Odin Sphere Chronological Story FAQ

By D. Calkins ([email protected])


Table of Contents

note: (for easy browsing, you can run a search for "01" or "02" and each
"next instance" click will bring you to the next section. Or, run a specific
search with a letter below to jump to that specific section)


00. Introduction

01. Odin Sphere - The Past
 01A. Prologue
 01B. The Arrival of Valentine
 01C. The First Cauldron War
 01D. A Doomed Affair and The Second Cauldron War
 01E. A Son's Unrequited Love - The End of the Second Cauldron War
 01F. Aftermath - The Pooka Curse
 01G. The Beginning of the Third Cauldron War

02. Odin Sphere - The Present
 02A. A Worried Princess and a Pooka Prince
 02B. Trouble Stirring in the Fairy Realm
 02C. A Velvet Witch in the Land of the Dead
 02D. The Third Cauldron War - First Wave
 02E. The Pooka Prince Imposter
 02F. The Third Cauldron War - Second Wave
 02G. Mercedes vs. Melvin - The Venir Civil War
 02H. Trouble in the Valkyrie - Odin's Two Daughters
 02I. Building Ringford's Defenses - Mercedes Prepares for Another War
 02J. Trouble for the Pooka
 02K. The Redemption of the Shadow Knight
 02L. Trouble in Titania - The Wise Men's Meddling
 02M. Rescuing Sleeping Beauty
 02N. An Abandoned Son's Monstrous Revenge
 02O. Preparing for War
 02P. Rescuing the Rescuer
 02Q. The Fourth Cauldron War
 02R. Tying Up Loose Ends - Uniting the Two Lovers

03. The End of Erion
 03A. Armageddon
 03B. The End





00. Introduction

The first time I played through Odin Sphere, I was impressed with how the
story unfolded, how the 5 different plot lines wove their way together.
However, at times I was confused as to exactly what was going on, trying to
keep all of the chronologies and character arcs straight and running
simultaneously. The three different Wise Men began to blend into one, I got
King Valentine and King Gallon confused, I couldn't keep straight just how
many Cauldron wars had been fought, etc.

To that end, I was inspired to create this: the chronological story arc of
Odin Sphere. This is all 5 character arcs blended together in the most
seemless way I could figure how to do it so the story could be told front to
back without jumping around too much.

Ironically, telling this story chronologically takes a bit of the art (and
fun) out of the way the actual game tells it. I really enjoyed how certain
events in the game would take on new and different atmospheres when you saw
them from a different character's perspective. Much of that sense of
discovery and dramatic reveal is lost when telling the tale in straight
chronological order. So please keep that in mind. This FAQ is spoiler-tastic
in the sense that I'm not pulling any punches for dramatic effect. In come
cases, dramatic reveals that come in the very last chapters of a character's
arc are revealed in this FAQ in the section that predates the events in the
actual game! So just so you know: one big fat


SPOILER ALERT


is in order. This FAQ is meant more for clarification and complete
understanding of the entire story and is NOT meant to be a side-by-side
companion to gameplay.

Also I should note that the considerable back story of the game (the story
that happens before any gameplay actually begins) is told in this FAQ in PAST
tense. The story of the events that happen during gameplay are told in
PRESENT tense. I apologize if this is confusing (it shouldn't be) but it made
this document much easier to write).

Finally, I'll mention here that in the end of this story FAQ, I only follow
the pathway which brings about the "good" ending of the game. With 5
interchangeable characters fighting 5 bosses, there are exactly 120 different
potential "pathways" that one could take to bring about the "bad" ending. I
know, many of these pathways will yeild the same collection of cut scenes,
but I figured that the "good" ending was cannon, so I only deal with that one
here.

For help, I referenced some material from the Odin Sphere wiki page
(http://odinsphere.wikia.com/wiki/Odin_Sphere_Wiki) but I tried not to rip it
off blatently, nor directly plagarize the site. I also frequently utilize
phrasing pulled verbatim from the game's dialogue and text. While I will take
the occasional liberty with language to help move the story along, I really
hope I'm not stepping on anybody's toes here. If you see something that you
wrote and want to be given credit for it, PLEASE e-mail me and let me know.
If you have any criticisms, additions, concerns, or comments about this FAQ,
by all means, please e-mail me: [email protected].  Enjoy!


===========================================================================
01. Odin Sphere - The Past
===========================================================================


01A. Prologue

A long time ago, there existed a place called Erion. Surrounded by a large
ocean on all sides, Erion was a kind of enormous island made up of a number
of major regions and cultures: the icy Ragnanival was home to a race of
berserkers and valkyries, and it is unclear who initially ruled over them;
the forests of Elrit were not ruled and belonged to the native wildlife;
Titania was the domain of humans and ruled by King Gallon; the Volkenon Lava
Pits were home to the Vulcan race and ruled by the immortal Inferno King
Onyx; Winterhorn Ridge was the roost for a once thriving collection of
dragons, of which only a scarce few (three) soon remained; The Netherworld
Endelphia, the land of the dead, was ruled by Queen Odette; and the Ringford
forest was inhabited by Fairies and ruled by Fairy Queen Elfaria. Long ago,
these fairies had been born from phozons - forms of energy used as a source
of magic by sorcerers as well as elemental entities. Phozons only appear when
a living creature passes away, their beautiful shine signifying the energy of
the creature's Life. Phozons are also absorbed by plants to facilitate their
growth. The plants are then eaten by living creatures, and thus phozons
largely make up the life-cycle and flow of energy in all of Erion. Those
phozons that make their way into the Netherworld, however, are absorbed by
the crystals there.

It is unclear as to the history of Erion (before the arrival of King
Valentine) though it can be assumed that most of the races kept to themselves
and lived in peace. For some time, the fairies and unicorns were not a united
country, but instead existed as small tribes spread through the forests. It
can also be reasonably assumed that King Onyx and Queen Odette for the most
part kept to their own realms busy with their own affairs.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
01B. The Arrival of Valentine
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

At some unspecified point, an individual named Valentine came to Erion in a
flying ship from another world. He brought with him great magic, far more
powerful than any other nation on the continent, and the kingdom he founded
rapidly gained control of over two-thirds of the land. For the most part, it
is said that King Valentine in his early rule was kind and gentle.

Less is known about King Gallon, the ruler of Titania. His oldest son Edgar
was the heir to the Titanian throne, but after marrying a village girl, King
Gallon exiled him. Edgar left resenting his father and moved to the Ringford
forest where he and his wife had a son named Oswald. King Gallon later
reasoned that one day Edgar might try to take his life in revenge, so the
king sent assassins after his own son in secret. Being fatally wounded in the
attacks, Edgar and his young wife were found in their forest home by the
dwarf Brom and the Fairy Queen's nephew Melvin. Melvin would take in Oswald
and raise him as his own, which at first was a gesture of benevolence and
compassion. However, when Oswald was very young, Melvin pledged him to be a
potential Shadow Knight, the wielder of the Beldriver, and would cruelly use
Oswald as a young man as a tool and a means to realize his political
ambitions.

It is unclear whether Gallon's other son Edmund knew that his father had sent
murderers to kill his brother Edgar. Either way, Edmund would later tell his
own son Cornelius that his uncle Edgar had fallen in love with a peasant
woman to his own disgrace and humiliation, dying of illness in the forest.

Other than exiling his eldest son for marrying a commoner, King Gallon also
wrote "The Erion Saga" - an epic poem about the end times of the world. It is
not revealed how he came to know this information. It was mentioned that each
different culture brought their own interpretation of the end times,
including Valentine. However, the Wise Men state later that they believe
Gallon's Epic to be the closest and most accurate version. The Dragon Hindel
would say that he had spoken about the end of the world, and his words were
written down into prophecy. This could have been the source from which Gallon
made his own work. An Ancient Manuscript of unknown authorship found in the
game reads:

The beast of despair feeds on man and destroys hope.
The unleashed frenzy of death yearns for the light of life.
The advancing inferno scorches the throne's surroundings.
In the Cauldron that breathes despair, the blood of the ancients boils.
When Leventhan, last of the dragons, devours the stone of blood, the path
shall be closed and void will cover the world.

King Gallon's Erion Saga epic reads:

THE land sinks into the cauldron's fire
THOUGH blades and arrows are unleashed, the flooding fire cannot be stopped
IT can only be chained

A FIERY 6-eyed beast speeds the guiding hand of salvation
THE one who removes the torment is mine own son

THE Lord of the Netherworld emerges in a triumphant march of death
ONE that threatens the darkness is the shadow of the lost master

THE looming blaze cometh, burning down the forest
THE flood of fire that man cannot withstand is halted by the world tree and
vanishes

THE Lord of Snakes consumes all left behind
BORN in chaos and fire
SLEEP in mother's arms
LIFE disappears from the land
ALL comes to an end

THE ring shall be lost
THE birthing cry of newborn souls
WELCOMING two crownless lords that shall survive the Armageddon and lead the
revival


These times also saw the rise a number of elite sorcerers, namely, three wise
men named Urzur, Skuldi and Beldor. Not much is known how these three rose to
power as they kept mostly to the shadows, slowly increasing their skills and
wizardry in secret.

What is known is that at some point, the Three Wise Men met a young boy named
Odin who somehow became something of an errand boy for them. Secretly however,
Odin was a person of great ambition and was learning their spells in an
attempt to overpower them. After studying for some time under them, Odin
discovered their secret to entering the Netherworld and at some point left
their service. He would frequently visit the land of the dead, stealing
phozon crystals and severely angering Queen Odette, yet she was never able to
capture him.

Some time after this, Odin made a deal with the dragon Wagner to receive some
of the dragon's blood. In the deal, Odin became much more powerful though
because of the dragon's blood now running through his veins Odin could no
longer harm him.

It is unclear whether Odin founded the Valkyrie empire or merely rose to
power and took control of it. Whatever the case, with the power of the blood
of Wagner and his knowledge gained from his time spent with the Three Wise
Men, Odin assumed full control of Ragnanival's throne as one of the most
powerful warlords and sorcerers in all Erion. From here, he would plot how to
best conquer and rule all of the other nations.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
01C. The First Cauldron War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the height of his power, King Valentine used his extensive knowledge of
magic to create the Crystallization Cauldron; a giant magical furnace
activated by either King Valentine's voice or the Ring of Titrel. The
Cauldron could be used to store magical power (phozons) in stones (phozon
crystals).The only other way of obtaining phozon crystals was to steal them
from the Netherworld (as Odin did). This technology was designed with good
intentions, but its ability to make extremely powerful weapons made it too
much of a threat to the nearby Titania, and the two nations soon went to war
over control of it.

King Valentine's army proved far too powerful for the Titanian forces to
overcome. In a desperate move to save his nearly-defeated country, King
Gallon used a dark spell, a power contained in the royal Titanian lineage and
described in the Book of Transformation, to transform himself into a three
headed demon beast called Darkova, hoping to turn the tides of battle. It
worked, and Valentine's impressive forces were crushed and scattered by the
terrible beast. However, King Gallon became possessed by the dark spell and
continued to rampage through his own land as Darkova for seven straight days.
He was finally stopped by his son Edmund who fought and killed him by
plunging a mystic psypher sword into Darkova's flesh. With Gallon dead,
Edmund took the crown for himself and became the new ruler of Titania.

With the kingdom still reeling from Darkova's rampage, Valentine threatened
to invade Titania again, as the land would have been extremely easy for him
to conquer. However, Edmund told him that he did not have the power himself
to change into Darkova, so Valentine left the defeated country and its new
King alone.

(King Edmund would later tell his son Cornelius that the Darkova beast had
killed Gallon and that Edmund was given the crown for being the kingdom's
savior.)

After arriving in the land of the dead, King Gallon, still in his demonic
form and with Edmund's psypher still lodged in his flesh, became one of Queen
Odette's favorite playthings. She enjoyed torturing him so much that she
cursed him to remain trapped in his rotted undead form for eternity so his
body would eternally regenerate no matter how much abuse it took. Only Odette
herself or those infused with her power could break the curse and destroy him.
He was chained up in the lowest depths of the Land of Misery and Despair and
remained there in the dark for years only visited by the occasional Halja
sent to re-chain him.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
01D. A Doomed Affair and The Second Cauldron War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Titania defeated, the kingdom of Valentine became the most powerful
nation in Erion. Despite the fact that he created the Cauldron, King
Valentine ruled his kingdom with kindness and compassion and for it he was
loved by all his subjects - especially his daughter Princess Ariel.

It is unclear whether or not Odin had already assumed the throne of
Ragnanival before he met Princess Ariel. In any event, after meeting one
another, Odin and Ariel fell in love and began an affair. Odin claims that
neither of them knew their true names at the time nor that they were nobility
from nations that would soon oppose one another. Ariel ended up soon becoming
pregnant and bearing two illegitimate children whom she named Ingway and
Velvet. Upon discovering their true identities, both royals kept their
relationship a secret fearing that such a scandal would cause an uprising in
their respective kingdoms. Their affair would come to a close as the
Cauldron's ability to create psyphers grew too enticing for Odin to ignore,
and like King Gallon before him, he engaged Valentine in a war.

During the ongoing struggle, King Valentine discovered Ariel's two children
and learned that the Demon Lord Odin, his bitter enemy, was the father.
Valentine had been extremely protective of his daughter (he would later claim
that he did not even allow the rain to touch her) and he believed that if she
had any love at all for Odin, then her love for her father must have been a
lie. He became overwhelmed with hatred and was driven mad by the idea. In
order to escape the crazed king's wrath, both Velvet and Ingway openly
rejected their mother in front of him. Soon after, Valentine would be
consumed by a blind rage and in his anger would strangle Ariel to death.

Ariel died still loving her father, refusing to hate him. Just before her
death, she would write a letter expressing her love for her father and her
children, but the note also prophesized their bleak future:

"My dear children, eventually an inevitable curse and death shall be thrown
upon the two of you. The Cauldron brings us Armageddon with its final crystal
stone.

My dearest son, more precious than life: you have your mother's forgiveness.
My daughter, go without hesitation and let your mother's love grant you
courage.

My father, your daughter's love remains unchanged, always by your side

To the one who will cause the world harm, I pray that your soul will heal."

Only half of this scroll found its way into Ingway and Velvet's hands; the
half containing the prediction about their curse and death. Upon reading it,
both children believed their mother with her ability to see into the future,
had cursed them. Believing themselves cursed by their murdered mother and
abandoned by their true father, they were left in the hands of the mad King
Valentine and suffered great abuse from him including repeated whippings.
During these sessions, Ingway was known to run away from the King, and Velvet
would often take the whipping for him.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
01E. A Son's Unrequited Love - The End of the Second Cauldron War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Though the Demon Lord Odin would go on to sire two more children (Griselda
and Gwendolyn) with another woman (who was quickly taken by death due to
unknown causes), he continued to fight against Valentine in retribution for
his beloved's death. As he continued his war, it seemed that Valentine would
end up victorious with his Cauldron-forged weapons. After learning of his
true father's identity, Ingway began following him, researching his battle
plans against Valentine. Knowing that his father didn't stand a chance
against Valentine's forces, Ingway decided to betray his own country and
somehow sabotage the Cauldron. However, the device quickly spun out of his
control and the Cauldron ran amok exploding in a great ball of light and
decimating the entire kingdom of Valentine.

From the memoirs of a proud (Valkyrie) soldier:
"Our once-mighty army, which could gain victory over even Titania, has been
whittled down by the enemy, Valentine.  With death our only companion, our
warriors pushed forth without hesitation.  We flung our axes high, fighting
with valor to the bitter end.

"As if the heavens answered our prayers, there came a miracle.  At the very
brink of our defeat, the enemy forces were demolished in a single explosive
flash of light."

Because of the psypher in her chains, Velvet was protected from the blast and
escaped, while Ingway was protected in the Cauldron's shadow and was able to
watch his kingdom fall into ruin. However, Odin was spared, as Ingway had
intended.

In order to save his father, Ingway had destroyed his entire kingdom. But
when Odin finally looked down at him in the presence of Aesir soldiers, he
said only, "You did well, traitor. Now the Cauldron is mine." The remark, and
the fact that Odin had refused to acknowledge Ingway as his son struck to the
boy's core. Odin would argue later that he could not call Ingway his son
because of the presence of Aesir soldiers, but Ingway maintained that Odin's
greed and lust after the Cauldron were obviously occupying his eyes.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
01F. Aftermath - The Pooka Curse
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The kingdom of Valentine was completely obliterated and its entire surviving
population was transformed into small human-like animals called pookas.
Though a pooka's life can be taken by almost any normal means, it is implied
through the game that the pooka curse also carries with it immortality. Thus,
the cursed individual is not only stricken with the form of a hybrid rabbit
but is stuck with the form for eternity.

Most of the other nations did not know what had happened at the end of the
war, and rumors (and the truth) about Valentine's demise became things of
legend. Most began to believe that Valentine in his last days had been a
tyrant and had purposefully detonated the Cauldron and cursed his own country.
The true reason why Valentine tried to use the Cauldron during the war is
unknown, but it indeed was Ingway who had sabotaged the device.

Though it saved their lives and made them immortal, the Valentinians had no
choice but to hide underground beneath their destroyed kingdom away from the
other races. However, they would soon discover that their king had also
placed a spell on all Valentinian currency before his madness had taken hold.
King Valentine, in his benevolence, had put his own remarkable power into the
currency so that all of his citizens could share a part of it and be happy.
Searching for a way to reverse their curse, the pooka discovered that
collecting all of the coins together (without stealing them) would allow one
wish to be granted. Thus, the new pooka race swore to find all the coins and
restore themselves back to their true form.

However, in the quest for the coins, some of them became corrupted and evil.
These eventually turned into Goblins -a criminal race constantly engaging in
acts of violence and thievery. Many of them, like the pooka, would become
merchants, selling their wares to gather more coins, though the Goblins were
motivated by greed, rather than any intention on breaking the spell.

In the aftermath of the war, abandoned again by their father and with their
home destroyed, Ingway and Velvet disappeared into the forests. Ingway began
to resent and hate Odin, developing a pessimistic personality and planning
his revenge against him. Velvet too would disappear into the woods harboring
a deep hatred for Odin, as he had done nothing to save her or her brother
from her raving grandfather or to prevent her mother's death. She believed
that while the nations of Valentine and Ragnanival were at war, Odin must
have disguised himself to seduce her mother with sweet words, and then
quickly fled when she became pregnant. Still, as Velvet made her home among
the trees, she became more frightened at the thought of her grandfather King
Valentine someday returning than she was hateful of Odin.

In the fallout of the destruction of his kingdom, King Valentine found
himself cursed with the immortality his subjects would suffer, but also sent
to Odette's domain to be punished for his crimes for eternity. He remained in
the Netherworld for years enduring suffering and torture while mired in
sadness and regret for having killed his own daughter.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
01G. The Beginning of the Third Cauldron War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the Cauldron absorbed phozons from all across Erion when it functioned
(especially from Ringford) the fairy race feared extensive use of the device
outside of their control might spell the end of their race. When the
Valentine kingdom was destroyed by the cauldron's blast leaving nothing but a
wasteland with the Cauldron standing in the center, the fairies were able to
quickly sneak in and take control of the region and the Cauldron in hopes of
preventing another catastrophe. With the Cauldron in their possession, the
tribes of fairies united and the neighboring tribes of the Unicorns swore
allegiance to them as well. After gaining control of the Cauldron, Ringford
showed accelerated growth and established themselves as a military power and
a prosperous nation equal to both Titania and Ragnanival.

Some time after this, a war was fought between Ringford and the dwarfs,
though it is not revealed why. In the end, the fairies prevailed and dwarfs
were forced to work for them, becoming Lilipats in the process.

Fearing his father Odin might try to one day use the Cauldron for revenge and
wanting to spite him, Ingway gave the ring Titrel to Queen Elfaria. In the
wake of this, coupled with his inability to welcome his estranged and
abandoned children into his arms, Odin became increasingly cold and distant,
leaving his youngest daughter Gwendolyn desperately seeking his attention and
affections. She and her older sister Griselda both became warriors in Odin's
Aesir army with Griselda serving as a Commander. Despite his melancholy, Odin
eventually regrouped his forces and continued his pursuit of the Cauldron,
going to war again but this time with the Fairies.

This is where the narrative of Odin Sphere actually begins. At the start of
the game, Queen Elfaria maintained control of the Cauldron alongside her
rebellious daughter Mercedes and her nephew Melvin. Following their control
of the Cauldron, Melvin had been trying to convince Queen Elfaria to use the
device to manufacture psyphers for their army. Already, a dwarf named Brom
had made a weapon for the queen called the Tasla - a powerful psypher
crossbow. Before this, Brom made another weapon called the Beldriver which
was granted tremendous power and horrifying demonic energy by Queen Odette in
exchange for the user's soul. The Beldriver was formerly owned by numerous
elite soldiers of Ringford known as Shadow Knights but every last one of them
were unable to control its evil essence and thus their souls were shattered
and they became ghosts roaming the Winterhorn ridge. Melvin then gave his
surrogate son Oswald (son of Edgar, grandson of King Gallon) the Beldriver
and made him into the new Shadow Knight, though he knew that by doing so, the
boy's soul belonged to Queen Odette. Oswald followed him unquestioningly and
did not wonder who his original father was.

During the entire preceding series of events, the Three Wise Men slowly rose
up to positions of power in different parts of Erion. Urzur served under King
Edmund of Titania as a court advisor, Beldor lived under Queen Elfaria in
Ringford and had somehow obtained control of the dragon Belial, and Skuldi
had taken up with General Brigan, the commander of Odin's forces while also
occasionally consorting with the two remaining offspring of King Valentine.
The Three Wise Men collected fragments of King Gallon's Erion Saga and
interpreted it as is outlined in this document, found in the game:

There is a theory about the prophecy of the Armageddon, left behind by the
Three Wise Men. The following pages are an except from this literature:

"...via a secret rite performed by the now-lost Valentinians. King Gallon has
turned into the 3-headed Demon Beast. As in the prophecy, King Gallon will
save the world. The 'Lord of the Netherworld' in the Saga is Queen Odette.
The 'looming blaze' is the Inferno King Onyx. If the King of Titania release
his mystic power, overpowers the other nation, and seizes the Cauldron, the
Netherworld and the Fire Kingdom will go to war, the three great dragons will
be eradicated, and the End shall come to us.

But fear not. The world will be saved in the end by the arrival of the new
king, led by a guiding hand...

The original manuscript written by the Three Wise Men cannot be found.
It must be mentioned that their theory is only an assumption based on the
prophecy."

The Wise Men thus are not necessarily trying to make one side win over
another in the Cauldron War, but rather are trying to bring about the
Apocalypse. (Either that or meddle with Odin's plans, as they are still
resentful of the Demon Lord for tricking them).



===========================================================================
02. Odin Sphere - The Present
===========================================================================


02A. A Worried Princess and a Pooka Prince

Cornelius, the prince and heir to the throne of Titania, and Velvet, the
princess of the ruined Valentine, have been enjoying a budding romance
through trysts held in the forest of Elrit. Ingway, however, does not approve
as he thinks the relationship is ultimately doomed (though perhaps he is a
bit jealous) and has come to an agreement with Skuldi and the Tree Wise Men
to have Cornelius turned into a pooka in exchange for Ingway going undercover
into Titania disguised as the prince to learn the secret of the Darkova
transformation from King Edmund.

Meanwhile, Velvet has begun thinking about the curse her mother wrote in her
dying letter. Seeking answers to her destiny, Velvet climbs Winterhorn Ridge
to speak with the dragon Hindel who is known as a soothsayer. He is reluctant
at to look into the future for her, but tells her that fate can be
"redirected." He advises to return to the mountain and be attended by his
friend (Wagner), and then foretells of his own death at the hands of the
Shadow Knight Oswald.

Meanwhile, Cornelius has returned to Titania to see his father King Edmund
who himself disapproves of Cornelius' love for Velvet and their meetings in
the forest. Edmund reminds his son of Edgar, though he tells him Edgar was
disowned and humiliated by the King, and then fell ill in the woods. Still,
Cornelius will not give Velvet up and threatens to abdicate his ascendency to
the throne if necessary to be with her. As he leaves the court, Urzur advises
King Edmund to let Cornelius go, saying that the prince will soon come to his
senses.

It is not specified where or when, but some time after this, Ingway casts the
pooka spell on Cornelius. Then, unbeknownst to Ingway, the Three Wise Men
(hoping that he will meet and rescue King Valentine) transport him to the
Netherworld).

Cornelius awakens as a pooka in the Netherworld, and he quickly resolves to
find his way back to Titania in order to see Velvet again. Wandering through
the Netherworld, he happens upon a strange voice (King Gallon) coming out of
the darkness that recognizes him as a member of Titanian royalty. King Gallon
does not reveal his identity or let Cornelius approach him, but he does give
Cornelius a psypher blade to help him escape the land of the dead (the same
psypher that the current King Edmund used to slay Gallon years before).

Cornelius comes to the realization much later in the plot that King Gallon
gives him the sword at this point because Gallon did not want to repeat his
past atrocities and only wanted to rest. Cornelius reasons that Gallon knew
the Wise Men were planning on resurrecting him, as we hear him say later when
he meets Velvet accompanied by one of the sorcerers. He gives the sword to
Cornelius in the hopes that he would use it to stop the Wise Men's schemes.)

In the forests of Elrit, Velvet reads a letter from Cornelius which says that
he must soon speak with her at their usual meeting place and that he has
shaken off the indecisiveness he's been harboring for a long time.

Back in the Land of Misery and Despair, Cornelius happens upon a withered
corpse with a glittering crown on its head (King Valentine) who tells him
that all he can now feel is resentment and hatred. He tells Cornelius that
the only way to leave the Netherworld is to get permission from Queen Odette
and offers to guide him in exchange for being taken along to the real world.

As they enter the Queen's chambers, Odette recognizes Cornelius' blade as one
made of a crystal stolen from her realm by the dwarves. She asks him to hand
over the sword in return for a peaceful death. Despite his protests, she
insists that once someone enters the land of the dead, they cannot be allowed
to leave. They battle one another and when Cornelius prevails over her, she
reluctantly allows him to leave though predicts (accurately) that he will
soon thereafter be caught by Odin's Valkyrie. As Cornelius leaves, she says
mysteriously that "the Pooka shall stay afloat with a candle and light the
way across the desolation." (This prophecy seems to only relate to the "bad"
ending of the game, where Myril the pooka is left alone on the last crumbling
piece of land after everything else has been destroyed...)

While not contained in any cut scene, it must be assumed that immediately
following his escape from the Netherworld with Cornelius, (or perhaps an
indeterminately long time ago) King Valentine somehow managed to find and
steal the dragon egg that contained Leventhan, the dreaded serpent who would
bring about the end of the world. I suspect that this was a failsafe for him
- a plan B in case any of his other schemes were to go awry. It is also
possible that he was helped in this endeavor by the Wise Men, as they were
seeking for a way to bring about Armageddon and perhaps knew that Valentine
would be able to hatch the dragon... but this is pure speculation.

In the world of the living, Velvet discusses the apocalyptic prophecies made
about the desolated land of Valentine with her teacher Kurois and the wise
man Skuldi. After Skuldi mentions King Gallon's epic poem as an example of
where the truth behind the final catastrophe can be found, Velvet is inspired
to see the poem as it may be an answer to both her and her brother's destiny.
However, the poem's pages have been largely scattered about the world and the
only person who has access to the complete poem anymore is King Gallon who
lies rotting in the Netherworld. Velvet asks Skuldi to take her there so she
can speak with Gallon, and Skuldi requests to borrow the Book of
Transformation in return for his services - a book of magic written by her
grandfather, King Valentine. This is the same book Ingway used to transform
Cornelius into a pooka and the same book in which is written the secret to
the Titania family line's ability to transform into Darkova.

As Velvet decides to visit the Netherworld, Cornelius has just escaped it but
as Queen Odette predicted is quickly captured by Odin's Valkyrie. Unwilling
to believe the pooka is who he says he is, Odin gives Cornelius the task of
showing his bravery (and thus proving his identity) by bringing back the horn
their most ferocious warrior (General Brigan) uses as a flagon.

Before he leaves, Gwendolyn returns the sword to Cornelius and warns him that
her father often asks people to perform tasks that he knows are impossible.
She tells him the General Brigan is not fond of pookas, and that the warriors
outside of the castle will probably attack him. Sill, Cornelius is unafraid
and marches off to face the berserker general.

Battling his way through Brigan's castle, Cornelius finds the general and
politely asks to borrow his horn. Brigan offers to skin him alive for the
horn and attacks him, but Cornelius ends up beating the massive general and
returns with the horn. Odin explains that even he, one of the most powerful
sorcerers in the world, cannot remove the Pooka curse. Gwendolyn then escorts
Cornelius to Ragnanival's borders.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02B. Trouble Stirring in the Fairy Realm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the princess Mercedes has taken the Queen's precious bow to go
frog hunting. Mercedes wants to improve her skills with the bow so that she
can join her mother on the battlefield and face Odin in battle, though Queen
Elfaria thinks her daughter is much too young to be fighting. She entrusts
Mercedes with the bow to protect the country while she is away at war, but
worries that Mercedes has no idea of her position and what is expected of her.
Elfaria asks Melvin to help the princess become a good Queen and he agrees (a
bit stiffly) to do so.

To the west on Winterhorn Ridge, the Oracle Dragon Hindel is confronted by
Shadow Knight Oswald (as he predicted) who has been sent by Melvin to slay
him. Hindel fights half-heartedly and in the end accepts his defeat willingly.
He tells Oswald that his real father is a man named Edgar, but Oswald tosses
the information aside, caring little about who his biological parent was.
Hindel's last words are, "Do not forget that... when the time comes... Shadow
master who threatens the darkness... seek the bird. That shall be your
destiny."

Oswald returns to Ringford Palace and Melvin uses his victory over Hindel to
try to convince the Queen that the Beldriver is the most powerful psypher
(greater than Odin's Balor) and should be mass produced so that the nation of
Fairies might dominate over all of the lesser countries around them. Queen
Elfaria seems wary of the sword though and in the end refuses.

Later in the Ringford Gardens, Brom the dwarven sword smith and the maker of
the Beldriver expresses his concerns to Melvin that the sword is cursed and
has taken many lives, eventually turning each Shadow Knight into a ghost, but
Melvin is unconcerned about his foster son's welfare and tells Brom to stay
out of it. As he leaves, Brom wishes to himself that he had never made the
weapon, and fears that it will part the heavens and tear the earth asunder.

Troubled by his sins, Brom reveals the truth about the Beldriver to Oswald.
He explains that the blade will take its wielder to the Netherworld, where he
looses his soul. The Revenants up in the mountains are actually the former
users of the Beldriver, and Brom is afraid the same fate awaits Oswald.
However, he is interrupted by Melvin who, angry at Brom's interference and
reluctance to produce more blades for the war effort, labels Brom as a
traitor and banishes him to the Netherworld. As he is taken away, Oswald
continues to devote himself to Melvin and prepares for his next task: a
reconnaissance mission into Ragnanival.

Infiltrating the country, Oswald makes his way to Brigan's palace where he
overhears the general telling Skuldi that Odin has denied the general's
strategy, instead opting for a sneak attack. Skuldi agrees that it is a timid
move to make against the Fairies, and begins convincing Brigan that he would
make a better King than Odin. Skuldi discovers Oswald lurking in the shadows
and Brigan attacks him.

Defeating Brigan, Oswald makes his way to Odin's castle having confirmed that
Odin has indeed been planning an attack on the Fairy realm. He quickly hides
as Gwendolyn enters, wearing a beautiful dress in an attempt to win her
father's attention and affections but Odin does not seem to notice it. As
Gwendolyn exits to change back into her armor, a single blue feather is left
behind. Oswald emerges, wondering if she might be the "bird" Hindel was
referring to and notices that she seems very different from the stories of
"Odin's Witch" that he's heard.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02C. A Velvet Witch in the Land of the Dead
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Velvet has found her way into the Netherworld, but is dismayed and
lost for a while as Skuldi abandoned her. While she wandered alone, we have
to presume that Skuldi was quite busy, as he appears in the previous scene
trying to convince General Brigan to try and usurp Odin's throne, and we
learn later that Skuldi also went to borrow the Book of Transformation.

In any event, the two shortly happen upon King Gallon's prison cell. He gives
Velvet only a part of his epic poem prophecy, telling her to seek out the
rest. Queen Odette appears disgusted at the presence of a Valentine as she
explains that King Valentine had recently escaped from her clutches (much to
Velvet's horror). Furious, Odette attacks Velvet who is soon surrounded by
the Halja. However, she is quickly rescued by Odin who in the land of the
dead had mistaken her for his beloved (her mother). Odin drives Odette away
with the threat of his Balor and offers his help to Velvet, though she is
wary of his offer. With the Halja closing in, Odin sweeps her into his arms
and dashes away.

After her rescue, Velvet is still terrified at her grandfather King
Valentine's escape. Fearing his return might mark the end of the world, she
seeks the advice of her tutor Kurois who tells her that a single ring, Titrel
can be used to stop the Cauldron so that not even a king can restart it.

Velvet sneaks in Ringford Palace and manages to steal the ring from the
Fairies, but a crossbow-wielding Mercedes who is guarding the palace prevents
her from escaping. Defeating Mercedes in battle, Velvet manages to escape and
makes her way back to the Pooka Village. There, Ingway is angry with her for
stealing Titrel, but she refuses to give him the ring.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02D. The Third Cauldron War - First Wave
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Demon Lord's army, the Aesir, begin the invasion of Ringford for control
of the Cauldron. During the battle, Gwendolyn finds her sister Griselda
fatally wounded as she lies on the battlefield. It is revealed later that
General Brigan is to blame for this, having held himself and his forces back
too long in an attempt to preserve his own life and make a dramatic entrance.
Griselda gives her psypher spear to her sister before she dies.

As the battle rages on, Oswald the Shadow Knight turns the tide of the battle
favorably towards the Fairies with his fearful Beldriver. Gwendolyn
challenges him but is quickly subdued by his power. However, Oswald does not
strike the final blow, saying that the battle is over and more casualties
would just be a waste.

Gwendolyn returns to Ragnanival to inform Odin of their defeat and his
daughter's death. Odin declares Griselda one of his most valiant warriors and
allows Gwendolyn to keep her sister's psypher but he immediately announces
another attack against Ringford - one which he will personally take part in.
Gwendolyn is dismayed by how few words the King has to say about his
daughter's death.

In the Fairy realm, the Queen has prepared for Odin's second assault and is
confident of an approaching victory. Melvin again asks her to reconsider
mass-producing psyphers for the army, but content with Beldor's dragon and
Melvin's swordsmen, she again declines.

Mercedes disobeys her mother's command to protect the castle and joins the
fighting to prove her worth as a leader. She leaves the castle to Melvin's
command who thinks with disdain that a brat like Mercedes will assume the
throne after Queen Elfaria is dead.

As the Valkyrie ready themselves for the second wave of battle, Gwendolyn
assumes command in place of her sister. She argues her motivations with a
small blue bird who appears to her. While she insists that she is fighting
for her kingdom and her pride, the bird knows the truth; that her movement
into the commanding position, (which will probably result in her death) is
yet another attempt to win her father's love (given, if nothing else, for her
sacrifice).

As the battle is about to begin, King Valentine appears in the ruins of his
old kingdom and there meets a fearful Velvet. Terrified of him, she kneels at
his feet as he forms a plan to regain the Cauldron and purify the Old World.
However, despite the influence Valentine has over her, Velvet insists that
the Cauldron must be put to sleep so that none may control it and she refuses
to hand over the ring Titrel. They separate and begin to go after the
Cauldron separately.

Just before the second wave of the war breaks, Oswald encounters a Halja on
the front lines. The death god reveals to him that Melvin pledged Oswald's
life for the lethal power of the Beldriver and he has come. As he has come to
collect Oswald's soul, the Shadow Knight is forced to fight for his life.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02E. The Pooka Prince Imposter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(The following events occur at the same time that Odin's armies first invade
Fairy territory, back before Griselda dies on the battlefield). Cornelius
finally finds his way back to Titania, having been released from Odin's
domain. Entering the throne room and hiding behind a pillar, he discovers
that an imposter that looks exactly like his human form (Ingway, though he
doesn't know this) has been walking around Edmund's court. The imposter says
that a "little fiend" (probably Skuldi) has planned to renege on their deal
and he will have to be harsh if it comes to that, otherwise they deceived the
Prince for nothing.

King Edmund enters and the fake Cornelius declares that he will soon break up
with Valentine as the king had requested. The king wishes him to do so as
quickly as possible, as he had been considering a marriage between Cornelius
and King Odin's daughter out of political expedience. In return, the fake
Cornelius asks the king about his royal family's secret power (Darkova) but
Edmund denies that it exists ( a lie). The real though pookified Cornelius
emerges and tries to convince his father of his identity but to no avail.
King Edmund recognizes the sword on his back as something that belongs in the
Netherworld, and calls his guards to remove it and the pooka. Escaping the
palace, rejected by this father and alone, Cornelius sets out to try and save
the one thing he has left: his romance with Velvet.

In the Elrit forest, Cornelius confronts his doppelganger who has been
waiting for him. As Cornelius threatens him, Ingway transforms into Velvet
and tells him that she never loved him and wants him dead. Unable to believe
the person standing before him is his beloved, Cornelius attacks and
transforms Ingway back to his true form. Ingway admits that he transformed
the prince believing that were he not able to resume his human shape, he
would need to end his relationship with Velvet. Cornelius wishes to kill
Ingway, but cannot as such a deed would certainly forever estrange him, no
matter what form, from Velvet. He is forced to leave as Velvet approaches.
Ingway then uses Cornelius recent absence to try and convince Velvet to break
up with him, but Velvet refuses to doubt her lover.

Though it is not specified when, at some point after this event, Ingway is
betrayed by the Three Wise Men and transformed into a frog by Urzur. The next
time we see him is when Mercedes happens upon him in the forests of Elrit,
long after the Third Cauldron War has ended.

Cornelius  returns to the alleyways of Titania, sinking into despair. There
he meets Urzur who recognizes him and the spell put on him. Urzur says he
wants to help the prince but doesn't have the power to break the spell. Urzur
advises him to climb the Winterhorn Ridge to ask the wise dragon Hindel about
the curse.

As he climbs the mountain, Cornelius he meets not Hindel but Wagner waiting
at the summit. Furious about his friend's ignoble death at the tip of a
psypher, Wagner attacks the sword carrying pooka, but Cornelius uses the
blade to subdue him and though he has the opportunity, does not make the
killing blow. Wagner is humiliated to be spared, but senses the prince's true
nature and responds with compassion, explaining the prince's curse and flying
him to the Valentine ruins to see the pookas' help.

Cornelius soon finds the pooka Myril who explains their efforts to collect
all Valentinian currency in an attempt to break the enchantment. Cornelius
also learns that Velvet has snuck out onto the battlefield alone to stop King
Valentine and the Cauldron. Worried for her safety, he goes to save her.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02F. The Third Cauldron War - Second Wave
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the war begins again, General Brigan again waits to engage the enemy
though Gwendolyn and Odin have already deployed their forces. As he waits, he
finds Velvet rushing for the Cauldron and engages her in a fight. She escapes
his clutches only to later be attacked by Mercedes who demands that she
return the ring Titrel.

Cornelius then arrives at the front lines of the war to find the two engaged
in a fight. Cornelius beats Mercedes, knocking her unconscious, but King
Valentine suddenly appears and blasts Cornelius, taking Titrel for himself.
However, before he can use the ring, Cornelius revives and uses his last
ounce of strength to take Titrel back by force and return it to Velvet.

Meanwhile, Gwendolyn fights her way to the Vanir stronghold and meets Queen
Elfaria there. Before she can challenge the Queen, Beldor appears and summons
the dragon Belial to fight against her. Gwendolyn manages to defeat the
dragon and Odin's assault begins to overcome the Fairy guard. Odin confronts
Elfaria and uses his Balor to fatally wound her. The dying fairy queen is
taken back to Ringford Palace where Mercedes witnesses her mother's last
moments. She tells Mercedes that if the Cauldron draws in all of the phozons,
their forest and people will die. Mercedes is charged with reviving the
country and taking the Cauldron back from the Demon Lord. Elfaria reveals
that her real name is Fimbulvetr, and dies.

On the battlefield, Odin takes control of the Cauldron and announces his
victory. As he approaches the Cauldron he thinks of what power it will bring
him and dreams of dominating the world. However, just as he reaches it, the
light from inside goes out, and the Cauldron appears lifeless.

Unbeknownst to him, Velvet has just used the ring Titrel to put the Cauldron
to sleep. Escaping undetected by Odin, she encounters Gwendolyn briefly but
manages to escape from her. Velvet retreats to help the fallen Cornelius and
discovers a band of Pooka who have come to the battlefield to help her.
Fearing for them as Odin's forces advance and Gwendolyn looks for her, she
runs ahead to give them time to escape. Encountering Gwendolyn for a second
time, she realizes that the warrior is her half-sister and runs away instead
of doing battle with her.

With the Cauldron stopped, Velvet realizes with Kurois advice that the ring
Titrel must be hidden away where no one may find it to activate the Cauldron
again. However, the two are ambushed by a pack of Goblins hired by King
Valentine to take back the ring. Kurois is injured but Velvet escapes and
flees to the Winterhorn Ridge to seek Hindel's advice. There she finds only
his corpse, watched over by a grieving Wagner. Wagner attacks her but Velvet
is able to defend against him until she can ease his suspicions and explain
that she wishes to hide Titrel. Wagner offers to take the ring as he can
avoid any creature by flying and because Odin cannot harm him, due to the
dragon's blood running in his veins. Velvet hands over Titrel to Wagner who
swallows it.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02G. Mercedes vs. Melvin - The Venir Civil War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the wake of the Fairy's defeat, Oswald approaches a furious Melvin and
asks him about the appearance of the Halja. Melvin confesses to giving the
blade its power, but tells Oswald he has the power to keep the Halja at bay.
Mercedes enters and accuses Melvin of not having the royal guards in place
while he controlled the palace for her, thus not protecting her mother, but
Melvin explains that the Queen was simply an easy target (though Melvin
really believes that had the Queen listened to him and began manufacturing
weapons with the Cauldron, she would not have died in the war). Finding the
fledgling princess inadequate as a leader, Melvin begins to plan how best to
take the throne.

He soon proposes to Mercedes that because of her mother's death, she should
take a vacation, during which he will handle the governmental affairs. He
already has assumed command of the Queen's armed forces, and while Mercedes
does feel inadequate as a leader, her Lillipat advisor feels that Melvin is
acting strangely. He recommends they speak with the sorcerer Beldor who
served with the dragon Belial as the former Queen Elfaria's bodyguard.
Mercedes agrees and enters the Elrit forest to find him.

Melvin then starts his plans to lead an uprising against Mercedes. Though he
has harnessed command of a third of the troops and much of the public's
opinion, some soldiers fear Beldor and the dragon Belial who have been known
to protect the queen and her lineage. Confident in Oswald's ability to slay
any dragon, he sends the Shadow Knight to slay Belial. Even though he has
felt stiff and ill since his meeting with the Halja, Oswald enters Elrit
forest and quickly locates Beldor before Mercedes does.

When Oswald questions Beldor as to where his alliances lie, the Wise Man
claims to be an outsider, and will stand aside as the Fairy realm falls into
civil war. Oswald doesn't like this answer and threatens him, which causes
the sorcerer to summon his dragon Belial. Beldor at first seems confident but
is taken aback when Oswald fearlessly battles the beast.

Meanwhile, Mercedes has entered the forest as well and has begun searching
for Beldor. She soon meets a frog (actually Ingway, who, after impersonating
Prince Cornelius and transforming him into a pooka, failed to obtain the
secret of the Darkova spell from King Edmund and was betrayed by the Three
Wise Men and turned into a Frog [as he shall now be referred to]).  Frog
startles her which makes her drop her bow in a deep pond. Frog offers to dive
and find it if she will grant him one wish and he dives in after it. Beldor
then approaches and Mercedes asks for his aid in the civil war against Melvin.
However, Beldor reveals that he is now a faithful servant to Melvin whom he
addresses as King and then he commands Belial to swallow the princess whole.
Luckily, Frog returns with the crossbow and Mercedes defeats the dragon.

Beldor then appears and attempts to kill Mercedes himself until Frog leaps in
and poisons the wise man who quickly teleports away. The dragon Belial is
left behind who that a rebellion has begun in the Fairy kingdom and that
Mercedes will have to act quickly to quell it.

Mercedes rushes back to Ringford, where she learns that half of the nobles
are now in support of Melvin and the other half are undecided. At first
despairing and wishing that someone else would know what to do, Frog again
comes to Mercedes' aid and inspires her to move forward against the rebellion.

Mercedes and her troops battle their way to Melvin while Frog makes his way
around the castle, poisoning Melvin's troops with a potion that turns them
all into frogs. Sensing that he is backed into a corner, Melvin sends in his
Shadow Knight to defeat the small Queen. However, unable to fight with his
full power, Oswald is defeated and Melvin's rebellion is crushed. As Melvin
lies dying, he reveals to Oswald that his life was indeed traded for the
Beldriver's power; that the boy was merely his tool, used in a scheme to
become king. Melvin dies, revealing his true name to be Nidhogg, "the one
that chews on the roots of the ash tree who will always resist fate." At
Melvin's last words, Oswald looses heart and collapses. When a Halja comes to
take him, he makes no effort to escape.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02H. Trouble in the Valkyrie - Odin's Two Daughters
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile in Odin's domain, General Brigan is unsatisfied with the sacrifice
the Aesir have made to obtain what is essentially now a useless heap of iron.
He resolves to find the witch that disabled it and torture the information
from her on how to restart it. Fearing a possible mutiny (or perhaps fearing
for the life of his daughter Velvet) Odin resolves himself to go find her.
However, Gwendolyn insists that it is her responsibility the witch escaped in
the first place and volunteers herself for the task of catching her. Odin
commands her to not cause undue harm to the witch in the process.

Fighting through the forest to the lagoon, Gwendolyn finds and confronts
Velvet. Velvet insists that using the Cauldron will doom the entire world as
evidenced by the history of Valentine, but Gwendolyn does not pay her any
heed and the two begin a fight to the death. The battle is ultimately
interrupted by Odin himself who cannot stand to see his two daughters
fighting one another. He reveals that Velvet is his daughter much to
Gwendolyn's shock. But Velvet, still hating Odin for his treatment and
abandonment of her mother, rejects any peace offering or explanation he is
willing to make. Velvet disowns Odin as her father just as General Brigan
makes his presence known, having overheard everything. Brigan understands the
blackmailing power he now has over Odin but claims that he will not use it (a
lie). He then captures Velvet and takes her back to the castle.

Velvet is interrogated and she reveals Titrel's location in Wagner's stomach.
Brigan insists that they must sacrifice Velvet to the dragon and retrieve the
ring. The king is pained to bring harm to his daughter but is forced to
acquiesce Brigan's request.


Odin is extremely saddened at thought of Velvet's execution as she greatly
resembles his love which he lost long ago. Gwendolyn wrestles internally with
the idea that Velvet's death will make her the only surviving daughter Odin
has left (meaning he would have to show her some affection). However ,
realizing the agony Odin will suffer if Velvet is slain, she vows to save
Velvet even though she knows such an action will brand her as a traitor.

At the top of the Winterhorn Ridge, the dragon Wagner is nowhere to be found.
Sending the troops to find him, Brigan prepares to execute Velvet by himself
until Gwendolyn leaps in and saves her. Brigan reveals that all along, he had
planned kill Velvet and then inform the nation that she was the child the
king fostered with the enemy, but because the king was such a monster, he
killed her. The resulting doubt about Odin's right to rule would give Brigan
the chance to usurp the throne.

However Gwendolyn battles Brigan and kills him, leading Velvet to safety and
explaining her actions to her. Odin finds the two together on the mountain,
but as his subjects are present, he maintains his authority as king and
cannot move to rescue them. Gwendolyn labels herself a traitor knowing that
she must do so to keep her father from harm while saving Velvet. Velvet runs
away with mixed feelings about the event.

Though she is his daughter, King Odin is forced to punish Gwendolyn for
openly disobeying his orders and killing his chief vassal. She receives the
customary punishment for a traitorous Valkyrie: a sleeping spell will be cast
upon her and when she awakens, her heart will belong to a stranger - her
pride and honor stripped away. She will devote her life to him, bear his
children, and grow old. Odin at last calls Gwendolyn his precious daughter
but does so just as he casts the spell upon her and she falls asleep in his
arms. It is revealed later that this spell is only a sleeping spell, and that
as a last concession to his daughter, Odin leaves Gwendolyn's heart to its
own devices.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02I. Building Ringford's Defenses - Mercedes Prepares for Another War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the fairy realm, Melvin's rebellion has been suppressed, Melvin is dead,
and Oswald has been taken by a Halja into the Netherworld. Frog asks for his
wish: a single kiss, which he says will turn him back to a human. However,
Mercedes is repulsed by the idea and asks for some time to prepare.

As things return to normal and peace begins to settle into the Fairy kingdom,
Wagner suddenly attacks the forest. The dragon demands that the fairies
deliver Oswald to him to pay for his crime of slaying Hindel. Mercedes
explains that Oswald has been killed, but Wagner refuses to believe her. He
gives her an indeterminate amount of time to bring Oswald to the top of
Winterhorn Ridge, otherwise he will return and set the fairy's forest ablaze.
After he leaves, Mercedes decides to scale the mountain herself to explain
again that Oswald is dead and cannot be summoned.

However, when she reaches the top of the mountain, Wagner refuses to believe
that the little fairy defeated the fearsome dragon-slaying Shadow Knight. He
attacks her in a test to see if she is as strong as she claims to be and
using her mother's bow she proves her worth. Wagner is still enraged at those
who wield psypher weapons ,but after Mercedes convinces him she will only use
her bow to defeat Odin, the dragon leaves her alone. As he flies away,
Mercedes discovers that Frog has followed her up the mountain to make sure
she was safe, but as his body is not built for the cold, he collapses.

Returning to the palace, Mercedes thinks of how to best defeat Odin and is
told by a subject that the dwarf Brom may be able to forge a weapon more
powerful than his Balor, but the dwarf was sent alive to the Netherworld by
Melvin, and the only person who can lead her there, the sorcerer Beldor, is
missing. Frog appears, having warmed back up, and as a reward to saving his
life, offers to take Mercedes to Titania's sewer system to find him. Queen
Mercedes plans to pardon Beldor's treason for the time being and prepares for
her trip to Titania.

Meanwhile, Velvet, concerned about his half-sister, heads to the old castle
where Gwendolyn has been transported and lies slumbering. She meets Odin
there and they openly discuss their feelings and resentments until they are
interrupted by King Valentine. The decaying King reminisces about his
daughter and Odin's love affair with her which eventually is what drove him
mad. As the argument comes to a head, King Valentine commands Velvet to
attack Odin and she obeys him, though she trembles in fear.

Velvet manages to defeat Odin, who cannot bring himself to fully attack his
own daughter. However, before King Valentine can strike the final blow,
Velvet steps between them and Odin, only feigning defeat, grabs Valentine
questions his true motivations for strangling a daughter he supposedly loves.
Confronted by guilt at his horrendous actions and realizing that he was
blinded by fury and acted foolishly on impulse, Valentine momentarily repents
his deeds and asks that Odin crush his bones into dust. Odin refuses, saying
that Valentines words ring hollow and he lets him go so that he may suffer
into eternity.

In the top of the tower, Gwendolyn rests in her enchanted sleep. Odin
explains that he did what he must have done as the ruler of the country, but
that things will not get worse for her from here on out. Velvet acknowledges
Gwendolyn as her little sister and hopes that the man she meets will be kind
to her.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02J. Trouble for the Pooka
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

King Valentine immediately hires goblins to launch an invasion of Pooka
Village and steal the coins the pooka have been collecting. He tells the
goblins that he plans to throw the coins into the Volkenon Lava Pits to make
the pooka curse last forever. Hearing this, Cornelius chases after the
goblins into the Inferno King Onyx's burning land.

Managing to avoid the fiery pits, Cornelius finds the goblins and takes back
the coins before they can be destroyed. As he finds and confronts King
Valentine, the old magician reveals that his true motivation was not to make
the pooka curse permanent, but because doing so would cause his old powers to
return to him as they had dwindled after Valentine spent so much time
surrounded by crystals in the Netherworld.

Abandoning the scheme, Valentine produces his dragon egg and identifies it as
the one spoken of in Valentinian prophecies that holds Leventhan who will
bring about the end of the world. Valentine places his crown on the egg
(another object infused with the King's magical power) and uses what little
sorcery he has left to hatch Leventhan.

Cornelius battles the baby dragon and manages to knock the creature down. A
rumble sounds and, fearing the presence of Inferno King Onyx, Valentine takes
the baby dragon into his arms and leaves "into the flames of purgatory...
until world dies."

Having just missed Cornelius again, Velvet arrives at Pooka Village. Velvet
learns that Myril has decided to go to the abandoned castle and attend to
Gwendolyn. She also hears about the goblin attack and that it was Cornelius
who stopped them. She then realizes that her lover has been cursed and
remembering the mention of the missing pages in the Book of Transformation,
suspects her brother is behind it.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02K. The Redemption of the Shadow Knight
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As these events occur, Oswald has awakened in the Netherworld and has
reunited with Brom though the dwarf can do little to ease his sadness. Oswald
laments the lack of love and the emptiness in his blood-stained life. At the
bottom of his hopelessness, Oswald sees a blue bird that he seems to
recognize. Though it quickly flies away, Oswald is inspired to see it again
and goes to search for it.

Encountering Queen Odette, Oswald attacks her savagely but finds that as his
blade contains her power, he cannot hurt her with it. Odette plans to torture
Oswald as entertainment, but is interrupted by the news that Odin has come
once again into her domain. Queen Odette then promises to release Oswald from
the curse that rots his body if he will kill the Demon Lord. Knowing that he
has only transferred from one master to another, Oswald agrees to this, and
manages to find Odin in the dark land. After he is beaten, Odin promises to
lead the Shadow Knight out of the Netherworld if he will only spare his life.
Owing no allegiances to Queen Odette, Oswald agrees.

Back in Ragnanival, Odin devises a use for his newfound ally: to get to the
ring Titrel in Wagner's stomach since he cannot attack the dragon himself.
Offering Oswald the old castle in the Elrit woods, then Gwendolyn's psypher,
and finally Gwendolyn herself, Odin finally convinces him to carry out the
task, (though he does not let the Shadow Knight know his true intentions,
requiring only that the dragon be slain and nothing more).

Oswald scales the Winterhorn Ridge and calls out Wagner. The dragon attacks
him mercilessly, ravenous with revenge for Hindel's death, but in the end
Oswald emerges victorious and slays Wagner with his Beldriver. In the carcass,
Oswald finds the ring Titrel just before Odin arrives. Odin demands he hand
it over, but Oswald reminds him that he only requested the dragon's death,
never mentioning any rings. Odin moves as if to take the ring by force, but
Oswald says he will fight him to the death. Fearing for his life, Odin
relents. He gives Oswald the castle, psypher, Titrel and his daughter. Odin
also tells him that the one who awakens Gwendolyn from her sleep will receive
her undying yet compelled love.

At the old castle, Oswald finds Gwendolyn sleeping and recognizes her as the
bird he saw earlier. However, he is reluctant to wake her as doing so will
force her to love him. He refuses to kiss her, but pained by her eternal
slumber, he resolves to find another way to break Odin's spell. Suddenly, one
of the Wise Men arrives and blasts Oswald, kidnapping the sleeping princess,
telling Oswald to let Odin know they now have his daughter.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02L. Trouble in Titania - The Wise Men's Meddling
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile in Titania, Mercedes has arrived to search for Beldor and ask for
guidance to the Netherworld so she can find Brom. Mercedes finds it strange
that they are being lead through the side streets and not directly to the
palace. While Frog believes that Beldor will only deceive them, Mercedes
(naively) believes he may listen to her and willingly accept her pardon. They
are soon ambushed and her attendant Matthew is kidnapped. Mercedes races
after him.

At the same time in King Edmund's Court, Urzur demands to know the king's
secret (the spell of Darkova) but the king refuses him. Skuldi arrives and
announces that the princess of Valentine is on her way and since she is the
offspring of Odin, her capture would devastate the Demon Lord. Under threat
of the Wise Men, King Edmund cannot tell Velvet of their plot when she
arrives. As the King remains silent, Urzur offers to take Velvet to see
Cornelius, but secretly plans to lead her to the sewers, Beldor, and his
dragon Belial.

Velvet manages to defeat the dragon, but is captured and subdued in the
process by the Wise Men. They reveal their plot with Ingway and their
ultimate goal of bringing about the Armageddon, after which they plan to be
kings. Then the magicians put Velvet to sleep, planning on using her to get
rid of Odin.

Soon, Mercedes arrives in the Sewer Maze and finds her attendant Matthew held
by Beldor. She offers to pardon his crimes if he will show her the way to the
Netherworld. Beldor seems to enjoy the idea of having the Fairies and the
Valkyrie wipe each other out, but having other matters to attend to, he
summons Belial again to eat the fairy queen. The dragon slowly backs away,
either frightened or reluctant. (He may have seen her psypher weapon and
remembered his lost fights with both Gwendolyn and Oswald. He could also be
reluctant to attack Mercedes herself as he's been beaten by her once before
and she spared his life after the fight.)

Beldor tortures the dragon to instigate him to fight, but Belial slumps to
the floor unwilling and broken. Having seen enough, Mercedes retracts her
pardon and begins firing at Beldor who makes a quick escape.

(As a small side note: while it never occurs on screen during the game, it
can be reasonably assumed that during these events with Beldor, Skuldi is
busy transferring Gwendolyn to the Volkenon Lava pits.)

Finding him at last in the sewers, both Frog and Mercedes battle against
Beldor and his armed guards. Mercedes takes the upper hand, but just before
she can fire the final shot, Beldor teleports behind her and prepares a curse.
Before he can finish though, Frog casts his own spell, turning Beldor into a
pooka and stripping him of his magic power.

However, as the spell was a bit much for his small body, Frog weakly sinks
down. Grateful for saving her life, Mercedes finally kisses him, restoring
Ingway to his true form. Ingway quickly thanks her for releasing him from the
spell, and then rushes off with other business in mind after insisting that
Mercedes will make a good queen.

Having finally returned to Titania, Cornelius overhears a conversation in an
alley between his father King Edmund and Urzur. The Wise Man berates the king
for being too stubborn to hand over the Book of Transformation. Though it
never happens on screen, we must assume that at some point earlier Beldor
releases Belial on the city of Titania because of this. Urzur reveals the
Wise Men's plan to call King Gallon back to the land from the Netherworld.
Finally realizing that the pooka is his son, King Edmund tells Cornelius that
Velvet has been captured and the Titanian prince rushes to the sewers to save
her.

Cornelius finds Skuldi waiting for him, but suddenly Ingway appears,
revealing that the Titrel Skuldi believed he possessed is actually a fake.
Ingway heals Cornelius who runs ahead to battle the dragon who is just about
to eat Velvet.

Before their fight, Belial begs Cornelius to save his tormented soul which
cannot bear the torment of enslavement anymore. With the psypher of Titania,
Cornelius is able to beat the dragon and pierce his heart which fatally
wounds him but ends the spell that caused the dragon's enslavement. As Urzur
comes to command the fallen dragon once again, Belial uses his last bit of
strength before he dies to charge Urzur and crush him in his jaws.

Velvet wakes to Cornelius' voice. She identifies him as Titania's prince, but
Cornelius runs away from her, back to Edmund's court. There, he tells his
father that Urzur and Belial have been killed and Titania saved. Edmund
offers to relinquish his crown and make Cornelius king, but Cornelius refuses
having accepted his fate as forever being trapped as a Pooka. He leaves for
Pooka village, giving up his feelings for Velvet.

However, in the Forests of Elrit, Velvet catches up with Cornelius and the
two have a heart to heart. Velvet desires to stay with Cornelius, even if he
is a pooka. Even without a palace and a home, Velvet accepts him knowing that
she still loves the person he is inside. Embracing her, Cornelius swears to
fill her life with love and happiness.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02M. Rescuing Sleeping Beauty
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Titania, Oswald has tracked down the last remaining wise man Skuldi
and found him in the Titanian sewers. Skuldi reveals the wise men's history
of conflict with Odin and their desire to set the stage for the world's end.
Skuldi then summons the past spirits of the former Shadow Knights who were
turned to ghosts when they lost their souls to the Beldriver, but Oswald
quickly defeats them. Begging for his life, Skuldi reveals that Gwendolyn is
in the Fire Kingdom as they had planned to use her to pit the Fire Lord and
the Demon Lord against one another. Oswald then kills Skuldi thinking
(correctly) that he is too evil to be left alive.

Meanwhile in the Inferno King's realm, Odin has learned of his daughter's
kidnapping and has smashed his way to Onyx's throne room. Despite Odin's
ultimatums, Onyx declares he has fallen in love with Gwendolyn and has no
intention of returning her. They exchange harsh words until Onyx reveals that
he knows about the spell placed on Gwendolyn to love the first person who
awakens her. At this, Odin suddenly leaves, knowing that were Gwendolyn to be
awakened, she would quickly reject the Fire Lord and break his heart.
(However, though it is not shown how, the scene immediately following this
reveals that Onyx somehow already knew this).

Next, Oswald makes his way into the Volkenon Lava Pits searching for
Gwendolyn. Finding her asleep in the throne room, he confronts Onyx who says
that he is content to have Gwendolyn bound to him through the spell and has
planned to make the girl his bride. With both men refusing to give her up,
Onyx transforms into his true demonic form and the two go to battle. Escaping
his fiery clutches, Oswald wins the battle and is informed by Onyx that while
a sleeping spell was put on her, there is no spell present that will control
her heart. This is why he did not wake her; because he knew she would not
love him. He would rather keep her asleep and under his control, rather than
wake her and see her flee. Oswald is so relieved to hear this that he offers
to ease Onyx's pain by wielding the Beldriver for him once in battle (though
he will never let Onyx near Gwendolyn again).

Taking her back to the old castle, Oswald wonders if Gwendolyn will hate him
when she awakens, but not caring how she reacts even if it brings him pain,
Oswald brings Gwendolyn to life with a kiss.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02N. An Abandoned Son's Monstrous Revenge
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, after reverting to his true form and saying goodbye to Mercedes,
Ingway has ventured into the Netherworld to speak with Queen Odette. Ingway
offers to bring her the soul of Odin the jewel thief and to serve forever at
her side if she will lend him her army. The Queen is quick to deny his
request, knowing that such an act would ultimately cause the world's end.
However, Ingway convinces her by saying he only wants the dread army to
appear in Erion for a short period of time, that Odette can simply claim that
a sorcerer stole her eye and commanded them himself, and that once Odin dies,
she will be free to punish everyone.

Meanwhile, Mercedes had forced the captured and pookafied Beldor to lead her
to the Netherworld. She learns from a spirit that Brom is being kept by the
Queen in her throne room, but during the conversation, Beldor slips off into
the mist. As he walks on alone, he is quickly met by a Halja who cuts him
down.

Mercedes then makes her way to the Netherworld shrine where she finds Brom
forced to carve gems for the dreaded Queen. Mercedes tries to flee with him
but is stopped by Odette who (as Fairies are creatures that never go to the
Netherworld when they die) refuses to listen to her polite requests and
attacks her.

Meanwhile in the real world, Odette's armies have appeared. Ingway uses the
distraction to make his way to Odin's throne room, disguised as a masked
soldier and followed closely by Velvet. Ingway reveals that it was in fact
him who destroyed Valentine in an attempt to save his father - an action
which he now regrets. Prepared to suffer in hell for his sins and take his
mother's curse upon himself, Ingway uses the stolen Book of Transformation to
use the Darkova spell, transforming into the three headed beast so that he
can take Odin and the Cauldron to the grave with him.

Below ground in the Netherworld, Mercedes has fought well against Odette but
ends up cornered by Halja. Fortunately for her and before Odette can take
advantage of the situation, King Gallon begins to shake in his prison,
reacting to the Darkova spell that has just been cast above. Odette orders
more chains to be placed on him and disappears. Mercedes takes her lucky
break and escapes with Brom to the real world.

Back in Odin's Castle, Velvet uses her chains to somehow subdue the Darkova
beast, transforming Ingway back to his human form. She brings him to the
Pooka Village to rest, but he quickly disappears. On the plains of the ruined
Valentine civilization, her old tutor Kurois tells Velvet about the
prophecies contained in the epic poems detailing the world's end. However,
contrary to what the Wise Men believed, they do not contain the pathway to
becoming king. He presents her with his own interpretation in order that she
might use it to prevent the coming Apocalypse from destroying everything.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02O. Preparing for War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leading Brom back to Ringford, Mercedes consults with him about a new weapon
so that she may fight against Odin's Balor. Although he cannot create a
psypher as large and powerful as Balor, Brom believes he can create one that
is able to break the Balor itself. However, there is a problem: while Brom
was trapped in the Netherworld, the flames of his forge went out. Without a
fire hot enough to purify phozon crystals, he cannot make a strong enough
weapon. The only way to get the fire hot enough is to use the fire that
existed before the world's creation; that which only exists in the Fire
Kingdom. Brom resolves to leave to fetch the flames and Mercedes accompanies
him for protection.

Fighting their way through the Inferno, Mercedes and Brom find the source of
fire strangely unguarded. However, none other than King Valentine appears,
saying that Onyx is tending his wounds (from fighting Oswald earlier) by
sleeping in the molten lava. The two run from him, but Valentine follows them
and summons the baby Leventhan who has recently consumed the source of fire
from the lava pits. Mercedes fends off the little dragon's attacks until she
and Brom can escape from the fiery pit.

Back in Ringford, preparations are made for battle. Brom finishes the new
weapon - his life's masterpiece and his final creation - Riblam. Still, Brom
feels badly about the Beldriver being such a source of misery for Oswald's
life and asks permission to go see him.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02P. Rescuing the Rescuer
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Odin's old castle, Gwendolyn awakens from Oswald's kiss, but Oswald is
nowhere to be found. Believing herself married to the enemy's elite soldier,
she despairs. However, Oswald's first gesture towards the reluctant bride is
to give her the ring Titrel in an effort to make her happy and show how much
he cares for her. However, she tells him that as a warrior, her happiness
comes only from battle, and at her harsh words, Oswald leaves. Though she
feels some pangs of affection for the Shadow Knight, Gwendolyn remembers all
of the warriors he has slain and decides she cannot forgive him, no matter
how kind he is to her. Believes that her father's spell is making her feel
affection for Oswald, she resolves to seek vengeance on him the moment it
presents itself, as that is what Odin would want her to do.

With an oath to keep, Oswald prepares to leave as Onyx has summoned him to
fight against the recently hatched Leventhan who has been terrorizing the
Lava Pits. When Gwendolyn offers to do whatever he wants, she is startled by
his reply that she is not an object and he will not allow anyone to treat her
as such. Even so, she leaves at her first opportunity to betray her new
husband and deliver Titrel to her father.

Approaching Odin's castle, Gwendolyn finds that the King has ordered his
soldiers to kill her on sight. Fighting her way to the throne room, she
discovers Odin possessed by Brigan's spirit. Forced to take up arms against
her father, Gwendolyn beats the spirit out of Odin and gives him the ring.
Odin gladly receives Titrel, revealing his old plot to temp Oswald with
Gwendolyn so that he would slay Wagner for her hand. Odin then absolves
Gwendolyn from her past actions for the delivery of the ring and finally
welcomes her back with her honor restored. But realizing that Oswald fought
Wagner for her, she leaves her father behind and goes back to meet Oswald.

However, the Shadow Knight has been missing for days. Brom reaches the castle
with the news that Oswald returned to the Inferno to fulfill a promise he
made there. Concerned for his safety with her heart aching, she dons her
armor and goes to look for him.

Confronting the Inferno Lord about her husband's whereabouts, Onyx reveals
that Odin had promised Gwendolyn's hand to him to unify both of their
continents but then gave her to instead to Oswald. Intoning that the task of
slaying Leventhan may kill him, Onyx offers to save Oswald if Gwendolyn will
be his bride. Gwendolyn quickly refuses and leaves, enraging Onyx who sends
soldiers to capture her.

In the Origin of Fire's Sanctuary, Oswald fights a loosing battle against the
dragon as Odette has begun to somehow reduce his sword's power. Just as he
slumps to the floor, Gwendolyn leaps in and beats the dragon down.
Unfortunately, Oswald's injuries are grave. Onyx enters, intrigued by
Gwendolyn's beauty in combat, but she again refuses him and promises him
violence if he tries to prevent her from leaving. She leaves with Oswald and
returns to her forest castle with him.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02Q. The Fourth Cauldron War
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Armed with her new psypher bow, Mercedes prepares her troops for battle. She
makes a speech, rousing her soldiers, but alone, she quakes at the thought
that she will soon be face to face with her mother's killer.

The two armies begin battling against each other. Though the Vanir troops are
superior, they begin to fall to the mighty force of Odin's Balor. Mercedes
faces the Demon Lord trembling, but when he mentions the murder of her mother,
Mercedes steels herself and attacks. In the battle, her Riblam's Arcane Bolt
shatters the Balor, defeating the Demon Lord. He kneels before her, waiting
for the final blow, and though she wants to, she does not deliver it. She
knows that if he dies, he will be a martyr and she does not want him to find
glory in death. Knowing that his successor will only try to gain the Cauldron
once again, she gives him an ultimatum: never show his face again nor set
foot in her land and she will let him go. However, if he chooses to die, the
fairies will invade his homeland, ravaging his people. Odin had no choice to
swear to the queen's demands. She also demands that he leave Titrel which he
does. The Fourth Cauldron War quickly ends.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
02R. Tying Up Loose Ends - Uniting the Two Lovers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in her castle, Gwendolyn tends to the bedridden Oswald who soon confirms
that was indeed sold to the Queen of the Netherworld and that the Halja are
always lurking, waiting for the moment Oswald's power fades so they can cut
him down. The two exchange a tender moment, but before they reveal their true
feelings for each other, a Valkyrie appears with the news that Ragnanival has
suffered a crushing defeat from the Vanir under their new Fairy Queen and
have seized the Cauldron. The soldiers fear that the enemy will try to take
advantage of Odin's grave injuries and try to invade the castle. Learning
that the Fairies now possessed Titrel which Gwendolyn had given to Odin,
Oswald is hurt deeply by her betrayal. Believing he has just been an
unwitting pawn in another one of Odin's schemes he immediately leaves.
Instead of going after him, Gwendolyn changes into her armor, deciding to
retrieve the ring Titrel, though she is unsure at first whether she is merely
fulfilling her duty as Odin's daughter or wishes to win back the estranged
Oswald.

Gwendolyn fights through Ringford, all the way to the throne of the new Fairy
Queen. When Mercedes refuses to return the ring, Gwendolyn attacks and
retrieves it by force.

Meanwhile at the old castle, Oswald stands alone on the bridge. Believing
that he has imprisoned Gwendolyn in an unwanted marriage and again bereft of
hope, he allows an approaching Halja to cut him down. Gwendolyn returns too
late and is informed by her attendants that Oswald has been taken to the
Netherworld. Wanting to rescue him, she resolves to ask her father Odin how
to go to and from the Land of Misery and Despair.

Appearing in his castle, Odin at last praises his daughter for her deeds but
quickly demands the ring Titrel. However, as it represents her bond with
Oswald, Gwendolyn refuses despite her father's adamant requests. She
eventually agrees to give up the ring in exchange to safe passage to and from
the Netherworld.

Battling her way through corpses, ghosts and Halja, Gwendolyn meets Queen
Odette in her chamber. She asks for Oswald's release, but Odette will have
none of it, saying that Oswald is now her possession. Fighting with the
strength of her love for Oswald, Gwendolyn manages to slay the Queen of the
Netherworld. In her last moments, Odette explains that the living and dead
could coexist in the Netherworld her world because she bridged the gap
between the real world and hers. However, with her death, those that are
alive will now forever be barred from entering. The path will close and all
ties with Erion will be severed.  As the Queen melts into nothingness and the
Netherworld begins to quake, Odin sweeps in and flies Gwendolyn and Oswald to
safety.

Safe in the Demon Lord's castle, Odin explains that now the only way to enter
the Netherworld is to accept death. He can no longer collect crystals, but if
he could regain the ring Titrel and the Cauldron, he would have no use for
them. He asks Gwendolyn to fulfill the promise and return the ring, but
Gwendolyn explains that if he is to take the ring, representing all she is in
her love for Oswald, then he must take her life as well. Odin argues that her
"everything" is an illusion, that she is only married because he ordered it.
Even so, she is willing to hang on, even if it is an illusion that she clings
to and though it may cost her life and pride. Odin readies a crushing blow on
his own daughter's head but Oswald stops him before he can deliver it. Only
then does Odin reluctantly allow her to keep the ring. With all of his plans
for conquest ruined, he entrusts Gwendolyn to Oswald and lets them leave.

Back in their castle, the two come clean with their feelings for each other
and express their mutual love. As they embrace, the blue bird is seen
fluttering off.

It should be noted that at any time after this, the special scene 20 should
probably fit into this chronological storyline. This is the point where the
two worlds (Erion and the Attic where Alice sits reading these stories) come
together. At some point in Erion's history, Alice's grandfather somehow
arrived in Titania, began to learn the story about what had happened in the
world, and then went to work constructing the books that make up the various
story arcs of Odin Sphere that Alice reads. In special scene 20, we learn
that the mystery visitor to the magical world arrived in Titania sometime
after Belial's attack (mentioned in the "Trouble in Titania - The Wise Men's
Meddling" section above). We also see all of the main characters in the
scene; Velvet with Cornelius as a pooka, Gwendolyn and Oswald, and even
Mercedes who buys a Napple from the merchant. Though it really doesn't matter
too much where exactly you fit this piece of the story into the Odin Sphere
timeline, I feel that it fits best here. It should also be noted that the
vendor gives the mystery visitor (the grandfather) a Valentinian coin which
later ends up adorning the last book the man had written about Erion.
Timelines between the two worlds become confused given this point, though it
need not be the case that time passes at the same speed between the two
worlds.


===========================================================================
03. The End of Erion
===========================================================================


03A. Armageddon

The war over the Cauldron has ended, but things are still not quite right.
Ingway wanders the Valentinian wasteland with the Darkova spell still
affecting him making him hungry for human flesh.

Elsewhere, the Cauldron has suddenly come to life as King Valentine stands
atop it. He beckons Leventhan inside the device to sleep and dream of
devouring all. He says that greedy minds have once again set the Cauldron
alight, though it is never revealed exactly who this is in reference to.
Valentine reveals that he never needed the Titrel to command the Cauldron as
it would obey his voice. To bring about the end of the earth, he commands it
to absorb every photon in the land and annihilate the world and a beam of
light erupts from the Cauldron's mouth. Ingway then arrives and confronts his
grandfather. Vowing to save the land that he once destroyed, he uses the
Darkova spell again and transforms into the beast.

In the Netherworld, King Gallon feels the power of Darkova at work above. It
makes his blood boil but also awakens a sick pleasure inside him and his
heart grows dark. The Halja approach, but instead of tightening his shackles,
they inform him that the Queen has been sent into darkness and nobody will
interfere with his freedom again. Thus, Gallon orders the Halja to lead the
dead to Titania. Though they at first protest that the Queen blocked the path
to the real world, a shriveled husk appears identifying itself as the
remnants of Beldor the Wise Man. He informs Gallon that the Halja are able to
traverse the border between life and death, and as the new power figure in
the Netherworld, all Gallon has to do is command them to show him the way.

The blast from the Cauldron causes the land to begin sinking into the sea. To
escaping the rising water, the Inferno King decides to follow the prophecies
and march inland even though the Inferno nation's demise at the hands of the
World Tree is foretold soon after such an event. Onyx argues that no such
tree exists and that the story is a fable - that they will burn the forests
of Ringford away to prove it. Driven from his home, Onyx plans to conquer the
world.

Meanwhile, the armies of the dead begin to invade Erion and Odin's land is
the first to fall. He is unable to defend himself and his land as the Balor
was broken in the last Cauldron War by Mercedes. However, he manages to keep
himself safe in his castle until the sounds of battle die away and all of his
soldiers have been slain. The ghost of Griselda appears to him and Odin
realizes in his last moments that he has never done anything fatherly for her.
Embracing the specter, Odin is struck down by the Halja and killed.

Inside the old castle, Gwendolyn can see the dark armies swarming the land
and knows that soon they will be at her door. She is worried about Oswald who
has not yet returned from gathering information. Myris appears, offering to
take Gwendolyn to safety, but she refuses. Dressing for war, Gwendolyn goes
off in search of Oswald. She tells the other pookas to meet her at the top of
the Winterhorn Ridge. The ghost of Griselda appears to her, telling her to
"knock down the crown, and not forget her role from the epic poems. Griselda
disappears just as the undead begin erupting from the floor.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
03B. The End
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Obliterated Ruins, Ingway transforms into the Darkova to try to
destroy the Cauldron but has come under the power of the corpse of Beldor who
controls him with a spell. Cornelius finds them and Beldor reveals that after
the incident with King Gallon, Edmund had Beldor and the Wise Men research a
spell to control the Darkova if it was ever to be released again. Beldor
refuses to reveal his plans and orders the transformed Ingway to attack
Cornelius. With the sword of his father who slew the first Darkova, Cornelius
battles against him, wishing to remove the Valentinian prince from the curse.

After the battle, both Cornelius and Ingway are hurt but not killed. Ingway
realizes that the way to save the world is not to destroy the Cauldron, but
rather to reverse its core, which will release all the Phozons stored inside
it. As a last request, Ingway asks Velvet to do her duty and fight against
the Cauldron. She takes Cornelius away and Ingway is left on his own to live
his last moments. As he dies, he wonders why he thinks of Mercedes, and
wishes he could see her for one last time.

In the Crumbling Capital, King Gallon endlessly devours the living. Oswald
confronts him and Gallon smells the sent of Odette's power in him. However,
he reveals a royal secret: the only one who can kill him is one of royal
blood. Even if Oswald is the Shadow, a common warrior cannot kill Gallon.
However, Gallon does not know that Oswald is the son of Edgar, and therefore
his grandson. After again and again plunging the Beldriver into Gallon's
rotting flesh and shattering his three bone heads with the blade, Oswald
reveals that Hindel once told him his father was a man named Edgar. Unable to
fight against destiny, Gallon dies and the monster melts away.

Meanwhile in the Obliterated Ruins of Ringford forest, Mercedes fights alone
against the creatures of fire. There, she discovers Ingway lying dead at the
base of a broken tree. The Onyx king appears laughing at the prophecies that
predict his death. With no tree left standing and complete confidence, he
attacks Mercedes who has refused to give up, a Queen till the end. The little
Fairy draws her bow against the molten fire demon until his flesh begins to
smolder, falling as ash. With her wings broken, she lies dying on the
scorched earth, the fairies dead and her kingdom ruined. As she dies she
gives her true name - Yggdrasil - and dies. As Onyx crumbles away, he
recognizes the name with horror; Yggdrasil, the World Tree. The prophecy has
come true. Knowing he was a fool, he crumbles like a spent coal and dies.

At the Cauldron, Velvet confronts her grandfather King Valentine trying to
reason with him, but he turns on her, calling her the very reason he finds
himself in hell, the symbol of his daughter's betrayal. Velvet offers her own
life instead of the world, but Valentine reveals that he cannot relive the
experience again of wringing the neck of a once loved one, that Velvet
resembles her too much. Valentine plans to take everyone with him into the
oblivion and peace of death.  However, Velvet unleashes her chains and fights
against the Cauldron.

She manages to destroy its systems but keeps the core of the Cauldron intact,
leaving it unable to move or fire its beams. Valentine reveals that all this
time, no one can actually use the Cauldron but him, as he has placed a curse
upon it. As Velvet collapses, the King makes to strike her down, but cannot
make the final blow as she resembles his daughter Ariel too closely.

Finally ready and his work at an end, he summons Leventhan from the Cauldron
and as the massive serpent bursts forth he leaps upon its back.

In the skies over valentine, the massive serpent unfurls his full length in
the wind. Gwendolyn flies alongside of him feeling powerless to stop the
massive beast. Leventhan opens his mouth, and breaths his powerful flames
down on the land, the continents breaking up and dissolving like a sugar cube.
(We do not see this in Gwendolyn's cut scene, but in all of the others, King
Valentine is completely destroyed in Leventhan's first blast). Gwendolyn sees
the Horn Mountain collapsing and worries for her friends and lover Oswald.
The bird reminds her to "knock down the crown," something her sister once
told her. Looking carefully, Gwendolyn can see the old crown of King
Valentine wedged on one of Leventhan's horns. Realizing it is the key to his
defeat, Gwendolyn attacks.

As her psypher breaks through and the horn is carved away, Leventhan's head
begins to pour out fire and light. Gwendolyn, her feathers and wings
destroyed, falls through the red sky. The bird reveals that the whole time is
was her sister Griselda. She reveals that the poems of prophecy will continue
to be followed and that they will meet again at the world's end and then
disappears.  As she contemplates her death below, Gwendolyn thinks only of
Oswald.

Just before she hits the ground, Oswald uses his dark powers to snatch
Gwendolyn from the sky, but the effort drains him. The Cauldron has been
stopped, but all of the Phozons it absorbed from the world have been used up.
The world is a barren wasteland and only Velvet, Cornelius, Gwendolyn, and
Oswald are left alive. Velvet removes Titrel from an unconscious Gwendolyn's
hand and then remembers that Kurois taught her how the crystals, the psyphers,
contain within them phozons. Using Titrel to command the Cauldron and the
psyphers as a phozon source, Velvet reverses the flow of phozons from the
Cauldron. As the phozons spew forth from the Cauldron's mouth, Velvet emerges
from the light transformed into a pooka.

Gwendolyn and Oswald find themselves alone on a mountain top and witness the
miracle of the phozons remaking the earth, spreading green plants and life
wherever they touch, a new world beginning. Though it is not shown on screen,
it can be inferred that Gwendolyn and Oswald go on to repopulate Erion with
their offspring, which survive for many millennia.

Though it is placed out of order chronologically on the in game story chart,
this is the period during which Cornelius and a Pookafied Velvet travel
through to Alice's world and retrieve the last Valentinian coin from the back
of the Armageddon book that Alice has been reading. Like Alice's
grandfather's first visit to Erion in scene 20, it is unclear when exactly
this event with the pooka occurs. However, in the last cut scene, Cornelius
reveals that he and Velvet have been searching for the Valentinian coins for
thousands of years in their immortal pooka bodies. At any point during this
time, they could have traveled to Alice's world, taken the coin, and left the
last book.

In any case, having at last gathered all of the currency together, they
return to the Secluded Cavern. They call forth the spirit of the old and kind
King Valentine, before the Cauldron Wars and Odin's affair with Ariel had
corrupted him. The apparition of the spell asks them what they wish for.
Velvet is about to wish for the removal of the pooka curse before Cornelius
stops her. He explains that they can live forever in a timeless vacuum in
their bodies, forever in love. However, Velvet argues that their souls will
go on after their flesh finally gives up, that the curse is eternal and their
souls will never return to the land if they remain pooka for all time.
Cornelius says that if they become humans, they will die before a hundred
years have passed. But instead of living eternally while cursed, Velvet
believes it nobler to live out a natural life among other humans. To this,
Cornelius agrees, having observed people for millennia and have seen that
even in "these preposterous times" (the very distant future I assume) they
cannot say that people are happy. The world is filled with heartache, as it
was before the Armageddon. The two pookas then wish for the spell to be
broken and their humanity restored. The image of the dead king tells them to
live their renewed lives to the fullest and transforms them into full human
beings. They embrace their new forms, devoted until death will finally part
them.

Fin.

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