PART IV: AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 18: Morning Star Banquet

(A/N: Morning Star Banquet is an event story that takes place after the events of Tallahart. This storyline continues our partnership with the Primacy as we work together to infiltrate the Morning Star Banquet, the New Year’s banquet held in the High Flora capital of Aboris. This storyline gives us a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the Apostles and their adjutants, including a look at the Apostle Ressa, who was introduced in this event. It also helps set the stage for the next major part of Darmoor’s plan - the great culling that Baldrix revealed at the end of the Tallahart storyline.)

Gob contacted the Adversary and asked them to meet him inside Tirnog, explaining that the Primacy had important information to share with them before they headed out for their next mission. The Adversary traveled to Gob’s hideout, where the Primacy greeted them and noted that it had been a while. Iker then skipped to the point and asked the Adversary whether they wanted to infiltrate Gerand Darmoor’s villa with the Primacy.

At the Adversary’s confusion, Khafdi explained that the High Flora capital of Aboris held the Morning Star Banquet at the God-King’s villa to celebrate the new year. He added that though Darmoor himself disliked the banquets and never attended, many of his subordinates did. As the Apostles would be attending the upcoming banquet, Khafdi believed that it was a good opportunity to gather information about Darmoor and his Apostles.

He explained that the Primacy had already managed to steal several invitations to the banquet and offered one to the Adversary so that they could infiltrate the event as well. The Adversary noted that infiltrating the banquet sounded quite dangerous, to which Khafdi replied that it wasn’t as dangerous as they were thinking, as the sheer scale of the event meant that there would be more holes in security. He also added that the High Flora’s arrogance meant that they would never expect anyone to dare move against them in their own capital, especially since the banquet would also be attended by other races under High Flora subjugation.

The Adversary asked whether the Primacy was also planning to infiltrate the banquet, which Khafdi confirmed, explaining that many of its members had faces unknown to the High Flora, and that the Adversary might be able to rendezvous with them at the event. The Adversary then asked Khafdi why they were making such an offer, to which he explained that the Primacy had decided that working with the Alliance was in their best interest, adding that after having seen their skills for himself, he was certain that they would be able to fight their way out on their own in the worst case. He also noted that even if the mission were to fail, the success of even one person would make the outcome worthwhile.

Though the Adversary thought to themselves that it sounded like a good opportunity to learn more about the Apostles, they nevertheless pointed out that their own face was highly recognizable to the enemy, which would make infiltration difficult. Gob then reassured the Adversary that the special illusionary device which he had made would create the perfect disguise for them, explaining that the illusion would fit over them like clothing, making it so that anyone who saw them would instead see a completely different person.

As he had built the device in a completely unique way, he assured them that not even the best mages or engineers would be able to detect it. Though he admitted that a Transcendent like Darmoor might be able to see through it, he added that it wouldn’t make a difference, as Darmoor wouldn’t be attending the banquet anyway. However, he warned the Adversary that the disguise only hid their appearance, and that using their abilities would instantly get them caught.

Gob then asked the Adversary whether they would help the Primacy out on the mission, adding that he would install the device right away if they agreed. As the Adversary paused to consider it, Iker told them that he didn’t care if they refused as long as they made a decision quickly, as the banquet would begin very soon. Thinking it over, the Adversary realized that agreeing to join the mission would give them a chance to infiltrate Aboris, a place which they had never been to before.

(A/N: Adele gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which she instead notes that it’s a chance to see how much Aboris has changed. This dialogue is a bit confusing because Aboris was originally the Verdant Flora capital until the High Flora seized it at the end of the Flora Civil War, whereas Adele was sealed away just before the war began. I’m personally making sense of it by assuming that Adele had seen Aboris as the Verdant Flora capital during the unofficial skirmishes that took place between the High Flora and Verdant Flora before the civil war’s onset.

Illium also gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which he notes that he wants to go to Aboris and see what kind of place the High Flora capital is. Although Illium is 153 years old at the start of his class story, meaning that he was born during the Flora Civil War, he likely didn’t live in Aboris back when it was the Verdant Flora capital. Even if he did, it’s unlikely that he has many memories of his time before the Verdant Flora moved to Sanctuary.)

The Adversary also realized that they had a chance to get close to the Apostles, which was too great an opportunity to miss. They noted to themselves that Gob’s illusory device had been created with Ancient God technology, and with Gob’s engineering skills earning him the nickname “Hand of God”, the Adversary decided to trust in the mission and agreed to work with the Primacy. Ailene nodded approvingly at their decision and noted that even though they were enemies, she wouldn’t expect them to simply back down like a coward. As Gob set to work on installing the device, Khafdi asked him to provide the Adversary with a communicator so that they could stay in touch during the mission.

Soon after, the Apostles began arriving at the banquet in Aboris. Reina began climbing up the steps to the villa, where she encountered the other Apostles attending – Havoc, Limbo, Ypsilon, Baldrix, and Ressa.

(A/N: Ressa is the seventh officially confirmed Apostle of Darmoor. Like I mentioned earlier, this event is Ressa’s first introduction into the story, similar to how Baldrix was first introduced in the Extradimensional Visitors storyline, albeit not by name. As Baldrix’s introduction in the event story was meant to tease his official appearance in Tallahart, it’s likely that Ressa will be the Apostle in focus during the sequel to Tallahart. We don’t know much about Ressa at this point in time, but we do know that he’s the messenger of the God-King and that it’s his job to convey Darmoor’s will to the other Apostles in Darmoor’s absence, making him a well-respected figure amongst them.

Ressa is the third non-Flora Apostle released in the game after Havoc and Kaling, as Ressa is later revealed to be a human, confirming that humans officially do exist in Grandis. Although it seems fairly obvious that characters like Carlisle, Tana, and Jerome are human beings, it was a minor point of confusion for a while, as the Nova and fox Anima from early Grandis lore stories like Shade and Kaiser/Angelic Buster were very unfamiliar with the concept of humans, leading many to believe that humans were uncommon or even unheard of on Grandis.

However, the fact that humans appear to be very common on continental Grandis and places like Ristonia means that it’s more likely just the case that the Nova and Anima have lived fairly insular lives where they just don’t leave their respective homelands, and so them not being familiar with humans is more just their own lack of familiarity, rather than it being the case that Grandisians in general have never seen a human before.)

Ressa greeted Reina and noted that it had been a while, adding that her arrival meant that everyone was now here. Limbo snidely remarked on Reina’s tardiness, noting that she seemed quite arrogant just for having successfully completed a single mission. Reina coolly retorted that it was better than failing a mission, causing Limbo to fume in embarrassment. Ypsilon then asked whether none of the other Apostles were coming, to which Ressa explained that the others regrettably couldn’t attend, as they were busy with their own missions. Havoc demanded to know why Asha and Darmoor weren’t coming, noting how ridiculous the situation was.

(A/N: The fact that Asha was mentioned separately from the Apostles, with her name being associated with Darmoor instead, makes it seem like Asha isn’t an Apostle, but rather, an unaffiliated party within Darmoor’s inner circle. However, it could also be the case that Asha is indeed an Apostle, and that Havoc singled her out because she’s such an important Apostle that he fully expected that she would still attend, even if the other Apostles couldn’t. Regardless, the fact that Havoc expected Asha to attend an extremely important Apostle meeting means that Asha has a high degree of relevance in Darmoor’s goal. I’ve had a theory for a while that Asha is meant to be Darmoor’s new Adversary, but whether or not that’s true, it’s certain that Asha’s role in the story is going to be far more significant than anticipated.)

At Havoc’s insolent outburst, Ypsilon immediately gave him an austere look as Baldrix warned him to speak about the God-King with respect. Havoc grinned and noted that he had always wanted to fight Baldrix and wondered whether he should do it now before laughing and claiming that it had just been a joke, though he warned Baldrix to be careful. Ressa then defused the situation by explaining that since the God-King didn’t attend such banquets, he – as the God-King’s messenger – had come in Darmoor’s stead. At Ressa’s words, Havoc asked why the God-King had summoned the Apostles to a New Year’s banquet that he himself wasn’t even attending, noting that Darmoor must have something important to convey.

Upon seeing Limbo’s discomfort at Darmoor’s absence, Ressa laughed and assured him that he didn’t think that Darmoor would blame him for his failure at Carcion. Limbo laughed sheepishly and noted that the God-King was merciful as expected, to which Ypsilon cut in and replied that he had no time for useless discussion before demanding to know what Darmoor wished to convey.

Baldrix then revealed that it was time to accelerate the great plan, to which a surprised Reina and Ypsilon asked whether Darmoor intended to begin the great culling even sooner. Ressa replied that since the Vessel was being completed faster than anticipated, there was no need to delay any further. He added that it was all Darmoor’s will, and that he had come to convey the God-King’s next orders.

Meanwhile, the Adversary arrived at the God-King’s villa in Aboris, having enabled Gob’s illusory device.

(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which the player notes that it feels awkward to be traveling alone, though they realize that it can’t be helped, as they need to go in separately to avoid drawing suspicion. They then note that after entering the banquet hall, they can reunite with Alpha/Beta again, with the name of their twin depending on which character the player is controlling at the time.

Adele also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she notes that the villa hadn’t been there before, and that it seems to be newly built.)

The Adversary then began wondering whether Gob’s device was working properly, as they hadn’t noticed any change in their appearance.

(A/N: Evan gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he wonders whether it’s true that Mir can’t be seen properly either.)

Just then, Gob spoke to them through the communicator and assured them that the device was working fine, explaining that he had configured it so that they wouldn’t be able to see their disguised appearance, as it would make things difficult if the device prevented them from checking on their condition in the event that they got hurt. Just as he offered to explain in more detail, Khafdi told him that now wasn’t the time for him to be spouting off his theories, to which Gob told the Adversary that he would be more than interested in discussing it later inside Tirnog. Nevertheless, he reassured them once again that the device was working just fine.

Gob explained that to others, they would appear as a High Flora commoner, and that their low status in the High Flora caste system meant that they would be able to pull off their cover as a servant in the banquet hall. However, he warned them that he hadn’t changed their voice, for which he cautioned them to change the way they spoke as much as possible in order to maintain their cover.

Khafdi added that to the high-ranking High Flora, servants were little more than objects, which would afford them mobility to watch the Apostles as long as nobody suspected them. He explained that there were currently six Apostles at the banquet – Havoc, Reina, Ypsilon, Limbo, Baldrix, and Ressa. The Adversary asked in confusion who Ressa was, to which Khafdi explained that Ressa was a prestigious human who had risen through the ranks to become an Apostle. However, he then reminded the Adversary that they had no more time to waste, for which he tasked them with entering the central garden where the banquet was being held.

The Adversary entered the enormous banquet hall, where they immediately spotted the six Apostles, noting that the brown-haired human must be Ressa. Just as they prepared to approach the Apostles, however, the Head Servant called them over, causing the Adversary to fear that their cover had been blown. The Head Servant asked them whether they were a new attendant, as he had never seen their face before. As the Adversary began wondering whether he had seen their true face, the Head Servant merely laughed and noted approvingly that their appearance would elevate the class of the banquet.

(A/N: Please note: the Adversary’s appearance below depends on the player’s gender.)

The Adversary was relieved that they hadn’t gotten caught, to which the Head Servant decided to give them a special mission. He pointed out the Apostles, noting their strength and aura, and asked the Adversary whether they seemed upset. He explained that since they were new, they likely wouldn’t know, and so he told them that it was imperative that they keep an eye on the Apostles’ moods, revealing that the entire villa could be destroyed if the Apostles were to get upset.

At the Adversary’s confusion, the Head Servant told them that, according to rumor, some of the Apostles weren’t on good terms with each other. He then confirmed that not only was the rumor true, but that it was also a severe understatement, as the Apostles weren’t just on bad terms, but outright aggressive with each other. The Head Servant explained that at the last Morning Star Banquet, the palace’s rear garden had been completely destroyed, and that a statue had been broken the year before.

As he trailed off, thinking about the many years’ worth of damage, the alarmed Adversary asked the Head Servant whether such a thing was okay. The Head Servant explained that normally, not even the Apostles themselves would dare to behave in such a way in front of the God-King, though he added that since the God-King rarely attended the banquets, they couldn’t count on the Apostles’ good behavior. He revealed that they couldn’t afford to destroy such a beautiful villa this time, and that they especially couldn’t risk destroying the garden, which had been tended to by ‘her’. Because of this, he told the Adversary that they needed to keep an eye on the Apostles and do whatever they could in the event that a fight broke out.

The Adversary asked whether they should break up the fight, to which the shocked Head Servant retorted that common people like them could never hope to break up a fight between the Apostles. He explained that their main focus needed to be on saving the expensive items in the villa first, and to minimize the damage wherever possible. He then told the Adversary that in order to do so, the most important thing was to check on the Apostles’ moods regularly.

The Adversary asked the Head Servant what the special mission he had mentioned was, to which he revealed that he was tasking them with monitoring the Apostles, as their good looks would help tremendously in that regard. Though the Adversary wondered how their appearance mattered for such a thing, the Head Servant told them to check on the Apostles and report back to him on whether any of them were upset. Realizing that it was a good opportunity to get information on the Apostles, the Adversary agreed to the Head Servant’s request before heading over to check on Reina.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Arteria storyline, they recognize Reina and note to themselves that they want to attack her. However, they recognize that they need to hold back for now, as it’s not part of the mission.)

The Adversary noted that Reina had no expression on her face, meaning that it would be difficult to know how she was feeling. Just then, they observed Reina wincing in great pain before she turned and noticed the Adversary. Reina approached them and asked them whether they were a servant of the villa before ordering them to pass on a message to her adjutant, Lystor.

She instructed them to inform him that she had received her orders and that she would go in first, while he was to stay and observe the situation further. After she walked away, the Adversary began wondering what she meant by ‘going in first’, though they realized that it likely didn’t matter, as Darmoor wasn’t present anyway. However, they noted that Reina had winced and wondered whether she was in some sort of pain.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Arteria storyline, they note that Reina hadn’t shown any signs of it in Arteria, causing them to wonder whether she had gotten injured, or whether there’s another reason.)

After observing Reina, the Adversary decided to observe Limbo.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Carcion storyline, they note to themselves that they’re facing Limbo once again, adding that they should have ended things in Carcion. However, they quickly see that Limbo is nervous and wonder if it’s just their imagination.)

They noticed that Limbo was sweating and appeared to be quite anxious, causing them to wonder whether something was going on. Just then, Limbo called them over and noted that since they were a servant, they would know whether Darmoor would be attending the banquet or not. He ordered them to tell him quickly, to which the Adversary hesitantly confirmed that they knew. An impatient Limbo anxiously snapped at them to give them a straight answer as to whether he would be attending the banquet at all, even for a short while. When the Adversary was unable to give him a direct answer, however, Limbo sent them away, seething that a servant wouldn’t know such a thing.

As the Adversary walked off, Limbo began speaking aloud to himself, noting that while there was no reason to stay if Darmoor wouldn’t be attending, he would also be standing out unnecessarily if he were to leave and Darmoor arrived later. He fretted over what to do, as he needed to quietly get through his next mission, praying that his failure at Carcion would be forgotten if he performed well. As he continued muttering anxiously, the Adversary noted to themselves that Limbo seemed quite worried about being held accountable for his colossal failure.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Carcion storyline, they wonder to themselves whether it’s really such a huge blow that he had been defeated in Carcion and retreated.)

As there was no further information that they could get out of overhearing him, the Adversary decided to check on Ypsilon’s mood next.

(A/N: Khali gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she notes that Ypsilon is still acting like a gentle lord. She then thinks to herself that he’ll meet his end at her hands alone.)

As they observed Ypsilon from a distance, the Adversary was surprised to see him turn and approach them. Ypsilon asked them whether they were the servant who had spoken to Reina earlier, before demanding to know where she had gone. The Adversary explained that Reina had gone ahead first, to which Ypsilon asked whether she had gone alone. The Adversary explained that she had ordered Lystor to stay, causing an intrigued Ypsilon to note that it was quite interesting, adding that even if the God-King wasn’t attending, it was still quite rude to leave the banquet early. He then began wondering with amusement whether Reina had left early because of the ‘side effects’ before dismissing the Adversary.

After Ypsilon walked away, the Adversary noted to themselves that Ypsilon had noticed Reina’s condition, though he hadn’t appeared particularly friendly to her, which seemed to confirm the Head Servant’s belief that the Apostles weren’t getting along with each other. They then decided to check up on Havoc’s condition, watching him speak with his adjutant, Avril.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Cernium storyline, they wonder whether they’ll be able to defeat Havoc if they fight again. However, they then realize that now isn’t the time to be thinking about that.

If the player hasn’t completed the Cernium storyline, they note to themselves that it seems dangerous to approach Havoc and instead decide to watch him speak from a distance.)

Avril asked Havoc whether the meeting had gone well, to which Havoc scoffed and retorted that it could hardly be called a meeting so much as an order being passed down as usual. Avril noted that he seemed rather pleased about it, regardless, to which he admitted that the order wasn’t bad, and that it was actually quite fun. He explained that as someone who hailed from a world on the precipice of annihilation, he couldn’t understand Darmoor’s reasoning behind his orders, though he added that since Grandis wasn’t his world, he couldn’t care less about it. At Havoc’s word, Avril admitted that she was worried about what kind of mission it was, to which Havoc promised her that he would give her the results that they deserved.

The Adversary immediately had a terrible feeling upon hearing about Havoc’s mission, though they realized that they wouldn’t get any more information now that Havoc and Avril had stopped talking. Instead, they decided to take a step back and look around the banquet hall. They soon came across Ressa and realized that he was the Apostle that Khafdi had been talking about. Ressa noticed the Adversary staring at him and approached them before staring at them intently.

The Adversary began wondering why he was looking at them when Ressa asked them whether they were a servant of the villa, noting that he was surprised to see a face that he couldn’t recognize. He asked them whether they had been newly hired for the banquet, adding that it wasn’t that strange, as they often hired short-term employees for such large events. He then noted that he didn’t know the faces of all the palace servants to begin with, to which the Adversary began laughing awkwardly.

Ressa then pointed out that he had been watching them going around and speaking with the Apostles for some time before asking whether it was his turn now. The Adversary hesitantly began explaining the task which the Head Servant had given them, to which Ressa replied that he had been thinking that they had been trying to do research on the Apostles.

At the Adversary’s surprised expression, Ressa added that he didn’t mind doing some research of his own. He then began wondering aloud to the nervous Adversary, listing off the Primacy, the Alliance, adding that perhaps there was some other party to consider as well. He remarked that none of them were worth Darmoor’s attention except for perhaps the Adversary themselves, though he added that not even they would be able to interfere with the next plan before laughing and asking the Adversary whether they agreed. Upon seeing the Adversary’s nervous expression, Ressa apologized and explained that a common servant wouldn’t have any idea what he was talking about. He then asked them to continue with their work, noting that since they were checking up on the Apostles, Baldrix was in the outer garden.

(A/N: Although we don’t really know much about Ressa and his powers, the fact that he was able to see through the Adversary’s disguise when none of the other Apostles could is a pretty clear testament to his abilities, especially given that Gob had mentioned that only a Transcendent like Darmoor would be able to see through his Ancient God technology.

With that being said, it’s also possible that Ressa had known about our disguise, as it later gets confirmed that our disguise was based on an actual High Flora servant whom Khafdi had kidnapped so that we could take their place. Ressa is always seen flipping a golden coin, and given his backstory as an influential man who gained power through his reputation, it’s possible that his role as the God-King’s messenger also extends to other important administrative tasks, meaning that he likely keeps track of little details like servants. If he was aware that the servant we’re replacing had gone missing, it’s likely that he figured out that we were with the Alliance or the Primacy, or perhaps the Adversary themselves, just from the fact that he was fully expecting one of Darmoor’s enemies to disguise themselves as a servant that conveniently went missing before the banquet.)

After Ressa walked away, the Adversary thought to themselves that Ressa was very hard to read, causing them to hope that he hadn’t discovered their true identity and simply left them alone. Though they wondered whether they ought to retreat, they quickly realized that running away would make them look even more suspicious, and so they decided to check up on Baldrix like Ressa had said.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Tallahart storyline, they note to themselves that Baldrix’s injuries from Tallahart are completely invisible now, causing them to wonder whether he’s already healed. They then wonder what in the world Baldrix really is.)

Baldrix noticed the Adversary approaching and told them to do as they pleased if they wished to look around the garden. He explained that he had left the villa because he wasn’t interested in banquets, adding that it was also quite rare to find such a beautiful garden. However, he warned them not to pick any of the flowers, explaining that the gardener who tended to the garden hated seeing her flowers ruined.

(A/N: The gardener in question is, of course, Asha. A small, interesting detail that we see in this event is that all the banquet flowers are the same golden flowers from Sefirot that Asha tends to, which are filled with mana.)

After he turned away, the Adversary realized that Baldrix had gone completely silent, and so they decided that they wouldn’t be able to get any information out of him. Instead, they mentally summarized everything they had learned, recalling how Reina had appeared injured, Limbo had been anxious about being reprimanded for failing his mission, Ypsilon hadn’t been on good terms with Reina, Havoc had been given new orders, Ressa had been suspicious of them, and Baldrix hadn’t given them any useful information. Having gained much to go on, the Adversary decided to continue watching the banquet.

Soon after they returned to the villa, a handsome High Flora servant came up to them and softly spoke that they seemed quite busy before asking whether they had gotten any information on the Apostles so far. At the Adversary’s shocked expression, the servant warned them to remain discreet, explaining that just as he had said, the Primacy had been planning to sneak into the banquet as well. Realizing that the servant was Khafdi, the Adversary asked him whether he was also using Gob’s device, to which Khafdi explained that he was actually presenting himself in his real form. Upon seeing the Adversary’s surprise, Khafdi revealed that not all High Flora followed Darmoor, and that there were definitely others like him.

(A/N: High Flora classes get exclusive dialogue here, in which Khafdi notes that the player is one of them.)

The Adversary asked Khafdi how he had recognized them, to which he explained that he was the one who had kidnapped the servant whom they were disguised as in the first place. He revealed that the Primacy’s original plan had been for Ailene to use the disguise if they had refused the mission, though he admitted that it was fortunate that they had agreed, as Ailene had no talent for acting.

He explained that he had been planning to infiltrate the banquet in his true form from the beginning, adding that being a High Flora came in handy during such situations. Khafdi told the Adversary approvingly that they seemed to have adapted well, as he had been worried that the servant’s good-looking appearance would have stood out too much. He then asked them to share the information that they had obtained on the Apostles later on.

As the Adversary continued working undercover at the banquet, they were soon approached by Lystor.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Arteria storyline, they recall how Lystor was Reina’s adjutant from Arteria.

If the player hasn’t completed the Arteria storyline, they wonder whether Lystor is the adjutant that Reina had spoken of.)

Lystor asked them whether they were a servant of the villa before asking where Reina was. The Adversary noted that Lystor appeared to be looking for Reina with haste, for which they passed on Reina’s message to him, explaining that she had gone ahead to carry out her mission first. A worried Lystor asked them whether Reina had appeared healthy before dismissing his question upon realizing that he would see for himself once he met her.

As he prepared to go after her, the Adversary told him that Reina had ordered him to stay behind and monitor the situation. Though Lystor was uncomfortable with his orders, he nevertheless thanked the Adversary for telling him before turning away. The Adversary noted to themselves that Lystor seemed worried about Reina, and that it was clear that she wasn’t feeling well.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Arteria storyline, they wonder to themselves whether it’s because of the draining crystal’s power that she had used in Arteria.)

Though they couldn’t know for certain why it was, they realized that if an Apostle could be weakened, even by a small amount, it was something worth keeping in mind.

(A/N: The Morning Star Banquet event is split into two parts, with this being the end of the first part. In the interlude, the player is technically supposed to be working undercover as a servant at the banquet and participating in the event activities, which leads them to interact with some of the other High Flora commoners working as servants as well. Although this isn’t strictly related to the main story, I decided to include the servant story in the writeup, since there are a few bits of exclusive dialogue and Primacy lore that we get from it.)

While working undercover at the banquet, the Adversary met with a servant named Kieran, who greeted them and asked them to come to him with work-related issues first, rather than the Head Servant, as he had been working for a long time as a servant and knew what to do in most cases. He explained that while it seemed like he was nagging, he was doing his best to keep things going smoothly for everyone’s safety, as this year’s banquet in particular was especially sensitive. In order to do so, he asked the Adversary to help out with preparing the banquet dinner, as well as helping another servant named Breumi with cleaning.

As the Adversary kept working, Kieran pointed out a tree and asked them whether they thought that there was something hanging from it. The Adversary decided to climb the tree and find out for themselves, to which Kieran noted that unless they could jump very high, there was no way to check. He admitted that commoners wouldn’t have to worry about such things if they had wings, though he quickly went silent and asked them not to tell anyone he had said that.

(A/N: Khali gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she just says “…”.)

The Adversary then began climbing the tree and obtained a fuel crystal, which was used to maintain the jewels in the villa. Kieran was shocked that the fuel crystal was all the way up there and thanked the Adversary for finding it, as they would get in grave trouble if the banquet guests were to find it lying around. At Kieran’s request, the Adversary placed the crystal back in the villa garden before anyone noticed.

Soon after, Kieran asked the Adversary whether they were doing anything urgent, as Breumi was looking for them. The Adversary met with Breumi, who covered their eyes and brought them to a room with the other servants. Kieran explained that it was one of the spare rooms in the banquet hall, and that it was out of the way enough that none of the Apostles would enter. He explained that the servants used it as a break room so that they could rest without being reprimanded. The Adversary asked whether it was okay for them to do so, to which the servants told them that it was important to take breaks, as working while fatigued would only lead to more mistakes.

Breumi explained that they had been working hard enough that she had prepared the room for them, as she didn’t believe that the Adversary would have even thought about taking a break if she hadn’t done so. At their surprised expression, Breumi noted that she had seen them working hard, even without them realizing it, and that she appreciated them helping her clean up.

One of the servants, Tia, agreed and explained that it had been a long time since they’d had such a quiet banquet, adding that one of the Apostles usually always destroyed the hall, making it extremely hard to clean up afterwards. Just then, another servant named Angelo appeared and asked them what they were all doing, causing the servants to jump in shock and stammer out an excuse. However, Angelo reassured them that he had also come to rest, to which the servants breathed a sigh of relief before sharing stories with each other.

(A/N: Amongst all the servants, Breumi is perhaps the most intriguing. She refers to herself in the third person whenever she speaks, and when we ask her about this, she explains that it’s because people keep mispronouncing her name. Even though she has a sweet and innocent personality, the way that she sharply corrects the player when we mispronounce her name makes it seem like there’s something a bit more insidious to her, similar to the way that Kaling is presented in Hoyoung’s storyline. She often makes a lot of references to cleaning and cleansing everything, and some people even suspect that Breumi - despite being a High Flora commoner - is someone who will take part in Darmoor’s great culling to ‘cleanse’ the world. Although this is something of a crack theory, I’d still keep my eye on her in case there’s any truth to it.)

Soon after, however, they heard the Head Servant loudly calling out in panic as he wondered why there were no servants in the hall, as an Apostle was angry and the villa was on the verge of destruction. Kieran, Tia, and Breumi decided to return to work and told the Adversary and Angelo to keep resting for a little longer. With everyone else gone, Angelo noted that they finally had privacy to talk and revealed that he was a member of the Primacy who had been asked by Gob to bring them something that Cledd had made after having seen them blending in better than expected.

(A/N: If the player hasn’t done the Extradimensional Visitors storyline, they wonder to themselves who Cledd was again. For context, Cledd is Gob’s robot butler who helps us repair the broken dimensional machine during the Extradimensional Visitors event.)

Angelo noted that while it was strange to be handing the package over at such a time, he pointed out that Gob was an Ancient God with a strange sense of humor. Soon after, Angelo told the Adversary that he had devised a way to enhance Gob’s illusory device with the power of magical morning starlight, granting it special abilities to help the Adversary hide their identity even better.

(A/N: The remainder of this section is part 2 of the Morning Star Banquet event.)

As the banquet continued, the Head Servant called the Adversary over urgently and asked them what the Apostles’ moods were. He was relieved when the Adversary reported that everything was going smoothly, noting that some of the Apostles had already left. Just then, however, he noticed that the atmosphere had gotten extremely tense and began worrying that a fight had broken out.

The pair rushed over to find Veronica confronting Ressa, laughing disparagingly that she had thought she had smelled something foul, adding that it was because of the ‘lowly human’ in the banquet hall. However, Ressa ignored her jibes and instead greeted her respectfully. He noted that she was the Vice Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar and added that it had been a while since he had seen her. He explained that he had heard about the hard time she’d had in Tallahart and asked her whether she was feeling okay.

Veronica snapped at him to save his words, declaring that she wasn’t weak enough that she needed a human to be concerned about her. She then demanded to know why he had come this time, to which Ressa replied that it would be difficult for him to talk about it to someone who wasn’t an Apostle, as his mission was to only convey the God-King’s will to the Apostles alone. However, he added that he was certain that Baldrix would relay Darmoor’s message to her whenever he deemed it appropriate.

As he turned to leave, Veronica reminded him about Kaling’s fate, noting how Kaling had been arrogant enough to become an Apostle, despite not being a High Flora, and that she had met a fool’s fate after being cast aside by the God-King once she was no longer useful. She warned Ressa to be careful, claiming that he’d fall straight to the bottom if he insisted on seating himself in a position that a human like him didn’t deserve.

(A/N: I have to begrudgingly respect Veronica for picking a fight with an Apostle in a public place, but at the same time: “Ma’am, this is a Wendy’s.”

On another note, this confirms that there’s a set number of Apostle positions available. Although it’s never explicitly been confirmed outright that there are twelve Apostles, it’s heavily implied, with this dialogue confirming that if not twelve, there’s at least a predetermined number of them.)

At Veronica’s words, Ressa – whose eyes were normally closed in a bright smile – opened them as he thanked her pleasantly for her advice. He then asked her whether he could give her some advice of his own in return. He told Veronica that he knew that she believed that Kaling’s empty seat would be hers, adding that becoming an Apostle wouldn’t be so easy, as she wasn’t as useful as she believed herself to be.

A furious Veronica opened her wings and floated in the air before declaring that even if she were to kill him at the God-King’s banquet, Darmoor wouldn’t mind at all if it resulted in the death of a lowly human. Suddenly, Ressa began radiating bright blue energy as he noted that he wouldn’t die so easily. As tensions continued to rise, the Head Servant began panicking over the idea of the villa being destroyed, while the Adversary wondered whether it would be best for them to retreat if a fight were to break out.

The Head Servant then noticed Avril watching from a distance and begged her to stop Veronica and Ressa’s fight. A surprised Avril asked him why he was asking her, to which the Head Servant pointed out that she had once been part of the Knights of the Einherjar, and that she knew Veronica personally as well. At Avril’s hesitation, the Head Servant promised not to charge her for the railing that Havoc had destroyed if she were to help him.

Reluctantly, Avril agreed and approached Veronica before calling on her to stand down. Veronica noticed Avril and angrily noted that she had first become an adjutant to a demon, and that she was now taking the side of a human. Avril quickly told Veronica that she wasn’t taking Ressa’s side, and that she had only come to tell her that fighting with humans wasn’t befitting of a Vice Captain of the glorious Knights of the Einherjar.

She noted that Veronica wasn’t fighting in a Syaman duel, and that there was no need to fight humans in such a public place, adding that she would handle things. After considering Avril’s words, Veronica stood down before telling Ressa that he was lucky, and that things wouldn’t turn out the same way next time. Ressa then dissipated his blue magic before Veronica turned and stormed off.

As Veronica left, Avril apologized to Ressa for cutting in, explaining that she hadn’t thought that it was a good idea for things to escalate further. Ressa replied that he was the one who should be sorry, as he had made a scene for nothing. He then told Avril to continue enjoying the banquet before heading off, with the Head Servant expressing his relief that Avril had resolved the situation peacefully. He then admitted that he never wanted to hold a banquet again, claiming that his heart couldn’t take any more.

However, he told the Adversary that they couldn’t let their guards down, as the banquet wasn’t over yet, and that there were other dangers besides the Apostles. He explained that the Apostles had come early for the banquet because of the meeting, and that their adjutants had come late, except for Lystor, who had come in with Reina.

As he believed that Lystor wouldn’t cause any trouble, he told the Adversary to check on the only other attending adjutants – Veronica, Avril, and Albaire – adding that he trusted them to see it through. Though the Adversary noted to themselves that they had gained the Head Servant’s trust without even meaning to, they believed that it was a good opportunity to get information from the adjutants on top of the Apostles, for which they decided to learn more by observing Veronica.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Tallahart storyline, they note that just as they had felt at Tallahart, Veronica is quite dangerous, for which they remind themselves to be careful.

If the player hasn’t completed the Tallahart storyline, they note that Veronica seems to be unhappy.

Adele gets exclusive dialogue that overrides both these lines for her. She notes that Veronica still has such great contempt for other races.)

The Adversary began overhearing Veronica seething aloud why Darmoor brought in lower races like humans and demons, granting them higher positions over the High Flora on top of everything. Looking at a nervous Limbo in the distance, Veronica wondered whether losers like Limbo, who were High Flora but still failed their missions, had lowered Darmoor’s standards in his own race. She then declared that it would be better to purge those who brought dishonor to the High Flora alongside the other races, noting that she would deliver much better results than they would before storming off. Her words caused the Adversary to wonder whether Veronica was hoping to attain the position of Apostle.

(A/N: Adele gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she notes that Veronica has always had a strong desire to attain a higher position.)

Having gotten some information by watching her, the Adversary traveled to the outdoor garden, where they found Avril sitting quietly. Avril noticed the Adversary and called them over before asking what the atmosphere of the banquet was now. After learning that Veronica had already left, Avril breathed a sigh of relief. She explained that she could barely handle dealing with Havoc, and that she had no desire to take on any more. She then explained that even if she had once been a Knight of the Einherjar, she hadn’t been particularly close to Veronica, which made her wonder why she had intervened.

After Avril walked away, the Adversary noted that she seemed tired from breaking up the fight, for which they decided to instead move on and meet with Albaire.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Carcion storyline, they recognize Albaire from Carcion and realize that he’s one of the banquet attendants.

Ark gets exclusive dialogue here that overrides other dialogue, in which he notes to himself that he can’t believe that he’s meeting Albaire again. He then resolves to be careful not to reveal his true identity.)

From a distance, the Adversary overheard Albaire noting how they had just received new orders at such a time, and that the sheer number of Apostles gathered together meant that it had to be major. He then began wondering aloud where the High Flora were going, causing the Adversary to realize that Albaire was questioning the current situation. With even the High Flora themselves doubting Darmoor’s orders, they began wondering what Darmoor was planning.

Having met with all the adjutants, the Adversary combed through the information they had gotten, recalling how Veronica had appeared dissatisfied with her position, Avril had been quite tired, and Albaire had been concerned about the new mission. Just then, the Head Servant asked the Adversary whether they had checked up on the adjutants. He, too, was relieved that Veronica had left, as the most dangerous person amongst them was now gone. As there were no more new attendees, he told the Adversary that they could rest easy now and focus on the other matters within the banquet.

Upon learning that there would be no more attendees, the Adversary decided to share what they had learned with Khafdi. Khafdi and the Adversary met in a quiet corner, where he was impressed to learn that they had gotten information from both the Apostles and the adjutants, as it would be helpful to know about the Apostles’ relationships with their second-in-command.

With the banquet half over and no more people attending, Khafdi believed that now was a good time to finish the mission. However, he warned them to be careful about leaving without drawing suspicion, adding that he himself would stay behind until the banquet was finished in the event that he could glean any other information. He thanked the Adversary for their hard work and promised to share everything he learned with the Alliance, adding that the two of them had been able to work quite well together.

(A/N: Please note: the Adversary’s appearance below depends on the player’s gender.)

On their way out, the Adversary began walking through the outdoor garden when he noticed a girl tending to the flowers, despite the hour being quite late. Believing that something suspicious was going on, the Adversary approached the gardener, Asha, who asked them whether they had gotten lost, as she hadn’t expected anyone to be taking a walk so late at night. The Adversary quickly made an excuse before asking Asha who she was. Asha merely introduced herself as the gardener, rather than by name, explaining that she had come to check on the flowers, believing that they may have been damaged by the banquet.

The Adversary was surprised that she was tending the garden alone at such a late hour, to which Asha explained that she hated having many people around. To their shock, Asha began radiating dark energy as she began explaining how people carelessly destroyed the flowers and made a mess of her garden without a second thought, adding that she had no desire to encounter such people. The Adversary noted the ominous and realized that she wasn’t an ordinary gardener. In order to calm her down, they complimented how well-kept and beautiful the garden was, to which a placated Asha explained that it was because she took good care of it, with the dark energy around her dissipating.

Recalling how the Adversary had said that they were lost, Asha explained that the central garden where the banquet was being held was to the west. She asked them to go on ahead, adding that she would continue taking care of the flowers. After a pause, Asha told them that they were free to continue seeing more of the garden, as she didn’t believe that they would harm the flowers.

The Adversary then began heading away, noting that Asha had appeared quite suspicious. As they recalled Baldrix’s warning to them about how the gardener hated to see her flowers ruined, the Adversary realized that Asha clearly wasn’t an ordinary gardener if she was worthy of being remembered by the Apostles themselves, noting to themselves that it would be good information to keep in mind.

(A/N: Asha being able to use magic is pretty interesting, as it suggests that her abilities have been augmented by Darmoor. This also increases the chance that we’re going to be able to face Asha in a combat situation in the future. Although it’s still unclear what role Asha has to play in the story, the fact that Darmoor has gone out of his way to make her stronger means that he at least intends for her to be fighting someone in the future, whether that’s the Adversary, the Alliance, or someone else. The end of this event makes it clear that Darmoor’s great culling will likely be the focus of the next area after Tallahart, and that we’ll likely start seeing more of his plan with the Ancient Gods’ power unfold.

One small, but interesting thing to note with the end of the event is that during the second half of the story, Melange’s NPC appears at the banquet hall. Although Melange doesn’t play any role in the event story, there’s a bit of exclusive dialogue that can be triggered by interacting with him.

If the player hasn’t done Esfera, they don’t recognize Melange and note that he’s dozing off, causing them to wonder if he’s just tired.

If the player has completed anywhere from Esfera to Limina, they’re surprised to see Melange and recall how he was from Grandis, though they note that they hadn’t expected to see him at the banquet.

If the player has completed Convergence, they’re surprised to see Melange after his betrayal and note that though there’s a lot that they want to say to him, they can’t risk revealing their identity, for which they decided to move on.

Melange’s presence at the banquet brings into question a lot about his identity within Darmoor’s ranks. We know that Melange wasn’t present at the Apostle meeting, as the ones who weren’t present were away on missions, implying that he isn’t an Apostle. This might mean that he could be an adjutant, although the Head Servant explicitly said that Veronica, Albaire, Avril, and Lystor are the only adjutants who were attending. Because of this, the two possibilities are that Melange is an Apostle who arrived late to the banquet after finishing his mission, or that he’s neither an Apostle nor an adjutant, but a third-party servant of Darmoor, similar to Asha’s situation.

Something else that’s interesting to note is that Magnus didn’t make any appearance in the event story, even when Melange did. It’s highly implied that Magnus is an Apostle, and I was kind of expecting this event to confirm it. The fact that Magnus has been absent from the continental Grandis story altogether is somewhat interesting, but also frustrating. I was really hoping for him to appear here, but I guess they’re still keeping him out of focus for now. The last that we saw him, both he and the Outrigger were pulled out of Heliseum in a mysterious vortex, and so it’s still up in the air as to what he’s been doing since then. If he’s an Apostle and he’s away on a mission, it could mean that he’s busy harvesting the power of the gods, meaning that we might even see him in a future story where we meet Satiras, although we’ll have to see how it plays out later.)