Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions - Game Script
(c) RevenantThings (Kyle Johnston)
Table of Contents
I.    Updates
II.   Prologue
III.  Chapter 1 - The Meager
IV.   Chapter 2 - The Manipulative and the Subservient
V.    Chapter 3 - The Valiant
VI.   Chapter 4 - In the Name of Love
VII.  Optional Sidequests
VIII. Scriptures of Germonique
IX.   Dossier
X.    Location Descriptions
XI.   Tavern Rumors
XII.  Errand Feats
XIII. Artefacts
XIV.  Wonders
XV.   Credits, Thanks and Legal Information
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I. Updates
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06/18/08 - readdition of Chronicles information
4/14/08 - Corrections, deletion of extraneous information, removal of non-
game text (will be featured in a future update
11/30/07 - Version 1.0. All remaining story scenes are complete
11/23/07 - Version 0.6 submitted. All story scenes viewed in the Events section
have been completed. All Ch.4 battle dialogue finished (except the Deep Dungeon
and Beowulf's introduction)
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II. Prologue
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Sword in hand, a warrior clutches stone to breast
In sword etched he his fading memories
In stone, his tempered skill
By sword attested, by stone revealed
Their tale can now be told.
I am Arazlam, student of Ivalice's Middle Age. You are familiar with the War of
the Lions, no?
It was a bitter war of succession that rent the land of Ivalice in two. Here we
first find mention of Delita Heiral, a hithertofore unknown young man, the hero
who would draw the curtain of this dark act of our history.
His is a heroism of great renown - a story familiar to all who dwell within our
land.
Ah, but what the eye sees is oftentimes a mere fragment of the truth.
There was another young man, the youngest of House Beoulve, long famed for
producing leaders of knights and men.
There is no official record of the role he played on history's stage.
However, according to the Durai Papers, the existence of which became known to
the public only this last year - they had long lain concealed in Church
archives - this forgotten young man is in fact the true hero.
The Church maintains he was a heretic, an inciter of unrest and disturber of
the peace.
Which accounts is to be believed?
Join me in my search to uncover the answer.
Ah, but before we begin, might I ask you to share with me your name and the
date of your birth?
[Upon entering your name and date of birth, the opening movie begins with robed
man, Arazlam, laying a scroll on a desk. He is in a room filled with books.
He turns a light on and reveals a map of Ivalice. The camera zooms into the map
as it slowly turns into a real landscape.]
["The Zodiac Brave Story" flashes on screen just before we see a vast
mountain side.  The landscape is given color as the title "Final Fantasy
Tactics" appears on screen. The background goes black and the music stops.]
---
Fields of Gallionne - To Orbonne
---
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|Delita Heiral, believed to have perished the previous year at Ziekden        |
|Fortress, suddenly appeared clad in the armor of one of Duke Goltanna's men. |
|To what purpose does he hurry along the road toward Orbonne monastery?       |
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[The scene opens up on that rich landscape. A slow pan across a field and a
transitional shot near a creek reveals a kneeling man, Delita. He rises and
dries his hand. He spends a moment at the edge of the water before turning
and mounting his chocobo steed.  He is dressed in armor and wears a white
cape with an emblem of a black lion.  He signals for other chocobo-mounted
warriors, and they dash out of the woods.]
[After crossing a grassy field, Delita halts his mount and views a floating
bird high above him. The bird flies off into the distance and Delita is now
seen slowly trekking through the foggy remains of some unknown ruin.  He
picks up the pace as he races to his target: Orbonne Monastery. He pauses
slightly and gazes at the building.  A dark storm looms in the distance as
the camera goes black.]
---
Orbonne Monastery - Ovelia's Prayer
---
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|A year had passed sinced the tragedy at Ziekden. The Dukes Larg and Goltanna |
|had been locked in a fierce political struggle for control of Ivalice since  |
|the king's death. Tensions were high, and war seemed all but inevitable.     |
|Secret plans were under way to bring Princess Ovelia from Orbonne Monastery  |
|to Gallionne to prevent the outbreak of war.                                 |
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[Princess Ovelia is praying inside Orbonne monastery. She is alone at the
altar while a female knight and a man in holy robes look after her.]
Ovelia: O Father, abandon not Your wayward children of Ivalice, but deliver
us from our sins, that we might know salvation.
Knight: Lady Ovelia, it is time.
Ovelia (still kneeling): I'll not be much longer, Agrias.
Agrias: Your escort has already arrived, Majesty.
Elder (stepping forward): Please, heed the good lady's words, Highness. You
must hurry.
[The view rotates as three men walk through the front doors. A swordsman is
clearly the leader of the three.]
Swordsman: Still in here, are you? It's been the better part of an hour!
Agrias: Gaffgarion, you forget yourself, ser! You are in the presence of the
princess!
[The two men behind Gaffgarion, the swordsman, kneel instantly. Gaffgarion
remains standing, but bows his head.]
Gaffgarion: Mayhap bowed heads would less offend. You would do well to waste
less time on idle pleasantries.
Agrias: I see even the noble Order of the Northern Sky cannot rid itself of
vulgar knaves.
Gaffgarion (raising his head): A guard captain in these rain-sodden hinterlands
ought not expect chivalry. We are in the employ of the Order, not of it. Our
pay des not cover trite courtesies to the likes of you.
Agrias: Guard your tongue!
Ovelia (standing): Enough. Let us be on our way.
[The two men behind Gaffgarion rise as Ovelia walks to address the robed man.]
Elder: The Father watch over you, child.
Ovelia: And you, Elder.
[A flash of lightning covers the screen as an injured female knight enters the
church. She limps towards the Princess. The Elder priest rushes to her aid.]
Knight: Milady! The enemy is upon us!
Elder: Duke Goltanna's men?
[Agrias rushes outside without a moment's hesitation. Gaffgarion addresses his
men.]
Gaffgarion: We are paid for this. Time to earn our keep. What is it, Ramza? You
above getting paid to do a job?
Ramza: I'm a knight no longer. Just another sellsword.
Gaffgarion: Right then. To battle!
[The three men follow Agrias outside.]
Ovelia: Deliver us, O Lord...
[Agrias and her knights stand before a host of enemy knights. It is raining.]
Agrias: They bear the crest of the Black Lion...Duke Goltanna must be mad! Does
he mean to start a war?
Knight: You there, wench! You cannot hope to defeat us! You will surrender the
princess! If not...Well, I would hate to see anything happen to that pretty
face of yours.
[Gaffgarion, Ramza and Ladd join the girls.]
Gaffgarion: A head-on assault. These swords of Goltanna...lackwits one and all.
Agrias: In that case, we should be able to handle this without you, Gaffgarion.
Gaffgarion: Mayhap you could, but there's no money to be made in that! Ladd!
Ramza! With me!
[The battle begins.]
Gaffgarion: Kill them all! Leave no man standing!
Agrias: You would have us slaughter them? Are you mad? Kill them here and
you'll have played into Duke Goltanna's hands! We need only put them to rout!
Gaffgarion: I find dead men rout more easily.
---
Orbonne Monastery - Ovelia's Kidnapping
---
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|With the aid of Gaffgarion and the others, we were able to hold of           |
|Goltanna's troops. But to our dismay, Princess Ovelia was abducted while we  |
|were engaged in battle. I caught sight of one of Duke Goltanna's knights as  |
|he made off with the princess, and strained to maintain my composure as I    |
|laid eyes on his familiar face. Why would Delita be serving Goltanna?        |
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[After the battle we see the rain soaked roof of Orbonne Monastery.  From the
inside of the church we hear Ovelia scream.]
Ovelia: Unhand me!
[Agrias and Ramza run to her aide. Inside the princess is struggling with an
armored assailant.  He is Delita.]
Delita: This way. Be quick! And try making a little less noise.
Ovelia: I'll not take orders from you!
Delita: You've quite a mouth on you, Princess.
[Delita strikes Ovelia, knocking her unconscious.  She falls into him.]
Forgive me. 'Tis your birth and faith that wrong you, not I.
[Lightning strikes as the camera pans up and away.  Agrias bursts into the
church with Ramza on her tail. They spy Delita just as he is leaving through a
back door.]
Agrias (yelling): Hold there! Damn!
[Delita continues on as Agrias tries to cut the kidnapper off. Ramza stays and
is captivated at the sight of the person kidnapping the princess. The screen
goes black.]
Ramza: Is it truly him?
[Ramza runs out of the church, looks around frantically and then sprints off
to the back. He barely catches a glimpse of Delita.  The two acknowledge each
other as Delita carries Ovelia with him on a chocobo. He escapes while Ramza
stands in shock and Agrias gives up her chase.]
Agrias (catching her breath): It cannot be...
Ramza: Delita. He lives? But why does he fight under the banner of Duke
Goltanna?
[The rain continues to fall as the two look on.]
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III. Chapter 1 - The Meager
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---
The Magick City of Gariland - The Knights Apprentice
---
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|Several other knights apprentice and I, all of us soon to graduate into the  |
|ranks of knighthood, were called to gather at the Akademy Hall. An unsavory  |
|band of outlaws known as the Corpse Brigade continues to plunder and loot    |
|throughout Gallionne, and plans are afoot for the Order to rid the land of   |
|these ne'er-do-wells. We knights apprentice are charged with providing       |
|rear-guard support.                                                          |
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[The scene is moved a year in the past, where Ramza and his friend Delita are
training at the Gariland Akademy to become Knights.]
Arazlam (narrating): Records of the hero Delita first appear one year before
the outbreak of the War of the Lions. The loss of the Fifty Years' War saw
knights returning from the front stripped of livelihood, their fealty to the
Crown and nobility abandoned. Many became rogues and traitors, men donning the
thief's cloak and plotting treason against the Crown. It was a time of great
unrest for Ivalice - murder and theft were commonplace. Many were the young
adventurer and mage who stepped forward to counter this threat. Of such, the
city of Gariland, too, saw its share...
[The Royal Military Akademy at Gariland]
Apprentice #1: Another wain was struck last night on its way to Eagrose.
Apprentice #2: The Corpse Brigade again?
Ramza: I wonder where all this leads...Delita, what do you make of this?
Delita: I'm not sure. I have my guesses, but...
Ramza: I'm listening.
Delita: I think Duke Larg is coming to Gariland.
Ramza: Duke Larg? Why?
Delita: Not just the duke. The marquis Elmdore de Limberry, too.
Ramza: That's the first I've heard of it. This has not the sound of a state
visit.
Delita: All of Ivalice is in turmoil. The Order's supposed to be keeping
things under control, but the fact is, they number too few.
Ramza: And they mean to bolster their numbers with us?
Man's Voice (from outside the hall): All right, everybody, form up!
[The Apprentices file in as a Knight enters the room.  He takes the center
position at the head of the gallery.]
Knight: The Order of the Northern Sky has an assignment for its knights
apprentice. As I'm sure you're already aware, the number of brigands roaming
Gallione is on the rise. Among them, the Corpse Brigade...a seditious lot with
a grudge against the Crown. Rogues such as they must be dealt with. The Order
has been commanded to undertake an operation to eliminate the Brigade - an
operation of a grand scale. We will not be acting alone. The Order will be
joined by, among others, His Excellency Duke Larg's royal guard, stationed at
Eagrose. This will leave Eagrose Castle undermanned. Your task will be to
proceed there, and support us from the rear by bolstering its defenses.
[A female Knight walks in, whispers something briefly to the KNIGHT, then
leaves in a rush.]
The time to take up arms is upon you, young apprentices! I've just
received word that a band of thieves routed by our knights flees here to
Gariland, seeking refuge. We will move to stop them, and finish the task of our
brothers. You, young apprentices, will accompany us. This is but a squall
before the storm of battle. Prepare yourselves at once! Dismissed!
[The screen goes dark as the apprentices file out of the room to face their
opponents. They stand in the streets of Gariland against the band of thieves.]
Rogue: What have we here...Wee moppets, is it? Our luck's went and turned for
the better! Aw'right, lads! Cut through these ones and we're good as fled!
We'll make quick work of them! And don't be leaving no squealers behind,
neither!
[They advance on our apprentices.]
Delita: Careful, Ramza! Remember: The well-aimed thrust pierces the mail.
Ramza: Don't patronize me, Delita! We Beoulves know our way around a battle-
field.
Rogue: Beoulve, was it? Heir to the noble House Beoulve, I'd wager. Looks like
we have ourselves some apprentices from the Akademy! Well, highborn moppets is
still moppets!
Ramza: Lay down your arms or die clutching them! None will mourn your passing.
Rogue: And you mean to make us do that, then? You're in far over your little
heads!
[The battle ends and the thieves are stopped.]
Ramza: Honest work would see them die old in bed, yet they choose instead this
early grave. Why persist in such folly?
---
Beoulve Manse - Father's Passing
---
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|That night, I dreamt of things long past. My lord father, Barbaneth Beoulve, |
|former commander of the Order of the Northern Sky and renowned hero of the   |
|Fifty Years' War, had been bedridden, he was but a pale shadow of the man who|
|had once led countless legions into battle. I stood at his bedside with my   |
|lord brothers and young sister, awaiting the end.                            |
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[On the way to Eagrose, Ramza has a flashback of his father's death.]
Arazlam (narrated): Barbaneth Beoulve, a great hero in his own right who had
attained the distinguished title of Knight Gallant, approaches the hour of his
death. The Beoulve Manse. In the waning days of the Fifty Years' War...
[Ramza's family Zalbaag, Dycedarg, and Alma stand in Barbaneth's bedroom, all
of them surrounding his bed.  Barbaneth is ailing and his death seems
eminent.]
Barbaneth: What news of...of the war?
Zalbaag: The Order has struck a great blow. Limberry is ours once more. We will
be able to recall our forces in Zeltennia anon. All goes as planned, Lord
Father. Be not troubled.
Dycedarg: The envoy dispatched to Advocate Lenarrio has returned. He has agreed
to your proposal, Lord Father.
Barbaneth: Good, very...good. Then the war will die with me.
Alma: (in a sad tone, nearly crying) Father...
Barbaneth: There now, Alma. Do you want my...my last memory to be of your
tears?
Zalbaag: Where is that Ramza? He should be here at your side!
Barbaneth: Dycedarg, Zalbaag. You are dear to me. But Ramza is no less so.
Though he be not the issue of the womb that bore your, my sons, still my blood
courses his veins. Watch after him.
[We hear rushed entrance into the manor and Ramza enters the room.]
Ramza: Lord Father!
Dycedarg: You forget yourself, Ramza.
Barbaneth: You have come. Good. Let me...let me look once more on your face.
Ramza: Lord Father...
Barbaneth: How long has it been? You've grown into a...a fine young man. I
would hear of your studies. You've been at the Akademy since...since spring, is
it?
Ramza (grabbing his father's hand): ...
Barbaneth: Hear me, Ramza. For generations, we Beoulves have stood foremost of
those who serve the Crown. Ours is the soul of the knight. Become a knight
worthy of your name. Tolerate no injustice. Stray not from the true path. You
will know the path you must walk. A Beoulve can...can walk no other...
Ramza: I will not fail you, Father.
Barbaneth: Your friend, Delita. He is a good boy. He is lowborn, but he can
serve you well. I've made arrangements for him to enter the Akademy. *chuckle*
You should have seen the look on the headmaster's face. In the years ahead you
will need someone whom you can trust. You could do far worse than Delita.
Ramza: As...as you say, Father.
Barbaneth: Take care of your sister. And show these brothers of yours what it
is...what it is to be a knight...
---
Mandalia Plain - Argath's Rescue
---
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|We rescued a swordsman under attack by the Corpse Brigade on Mandalia Plain. |
|His name was Argath, a knight apprentice in the household of Marquis Elmdore |
|de Limberry. It seemed their carriage was waylaid en route to Eagrose. The   |
|marquis was abducted in the attack, and all among his guard were killed, save|
|Argath. Argath pleaded for the Northern Order's aid in rescuing the marquis. |
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[On Mandalia Plains, Delita and Ramza happen upon a young squire ensnared by a
few rogues.]
Highwayman #1: Looks like this one's still alive. What do we do with him?
Highwayman #2: What do you -think- we do with him?
Highwayman #1: Right, then. Your luck's run out, knave, if ever you had any.
[Ramza and Delita arrive.]
Highwayman #2: Blast! One of the Order's patrols.
Delita: The Corpse Brigade...And they've a hostage in their midst.
[CHOICE 1 - Our first duty is to destroy the Brigade.]
Ramza: Our first duty is to destroy the Brigade. The enemy stands before us -
attack!
Delita: You would stand by and watch as they kill an innocent?
Ramza: I hadn't planned on giving them the chance. Had you?
Delita: I would save him myself, if it came to that.
[CHOICE 2 - We must rescue their captive!]
Ramza: We must rescue their captive! To do less would be unbecoming of men of
the Order.
[The mission to protect Argath commences.]
Argath: Reinforcements...and none too soon.
[The three men defeat the highwaymen.]
Ramza: Are you harmed?
Argath: I'll be fine. It is for the marquis's safety I fear.
Ramza: The marquis? The marquis Elmdore de Limberry was here?
Argath: The very same. And to whom do I owe my gratitude?
Ramza: We are knights apprentice from the Akademy at Gariland. We may be able
to help you. But first I would hear more.
[After the battle, the three men introduce each other.]
Argath: My name is Argath, a knight in His Excellency the marquis Elmdore de
Limberry's household.
Delita: A knight, you say?
Argath: Well, truth be told, I am a knight apprentice...as are you, if I'm not
far mistaken.
Ramza (nodding): A fellow knight-in-training, then. I am Ramza Beoulve, and
this is Delita Heiral, my trusted friend.
[Delita nods at mention of his name, and Argath has a pleasant look on his
face.]
Argath: Beoulve? You're not of the Beoulves of the Order of the Northern Sky,
are you? What fantastic luck! A blessing in the midst of disaster!
Ramza: What-?
Argath (taking Ramza's hands): The Order can help me rescue the marquis! It
must!
Delita: The marquis is held captive?
Argath: They took him hostage, yes, but he still lives! We must act quickly if
he is to remain so. Should he be killed, I will lose everything...
[Again, he takes Ramza's hand.]
You simply -must- help me! Please! I beg you!
Delita: Calm yourself. Who's to say your marquis is to be killed, anyway? The
Corpse Brigade would not take a man alive save there were value in keeping him
so. Of that you can be sure.
Ramza: There's little the three of us can do to help, in any case. If the
marquis was taken hostage, Eagrose will be in an uproar. You can be sure of
that, too.
Delita: Then before all else we will report in to Eagrose. Are we agreed?
Argath (freeing Ramza): Agreed. We'll start there.
---
Eagrose Castle - Reunion with Dycedarg
---
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|We had found our way to Eagrose, the high seat of Gallione, and immediately  |
|made for the castle, where my lord brother Dycedarg awaited out arrival. In  |
|his haste to avenge the death of his fellows, Argath pleaded fervently to be |
|granted a troop of soldiers, for which my lord brother roundly rebuked him.  |
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[Upon arriving at Eagrose, Ramza, Delita and Argath have a meeting with Ramza's
eldest brother, Dycedarg.]
Dycedarg: I hear you were decorated for your first victory, Ramza. They sing
your praise from on high. You do honor to our name, my brother - and to me.
Ramza: I am glad.
Dycedarg: Oh? You would not seem it.
Ramza: I am - forgive me. Your words do me far more honor than I have done you.
No doubt word has already reached you, but the marquis de Limberry's carriage
was waylaid, and the marquis taken. What have you a mind to do?
Dycedarg: I have already asked Zalbaag to dispatch a squad in pursuit. These
brigands must eventually come forth to demand ransom - that is, assuming the
marquis yet lives.
Argath (standing): I beg of you, Lord Beoulve! Lend me a hundred men that I
might hunt the whoresons down!
Dycedarg: ...
Argath: Please, my lord - grant me means to avenge my fallen friends!
Dycedarg: Mayhap your ears fail you. I said that a squad is to be dispatched.
You are not a man of Gallione. Leave her affairs to those of us who are.
Argath: B-but...my lord!
Dycedarg: Do not assume to beg favors of me! Let me remind you, Argath, lest
you forget your place. You are but another sword, not yet even knighted.
Argath: ...
Dycedarg: The two of you will remain here at Eagrose, and serve among the
castle guard. You needn't worry. Danger is not like to visit these walls.
---
Eagrose Castle - At Eagrose Castle
---
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|Following our audience with my lord brother Dycedarg, we chanced upon Zalbaag|
|and Alma in the gardens. Before leaving to attend to his duties, Zalbaag     |
|confided that a spy in his employ had recently disappeared in the vicinity of|
|the merchant city of Dorter.                                                 |
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[Ramza, Argath and Delita walk amidst the gardens of Eagrose. Argath stops on a
bridge and regales Ramza and Delita about his family.]
Argath: My own house was once respected as highly as House Beoulve, you know.
At least, until my grandfather was captured during the war. He turned traitor,
thinking to buy his freedom with the lives of his friends. But his freedom
scarce outlived his honor. He was not a dozen paces out their gate when the
dagger found his back. Killed by some common squire, no more a knight than I.
One of the men he betrayed later escaped and spread word of his misdeeds. My
lord father would have none of it, of course. But he was the only one. Our
bannermen deserted us, our reputation ruined.
[He bends down and picks up a small stone. He tosses it into the water.]
I suppose I had best remember my place. Your lord brother has no reason to lend
ear to please from the likes of me.
Tietra Heiral (from afar): Delita!
Delita: Tietra!
Ramza: Alma! Zalbaag!
[Ramza's siblings Alma and Zalbaag, and Delita's sister Tietra stand not too
far. They make their way towards the three.]
Alma: Ramza, you've come home!
Ramza: It's been some time, hasn't it, Zalbaag?
Zalbaag: I heard about Gariland. They say you made short work of those
brigands. Now you're truly the right to call yourself a Beoulve. Father would
be proud.
Ramza: Thank you, Lord Brother.
Zalbaag: Ha! You certainly haven't changed. Gods forbid you show a bit of cheer
on being praised! And you, Delita! Do not think word of your deeds escapes our
ears. Your sister's been so full of pride I quite feared she might burst!
[They all look at Tietra.]
Tietra: Worry not, my seams have held. I'm glad to see you looking so well,
Delita.
Delita: And I you. Have you settled in at school?
Tietra: Yes, the others have all been quite kind to me.
Zalbaag: Would that we could speak at greater leisure, but there are duties
that require my attendance. Rogues do not catch themselves.
Ramza: I understand. Good luck.
[Zalbaag turns to leave and waves. He takes a few steps and speaks back to
Ramza.]
Zalbaag: We received a note of ransom from the Corpse Brigade.
Argath: What!?
Zalbaag (turning): Something about it sits unwell with me. They are anarchists
to be sure, bent on bringing down the aristocracy. But they fancy themselves
righteous, and prey only on the nobility and those in our employ. Would such as
they truly kidnap the marquis for want of coin?
Argath: Why wouldn't they? They're naught but common footpads!
Zalbaag: One of the men I planted among them has not returned. I worry he may
be caught up in something serious, but there are those who do not think some
mere spy worth a search party's efforts.
Ramza: Where was he last known to be?
Zalbaag: A merchant city named Dorter in eastern Gallione. Guarding a castle
grows dreadfully dull...Wouldn't you agree?
[He departs. Argath also prepares to leave by another exit. Ramza and Delita
say their goodbyes to their sisters.]
Delita: Forgive us, Tietra. It seems we must be leaving sooner than we had
planned.
Tietra: Don't worry about me - just take care of yourself.
[They embrace.]
Delita: I will. Mind your studies! I'll be back before you've even noticed I'm
gone.
[Delita leaves with Argath. Tietra sees him out.]
Let's be on our way.
[Ramza and Alma are alone.]
Alma: Tietra puts on a brave face, but the truth is not as honeyed as her
words.
Ramza: What do you mean?
Alma: She has a hard time of it at school. The others tease her for being low-
born.
Ramza: ...
Alma: Forgive me, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sure you have worries
enough of your own. Tietra will be all right. I'm here to look after her.
Ramza: Then there is naught to worry about. But mind your own limits. You can't
be responsible for everything.
Alma: Says the brother who never fails to do any and all that is expected of
him. Don't lose sight of yourself, Ramza. You needn't let your life be ruled by
the fact you were born a Beoulve.
Ramza: Now you're starting to sound like Mother. Ha ha ha!
[He leaves and Alma stands alone. A sharp wind blows.]
Alma: Ramza...
---
The Magick City of Gariland - Joining Forces
---
[Ramza makes a quick stop in the tavern on his way to Dorter. Two men are
talking at a table near where he stands.]
Patron #1: Did you notice?
Patron #2: Notice what? How'm I s'posed to notice if ye don't tell me what it
is I'm s'posed to look at?
Patron #1: The menu, you clod! Take a glimpse.
Patron #2: The menu? Oh, right. There's some new words on it. "Me-lee"...And,
uh, "Ren-dez-vous." What do ye s'pose those are?
Patron #1: Some new manner of challenges, as I hear it. Melee battles are for
sparring.
Patron #2: Sounds like a rum way to test your swordarm.
Patron #1: Friendly challenges, too - no worries of getting left to feed the
worms.
Patron #2: What about that other one?
Patron #1: Rendezvous? Well, sometimes people look to hire two groups of
adventurers for a job. That's how you meet up with t'other one.
Patron #2: Ah, so you've to work together with another cull, eh? Not so sure as
I could do that.
Patron #1: Well, there aren't a lot of offers up yet either way. Sure there
will be someday, though. Once more people catch wind of the idea, there will
probably be some right interesting jobs.
Patron #2: I s'pose I could try it sometime.
Patron #1: There's more still. This is the good part. As I'm told, both
participants get rewarded - with treasure!
Patron #2: Why didn't you say that from the start? Let's get going!
Patron #1: Well, first we need to find another group...
Tavernmaster (to Ramza): You might give it a try, too, my lord. If you ever
have the interest, just say the word.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Siedge Weald - A Monster Encounter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[On the way to the city of Dorter, the young men are attacked by monsters.]
Argath: Our luck is ill, that we should chance upon fiends such as these in
the wood.
Delita: Some of us prefer fiends in a wood to a dull watch in castle garrets,
Argath.
Argath: And some of us are not so quick to jape in danger's face.
[The monsters edge closer.]
Ramza: Enough talk. They come!
[They finish the monsters.]
Once we are clear of the weald, we should soon reach Dorter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Merchant City of Dorter - In Pursuit of Gustav
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|We combed the slums of Dorter and turned up the Corpse Brigade, with their   |
|leader Wiegraf among their ranks. After setting them to rout, we interrogated|
|one of our prisoners on the marquis' whereabouts. The brigand confessed to   |
|the abduction, but said it was the work of the Corpse Brigade's              |
|second-in-command, Gustav Margriff, who desired a ransom.                    |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[In the slums of Dorter, two men stand face to face in the empty streets. One
is wearing a white cape.]
Swordsman: I said I know naught of it!
[He tries to flee but the Knight stops him.]
Knight: Do not speak false to me! I know what you've done! Where is Gustav? I
will have it from you, one way or another!
Swordsman: I-I don't know.
Knight: What of the marquis? Where have you hidden him? Tell me!
[He grabs the collar of the swordsman. He is thrown down a ways. The Knight
draws his sword and points it to his head.]
I will not ask again. Where are they?
Swordsman: The desert! Th-they're in the desert!
Knight: ...The Sand Rat's Sietch.
Ramza (from afar): Hold!
Knight (turning): The Order's swords. My luck turns foul with the weather.
[He flees as Ramza and his companions arrive.]
Argath: It seems we did well to come here.
Delita: Have I not seen that man before?
Ramza: You know him, Delita?
Delita: I have seen his face, I'm sure of it. It was at Eagrose, just after the
war's end...
[The swordsman is now standing and has allies to his side.]
Ramza: You'll pardon me my misgivings, but this has not the look of any joyous
reunion. To arms!
[They begin the battle.]
Delita: I've just remembered! That man - his name is Wiegraf! He commanded the
Dead Men during the war -  a company of volunteers assembled from the
peasantry.
Argath: What? But that would make him-
Delita: Aye. The commander of the Corpse Brigade.
[The three capture a member of the Corpse Brigade prisoner. They interrogate
him. The prisoner is on one knee and Argath stands before him. Ramza just off
to the side, and Delita leans against a wall.]
Argath: We know you're of the Brigade. There's no use hiding it. Out with it!
What have you done with the marquis? Where are you holding him? You were with
your commander, Wiegraf, when we came upon you. Where has he gone? Mayhap a
beating would loosen your tongue!
[Argath kicks the prisoner in his stomach. He pulls the prisoner up by the
hair, as if ready to hit him once more.]
Ramza: Enough, Argath!
Argath: Hmph.
[He lets go.]
Listen well. A great host, with the Order at its van, prepares a sweeping
campaign that will bring to book your turncloak Brigade. You will die. You will
be hunted down to the last and slaughtered like the swine you are, for such is
brigandry's reward. But you, pig, are a lucky one. Tell us what we wish to
know, and you may yet keep your bacon. So, where is Wiegraf?
Prisoner: How the bloody hell should I know?
[Argath kicks him once more, sending him flying backwards.]
Argath: I'll not bear your ribald tongue, rogue! Learn to guard it, if you'd
not have it cut from your throat!
Prisoner: I am no...no rogue.
Argath: Tell that to the men you've robbed!
Prisoner: You nobles are...all the same. You think every man...born outside a
castle's walls...less than human. We fought for this kingdom at peril of our
very lives. Yet the moment the war was ended...you turned us out into the
streets. What do you think makes you so special? Birth? Blood? What difference
does it make?
Argath: You kidnap men for ransom, then dare ask the difference between us?
Prisoner: No...The marquis's kidnapping was...no plan of Wiegraf's.
Argath: ...?
Prisoner: He would never...hold a man for ransom.
Ramza: Then who? Someone kidnapped the marquis Elmdore de Limberry.
Prisoner: ...
Argath: Speak! If not you, then on whom would you pin the deed?
Prisoner: ...It was Gustav.
Argath: Who is Gustav?
Delita: Gustav Margriff - lieutenant commander of the Dead Men.
Argath: So the Corpse Brigade -was- behind the kidnapping!
Prisoner (attempting to rise): No! We're not like Gustav! We fight to end the
aristocracy, not to become it! To be treated as equals - as the men of honor we
are!
[Argath kicks him a third time.]
Argath: What do maggots know of honor?
Ramza: That's enough, Argath!
Argath: So where is this "Gustav"?
Prisoner: In...in the Sand Rat's Sietch.
Argath: Sand rat?
Delita: You are not of Gallione - small wonder you've not heard of them. Sand
rats are unique to the Zeklaus Desert, north of Dorter.
Argath: ...?
Ramza: Do any villages lie between here and the desert?
Delita: Villages? No. At least, not anymore. But the desertmen once had a
settlement on the outskirts, and its ruins remain.
Ramza: Then that's where we'll find Gustav and the marquis.
Delita: Aye, like as not.
Argath: How can you be so certain?
Ramza: A "sietch" is a sand rat's burrow - his home.
Argath: ...?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zeklaus Desert - Marquis Elmdore's Rescue
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|After a successful raid of the so-called Sand Rat's Sietch, we entered the   |
|ramschackle building in which Marquis Elmdore was confined. An unexpected    |
|sight greeted us there: it was Wiegraf, berating Gustav for abducting the    |
|marquis. Words soon turned to swords, and Gustav was slain. Wiegraf left the |
|marquis and fled into the darkness.                                          |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Ramza, Delita and Argath attack the Corpse Brigade hiding in the outskirts of
the Zeklaus Desert.]
Knight: Then you've heard? About the Order? They mean to strike us for true.
Archer: Aye, I've heard. So...what's to become of us?
Knight: I say we forget this business and run. There's naught for it.
Monk: Agreed. If we follow Wiegraf, he will lead us only to our graves.
Knight: Aye, that much is plain. Gods be good, Gustav's ransom of the marquis
will fatten our purses enough that we can quit this life for good and all.
Watchman: The Order...they're here!
Ramza: We must silence this watch before they can raise the alarm!
[They defeat the lookouts before more troops can be summoned.]
Ramza: The sand rats are long in the slaying. It is well no others have found
us while we tarried here.
[Just inside a decaying building, Gustav and Wiegraf stand opposite each
other, swords drawn. The marquis is on the floor, as are a few unknown bodies.]
Wiegraf: You've taken leave of your senses, Gustav.
Gustav: Have I? What hope does your fool revolution hold? Dreams do not fill a
man's stomach or make soft the packed earth on which he beds!
Wiegraf: You see naught beyond the end of your nose. The Crown strays, Gustav.
It must be led back onto the path.
Gustav: And you think yourself the man to do this? More the fool you, Wiegraf.
[Wiegraf takes one step closer.]
Wiegraf: You have spoken your fill? Then we are done.
[Gustav readies his sword and lunges at Wiegraf. Wiegraf parries deftly and
pierces Gustav through the chest. He drops his sword.]
Gustav: Auh...ghh...
[Wiegraf pulls out his blade and Gustav falls to the floor, dead. Ramza, Argath
and Delita walk in, fresh from their battle outside.]
Ramza: Wiegraf!
Argath: The marquis!
[Argath makes a move towards his liege lord, but Wiegraf points his sword in
the same direction.]
Wiegraf: No further!
Argath (stopping): How dare you threaten me!
Delita: Stay yourself, Argath.
Wiegraf: The marquis is unharmed. You are free to return him to Eagrose.
Ramza: Why release him?
Wiegraf: The marquis's abduction was ill done. Such craven methods serve not
our ends. Let me walk free, and I will release the marquis to your care. A fair
bargain.
Argath: You mock us! You are in no position to bargain!
Delita (pushing Argath back): Enough, Argath! He speaks the truth.
[The three young men slowly make their way to the marquis, keeping an eye on
Wiegraf, as he in turn makes his way slowly to the door. His sword is still
drawn.]
Marquis Elmdore: Ahh...Unh...
[They turn to the marquis and Wiegraf dodges out of the building. Argath begins
to give chase, but Delita blocks his way.]
Delita: Let him go, Argath!
Argath: Why do you stay me?
Delita: The Corpse Brigade is finished in any case. There is naught to be
gained by a quarrel here.
Argath: ...
Ramza: The marquis is well. He is weak, but he would seem unharmed.
Delita: We must see him back to Eagrose.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eagrose Castle - Liege Lord of Gallione
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|No warm words of commendation for our rescue of the marquis awaited us upon  |
|our return to Eagrose Castle. Instead, my lord brother Dycedarg fumed over   |
|our violation of orders, asking if I intended to live up to our family name  |
|or befoul it. At that moment, Duke Larg, liege lord of Gallione and trueborn |
|brother to the queen, made his entrance.                                     |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Upon returning to Eagrose, the three young men once again are met with
Dycedarg, who is scolding them for disobeying orders. He is seated.]
Dycedarg: What madness possessed you that you would abandon your posts to
traipse about the desert?
Ramza: ...
Dycedarg: Silence is not the answer I seek. Speak, and be quick with it.
Delita: 'Twas I forced Ramza to go.
Dycedarg: Was that the way of it, Ramza? Delita led your better judgment
astray?
Ramza: No...I went of my own choosing. The fault lies not with him.
Delita: 'Tis Ramza's noble disposition that guides his tongue, my lord. It is
not as he-
Ramza: You needn't be false on my behalf, Delita. It was I who chose to dis-
regard orders.
Dycedarg: Might I pose a question, Ramza? What purpose do laws serve when even
those who would enforce them choose not to pay them heed? Adherence to the rule
of law is a knight's solemn duty. It falls upon us, as Beoulves, to bear the
burden of example. Is your intent to live up to your name - or to drag it with
you through the mire?
Ramza: ...Forgive me, Lord Brother.
Man's Voice: I believe the point is made, is it not, Dycedarg?
[A man enters from the back door. He is a robed man and stands to Dycedarg's
side. Ramza and Delita immediately kneel. Argath, after seeing his two friends
kneel, follows suit.]
You must not let the how of it steal your eyes away from the what. Their rescue
of the marquis was no small feat. It is the way of young men to be impetuous in
their haste to do great things. We were not unlike them once.
Dycedarg: To coddle them is to do them disservice, Your Grace.
Duke Larg: So, you are Lord Dycedarg's younger brother. Rise, son of Gallione.
[Ramza rises. Delita and Argath stay kneeling.]
Indeed, you are the very ghost of Barbaneth. His fire burns in your eyes, I can
see it. Such strength and vitality would be wasted atop the castle walls.
[The duke glances at Dycedarg.]
Dycedarg: Our campaign against the Corpse Brigade draws near its end. I will
permit you to join in the final stage. Coordinated strikes are to be made on a
number of their dens ere long. You will lead one of those assaults.
Ramza: Very well, Lord Brother.
[Ramza nods and the three men leave. Duke Larg walks up to the window while
Dycedarg stays seated.]
Dycedarg: My apologies, Your Grace.
Larg: It was not of your doing, Dycedarg. In truth, it serves only to show the
caliber of man we were dealing with in Gustav. A change in plans was
inevitable, once the fool went and staged the kidnapping within our very
borders. And let us not forget - they did save the marquis's life. He will now
be honor-bound to acquiesce. In the end, your brother's deeds have placed us in
quite the favorable position.
Dycedarg: The king's life hangs by a thread. We must move quickly now.
Larg: Indeed, my dear friend. I trust you will not fail me.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brigand's Den - Swordmaiden of the Corpse Brigade
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|The plan to rid the realm of the Corpse Brigade was in its final stages. We  |
|raided one of their dens at the southernmost tip of Gallionne, and it was    |
|there we met Milleuda. A member of the Corpse Brigade and younger sister to  |
|its leader, Wiegraf Folles, Milleuda seems to hold a deep resentment for the |
|aristocracy and the Crown.                                                   |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[A small group of the Corpse Brigade hides away. The leader Milleuda is
measuring their losses.]
Milleuda: Our contact with the Brigade is lost. And I fear we may be lost as
well.
White Mage: How could you say such a thing? The battle is not yet even fought!
Brigade Mage: We mustn't give in to despair! Not until the nobles answer for
all they've wrought!
Milleuda: It ought not have been like this. My brother was too soft. Too
indecisive.
Lookout: The enemy!
Argath: I owe you a debt of gratitude for rescuing the marquis. I pray I am
able to repay it - even a little - by aiding you in this!
[The three men fight to finish off this waning branch of the Brigade.]
Milleuda: How can you nobles live as you do and yet hold your heads so high? We
are not chattel! We are humans, no less than you! What flaw do you hold there
to be in us? That we were born between a different set of walls? Do you know
what it means to hunger? To sup for months on naught but broth of bean? Why
must we be made to starve that you might grow fat? You call us thieves, but it
is you who steal from us the right to live!
Argath: You, no less human than we? Ha! Now there's a beastly thought. You've
been less than we from the moment your baseborn father fell upon your mother in
whatever gutter saw you sired! You've been chattel since you came into the
world drenched in common blood!
Milleuda: By whose decree!? Who decides such foul and absurd things?
Argath: 'Tis heaven's will!
Milleuda: Heaven's will? You would pin your bigotry on the gods? No god would
fain forgive such sin, much less embrace it! All men are equal in the eyes of
the gods!
Argath: Men, yes. But the gods have no eyes for chattel.
Milleuda: You speak of devils, not gods!
Delita: Ramza, is this woman truly our enemy?
[Milleuda is felled.]
Ramza: Lay down your sword. Resist us not, and your life will yet be spared.
[After the battle, Delita, Ramza and Argath question Milleuda. She is injured.]
Milleuda: I'm no more than chattel to you, am I? So have my head and be done
with it!
Ramza: Do you truly hold us to be so foul?
Argath: Do it, Ramza! She fights as a Corpse. Let her become one for true!
She's a foe and a traitor - an enemy of House Beoulve! The world has no place
for such wretches. Her claim to life is forfeit! Spare her now, and you place
your seal on the warrants for our own deaths! It's her or us, Ramza! Strike her
down!
Delita: Try as I might, Ramza, I cannot think this woman our enemy.
Argath: Have you lost your wits?
Delita (looking at Argath): This woman is no more chattel than you or I.
Argath: You would turn against our cause, Delita? I ought have expected as
much!
Milleuda (rising): You deny me even the mercy of an honorable death. A pox on
you and your pity! So long as you bear the name Beoulve, you will ever remain
an enemy to me. You'd do well to remember that.
[She limps away as the three men watch her go.]
Ramza: Delita...What have we done?
[Delita turns to glance at Ramza, then shakes his head in silence. Argath takes
a few steps forward and crosses his arms.]
Argath: Hmph. A pox on your pity indeed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eagrose Castle - Corpse Brigade Assault
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Our manse at Eagrose was plundered by the Corpse Brigade. The campaign to rid|
|Gallionne of the criminals had left too few soldiers on guard. The attackers'|
|goal was the assassination of Dycedarg, retainer to Duke Larg. But although  |
|they succeeded in storming the manse, their murderous plot was foiled by     |
|Zalbaag. As they fled, they took Delita's young sister Tietra as a hostage.  |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[After the battle at Eagrose, High Seat of Gallione - The Beoulve Manse. It's
raining and lightning fills the sky.]
Tietra: No, I won't go! Release me!
[A band of the Corpse Brigade is fleeing the castle. They have captured and
taken away Tietra.]
Gragoroth: Be quick about it!
[A thief is dragging Alma behind him.]
Alma: Y-you're hurting me! Let go! Zalbaag!
[Zalbaag rushes out sword swinging, freeing Alma and assaulting the thief. He
turns to Gragoroth just as he flees.]
Gragoroth: Hmph. Time to cut losses.
Zalbaag: Alma, are you unhurt?
Alma: Yes, I'm fine. But Tietra-!
Zalbaag: Yes, I know.
[Dycedarg joins them, limping along.]
Zalbaag: Lord Brother!
Dycedarg: W-worry not, I am fine. Alma, are...are you all right?
Alma: They did not harm me. But you - you're bleeding badly!
Dycedarg: In no fevered dream would I have thought the Brigade so bold to
strike us here...They must have come for me.
Zalbaag: Five among our guard are slain, and Tietra taken.
Dycedarg: Find them...Search every den and dovecote if you must.
Alma: Please, Brother, you mustn't speak!
Dycedarg (closing his eyes): Bloody...rebels...