Suikoden III Story Scenes/Endings FAQ
Version 1.9, copyright dan crenshaw (dshaw999@bellsouth.net) 2002
last updated 1/7/2003
************************* SPOILER WARNING ********************************
************************* SPOILER WARNING ********************************
This FAQ contains specific details about key plot points and characters
regarding all 3 Suikodens. If you have not yet played through the games and
don't want anything ruined for you, stop reading now.
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Contact info:
Comments, suggestions, corrections are welcome as long as they pertain to this
FAQ. Please don't e-mail me about stuff like how to beat a certain boss or how
to recruit a character and so forth. It's very helpful if you put "Suikoden"
or "FAQ" in the e-mail's subject header so I'll know it's related to this
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as from "anonymous".
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Update info:
The new content in this update includes:
-Added 2 new "hidden" scenes and more detailed content for the scene where
Chris receives Jimba's memento and what happens if Lucia beats Chris in their
duel
-Added proper credit to suikosource.com for Fury runes location, something I
absentmindedly forgot in the last version
-Added info. from nihon concerning gametz.com as another source for obtaining
Suikoden I and II
-Added 10 play transcripts in a new section
-Added (belated) thanks to gamefaqs message board, CJayC, and gamefaqs to
acknowledgements section
I'm still curious to see if there's any differences if you get Estella with
Geddoe or Hugo since most people get her with Chris. One of these days when I
play through the game again I'll note it if there's anything special. Nothing
else planned for future updates except corrections or if something major is
discovered.
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1. Introduction/Purpose of FAQ
2. Quick Questions/Long Answers
2a. What order should I play the chapters?
2b. How many POV's are there?
2c. Do I have to play Thomas' chapters?
2d. When is the last time I can save before picking a Flame Champion?
2e. Who should I pick as Flame Champion?
2f. What does "Rincar" mean?
2g. Should I play Suikoden I and II first? [updated]
2h. Can you give me some strategies on how to beat [X]?
2i. Can you tell me how to recruit [X]?
2j. What are the unwinnable battles in the game?
2k. Seriously, can you give me some tips?
3. "Hidden" Scenes
3a. Introduction
3b. Hugo v. Chris pt. 1
3c. Chris receives Jimba's memento [updated]
3d. Geddoe v. Borus
3e. Borus and Percival discuss the Karaya raid
3f. Thomas meets Chris [NEW]
3g. Goodbye, Iowa--Saint Loa Knights' farewell
3h. Chris v. Lucia [updated]
3i. Lilly attacks! [NEW]
3j. Geddoe v. Duke and Luc
3k. Hugo v. Chris pt. 2
3l. Chris recruits Gordon
3m. Chris recruits Mel
3n. Hugo recruits Belle
3o. Hugo and the Saint Loa Knights reunite
3p. The final battles
3q. Futch and Viki with Luc
3r. Sasarai and Dios
4. Characters/Plot Analyses
4a. Introduction
4b. Conspiracy Theory-The Karaya Raid
4c. Luc
4d. Yuber
4e. Sarah
4f. Albert
4g. Chris
4h. Geddoe
4i. Hugo
4j. Hugo + Chris + Geddoe = McDohl?
4k. An (edited) rant on Apple, Chris, and Teleportation
5. Flame Champion Stories
5a. Introduction
5b. Hugo's Story
5c. Geddoe's Story
5d. Chris' Story
6. Chapter 4 and 5
7. Flame Champion Endings
7a. Introduction
7b. Hugo's Endings
7c. Geddoe's Endings
7d. Chris' Endings
8. Luc's POV
8a. Introduction
8b. Luc's Story
9. The 108 Stars of Destiny Roll Call
10. Bath Conversations
10a. Introduction
10b. Estella and Chris
10c. Bazba, Shiba, and Dupa
10d. Futch, Franz, and Fred
10e. Melville, Louis, and Rody
10f. Estella and Little Viki
10g. Ayame and Chris
10h. Jacques, Watari, and Toppo
11. Play Transcripts
11a. Introduction
11b. Romeo and Juliet 1
11c. Imperial Love 1
11d. William Tell 1
11e. Neclord's End
11f. Romeo and Juliet 2
11g. Imperial Love 2
11h. William Tell 2
11i. The Little Match Girl
11j. He Cried Wolf
11k. Romeo and Juliet 3
12. Acknowledgements
13. Version History
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1. Introduction/Purpose of FAQ
Suikoden III employs a gameplay device called the Trinity Sight System (TSS).
This means the overall story is played through the point of view (POV) of three
different main characters. After you have played through Hugo, Geddoe, and
Chris' chapter 3's, you are asked to choose a new Flame Champion. This FAQ
describes the different events, plot points, and conversations for each main
character as Flame Champion. In addition, a detailed description of the sixth
POV, that of Luc, is also included. Finally, the individual endings for each
of the 108 Stars of Destiny is provided.
After completing the game the first time, and having not saved at the critical
point before choosing a Flame Champion, I realized how much of a pain it was to
play another 50 hours just to see about two hours worth of different scenes. I
decided to write this FAQ for those players who wish to know what's different
for each character as Flame Champion without investing a lot of time replaying
the game. I have also provided information relating to some scenes that are
easy to miss as well as a description of my own order of playing through the
chapters. Lastly, I have added a character/story analysis section to discuss
some of the relevant plot points and main characters from the game.
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2. Quick Questions/Long Answers
2a. What order should I play the chapters?
The definition of an "optimal" order is quite subjective. You are given the
choice of playing through one character's chapters 1-3, or doing it by
alternating chapter 1's, then chapter 2's, and so on. Some people will no
doubt enjoy doing it the former way, others will prefer the latter. The order
I have listed below is my personal opinion of the best order for players going
through the game for the first time. It gives the player duel/dialogue options
related to the "hidden" scenes section as well as minimizing spoilers.
Hugo 1
Chris 1
Geddoe 1
Thomas 1
Chris 2
Hugo 2
Geddoe 2
Hugo 3
Thomas 2
Geddoe 3
Chris 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
As far as difficulty goes, Geddoe's early chapters are more difficult in terms
of the enemies you face so I suggest first time players do Chris/Hugo's
chapters first to get a good grasp of the gameplay. If you're playing the game
for a second time, I highly recommend playing each characters' chapters in
blocks (1-3 consecutively) to get a more complete perspective on each
individual story. You may be surprised how your opinion can change about the
characters by doing it this way.
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2b. How many POV's are there?
Six: Chris, Geddoe, Hugo, Thomas, Koroku (the dog), and Luc. To play as the
dog, recruit him at Mt. Hei Tou then visit him near his kennel outside of
Budehuc Castle's dining room/theater. To play as Luc, recruit all of the
possible 104 stars before the final strategy battle in chapter 5 and do not
have anyone killed in the strategy battles. Luc, Sarah, Yuber, and Albert will
then be listed on the Tablet of Stars as the remaining 4 stars.
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2c. Do I have to play Thomas' chapters?
No, they are optional. You have up until chapter 4 to play Thomas' POV. If
you proceed to chapter 4 without playing his POV, you will be warned that going
any further means you can't play his POV. If you elect not to play as Thomas,
he, Cecile, Piccolo, Sebastian, Muto, Martha, Juan, Eike, and Shizu will join
as Stars of Destiny in chapter 4. The new Flame Champion will then be given
the option of re-naming Budehuc Castle when you first go there.
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2d. When is the last time I can save before picking a Flame Champion?
After you have completed Hugo, Geddoe, and Chris' chapter 3's, you will have
the option to save before going to chapter 4. This is the last opportunity
you have to save before choosing a Flame Champion.
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2e. Who should I pick as Flame Champion?
Whichever character is your favorite. If you're looking at it purely from the
perspective of getting the most mileage out of the True Runes, the best
candidate is Hugo, the worst is Chris. However, keep in mind you can find
items that will enhance a person's ability with certain magic. Therefore,
while Chris' maximum skill with Fire is only a C, if you acquire some Fire
Magic Rings and equip her with a Wizard Hat, you can boost it up to an A+. My
suggestion is to just to pick your favorite character; there's no boss you
can't beat with any number of different group combinations anyway.
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2f. What does Rincar mean?
A few people have e-mailed me asking about this so I thought I'd go ahead and
include it. It's short for "Rune Incarnation".
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2g. Should I play Suikoden I and II first? [updated]
Suikoden III can be enjoyed as a standalone game-its story and characters have
only very minor ties to the previous two games. I suggest you play Suikoden I
and II moreso because they are great games (better than Suikoden III, IMHO)
rather than as an issue of continuity. The previous games did not employ the
Trinity Sight System, had different combat/strategy battle systems, and had
different mini-games. The similarities include building up a castle, the 108
Stars of Destiny story frame, use of rune magic, a plot revolving around True
Runes, and the general smart alecky humor of the characters. My personal
opinion of ranking the games is, from best to last, II, I, and III. In terms
of game length, I'd say Suikoden I will take you around 15 hours and II around
35 hours or so to complete. Suikoden II has several highly addictive mini-
games that can add a lot of hours to that 35, though.
The only things you get for loading Suikoden II data into Suikoden III are two
extra scripts (with plays related to events in Suikoden I and II), boosted
levels for Futch, big Viki, and Belle, and references to the names you gave to
the heroes/armies of the previous games. In terms of acquiring the old games,
your best bet is the bargain bin/used section of a local retailer. A couple of
friends of mine have been able to get the old games by asking their local store
to hold on to a copy if someone trades it in. Your other avenue is ebay or
half.com, but I imagine because of their scarcity you'll have to pay more than
the original price. And before you ask, I am not selling my copies of the old
games ^_^
nihon e-mailed me about a site called gametz.com where you may also be able to
get a copy of Suikoden I and II. I don't know too much about this site nor
have I ever tried it, but I am including it for those who'd like to look into
it further. In no way am I endorsing gametz.com or suggesting you go there-I'm
putting it in here mainly because 1/3 of the e-mails I get are related to how
someone can get a hold of the older games outside of ebay or half.com. Use it
at your own risk. Thanks to nihon for providing info. about gametz.com.
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2h. Can you give me some strategies on how to beat [X]?
No, that's beyond the scope and intent of this FAQ.
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2i. Can you tell me how to recruit [X]?
See previous answer. Ryvius has an excellent, spoiler-free FAQ right here at
gamefaqs listing how to recruit all the stars.
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2j. What are the unwinnable battles in the game?
I'm aware of the following:
-Hugo Chapter 1, Melville v. Guillaume duel
-Thomas Chapter 2, strategy battle where Leo and Percival show up
-Thomas Chapter 2, fight with the 4 Zexen regulars inside Lake Castle
-Hugo Chapter 3, Hugo v. Yuber duel
-Chapter 4, strategy battle outside Chisha
-Chapter 4, Chris is Flame Champion, strategy battle v. Sarah and Yuber
Thanks to Mr KO and Emperor Magus from the gamefaqs message board-I had
incorrectly listed two battles that are indeed winnable for this question.
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2k. Seriously, can you give me some tips?
-Recruit only support characters with Geddoe. His party is fixed and cannot be
changed during his chapters 1-3 with only very minor exceptions.
-Recruit Kidd with Hugo in his chapter 3. In the latter part of that chapter,
Hugo can encounter a monster called Bronze Sun in the Ancient Highway. These
monsters drop Fury runes, which put the user into automatic Berserk status. It
is one of the best non-True Runes in the game, IMO, because it turns great
fighters into monsters and marginal fighters into serviceable ones. Kidd has
the highest Treasure Hunt skill at "C" so he helps in this regard. Credit to
suikosource.com for the location of the Fury runes.
-Don't be in a rush to recruit "logically". The game tends to push you in a
certain direction as far as who recruits who (such as Chris recruiting Estella
and Geddoe recruiting Edge). Keep in mind, though, that a number of characters
come in at a level dependent on who recruits them. These characters are:
Kenji, Augustine, Watari, Ayame, Twaikin, Sanae Y, Wan Fu, Estella, Rody,
Gadget Z, Belle, and big Viki
Instead of grabbing these characters as soon as you can, if you wait until
you're at a higher level, they will come in at a similar high level. This also
includes them having more skills and skill points, not to mention saving you
time in bumping them up levels. Their equipment is always pre-set, however.
If you're playing through the game for a second time, definitely try to recruit
differently-you'll get different scenes at least and some of them are quite
interesting.
-During chapters 4 and 5 when you're leveling up/boosting your characters, make
use of the O button. Whenever you're at the item store, Jeane's rune shop,
your warehouse, learning from Juan/Ernie, or upgrading with Peggi, you can
access your entire roster by pressing O. This is a great time saver so you
don't have to switch out party members back and forth with Anne to sharpen
weapons, learn skills, upgrade armor, etc.
-The best way to earn money starting in chapter 4 is by making use of the
Prosperity Set. When the entire set is equipped on a character, the amount of
potch you receive per battle is multiplied by a significant amount. After
equipping the set, go to the Flame Champion Hideaway to fight the Copper Suns.
In about 10-15 minutes, you can rack up 999,999 potch. Bringing along Elliot,
whose Potch Finder ability is the best at "C", also helps. You can win the
Tunic of Prosperity at Billy's card game (5,000 bet, random-save before you
play-if you end up with Potted Cactus, just reload and try again) and the other
two Prosperity items, the Ring and Hat, are rare finds at Chisha's item shop.
Estella also comes with the Prosperity Hat. Credit Abraxas from the gamefaqs
message board for first posting about the Prosperity Set.
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3. "Hidden" Scenes
3a. Introduction
I call them "hidden" for lack of a better word. There are some scenes you may
have missed depending on who is in your party when you recruit someone, what
decisions you made in previous chapters, and who you have in your party during
the last series of battles. I have also included some battle option dialogue
and what happens if you choose to fight/not to fight. I've also included
transcripts of certain recruitment scenes that stand out or are tied in with
certain story events.
There's other optional fights/scenes I won't go into detail about for the sake
of brevity. Namely, in Hugo's chapter 1 and chapter 3, you can fight
Leo/Percival and Leo/Roland, respectively, if you choose the more aggressive
option. Neither fight is very interesting in terms of the dialogue or anything
else. In Hugo's chapter 2, there's the optional fight with Yuber in the
Ancient Highway. This one gets discussed a lot on the gamefaqs message board
but you don't get much EXP or skill points so it's not worth it to me. The
lone item you get, a Gold Emblem, is a common item later in the game. Lastly,
if you recruit Arthur with Hugo, Hugo will confess to him that it was he who
broke through the checkpoint.
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3b. Hugo v. Chris pt. 1
This occurs at the end of Hugo's chapter 1 right after Lulu is killed. If you
play Hugo's chapter 1 before Chris' chapter 1, you will have the option to
simply ask "Why?!" or "You'll pay dearly!" The second option puts you in a
duel with Chris. Picking "Why?!" gives the following dialogue:
Hugo, still holding Lulu, looks at Chris: "Why?! I demand to know why!"
Chris closes her eyes and looks down: "I did not know a child was attacking
me."
Hugo lays Lulu down and stands up: "The truce was a lie. It was a lie to make
this easier for you!"
Chris: "No! Not true!"
Hugo prepares to draw his dagger but Sgt. Joe stops him.
If you picked the more violent option, you get 3 rounds to duel Chris. I've
never beaten her but I believe it is possible. I've lost on purpose and the
scene that follows was the same if it was a draw. After fighting her, the
following scene takes place:
Hugo stands at the ready, breathing heavily with his dagger drawn. Salome
rushes up on horseback, followed by Roland and some Zexen infantry. Sgt. Joe
gets in front of Hugo to keep him back and Salome does likewise with Chris.
Salome: "Captain, we are ready to go."
Sgt. Joe: "Hugo, don't!"
Hugo: "Stay out of my way, Sergeant!"
Chris sheathes her sword: "..."
Salome: "Let us be gone. Time is still of the essence."
Chris turns her horse around and silently walks away from Hugo with the rest of
the Zexens. She does not look back at Hugo, Sgt. Joe, or Lulu.
Regardless of which choice you picked, the rest of the scene plays out the same
with Sgt. Joe telling Hugo that he is Lucia's son and he doesn't want him to
meet the same fate as Lulu.
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3c. Chris receives Jimba's memento [updated]
In Hugo's chapter 1, you can deliver Jimba's pentacle to Chris' butler. If you
did so and did not play Chris' chapter 1 yet, you will see Chris receiving the
memento at the end of her chapter 1. Chris sits on her couch after coming
back from the Zexen Council meeting.
Chris: "Whew! I'm terribly tired."
Butler: "If it's not too much of a bother, might you spare a few minutes,
madam?"
Chris: "Sure. What do you need?"
The butler leaves to retrieve the pentacle and Chris stands up as he comes
back into the room.
Butler: "Lady Chris."
He hands Chris the pentacle and she examines it closely.
Chris: "This coat of arms is..."
Butler: "Yes, milady, this belongs to the Lightfellow Family. And..."
Chris: "It is! It belonged to my dear father..."
Butler: "As you say, milday..."
Chris: "Where did you find it?"
Butler: "A Grassland boy brought it here in your absence. Don't worry. He
was paid fairly for his efforts."
Chris: "A boy from the Grasslands..." (Chris looks off in the distance,
probably wondering if the "boy" is Hugo whom she met earlier)
If you did not deliver the memento or if you played Chris' chapter 1 before
Hugo's chapter 1, Chris simply sits down at her chair and says, "The Oath of
the Knights..." By the way, whether or not you took any reward for delivering
the pentacle as Hugo, the butler will still tell Chris you were "paid fairly".
In that same scene when you play as Hugo, if you don't take any reward and say
it was just a favor for Jimba, Hugo will pass on Jimba's message that the
Zexen who owned the pentacle died heroically. The butler fails to relay this
part of the message regardless of what choices you made.
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3d. Geddoe v. Borus
This occurs in Geddoe's chapter 1 during the Zexens' raid on Karaya. After
talking with Queen, you can opt to fight Borus or simply sneak past him. If
you pick the fight option, the following occurs:
Geddoe: "I have an inkling...If my opponent is none other than Borus, one of
the Mighty Six Zexen Knights, I will be content."
Queen shakes her head: "You have some odd inclinations. Very well, I'll go
with you. Let me leave a sign first."
Queen draws a sign in the ground and the two of them calmly walk up to Borus.
Borus: "And you are?"
Geddoe: "I am your opponent, Borus."
Borus: "Why side with cowardly savages who have killed our knights in such a
dishonorable fashion? (he swings his sword) This warrants a fight!"
Geddoe draws his sword: "Good. That's exactly what I want."
After he's beaten, we see Borus on the ground on one knee with Geddoe and Queen
standing over him.
Borus bows his head: "How careless of me..."
Geddoe sheathes his weapon: "Perhaps you're too sentimental. Not very
becoming for a knight."
Borus looks up at him: "Grrr..."
Geddoe: "This is also a coincidence, I suppose..."
Geddoe and Queen calmly walk past Borus. Two mounted Zexen Knights block their
exit and draw their swords.
Borus: "Hold it!"
Knight: "Sir Borus?"
Borus: "Stop it...Those two are not our enemies."
Knight: "Not our enemies?"
The Knights put away their weapons and stand aside.
Queen looks back at Borus: "Well, excuse me."
As they walk away, Borus stands up: "Gather the troops. Hurry."
If you opt instead not to fight, this happens:
Geddoe: "We should stay out of this if we can."
Queen nods: "I guess. Let me leave our sign."
Queen draws a mark in the ground. Geddoe draws his sword and says, "Let's go!"
The two make a break for it and are spotted by Borus, who swings his sword down
at Geddoe. Geddoe parries his attack and the two lock swords as Queen runs by
them. She throws a flash bomb at the Zexens, temporarily blinding them as she
and Geddoe run to the exit. Borus orders the Zexens to follow but are cut off
by a hail of arrows that land right in front of them (I'm guessing Jacques).
The scene afterwards where Geddoe's team re-assembles on the area overlooking
Karaya in flames is the same regardless of what choice you made. Unlike the
vast majority of the optional battles in the game, I think this one is worth it
to do. Geddoe and Queen are usually mid-20's level in this fight and can gain
about 3-4 levels along with 100+ skill points each. In case you're wondering,
if you did the level 99 trick with Chris (see suikosource.com if you want to
know what the trick is), Borus will not be at level 99 in this fight.
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3e. Borus and Percival discuss the Karaya Raid
You can view this scene during Thomas' chapter 1 when he's given the letter to
deliver to the Zexen Knights. At Brass Castle, go to the room with the bujutsu
trainer and you will see Borus and Percival in the corner by the stairs.
Percival walks up to Borus: "What do you want to talk about, Borus? Something
on your mind?"
Borus nods: "Yes, as a matter of fact there is."
Percival: "That's a new one! Fearless and reckless Borus--the man who doesn't
even know the word 'consequence'--is troubled?"
Borus closes his eyes and looks down: "Don't tease me, Percival."
Percival's face turns serious: "Is it about Karaya Village?"
Borus: "Yeah."
Percival: "Don't tell me you're..."
Borus: "No, that's not it. I'm not going back on the pledge I made to Lady
Chris. It's just that..."
Percival: "Spit it out, man."
Borus turns and walks up to the wall, putting a fist to it.
Borus: "It's not bad to be passionate, especially about our work. It's a good
trait for a knight. We live and die by the sword. But I went too far! I let
anger control me!"
Percival: "I think I would've done the same thing if I'd heard about the
Lizard Clan's surprise attack and Myriam and Lanchet's deaths. I'd be furious!
Who wouldn't be?"
Borus: "But when a knight starts to attack unarmed villagers, (he pounds the
wall with his fist) he's no longer a man. He's an animal!"
Percival: "..."
The scene fades to black and we see Cecile and Thomas hiding behind the weapons
racks. They can't hear what the two Knights are discussing and are promptly
found out by a guard. They leave the room without further incident.
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3f. Thomas meets Chris [NEW]
If you played Chris' chapter 2 before Thomas' chapter 1 and visited Lake Castle
with her, you will definitely see this scene. You may still see it even if you
didn't do it in this order but I'm not sure. After Thomas finds the document
stating that Lake Castle is a free trade area and he appoints Sebastian to be
innkeeper, go to his bedroom and elect to Rest. The scene picks up as Thomas
wakes up.
Thomas stretches out and yawns as he awakes.
Thomas: "...Another day of work..."
Cecile and Sebastian together: "T-Thomas!"
They rush into the bedroom as Thomas tries to calm them down.
Thomas: "What's the matter?"
Sebastian: "W-Well..."
We see Chris entering the waiting room on Lake Castle's second floor. We then
get Thomas' POV as he looks at Chris through an open crack in the doorway.
Thomas: "That's..."
Cecile: "That's the commander of the Zexen Knights. How amazing! Who
would've thought Lady Chris would come to our castle?"
Sebastian: "What are you talking about? This can only mean...This can only
mean that our free trade area has become known to the Council. What are you
going to do Thomas? The commander of the Zexen Knights herself has come here.
How will we get out of this one?"
Cecile: "I guess they found out about it right away. That's our Zexen Knights
for you."
Thomas: "I'm not afraid. I'll simply explain the way it is."
Sebastian smiles with relief: "If anyone can sway them, it's you, sire. I
doubt if they'll execute you right away, if that's any consolation."
Thomas: "H-Hey, don't scare me like that."
The scene then plays out as in Chris' chapter 2 where she agrees to turn a
blind eye. It picks up afterward as we see Cecile, Sebastian, and Thomas at
the gate looking at Chris as she trots away on her horse.
Thomas: "Whew! Just as Sebastian said, I think I lost ten years of my life."
Cecile: "But, thank goodness you weren't executed on the spot. I was all
ready to fight them off."
Thomas: "Hahahaha...But that Lady Chris sure is incredible, isn't she? It's
not that she's scary...How can I put it? I guess it's too complicated to
explain."
Sebastian: "I guess even the most noted heroes suffer hardships like the rest
of us. I suppose she sympathizes."
Thomas nods: "I suppose."
Sebastian: "It's not like we haven't suffered our share. At least we still
have bread to eat. Which reminds me, I'd better bake some for tomorrow!"
Thomas: "Uh...I suppose."
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3g. Goodbye, Iowa--Saint Loa Knights' farewell
If you did Hugo's sidequest with Melville in his chapter 1, at the start of
Chris' chapter 2 you can view this scene. Before meeting Borus at the gate, go
to the Guild Hall area. You will see Melville, Alanis, and Elliot standing by
the area you would enter to go to the shops. Credit Tatooine Ozzel from the
gamefaqs message board for correcting my mistake-I previously stated that this
scene took place during Chris' chapter 1:
Alanis is standing in front of Melville and Elliot. They all have their heads
down. Alanis looks up at them and speaks.
Alanis: "...I have to go now. My father is waiting."
Elliot: "I will never forget about you, Alanis! I promise!"
Alanis: "Are you sure? You are so forgetful, you know."
Elliot: "I won't! You can depend on it!"
Alanis nods: "Thanks."
Elliot turns to Melville, who is still looking at the ground: "You have to say
goodbye, too, Melville."
Melville: "..."
Alanis: "Melville..."
Melville looks up and approaches Alanis: "Alanis...I just want to say that the
Saint Loa Knights will exist as long as we live. So you will..."
Alanis: "I will what?"
Melville: "...I'm giving you a mission, Alanis. As the Second Knight and
'Silver Maiden' of the Saint Loa Knights, you'll accompany your father this
day. However, you must also promise to return to us one day. Deal?"
Alanis nods and smiles: "...Deal! We will meet again. I know we will!"
Elliot nods: "Yes! Now it's time to do our thing. Who knows when we'll get
another chance?"
Melville: "What's 'our thing'?"
Alanis: "Are you really going to do it this time? You were too shy before."
Elliot: "I'm ready! Let's do it!"
Melville steps back: "All right. Are you ready?"
The screen fades to white. I cannot give this scene its just due-there's a
rapid succession of cuts and zoom ins/zoom outs as the three of them do their
victory poses. Some camera rotations and the "hero" music add to the flavor:
Melville strikes his pose: "I am Melville, the Swordsman of Rage of the Saint
Loa Knights!"
Alanis does her pose: "I am Alanis, the Silver Maiden of the Saint Loa
Knights!"
Elliot's turn: "I am Elliot, the Swordsman of Gale of the Saint Loa Knights!"
The camera highlights each of them in turn.
Melville: "Together, we are the Saint Loa Knights!"
The camera cuts quickly frame by frame away from them then zooms back down to
them in their heroic poses.
Elliot: "We did it!"
Melville: "Ha, ha, ha, ha! All right, Elliot! You made it all the way
through without a hitch this time!"
Alanis: "That's the way it should be every time. Keep practicing, Elliot,
until we meet again..."
Elliot: "OK!"
The three of them stand at ease.
Alanis: "Well, I guess this is goodbye."
Alanis steps toward the camera, passing between Melville and Elliot. As she
approaches, she smiles and closes her eyes. Melville and Elliot run up.
Melville: "See ya, Alanis!"
Elliot: "Don't forget us!"
The screen fades to black. We see Chris smiling as she regards the scene.
Chris: "Hee hee. The Swordsman of Rage must be Borus and the Swordsman of
Gale must be Percival. I hope Leo doesn't sulk about that."
Chris heads to the gate where Borus and Louis are waiting.
Louis: "Good morning, Lady Chris. Are we leaving now?"
Borus: "What took you so long, milady? Did you stop by somewhere?"
Chris: "I had a vision of the future Borus and Percival."
Borus: "Future me and Percival? What does Lady Chris mean?"
Louis: "No idea, sir."
Chris: "Never mind, just a daydream. Come on, we have to hurry back!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3h. Chris v. Lucia [updated]
If you do Chris' chapter 2 before Hugo's chapter 2, you will be given the
option to duel Lucia during the Zexen raid on the Great Hollow. After Lucia
tells Chris she has the blood of innocent Karayans on her sword, you are given
the option of saying nothing or telling Lucia to stop her false accusations.
If you choose the latter, Lucia challenges you to duel. If you pick no, Chris
smiles and shakes her head, saying the following:
"I cannot. It is a disgrace for a Zexen Knight to fight that way with a
barbarian."
Since this is smarmy and totally out of character for Chris, I'd advise you not
to pick it. If you accept Lucia's challenge, then you go into a real duel
where you can win or lose. If you lost, you see Lucia standing over Chris who
is on one knee and breathing heavily. The other Zexen Knights rush to her aid
to prevent Lucia from delivering the final blow. Chris tells them to stop
their attack and orders a withdrawal. If you beat Lucia, the following scene
plays out:
You see Chris standing with her sword drawn, breathing heavily. Lucia is on
one knee with the Grassland warriors behind her.
Lucia: "So you...are a...hero for...a reason."
Chris: "The outcome has been decided, Chief of Karaya."
Beecham and a Karaya Fighter rush in front of Lucia.
Beecham: "You'll not take our leader's head before taking mine!"
If you choose not to duel Lucia by picking ".....", then Salome speaks up on
Chris' behalf, saying the Zexens will wage war if that's what the Grasslanders
want. Lucia retorts by saying their sneak-attack massacre is not what the
Karayans call war. At this point, you can have Chris speak up and say the
Knights will do their duty to protect Zexen. If you choose the other option
("But..."), Roland speaks up for Chris and says they will defend Zexen.
Regardless of what choices you made, a Zexen soldier runs up to Salome to tell
him the Harmonian Army is on the move. If you beat Lucia in a duel, she will
tell Chris that she won't forget this defeat. If things ended peacefully with
no duel, Chris walks away and tells Lucia to stop calling her "White Maiden."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3i. Lilly attacks! [NEW]
This scene occurs in Hugo's chapter 2 in the Ancient Highway when you encounter
Luc's group at the giant door. The way to see this scene:
-When Sgt. Joe asks what you make of Luc's group, pick either choice because
this doesn't matter ("Hard to say" or "They don't look like allies")
-When Sgt. Joe asks what you should do next, pick "Hmm, what's the best way"
then agree to Lilly's plan to attack. This gives you the scene and is the
only way to avoid the fight with Yuber.
The scene in its entirety starting with the correct dialogue choices:
Reed: "Why don't we just decide what we're going to do. We can't hide here
forever."
Sgt. Joe: "He's right."
Hugo: "Hmm, what's the best way..."
Lilly stands up: "The answer is obvious."
Samus: "?"
Lilly stands to face the rest of the group, a scowl on her face and her fists
tightly clenched.
Lilly: "Frontal assault!" (she nods in agreement with her own proclamation)
Hugo: "I agree."
Reed: "Don't be absurd! (Lilly glares at him) Ahem, milady."
Sgt. Joe: "We don't know enough about them for something like that."
Fubar agrees: "Kuuee!"
Lilly: "What?!"
Hugo: "I agree with Lilly."
Lilly turns to face him: "My Hugo...you understand! It's so sweet of you to
always say how right I am. (she turns to address the others) Now, let's
kill'em all!"
Sgt. Joe looks at Hugo: "Bad move, boy."
The screen fades to black and we see Luc's group still trying to open the door.
They decide to leave and try again later.
Lilly: "Attack!!!"
The sound of triumphant music plays as we get a full "hero" shot of Lilly and
the others. The camera shoots upward toward their faces, making them look
like giants with Lilly in the forefront with her hands on her hips. Luc's
group turns to look at them.
Yuber: "!"
Sarah: "Karayan...survivors?"
Lilly: "Charge!"
Lilly rushes toward the screen as the others look on in utter astonishment at
her actions. They stare at each other for a second then follow her lead. The
camera shifts and we see that Lilly has "courageously" charged--the exit going
past Luc's group that is. Luc and his team look after them, stupified.
Albert: "Fools!"
Hugo's team has escaped, the heroic music still playing behind them.
Luc: "But...how?!"
Albert: "..."
The screen fades to black and we see Hugo's team hunched over in exhaustion
from heroically sprinting away. Lilly turns to face the group and smiles.
Lilly: "Now that was dangerous. Our valor is commendable."
Sgt. Joe and Hugo, still exhausted, look at her in amazement.
Sgt. Joe: "That is quite an analysis, considering we ran away!"
Lilly: "What are you huffing and puffing about? They never had a chance! We
were too much for them! But let's pick up the pace, just in case they come
after us."
I'm not sure how this scene carries over to Luc's POV since it's replayed in
that scenario. I'm too Suikodened out to play through the entire game again to
see the difference but if I do one of these days, I'll note it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3j. Geddoe v. Duke and Luc
Sounds like a Dukes of Hazzard reference. Anyway, in Geddoe's Chapter 2, when
you encounter Duke's team in Mt. Senai you have the option of fighting them or
simply walking away. Picking the first choice will throw you into a battle
with Duke, Elaine, Nicolas, and Gau, followed by another battle with Luc and
Sarah. Picking the third choice ("That Bishop is up to something") will avoid
both fights. This is the other fight that I think is worth doing. You won't
get any items, but the experience and skills point boost from Luc and Sarah
are pretty good, not to mention the satisfaction of beating Duke's team.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3k. Hugo v. Chris pt. 2
If you do Hugo's chapter 3 before Chris' chapter 3, you are given a couple of
options when you meet her in Chisha Village after fighting off the Harmonians.
If you pick to question Chris, the following occurs:
Hugo approaches Chris: "You took his life. You took my home. Why? What are
you doing in Grassland? You don't belong here! This is our village. What do
you care what happens to it!"
Chris looks down: "..."
Hugo: "Why are you helping us 'barbarians' all of a sudden?"
Nash steps in front of Chris: "Adults have their reasons. You children who
see the world in black and white will learn soon enough about shades of grey."
Hugo: "Out of my way!"
Sgt. Joe: "Hugo, stop."
Hugo: "Why protect him, Sergeant?"
Sgt. Joe: "I know how you feel, but this isn't the way."
If instead you opt for the "Strike" option, this happens:
Hugo starts to draw his weapon, but before he can pull his dagger out, Nash
has stepped in front of him with his weapon already drawn and pointed at Hugo.
Nash: "That's an interesting way to greet an acquaintance."
Sgt. Joe: "Don't do this Hugo."
Hugo: "Don't stop me, Sergeant. I can avenge Lulu right now!"
Sgt. Joe: "I know that, and I meant what I said: Don't do it."
The rest of the scene plays out the same regardless of what option you picked-
Sgt. Joe tells Hugo about his responsibilities now and in the near future. The
scene later when Sgt. Joe asks Chris about Zepon's murder is also the same.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3l. Chris recruits Gordon
The below scene occurs if you take an all-male party to recruit Gordon with
Chris. I found it pretty funny much like when Chris recruits Mel so I've
included it:
Gordon turns from behind the counter to see Chris and her party.
Gordon: "Behold, this beautiful lady! If you can tolerate the squalor of this
poor shop, you are free to peruse my humble offerings."
Chris: "Um, okay."
Gordon: "Dear patron, do you feel well? Your face shows a change in color
that may be less than desirable."
Chris: "Really? Perhaps these trying times are taking their toll on me."
Gordon: "That cannot be allowed, Miss. Life must be enjoyed, to avoid sapping
the youthful vitality from your wholesome figure. Would you care to join me at
the fine terrace cafe nearby?"
Chris: "Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm too busy."
Gordon: "It's necessary to forego one's duties on occasion. I would close
this shop now if you would indulge me!"
Chris turns to face her party: "Someone save me!"
Gordon: "Oh, are you in the company of others? They must be your servants!"
Chris: "No, no, these people are..."
The screen fades to black as Chris explains.
Gordon: "Ah hah! So those are the circumstances...I too wish to serve you.
No position or task is beneath me. Might I be allowed to serve you...in any
way you see fit?"
Chris: "Very well, I accept your offer."
Gordon: "A fine decision, Miss. Now where shall we go? Lake Castle? Ooh la
la! The castle at the lakeside shall be our bed of roses! Leave the
arrangements to me. I'll go now and take care of everything before you arrive.
I bid you farewell for now."
Chris: "Bed of roses?"
Poor Chris. After this scene and her time with Nash, she reminded me of one of
those women on those "Date From Hell" episodes on "Blind Date."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3m. Chris recruits Mel
I had Chris' Zexen Knights with her plus Watari when I recruited Mel just so
you can picture some of the interactions.
Mel: "Huh? Are you talking to me? Am I a street performer? No, I'm not.
Oh, Branky? This is Branky. Introduce yourself, Branky."
Branky: "Hee hee hee! I'm the one and only Branky! And you, my little vixen-
I'll be your vassal any time!"
Chris: "..."
Branky turns to Mel: "Hee hee hee! But Mel, you're always my first choice.
This lady here is a fine catch, but she's starting to show her age a bit
around the forehead."
Mel frowns: "How rude! She's just frowning at you. I'm so sorry. Branky
causes many furrowed brows. Forgive him."
Chris is pissed: "Not a problem."
Mel walks up to Chris and "Branky" gets a closer look.
Branky: "Mel, you win! She has crow's feet around her eyes!"
Chris takes an angry step toward Mel, who starts bowing incessantly in apology.
Mel: "I'm so sorry! Really! Branky! Some things can't be said, understood?
Watch your mouth!"
Mel slams Branky repeatedly into the side of a wall.
Mel: "Understand?!"
Branky: "You're hurting me? Stop it! Stop! Aarrrgggghhh!"
Mel: "Understand?!"
Branky: "I made a mistake! I apologize! Just stop it!"
Chris: "..."
Mel calms down: "How can I ever make up for his rudeness? He's got a trashy
mouth and it needs to be washed out with soap! Please excuse him!"
Chris: "All right, I make mistakes, too."
Mel turns to Branky: "See? Now it's your turn to apologize."
Branky bows to Chris: "I was a bad little boy."
Mel: "So, did you want to talk to me about something?"
Chris: "I wish you'd come to Lake Castle. People would love such a talented
ventriloquist!"
Mel looks confused: "Ventriloquist? I don't follow you. I have no talent or
tricks. Isn't that right, Branky?"
Branky: "Hmmm...There wouldn't happen to be a lot of young men waiting at that
castle, would there my lady?"
Mel: "You little fiend! What are you saying?! Don't do that! So, um, what
is this castle like?"
Chris: "Oh, there are some other people there, of course."
Branky: "Mel, I think you should go. You might be needed there to fight for
justice."
Mel nods: "I guess I can't argue with that. I've made my decision. I will go
to Lake Castle."
Mel hurries off as Chris and her party turn to watch her leave. Chris turns to
her party who all look at her silently.
Chris: "So much for being selective!"
They all turn to look the other way then look back at her.
Chris: "I have wrinkles already?!"
Everyone in her party silently shake their heads.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3n: Hugo recruits Belle
Hugo walks up to Belle, who's busy pounding away at Gadget Z. Sensing Hugo
behind her, she stands up.
Belle: "Huh? Hold on. I'll be with you in a..."
Belle turns and sees Hugo for the first time. She starts to shake nervously.
Belle: "Oh, nice to meet you! I'm Belle. I like to play with metal. No! I
mean, I enjoy reading books. And I like, um...strawberry pie!"
Hugo: "Greetings! I'm Hugo of Karaya. What are you up to?"
Belle: "We were searching for someone when this pile of...when my friend, um,
broke. I'm alone and helpless, you see, so I'm in a tight spot..."
Hugo looks at Gadget Z: "Broke? This strange-looking barrel?"
Belle explains the "barrel" is a machine that's missing one of its screws.
Belle: "I'm not sure what to do. If only a handsome, kind person were to come
by and help..."
Hugo: "I can help you. You need me to find a screw?"
Belle: "Really? Thank you so much! Thank you! Thank you! Well, yeah, I
want, um...I need you to...to find the screw, right!"
After you return the screw:
Belle: "Wow, you found it! You're the greeeaaaatest guy I've ever met! Now
Gadget Z will finally work again."
Hugo: "Gadget...Z what?"
After Belle inserts the screw, Hugo is amazed ("A talking barrel!"). Before
Gadget Z can brag about himself, he promptly breaks down. Hugo suggests taking
it to Lake Castle so she can repair it and Belle agrees. Gadget asks if Belle
isn't sick since she doesn't sound herself. Belle decides to "repair" him.
Gadget Z: "Belle's so pretty. Belle's so smart. Belle's my dream girl."
Belle: "Stop it, you're embarassing me! Now then, we're ready to go to Lake
Castle! (she turns to face Hugo) Dear Hugo, please promise you'll meet me, uh,
I mean us again at the castle. Okay? Bye-bye!"
When you use Thomas, Geddoe, or Chris to recruit Belle, she comes in at 5
levels higher than the person who recruited her (if you loaded Suikoden 2 data,
that is). When I used Hugo to recruit her, she was 15 levels higher.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3o. Hugo and the Saint Loa Knights reunite
If you did Hugo's sidequest with Melville, then use Hugo to recruit Billy,
Melville, and Elliot, you will get a few dialogue sentences concerning Hugo's
familiarity with them. If you use Hugo to recruit Alanis, you get the
following scene:
Melville and Elliot approach Alanis at the waterfall.
Melville: "Alanis?"
Alanis: "Melville? And Elliot too!"
Elliot: "Wow! Alanis! What are you doing here?"
Alanis: "And you too...in this place!"
Hugo: "Alanis? The Saint Loa Knight?"
Alanis turns to see Hugo: "Hugo?!"
Hugo: "Yeah, you said you were moving but...the Great Hollow?"
Alanis' "uncle" steps up to greet her. Alanis explains how they were caught by
the Lizard Clan and how she befriended her "uncle." Melville suggests to Hugo
that Alanis and her family be allowed to move to Lake Castle where the other
lizard fighters are staying. Hugo's request is accepted and Alanis and her
lizard uncle say their farewells. Alanis is sad to be leaving him.
Melville: "Don't cry, Silver Maiden Alanis. This isn't goodbye forever. I
know we'll meet again someday."
Alanis takes a deep breath and wipes away her tears: "I'm not crying Swordsman
of Rage Melville! I know I'll see you again. And I'll see you, too, right
Swordsman of Wind Elliot?"
Elliot: "That's right! The three of us will always be friends!"
Elliot strikes his hero pose. Melville and Alanis join to stand next to him on
each side. Alanis does her pose.
Alanis: "Saint Loa Knights forever!"
Melville follows suit: "The Three Zexen Knights!"
Lizard Uncle: "What's this? I didn't know you were a knight, little one,
Alanis."
Hugo has a big smile on his face: "All three of them are knights. I've seen
them in action."
Lizard Uncle: "Humans. You can't rely on your eyes much."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3p. The final battles
When you form your parties to fight Yuber, Sarah, and the True Wind Rune at
the Ceremonial Site, use the "default" parties for each character to see a
conversation when they enter the hallway leading to the battle. These parties
would be Geddoe, Ace, Joker, Aila, Queen, and Jacques; Chris, Salome, Percival,
Borus, Roland, Leo, and Louis; and Hugo, Sgt. Joe, and Fubar (does not matter
who else is in the party). Note that if you use these parties for the Flame
Champion, you will not see a conversation leading to the battle. Instead,
you'll receive a conversation as the party escapes the Ceremonial Site. I have
covered these scenes in each of the 3 main characters' Endings sections.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3q. Futch and Viki with Luc
If you take Futch and elder Viki with you to the last battle with Luc, you
will get specific dialogue related to their past history with one another
(credit Raikochan from the gamefaqs message board for posting about this).
The dialogue occurs after you've defeated the Guardian Eyes and are about to
take on Luc:
Viki: "This is going to be the final battle, right? We're up against Luc,
aren't we?"
Futch: "Luc, I'll always remember when we fought side by side. Come on, [FC]!
We've got one last battle to fight!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3r. Sasarai and Dios
This hidden scene is actually two parts. At the end battles in the Ceremonial
Site, you can pick Thomas and Cecile to be in one of the parties that goes to
fight Yuber or Sarah. If you do so, you will get to see a different scene
when Sasarai and Dios go to get the True Earth Rune. The first part cuts off
when Dios spots Luc when you play the Flame Champion perspective. The second
part is seen in Luc's POV. The scene in its entirety:
Dios and Sasarai walk down the pathway leading to the True Earth Rune Pedestal.
Dio: "Are you sure you don't need a hand, Master Sasarai? You should have
accepted their offer. That skinny boy might not be helpful, but we could have
used the armored girl."
Sasarai: "That's OK, Dios. This is not a matter for outsiders."
Dios: "Hey! Don't leave me behind!"
Sasarai: "Why would I? I'm paying you to help!"
Dios: "True, true. But...Who is this?!"
The rest of the scene plays out the same. Luc comes from around the corner and
then beats Sasarai in a duel. Afterward, we see Luc standing in front of
Sasarai, who is on his knees.
Sasarai: "Ugh..."
Luc: "Brother, I need you to fix something."
Sasarai: "What would that be?"
Luc: "Leknaat didn't take away the True Wind Rune from me. She felt sorry for
me and saved me, that's all..."
Sasarai: "Why'd she pity you?"
Luc: "You were born with the True Earth Rune, so they raised you to become a
bishop. But I...was just a vessel for the rune. So I ran away from the temple
when Leknaat invited me to come."
The rest of the scene is the same-the True Fire Rune is taken back and Luc goes
off to meet the Flame Champion for the final battle.
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
4. Character/Plot Analyses
4a. Introduction
This section is for analysis of the main characters of the game as well as the
primary events of the game. Thanks again to all those who have permitted me
to use their comments and viewpoints. Much of the content in this section is
strictly subjective and is not meant to be the "final word" on the issues and
characters discussed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b. Conspiracy Theory-The Karaya Raid
This is the lynchpin event for Chris, Hugo, and Geddoe's chapter 1's. How it
happened, what lead up to it, and what it provoked is a master stroke of
storytelling-if it weren't for one huge gaping plot hole you could drive a
truck through. Here first is a chronology of the relevant events with a
step-by-step explanation afterwards.
The following are all the events preceding the ambush at the truce meeting:
-The Captain and Vice-Captain of the Zexen Knights are killed by Grasslanders
-A truce agreement is brokered between the Zexen Council and the heads of the
Grassland tribes
-The Zexen Council is contacted by a Harmonian representative, most likely
Albert, to enter into an agreement whereby Harmonia invades and Grassland is
divided up between Zexen and Harmonia
-The Council is also told that the Zexen Knights will be ambushed at the truce
meeting and possibly informed that Karaya Village would be torched
-Hugo is asked to deliver the Karayan reply by Lucia and heads to Zexen
-Chris is ordered by the Council to represent Zexen at the truce meeting
-Geddoe, following a lead on the Fire Bringer, heads to the Great Hollow to get
some clues from the head of the lizard clan, Zepon
-Hugo meets Chris at Brass Castle but is unable to deliver Jimba's memento
-A very specific meeting time is set for the truce between Dupa and Chris
-Chris, Salome, Borus, and Roland head out for the truce meeting
-Hugo is in Vinay Del Zexay, waiting to meet a council representative
-Luc, Sarah, Yuber, and Albert arrive at the Great Hollow; an illusion trap is
set in the pathways to lure the lizard fighters out
-Geddoe arrives at the Great Hollow
-Luc and Sarah go outside, setting up another illusion so they look like Chris
and a group of Zexen Knights
-Inside the Great Hollow, we see Shiba, Bazba, and Dupa (remember Dupa-this is
the gaping plot hole I was referencing)
-Sarah's trap is triggered, a group of lizard men follow it. The group runs
into Sarah's illusion trap and mistake Geddoe's team for Zexens
-The lizard troops proceed outside and are killed by Luc and Sarah
-Geddoe's team and Shiba follow the trail outside and see "Chris" standing over
the dead lizard fighters
-His chamber now unguarded, Zepon is assassinated by Yuber
-Geddoe and Shiba fight "Chris"
-It is discovered by Dupa and the others that Zepon has been murdered
-Geddoe decides to head to Karaya to consult with Jimba and Lucia
-Hugo delivers the Karayan reply and gets ready to head back at dawn
-Word is sent with miraculous expediency to Percival and Leo that the knights
have been attacked and they are to arrest Hugo
-Hugo escapes and heads back to Karaya
What follows are the critical events and all happened on the same day:
-Geddoe and his team arrive at Karaya Village
-Hugo escapes Percival and Leo at Brass Castle
-Sarah warns Aila of the impending doom
-The Zexen Knights and Grassland leaders meet near Plain Amur for the truce**
-The Knights are attacked by the lizard clan; seeing their comrades in battle,
the Karaya Clan join
-Chris and her group escape the ambush and decide they will set fire to Karaya
-At Karaya Village, Luc and co. set fire to the village and set up the wall of
anger at the back of the village. They then depart
-Chris' team arrives and she orders Borus to the back of the village, right
where Sarah had set up the wall of anger
-Chris enters the village and sees her father's armor
-Hugo's team arrives and Lulu is killed by Chris
-On the other side of the village, Geddoe confronts Borus who is chopping down
Karayan villagers. Because the sight of dead Zexens and dead Karayans are not
a source of anger for them, Geddoe's team does not join in the fighting. The
wall of anger's effects are dissipating and Borus lets Geddoe go
-Borus leaves the site of the massacre
-Chris makes her way to the back of the village and is appalled by the sight of
the dead Karayan villagers
**It's possible the two sides met for the truce the previous day and the scene
where Chris is informed of the ambush is actually a carryover of the Grasslands
festival from the previous day
The following events happen the next day:
-Geddoe's team decides to go to Caleria
-Hugo, Sgt. Joe, and Fubar head to Duck Village
-Back at Brass Castle, Borus lies to Salome then Chris about the massacre
-Chris is told that the Zexen Council has already been informed of yesterday's
events and she needs to go back to Vinay Del Zexay for a meeting with them
-Chris and Borus head back, both suspecting that the Council knew of the lizard
clan attack ahead of time
-Chris is infuriated that she is now being called a hero for the destruction of
Karaya Village. Nonetheless, she is told Zexen must retaliate for the loss of
men and is ordered to attack the Great Hollow
And the aftermath:
-A snowball effect occurs as the Zexens attack the Lizard Clan, who in turn
raid Iksay Village during a festival
-Thomas is under siege for his position of Castle master by the same Zexen
Council members who wanted to form an alliance with Harmonia
-Salome learns of the Zexen-Harmonia alliance being brokered and enlists Geddoe
to help Thomas
-Thomas, with an assist from Geddoe, wins out over the Zexen Council
-Their position weakened because of this symbolic defeat, the Zexen Council
members who wanted to deal with Harmonia are nullified
-Albert's intent of driving a wedge between Zexen and the Grasslands comes to
bear, however, when the two sides can't agree to cooperate at Chisha when the
Harmonian Army attacks
-Rallying behind the Flame Champion, the new Fire Bringer expose Luc's plans to
Sasarai, cutting off Harmonian support for Luc
-Luc and co. are defeated by the Flame Champion and his/her army
Whew!
The evidence provided that the Zexen Council knew of the lizard clan attack is
offered at various points in the game. First, after Chris' first meeting with
the council, two of the councilmen have a conversation about Chris' duty as a
Zexen hero. One of them states that it is a hero's duty to die in glorious
battle. Second, Salome's meeting with Geddoe in Geddoe's chapter 3 clearly
shows there is a conspiracy among the council to enter into an agreement with
Harmonia. Third, Chris, Salome, and Borus all hint that the Council must have
known about the attack or else they wouldn't have responded so quickly. In
addition, such an attack would give the Council clear provocation to send the
Knights back in to attack the Grasslands. Fourth, the time frame for Leo and
Percival going to arrest Hugo can only make sense if the Council knew about the
attack ahead of time. If you'll remember, when they go to get Hugo it is night
time outside in Vinay Del Zexay. Hugo does not make it back to Karaya until
the _next_ day at dusk, the day when the lizard clan actually attacked at the
truce meeting. Therefore, the Zexen Council _had_ to have known about the
attack beforehand. It would also explain why they took so long to meet with
Hugo-so that he would still be in Vinay Del Zexay around the time of the truce
to be used as a hostage. Lastly, it provides a good excuse that they did not
receive the Karayans' message until it was too late.
With this evidence, it's clear what the Council intended-weaken the Grasslands
armies with the Knights to make it easier for a Harmonian invasion. The
Knights, already reeling from the death of the Captain and Vice Captain, would
not need much bait to get them to attack. That bait is the attack at the truce
meeting. The Council's logic is that if Chris dies at the battle, great,
because this would _really_ whip Zexen and the Knights into a frenzy. If not,
she'll come out a greater hero and, since she's bound by duty to serve Zexen,
will be an even more useful tool in getting Zexen support.
From Albert's perspective, this all goes in line with Luc's plot. Once Luc
becomes Bishop, they intend to invade the Grasslands under the pretense of
acquiring the Runes for Harmonia. As Luc states in his POV, he knows it's only
a matter of time before they're figured out and they won't be able to rely on
Harmonia's armies forever. In order to maintain their advantage at this time,
Albert devises a plot to ensure that Zexen and Grassland will not be united
enough to meet their threat. Albert devises the master stroke of setting up
the agreement with the Zexen Council and the subsequent events that drive an
even bigger wedge between Zexen and Grassland. He tricks the Zexen Council
into believing this is a precursor to a Grassland that will be divided up
between Harmonia and Zexen, when the only reason the Harmonian Army moves in is
to re-acquire the True Runes. As Sasarai states during the battle at Brass
Castle in chapter 4, the only reason Harmonia is in Grassland is by order of
Hikusaak to get the True Runes. For his part in aiding the Bishop (Luc) who
helps to re-acquire these Runes, Albert will get a cushy position high in the
Harmonian hierarchy.
This all sounds great until you stop to think about Dupa. If Dupa was in the
Great Hollow at the time of Zepon's death and knew "Chris" was there at the
same time, why didn't he attack her right out at the truce meeting? The only
plausible explanation is that he was setting her up for a trap, knowing
beforehand that she had a part in killing Zepon. But how would that explain
Chris showing up at the truce with blood on her hands and acting as if nothing
happened? It turns into a dizzying logic that Dupa goes to the truce, sees
Chris, knows that Chris knows about Zepon, but they both decide to act really
cool about it until Dupa attacks. Dupa then is left to reconcile how Chris
could be so smart as to assassinate Zepon right inside Great Hollow and be so
dumb as to not expect an ambush.
The better, and less annoying, explanation is that Konami simply messed up and
Dupa should not have been at the Great Hollow when Geddoe visited. Rather, he
was on his way to the truce meeting already. There is enough time, then, for
Shiba, Bazba, and the other lizard fighters to head to the truce agreement,
tell Dupa that Zepon was killed and Chris was there, and then they ambush the
Zexens. From the lizard clan perspective, the Zexens knew the exact time when
the truce was to be signed. On the eve of the truce, Chris leads a Zexen team
to the Great Hollow to kill Zepon in retaliation for the deaths of Galahad and
Pelize. She then hurries to sign the truce to prevent any further retaliation
by the lizard clan-who will look like the villains for breaking the truce.
The other main plot point is Borus' situation. It's my personal opinion that
he is not to blame for the massacre at Karaya Village. He was under the
influence of Sarah's spell and could not be held accountable for his actions.
On the other hand, he should definitely be held responsible for lying about it
afterwards. You could build a strong case that his lying about what happened
was even more damaging than if he were actually responsible for the massacre.
Because Chris and Salome believe Borus had nothing to do with the massacre,
they feel perfectly justified in attacking the Great Hollow. This, in turn,
leads to the lizard clan's raid on Iksay. These attacks then lead to the
wedge that further divides Zexen and Grassland, making them ill-prepared to
take on the Harmonian army. Therefore, it's not a great leap of logic in terms
of cause-effect to state that Borus' denial had a significant hand in elevating
the conflict past the point of no return.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4c. Luc
Luc is one of the most interesting and well-developed villains in any RPG I've
played (and I've played them since Adventure on the Atari 2600). What makes
Luc so compelling to me is that I can see and understand his justifications for
his plot, even if the end result of that plot is evil and heinous. He is
absolutely sure that the world will end in the termini he shows the Flame
Champion at the end. In order for the world to avoid this fate, he will
sacrifice himself and a million lives. He plays important roles in Suikoden I
and II and sees firsthand thousands of lives lost in order to bring about a
result for the greater good. How, he can understandably think in his mind, is
my plot any different? He cannot see the important distinction that the lives
taken and given were matters of human _choice_, not some vague notion of
destiny. Teo chose to fight Tir and died, Luca chose to use the Beast Rune to
murder the people of Muse, the soldiers in all the armies chose to give their
lives for their countries. When Luc decides to destroy the True Rune, he is
making the choice for the million people he intends to kill under the notion of
defying destiny. This makes him a murderer. When he is defeated, he states
that his fate was bound by destiny. He only sees point A and point B-he
ignores all the things that had to occur to make the end result possible,
namely his decisions and those of the Fire Bringer. He provides his own self-
fulfilling destiny, believing he was made only to be a vessel of power (the
True Rune) and information (the Rune's memories) and that is ultimately all he
becomes. He never actually makes any real choices of his own until the very
end.
That Luc is so sincere in his belief puts him over the top of most conventional
villains. He truly believes the termini will occur and those who bear True
Runes such as he are consigned to an empty, eternal life. When he snatches
Geddoe's True Rune, he tells him that perhaps this will prove to be a blessing
for him. When lives are taken, they are not out of malice but out of necessity
to accomplish the ultimate goal of avoiding the termini. Not once in the game
does Luc kill anyone when it doesn't fall into his plans and several times in
the game he shows mercy when he can. This includes trapping Geddoe in Mt.
Senai and leaving Chris in Kuput when he could've had them killed outright. In
addition, in his own POV he is given the choice to kill a Karayan fighter or
let him live. Luc, then, is not a cookie cutter psycho villain in the same
vein as Luca Blight, but moreso like Jowy. There are not only reasons and
proper motivations for his actions, but his actions bear out these reasons and
motivations.
Although he is clearly one of the villains in the game, Luc possesses several
qualities similar to that of tragic heroes. In that context, his fatal flaw
(like many protagonists in Greek tragedies) is hubris. He is immortal,
powerful, smart, and resourceful but lacks the ability to see past his own
flaws. When we first meet Luc in Suikoden I, he pulls the equivalent of a
High School prank by summoning the Clay Guardian to "test" Tir and his party.
In Suikoden II, he baits Viktor into an argument then tells him he should be
ashamed for picking on a kid. His primary personality traits as displayed in
the first two games were haughtiness and immaturity. We do not understand the
reasons why until Suikoden III-he is a True Rune bearer who does not have any
real experiences of his own. In a nutshell, he is an immature god.
When Hugo, Geddoe, and Chris confront him as Flame Champion, they each stress
to him the importance of the here and now. Luc has no comprehension of what
"living" is-the only interactions he has had with the world were forced upon
him when Leknaat made him serve in Tir and Riou's armies. He cannot see how
everyday things such as friends, being with loved ones, serving as a knight,
etc. can be important if the termini is the world's ultimate fate. Therein
lies the crux of his arrogance-he believes that if others knew of the termini,
they would choose the same path as he does (which is why he shows the termini
to the Flame Champion). When he is rebuked by the Flame Champion, he
references himself by saying they don't understand him. Because of his pride,
it never crosses his mind that the real problem is that Luc doesn't understand
_them_.
As well-written and defined a character as Luc is, I really hope he will not
come back in Suikoden IV. The final scene with his and Sarah's souls leaving
Leknaat's tower brings his story to a satisfying conclusion. However, because
his soul is now a part of the True Wind Rune (much like Yun and Jimba are part
of the True Water Rune), it's possible he'll be back.
Nanami writes:
"I disagree with the picture you paint of Luc. While I love the boy dearly and
agree with your statement of him being one of the all-time greats in villany,
there is one comment in your analysis that I must argue on:
'In order for the world to avoid this fate, he will sacrifice himself and a
million lives.'
The 'sacrifice' part...I don't think that's true. While, yes, he -is- planning
on taking himself out to tip the scales against termini, I think he's merely
planning to take out two birds with one stone. During the epilogue, I always
felt that Luc was suicidal. The idea of eternal life looked so horrible to him,
he decided to take the best way out: through death. The conversation he has
with Jimba, in particular, shows this."
DelRaycowboy adds:
"I don't know if Luc ever thought his plan would actually work. At the end
when he says he's also bound by destiny I think it shows he knew he was going
to fail. So instead of trying to destroy his rune he was just trying to figure
out if he was really human and had a soul. In his POV he's more centered on
his own humanity when talks to Sasarai at Crystal Valley then Yuber at the end
battle when Albert walks in. If you think of it like this where he knew his
plan to kill a million people wouldn't work, then all of it was to answer a
simple question: am I human? The answer at the end from Leknaat was pretty
cool when you think about it."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4d. Yuber
Yuber's calling card is that he is a bringer of chaos. He certainly has
accomplished this in spades throughout the Suikoden series. I simply don't
understand why he was presented as such a weakling in Suikoden III. Let me
first distinguish between a character in terms of stats and the character in
terms of story. In terms of stats, Yuber is a monster-he is in the same class
as Emily and Hugo when it comes to being a pure fighter. In terms of the
storyline, he's a total wuss. In close to a dozen encounters with Yuber, you
can win all of them except one, the rigged fight with Hugo in Chisha. He calls
you maggot on many an occasion and talks about how much he'll enjoy killing you
the rest of the time. That he fails in practically every attempt would turn
him into a laughable villain if it wasn't so pathetic. It's as if you want to
pat him on the head like a little kid to prevent him from getting up and
getting his butt kicked again. If they wanted to properly bring up Yuber as a
serious threat and villain, they should've held him out until the final
encounter (ala Barbarossa) or simply made it seem very lucky that you were able
to defeat him, if at all. Getting beat by Lilly then having her leer over him
wasn't exactly the way to portray him as a "badass."
timmyshoop writes:
"yuber's not a wimp. yeah, you can beat him in a lot of the battles, but how
many people do you think actually do it? just look at the suikosource board
and you can see how many people have problems with him...like you said he's
supposted to be there to stir up trouble and he's done this in every game.
he's no luca who's just a psycho and windy who was a wimp, yuber has a purpose
and keeps coming back no matter how many times you beat him. he's no coward
becuase he keeps coming back and ready to fight. in every strategy battle hes
the first guy to charge right at you. he's also always in front unlike luc and
sarah who have a bunch of monsters in front. if the computer AI wasn't such
crap there's no way you'd win a lotta those fights. even tho your guys get to
heal themselves all the time yuber never does it once. for sure how many times
did you have to heal your guys when you fought him? i wish he had the armor
from the other games but he's still a total badass."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4e. Sarah
The main problem I have with Sarah's character is that she is too uneven. It's
as if the writers didn't know the exact direction they wanted to go with her
character and ended up with a spaghetti approach (throwing everything against
the wall and seeing what sticks). At first, she's entirely devoted to Luc and
to his plan, despite the consequences. Yet she goes to Karaya to warn Aila,
possibly messing up Luc's plan (it's hard to murder villagers if there aren't
any). Next, she's presented as being compassionate to the plight of Franz and
those in Le Buque. She promptly turns around and taunts Borus about the
Karaya massacre, knowing full well _she_ was the one responsible for it. She
chastises Yuber for his taste of blood and death, yet actively participates in
it. The final nails in the coffin were her telling Franz, who has been a
_slave_ all his life, that he is the one who has freedom and later telling Hugo
that living in ignorance is a sin (pot-kettle-black).
Joshua009 writes:
"I totally disagree with you on Sarah. She's just like Barbarossa to me, she
loves someone who she knows is doing something evil but out of love she stays
with them. When she goes to warn Aila it's not to screw up Luc's plan. She
tells Aila that a million people will die but that the Karayan villagers didn't
have to be a part of that. I thought this made it clear that she was trying to
do Luc's plan while sparing the innocent Karayans. I don't consider what she
did to Borus as 'taunting'. She probably knew she was going to have to fight
for the True Water rune so she was just trying to throw him off. I'll give you
that she kills people with her magic but she's not like Yuber where she harms
anyone when it's not a part of Luc's plan. When she tells Franz that he's the
one who really has freedom, she's talking about Luc and how his destingy was
bound the instant he was created. He's truly had no freedom. And don't forget
she was also raised in Harmonia so she would know what being a slave is like.
...Anything she does is out of her love and devotion for Luc. Put it this way,
if Luc's plan was for a better purpose don't you think Sarah would've thrown
everything she had behind that as well? Her morals come through in the end
when she accepts the consequences for her own actions. As a matter of fact
this is the only time in the game when she disagrees with Luc and it's to face
up to the crimes she committed. I think back to Viktor's comment about Ain
Gaide in Suikoden 1. He says that even though Ain was wrong for sticking up
for a corrupt empire, wasn't the fact he was willing to give his life for
something he believed in still precious? That he would be willing to honor his
loyalty to Barbarossa? Sarah's not at all 'uneven' as you say. On the
contrary, I believe her character is a terrific example of the Suikoden themes
of destiny and how finding meaning in life fits in with that."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4f. Albert
As for Albert, he's the epitome of an idiot savant. He devises a genius
strategy for getting the True Runes and manipulates the Zexens, Grasslanders,
and Harmonians like a master. His goal, of course, is to get a cushy position
in Harmonia. One problem-the plan he's going along with will likely wipe out
Harmonia. At the end when he's confronted by the Flame Champion and Caesar, he
backpedals and concedes there may be a small flaw in trying to get an
appointment with a kingdom that will soon be obliterated. (Really, you think so
Einstein?!) In addition, he spells out to Luc that the Silverbergs have always
had a hand in steering history in the right direction. How exactly does wiping
out Zexen, the Grasslands, and Harmonia and killing a million people put
history on the right track?
Vivamagic writes:
"Albert's not an idiot... You make it sound like he was stupid and didn't know
what could happen. You miss the point that he didn't think Luc's plan would
actually work. He brought it the plan as far as suited his purpose then left
it at that. He never did anything that went outside his own plans. If you
think about Luc's plan, it couldn't work unless he got all the elemental
true runes. Didn't you notice how every time Luc actually got a true rune
Albert wasn't there? That he means he never actively helped Luc carry out the
plan that you keep saying would destroy Harmonia. When you see it from this
view, when he tells Luc about setting things on the right track it's just so
Luc won't suspect him. Everything he says is calculated so Luc and the others
will think he's really into their plan when all he wants is to elevate his
status. This is why at the end it was no surprise to see him helping out
Caesar. He got what he wanted so now he was doing everything to preserve the
plan. When he said things were getting too dramatic it means he never thought
Luc would get this far."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4g. Chris
The primary event I think most players will associate Chris with is Lulu's
death. All circumstances aside, I don't consider her a murderer because she
acted out of self-defense. Lulu doesn't die if he doesn't attack Chris first,
it's that simple. The comments of Sgt. Joe and Hugo would also imply that in
storyline terms, Chris was not at fault. Sgt. Joe tells Hugo that Lulu knew
the risks of taking up a weapon against an enemy, namely that his own life
could be taken. At the end of Hugo's story as Flame Champion, he tells Chris
he knows a hero shouldn't hold a grudge for what happened to Lulu even if he
still does. Given the warrior nature of the Karaya tribe and the fact you can
use Lulu as a fighter (as opposed to simply support such as Louis or Elliot), I
would say he knew full well what the consequences could be by attacking Chris.
The main question regarding Lulu's death is, were he and Chris influenced by
Sarah's wall of anger? It's debatable, but I believe the answer is yes. The
second part of that answer, though, is that the anger spell must have worn off
right after Lulu is killed. The main evidence for me actually comes from
Geddoe's chapter 3. While in Vinay Del Zexay, Aila takes a swipe at Borus,
very similar to what Lulu does to Chris. Borus easily disarms her without
hurting her. Conventional wisdom suggests that Chris could have done the same
in the split second she had after Louis warned her. Instead, she draws her
sword and slashes. The sight that provokes Chris into anger is the sight of
her father's armor. Her comment after seeing it, "This village...we'd be
better off without it" is out of character for her. If you'll remember, when
she was outside the village, she gave Salome specific orders not to harm the
villagers. Add into this her feelings after the Karaya raid when she tells the
Council she should not be a "hero" for the village's destruction. Finally, the
sight of the dead Karayans at the back of the village infuriates her.
Therefore, her comment and actions when Lulu is killed strongly suggests she
was under the influence of the anger spell.
The second part that the anger spell must have worn off after Lulu's death can
be corroborated by the fact that Borus must have regained his senses at that
time and took off from where the massacre took place. In addition, the default
choice for Hugo's reaction is to question Chris, not attack her. Sgt. Joe and
Fubar also do not attack Chris, and Chris does not attack them, either.
LuBuCaoCao writes:
"Chris is the only main character that bothered me. She's even worse than
Thomas when it comes to being a gutless wonder. At least he's got an excuse
that he's just a kid. First, about what you said about Chris being influenced
by Sarah's spell. I doubt this because when she meets Jimba in Iksay and he
even mentions something about her dad, she pulls out her sword and gets ready
to chop him down. Since this points to her not being influenced by the spell,
it means she killed Lulu because she couldn't control her own personal
feelings. I also think it's a stretch to say the spell wore off right after
Lulu died. It's just too much coincidence.
The other thing is how she's so willing to do anything the Zexen council says,
even when she knows it's wrong and that they may be manipulating her for their
own plans. At no point does she not have a choice to simply say, 'This is
wrong and I'm not going to do it.' You remember Miklotov from the last game
when he got fed up with Gorudo. He realized it's more important to do what's
right and breaking from your lord if what they tell you to do comes at the
expense of your own beliefs. The same with Alan and Grenseal.
Instead of trying to change the problem at its source, she simply obeys the
council, the same council with the same selfish powermongering plans that are
still in place by the end of the game. At least Thomas stood up to them and
you saw the results. Chris may be a strong game character, but with the
storyline she's a weakling who just doesn't have it in her to bring about real
change for the better."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4h. Geddoe
Geddoe is the closest thing to the "silent" hero of both Suikoden I and II.
Out of the three main characters, I found him to be the "coolest"; his rebuttal
to Luc after his spiel about changing destiny was priceless: "Time to grow up,
kid." When he said that, I thought that's exactly what Viktor or McDohl would
say. Because his main storyline is so detached from Chris and Hugo's, I find
it more satisfying to play his chapters 1-3 consecutively.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4i. Hugo
Out of all the main characters, I found Hugo to be the most boring. No offense
to any of his fans out there. While he certainly has all the qualities of a
great hero, brave, resourceful, etc., there's not much to set him apart in
terms of his story or actions to elevate him past being just vanilla. If he
were the only primary hero of the game, I would've said he was a huge step
down from Tir and Riou. Most of what he does or what's interesting is mainly
due to the characters around him, especially Sgt. Joe along with Lilly, Chris,
and Luce.
The most intriguing thing about Hugo is who his father might be. Other than
Lucia's comment in chapter 2 in the Great Hollow that Hugo is a lot like his
father, I can't think of any other reference. In Lucia's Kidd profile, it
states that Lucia had Hugo shortly after she came back from the Dunan
Unification War. Since she obviously wasn't too far along in her pregnancy
when we see her in Suikoden II, this leads to some interesting possibilities as
to who the father is. Was it someone involved with the war on the Highland
side, like Culgan, Leon, Jowy, or (shudder) Luca? Several story elements seem
to point to a Suikoden IV that's set only after a year or two after Suikoden III
(the main thing being the fate of the True Wind Rune). Perhaps we'll find out
about Hugo's father, then.
EvilSpike writes:
"...but I gotta disagree with you on Hugo. It's obvious you played through his
story as flame champ so I don't see how you can he's boring. His story was the
best because it realistically shows somoene being forced to grow up after
something terrible happens to them. Up until then it looks like his only
worries were riding his horse and coming home for supper. After Lulu is
murdered by Chris, he has to grow up in a hurry. We see him lashing out as any
young boy would. He starts with trying to get back at Chris then blaming
himself. Time after time, we see him doing the right thing but also still
lashing out just like you'd expect a kid to do. He's working his way toward
being adult so to speak. When he becomes flame champion he puts aside his
personal feelings for both Zexen and Grasslands. In the end when he hugs Chris
he knows he shouldn't hold a grudge but still wishes her well. It's more than
I'd do if someone murdered my best friend right in front of me. Not to mention
he's the best fighter among the three and he absolutely rocks when he's got
Fubar."
Jonezy424 adds:
"...they set the game for Hugo to be FC. The true water is Jimba's, so it makes
sense that Chris gets that rune. Yun souls in it too. Ged's only good if he
has the true lightnig and he's had that for years. When Ged says it was like
years ago then he should have true lightning and Chris true water since it was
Wyatt's. The first FC was also from Grassland and Hugo is the only one from
there. If you look at magic stats Ged is best with lightning, Chris with water
and Hugo is ok with fire. In the opening anime you also see that Hugo is the
one fighting the fire rune."
SternAndMond adds this on Hugo's father:
"Well, if you look at Kidd's profile for Lucia it says she had Hugo right after
she came back from the Suikoden 2 war. Doesn't this say someone she met during
Suikoden 2 is Hugo's dad? The only guys that make sense would be Jowy, Culgan,
Seed, Sasarai, and Han since she was on Highland's side. She came in well
after Luca died and he doesn't fit her line that Hugo was like his dad, a good
man."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4j. Hugo + Chris + Geddoe = McDohl?
Kasumi writes:
"did you notice how chris, hugo and geddoe were all 1/3 part Tir? Hugo is the
young kid who's never been away from his hometown. he leaves and sees all the
evil in the world. he even gets arrested for something he didn't do. oh yeah
he gets a true rune. chris is the one tied to her country but fights back when
she decide to do whats right. after someone she feels close to dies, even
though she only knew them for a little she decides to fight for her own
principle. this was odessa for Tir and yun for chris...geddoe is the silent
part. he says very little except when he has to. he also kicks ass with his
true rune. all 3 lead an army made up of different peoples. but all 3 still
don't add up to 1 Tir :-D"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4k. An (edited) rant on Apple, Chris, and Teleportation
Bonaparte writes:
"you know what really [ticked] me off the most? apple. how stupid can 1 person
be?! when hugo losses his rune and sarah uses the illusion army, apple says
something like this can trick peple but not kill. hello! didn't you serve in
a [big] war when someone gated in mosnters? haven't you been with a whole
bunch of people who can teleport everywhere? didn't you set up a party to take
out the person summonig the illusions? she's so [darn] clueless...maybe if
she wasn't so dumb someone might have figured out it was a trap. I guess she
was too busy practicing that hissy fit dance of hers to get a clue.
...Chris is almost as stupid as apple. after eveyone knows about the illusions
at karaya and the lizard clan, she still goes with yumi without even thinking.
even after all the stuff about alma kinan sticking to themselves and never
going away from home they up and go out 2x in like a week? I guess it only
takes enough [friendly] brains to cut down a kid than it does to use common
sense. of course, Chris is the one who thinks fubar's a suit with 2 little
karayans inside and sergeant joe is a ventriliquist.
I hope they cut out all the [dumb] teleporting too. let's see, yuber can do
it, sarah can do it, luc could do it, hell even the little blue mosnter with
the red bikini did it at the end. albert the [not so bright person] could
even summon monsters at the end. i'll wait for suikoden 4 where we'll fight
mukumuku who's gone bad and can now summon monsters and teleport. after you
beat the [stuffing] out of him he can still swipe your true rune and all your
money and the story won't change. here's a tip for konami: just make it so
everybody can teleport and summon monsters in the next game. or better,
summon a plot and teleport a decent ending."
Ouch.
*******************************************************************************
*******************************************************************************
5. Flame Champion Stories
5a. Introduction
The information provided for this section details what happens right after you
have chosen a Flame Champion. The information in brackets [], indicates
these scenes are universal regardless of who you pick as Flame Champion.
Because the middle portion of Chapter 4 and start of Chapter 5 are virtually
identical for all three main characters, I have separated each character's
story from their endings with these chapters serving as the middle gap.
Chris does have a major scene unique to her as Flame Champion and I have
noted it in her Story section. Because you get to pick the Flame Champion's
name, I have indicated it simply by using FC. In the event of having options
for conversations, I always picked the more "positive" one. For example, when
you first confront Luc's group after getting the True Fire Rune, you can elect
to fight him or hand over the Rune. The "positive" choice is to not hand it
over and fight. The end result is the same regardless of what choice you pick
so I've taken out the negative choices for the sake of brevity (you're not
missing much, either).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5b. Hugo's Story
Hugo glances at Chris and Geddoe. He approaches the table where the staff and
outfit worn by FC lie.
Hugo: "During my first battle, I lost my best friend. Sergeant said it's all
part of war, but I'd do anything to have enough power to stop that kind of
thing from ever happening again."
Hugo walks up to the table.
Hugo: "FC, Mr. Flame Champion...We need the power you possessed. So can you
please lend me...Can you please let me have the power?"
Hugo reaches for FC's staff and the scene fades to white.
[Sana states that you will follow in the path of FC, and that it was his wish
for you to first pass a test. After agreeing and setting up the party, you
face the Fire Dragon. After defeating it, you acquire the True Fire Rune.]
Hugo: "I did it. I have proven myself."
[Sana greets the 3 main characters and leads them out of the room.]
As Geddoe and Chris walk out, Hugo stops them and speaks.
Hugo: "Lady Chris...Geddoe...I hope I'm the right person for this. I have no
idea why I was chosen as the new bearer of the True Fire Rune..."
A voice interrupts:
Luc: "He shouldn't bear the Rune if he doesn't understand its true purpose or
meaning."
[Sana is startled by the appearance of Luc, Yuber, Sarah, and Albert, and asks
how they were able to enter. Luc replies that Sana herself unsealed the
chamber.]
Hugo, with a surprised look on his face, addresses Yuber: "Hey, I saw you back
on the highway!"
Yuber: "Oh, yeah, I remember you. How could a kid like you ever bear a True
Rune? Life has strange twists, I guess."
Hugo: "Damn!"
[Luc demands the True Fire Rune.]
Hugo clenches his fist: "I won't give you the rune! This is a token to show
that I took over the spirit of the Flame Champion!"
[After beating Luc and co., the bad guys are surprised that you may have
already unlocked the True Rune's power. Luc attempts to use his True Wind Rune
to subjugate the True Fire Rune, but the spirit of the Flame Champion blocks
his attempt. The main characters' parties suddenly reappear next to their
leaders. Albert suggests a strategic retreat and Sarah teleports them away.
As he is leaving, Luc states he will allow you to keep the True Fire Rune for
now.]
Sgt. Joe: "Hey, what's going on? Where the hell am I?"
The screen fades to white and Hugo awakens from a bed in the Chisha Village.
Hugo: "Unh, this is strange. Where am I?"
Sgt. Joe walks in: "Look, it's Hugo! Hello! You ought to know where you are.
You've been here before. You're in Chisha Village."
Hugo: "How can this be? I thought...I escaped from the cave where the Flame
Champion was lying and..."
Sgt. Joe: "You fainted, that's all. And you gave us quite a scare! Sana said
it could have been because you used your True Rune power...You look exhausted!"
Hugo sits up: "I think I remember something...but it's all fuzzy. Hey,
Sergeant, what's happening outside?"
Sgt. Joe: "Quite a bit, actually. There's a broad representation of clans out
there. Let's see, there's the Karaya Clan, the Lizard Clan, and the ironheads,
along with Harmonian Mercenaries. I can't believe they're not fighting by
now."
Hugo: "Why are they all here?"
Sgt. Joe: "Chief Lucia and Salome, one of the Zexen ironheads, agreed that the
conflict was the responsibility of the Harmonian army. Even if it's true, no
one will believe it. Especially not the Lizards. Their chief was murdered,
you know. They won't be easy to placate."
Hugo: "That is true. I won't be appeased easily, either. I'll never forget
Lulu."
Sgt. Joe: "..."
Hugo: "But still..."
[You leave the room and make your way to the entrance to Chisha. There,
a contingent of Zexens, Karayans, and Lizards are arguing. Salome is trying to
convince Dupa that the Zexens who attacked when Zepon was assassinated were
phantoms created by a mage. Dupa doubts him and Beecham says it was no mirage
that Karayans were murdered during the Zexen raid. Percival replies that each
group needs their land to survive and Harmonia is a threat to them all. Bazba
states that Harmonia has always been afraid of the Flame Champion and would not
dare attack.]
Hugo walks through the middle of the assembled crowd and approaches Lucia.
Lucia: "Hugo..."
Hugo: "Mom."
Bazba: "The rune of the Flame Champion now belongs to Hugo, the son of Chief
Lucia, chief of Karaya, one of the Six Clans. We can never lose now that we
have the new Flame Champion with us! Neither Harmonia nor Zexen can defeat
us!"
Hugo: "..."
Hugo raises a clenched fist into the air.
Hugo: "Hear me now! I am the bearer of the True Fire Rune. It's in my right
hand. I have taken over the rune left by the hero FC and his spirit as well!"
Hugo lowers his head and pauses. He then speaks again.
Hugo: "I really wanted to be a hero. A powerful one, too! And I wanted to
promise to never repeat the events of that night when I lost my friend Lulu."
He turns to Chris.
Hugo: "But I wanted to take revenge against you, Chris, to avenge Lulu's
death."
Chris: "..."
Hugo: "But then I was upset when I saw you fight for the Chisha Clan. I
didn't want an ironhead fighting for Grassland. You were supposed to be our
enemy! But now...after everything that's happened...I think I understand.
It's simple. You couldn't let people be slaughtered senselessly before your
own eyes. Not anyone! It's that simple. And I'm sure the Flame Champion FC
felt the same way too. I fought with the Harmonian magician in the cave of
the Flame Champion! They said they were looking for the rune. Harmonia has
no fear of Grassland, and..."
[A Lizard Clan member interrupts with the message that a large Harmonian Army
is attacking. The Grasslands leaders immediately rush off to meet the threat.]
As she's running off to join the battle, Chris stops to regard Hugo.
Chris: "Hugo, you are overestimating me. I am a knight, and I never hesitate
to bloody my sword in battle. Yet...What you said just now rings true as well.
I guess I must seem like a hypocrite."
[You decide to join the fight as well. After getting walloped by the Harmonian
forces, the Zexen and Grasslands forces retreat to Duck Village. Hugo helps a
Karayan comrade into the village, while Chris gives orders to the Zexens, and
Queen and Aila tend to the wounded. You walk into the inn and see an argument
between Salome, Dupa, Lucia, and Beecham. They cannot agree to trust each
other or to form an alliance to face the Harmonian threat.]
Hugo walks to the entrance of Duck Village to see a Zexen messenger inform
Chris, Salome, and Percival that the Harmonians have dispatched a third
division against them.
[Back at the inn, the Grasslands leaders tell Chris and Salome they intend to
take the Harmonian Army head on. Chris and Salome both state that taking a
direct attack approach would be suicide. Dupa replies that this is their plan
and the Zexens can fall in if they want or not. The Grasslands leaders leave
the inn as Chris pounds her fist on the table in frustration.]
Hugo consults with Apple, Caesar, and Sgt. Joe outside. Apple states that she
believes a huge portion of the Harmonian Army is actually phantom images.
Instead of taking on the Harmonians, she wants Hugo to lead a small team to
disrupt the concentration of the mage conjuring the images. Aila joins the
conversation at this point and states she knows what the mage looks like and
can track her down. Hugo agrees to the plan and heads out with Aila and Sgt.
Joe to carry out their plan.
[The Harmonian Army, with help from the Mantor units, quickly pushes back the
attack of the Grasslands teams. Chris and the Zexen Knights appear and make
one last effort to convince them they should not be enemies. The Zexens offer
to cover the Grasslanders'retreat to Brass Castle. After mulling it over,
Lucia and Dupa agree and withdraw from the battle. Chris informs the Zexens
they do not need to defeat the Harmonian Army, only to stall it for a little
while.]
Sarah is shown in the middle of a group of Harmonian soldiers, her staff raised
in the air as she concentrates to summon the phantom army. Hugo, Aila, Sgt.
Joe, Caesar, and Apple have tracked them down. A group of Harmonian soldiers
spot them but are quickly dispatched.
Hugo regards Sarah: "You must be the mage!"
Aila: "I don't know what you are up to, lady!!!"
Sarah: "What...Damn, I can't focus!"
Another contingent of Harmonian soldiers are sent after Hugo and meet the same
fate as the others.
Hugo: "Hmmm. The Harmonian army's not such a big deal after all."
Aila: "You think we're afraid of your phantoms? Hah! Where are they now?
It's just you and me, lady!"
Sarah: "You...are the bearer of the True Fire Rune..."
Hugo: "Last time, the rune saved me, but this time, I will do it on my own!"
Hugo takes out Sarah and her Harmonian entourage. After the battle, Sarah
stands bent over, exhausted and leaning on her staff.
Sarah: "Damn it! This will be disastrous!"
Hugo: "Come on, just a little bit more!"
Yuber suddenly appears next to Sarah. He motions his hand and bone soldiers
appear between Hugo and Sarah. He disappears with Sarah despite Hugo's efforts
to stop them. Caesar says they accomplished what they came for and it's time
to go to Brass Castle.
[At Brass Castle, Caesar notes to you they have averted the total destruction
of the army and that despite the odds, he always has some tricks up his sleeve.
You go to the Brass Castle's parlor where the leaders of the Grasslands and
Zexen are again discussing the possibility of an alliance. Caesar interrupts
them and states that they will need strategy as well as the cooperation of
forces outside Zexen and the Grasslands to defeat Harmonia. Lucia vouches for
Caesar's opinions but states there are two problems. First, they will need a
leader to unify the Zexen and Grasslands forces. Everyone silently turns your
way in acknowledgement. Lucia states the first problem is taken care of, but
the second is that the heart and morale of the soldiers also need to be won
over. She states that after getting whipped by the Harmonian Army, they see
the enemy as an unbeatable opponent. She tells Caesar overcoming this problem
will take more than sound battle strategy.]
Hugo goes off to the east exit of Brass Castle, where Sgt. Joe is standing.
Sgt. Joe: "Hi, Hugo, what brings you out here?"
Hugo: "Just wondering what you're doing, Sergeant."
Sgt. Joe: "I'm on lookout. The enemy might attack at any minute, you know."
Hugo: "The colossal Harmonian army will advance sooner or later. Do you
think we have a chance to defeat them?"
Sgt. Joe: "If you're asking what I think our odds are, I can't say. There
are no guarantees in war. The only thing you can be sure of is that if we
lose, we won't get a second chance. Does that make sense to you?"
Hugo: "Sergeant..."
Sgt. Joe: "Hmmmm..."
Hugo: "Sorry."
Sgt. Joe: "Hugo, the only thing I can do is keep a lookout. But you should be
able to make a real difference. After all, you have the True Fire Rune in your
right hand. You're the Flame Champion's successor. Think about that."
Hugo: "I see."
Sgt. Joe: "Hugo, you want to be a hero, don't you? Think about Lulu."
Hugo: "Okay. I'll try, Sergeant. But I don't know how far I can go..."
Sgt. Joe throws his arms up in the air: "Hugo! You sound pathetic! If you
are the one, you must hold your head up and say, 'leave everything to me.'
That's what a hero would do."
Hugo: "Sergeant..."
Sgt. Joe: "Now, off you go! The Grasslands need a hero."
Hugo: "Yes, and I'll be the one!"
Hugo walks away, turns his head back toward Sgt. Joe and pauses. Sgt. Joe
silently nods his head. Hugo turns forward and runs back to the courtyard. In
the courtyard, Hugo stands in front of the assembly of defeated Zexen and
Grassland troops. He puts his hand over his heart and speaks.
Hugo: "I am Hugo, from the Karaya Clan. I was born and raised in the
Grasslands. I didn't know the outside world until recently. Take Zexen, for
instance. All I knew of it was its name. Now, things are different. I've
seen the Grasslands and Zexen with my own eyes. I was shocked at what I saw.
We, the people of the Grasslands, have looked down on Zexens as people not
blessed by the spirits. And those living in Zexen think of us as barbarians.
This mindset has gone on for ages."
[The assembled troops look up at you.] Hugo pauses. He clenches his right hand
into a fist and looks at it.
Hugo: "The True Fire Rune I bear in my right hand keeps memories of the late
Flame Champion, FC. It's taught me that human history is filled with wars and
conflicts. The spirits of fire were seldom at rest, and peace never lasted
very long. No matter how difficult the task, the Flame Champion never gave up!
He fought to protect the Grasslands! He sacrificed everything to protect his
loved ones! Sometimes a hero has to sacrifice everything! I couldn't protect
my friend, my best friend. But that didn't make me give up. I don't want to
go through that misery again! Do you?"
The camera shifts to show the different members of the Grasslands and Zexen
soldiers as Hugo continues to speak.
Hugo: "Who do you want to protect? What do you want to protect? Which
memories do you want to protect? Do you really want these destroyed now? I
can't let that happen! I won't! Forget the differences between the Grasslands
and Zexen! It's time we fought together to protect what we cherish! Why not
go and fight? Let's do it! You say the Grasslands and Zexen can't unite?
Can't we just do this for the time being?"
[Slowly, the soldiers pick themselves up off the ground and, one by one, echo
your sentiments.]
Hugo raises the hand bearing the True Fire Rune into a clenched fist in the
air.
Hugo: "I swear by the Rune in my right hand that I will be the Flame Champion,
FC's successor, and heir to his power, and that I will fight to protect this
land as FC would have done!"
[The camera pulls back from you, showing all the soldiers in the courtyard
cheering and raising their weapons in unison. Lucia, Salome, Dupa, Apple, and
Caesar regard the scene, agreeing that they have a legitimate shot to beat the
Harmonian Army now that they have a true leader for their allied armies.
Caesar congratulates you on being the new Flame Champion.]
Hugo: "Thanks. I was almost too excited to follow what I was saying!"
[Caesar says it is time for the new army's first battle. After organizing your
troops, you face the Harmonian Army led by Dios, Sasarai, Albert, and Yuber.
Along with the other two main characters and support from the main troops of
Zexen and the Grasslands, you face the Harmonians outside of Brass Castle. You
speak to Sasarai, reminding him of the pact the Flame Champion made with
Harmonia. Sasarai states that agreement has been over for a long time. You
respond by stating that you carry the True Fire Rune and warn that the
Harmonians face the same destructive fate as their predecessors 50 years ago.
Sasarai and Dios understand the weight of words backed by the True Fire Rune
and send half of their army back to safeguard Harmonia. After defeating these
forces, additional soldiers led by Mua, Hallec, Thomas, and Lilly arrive on
the field. If you were able to get a major victory, you acquire a Silver
Shield. Back at Brass Castle, the combined Zexen and Grasslands forces
celebrate their victory.]
Hugo enters the courtyard flanked by Sgt. Joe, Fubar, Mua, and Hallec. A
group of soldiers from both Zexen and the Grasslands converge on them.
Sgt. Joe: "You sure are popular around here."
Mua: "It was a close victory, so they are very happy."
Hallec lets out a shout, startling Sgt. Joe: "Wheeoohhh!!!! We shed our blood
in war for the Flame Champion!!!!"
Fubar follows suit, fraying the poor Sergeant's nerves even more: "Kuueee!!!"
Sgt. Joe flaps his arms wildly: "Shut it! Just shut it!!!"
[Lilly, with Reed and Samus in tow, enter and come up behind you.]
Lilly: "Is that you, Hugo? It's been a long time. (Her face turns into a
scowl) You know, you had some nerve to leave without me."
Hugo: (turns around to face Lilly) "Ohhhhh, ah, I'm sorry, Lilly."
Reed: "You must be joking, Miss! Weren't you going back to Tinto because the
caravan hadn't arrived?"
Lilly: "Be quiet! By the way, I heard the Flame Champion is around. Where is
he? Tell me!"
Hugo: "Well..."
Lilly: "What?"
Lilly turns around, her face turns into surprise when she sees Sgt. Joe calmly
pointing to Hugo. The entire screen shakes as Lilly vents.
Lilly: "Really?!! You're the Flame Champion?!! Why didn't you tell me?!!"
Lilly composes herself: "I see, now I get it."
Sgt. Joe: "Ohhhh! That took a while."
Lilly: "All right, count me in. I don't want to see the Grasslands taken over
by Harmonia."
Reed: "Ms. Lilly!"
Lilly: "I will join the Fire Bringer tomorrow. I don't mind being co-leader,
Hugo."
As Lilly walks away, Samus turns to Hugo: "Phew...Tough luck, buddy."
Hugo silently looks down at the ground in reply.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5c. Geddoe's Story
Geddoe looks at the table where FC's staff and outfit are displayed. After a
short pause he approaches the table.
Geddoe: "FC...I enjoyed having you around. I couldn't fight the curse that
came with the rune I bore in my body, but I admired your unbound and free-
spirited way of living."
Geddoe walks up to the table and looks over the staff.
Geddoe: "When the True Rune bearer loses the rune, he suffers greatly and pays
a high price...You traded that mighty power for mortal life. You abandoned
everything in order to share with your loved ones the little time that was
left. I am jealous of you. Very much so. And now..."
Geddoe reaches for the staff and the screen fades to white.
[Sana states that you will follow in the path of FC, and that it was his wish
for you to first pass a test. After agreeing and setting up the party, you
face the Fire Dragon. After defeating it, you acquire the True Fire Rune.]
Geddoe: "I did it. I have proven myself."
Geddoe suddenly grabs his torso in pain as lightning energy crackles around his
entire body.
Geddoe: "Oh...the...the pain! Ugh..."
Hugo looks on and, almost involuntarily, raises and extends his right hand in
the air. The symbol of the True Lightning Rune passes over his outstretched
hand as he receives the Rune.
Hugo: "W-wait! What the--?!"
Geddoe gathers himself, the painful process now over: "The True Lightning Rune
I used to bear has been sent to a new bearer by the True Fire Rune now within
me."
Hugo: "Me? The True Lightning Rune?"
Geddoe: "Yes."
[Sana greets the 3 main characters and leads them out of the room.]
As they exit, Geddoe stops to speak to Chris and Hugo.
Geddoe: "This rune was once carried by a true friend. I can't promise to
carry out his wishes, but I do know that I cannot allow anyone to taint the
rune through misuse."
A voice interrupts:
Luc: "Your intentions are honorable, but are you positive you're doing the
right thing?"
[Sana is startled by the appearance of Luc, Yuber, Sarah, and Albert, and asks
how they were able to enter. Luc replies that Sana herself unsealed the
chamber.]
Geddoe: "Why...you..."
Albert: "Watch your language, now...You're addressing the Bishop! I see that
the Defense Units aren't training their dogs properly."
Geddoe: "I know nothing of dog behavior, but I do know you're depriving some
poor village of its idiot!"
[Luc demands the True Fire Rune.]
Geddoe: "I won't give you the damn rune!"
[After beating Luc and co., the bad guys are surprised that you may have
already unlocked the True Rune's power. Luc attempts to use his True Wind Rune
to subjugate the True Fire Rune, but the spirit of the Flame Champion blocks
his attempt. The main characters' parties suddenly reappear next to their
leaders. Albert suggests a strategic retreat and Sarah teleports them away.
As he is leaving, Luc states he will allow you to keep the True Fire Rune for
now.]
The screen fades to white and Geddoe sits up in a bed in the Chisha Village.
Geddoe: "What?"
Queen walks in: "You took us by surprise, Geddoe. You usually have your tough
face on."
Geddoe moves to sit on the side of the bed.
Geddoe: "Yeah, whatever. What happened?"
Queen sits down next to him on the bed: "You fainted right after fighting the
Bishop. The old woman, Sana, said it happened because you used the True Rune's
power. Is that how it works?"
Geddoe: "Could be."
Geddoe looks at his right hand with the True Fire Rune. Queen looks at it and
puts her hand on Geddoe's to examine the Rune.
Queen: "The True Rune...in your right hand...that's what killed my beloved,
Sanady."
Geddoe: "...What's all that noise outside?"
Queen: "Well, the Zexen Knights and the Karaya and Lizard Clans have all
gathered here in this tiny village. The commotion was inevitable."
Geddoe: "You mean to say that Lord Salome is here too?"
Queen nods: "Yep! He's trying to persuade everyone that Holy Harmonia
orchestrated the battle, but it's not easy. Too much blood has already been
spilled."
Geddoe: "It'll only get bloodier if we don't help. The land occupied by the
Harmonian army..."
Queen: "Geddoe, you don't have to tell me. I know better than anyone."
Geddoe looks down: "Sorry about that."
Queen: "You--sorry? What's wrong with you? (she points to her head) I bet
that rune's affecting your brain."
Geddoe smiles: "Heh heh heh. You know, you might have something there."
[You leave the room and make your way to the entrance to Chisha. There,
a contingent of Zexens, Karayans, and Lizards are arguing. Salome is trying to
convince Dupa that the Zexens who attacked when Zepon was assassinated were
phantoms created by a mage. Dupa doubts him and Beecham says it was no mirage
that Karayans were murdered during the Zexen raid. Percival replies that each
group needs their land to survive and Harmonia is a threat to them all. Bazba
states that Harmonia has always been afraid of the Flame Champion and would not
dare attack.]
Geddoe and Queen walk up to the assembled groups. Geddoe looks at each of them
and stands in the middle of the groups.
Salome: "Geddoe..."
Geddoe walks up to Bazba: "So you think you can fight if the Flame Champion
leads you, eh?"
Bazba: "You, who the hell are you?"
Geddoe raises his right hand, clenched in a fist, high in the air: "I am
Geddoe. The True Fire Rune that FC once bore in his right hand is now in my
right hand, along with his vision. (he turns his head to regard each person)
The Harmonian army will be advancing any minute now. Why must you fight each
other? Isn't there anyone here who can take over the spirit of FC, who
protected this land?"
Dupa: "But still..."
Beecham: "Even so..."
Geddoe: "I know that there were unhappy encounters and battles. And I also
know that it is hard to overcome hatred and sorrow, but we must guard what he
has preserved..."
Lucia: "..."
Queen: "If you don't do something now, this land will be occupied by the
Harmonian army, and they want vengeance--they haven't forgotten their defeat by
the Flame Champion. You don't know what happened to the countries, towns, and
villages that were occupied by Harmonia, so you are indifferent to their
plight. How can you be so conceited?! You don't have time for such arrogance.
Don't you understand? Don't you care about your lands?"
Dupa: "..."
Chris: "..."
[A Lizard Clan member interrupts with the message that a large Harmonian Army
is attacking. The Grasslands leaders immediately rush off to meet the threat.]
A Zexen knight confers with Chris who orders them into the battle as well,
leaving Geddoe and Queen alone.
Queen: "They are a bunch of slowpokes."
Geddoe: "They can't help it."
Geddoe heads back inside the village, where Ace, Joker, Jacques, and Aila are
assembled.
Joker: "Well, boss, what's next?"
Ace: "How can they be so uncooperative? Don't they know that the Flame
Champion's successor is right here?"
[You decide to join the fight as well. After getting walloped by the Harmonian
forces, the Zexen and Grasslands forces retreat to Duck Village. Hugo helps a
Karayan comrade into the village, while Chris gives orders to the Zexens, and
Queen and Aila tend to the wounded. You walk into the inn and see an argument
between Salome, Dupa, Lucia, and Beecham. They cannot agree to trust each
other or to form an alliance to face the Harmonian threat.]
Geddoe walks to the entrance of Duck Village to see a Zexen messenger inform
Chris, Salome, and Percival that the Harmonians have dispatched a third
division against them.
[Back at the inn, the Grasslands leaders tell Chris and Salome they intend to
take the Harmonian Army head on. Chris and Salome both state that taking a
direct attack approach would be suicide. Dupa replies that this is their plan
and the Zexens can fall in if they want or not. The Grasslands leaders leave
the inn as Chris pounds her fist on the table in frustration.]
Geddoe consults with his team, who agree that the Harmonians will likely wipe
out the Zexens and Grasslanders. Apple and Caesar walk up and inform them that
they have a plan. Apple states she believes a huge portion of the Harmonian
army is actually phantom images. Instead of taking on the Harmonians, she
wants Geddoe and his team to disrupt the concentration of the mage conjuring
the images. Aila states that the mage Apple is talking about must be Sarah,
so she knows what the mage looks like. Geddoe agrees to the plan and heads out
with his team to carry it out.
[The Harmonian Army, with help from the Mantor units, quickly pushes back the
attack of the Grasslands teams. Chris and the Zexen Knights appear and make
one last effort to convince them they should not be enemies. The Zexens offer
to cover the Grasslanders'retreat to Brass Castle. After mulling it over,
Lucia and Dupa agree and withdraw from the battle. Chris informs the Zexens
they do not need to defeat the Harmonian Army, only to stall it for a little
while.]
Sarah is shown in the middle of a group of Harmonian soldiers, her staff raised
in the air as she concentrates to summon the phantom army. Geddoe's team,
along with Apple and Caesar, have tracked them down.
Geddoe (referring to Sarah): "Is that her?"
Aila nods: "That's her!"
Caesar: "Remember, we just have to make her lose focus."
Geddoe: "I see."
Geddoe's group charges in and quickly takes out a group of Harmonian guards.
Geddoe: "I guess we hit it right."
Aila: "I don't know what you are up to, lady!!!"
Sarah: "What...Damn, I can't focus!"
Another contingent of Harmonian soldiers are sent after Geddoe's team and meet
the same result as the last group.
Geddoe: "That's about it."
Aila: "You think we're afraid of your phantoms? Hah! Where are they now?
It's just you and me, lady!"
Sarah: "You...are the bearer of the True Fire Rune..."
Geddoe: "The rune's power protected me then, but now..."
Geddoe takes out Sarah and her Harmonian entourage. After the battle, Sarah
stands bent over, exhausted and leaning on her staff.
Sarah: "Damn it! This will be disastrous!"
Geddoe: "Well, why don't you admit your defeat?"
Yuber suddenly appears next to Sarah. He motions his hand and bone soldiers
appear between Geddoe and Sarah. He disappears with Sarah despite Geddoe's
efforts to stop them. Caesar says they accomplished what they came for and
it's time to go to Brass Castle.
[At Brass Castle, Caesar notes to you they have averted the total destruction
of the army and that despite the odds, he always has some tricks up his sleeve.
You go to the Brass Castle's parlor where the leaders of the Grasslands and
Zexen are again discussing the possibility of an alliance. Caesar interrupts
them and states that they will need strategy as well as the cooperation of
forces outside Zexen and the Grasslands to defeat Harmonia. Lucia vouches for
Caesar's opinions but states there are two problems. First, they will need a
leader to unify the Zexen and Grasslands forces. Everyone silently turns your
way in acknowledgement. Lucia states the first problem is taken care of, but
the second is that the heart and morale of the soldiers also need to be won
over. She states that after getting whipped by the Harmonian Army, they see
the enemy as an unbeatable opponent. She tells Caesar overcoming this problem
will take more than sound battle strategy.]
Geddoe walks to the west exit of Brass Castle, where his team has assembled.
Ace shakes his head: "This is so confusing. We have no idea when the main
force will get here. How will we know when to run away?"
Queen: "Ace!!"
Ace: "I know, I know...I was just joking."
Joker: "So, boss, tell us...What's this connection you have with the Flame
Champion?"
Geddoe: "The Flame Champion, FC, was a comrade whom I fought beside."
Aila: "You knew the Flame Champion? Wasn't it about some fifty years ago?
Damn! How old are you, Geddoe?"
Geddoe: "I'm at least 80 years old. It's an effect of the Rune's power. I
bore the True Lightning Rune in my right hand for years."
Queen: "Oh, Geddoe."
Geddoe: "The Flame Champion, FC, won a fifty-year ceasefire from Harmonia and
later died. (he closes his eyes) But I couldn't live the way he did. Even
when I fought beside him, I could never live a hero's life or bear a hero's
responsibilities."
There is a pause as Geddoe's team looks at him, digesting what he is saying.
Geddoe: "Harmonia destroyed my homeland, too. I was left with a True Rune in
my hand. I ran away without fighting. I grew accustomed to the idea of never
dying. Even while fighting as a Fire Bringer, I wasn't living life to the
fullest. (he shakes his head) What good is perpetual life if you're never
satisfied?"
Joker: "So now..."
Geddoe: "This time, I mean to fight. Not for anybody else, but for myself...
So as of now, the Twelfth Unit of Holy Harmonia Kingdom's Southern Frontier is
dismissed. Can you return to Caleria to report this?"
Ace: "Huh?"
Joker: "Hmmm..."
Jacques: "Well, I for one...intend to remain here. I didn't join the force
for money in the first place."
Queen: "Don't treat us this way. We're your friends, aren't we?"
Joker: "That's right. I have no home or family to return to, anyway. I need
something to do before I die."
There's a pause. Jacques, Joker, Aila, and Queen turn their heads toward Ace.
Ace: "Don't look at me like that! I don't want to see Vinay Del Zexay burned
down, either, you know, so count me in too. But, let's not drop out of the
defense force. I'll find an excuse."
Aila: "I'm with all of you!"
Joker: "Well! I'm glad that's settled! We're coming with you, boss. You
can't dissuade us!"
Geddoe: "Well, do as you like."
Queen: "All right. Let's get started, then. At the moment, the Grasslands
and Knights are a herd of sheep without a shepherd."
Aila: "What do you mean?"
Queen: "He will take over as the Flame Champion, don't you see?"
Ace: "Wow, the Flame Champion, Geddoe! That's incredible!"
Joker: "Calm down, Ace."
Queen simply looks at Ace and shakes her head. Geddoe goes back out to the
eastern courtyard of Brass Castle and addresses the assembled group of defeated
Zexen and Grassland soldiers.
Geddoe: "I'm Geddoe. I once stood next to the Flame Champion, FC. I doubt if
you remember my name."
[The assembled troops look up at you.]
Geddoe: "The True Lightning Rune, which I bore in my hand, gave me eternal
life. But it has only been a life of pain and remorse. Once, long ago, there
was a man who risked everything to protect this land. He wasn't asked to do
it, nor did he wish to. He started this desparate fight of his own free will.
You all know him well. He was the Flame Champion, FC. (Geddoe looks up to the
sky) Now his name has bec