History Characters / VagrantStory

Sydney's right-hand man, and a key commander of the Müllenkamp Cult. They led the assault on the Duke's Manor together, but Harden held the responsibility for caring, or not caring, for the hostages. Unlike the multitudes of Sydney's other followers, Hardin did not enter the cult under the spell of the prophet's sermons or bewitched by his charisma. Instead, incredibly distrustful of a world where injustice was commonplace, the former police officer was attracted to the anti-establishment elements of the Cult.
Both Hardin and Sydney consider each other their truest friend. Sydney confides his secrets in Hardin, and in return Hardin trusts Sydney completely. If doubt or confusion ever arises between the two, it is never long-lived.

A cordial woman and a commander oft depended on by Guildenstern. Though she is a woman, she has more than enough skill to match blades with a man and come out on top. Her chosen weapon is the Heavy Mace, and she swings the huge, cumbersome thing like a light stick. She holds no doubts about her work, and she never questions orders.
In contrast to the other female commander, Samantha, Neesa is frank, blunt and not very feminine.

He participated actively in the Valendian Civil War 36 years ago, earning recognition as one of the heroes who brought that conflict to a close. Thanks to the merits of his valour his political say always held especial weight, dominating the Valendian Parliament for a very long time. Though he retired his position several years prior for reasons more than just his health, the Duke's influence in Parliament has hardly diminished.
In addition to his ‘official’ Parliamentary duties, the Duke was also charged with ‘monitoring’ the Dark, making certain some incidents never reach public attention. Common rumour names him the benefactor of the Müllenkamp Cult.
Despite his increasing age, the Duke's mind hasn't fogged in the slightest and though ill he retains all of his dignity. If he does have a weak-point, it is certainly his young son Joshua.

--> "It is not that! I.... No training could prepare one for this."

* DishingUpDirt:

----

--> Lea Monde is an old town, with a history of over 2000 years. Its walls have seen many battles -- They are stronger than the mightiest forts of Valendia, and as the sun wheels through the sky, the beauty of their shifting colors surpasses that of any palace.

--> ...According to the survivors, our comrade Agent Riot headed out for Leá Monde before noon. Of course, the reports were vague and we cannot deny the possiblity of inaccuracies. Yet given that there is only one path to infiltrate Lea Monde, this office believes those reports to be valid.

* YouKilledMyFather: "I must avenge the foul murder of my brother, Duane." (Though it is unclear whether he means clerical brother or biological brother.)

---> "..."

--> ...We sent men to monitor the abandoned mineshaft that leads to Leá Monde. All were found dead. At the entrance other bodies were found: Two knights of the Cardinal's Crimson Blades.

* WhereItAllBegan: Founder of both the {{cult}} of Müllenkamp and the city of Leá Monde itself.

--> Lea Monde is an old town, with a history of over 2000 years. Its walls have seen many battles -- They are stronger than the mightiest forts of Valendia, and as the sun wheels through the sky, the beauty of their shifting colors surpasses that of any palace.
--> The grand cathedral that towers over the town center is a symbol for Lea Monde's indomitable spirit, and is the holy ground of the devout Iocus priesthood. At its height, Lea Monde was a thriving community more than 5000 people strong. 25 years ago, a great earthquake brought that chapter in Lea Monde's history to a close.
----

--> The body is but a vessel for the soul,
--> a puppet which bends to the soul's tyranny.
--> And lo, the body is not eternal,
--> for it must feed on the flesh of others,
--> lest it return to the dust whence it came.
--> Therefore must the soul
--> deceive, despise and murder men.
-->-- '''A.J.Durai'''

--> The body is but a vessel for the soul,
--> a puppet which bends to the soul's tyranny.
--> And lo, the body is not eternal,
--> for it must feed on the flesh of others,
--> lest it return to the dust whence it came.
--> Therefore must the soul
--> deceive, despise and murder men.
-->-- '''A.J.Durai'''

-->''"Reinforcements? I '''am''' the reinforcements."''

-->''"A smooth flow of thought into action. Indeed... it is almost as if... ...As if you had no soul. How do you do it? Body and soul are one... Yet yours are separate, like a child from the knight in his storybook. Where is your soul, Riskbreaker? Is this VKP training? Or did you see something that made you shut your soul away? Show me your soul..."''

-->''[[spoiler:"Not religion, Sydney. Revolution. A fresh wind to blow away the disease of the land. For our realm is SICK. It suffurates with profiteers! Fawning merchants licking the boots of the nobility! They do nothing and blame others for their failure; they steal men's dreams and twist them to nightmares... We must cleanse this corruption. There must be strong, unwavering justice. And there must be fear to enforce that justice."]]''

* MotiveRant: See the quote above.

* [[spoiler:PowerTattoo]]: [[spoiler: He takes away Sydney's Rood Inverse by ripping it out of Sydney's back and attaching it to his own back.]].

--> "Your memory fails you. The Dark holds no power over me....Nor do I recall us ever being friends. My friendship with the Duke is fleeting as well."

--> "They will sing songs of your death here Riskbreaker"

* BellyDancer: As seen in the opening FMV (with a sword balanced on her head no less). [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Described in the description of]] one of the accessories as 'A dancer, and the head priestess of Ancient Kilitia
* LadyNotAppearingInThisGame: Subverted. She only appears in the Pre-opening FMV, but is an extremely important figure in the backstory.

* [[DeadLittleSister Dead Little Brother]]: The primary cause of his joining the Müllenkamp sect.
* LimaSyndrome: He is very protective of, and kind to, young Joshua [[spoiler:due to his [[DeadLittleSister Dead Little Brother]]]].
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: He is inreasingly aware that Sydney is keeping secrets from him.
* PsychicStatic: Once he is aware that [[spoiler:Merlose]] is reading his soul he stabs himself in the leg, using his own pain to break their connection.

* NoSell:

* TheUnfought:

--> '''Rosencrantz''' "The symptoms resemble those of case ... 72, was it? Borrowing another's eyes and ears -- Clairvoyance, if you will. All people are tuned to a certain "rhythm"; some can find a like rhythm and jump on board."

* {{Immortality}}: [[spoiler:The power of the Dark sustains whoever holds the Rood Inverse.]]

* {{Seer}}: The Dark has granted him the ability to 'Scry on distant locales'. He and Sydney use this ability to keep watch on the Crimson Guard throughout Lea Monde.

* HowDoIShotWeb

* PsychicLink: Like Merlose, Ashley is able to sometimes see through her eyes. Unlike Merlose however Samantha can sometimes see through his at the same time.
* [[spoiler:SacrificialLamb]]

* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]

* BigNo:

* TheManBehindTheMan:

* PsychicLink:
* QuicklyDemotedWoman:
* TheWatson:

* [[DeadLittleSister Dead Little Brother]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop:

* AntiMagic:
* DevilInPlainSight:
* ExactWords:
* NoSell:

* InformedAbility:
* PsychicLink:

* PowerTattoo: The Rood Inverse tattoo on his back turns out to be [[spoiler:the Bloodsin, the key to inheriting the power of the Dark in city of Lea Monde. [[{{Squick}} Guildenstern strips the whole tattoo along with the skin of his back at the end]].]]

* PowerTattoo: His Bloodsin tattoo in the back turns out to be [[spoiler:the Rood Inverse, the key to inheriting the power of the Dark in city of Lea Monde. [[{{Squick}} Guildenstern strips the whole tattoo along with the skin of his back at the end]].]]

----

[[/folder]]

* [[spoiler:WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: He learns too late that EvilIsNotAToy.]]

* RestartAtLevelOne: His Chain techniques are "recovered from suppressed memory".

* RestartAtLevelOne: His Chain techniques are "recovered from suppressed memory".

[[quoteright:280: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guildenstern_2656.jpg]]

[[quoteright:180: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sydney_4764.jpg]]

[[quoteright:200: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sydney_4764.jpg]]

[[quoteright:280: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sydney_4764.jpg]]

[[quoteright:200: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guildenstern_2656.jpg]]

* MagnificentBastard: He played everyone else like a fiddle [[spoiler:although he was ultimately unable to prevent Guildenstern from taking the Rood Inverse and thus had to rely on Ashley for taking it back]].

--> '''Sydney''': It is a wretched rule that does not value human life.

* RestartAtLevelOne: His Chain techniques are "recovered from suppressed memory".

** OneManArmy