being unable to restore Magnus’ lifespan in order to send him to Maple World, which would allow him to encounter the Black Mage.
Darmoor was fully aware about the creation of the Adversary long before the events of the Arcane River, and he had also planned to destroy the Seal Stone within them. He did this because he knew that the destiny of every Adversary is to die soon after fulfilling their purpose. As the Adversary would fulfill their purpose by killing the Black Mage, they were fated to soon die after the Black Mage’s death if the Seal Stone were to remain inside their body any longer.
In order to spy on the Adversary and the Alliance, he planted Melange as part of the Alliance’s advance guard that accompanied the Adversary through Esfera. After the death of the Black Mage, Melange returned back to Darmoor with a book that he had stolen from Will, which contained key information about the Black Mage’s prophecies and records. Darmoor then ordered Melange to find Tana, the last active Transcendent besides himself, along with the Genesis Crux - the “seed of the new world” that the Black Mage had left behind. Darmoor is aware of their locations, as he tells Melange that all should be “there”.
Darmoor posed as a librarian named Aaron in order to gain access to the Cernium Royal Library. This masquerade had been going on for at least a few years according to Carlisle, who was impressed that Aaron was able to organize most of the library's records in such a short time compared to the volume of work.
Given that we see Darmoor in Aboris when Melange reports to him at the end of Limina, it suggests that he's been able to pose as Aaron and continue his duties as Darmoor for most of those years until he fully disappeared from Aboris right after the events of Limina and lived full-time in Cernium while awaiting the Adversary, as Havoc complains about Darmoor disappearing from the capital after ordering him to attack the city.
After the library burns down during Havoc’s siege, Darmoor deliberately used the stolen powers of Chronica to turn back time on the library at the end of the Cernium storyline, thus giving the Alliance access to countless, priceless historical writings of ancient times.
Darmoor was able to manifest the consciousness of the Ancient God, Mitra, inside Seren, causing her to be taken over by the sun goddess. It is possible that he has the ability to manifest the Ancient Gods inside other beings as well, potentially if those beings are wielding a holy relic of that god, such as Seren holding Mitra’s sword, Azor.
Darmoor refers to all others as “lesser” life forms. Despite his official stance that the High Flora are the superior race, Darmoor secretly hates his own race as well, and supposedly despises being born a High Flora.
Darmoor has come in contact with several elders of Grandis who had imprisoned themselves in Shangri-La. As some of them resented the Overseers for their fate, they chose to side with Darmoor, who seemingly owes those elders for an unknown reason.
Darmoor allied with the Angler Company and used their ties to the elders in order to manipulate the Adversary into obtaining the World Heart - the original relic created by the Overseers, which was the template for the Godspheres and the Seal Stones made by the elders and Freud, respectively.
As the original template, the World Heart is stronger than the Godspheres and the Seal Stones, meaning that it holds its own unique set of properties. Whereas the Godspheres and the Seal Stones awaken in response to the collective determination of the people, it remains unknown what conditions awaken the World Heart. Furthermore, the World Heart has the power to strip gods and godlike beings (such as Transcendents) of their powers, and even absorb them if its own power has been depleted.
In order to awaken the drained World Heart, Darmoor infused Kaling with a portion of his own Transcendent powers, knowing that the World Heart would absorb her strength and regain a portion of its power. He then sent Kaling to invade Shangri-La, intending for her invasion to help the six elders who had sided with him to escape, thereby repaying his debt to them.
Darmoor has commissioned the elders to revive their old experiments to create a new Adversary. It is also said that despite the fact that Darmoor had saved the player from death, the player is not the Adversary that Darmoor is looking for.
Darmoor has developed a variant of the Godsphere called a draining crystal, which is capable of absorbing the power of a god. Immediately after the Adversary obtained the World Heart, Darmoor ordered his Apostles to launch coordinated attacks throughout Grandis and Maple World in order to absorb the power of the Ancient Gods awakening from slumber inside the draining crystals.
After learning about the existence of Cygnus as a Transcendent-in-reserve, Darmoor immediately ordered Reina to invade Maple World and take Cygnus’ partially awakened Transcendent powers. Furthermore, he also ordered Limbo to take the powers of an Ancient God named Keira, who protected the Anima of Carcion. He also ordered an unknown Apostle to take a draining crystal and attack Fox Valley, though the attack was stopped through the intervention of Sino the Fox God.
HIGH FLORA SOCIETY:
As the God-King of the High Flora, Darmoor rules the High Flora as the head of government. As such, he commands the entirety of the High Flora nation on continental Grandis.
Darmoor rules from the High Flora capital of Aboris, which was the former Verdant Flora capital until it was stolen at the end of the Flora Civil War. The High Flora nation is composed of the capital city of Aboris, six territories, and all the outlying colonies claimed through conquest. Of these six territories, the only one known so far is Erimos, a fertile land surrounded by harsh desert. Another territory is said to exist in a snowy, barren part of continental Grandis.
High Flora society is heavily rooted in cultural and magical superiority. Societal status is exclusively based on magical talent, with commoners being heavily discriminated against. This caste system is the linchpin of High Flora society and any disruption to it, such as the God of the Verdant Flora attempting to share power with the commoners, is considered high treason.
The royal family is said to be the strongest bloodline in existence, giving them right to claim the throne of the God-King. The God-King is the central figure of the High Flora and has immense influence, not only politically, but also culturally. All High Flora citizens are taught to believe that the God-King's will is divine mandate.
The God-King's authority is unchallenged, as he is unquestionably the strongest being in their power-based society. The God-King has supreme authority in all political, military, and cultural matters. His immense presence and authority are such that the High Flora believe that they only prosper through his blessings and grace.
Directly below the God-King are the Gods of the High Flora. Next to the God-King, the Gods are the most powerful figures in High Flora society. The Gods are the regional lords of their respective territories and are given the responsibility to protect their citizens. Gods must demonstrate their magical superiority in order to defend their right to rule. Because of this, the Gods are duty-bound to accept Syamans - honor duels - from a member of a lower caste who wishes to take their position.
Below the Gods are the Priests, who make up a majority of High Flora society. Though Priests stand above commoners in the caste system, any Flora who demonstrates even a hint of magical power is part of the Priest caste. Because of this, there exists a subdivision within the Priests called High Priests - those who hold greater magical power than the other members of their caste, enough so that they have the potential to become Gods. High Priests have higher social standing than ordinary Priests.
Most Priests in High Flora society are ordinary citizens who hold routine jobs, protected by the lords of their territories. Priests are indoctrinated into believing that their role is to serve the God-King and their lords through any means that they can. For those who wish to serve their nation through combat, there are two options available to them.
The first is the Zealous - elite soldiers who protect their lords and the people of their territories. Selection examinations for the Zealous, called the Test of Faith, are both strict and exclusive. Candidates are required to fight in Syaman duels against other candidates, with only a select few winners being sworn in.
The other path is joining the Central Army of the High Flora - a united military under the command of the God-King and the central government. Priests from each territory may enlist in military academies and serve as officers in the High Flora army. Following the Flora Civil War, both the High Flora and Verdant Flora faced near-extinction in the carnage. As a result, the vast majority of the High Flora army is composed of hired mercenaries from other races.
Because the High Flora have an ample supply of footsoldiers, High Flora Priests are trained to begin as officers from the start of their careers. As mercenaries cannot become officers, the military is seen as the perfect place for Priests to rise through the ranks after demonstrating their magical and tactical prowess. A vast majority of officers are High Priests, though it is likely that lower-ranking Priests may also join. As it is possible to hone one's magical strength through training, it can be speculated that common Priests who enroll in military academies may become High Priests by graduation.
The lowest caste of the High Flora are the commoners. Commoners are those who hold no magical power, and as such, exist at the bottom of the power-based Flora caste system. Commoners are viewed as second-class citizens and have little to no privilege in High Flora society. The flow of information is restricted to them, including matters of military, even something as basic as knowing where a family member is stationed.
It is expected that commoners work menial jobs in order to contribute to High Flora society in what little way they can. Though commoners are not segregated from Priests, it is uncommon for Priests and commoners to socialize. Commoners are taught to view the upper castes as superior and are expected to be deferential and obsequious to them at all times. Many commoners will even kneel to the ground in order to bless Priests on the open street.
Though commoners hold no magical power, they are permitted to join military academies. However, commoners are unable to hold officer positions like the Priests, and are instead tasked with assisting officers, although they do hold some political power through being tasked with managing the High Flora colonies established through conquest.
The High Flora caste system is - with rare exceptions - a fixed system. There is little potential for those born into a particular station to better their lives, and it is expected that they remain content with existing as they are. Lineage is highly prioritized and it is taught to all High Flora citizens that power is a result of one's birth, which no amount of hard work can overcome. Because of this, attempting to question the integrity of the caste system is seen as treason. When the God of the Verdant Flora and his people were revealed to have been attempting to share power with the commoners, they were punished and exiled as a result.
There are two notable exceptions to the order of the High Flora caste system. The first are mutants - those with magical powers who are born to commoners. It is said that the magic of mutants is 'impure', and as a result, being a mutant is punishable by death. Furthermore, hiding or protecting a mutant will result in severe consequences as well, regardless of one's caste.
The second exception is those who have had their wings removed. Wings are the greatest symbol of pride to the High Flora, as wings are their source of magical power.
Though unconfirmed, it is speculated that wings darker in color correspond to higher magical ability. High Flora are able to open and close their wings at will for flight and battle. Though the Flora can use magic without opening their wings, their power will be reduced compared to opening them.
Having no wings is seen as the greatest disgrace to the Flora and is a punishment reserved for traitors. Regardless of one's caste, the removal of wings strips away all power and privilege, leaving them on the same level as commoners.
DARMOOR’S APOSTLES:
Much like the Black Mage’s Commanders, the twelves Apostles of Gerand Darmoor are the top leaders of Darmoor’s military, superseding the authority of all other officers, even if an Apostle is a member of another race.
Havoc:
Havoc is the First Apostle of Lightning. He is a pure-blood demon from Tynerum who, through unknown means, came to Grandis and pledged himself to Darmoor. Havoc is quite brazen and frequently criticizes Darmoor’s orders and strategy. A High Flora officer named Avril serves as his second-in-command and aide, who frequently admonishes him for his open disrespect for Darmoor.
Havoc was tasked with attacking Cernium after the Alliance sent the Glory Guard to help defend the holy city. Havoc was defeated by Seren after she awakened the holy sword of Mitra, though he managed to escape the city.
While it is unconfirmed, it is speculated that Havoc was responsible for attacking the Pointy-Ear Foxes on Vulpes by flooding their village before the Fox God intervened.
During the battle of Carcion, Havoc was sent by Darmoor to rescue Limbo, who had been defeated by the Alliance. Havoc used his powers to defeat the Alliance and steal the powers of Carcion’s Ancient God, Keira, though he left the Adversary alive at the request of Darmoor.
Limbo:
Limbo is an Apostle of Darmoor and an officer of the High Flora army, serving as Brigadier General. Limbo underwent experiments to become a partial Specter, allowing him to change between his Flora form and Specter form at will. Limbo is deeply interested in the Abyssal Source, which contains all the knowledge of the world. The Abyssal Source resides in the Abyss, the home of all Specters.
Centuries ago during the High Flora War, Ark and Albaire served under Limbo during the Western Front campaign on the moon of Verdel. After Ark grew disillusioned with their war, he attempted to betray the High Flora by aiding the enemy. As punishment for his treason, Limbo attempted to transform him into a Specter. However, the ritual was interrupted by Albaire, causing the High Flora to retreat as the failed ritual destroyed the surface of Verdel.
Centuries later, Albaire became a colonel and an aide under Limbo, who sent Albaire to lead a mission to harvest the life energy from Verdel. After the mission was interrupted by Ark, Limbo grew extremely pleased to know that Ark was still alive, as he believes Ark to be the key to accessing the infinite knowledge in the Abyssal Source.
After the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, Limbo and Albaire began leading the Specter army to the border between their worlds, where they engaged Eckhart and Night Walkers in skirmishes.
Limbo led the High Flora attack on Carcion, where they used a draining crystal to steal the powers of the Ancient God of Carcion, Keira. However, Limbo chose to absorb Keira directly into him first in order to feel the power of a god for himself, though he was defeated by the Adversary and the Alliance. Though Limbo attempted to destroy himself to eradicate Carcion, Keira and the Adversary worked together to stop him, after which he was rescued by Havoc.
Kaling:
Kaling is an Apostle of Darmoor and a former Anima researcher who once aided the elders of Grandis, who had been tasked eons ago by the Overseers to create Adversaries in order to defeat the Ancient Gods. Kaling was a prospective Vessel - a being who has the potential to fuse with a Godsphere. After undergoing the experiments, however, she was deemed a defective Vessel. Nevertheless, the side-effects of the experiments stripped her of her humanity, her sense of self, her morals, and her free will, leaving her hardwired with the sole obsession of fulfilling her purpose as an Adversary, despite being incompatible with the Godspheres.
Because of her drive to fulfill her purpose, she created four monsters known as the Four Perils, which she unleashed into Grandis in order to have them amass strength by consuming smaller monsters, hoping to fuse them together with an Adversary and give them unparalleled strength to defeat the Ancient Gods. However, her creations spread terror across Grandis, because of which, the elders dispatched the sage Tai Yu in order to seal her and her monsters away.
Eons later, Kaling’s seal degraded over time, allowing her to break free. She then became an Apostle of Darmoor, hoping that he would help her complete her Four Perils experiment. Over time, Kaling recovered two of her Perils, Qiongqi and Taowu, though she lost Taotie when he fused with and befriended Hoyoung. As a result of her failure to obtain Taotie, Darmoor secretly planned to use and discard her in order to further his own goals.
Kaling was also interested in mysticants - cursed objects that appear to hold a portion of the same contamination that had eaten away at her humanity and sense of self, along with that of all the other Vessels of Odium.
Kaling was sent by Darmoor to aid the Angler Company in order to invade Odium and obtain the World Heart. However, Laha Angler betrayed Kaling and attempted to dispatch her so that she could claim the heart of the world for her father. During their resulting skirmish, the Adversary slipped past them and obtained the World Heart from Hundun, the final Peril, who was killed after the World Heart left his body.
Furious, Kaling returned to Darmoor, who used his powers to bring Hundun back to life. He then infused Kaling with a portion of his own Transcendent powers and tasked her with recovering the World Heart. However, Darmoor anticipated that Kaling would be defeated by the Adversary. After the Adversary bested her, the World Heart reacted to the Transcendent powers inside her and drained away her strength, ending her life.
Ypsilon:
Ypsilon is an Apostle of Darmoor, a God of the High Flora, and the Lord of Erimos - one of the six High Flora territories. Ypsilon has the power to extract abstract concepts, such as memories, loyalty, damage, magic, and life force. Ypsilon strongly believes in High Flora superiority and persecutes other races, commoners, and mutants.
Ypsilon is highly interested in the power of Malice, which the Ancient God, Satiras the Devil Dragon, bestowed on his followers - a Nova cult called the Black Nova. Though the power of Malice had faded from the universe after the Ancient Gods were sealed away, Epsilon led the High Flora army to a village of the last surviving descendants of the Black Nova, where he kidnapped two children: Luska and Kain.
He brought Luska and Kain to Toolen City in Savage Terminal, where he founded a mercenary company called the Drakas. He forced Luska to accept a deal, in which she served as the leader of the Drakas in exchange for him sparing Kain’s life. While Luska led the Drakas, Ypsilon disguised himself as a psychiatrist named Dr. Y, allowing him to keep tabs on the Drakas agents through routine check-ups.
Ypsilon used his power to extract abstract concepts in order to steal the memories of the Drakas agents, forcing them to work as hitmen in order to get them back. However, Ypsilon would instead implant false memories into them in order to give them motivation to recover the rest, and he routinely reset their minds in order to make them believe that their memories had been stolen for the first time, thus ensuring that the agents would never leave.
Using Kain as an original template, Ypsilon extracted the dormant power of Malice inside him, allowing him to create weapons called Malice Stones, which held a small, concentrated portion of Malice. Luska then distributed the Malice Stones to the Drakas agents, giving them the firepower needed to seize control of Toolen City. Ypsilon also routinely stole Kain’s memories in order to keep him unaware about his origin as a Black Nova and the original template.
After the Drakas agents eventually learned the truth about their memories, they staged an uprising that brought about the end of the Drakas. During the conflict, Luska was nearly killed and Kain recovered his lost memories, after which he left for Maple World. Just before Luska died, Ypsilon extracted the damage which would have led to her death, allowing him to resurrect her and turn her into an obedient servant.
During the events of Odium and Shangri-La, Ypsilon used his powers to extract the memories of a captured Cygnus Knight. In the Knight’s memories, Ypsilon witnessed the battle of Tenebris - specifically Cygnus using her partially-awakened Transcendent powers to defend the fleet against Gloom - and also memories of Shinsoo and her connection to the Empress. In a meeting at Aboris, Ypsilon reported what he learned to Darmoor, who ordered Reina to invade Maple World and steal Cygnus’ Transcendent powers.
Reina:
Reina is an Apostle of Darmoor, a God of the High Flora, and the lord of a snowy High Flora territory. Reina uses powerful ice magic and recently gained the position of lordship from the former lord of the snowy territory after defeating them in a Syaman, allowing her to attain the God caste.
Reina deeply cares about the people of her territory and has the full respect of all her soldiers. Reina is also an honorable warrior who genuinely respects her opponents, regardless of whether they’re members of other races. However, despite respecting the Alliance for their strong willpower, she believes that will alone is meaningless without the strength to protect what one cares about.
Khali’s storyline describes that the lord of the snowy region is a good person, but an ineffectual leader, as they only concern themselves with the immediate suffering of their people, rather than joining the Central Army and conquering a better home for their people. Currently, it remains ambiguous in regard to whether this lord is Reina or her predecessor, although the latter is more likely, with Reina defeating the former lord in a Syaman in order to take their position and effectively lead her people by actively joining the Central Army.
After being ordered to invade Maple World and steal Cygnus’ Transcendent powers, Darmoor gave Reina a crystal containing the power of a god, which was the same crystal used by an Apostle to attack Fox Valley. However, using the crystal created stress on the body due to the recoil from forcibly extracting the power of a god. For this reason, Reina had several ‘prisoners’ made of ice, which were meant to take the recoil in her place.
Reina invaded Ereve with her battleship, Arteria, and successfully kidnapped Cygnus before taking her Transcendent powers. During the battle, the Adversary managed to destroy all her ice prisoners, forcing her to tax her own body in order to force out the divine power inside her crystal before escaping.
DARMOOR'S ALLIES:
Shadowdealers:
Darmoor and the High Flora have a working relationship with the underworld of Grandis, including a corrupt subset of the Shadowdealers. Though the official Shadowdealer policy was to remain neutral in the war, a Shadowdealer named Mr. Hazard - once the second-in-command of the entire organization - would routinely sell weapons to the High Flora, including Vision Bombs, which released deadly poison.
At one point, Hazard bought schematics from the Angler Company for a weapon called the Heliogene Device, which used bioenergy as fuel. As completion of the weapon would have resulted in the destruction of Savage Terminal, Cadena stopped Mr. Hazard and exposed his treachery to the Shadowdealers, after which he was arrested and dealt with by the Shadowdealer High Council.
Angler Company:
The Angler Company is a national-level arms-dealer organization in Grandis, feared for their brutality and cruelty. The Angler Company was founded by Alter Angler, a defective Vessel of Odium who was thrown off the floating laboratory by the elders as a reject. Similar to Kaling, the side-effects of the Adversary experiments stripped him of his free will and morality, leaving him obsessed with fulfilling his purpose as an Adversary, despite his incompatibility with the Godsphere.
Alter founded the Angler Company and used stolen technology from Odium to create powerful weapons that he sold to the warmongers of the galaxy. He also constructed four cyborg children - Cosim, Senya, Nicky, and Laha Angler - using the same techniques that the elders had used to prepare their Vessels to be turned into Adversaries. He programmed his children to have little free will of their own, just like himself.
Alter also constructed a self-building tower called Karote, which was created to reach Odium in the sky, though the tower was continually destroyed by Guardian Kalos, a sentinel left behind by the elders to defend the laboratory.
Several years before Mr. Hazard’s attempt to destroy Savage Terminal, the Angler Company headquarters were destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion. As a result of the explosion, Alter’s power source was completely destroyed and his son, Cosim, was able to break free from his father’s programming because of the damage done to his system. Cosim then turned against his family and worked to defeat them.
In critical need of power to sustain himself, Alter sent his children, who were also damaged, though not as severely, in order to harvest energy for him. Senya Angler attempted to build a device that would boil the waters of Savage Terminal into acid, killing all life on the surface and leaving behind a source of bioenergy, though she was stopped by Detective Rave (and also the player if they completed Detective Rave’s Case Notes).
After the events of Black Heaven, Darmoor approached the Angler family and informed them about the creation of a new Adversary. As Kalos would only allow a true Vessel - one who could fuse with a Godsphere - to enter Odium, Alter saw it as an opportunity to manipulate the Adversary into completing Karote and opening the path for him to enter the laboratory.
Nicky Angler, disguising himself as T-Boy, traveled to Reverse City in order to harvest Erda for his father, as well as to meet the Adversary and determine whether they were suitable for Alter’s goal to complete Karote.
Senya Angler was later dispatched to Hotel Arcus in order to seize control of the robotic defense system of the hotel, which were machines and divine relics of the Ancient God, Archelon. However, she was stopped by the Adversary and the Glory Guard. Despite her failure to acquire the defense system, Senya successfully baited the Adversary into coming to the desert, which was part of Alter’s plan to have his children manipulate the Adversary into entering Karote.
Nicky Angler was soon dispatched to trick the Adversary into entering Karote. In the presence of a true Vessel, Karote was completed and Guardian Kalos allowed them to pass. However, he discerned Nicky as a false Vessel, prompting Nicky to reveal himself as T-Boy and hack into Kalos. The Adversary fought and defeated Kalos, destroying Karote. As he fell, Nicky came to realize that he had been programmed into his risk-seeking behavior that had prompted him to seize control of Kalos. After confronting his father over the phone about it, Nicky plunged to his apparent death.
Senya and Laha Angler were tasked by Alter with leading the Angler Company fleet to invade Odium, with Darmoor sending Kaling to help them get past the laboratory’s defenses. Though Kaling broke through the laboratory, Laha turned on her after they realized that they were both after Hundun and the heart of the world. Their fight allowed the Adversary to steal the heart of the world from them and escape to Shangri-La. Alter - in a new body after his first was destroyed in the explosion - then killed Laha to appease Kaling. This shocked Senya, who decided to betray her father and seek out Cosim.
Magnus:
Magnus was friends with the former Kaiser and fought alongside him on the battlefield. However, he was exiled by the Nova for unknown reasons. After the Flora Civil War, Magnus encountered Gerand Darmoor and experienced true fear for the first time after sensing the immense aura of death radiating from the Transcendent of Life. In exchange for the power to become the strongest warrior in Grandis, Magnus joined Darmoor and led the Specter army to sack Heliseum.
Before the invasion, Magnus corrupted two of the three Guardians of Heliseum.
Magnus learned that one of the three Guardians, Victor, was an accomplished painter who was grief-stricken by the death of his fiancée. Magnus anonymously sent Victor a cursed canvas that could bring anything painted on it to life.
Victor endlessly painted his fiancee, though the canvas would only spit back out a doll of her. Over time, Victor’s soul was trapped inside the canvas as he continued drawing mindlessly upon it. After Victor killed himself out of grief, his soul - trapped inside the canvas - was forced to paint new minions for Magnus' army.
Magnus also learned that another Guardian, Treglow, was an expert scientist who specialized in chemistry. Magnus sent his spies to give Treglow rare books and materials from the High Flora for his experiments. Eventually, Magnus gave Treglow a cursed reagent that caused him to lose his mind and side with Magnus, creating twisted creatures for his army.
After Magnus sacked the city, the former Kaiser gave his life to let the survivors flee to the sanctuary city of Pantheon. The Nova were unable to transport the Outrigger - a holy relic given to them by the Ancient Gods of the Nova - and so they transferred a portion of its power into four sacred stones, which were used to create a Protective Shield around Pantheon.
Magnus was severely wounded in the fight against Kaiser, and he was sent by Darmoor to Maple World in order to restore his lifespan. There, he served as a Commander of the Black Mage until the Black Mage stole the powers of Rhinne, creating an Interdimensional Portal. Magnus then stole the life energy of Guwaru before betraying the Black Mage and returning to Grandis.
Back in Grandis, Magnus filled Heliseum with mindless Specters and tasked his Heliseum Guardians with holding the city. Magnus then locked himself inside the throne room and attempted to take the power of the Outrigger for himself, though his efforts were rejected by the Ancient Gods of the Nova, who refused to give their power to a traitor. Furious, Magnus declared that he would do anything to claim the power that belonged to him, even if he had to kill every last Nova for it.
Decades after the fall of Heliseum, a Nova boy named Kyle awakened as the next Kaiser, and a girl named Tear fused with one of the four sacred stones that powered the Protective Shield, turning her into a superhero named Angelic Buster. Magnus then sent his forces to infiltrate Pantheon and steal one of the sacred stones, weakening the shield. Magnus then sent his Specters to invade a defenseless Pantheon, though Kaiser and Angelic Buster recovered the missing stone and wiped out the Specters.
The Nova then sent Kaiser and Angelic Buster to Maple World in order to find allies, while Velderoth - Kyle and Tear’s former friend - grew jealous of Kaiser and sought out Magnus in order to gain power, becoming a new Guardian of Heliseum alongside Victor and Treglow, with Edea, the former Guardian, having fled to Pantheon after Magnus had sacked the capital.
With the help of the Maple Alliance, Magnus was defeated - though both he and the Outrigger were pulled into a mysterious vortex and disappeared. During the battle, Magnus also lost control of the life energy that he had stolen from Guwaru, allowing it to flow back into the King of Spirits on Maple World and reducing Magnus’ lifespan again.
Veronica:
Veronica is a former Knight of the Einherjar who served Darmoor’s father, the former God-King. She, along with several other Knights, chose to turn on the God-King after he revealed that he was planning to wage war against the other races. Though she had a turbulent relationship with Adele, whom she resented for her superior strength, she nevertheless freed Adele from prison after the God-King jailed her when she spoke out against his plan. Despite this, Adele chose to protect the God-King as Veronica led the coup against him. After the God-King’s death, Veronica imprisoned Adele in a prison dimension called the Void.
Centuries later, Veronica had become a loyal member of Gerand Darmoor’s war machine and was sent to the moon of Ristonia in order to obtain a key that would awaken an Ancient God that lay dormant. However, Adele - who was released from the Void - worked with the lost prince of Ristonia, Jerome, in order to find the key first.
Melange:
Melange is a mysterious magician who was once the apprentice of a great mage before being expelled for practicing forbidden magic. Melange’s species is unfamiliar to the Alliance, even to their Grandis allies. However, Melange is extremely powerful and has a plethora of knowledge about the Transcendents. His powers are so strange and unique that even his echo in Morass, which had been created as nothing more than a replica from a memory, grew self-aware about itself being an echo and was able to change the memory with his magic.
Melange was sent by Darmoor to spy on the Adversary and the Alliance as they made their way through the Arcane River. Melange used his extensive knowledge of the Transcendents to help the Adversary, allowing him to figure out the Black Mage’s plan to absorb the powers of creation from Tana in order to create a new world.
During the events of Esfera, Melange stole a book that belonged to Will, which contained the Black Mage’s prophecies and plans. After the Black Mage’s death, he presented the book to Darmoor, who then tasked Melange with finding Tana and the Genesis Crux.
Elders of Grandis:
The twelve elders of Grandis were once famed for their unimpeachable sense of duty and morality, for which they had been hand-picked by the Overseers to create Adversaries that could destroy the Ancient Gods. However, several of these elders were quite selfish and merely pretended to be morally righteous in order to gain power from the Overseers.
After the end of the Ancient War, the elders were contaminated by the lack of humanity that they had inflicted upon their Adversaries, for which they sequestered themselves into Shangri-La. However, six of the elders were quite discontent with their fate, as they had grown tired of following the will of the Overseers. Furthermore, their contamination from the experiments continued to erode their sense of duty.
Through unknown means, the elders came into contact with Darmoor, whom they pledged their allegiances to in order to be released from their prison. Darmoor ordered them to open the gateway to Shangri-La for Kaling, who then invaded the realm of the sages and allowed the six elders to flee with two of the Four Symbols that protected the entrance to Shangri-La, whom they had defeated and kidnapped.
In exchange for their freedom, Darmoor has requested them to revive their Adversary experiments. The elders appear to be combining their Adversary research with Specter experiments for an unknown purpose.
Asha:
Asha is the gardener of Sephiroth who tended to the sanctuary after the previous Transcendent of Life disappeared.
Darmoor encountered Asha while accompanying the Knights of the Einherjar on their mission to find the Transcendent of Life and cure the God-King of his madness. During that time, he came to genuinely respect Asha as a noble life, as she was one who would wholeheartedly sacrifice herself for a cause, making her stand out amongst other life forms, whom he disdainfully viewed as “lesser”.
After Asha made a wish for the Transcendent of Life to save the garden with her sacrifice, Darmoor appeared before her and used his Transcendent powers to bring her back to life. When Asha asked him why he had saved her, Darmoor claimed that it was because she was the only life with value in the garden, amidst the High Flora and Verdant Flora who had chosen to only save themselves.
DARMOOR'S GOALS:
A majority of Darmoor’s plans revolve around creating beings capable of destroying higher beings, such as Ancient Gods and Transcendents.
One such creation are Specters. During the era of the Ancient Gods, researchers attempted to create beings who could use the relics of the Ancient Gods against them, as only a god or a mortal wielding a relic containing divine power could directly harm another god. The holy relics operated by awakening for whomever the people deemed worthy of wielding them. For instance, the holy sword of Mitra would only awaken to the person whom her followers believed to be Mitra’s greatest champion.
In order to trick the relics, the researchers hoped to fill a host body with countless souls in order to make the relic believe that the host was filled with the support of many souls. Because of this, they began attempting to fill host bodies with Specter souls from the Abyss. However, most hosts were taken over and transformed into monstrous, mindless Specter monsters. Eventually, they were able to find host bodies capable of retaining their minds and bodies, allowing them to be filled with countless Specter souls and trick the holy relics into awakening.
Specters are created by transforming people with a special ritual. The more powerful the person, the stronger the Specter they seem to become. Specter Shieldbearers, Battle Hounds, Engineers, Tamers, Miners, etc. seem to be low-level fodder. Specter Warriors, Magicians, and Reapers seem to be much stronger.
Many of the other races who were hunted down by the High Flora army, including the Anima, were likely transformed into low-level Specters. These Specter monsters return to the Abyss and regenerate upon death, giving the High Flora the ability to send hordes of regenerating soldiers to overwhelm the enemy. However, Specters who cannot fully overtake their hosts, such as Ark, will die upon the host being killed.
Those who retain their consciousness lose parts of their memories, including the infinite knowledge that they gain from the Abyss. Ark is a special case, as he has full command over his Specter and Flora state, which is dissimilar to Limbo, who fully transforms into a Specter before turning back. Ark appears to be valuable because Limbo believes him to be the key to accessing the Abyssal Source.
The High Flora have revived the Specter experiments in order to create special Specters that can trick the holy relics into awakening. One such experiment was Gilmore, a Celestial who was filled with countless Specter souls in order to trick the holy sword Azor into believing he was the Chosen One of Mitra. It seems that even those not directly affiliated with the High Flora army have undergone Specter rituals and mastered the Specter within them, such as Mr. Hazard, who appears to have the ability to partially transform his arms into Specter arms.
In addition to Specters, Darmoor has commissioned the elders of Grandis to revive their Adversary experiments and create beings who can kill the gods. The elders performed experiments on the Anima of Carcion, combining their research with Specter experiments in order to find a suitable candidate, though they have not yet found one.
Despite the fact that the player is a true Vessel, Kaling has claimed that the player is not the Adversary that Darmoor is looking for.
Aside from creating beings who can destroy gods, there are two main missions that the High Flora are conducting: first, to obtain massive quantities of bioenergy; second, to find keys that awaken the Ancient Gods.
Bioenergy is extracted from living beings through a combination of technology and magic. There are at least two known cases of this: first, the two operations on Verdel that attempted to extract the bioenergy of the moon; second, Hazard's attempt at creating the Heliogene Device, which could weaponize extracted bioenergy, though at the cost of destroying Savage Terminal once the weapon was completed.
Darmoor is also interested in the World Heart, which has the power to drain gods and Transcendents of their power and claim that power as its own. He has manipulated the Adversary into recovering the heart of the world for him, and he has sacrificed Kaling in order to drive the Adversary towards restoring the relic with all its original power.
Given that Darmoor is mass-creating beings who can destroy gods and finding keys to awakening them, it can be speculated that he intends to kill the Ancient Gods. In this case, it is possible that he is working alongside the Black Mage in order to rid the universe of the Ancient Gods, the Transcendents, and the Overseers.
As the World Heart does not awaken in response to the collective will of the people, it is possible that the reason why Darmoor seeks another Adversary besides the player is because the player does not satisfy the unknown conditions that would cause the heart of the world to fuse with them. It is also possible that the mass harvesting of bioenergy ties into Darmoor’s intention to use the heart of the world and its power, which surpasses that of the Godspheres and the Seal Stones, in order to remake all life as he sees fit.
FACTIONS OF RESISTANCE:
The Nova are the main force that oppose Darmoor. With the dissolving of the Alliance, the Nova have lost a large chunk of support in their fight to defeat the High Flora. It has been hinted that a new Grandis Alliance will be formed in the future, likely rallied by Kaiser.
The Shadowdealers have unofficially allied themselves with the Nova and the Alliance, as they have mutual benefit by working together in the war. The Shadowdealer High Council has explicitly banned any dealings with the High Flora, for which they arrested Mr. Hazard when he disobeyed their orders.
The Primacy is a new resistance group which has emerged in recent years, vowing to fight against Darmoor and the bloodied throne of the High Flora. Very little is known about them, though it appears that they are a rallying point for the people of Grandis, who are rising up against the High Flora after their attack on the Ancient Gods.
The elders from the realm of the sages have taken on the responsibility of quelling the conflict in Grandis. Tai Yu is one of the greatest sages and a defective Vessel, having sealed Kaling and the Four Perils and having won many battles. The six remaining elders in Shangri-La have chosen to aid the Adversary against Darmoor, while Gaon the Black Tortoise - one of the Four Symbols who protect Shangri-La - has chosen to accompany the Adversary in order to help the outside world and rescue his kidnapped allies, Baekyeon the White Tiger and Ara the Blue Dragon.
The Alliance has found an ally in Archelon, an Ancient God whose consciousness exists inside a robot in Hotel Arcus. Archelon hopes to live with humans in order to understand the human heart and provides support to the Alliance through sharing information and giving access to the Arcus Gate, a gateway that can take the user anywhere across Grandis.
The Seekers, while not direct allies in the war, are normal people who chase after ancient artifacts. The Seekers have had legends of old battles and artifacts passed down across generations and have returned to seek them, as the reawakening of the Ancient Gods has resulted in the reappearance of many ancient artifacts. They are significant sources of information for the Alliance in their quest for learning more about the Ancient Gods.