The Kingdom of Ivalice; forever guarded by the twin headed lions and by the sun that shines upon them... A year after the defeat of the 50 Years War, the King had died from a terminal illness earlier and the prince who succeed him was only 2 years old. This meant his guardian would actually reign in his stead as King. The Queen's elder brother Larg was designated as guardian but, fearing an oppressive reign from the Queen, the parliament ousted the potential prince. Appointing instead the King's cousin, Prince Goltana, as the guardian. Prince Goltanna and Prince Larg are both respected generals who proved themselves in the 50 Year War. Prince Goltana had the support of the powerful Nobles but, disenfranchised Nobles and knights clearly supported Prince Larg. The Black Lion symbolizes Prince Goltana and the White Lion symbolizes Prince Larg. This is the beginning of what will later be known as "The Lion War". Prologue of the Lion War (PlayStation)

Arazlam Durai, a historical scholar researching the past, comes upon his ancestor's writings, the Durai Papers, which tell the truth about the legendary hero, Delita Heiral. The papers suggest that the true hero was a noble named Ramza Beoulve, whose role has since been lost to history.

Ramza, who has cast aside his nobility and joined a mercenary group, comes to Orbonne Monastery with the rest of the group, led by Goffard Gaffgarion. The monastery, where Princess Ovelia Atkascha is residing, is attacked by several Northern Sky knights dressed as Southern Sky knights, and Gaffgarion's group, hired to defend the princess, helps fight them off.

During the attack Delita slips in and kidnaps the princess. Agrias Oaks, the princess's bodyguard, joins Ramza's group in hunting Delita down. Ramza, who has not seen Delita in years and thought him dead, is shocked, and cannot fathom his intentions. He thinks back on the times the both of them used to fight together in the Order of the Northern Sky.

Chapter 1: The Meager [ edit | edit source ]

A year ago Ramza and Delita were childhood friends and cadets in the Order of the Northern Sky. Ramza was the third son of the noble House Beoulve, while Delita was a commoner working in the house along with his sister, Tietra Heiral. The two studied at the Akademy in the Magick City of Gariland and were best of friends.

Due to Ivalice's defeat in the Fifty Years' War, the soldiers returning home could not be paid. This created widespread dissatisfaction with the nobility and ignited revolts across Ivalice, like the Corpse Brigade's uprising in Ramza's home duchy of Gallionne. When Corpse Brigade forces attack Gariland, the students of the Akademy are sent to fight them, and Ramza and Delita lead their group to victory. Afterward they return to House Beoulve's seat of power, Eagrose Castle.

Ramza's party comes upon a lone squire surrounded by Corpse Brigade forces. They rescue him and learn his name: Argath Thadalfus. Argath is a noble servant of the Marquis Elmdore, who has been kidnapped by the Corpse Brigade, a rebel group that seeks to usurp the aristocracy. Argath states his case to Ramza's elder true-born brother, the cold Dycedarg Beoulve, co-ruler of the house with his brother Zalbaag since the death of their father Barbaneth. Despite Argath's impudent manner, Dycedarg says he'll do what he can, though he orders Ramza to stay in the castle. While Ramza visits his younger sister, Alma Beoulve, Zalbaag drops a hint to Ramza about the whereabouts of the Marquis, suggesting that he rescue him.

Ramza's group goes to the Merchant City of Dorter where they spot the Corpse Brigade's leader, Wiegraf Folles, but Brigade forces halt their pursuit. Argath captures the enemy leader and beats him until he reveals the marquis's location. They travel to the Sand Rat Sietch, where they find Wiegraf killing his own officer, Gustav Margriff. Wiegraf says he objects to the dishonorable tactic of kidnapping, and offers to trade the marquis's life for his own, and Ramza agrees. With Elmdore safe, Ramza returns to Eagrose to find an angry Dycedarg. Elmdore was a supporter of the Order of the Southern Sky, and Dycedarg was pulling Gustav's strings to knock off a political foe.

While Ramza's party moves to attack a Corpse Brigade group led by Wiegraf's sister, Milleuda Folles, a Brigade force led by Gragoroth Levigne strikes Eagrose Castle, injuring Dycedarg and almost taking Alma hostage. When Zalbaag rescues his sister, Gragoroth grabs Alma's lowborn friend Tietra instead, thinking she is noble-born. Dycedarg promises not to attack the Brigade while they hold Tietra, but Argath, never a friend to the peasant class, expresses his disapproval, causing an argument with Delita. Ramza sides with his childhood friend and forces Argath out of his party. Ramza and Delita leave to rescue Tietra and share a moment watching the sunset over Mandalia Plains.

Looking for Delita's sister, they come upon Milleuda again. Though they do not see her as an enemy, she refuses to back down and they are forced to kill her. They find Wiegraf's group holding Tietra in a windmill in the Fovoham Windflats. Wiegraf wants to free her, but is forced to go out to fight Ramza with his chocobo, Boco, so his allies can escape. He is beaten and flees, abandoning his revolution to its inevitable defeat. Gragoroth, fearing for his life, steals away Tietra and makes for Ziekden Fortress, with Ramza's group following.

Despite Dycedarg's promise not to attack, Zalbaag leads an assault on the fort and orders his new soldier, Argath, to shoot at Gragoroth, who is holding Tietra at knifepoint. Argath does so without hesitation and mortally wounds them both. Seeing this, Delita attacks Argath with Ramza's aid. They kill their old ally and betray the Order of the Northern Sky, but Gragoroth has filled the fort with gunpowder and sets it alight. Ramza thinks Delita is killed in the explosion and abandons the Order and his family to become a sellsword.

Chapter 2: The Manipulative and the Subservient [ edit | edit source ]

After telling his story, Ramza's party, along with Agrias and Gaffgarion, pursue Delita across Ivalice. They find him and the princess at the Zeirchele Falls, surrounded by hostile Northern Sky forces. A Northern Sky knight tells Gaffgarion to attack Ramza and he complies, revealing himself a traitor working for Dycedarg. Delita fights on Ramza's side, and tells him afterward that he was trying to rescue Ovelia from the Northern Sky by leading her to the Southern Sky stronghold at Fort Besselat. He leaves, letting Ramza's party take Ovelia to safety at Lionel Castle, held by the supposedly neutral Church of Glabados.

On the way, the party meets a machinist named Mustadio Bunansa, who is running from assassins sent by the Baert Trading Company, a crime syndicate specializing in human trafficking and opium smuggling. Mustadio joins Ramza's party, thinking he will find help at Lionel.

They meet Alphonse Delacroix, second-in-command of the church, who offers refuge to Ovelia and her knight, Agrias, and reveals vast knowledge about Mustadio's plight. He knows that Mustadio carries the Taurus auracite, an artefact of great power related to the legendary Zodiac Braves, twelve knights said to have led by Saint Ajora to defeat an ancient demon. The cardinal promises to aid Mustadio against the trading company.

Ramza and Mustadio make for the Clockwork City of Goug where Mustadio's father, Besrudio, is held hostage by the company. Mustadio leaves Ramza briefly to rescue his father, but is captured himself. Ludovich Baert, head of the trading company, threatens Ramza and demands he give up the Taurus stone, but Mustadio is prepared and tells Ramza to give him a fake. The company believes it but attacks anyway, and Ramza's party defeats them and saves Mustadio and his father.

Baert returns to his master, none other than the cardinal, who, not willing to suffer failure, destroys his conspirator using an unknown magick. Gaffgarion returns to his employer, Dycedarg, to report that he failed to kill Ovelia. Dycedarg sends Gaffgarion to fight Ramza, apparently working with the cardinal and unbothered by the idea of ordering his brother's execution.

The cardinal blocks Ramza's route, forcing them to travel by ship to the Port City of Warjilis to rescue Ovelia. They run into Delita, who tells Ramza to stay out of the affairs, saying he is going against the current of history, though what he means is unknown to Ramza.

They find Agrias fighting the cardinal's soldiers in the Balias Swale. She says she has escaped from the cardinal who plans to execute the princess. Ramza's party rushes to save her, but Agrias has been misled and they find only Gaffgarion and his troops. Ramza kills him at the gates of Lionel Castle, then goes to confront the cardinal himself.

Delita, working with the cardinal and an unknown man, takes Ovelia to the Order of the Southern Sky. The man reveals Ovelia is not really the princess, but a lowborn impostor placed to create strife among the aristocracy, as the real princess had died as a baby.

While weeping at his sister's gravestone over his failure to protect her or bring down the nobles, Wiegraf is confronted by Loffrey Wodring of the church's Knights Templar. Loffrey promises Wiegraf that, if he were to join the organization, he would help destroy the tyrannical nobles. Wiegraf takes the offer.

Ramza enters the cardinal's demesne and challenges Delacroix who uses the power of the Scorpio auracite to transform into a Lucavi demon called Cúchulainn, the Impure. Ramza's party defeats it and it explodes with dark energy, leaving the auracite behind. Ramza realizes that the auracites are not holy relics of the Zodiac Braves, but something far more sinister.

With the Southern Sky claiming Ovelia as the rightful queen and the Northern Sky holding up Prince Orinus as king, Ivalice is divided by the civil war that becomes known as the War of the Lions. Marquis Elmdore, now fighting for the Southern Sky, dies in battle, and Queen Louveria is captured by her enemies and imprisoned in Fort Besselat. Delita rises in the ranks of the Southern Sky by exposing a plot and killing a lord who betrayed Duke Goltanna. Lords bleed their people dry even as the kingdom is beset by famine and drought.

Chapter 3: The Valiant [ edit | edit source ]

Ramza and his party go to speak with his brothers, who are occupying the Royal City of Lesalia along with their Northern Sky army. On their journey they meet Orran Durai, adopted son of the Order of the Southern Sky's fiercest commander, Count Cidolfus Orlandeau, known as the "Thunder God" for his strength in battle. Orran is threatened by a group of bandits, and is thankful when Ramza's party saves him, but continues on his own afterwards. Ramza reaches Lesalia and tries to convince Zalbaag that someone is orchestrating the war, but Zalbaag refuses to listen.

As Ramza prepares to leave the city, inquisitors from the church confront him, led by Zalmour Lucianada. Ramza has been branded a heretic for his role in the death of Cardinal Delacroix. He refuses to cooperate and they attempt to take him by force, but Ramza, his party and his younger sister Alma defeat the confessor. Ramza intends to go to the Orbonne Monastery to find the auracite there before the church can. Though Ramza fears for her safety, Alma demands to go with him.

When Ramza's party reaches Orbonne, the Knights Templar are already there, led by Wiegraf Folles and Isilud Tengille. Elder Simon, the monk who runs the monastery and a tutor to Alma, is injured, but offers what help he can. Isilud retreats by capturing Alma as leverage. Wiegraf is mortally wounded, but the Aries auracite in his hand, given to him by the Knights Templar, speaks to him, promising to save him from death. Wiegraf takes the offer, transforms into the Lucavi demon Belias, the Gigas, and teleports away. Before Ramza leaves, a barely-living Elder Simon gives him a book he has spent his life translating: the Scriptures of Germonique.

Germonique is the disciple who supposedly betrayed Saint Ajora. Ajora is held by the Glabados Church to be a child of the gods, but Germonique's account is nothing like the story Ramza knows. The scriptures claim that Ajora was not a holy man, but a revolutionary working to undermine the Holy Ydoran Empire, and Germonique was a spy for the empire who sold Ajora out. Ajora had no connection to the Zodiac Braves, but did search for the auracites for an unknown reason. With this artefact in hand, potentially disastrous for the church, Ramza goes to rescue his sister.

The Order of the Southern Sky places Delita in charge of Princess Ovelia's protection and he begins to soften up to her. Delita promises to protect her and states his ambition to destroy the corrupt powers that rule Ivalice and rebuild it with a new order—all for Ovelia's benefit, he claims. Delita saves Ovelia from an assassination attempt by Northern Sky agents, bringing her closer to him.

Ramza finds Rapha Galthena being chased by her brother, Marach, and a group of Barrington's men. Rapha is a deserter from Khamja, a group of assassins under the command of the powerful Grand Duke Gerrith Barrington, who has captured Isilud along with the auracite and Isilud's captive, Alma. Rapha fled from her master after he raped her, but never told her brother. Seeing that Rapha is in danger, Ramza helps her and she joins his party. Marach survives the battle and, speaking through a toad, tells Ramza that if he fights the Grand Duke, his sister will be killed.

At Barrington's stronghold of Riovanes Castle, Folmarv Tengille, leader of the Knights Templar, Isilud's father and the mysterious man who told the princess she is an impostor, meets with the Grand Duke in negotiations. Wiegraf is with him. Barrington attempts to use his leverage against Folmarv to create an alliance with the Templars, whom he considers the strongest power in Ivalice. Folmarv is not interested in compromise and orders Wiegraf away to settle his score with Ramza. Folmarv transforms into a Lucavi, kills everyone in the room, and fatally wounds his own son for his weakness. Alma escapes from her cell and runs into Isilud just before his death. After their conversation, Folmarv returns, human again. He senses that Alma is to be the new host for his "master" and, hoping to complete his plot, carries her away.

Outside, Rapha and Marach leave to finish their personal feud. Within the castle, Wiegraf attacks Ramza alone. Though Ramza tries to reason with him, the former leader of the Corpse Brigade announces he no longer cares for the peasant revolution or his sister's death, and only wishes to bring destruction to humanity. Ramza defeats Wiegraf's human form in a one-on-one duel, and Wiegraf turns into Belias just as Ramza's party arrives. Together they destroy it.

On the roof of Riovanes Castle, Rapha confronts the Grand Duke. Barrington admits to raping Rapha, making Marach realize he has been fighting on the wrong side. Barrington kills Marach and Ramza's party arrives, along with the Marquis Elmdore and two assassins, Celia and Lettie. Ramza remembers that the marquis had died in battle and realizes that Elmdore too must be a host for a Lucavi. Despite the debt he owes Ramza for saving his life years ago, Elmdore and his servants attack, but retreat when one of them is near defeat. Rapha stands over her brother's corpse with an auracite in hand and hears a voice from the stone. Ramza fears that it will take control of Rapha like it did Wiegraf, but instead of an evil power it returns Marach to life with a holy light, and the Galthena siblings join Ramza's party.

The slaughter becomes known in taverns across Ivalice as The Horror of Riovanes.

Chapter 4: In the Name of Love [ edit | edit source ]

As the war continues, both sides suffer from the strain, knowing that, if the war does not end soon, neither side will retain enough power to rule Ivalice. The Orders amass their forces near Fort Besselat, hoping to end the war. The Order of the Southern Sky is especially weakened, as many lords only continue to serve Duke Goltanna due to the example of the Thunder God. Though Orran suggests to his father that he should leave the Order, Count Orlandeau is too bound by his code of honor to betray his oath to Goltanna.

Ramza seeks the aid of his father's closest ally, the very same Orlandeau, at Zeltennia Castle. During the journey, Ramza's party is threatened by Folmarv's daughter, the Templar Meliadoul Tengille. Because she knows nothing of the Lucavi, she thinks Ramza's band killed her brother at Riovanes. Ramza forces her to retreat but cannot convince her of his innocence.

At Zeltennia, Ramza does not find the Thunder God, only Delita, who gives up the church's plot. He is to kill Duke Goltanna and Count Orlandeau while another takes out the heads of the Northern Sky. With both sides incapacitated, the church would take control of Ivalice, using the auracites and the legend of the Zodiac Braves to sway the populace to follow their orders. Zalmour appears outside, hunting for the heretic that escaped him at Lesalia, and though Delita is working for the church, he briefly betrays it by helping Ramza kill the confessor. Afterwards, Delita leaves Ramza, now manipulating him too in service of his grand ambition.

Ramza's group runs into a Templar named Barich Fendsor, who has sabotaged the Battle of Fort Besselat by devastating both sides with Mossfungus poison. Ramza defeats Barich and rushes to the battle, where his party opens the sluice gates, flooding the battlefield. When the Mossfungus is released, neither army is seriously affected, but the flood prevents an end to the War of the Lions.

The real warfare takes place behind the lines. Duke Goltanna arrests Count Orlandeau as a traitor, following a false tip given by Delita, and names Delita the new commander of the Southern Sky. Delita uses the duke's trust as an opportunity to murder him, and then kills a fake Thunder God to silence the church while the real Count Orlandeau joins Ramza's party. On the other side, Dycedarg uses the confusion created by the Mossfungus poison as a chance to murder Duke Larg. Zalbaag watches the betrayal without taking action, but what he sees disturbs him. Before Larg dies, he mentions that Dycedarg murdered his father, a shock to Zalbaag's ears. Zalbaag no longer trusts his brother.

Following a lead that Alma is in Limberry Castle, Ramza's party moves to confront Marquis Elmdore at the seat of his power. Ramza fights through Celia and Lettie and reveals their true forms: Ultima Demons. Argath, now a powerful undead creature brought back by the marquis, attacks Ramza, and is killed again. They find the marquis in Limberry's undercroft, where he reveals that Alma was never there and the entire journey was a trap, and transforms into the Lucavi Zalera, the Death Seraph. Meliadoul, who happened to be there at the time, sees Elmdore's demonic form and joins Ramza's side to destroy it. She can no longer deny Ramza's story that her father is a Lucavi, and decides to accompany him to end the Lucavi plot.

Dycedarg, now the commander of the Northern Sky, is confronted by the Templar Loffrey Wodring, who makes insinuations about Dycedarg's guilt in the death of his father, mentioning that those killed by Mossfungus have toadstools growing on their graves. Dycedarg denies everything. As Loffrey leaves, he hands Dycedarg the Capricorn auracite as a show of goodwill from the church. Zalbaag overhears the conversation and checks the grave of the late Barbaneth. Finding the toadstools, he returns to Eagrose, sword in hand.

Ramza hears from Meliadoul that Dycedarg has been given an auracite. He rushes across Ivalice to Eagrose and finds his older brothers fighting each other. Dycedarg claims he was doing what was best for House Beoulve. Dycedarg is killed, triggering the auracite in his hand. He turns into Adrammelech, the Wroth, and destroys Zalbaag. Ramza and his party defeat the Lucavi, ending the reign of House Beoulve.

At Mullonde, the seat of the church's power, the Templars under Folmarv revolt. They capture the High Confessor Marcel Funebris and order him to reveal the location of the Necrohol of Mullonde, a dimension of evil required to revive the master of the Lucavi. Funebris reveals it is in Orbonne, but the Scriptures of Germonique are required to open the door to the rift. Though the Templars promise to save the high confessor's life, they fatally wound him.

Folmarv and his servants confront Ramza and tell him to give up the scriptures in exchange for Alma. Though he agrees, the Templars do not release her, and instead attack him and are forced to retreat. Folmarv revives Zalbaag as an undead creature and sends him to kill Ramza. Zalbaag begs Ramza to kill him, and Ramza has no other choice. As the party leaves, they find the high confessor, near death from his injuries, who tells them where the Templars are going.

Ramza's party ventures into the Necrohol, defeats each of the Knights Templar and reaches the Airship Graveyard. Folmarv, the last of the Templars, tries to summon his master using Alma, but cannot. Too few have died; more sacrifices are needed, the true reason they sought to orchestrate the war in Ivalice. He turns into Hashmal, Bringer of Order, and attacks Ramza and his party to spill their blood, but is defeated. Realizing the only way to revive his master is to make himself the sacrifice, Hashmal digs his claws into his chest and brings Saint Ajora back to life, Alma as his human host.

Saint Ajora is divided by Alma within her and Alma is freed. Ajora transforms into Ultima, the High Seraph, the leader of the Lucavi, whose previous human host was Saint Ajora. Though the demon has immense power, Ramza's party defeats it before it can bring devastation to Ivalice. As Ultima dies, she unleashes a massive blast of energy that destroys the area, leaving the fate of Ramza's party unknown.

Orran Durai attends the Beoulve house funeral. Since Ramza is a heretic, and his body was never found, he cannot be given a proper burial. After the service, Orran spots Ramza and Alma riding chocobos away to freedom. Orran writes a history of these events and Ramza's role in defeating the Lucavi, but the church senses the danger of his work and brands him a heretic and burns him at the stake. This work becomes the Durai Papers that Orran's descendant, Arazlam, uncovers generations later.

Delita, now king of Ivalice, comes to his queen, Ovelia, with flowers. She runs at him with a knife and wounds him, out of hatred for being used, but he takes the weapon and kills her. Delita thinks of Ramza, wondering which of them truly succeeded in the end.

Although the game's ending may have seemed ambiguous, Director Yasumi Matsuno has confirmed that Ramza is alive and went on to have another adventure in a different country.[1]

