Fandaria was founded by miners on a quest for gold. When it was found that the land was rich in mineral resources, wars broke out between the miners for territorial control. After much bloodshed, one of them declared himself Fandaria's first emperor. To protect himself and his new kingdom from invaders, he built a large army. Since Fandaria's military might has grown for centuries, it is now feared throughout all Legendra...
Since its beginnings, Fandaria has always been rich in metal and mineral deposits. Gold, silver, iron ore, and other minerals are mined within the mountains. These are then used to manufacture weapons and armour. Trade with other countries is kept to a minimum. There are only two social classes: the fabulously wealthy, and the desperately poor.
Located at the west end of Legendra, Fandaria has the ocean bordering it on the north, west, and south. The only way to enter is through the eastern district. This allows the kingdom to maintain an excellent offensive front.
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Goldark
Class: Knight
Goldark's violent character and outstanding fighting ability have earned him the nickname "Mad Lion". He was feared so much that he was imprisoned in the Tower of Solitude. However, he escaped his bonds without warning, and quickly murdered King Gyzzdark, his brother. He then destroyed the tower and declared himself Fandaria's new emperor. He rules Fandaria with an iron fist and lusts for nothing short of absolute domination of Legendra.- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Became emperor of Fandaria after murdering his brother Gyzzdark.
- The Atoner: Near the end. Then subverted when it's revealed that he was a Well-Intentioned Extremist from the start.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: Goldark's intro where he escapes from prison and kills his corrupt brother so he can realize his plan to unite the continent.
- Beard of Evil: Goldark seems like a typical case at first, what with the conquering overlord vibes and all, but it's subverted at the end when he reveals his true intentions.
- BFS: Two of them.
- Big Good: Arguably, going by the final battle, Goldark is canonically the one who defeats Madruk for good. Goldark is the only one of the eight whose position in the final battle is not set. No matter what campaign you play, your monarch will always be the one to face Madruk. When they are not your monarch, Junon and Leon will always face Scythe, Mikhal and Reinhart will always face Gaul and Teiris, Wein and Gongos will face Katmando. Goldark's place will be wherever your monarch would normally be.
- Cain and Abel: Goldark and Gyzzdark. Just not in the way the game would have you believe: Goldark is actually the Abel, and the extent to which Gyzzdark is the Cain is debatable, given Gaul and Scythe's manipulations.
- Deal with the Devil: Makes one with Gaul & Scythe, but ultimately plays them for fools.
- Determinator: In several campaigns, CPU-Goldark evades capture the first time, and returns about a month later with a *huge* army to attempt his conquest of Legendra anew. He marches unflinchingly toward your monarch, and none of your troops will dare to stand in his way. It's played for drama, but falls apart once the battle starts and Goldark only has his usual 100 Cavalry troops (and a couple more levels to match your monarch's).
- Disc-One Final Boss: Yes. If you play as Goldark, he faces Wein, who comes out of hiding to challenge Goldark one last time when he threatens to execute all the other monarchs if Wein doesn't surrender himself.
- Dual Wielding: Carries two huge swords.
- Duel Boss: Likes to invoke this when faced by the player, leading to a Hopeless Boss Fight in at least Wein's and Mikhal's campaigns.
- Eviler than Thou: Seems to be invoked in Goldark's scenario. Here, Goldark can actually capture Zanon and his company, but Zanon (and Yuri) are treated as "core" generals, and will never join Goldark, not that Goldark needs their help, anyway...
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Invoked with Goldark's sillhouette during cutscenes.
- Heel–Face Turn: Though he was arguably good all along.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Can equip the Stargem Sword from the Snow Shrine.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Willing takes blame for the war Gyzzdark started to save his brother's reputation.
- Holy Hand Grenade: Holy Blast. The fact that he has access to this spell is probably an indication that he isn't evil to begin with.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: Notable in that he is on both the delivering and receiving ends. He delivers this to Wein and Mikhal in their campaigns, while he receives one from Katmando in Junon's campaign.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Goldark and Lyria, whenever they appear in cutscenes together.
- I Did What I Had to Do: By continuing and using the war his brother started, Goldark turns practically all of Legendra against Fandaria, making them out to be nothing but a imperialist empire set on conquering the others, all in a bid to unite all the strongest of Legendra's armies against Madruk. All the other monarchs see him as evil, but he accepts this in pursuit of making sure Madruk is defeated.
- It's Personal: After Goldark is forced to kill his brother, Gyzzdark, again, he swears bloody vengeance against Gaul for what he did to Gyzzdark. Ultimately subverted in the Final Battle, where Mikhal and Reinhart end up facing Gaul, unless the player is playing as either of them.
- Large and in Charge: Absolutely towers over other generals and their troops, and is the tallest of the monarchs by a good margin.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "The Mad Lion".
- The Paladin: Subverted. He's a knight who can use holy magic, but he's far too brutal and merciless to fit the trope.
- Razor Wind: Sonic Boom.
- Shoulders of Doom: Goes nicely with his Pimped-Out Cape.
- Token Evil Teammate: Appears to be this to the Dragon Force. Subverted, he isn't evil at all.
- Villain Protagonist: In his own campaign, of course. Except it's subverted almost right from the start.
- Walking the Earth: Naval variant. Goldark takes to the seas in a Cool Ship in his epilogue, presumably to live out the rest of his days as an adventuring sailor.
- Walking Spoiler: As evidenced by the number of spoilered entries.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: After finding out that his brother, Gyzzdark, had already set an epic, continent-spanning war into motion, he kills him and usurps the throne in an attempt to stop it. When he finds that he is unable to avert the war, Goldark instead decides to use it as a ploy to unite all of Legendra against Madruk...by forcefully conquering all the other kingdoms to create a massive, united army.
- Younger Than They Look: Despite looking like an old man, Goldark is in his late forties/early fifties. He looks like that because all those years trapped in the Tower of Solitude took a toll on him.
Salizar
Salizar is the only person Goldark truly trusts. He gives Goldark advice on battle strategies.
Kharhaz
Class: Knight
This dignified and handsome knight has proven himself to be an excellent swordsman. He is hoping that once all of Legendra is under Goldark's mighty hand, he will be given his own district to rule.- Blow You Away: Has the Hyper-Storm spell.
- Genius Bruiser: His intelligence is above average for a Knight.
- Morality Chain: To Goldark, together with Lyria. He's the more vocal of the pair, but Lyria has more effect.
- Razor Wind: Sonic Boom/Wave.
- The Rival: Has this dynamic with Rudger.
Gaul
Class: Magician
When it comes to executing Goldark's military decisions, Gaul is Goldark's agent of death. He has unspeakable magic power that he wields with unsurpassed skill. As such, he has never been defeated...for long.- Beard of Evil: Sports a magnificent one, in case the sinister cowl, wierd skin tone, and reverberating voice (only in the PS2 remake though) weren't obvious enough.
- Dark Is Evil: Is perpetually shrouded in shadows beneath his cowl, leaving only his face and hands exposed. What we see of his skin reveals a dark, indigo-ish complexion.
- The Dragon: To Goldark. Actually to Madruk.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Gaul and Scythe to Goldark. Played with in that they're only pretending to be his dragons, while they're actually (loyal) dragons to Madruk.
- Evil Chancellor: To Goldark. So very much. Scythe, his counterpart, doesn't quite give off the same vibe, and comes across as much less sophisticated.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Only in the PS2 remake, though.
- One-Winged Angel: During the battle of Ruinledge.
- Playing with Fire: Has Flame Cannon and Meteor Storm as two of his spells.
- Shock and Awe: His second spell is Thunder Fall.
- Squishy Wizard: Like most magicians, very frail in combat. subverted once he goes One-Winged Angel in the final battle.
- The Man Behind the Man: While he seems like just another evil sorcerer at first, in Goldark's campaign, it's revealed that he's using Madruk's power to bankroll Fandaria, in an attempt to tempt Goldark over to Madruk's side. When Goldark betrays him by refusing to execute the other members of the Dragon Force, Gaul (with Scythe) deserts, showing his true colours.
- The Masquerade: Gaul and Scythe, two of the three Apostles of Darkness, as Goldark's generals.
- Obviously Evil: In case you didn't get it by now.
- Playing with Fire: Flame Cannon & Meteor Storm.
- Power Echoes: His voice in the PS2 remake. Deliciously so.
- Power Floats: His sprite.
- Shock and Awe: Thunder Fall.
Scythe
Class: Spirit User
Scythe is an extremely violent woman who lusts to be in the thick of battle. Her personality is as cold as ice. It is rumoured that she and Scar of Tristan were deeply involved in times past.- Arch-Enemy: To Scar of Tristan.
- Casting a Shadow: Ensnare.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Gaul and Scythe to Goldark. Played with in that they're only pretending to be his dragons, while they're actually (loyal) dragons to Madruk.
- For the Evulz: The reason why Scar of Tristan is a Shellshocked Veteran (and probably how he got his name) is because Scythe brutally murdered his entire band of bandits when they tried to rob her. Why did they do such a stupid thing? Because she was disguised as a rich noblewoman at the time. Why was Scythe doing that? because she wanted to kill them just For the Evulz. This is the first hint that Scythe is not what she seems to be.
- The Masquerade: Gaul and Scythe, two of the three Apostles of Darkness, as Goldark's generals.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Plays it painfully straight.
- Summon Magic: Dante's Inferno and Summon Golem.
- One-Winged Angel: During the battle of Ruinledge.
- Playing with Fire: Dante's Inferno.
Lyria
Class: Priest
Lyria's skills as a leader are used very effectively by Goldark. It is not understood why she is working with Goldark since she detests conflict. However, when pressed into battle, she is a formidable foe.- Holy Hand Grenade: Holy Blast, her ultimate spell.
- Morality Chain: A major one for Goldark. In his campaign, he goes so far as to give her instructions to stab him in the heart if he becomes He Who Fights Monsters.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: A waify nun, very devoted to her monarch, the "Mad Lion" Goldark.
- Terse Talker: In combat, at least.
Talon's army (Talon, Aisha, Bagril, Hagane, and Viper)
Classes: Knight (Talon, Viper), Priest (Aisha), Fighter (Bagril), Monk (Hagane)
Talon is Gyzzdark's son and Goldark's nephew. After Goldark killed his father, he gathered his numerous forces an attempted to kill Goldark in return.- Avenging the Villain: Talon, Gyzzdark's son, begins Goldark's campaign seeking to avenge his dead father. He gets better after being defeated, and ends up as one of Goldark's more loyal generals.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Hagane.
- Blow You Away: Talon and Viper learn Hyper Storm.
- Eyepatch of Power: Hilariously inverted by Viper:
- When losing a battle: "Curse this infernal eyepatch!"
- Flash Step: Hagane's Cross Flash.
- Genius Bruiser: Talon. Sometimes, Viper as well.
- Happily Married: Talon and Aisha, in Goldark's epilogue.
- Holy Hand Grenade: Aisha's Holy Blast.
- Ki Manipulation: Hagane's Aura Assault.
- Old Soldier: Bagril. He appears to have a history with Tsugal of Tradnor.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Two Knights, a Priest, a Fighter, and a Monk. They still put up a reasonable fight, though.
- Razor Wind: Talon, Bagril, and Viper all get variants.
- Rugged Scar: Bagril sports a rather impressive collection.
- Squishy Wizard: Aisha.
- White Magician Girl: Aisha.
- You Killed My Father: Talon's main reason for fighting Goldark. After his defeat, Goldark challenges him to Dare to Be Badass, by stating that he'll be within striking distance at all times if Talon joins him.
Nelson's army (Nelson, Erin, and Mileen)
Classes: Knight (Nelson), Spirit User (Erin), Magician (Mileen)
- Blow You Away: Nelson's Hyper Storm and Erin's Wind Dancer.
- Brother–Sister Team - Sister-sister variant, with Erin and Mileen. They even lament having to fight one another if they happen to face each other on the battlefield.
- Genius Bruiser: Nelson often starts with 70 intelligence, allowing him to search/fortify.
- Playing with Fire: Mileen's Flame Cannon.
- Razor Wind: Nelson's Sonic Boom/Wave.
- Squishy Wizard: Erin and Mileen.
Gyzzdark (SPOILERS)
Class: Knight
Goldark's older brother, and former King of Fandaria. He's the one who started the war, not Goldark. He's later resurrected by Gaul, and forced to fight Goldark in the Snow Shrine.- Alas, Poor Villain: Gets a rather touching send-off from his brother Goldark.
- Back from the Dead: Thanks to Gaul.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Very likely.
- Came Back Wrong: Again, thanks to Gaul. He ends up as a broken shell driven purely by revenge against Goldark for his death. His combat sprite, for better or for worse, remains a generic Knight general, however.
- Dying as Yourself: Raised from the dead and manipulated by Gaul into attacking his brother Goldark, by Gaul playing with his feelings of jealousy and vengeance. Defeating him frees him from Gaul's control.
- Magic Knight: Like Ardor or Varshil, has Flame Cannon and Thunder Fall as opposed to the more usual Sonic Boom and Sonic Wave.
- Redemption Equals Death: After being brought Back from the Dead by Gaul, Goldark's holy crest dispels the jealousy and vengeance from his heart (after he's been beaten a second time), and he goes out in peace.
- The Undead: Probably.
