History Recap / OctopathTraveler

Primrose Azelhart is the fallen scion of a noble house. As a young girl, she witnessed the murder of her father as a child at the hands of three men, each tattooed with a crow. Since then, she has lived for {{revenge}}, making her living as a BellyDancer, handing out {{Status Buff}}s under the patronage of the goddess Sealticge (pronounced "''See''-ell-''teej''").

[[folder:Journey's End, and the Complete History of Orsterra (SPOILERS)]]

H'aanit is hunter living in S'warkii in the Woodlands, apprenticed to a master hunter named Z'aanta. Her master was tasked by the Knights Ardante with hunting a dangerous monster called Redeye. He has been gone for over a year, sending only one letter about the subject and leaving H'aanit at loose ends. H'aanit's class, Hunter (ArcherArchetype), has the patronage of the god Draefendi.

* Chapter 3: H'aanit seeks the advice of Susanna the Seer, who lives in Stillsnow in the Frostlands, to help her save her master. Susanna reveals that, much like how Z'aanta raised H'aanit, she raised Z'aanta, and sees him as a son (and thus H'aanit as a granddaughter). She directs H'aanit to a plant that can negate Redeye's petrification. Susanna also tells H'aanit that the only way to cure Z'aanta's petrification is to kill what caused it - Redeye.

* Olberic confronts '''Werner''', whose entry speaks of how Lyblac promised to him that Hornburg could fall, making it easier to access the Gate of Finis. Werner, funded by Lyblac, founded his own sellsword company, the Black Brotherhood... and then hired thieves and brigands to assail Hornburg, which his {{Private Military Contractor}}s would repel. Recognizing that Hornburg's love for King Alfred was the kingdom's greatest bulwark, Werner got Erhardt, already a member of the Black Brotherhood, appointed to the PraetorianGuard. Thus Hornburg fell, and Werner got to live like a lord for another eight years... before the last two knights of Hornburg, one The RedBaron and one TheKingslayer, came to avenge both king and kingdom.

* H'aanit fights the Dragon from her third chapter. She does not fight Redeye, which is odd, given that her testimony is ''from'' Redeye -- the monster formerly known as '''Graham Crossford'''. Lyblac, Galdera's daughter, has been working for centuries to free him; she intended to use Graham, descendent of Odin, as a vessel to host Galdera. Understanding this, Graham managed to lash out at one crucial moment, interrupting the ritual. Graham also recognized that Lyblac would next go after Kit... but became consumed by the monster the ritual had mutated him into, wandering Orsterra until a Hunter from S'warkii finally put an end to his travels.

Additionally, the third ring has four more Shrines devoted to the Gods Steorra, Balogar, Winnehild and Dreisang. Where the first eight Shrines are just a room with no random encounters, these are actual dungeons, with an OptionalBoss at the end. But if you defeat those optional bosses, you unlock the Starseer (TheRedMage), Runelord (StatusBuff), Warmaster (MultiMeleeMaster) and Sorcerer (BlackMage UpToEleven) subjobs, which can likewise be assigned as a second job.

Olberic Eisenberg is a {{ronin}} who lives in a little town called Cobbleston in the Highlands, going under the name Berg, defending the place from bandits and training the town guardsmen. He is actually FamedInStory as a knight, called "The Unbending Blade," but fell into disgrace eight years ago when he failed to defend King Alfred of Hornburg from a DoubleAgent, a fellow knight, named Erhardt. His character class is Warrior (StoneWall), under the patronage of the god Brand.
* Chapter 1: Cobbleston is attacked by bandits led by a man called Gaston. The bandits kidnap a child whom Olberic was mentoring, so he pursues them, cutting a swath through their numbers before defeating Gaston, who recognizes Olberic for who he really is. Gaston reveals he was trained by Erhardt, and reveals that while he doesn't know where Erhardt is, a man named Gustav in Victor's Hollow does. With a need for justice guiding him, Olberic sets out to confront his former friend on his treason.

* Chapter 2: Olberic heads to Victor's Hollow in the Woodlands to find Gustav, a man that had worked alongside both Gaston and Erhardt as a mercenary, who is his only lead at tracking down Erhardt's current location. Gustav is competing in the local TournamentArc, but all the entrants have already been decided. A promoter named Cecily helps Olberic get in anyways, through defeating one of the quarter-finalists, in exchange for him fighting in her name. Before the tournament, Olberic meets Gustav, who recognizes him and guesses why he came. Gustav asks Olberic what cause does he fight for? Olberic wins the tournament, and learns from Gustav about the RoaringRampageOfRevenge that motivated Erhardt: he is the SoleSurvivor of a little town that was savaged by raiders, whom the King of Hornburg did nothing to stop.

* Chapter 3: Olberic tracks Erhardt down to Wellspring in the Sunlands, but learns that the former traitor has now rebuilt his life as the town's guardian. After assisting the town watch take down some invading lizardmen, he learns Erhardt has gone ahead to intercept the bulk of the lizardman forces. Olberic makes it in time to save Erhardt, and the two knights of Hornburg easily dispatch the lizardmen leaders. Following the battle, Olberic and Erhardt duel, a fight which Olberic wins. Erhardt admits great guilt over his actions, and Olberic spares his life. Erhardt admits that he was not the leader of the conspiracy: that was a man named Werner, whom (he thinks) Olberic should treat with caution.

* Chapter 4: Werner can be found at Riverford in the Riverlands. He learns that Werner, once a PrivateMilitaryContractor, has become the lord of the town, and rules with an iron fist. Olberic befriends LaResistance, which is led by the son of its previous lord. They fight against the tyrant's men, but are overwhelmed... only to be saved by TheCavalry in the form of Erhardt. The BackToBackBadasses turn the tide, and Erhardt stays behind to HoldTheLine while Olberic chases Werner. Werner explains that he toppled the Kingdom of Hornburg solely to get access to the "Gate of Finis," whatever that is, as it is within the kingdom's territory. After achieving victory, Olberic chooses to live the remainder of his days using his blade to protect the weak and uphold justice.

Primrose Azelhart is the fallen scion of a noble house. As a young girl, she witnessed the murder of her father as a child at the hands of three men, each tattooed with a crow. Since then, she has lived for {{revenge}}, making her living as a BellyDancer under the patronage of the goddess Sealticge (pronounced "''See''-ell-''teej''").

* Chapter 4: Primrose tracks down her final target to the ancient castle pf Everhold in the Highlands, that has been converted into a theater. There, Simeon has set up an elaborate play based on her life, including a HappilyEverAfter ending between "Primose" and "Simeon". After slaying him, Primrose no longer has a passion for revenge that drives her, but decides to continue dancing until finding a new purpose.

Alfyn Greengrass is an apothecary living in Clearbrook in the Riverlands. As a youth, he was healed by a nameless traveling apothecary, and has gone into the profession in honor of the man who saved him. The Apothecary is a CombatMedic class; where Ophilia heals the entire party for small amounts, Alfyn heals a single target for large amounts. Their god is Dohter, old English for "Doctor," and appropriately Alfyn takes the Hippocratic Oath seriously.

* Chapter 3: In Saintsbridge in the Riverlands, Alfyn comes across a wounded man, Miguel, who is begging for aid. A fellow apothecary named Ogen declines to help him, claiming he will only heal those he deems worthy. Alfyn, who more holds to the ChronicHeroSyndrome approach, helps Miguel anyway, pitying the fellow who claims to have several mouths to feed at home. But once he is recovered, Miguel kidnaps a child for ransom, even ''[[WouldHurtAChild stabbing the boy]]'' to get him to keep his mouth shut. Alfyn, appalled, [[BewareTheNiceOnes takes matters into his own hands]]. Ogen explains his own DarkAndTroubledPast: he too once saved indiscriminately, only to find the criminal he healed murdering his [[TheLostLenore beloved wife]]. Alfyn begins to doubt his calling, wondering at the DisasterDominoes that can be wrought by HealingHands.

* Chapter 4: At Orewell in the Cliftlands, Alfyn and Ogen cross paths again while battling a sickness. Ogen falls ill, but refuses treatment; he admits that he murdered his wife's murderer, and feels he deserves death. Alfyn has a brief emotional crisis, but a motivational letter Zeph had snuck into his satchel reaffirms his HeroicResolve, and he sets out to heal Ogen. Alfyn recognizes Ogen's sickness as the same one the Nameless Apothecary healed him of in his youth; by great good fortune, the TwentyBearAsses he needs can be found in a nearby forest. After battling a boss to get aforementioned bear asses, Alfyn cures Ogen. Ogen reveals that he had also been inspired to heal others by the same Nameless Apothecary that cured young Alfyn; the only difference is, Ogen knows the man's name: Graham Crossford. The two part ways, wishing each other the best.

Therion is a PhantomThief who has been active for years; so elusive is he that no one has ever seen his face. He used to have a partner, Darius, but was betrayed by the latter and left for dead. (He was stabbed and thrown off a cliff. Since NoOneCouldSurviveThat, Therion naturally survived it.) As a Thief (a FragileSpeedster with DeviousDaggers and VideoGameStealing), he operates under the god Aeber.
* Chapter 1: Therion has heard tales of a valuable treasure called a Dragonstone being held by House Ravus, a noble family that lives in Bolderfall in the Cliftlands. After passing himself off as a merchant, he sneaks into their manor, and fights against the house's butler Heathcote. However, Therion is caught in a ruse; the Dragonstones have ''already'' been stolen, with only one remaining, and Cordelia Ravus needs a man like Therion to track down the other three. Therion is forced into the task by Heathcote locking a band around his arm.

H'aanit is hunter living in S'warkii in the Woodlands, apprenticed to a master hunter named Z'aanta. Her master was tasked by the Knights Ardante with hunting a dangerous monster called Redeye. He has been gone for over a year, sending only one letter about the subject and leaving H'aanit at loose ends. H'aanit's class, Hunter (ArcherArchetype), has the patronage of the god Draefendi

As early as the intermission between Chapters 1 and 2, players can begin finding various Shrines in the second ring of the map. These Shrines are devoted to the eight Gods that patronize the primary jobs. Here, the player may unlock "Subjobs": each time you (find and) visit a Shrine, the God there allows you assign their job to one other character at a time. This allows the player to start customizing their party; Tressa's Merchant class, for instance, comes with the ability to regenerate [[{{Mana}} Spell Points]], where Therion's Thief class has the "Donate SP" ability, leading to obvious synergy when working alongside mana-hungry spellcasters. Subjobs may be re-assigned at any time at no cost, and (despite its name) a "Subjob" grants access to the entire skillset of that job.\\

Additionally, the third ring has four more Shrines devoted to the Gods Steorra, Balogar, Winnehild and Dreisang. Where the first eight Shrines are just a room with no random encounters, these are actual dungeons, with an OptionalBoss at the end. But if you defeat those optional bosses, you unlock the Starseer, Runelord, Warmaster and Sorcerer subjobs, which can likewise be assigned as a second job.

* Chapter 4: With curative plants in hands, and information on Redeye's location from Eliza, H'aanit is prepared to face the beast. Unfortunately Redeye has caused the monsters in the ruins it has entered to flood the surface and threaten nearby Marsalim in the Sulands. The Marsalim city guard, along with the Knights Ardante, fight the monsters while H'aanit infiltrates the ruin and kills Redeye, lifting its curse and freeing all those who have been petrified. H'aanit reunites with Z'aanta, telling him about her adventures.

As early as the intermission between Chapters 1 and 2, players can begin finding various Shrines in the second ring of the map[[note]]There are 24 regions in Orsterra, with the inner ones having the easiest monsters and the outer ones having the hardest; each ring also has [[https://youtu.be/kQUyiDaJxVM its]] [[https://youtu.be/4HEhU5gAXbc own]] [[https://youtu.be/gfSr7Vs0-Ew music]] for RandomEncounters, allowing you to quickly orient yourself[[/note]] that are devoted to the eight Gods that patronize the primary jobs. These unlock "Subjobs": each time you (find and) visit a Shrine, the God there allows you assign their job to one other character at a time. This allows the player to start customizing their party; Tressa's Merchant class, for instance, comes with the ability to regenerate [[{{Mana}} Spell Points]], where Therion's Thief class has the "Donate SP" ability, leading to obvious synergy when working alongside mana-hungry spellcasters.

* Olberic confronts '''Werner''', whose entry speaks of how Lyblac promised to him that Hornburg could fall. Werner, funded by Lyblac, founded his own sellsword company, the Black Brotherhood... and then hired thieves and brigands to assail Hornburg, which his {{Private Military Contractor}}s would repel. Recognizing that Hornburg's love for King Alfred was the kingdom's greatest bulwark, Werner got Erhardt, already a member of the Black Brotherhood, appointed to the PraetorianGuard. Thus Hornburg fell, and Werner got to live like a lord for another eight years... before the last two knights of Hornburg, one The RedBaron and one TheKingslayer, came to avenge both king and kingdom.
* Primrose fights '''Simeon''', who leaves behind the last will and testament of her father Geoffrey Azelhart. Simeon, also working for Lyblac, came to Lord Azelhart and tried to sway him in Lyblac's favor, wanting easy access to the Gate of Finis. When Lord Azelhart refused, Simeon and his co-conspirators murdered Geoffrey, setting off Primrose's RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* Alfyn has to face down Miguel, who leaves behind another testament of '''Graham Crossford'''. Graham is at a low ebb: though he invented the potion that would cure the sickness, he arrived mere days too late to save his wife. Who else should appear by his side but Lyblac: she lured Graham away with the promises that he could bring his wife BackFromTheDead. Leaving behind his son Kit Crossford, he headed for the Ruins of Hornburg, on his way passing through the village of Clearbrook where he found a young boy in the grips of the same disease that took his wife. He still had the potion. "I hope I can do that too, someday," were the first words of the boy -- Alfyn Greengrass was the kid's name -- upon his recovery. Graham left the boy his apothecary's satchel as he headed off to bring back his wife.
* Therion is haunted by, of course, Darius, but the testament left behind belongs to '''Lord Ravus'''. House Ravus has always been rich, but their most precious treasures, bestowed upon them by King Beowulf I of Hornburg, were the Dragonstones, which the great sorcerer Odin Crossford used to lock the Gate of Finis. It may be those Dragonstones which led someone to sabotage the carriage in which Lord and Lady Ravus rode, whence this testament comes as the two lay dying.

* Chapter 3: In search for a treasure for the Merchant's Fair, Tressa continues following the journal, which takes her to Victor's Hollow in the Woodlands. She runs into Leon Bastralle, who has just pulled into port with his new friends [[DefeatMeansFriendship Mikk and Makk]]; she also encounters a map owned by the legendary pirate Baltazar, who happens to have been Leon's friend and greatest competitor. She obtains the map to give to Leon, who reveals to her why he became a merchant, and lets her keep the map, which leads to a valuable gem guarded by a beast, alongside Baltazar's last letter to Leon.

* Chapter 4: Tressa arrives at the Merchant's Fair, where she re-unites with Ali and meets Noa, the sickly daughter of Aston Wyndham, the billionaire who hosts the Fair every year in the hopes of finding something Noa will like. Since the Fair is in Noa's honor, Tressa decides to enter the diary as her treasure. However, her diary is stolen. While Ali runs interference for her, she chases down the thief and retrieves it. Thereafter all goes according to plan; Noa, like Tressa before her, plans to use it to inspire her own travels, becoming the third member of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Diary. Tressa also learns the identity of the first member when a Grandport artisan approaches her after the Fair: he recognized the diary as his own handiwork, and identifies the original owner as one Graham Crossford. Tressa returns home while Ali heads back to Marsalim to support his father, with the two promising to meet again as both friends and competitors.

Olberic Eisenberg is a {{ronin}} who lives in a little town called Cobbleston in the Highlands, going under the name Berg, defending the place from bandits and training the town guardsmen. He is actually FamedInStory as a knight, called "The Unbending Blade," but fell into disgrace eight years ago when he failed to defend the King of Hornburg from a DoubleAgent, a fellow knight, named Erhardt. His character class is Warrior (StoneWall), under the patronage of the god Brand.

* Chapter 4: Werner can be found at Riverford in the Riverlands. He learns that Werner, once a PrivateMilitaryContractor, has become the lord of the town, and rules with an iron fist. Olberic befriends LaResistance, which is led by the son of its previous lord. They fight against the tyrant's men, and when things look bleak, Erhardt arrives to provide back-up. Werner explains that he toppled the Kingdom of Hornburg solely to get access to the "Gate of Finis," whatever that is, as it is within the kingdom's territory. After achieving victory, Olberic chooses to live the remainder of his days using his blade to protect the weak and uphold justice.

Primrose Azelhart is the fallen scion of a noble house. As a young girl, she witnessed the murder of her father as a child at the hands of three men, each tattooed with a crow. Since then, she has lived for {{revenge}}, making her living as a BellyDancer under the patronage of the goddess Sealticge ("''See''-ell-''teej''").

* Chapter 3: In Saintsbridge in the Riverlands, Alfyn comes across a wounded man, Miguel, who is begging for aid. A fellow apothecary named Ogen declines to help him, claiming he will only heal those he deems worthy. Alfyn, who more holds to the ChronicHeroSyndrome approach, helps Miguel anyway, pitying the fellow who claims to have several mouths to feed at home. But once he is recovered, Miguel kidnaps a child for ransom, even ''stabbing the boy'' to get him to keep his mouth shut. Alfyn, appalled, [[CombatMedic takes matters into his own hands]]. Ogen explains his own DarkAndTroubledPast: he too once saved indiscriminately, only to find the criminal he healed murdering his [[TheLostLenore beloved wife]]. Alfyn begins to doubt his calling, wondering at the destruction that can be wrought by a healer's hands.

* Chapter 4: At Orewell in the Cliftlands, Alfyn and Ogen cross paths again while battling a sickness. Ogen falls ill, but refuses treatment; he admits that he murdered his wife's murderer, and feels he deserves death. Alfyn has a brief emotional crisis, but after reading a motivational letter Zeph had snuck into his satchel, his HeroicResolve is reaffirmed and he sets out to heal Ogen. Alfyn recognizes Ogen's sickness as the same one the Nameless Apothecary healed him of in his youth; by great good fortune, the TwentyBearAsses he needs can be found in a nearby forest. After battling a boss to get aforementioned bear asses, Alfyn cures Ogen, who reveals that he had also been inspired to heal others by the same Nameless Apothecary that cured young Alfyn; the only difference is, Ogen knows the man's name: Graham Crossford. The two part ways, wishing each other the best.

* Chapter 4: With curative plants in hands, and information on Redeye's location from Eliza, H'aanit is prepared to face the beast. Unfortunately Redeye has caused the monsters in the ruins it has entered to flood the surface and threaten nearby Marsalim in the Sulands. The Marsalim city guard, along with the Knights Ardante, fight the monsters while H'aanit infiltrates the ruin and kills Redeye, lifting his curse. H'aanit reunites with Z'aanta, telling him about her adventures.

As mentioned, Orsterra is a Wide-Open Sandbox; it's totally possible to stop playing after completing the [=PCs'=] character arcs without finding out that there ''is'' an overarching plot at all. That being said, astute readers may have observed that several characters have picked up pieces of a larger puzzle:

* Tressa learned of the existence of a man named Graham Crossford, who is central to the freeing of Galdera somehow.

* Alfyn's life was shaped by that of Graham Crossford, the original Octopath Traveler.

The party enters the Ruins of Hornburg and, from there, the Gate of Finis. Lyblac has already escorted Kit in for her own ends. Besides the CheckpointStarvation -- there are no save points -- the dungeon is a BossRush consisting of various important foes each character. Each one will leave behind an InfoDump which helps put all the pieces together.
* Ophilia's boss is '''Mattias''', who was once a cleric of the Sacred Flame. He lost his faith when the church was set aflame by an errant flash of lightning, leading to dozens of innocents perishing. He instead began to worship Galdera. Lyblac, who caught wind of this, used ''From The Far Reaches of Hell'' to freeze his aging for 100 years, allowing him to continue as The Savior and sneak back into the church's good graces. However, he refused to co-operate with Lyblac: he wanted Galdera's power for himself, and freeing Galdera would actually deprive him of it.

* Tressa's boss is the Venomtooth Tiger that was guarding the eldrite, but the diary it leaves behind belongs to '''Graham Crossford'''. (The game does not discuss whether Tressa already knows all of this.) At time of writing, he was abroad, searching for a cure for the disease which would one day afflict Alfyn -- for the disease that already afflicted his wife. He had just obtained a feather from the Ogre Eagle, but now needed to get back home quickly. By great good fortune, he found Leon Bastralle, lately given up piracy. Graham offered Leon his most prized possession -- the journal -- in exchange for passage.
* Olberic confronts '''Werner''', who spoke of how Lyblac promised to him that Hornburg could fall. Werner, funded by Lyblac, founded his own sellsword company, the Black Brotherhood... and then hired thieves and brigands to assail Hornburg, which his {{Private Military Contractor}}s would repel. Recognizing that Hornburg's love for King Alfred was the kingdom's greatest bulwark, Werner got Erhardt, already a member of the Black Brotherhood, appointed to the PraetorianGuard. Thus Hornburg fell, and Werner got to live like a lord for another eight years... before the last knight of Hornburg came to avenge both king and kingdom.
* Primrose fights '''Simeon''', who leaves behind the last will and testament of her father Geoffrey Azelhart. Simeon, also working for Lyblac, came to Lord Azelhart and tried to sway him in Lyblac's favor, wanting easy access to the Gate of Finis. When Lord Azelhart refused, Simeon murdered him, setting off Primrose's RoaringRampageOfRevenge.
* Alfyn has to face down Miguel, who leaves behind another testament of '''Graham Crossford'''. Graham is at a low ebb: though he invented the potion that would cure the sickness, he arrived mere days too late to save his wife. Who else should appear by his side but Lyblac: she lured Graham away with the promises that he could bring his wife BackFromTheDead. Leaving behind his son Kit Crossford, he headed for the Ruins of Hornburg, on his way passing through the village of Clearbrook where he found a young boy in the grips of the same disease that took his wife. He still had the potion. "I hope I can do that too, someday," were the first words of the boy -- one Alfyn Greengrass -- upon his recovery. Graham left the boy his apothecary's satchel as he headed off to bring back his wife.
* Therion is haunted by, of course, Darius, but the testament left behind belongs to Lord Ravus. House Ravus has always been rich, but their most precious treasures, bestowed upon them by King Beowulf I of Hornburg, were the Dragonstones, which the great sorcerer Odin Crossford -- yes, the ancestor of both Graham and Kit -- used to lock the Gate of Finis. It may be those Dragonstones which led to the sabotage of the carriage in which Lord and Lady Ravus rode, whence this testament comes.
* H'aanit fights the Dragon from her third chapter. She does not fight Redeye, which is odd, given that her testimony is ''from'' Redeye -- the monster formerly known as '''Graham Crossford'''. Lyblac, Galdera's daughter, has been working for centuries to free him; she intended to use Graham as a vessel to host Galdera. Understanding this, Graham managed to lash out at one crucial moment, interrupting the ritual. Graham also recognized that Lyblac would need the blood of a Crossford to host Galdera. He intended to protect Kit... but became consumed by the monster he had become, wandering Orsterra until a Hunter from S'warkii finally put an end to him.

* Chapter 4: Therion arrive in Northreach in the Frostlands, where it is revealed the entire town lives in terror of Darius and his gang. Darius has put a price on Therion's head, and Therion is nearly mobbed by Darius' gang, until Heathcote arrives and saves him. Therion infiltrates Darius' hideout and faces his former partner, where the two argue over the value of trust; Darius claims that it's for suckers, but Therion believes it worth fighting for. Afterwards, a defeated Darius slinks away to his treasure... where he's betrayed by his own underlings. Therion returns the final two Dragonstones to Cordelia, and is freed from his deal with her... Though the band around his arm had secretly been unlocked when Cordelia had suggested it, and Therion had pretended not to notice and continued the job out of appreciation for the kindness shown to him between tasks. When asked about the Dragonstones, Therion is told that they're the only things that can unlock the Gate of Finis.

The party enters the Ruins of Hornburg and, from there, the Gate of Finis. There, they get a bunch of AllThereInTheManual backstory that lets them put everything together:
* The thirteen gods create the world of Orsterra.
* 1,600 years before the game, the dark god Galdera betrays the other 13 gods, attempting to seize power for himself. The other gods oppose him, led by Aelfric the Flamebearer. Aelfric calls down from heaven the Sacred Flame, using it to help his fellow gods seal Galdera beyond the Gate of Finis. The locations where the Sacred Flame landed becomes the cities of Flamesgrace, Saintsbridge and Goldshore and a cathedral is built around the flame in Flamesgrace by the newly established Church of the Sacred Flame. From then on, every twenty years, a member of the church becomes the Flamebearer. They retrieve Aelfric's Lanthorn from the Cave of Origin near Flamesgrace and perform the Kindling ceremony in the aforementioned locations and gathering sparks of the flame to return to Flamesgrace.
* King Beowulf, with the help of the Sorcerer Odin Crossford (whose bloodline carries some of Galdera's power), founds the kingdom of Hornburg, built atop the Gate of Finis, and entrusts House Ravus with the Dragonstones that open the Gate.
* The sorcerer Salomon writes ''From the Reaches of Hell'', a grimoire written in High Hornburgian about the Gate of Finis and Galdera's magic. The last surviving copy of the book eventually ends up in the Atlasdam Royal Academy's Library.
* Lyblac, Galdera's daughter, spends centuries manipulating people with the goal of freeing her father. She begins looking for a means to open the gate and incarnate her father in a physical form.
* Mattias, a priest of the Sacred Flame, loses faith when his village burns down following a lightning strike, and takes up worship of Galdera. He studies Galdera's dark magic to bring about miracles.
* Mattias meets Lyblac, and she grants him 100 years without aging, but Mattias stops working with her as he does not intend to free Galdera, only to weaken his binding so he can get access to more magic.
* In Everhold, Lyblac encounters Simeon, a sociopathic MadArtist of the Ventus dynasty, in a conflict with his older-half brother. Lyblac offers him 100 years of youth in exchange for him forming the Obsidians, a criminal syndicate that serves as Lyblac's enforcers and agents. Simeon defeats his brother, but does not claim the throne, vanishing the same year.
* A thief, Heathcote, is caught trying to steal the Dragonstones of House Ravus. Lord Ravus offers the man clemency if he would serve him and his daughter Cordelia when the time comes. Heathcote accepts.
* A village in the kingdom of Hornburg is wiped out by Southern Tribe raiders. The lone survivor, Erhardt, blames the King of Hornburg for not doing anything to save his friends and family, and swears revenge. He meets up with a mercenary named Werner, and their band ultimately causes the fall of Hornburg after a 12-year campaign destabilising the kingdom. Erhardt, who had infiltrated the King's PraetorianGuard, and support from Lyblac, are instrumental to their success. Olberic, haunted by MyGreatestFailure, goes into seclusion. Werner breaks off contact with Lyblac as he does not trust her.
* Lyblac comes across Lucia, a young scholar obsessed with collecting and hoarding knowledge. She offers Lucia access to an ancient library filled with research surrounding her father in exchange for helping her claim ''From the Reaches of Hell'', which she hopes to use to research a way to unlock the Gate of Finis.
* Yvon, with assistance from Lucia and her master Lyblac, kills the headmaster of the Atlasdam Royal Academy in order to steal his position and access forbidden knowledge, in particular ''From the Reaches of Hell'', which is noted by the Library staff as now missing.
* A plague infects the wife of Apothecary Graham Crossford (a descendant of Odin Crossford), and he leaves on a journey to find a remedy. Along the way he saves the life of a diarist, who gives him a blank notebook to use as his own diary. Graham begins to write about his journey. Eventually he finds the cure to his wife's disease is the feather of an Ogre Eagle. He tracks one of the beasts down and obtains a feather.
* Leon Bastralle retires from pirating when his best friend and fellow pirate Baltazar dies at sea. He offers passage to Graham Crossford, who pays for said passage with his journal and hopes going by boat will allow him to arrive in time to save his wife.
* Graham Crossford reaches his wife just days after she died. He is manipulated by Lyblac with the promise that she could revive his wife by opening the Gate of Finis. Graham leaves home (and his son) to travel to find the gate.
* Ogen, an apothecary, has his StartOfDarkness. Later, Graham Crossford saves Ogen's life (and talks him out of suicide), inspiring the latter to return to his practice as an apothecary.
* Graham Crossford reaches Clearbook, where he uses the elixir he developed for his wife to save the life of a young boy named Alfyn Greengrass. Alfyn is inspired to become an Apothecary, taking up the satchel Graham left behind.
* Graham Crossford enters the Gate of Finis with Lyblac, who tricks him to be a sacrifice for Galdera to possess. He ends up turning into a monster but the ritual fails when, in a surge of willpower, Graham attacks Lyblac and flees. With his sanity and mind fading, he becomes the monster called "Redeye", roaming the land aimlessly. His son, Kit Crossford, leaves home in a search for his missing father. Lyblac, meanwhile, sets out to find Kit, needing the blood of a Crossford to free Galdera.
* Mattias teams up with the criminal syndicate known as the Obsidians, sharing secrets with Simeon in exchange for Simeon's support and financial backing. Mattias eventually ends up in Wispermill to further his plans.
* Geoffrey Azelhart learns about the Gate of Finis, and is murdered by the Obsidians, orphaning his daughter Primrose, who witnesses the murder and swears revenge on the three murderers.
* House Ravus is betrayed by allies. All four Dragonstones are stolen and then used to open the Gate of Finis, with only the Lord's daughter, Cordelia, and Heathcote, now acting as her butler, surviving. Heathcote manages to recover the Sapphire Dragonstone and begins locating the other three. However, his old age and deteriorating physical condition forces them to use the Sapphire Dragonstone as bait to find a thief young and skilled enough to retrieve the rest.
* Feeling his connection with Galdera weakening, Mattias decides to steal the Embers of the Sacred Flame in order to use them to weaken Galdera's seal enough for him to draw more power without fully releasing the dark god. To this end, he disguises himself as a humble merchant and infiltrates Flamesgrace, the capital of the Sacred Flame religion.
* The events of ''Octopath Traveler'' occur.

* Chapter 3: Primrose returns to Noblecourt in the Flatlands, and reunites with an ally of her father. She infiltrates her next target's home and slays him. However, she is betrayed by another face from her childhood, who reveals their role in her father's death before stabbing her. After spending days recovering from the injury, she sets out after the traitor.

* Chapter 4: Primrose tracks down her final target to an ancient castle, located in Everhold in the Highlands, that has been converted into a theater. There, her target has set up an elaborate play based on Primrose's life. After slaying her final target, Primrose no longer has a passion for revenge that drives her, but decides to continue dancing until finding a new purpose.

As mentioned, Orsterra is a Wide-Open Sandbox; it's totally possible to stop playing after completing the [=PCs'=] character arcs without finding out that there ''is'' an overarching plot at all. That being said, astute readers may have observed that several characters have picked up pieces of a larger puzzle, and can investigate.

** Part 2: Alphas has wandered the land and found his way to Saintsbridge. Inquiries or scrutiny yields a poem he wrote about his love, which then finds itself in the hands of a woman who seeks him out as she has fallen in love with him from his poem, allowing Alphas to get over Lyblac and find true love at last. Lyblac, meanwhile, reveals she has found the man she has been looking for all her life.
** Part 3: On the West S'warkii Trail, Alphas attempts to aid Kit's Impresario in fighting a beast that is blocking the road, but is defeated. The party slays the beast without trouble. Afterwards, they learn from Alphas and the Impresario that both Kit and Lyblac are bound for the Ruins of Hornburg.

[[folder:Putting It All Together -- The Complete Backstory (SPOILERS)]]

* Graham Crossford enters the Gate of Finis with Lyblac, who tricks him to be a sacrifice for Galdera to possess. He ends up turning into a monster but the ritual fails when, in a surge of willpower, Graham attacks Lyblac and flees. With his sanity and mind fading, he becomes the monster called "Redeye", roaming the land aimlessly. His son, Kit, leaves home in a search for his missing father.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Journey's End (SPOILERS)]]
* The party pursues Kit and Lyblac to the Gate of Finis at the Ruins of Hornburg. There, they learn about Lyblac's influence on recent events and Graham Crossford's personal history. Lyblac sacrifices Kit to awaken Galdera and merges with the fallen god, but the eight heroes slay the monster in a titanic battle. Freed from Galdera's influence, Kit has one last conversation with his parents' ghosts before setting out on a new journey.
** Boss: Galdera

#The Eight Travelers and their Stories

#The World of Orsterra

#The Endgame

[[folder:Backstory (SPOILERS)]]
* The thirteen gods create the world of Orsterra.
* 1,600 years before the game, the dark god Galdera betrays the other 13 gods, attempting to seize power for himself. The other gods oppose him, led by Aelfric the Flamebearer. Aelfric calls down from heaven the Sacred Flame, using it to help his fellow gods seal Galdera beyond the Gate of Finis. The locations where the Sacred Flame landed becomes the cities of Flamesgrace, Saintsbridge and Goldshore and a cathedral is built around the flame in Flamesgrace by the newly established Church of the Sacred Flame. From then on, every twenty years, a member of the church becomes the Flamebearer. They retrieve Aelfric's Lanthorn from the Cave of Origin near Flamesgrace and perform the Kindling ceremony in the aforementioned locations and gathering sparks of the flame to return to Flamesgrace.
* King Beowulf, with the help of the Sorcerer Odin Crossford (whose bloodline carries some of Galdera's power), founds the kingdom of Hornburg, built atop the Gate of Finis, and entrusts House Ravus with the Dragonstones that open the Gate.
* The sorcerer Salomon writes ''From the Reaches of Hell'', a grimoire written in High Hornburgian about the Gate of Finis and Galdera's magic. The last surviving copy of the book eventually ends up in the Atlasdam Royal Academy's Library.
* Lyblac, Galdera's daughter, spends centuries manipulating people with the goal of freeing her father. She begins looking for a means to open the gate and incarnate her father in a physical form.
* Mattias, a priest of the Sacred Flame, loses faith when his village burns down following a lightning strike, and takes up worship of Galdera. He studies Galdera's dark magic to bring about miracles.
* Mattias meets Lyblac, and she grants him 100 years without aging, but Mattias stops working with her as he does not intend to free Galdera, only to weaken his binding so he can get access to more magic.
* In Everhold, Lyblac encounters Simeon, a sociopathic MadArtist of the Ventus dynasty, in a conflict with his older-half brother. Lyblac offers him 100 years of youth in exchange for him forming the Obsidians, a criminal syndicate that serves as Lyblac's enforcers and agents. Simeon defeats his brother, but does not claim the throne, vanishing the same year.
* A thief, Heathcote, is caught trying to steal the Dragonstones of House Ravus. Lord Ravus offers the man clemency if he would serve him and his daughter Cordelia when the time comes. Heathcote accepts.
* A village in the kingdom of Hornburg is wiped out by Southern Tribe raiders. The lone survivor, Erhardt, blames the King of Hornburg for not doing anything to save his friends and family, and swears revenge.
* Werner's Black Blades mercenaries are responsible for the fall of Hornburg after a 12-year campaign destabilising the kingdom, largely successful due to the grudge-filled Erhardt, who had infiltrated the King's PraetorianGuard, and support from Lyblac. Olberic Eisenberg, the Unbending Blade of Hornburg, fails to save king Alfred and is defeated in a duel with Erhardt. He takes refuge in the village of Cobbleston where he trains the local militia, forsaking his last name and his reputation. Werner breaks off contact with Lyblac as he does not trust her.
* Lyblac comes across Lucia, a young scholar obsessed with collecting and hoarding knowledge. She offers Lucia access to an ancient library filled with research surrounding her father in exchange for helping her claim ''From the Reaches of Hell'', which she hopes to use to research a way to unlock the Gate of Finis.
* Ophilia, an orphaned child, is adopted by Archbishop Josef. Lianna, Josef's biological daughter, manages to break Ophilia from her depression. Ophilia trains to become a Sister of the Sacred Flame with Lianna.
* H'aanit's parents die and she is raised by Z'aanta, who takes her as his apprentice.
* A young Therion meets a young thief called Darius while in jail. The two escape and become partners.
* Yvon, with assistance from Lucia and her master Lyblac, kills the headmaster of the Atlasdam Royal Academy in order to steal his position and access forbidden knowledge, in particular ''From the Reaches of Hell'', which is noted by the Library staff as now missing.
* A plague infects the wife of Apothecary Graham Crossford (a descendant of Odin Crossford), he leaves on a journey to find a remedy. Along the way he saves the life of a diarist, who gives him a blank notebook to use as his own diary. Graham begins to write about his journey. Eventually he finds the cure to his wife's disease is the feather of an Ogre Eagle. He tracks one of the beasts down and obtains a feather.
* Leon Bastralle retires from pirating when his best friend and fellow pirate Baltazar dies at sea. He offers passage to Graham Crossford, who pays for said passage with his journal and hopes going by boat will allow him to arrive in time to save his wife.
* Graham Crossford reaches his wife just days after she died. He is manipulated by Lyblac with the promise that she could revive his wife by opening the Gate of Finis. Graham leaves home (and his son) to travel to find the gate.
* Ogen, an apothecary, saves the life of an escaped convict injured by guards chasing him. Days later, Ogen finds his wife brutally killed and the convict gone. Years later, while traveling as an Apothecary, Ogen finds his wife's murderer, now with a wife and son, and kills him in secret as revenge.
* After the above murder, Graham Crossford saves the life of Ogen (and talks him out of suicide), inspiring the latter to return to his practice as an apothecary.
* Graham Crossford reaches Clearbook, where he uses the elixir he developed for his wife to save the life of a young Alfyn. Alfyn is inspired to become an Apothecary, taking up the satchel Graham left behind.
* Graham Crossford enters the Gate of Finis with Lyblac, who tricks him to be a sacrifice for Galdera to possess. He ends up turning into a monster but the ritual fails when, in a surge of willpower, Graham attacks Lyblac and flees. With his sanity and mind fading, he becomes the monster called "Redeye", roaming the land aimlessly. His son, Kit, leaves home in a search for his missing father.
* Mattias teams up with the criminal syndicate known as the Obsidians, sharing secrets with Simeon in exchange for Simeon's support and financial backing.
* Geoffrey Azelhart learns about the Gate of Finis, and is murdered by the Obsidians, orphaning his daughter Primrose, who witnesses the murder and swears revenge on the three murderers.
* Mattias arrives in the village of Whispermill, whose populace is immediately enthralled by his powers. They form a cult around him, declaring him "the Savior".
* House Ravus is betrayed by allies. All four Dragonstones are stolen and then used to open the Gate of Finis, with only the Lord's daughter, Cordelia, and Heathcote, now acting as her butler, surviving. Heathcote manages to recover the Sapphire Dragonstone and begins locating the other three. However, his old age and deteriorating physical condition forces them to use the Sapphire Dragonstone as bait to find a thief young and skilled enough to retrieve the rest.
* Darius, Therion's partner in crime, betrays the thief after the criminal group they just stole from offers him membership. Darius stabs Therion and throws him off a cliff, leaving him for dead. Since NoOneCouldSurviveThat, Therion survives it.
* Feeling his connection with Galdera weakening, Mattias decides to steal the Embers of the Sacred Flame in order to use them to weaken Galdera's seal enough for him to draw more power without fully releasing the dark god. To this end, he disguises himself as a humble merchant and infiltrates Flamesgrace, the capital of the Sacred Flame religion.
[[/folder]]

Ophilia Clement is an acolyte of the Church of the Sacred Flame, the dominant religion of Orsterra. She lives in Flamesgrace, where the church has its main cathedral. An orphan, she was adopted by Archbishop Josef, and is considered family by both him and his daughter Lianna.

* Chapter 4: Ophilia, having heard where Lianna plans to take the Ember before falling asleep, chases her to Wispermill in the Flatlands. Ophilia is captured by the villagers, who swear allegiance not to Aelfric and his Church of the Sacred Flame, but to a "Savior" who plans to help them. Lianna, visiting Ophilia in gaol, says that the Savior is planning to resurrect Josef, and frees Ophilia on the condition that she leave town and not interfere. The Savior is revealed to be Mattias; he has plans to resurrect "Galdera," the dark god sealed away by the other 12 many years ago, and he needs the willing cooperation (and [[BloodMagic lives]]) of the citizens of Wispermill to do it. Ophilia convinces Lianna not to help him by reminding her of a lesson their father taught them when they were children, and Mattias reveals he was the one who poisoned Josef. Ophilia defeats Mattias and finishes her pilgrimage, but the last and most important step in her journey is to cheer up Lianna, as her sister did when Ophilia was first been adopted by Josef.

Cyrus Albright is a professor of history at a school in the city of Atlasdam, a royal city in the Flatlands. He is apparently a teacher of some repute, as his students include Princess Mary.

Tressa Colzione is an 18-year-old merchant in training, learning from her parents. She is young and cheerful, and the only character in the PlayerParty with confirmed living biological parents.

Olberic Eisenberg is a {{ronin}} who lives in a little town called Cobbleston in the Highlands, going under the name Berg, defending the place from bandits and training the town guardsmen. He is actually FamedInStory as a knight, called "The Unbending Blade," but fell into disgrace eight years ago when he failed to defend the King of Hornburg from a DoubleAgent, a fellow knight, named Erhardt.

Primrose Azelhart is the fallen scion of a noble house. As a young girl, she witnessed the murder of her father as a child at the hands of three men, each tattooed with a crow. Since then, she has lived for {{revenge}}, making her living as a BellyDancer.

Alfyn Greengrass is an apothecary living in Clearbrook in the Riverlands. As a youth, he was healed by a nameless traveling apothecary, and has gone into the profession in honor of the man who saved him.

Therion is a MasterThief who has been active for years. He used to have a partner, Darius, but was betrayed by the latter and left for dead.

H'aanit is hunter living in S'warkii in the Woodlands, apprenticed to a master hunter named Z'aanta. Her master is tasked by the Knights Ardante with hunting a dangerous monster called Redeye. He has been gone for over a year, sending only one letter about the subject.

[[folder:Sidequests]]
* Kit:
** Part 1: Kit is introduced outside of the starting town of the chosen player character. After being granted a Healing Grape, he introduces himself and his motive to find his father, and continues on his path.
** Part 2: Kit's journey has taken him to Noblecourt, but fears that without someone to travel with, his journey could end in disaster. By guiding an Aspiring Actor to him, they can ask a travelling Impresario to take them along with his theater troupe; Kit's not a good performer, but gets accepted as a stagehand.
** Part 3: While the troupe sets up shop on the Moonstruck Coast, Kit finds information about his father. After Purchasing/Stealing him a Lapis Lazuli as a parting gift, he parts ways with the troupe and continues on his quest.

* Alphas:
** Part 1: Alphas, living in Bolderfall, has fallen in love with a very unusual woman named Lyblac, but has failed to attract her attention. By Challenging him, he gets to show off his skill to Lyblac, but she seeks someone else.
** Part 2: Alphas has wandered the land and found his way to Saintsbridge. Inquiries or scrutiny yields a poem he wrote about his love, which then finds itself in the hands of a woman who seeks him out as she has fallen in love with him from his poem, allowing Alphas to get over Lyblac and find true love at last.
** Part 3: On the West S'warkii Trail, Alphas attempts to aid the Impresario in fighting a beast that is blocking the road, but is defeated. The party slays the beast and learns from the two that both Kit and Lyblac are bound for the Ruins of Hornburg.
----

* Chapter 1: In the city of Flamesgrace in the Frostlands, holy city of the Church of the Sacred Flame, it is time for the "Kindling," a holy pilgrimage in which an emissary from the cathedral uses an Ember to re-ignite the Sacred Flames of various churches across the land. Archbishop Josef, who performed the most recent Kindling 20 years ago, comes down with a mysterious, life-threatening illness. His daughter-by-blood Lianna was meant to follow in his footsteps, but Ophilia takes on the task so Lianna can stay with her father. She is aided by Mattias, a merchant who had planned to sell traveling supplies to Lianna.

* Chapter 1: When some tomes from the archive of Atlasdam, a royal city in the Flatlands, go missing, Professor Cyrus Albright investigates and pins the crime on fellow scholar Russell, who has been selling rare books to cover gambling debts. However, one tome in particular, ''From The Far Reaches Of Hell'', has been missing for 15 years. Meanwhile, a rumor circulates within the academy that one of Cyrus's students, Princess Mary, is HotForTeacher -- a rumor which Cyrus, himself ObliviousToLove, accidentally reinforces. Headmaster Yvon, with his assistant Lucia, forces Cyrus to take a sabbatical, and Cyrus uses this opportunity to search for the missing tome.

* Chapter 4: Cyrus arrives at Duskbarrow in the Woodlands, where he discovers an entire secret library contained within ancient ruins. At last, he finds ''From The Far Reaches Of Hell'', in the possession of the library's owner: Lucia, TheManBehindTheMan. Lucia's main motivation has been to use the blood crystal research to attain {{Immortality}} and forever gain knowledge, which Cyrus disagrees with, believing that knowledge should be shared with future generations instead of hoarded. After a battle, Cyrus takes the tome, realizing that the information in it pertains to opening a certain gate sealing away a great evil. He returns to Atlasdam, believing that humanity can learn from the mistakes of the past and better itself with proper education, and dedicates himself to researching the topic further so that humanity might be ready should someone use the knowledge for ill.

* Chapter 1: Tressa is an 18-year-old merchant in training, learning from her parents. Her hometown of Rippletide (in the Coastlands) is invaded by pirates. Tressa decides to scare them off, slipping a sleeping potion into their drinks before battling them, but must still combat their two leaders Mikk and Makk in combat. When things look grim, Tressa is rescued by a merchant she had befriended earlier, who turns out to be the legendary pirate Leon Bastralle after turning over a new leaf. To reward Tressa for her bravery, Leon lets her take any piece of treasure that is on his ship; though enamored by the many one-of-a-kind possessions there, Tressa eventually chooses an unfinished journal left by a former passenger, and decides to follow the journal's itinerary to explore the world and become an acclaimed traveling merchant.

* Chapter 1: Olberic, a former knight of the fallen Hornburg kingdom, spends his days as a protector of the town of Cobbleston in the Highlands. One day, it is attacked by bandits led by a man called Gaston. The bandits kidnap a child whom Olberic was mentoring, so her pursues them, cutting a swath through their numbers before defeating Gaston, who recognizes Olberic as the Unyielding Blade of Hornburg. Gaston reveals he was trained by Erhardt, and reveals that while he doesn't know where Erhardt is, a man named Gustav in Victor's Hollow does. With a need for justice guiding him, Olberic sets out to confront his former friend on his treason.

* Chapter 2: Olberic heads to Victor's Hollow in the Woodlands to find Gustav, a man that had worked alongside both Gaston and Erhardt as a mercenary, who is his only lead at tracking down Erhardt's current location. Gustav is competing in the local TournamentArc, but all the entrants have already been decided. A promoter named Cecily helps Olberic get in anyways, through defeating one of the quarter-finalists, in exchange for him fighting in her name. Before the tournament, Olberic meets Gustav, who recognizes him and guesses why he came. Gustav asks Olberic what cause does he fight for? Olberic wins the tournament, and learns from Gustav about the RoaringRampageOfRevenge that motivated Erhardt.

* Chapter 3: Olberic tracks Erhardt down to Wellspring in the Sunlands, but learns that the former traitor has now rebuilt his life as the town's guardian. After assisting the town watch take down some invading lizardmen, he learns Erhardt has gone ahead to intercept the bulk of the lizardman forces. Olberic makes it in time to save Erhardt, and the two knights of Hornburg easily dispatch the lizardmen leaders. Following the battle, Olberic and Erhardt duel, a fight which Olberic wins. Erhardt admits great guilt over his actions, and Olberic spares his life, learning more about how and why Hornburg fell in the process. Erhardt admits that he was not the leader of the conspiracy: that was a man named Werner, whom (he thinks) Olberic should treat with caution.

* Chapter 4: Werner can be found at Riverford in the Riverlands. He learns that Werner, once a PrivateMilitaryContractor, has become the lord of the town, and rules with an iron fist. Olberic befriends LaResistance, which is led by the son of its previous lord. They fight against the tyrant's men, and when things look bleak, Erhardt arrives to provide back-up. Werner explains that he toppled the Kingdom of Hornburg solely to get access to the "Gate of Finis," whatever that is. After achieving victory, Olberic chooses to live the remainder of his days using his blade to protect the weak and uphold justice.

* Chapter 1: Primrose, the last in of the line of House Azelhart, witnessed the murder of her father as a child at the hands of three men, each tattooed with a crow. Years later, her dancing skills and search of the men who did the deed have lead her to Sunshade in the Sunlands, where she dances for the men of the town and her boss, Helgenish. One night, Primrose sees a man with a crow tattoo, and attempts to pursue, but is stopped by Helgenish. Her friend, Yusufa, offers to distract him, to which Primrose continues her chase. Outside of Sunshade, Helgenish corners Primrose, kills Yusufa, and engages her in battle. Afterwards, Primrose finally kills Helgenish and continues on her quest for vengeance.

* Chapter 1: Alfyn is an apothecary living in Clearbrook in the Riverlands, alongside his best friend and fellow medic Zeph. When Zeph's sister is bitten by a poisonous snake, Alfyn must track it down and derive an antidote to its venom. Afterwards, Alfyn decides to travel the world and help others in need, just like a man that had saved his life many years ago. He trades satchels with Zeph, so they'll always be close to each other, and leaves home.

* Chapter 3: In Saintsbridge in the Riverlands, Alfyn comes across a wounded man, Miguel, who is begging for aid. A fellow apothecary named Ogen declines to help him, claiming he will only heal those he deems worthy. Alfyn, who more holds to the ChronicHeroSyndrome approach, helps Miguel anyway, pitying the fellow who claims to have several mouths to feed at home. But once he is recovered, Miguel kidnaps a child for ransom, even ''stabbing the boy'' to get him to keep his mouth shut. Alfyn, appalled, [[CombatMedic takes matters into his own hands]]. Ogen explains his own DarkAndTroubledPast as Alfyn begins to doubt his calling, wondering at the destruction that can be wrought by a healer's hands.

* Chapter 4: At Orewell in the Cliftlands, Alfyn and Ogen cross paths again while coming to a village's aid. Ogen falls ill with the same sickness that affected Alfyn in his youth, but doesn't want to be saved. Alfyn has a brief emotional crisis, but after reading a motivational letter Zeph had snuck into his satchel, Alfyn sets out to gather the ingredients to cure Ogen. After his life is saved, Ogen reveals that he had also been inspired to heal others by the same man that cured young Alfyn, and wishes his fellow apothecary the best of luck as he continues his work.

* Chapter 1: Z'aanta, a master hunter, is tasked by Eliza of the Knight Ardente to hunt the monster Redeye. He leaves his apprentice, H'aanit, to watch over their village of S'warkii in the Woodlands, and sends only one letter in the intervening months explaining how hard the beast is proving to track. Meanwhile, H'aanit is tasked with defeating a wild beast that has been devastating the countryside. On her return, she finds Hägen, Z'aanta's animal partner, looking for help. H'aanit decides to leave her village and follow Hagen in order to learn what happened to her master.

* Chapter 3: In Saintsbridge in the Riverlands, Alfyn comes across a wounded man, Miguel, who is begging for aid. A fellow apothecary named Ogen declines to help him, claiming he will only heal those he deems worthy. Alfyn, who more holds to the ChronicHeroSyndrome approach, helps Miguel anyway, pitying the fellow who claims to have several mouths to feed at home. But once he is recovered, Miguel kidnaps a child for ransom, even ''stabbing the boy'' to get him to keep his mouth shut. Alfyn, appalled, [[CombatMedic takes matters into his own hands]]. Ogen explains his own DarkAndTragicPast as Alfyn begins to doubt his calling, wondering at the destruction a healer's hands can wright.

* Darius, Therion's partner in crime, betrays the thief after the criminal group they just stole from offers him membership. Darius stabs Therion and throws him off a cliff, leaving him for dead, though he survives.

* Chapter 3: Therion heads to Wellspring in the Sunlands to track down the third Dragonstone, being sold at a Black Market. However, once he gets there, the Dragonstone is stolen by a group of bandits that are being led by his former partner Darius. Unfortunately, Darius gets away, as his second-in-command [[YouShallNotPass holds the line]] to delay Therion. Therion returns to Lady Ravus and Heathcote, who reveals he's located Darius' base of operation, and that Darius also holds the last Dragonstone, on top of the one he stole. Cordelia reveals that her family also was betrayed, and tells Therion to not give up on trusting people because of one person's action.

* Chapter 4: Therion arrive in Northreach in the Frostlands, where it is revealed the entire town lives in terror of Darius and his gang. Darius has put a price on Therion's head, and Therion is nearly mobbed by Darius' gang, until Heathcote arrives and saves him. Therion infiltrates Darius' hideout and faces his former partner. A defeated Darius slinks away to his treasure and betrayed by his own underlings when he tries to escape with his gold. They explain that Gareth was the only one who was loyal to him, and much like how he never valued loyalty, they have no reason to show him any, and murder him. Therion returns the final two Dragonstones to Cordelia, and is freed from his deal with her... Though the band around his arm had secretly been unlocked when Cordelia had suggested it, and Therion had pretended not to notice and continued the job out of appreciation for the kindness shown to him between tasks.

* Chapter 1: Therion has heard tales of a valuable treasure called a Dragonstone being held by House Ravus, a noble family that lives in Bolderfall in the Cliftlands. After passing himself off as a merchant, he sneaks into their manor, and fights against the house's butler Heathcote. However, Therion is caught in a ruse; Cordelia Ravus needs a man like Therion to track down three more missing Dragonstones, and the thief is forced into the task by Heathcote locking a band around his arm.

* Chapter 2: Heathcote's information leads Therion to Noblecourt, to track down the second Dragonstone. There, he hears rumors of a powerful man named Orlick researching the stone, and tracks down the man's old partner, Barham. With his knowledge, Therion is able to sneak into Orlick's home, but must fight in order to claim the treasure. Therion returns the stone to Cordelia, who offers to remove Therion's band, but Heathcote and Therion insist he'll get all the stones first.

* Chapter 3: Therion heads to Wellspring to track down the third Dragonstone, being sold at a Black Market. However, once he gets there, the Dragonstone is stolen by a group of bandits that are being led by his former partner Darius. Unfortunately, Darius gets away, as his second-in-command pays his life to delay Therion. Therion returns to lady Ravus and Heathcote, who reveals he's located Darius' base of operation, and that Darius also holds the last Dragonstone, on top of the one he stole. Cordelia reveals that her family also was betrayed, and tells Therion to not give up on trusting people because of one person's action.

* Chapter 4: Therion arrive in Northreach, where it is revealed the entire town lives in terror of Darius and his gang. Darius has put a price on Therion's head, and Therion is nearly mobbed by Darius' gang, until Heathcote arrives and saves him. Therion infiltrates Darius' hideout and faces his former partner. A defeated Darius slinks away to his treasure and betrayed by his own underlings when he tries to escape with his gold. They explain that Gareth was the only one who was loyal to him, and much like how he never valued loyalty, they have no reason to show him any, and murder him. Therion returns the final two Dragonstones to Cordelia, and is freed from his deal with her... Though the band around his arm had secretly been unlocked when Cordelia had suggested it, and Therion had pretended not to notice and continued the job out of appreciation for the kindness shown to him between tasks.

* Chapter 1: Z'aanta, a master hunter, is tasked by Eliza of the Knight Ardente to hunt the monster Redeye. He leaves his apprentice, H'aanit to watch over their village, and sends only one letter in the intervening months explaining how hard the beast is proving to track. Meanwhile, H'aanit is tasked with defeating a wild beast that has been devastating the countryside. On her return, she finds Hagen, her master's animal partner, looking for help; the master is nowhere to be found. H'aanit decides to leave her village and follow Hagen in order to learn what happened to her master.

* Chapter 2: H'aanit is guided to a town by Hagen, and meets an old friend of her master's. She learns which forest her master last went to, and explores it herself, dealing with the most powerful beast there in the process. At the forest's heart, she learns what happened to her master: He has been completely turned to stone by Redeye. Using the last of his strength, Z'aanta left a message warning whoever would find him of Redeye's danger, and to find the seer Susanna who might know how to cure his petrification. On her way out of town, H'aanit meets Eliza, who pledges to find Redeye's location.

* Chapter 3: H'aanit seeks the advice of Susanna the Seer to help her save her master. Susanna reveals that much like how Z'aanta raised H'aanit, she raised Z'aanta, and sees him as a son (and thus H'aanit as a grand-daughter). She directs her towards a plant that can negate Redeye's petrification. Susanna also tells H'aanit that the only way to cure Z'aanta's petrification is to kill what caused it - Redeye.

* Chapter 4: With curative plants in hands, and information on Redeye's location from Eliza, H'aanit is prepared to face the beast. Unfortunately Redeye has caused the monsters in the ruins it has entered to flood the surface and threaten nearby Marsalim. The Marsalim city guard, along with the Knights Ardante, fight the monsters while H'aanit infiltrates the ruin and kills Redeye, lifting his curse. H'aanith reunites with Z'aanta, telling him about her adventures.

** Part 1: Alphas has fallen in love with a very unusual woman named Lyblac, but has failed to attract her attention. By Challenging him, he gets to show off his skill to Lyblac, but she seeks someone else.

* Lyblac, Galdera's daughter spends centuries manipulating people with the goal of freeing her father. She begins looking for a means to open the gate and incarnate her father in a physical form.

* A village in the kingdom of Hornburg is wiped out by Southern Tribe raiders. The lone survivor, Erhardt, blames the King for not doing anything to save his friends and family, and swears revenge.
* Werner's Black Blades mercenaries are responsible for the fall of Hornburg after a 12 year campaign destabilising the kingdom, largely successful due to the grudge-filled Erhardt and support from Lyblac. Olberic Eisenberg, the Unbending Blade of Hornburg, fails to save king Alfred and is defeated in a duel with Erhardt. He takes refuge in the village of Cobbleston where he trains the local militia, forsaking his last name and his reputation. Werner breaks off contact with Lyblac as he does not trust her.

* Chapter 1: Archbishop Josef comes down with a mysterious, life-threatening illness. His daughter-by-blood Lianna was meant to embark on the Kindling, a pilgrimage to reignite the Sacred Flame at various churches across the land, but Ophilia takes on the task so Lianna can stay with her father.

* Chapter 2: Ophilia reaches her first destination on her Kindling. While in town, she witnesses young children arguing because one of them lost a brooch, which had belonged to another's now-deceased mom. In trying to help them reconcile, Ophilia must rescue them from a forest beast.

* Chapter 3: Ophilia reaches the second destination on her Kindling, where she encounters a young boy that's worried he angered the local Bishop. Having them meet reveals that the boy had delivered a ransom note, as someone had kidnapped the Bishop's daughter, and would only give her back in exchange for the sacred embers Ophilia reignites the sacred flames with. Ophilia deals with the matter herself and successfully rescues the girl. However, soon after her return, Lianna shows up and informs Ophilia that their father has passed away. Ophilia passes out as a result of a sleeping draught Lianna slipped into her drink, enabling Lianna to steal the ember.

* Chapter 4: Ophilia, having heard where Lianna plans to take the ashes before falling asleep, chases after her. Ophilia is captured by the villagers of Wispermill, but freed by Lianna. Lianna says that the Savior is planning to resurrect Josef, and tells Ophilia to leave town and not interfere. The Savior is revealed to be Mattias. Ophilia convinces Lianna to not go through with this by reminding her of a lesson their father taught them when they were children, and Mattias reveals he was the one who poisoned Josef. Ophilia defeats Mattias, and finishes her pilgrimage, before working on cheering Lianna up, like Lianna had done for Ophilia when the latter had first been adopted by Josef.

* Chapter 1: When some tomes from the archive of Atlasdam go missing, Professor Cyrus Albright investigates and pins the crime on fellow scholar Russell, having sold them to cover gambling debts. However, one tome in particular, ''From The Far Reaches Of Hell'', has been missing for 15 years. Meanwhile, a rumor circulates within the academy that one of Cyrus's students, Princess Mary, is HotForTeacher -- a rumor which Cyrus, himself ObliviousToLove, accidentally reinforces. The headmaster forces him to take a sabbatical, and Cyrus uses this opportunity to search for the missing tome.

* Chapter 2: Cyrus' search for the tome leads him to Quarrycrest, and to his former associate Odette. In here, he learns that people have gone missing in broad daylight, and decides to investigate. Cyrus discovers that a mysterious man named Gideon has been kidnapping people to use their blood to make bloodstones, used for an ancient ritual. Cyrus stops his schemes and saves the remaining victims. He finds that Gideon has a partial, translated copy of ''From The Far Reaches Of Hell''.

* Chapter 3: Cyrus heads to the home of the man that had originally translated ''From The Far Reaches Of Hell'', and learns that the work was commissioned by none other than the headmaster of his academy. Their assistant seeks out Cyrus and leads him to their master's home, in order to catch Cyrus in a pit trap. Therese, Cyrus' student that had started the rumor that led to his sabbatical, comes to his rescue, but is subsequently captured. Cyrus goes to rescue her, fighting the culprit after they use a bloodstone to enhance themselves.

* Chapter 4: Cyrus' search takes him to Duskbarrow, where he discovers an entire secret library contained within ancient ruins. At last, he finds ''From The Far Reaches Of Hell'', in the possession of the library's owner: Lucia, Yvon's assistant. Their main motivation has been to use the bloodstone research recorded in the tome to attain immortality and forever gain knowledge, which Cyrus disagrees with, believing that knowledge should be shared with future generations instead of hoarded. After a battle, Cyrus takes the tome, realizing that the information in it pertains to opening a certain gate sealing a great evil away. He returns to Atlasdam, believing that humanity can learn from the mistakes of the past and better itself with proper education, and dedicates himself to researching the topic further so that Humanity might be ready should someone use the knowledge for ill.

* Chapter 1: Tressa's hometown is invaded by pirates. Tressa decides to scare them off, slipping a sleeping potion into their drinks before battling them, but must still combat their two leaders in combat. When things look grim, Tressa is rescued by a merchant she had befriended earlier, who turns out to be the legendary pirate Leon Bastralle after turning over a new leaf. To reward Tressa for her bravery, Leon lets her take any piece of treasure that is on his ship; Tressa eventually chooses an unfinished journal left by a former passenger, and uses it to guide her dreams of exploring the world and becoming an acclaimed traveling merchant.

* Chapter 2: The journal takes Tressa to Quarrycrest, where she buys some stones from a poor miner that turn out to be of great value. She quickly gains a rival, fellow traveling merchant Ali, who has come across similar stones and sets up shop nearby. When the local landowner tries to claim their stock, Ali argues, and is apprehended, causing Tressa to come to his rescue. After the landowner and his hired help are run out of town, Ali promises to meet Tressa again at the upcoming Merchant's Fair.

* Chapter 3: In search for a treasure for the Merchant's Fair, Tressa continues following the journal. She comes across a map owned by the legendary pirate Baltazar, who happens to have been a friend of Leon Bastralle, who just happens to also be in town at the moment. She obtains the map to give to Leon, who reveals to her why he became a merchant, and lets her keep the map, which leads to a valuable gem guarded by a beast.

* Chapter 4: Tressa arrives at the Merchant's Fair. However, her diary is stolen. After chasing down the thief and retrieving it, Tressa realizes that the diary has been her greatest treasure, far more than any gem. As she has finished following in the previous writer's footsteps, she decides to sell the journal in the hopes that it inspires another like her; it is bought by the organizer of the Fair, whose ill daughter loves adventures.

* Chapter 1: Olberic, a former knight of the fallen Hornburg kingdom, spends his days as a protector of the town of Cobblestone. One day, it is attacked by bandits led by a man called Gaston. The bandits kidnap a child whom Olberic was mentoring, so her pursues them, cutting a swath through their numbers before defeating Gaston, who recognizes Olberic as the Unyielding Blade of Hornburg. Gaston reveals he was trained by Erhardt, and reveals that while he doesn't know where Erhardt is, Gustav in Victor's Hollow does. With a need for justice guiding him, Olberic sets out to confront his former friend on his treason.

* Chapter 2: Olberic heads to Victors Hollow to find Gustav, a man that had worked alongside both Gaston and Erhardt as a mercenary, who is his only lead at tracking down Erhardt's current location. Gustav is competing in an upcoming tournament, but all the entrants have already been decided. A promoter named Cecily helps Olberic get in anyways, through defeating one of the quarter-finalists, in exchange for him fighting in her name. Before the tournament, Olberic meets Gustav, who recognizes him and guesses why he came. Gustav asks Olberic what cause does he fight for? Olberic wins the tournament, and learns from Gustav what motivated Erhardt to do what he did.

* Chapter 3: Olberic tracks Erhardt down to Wellspring, but learns that the former traitor has now rebuilt his life as the town's guardian. After assisting the town watch take down some invading lizardmen, he learns Erhardt has gone ahead to intercept the bulk of the Lizardman forces. Olberic makes it in time to save Erhardt, and the two knights of Hornburg easily dispatch the Lizardmen leaders. Following the battle, Olberic and Erhardt duel, a fight which Olberic wins. Erhardt admits great guilt over his actions, and Olberic spares his life, learning more about how and why Hornburg fell in the process.

* Chapter 4: With the information he gained from Erhardt, Olberic tracks down the mercenary leader that had once employed the traitor, who had plotted the destruction of Hornburg for ulterior motives. After entering the town of Riverford the leader now rules with an iron fist, he befriends a resistance group led by the son of its previous lord. They fight against the tyrant's men, and when things look bleak, Erhardt arrives to provide back-up. After achieving victory, Olberic chooses to live the remainder of his days using his blade to protect the weak and uphold justice.

* Chapter 1: Primrose, the last in of the line of House Azelhart, witnesses the murder of her father as a child. Years later, her dancing skills and search of the men who did the deed have lead her to Sunshade, where she dances for the men of the town and her boss, Helgenish. One night, Primrose sees a man with a crow mark, and attempts to pursue, but is stopped by Helgenish. Her friend, Yusufa, offers to distract him, to which Primrose continues her chase. Outside of Sunshade, Helgenish corners Primrose, kills Yusufa, and engages in battle. Afterwards, Primrose finally kills Helgenish and continues on her quest for vengeance.

* Chapter 2: Using the paperwork left behind as a guide, Primrose heads to Stillsnow. There, she finds a friend and former servant of House Azelhart, now forced to work at a brothel run by one of the men Primrose seeks. Using her wiles to get a lift to the brothel, she proceeds through a secret cavern that's connected to her target's room. They battle, and with the man's final breaths, he taunts Primrose, saying that a dire truth will await her back at her old home of Noblecourt.

* Chapter 3: Primrose returns to Noblecourt, and reunites with an ally of her father. She infiltrates her next target's home and slays him. However, she is betrayed by another face from her childhood, who reveals their role in her father's death before stabbing her. After spending days recovering from the injury, she sets out after the traitor.

* Chapter 4: Primrose tracks down her final target to an ancient castle that has been converted into a theater. There, her target has set up an elaborate play based on Primrose's life. After slaying her final target, Primrose no longer has a passion for revenge that drives her, but decides to continue dancing until finding a new purpose.

* Chapter 1: Alfyn is an apothecary living in Clearbrook, alongside his best friend and fellow medic Zeph. When Zeph's sister is bitten by a poisonous snake, Alfyn must track it down and derive an antidote to its venom. Afterwards, Alfyn decides to travel the world and help others in need, just like a man that had saved his life many years ago. He trades satchels with Zeph, so they'll always be close to each other, and leaves home.

* Chapter 2: Alfyn comes to a town besieged by bad fevers, and is asked by a young girl to help her sister, only to be shooed away by their mother because a more experienced apothecary is in town. However, those treated by the more experienced apothecary, Vanessa, come down with severe coughs that are expensive to cure. Alfyn deduces that Vanessa's first cure is the source of the cough, and tracks down Vanessa to stop her scheming.

* Chapter 3: Alfyn crosses paths with Ogen, a fellow apothecary who only cures those he deems worthy, and who hasn't deemed a wounded man named Miguel worthy. Alfyn decides to help Miguel himself, only for the patient to kidnap a child when recovered.

* Chapter 4: Alfyn and Ogen cross paths again while coming to a village's aid. Ogen falls ill with the same sickness that affected Alfyn in his youth, but doesn't want to be saved. Alfyn has a brief emotional crisis, but after reading a motivational letter Zeph had snuck into his satchel, Alfyn sets out to gather the ingredients to cure Ogen. After his life is saved, Ogen reveals that he had also been inspired to heal others by the same man that cured young Alfyn, and wishes his fellow apothecary the best of luck as he continues his work.

* Chapter 1: Therion has heard tales of a valuable treasure called a Dragonstone being held by House Ravus, a noble family. After passing himself off as a merchant, he sneaks into their manor, and fights against the house's butler Heathcote. However, Therion is caught in a ruse; Cordelia Ravus needs a man like Therion to track down three more missing Dragonstones, and the thief is forced into the task by Heathcote locking a band around his arm.

* Chapter 1: When some tomes from the archive of Atlasdam go missing, Professor Cyrus Albright investigates and pins the crime on fellow scholar Russell, having sold them to cover gambling debts. However, one tome in particular, ''From The Far Reaches Of Hell'', has been missing for 15 years. Meanwhile, a rumor circulates within the academy that Cyrus has entered a relationship with the Princess, forcing him to do a sabbatical. Cyrus uses this opportunity to search for the missing tome.

* The thirteen gods create the world of Osterra.

* Chapter 4: Ophilia, having heard where Lianna plans to take the ashes before falling asleep, chases after her. Ophilia is captured by the villagers of Wispermill, but freed by Lianna. Lianna says that the Savior is planning to resurrect Josef, and tells Ophilia to leave town and not interfere. The Savior is revealed to be Mattias. Ophilia convinces Lianna to not go through with this by reminding her of a lesson their father taught them when they were children, and Mattias reveals he was the one who poisoned Josef. Ophilia defeats Mattias, and finishes her pilgrimage, before working on cheering Lianna up, like Lianna had done for Ophilia when the later had first been adopted by Josef.

* A village in the kingdom of Hornburg burns to the ground in a freak accident. The lone survivor, Erhardt, blames the King for not doing anything to save his friends and family, and swears revenge.

* Chapter 1: Bishop Josef comes down with a mysterious, life-threatening illness. His daughter-by-blood Lianna was meant to embark on the Kindling, a pilgrimage to reignite the Sacred Flame at various churches across the land, but Ophilia takes on the task so Lianna can stay with her father.
** Boss: Guardian of the Flame.

* Chapter 3: Ophilia reaches the second destination on her Kindling, where she encounters a young boy that's worried he angered the local Bishop. Having them meet reveals that the boy had delivered a ransom note, as someone had kidnapped the Bishop's daughter, and would only give her back in exchange for the sacred embers Ophilia reignites the sacred flames with. Ophilia deals with the matter herself and successfully rescues the girl. However, soon after her return, Lianna shows up and informs Ophilia that their father has passed away. Ophilia passes out as a result of a potion Lianna slipped into her drink, enabling Lianna to steal the ember.

* Chapter 4: Ophilia, having heard where Lianna plans to take the ashes before falling asleep, chases after her. Ophilia is captured by the villagers of Whispermill, but freed by Lianna. Lianna says that the savior is planning to resurrect Josef, and tells Ophilia to leave town and not interfere. The savior is revealed to be Mattias. Ophilia convinces Lianna to not go through with this by reminding her of a lesson their father taught them when they were children, and Mattias reveals he was the one who poisoned Josef. Ophilia defeats Mattias, and finishes her pilgrimage, before working on cheering Lianna up, like Lianna had done for Ophilia when the later had first been adopted by Josef.

* Chapter 4: Ophelia, having heard where Lianna plans to take the ashes before falling asleep, chases after her. Ophilia is captured by the villagers of Whispermill, but freed by Lianna. Lianna says that the savior is planning to resurrect Josef, and tells Ophilia to leave town and not interfere. The savior is revealed to be Mattias. Ophilia convinces Lianna to not go through with this by reminding her of a lesson their father taught them when they were children, and Mattias reveals he was the one who poisoned Josef. Ophilia defeats Mattias, and finishes her pilgrimage, before working on cheering Lianna up, like Lianna had done for Ophilia when the later had first been adopted by Josef.

* A plague infects the wife of Apothecary Graham Crossford (a descendant of Odin Crossford), he leaves on a journey to find a remedy. Along the way he saves the life of a diarist, who gives him a blank notebook to use as his own diary. Graham begins to write about his journey. Eventually he find the cure to his wife's disease is the feather of an Ogre Eagle. He tracks one of the beasts down and obtains a feather.