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''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6312809/1/The_Lion_of_Ivalice The Lion of Ivalice]]'' is a ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' ForWantOfANail fanfiction that alters a key decision in Ramza Beoulve's life: after the events of Fort Ziekden and the deaths of Teta and (supposedly) Delita, he turns down the canon offer of becoming a mercenary and sneaks into the Bethla Garrison instead. Orlandu catches on quickly, and is rather skeptical as to why he wants to join the Southern Sky, suspecting him of being a spy of sorts. Ramza, however, makes it clear he holds more honor as a Beoulve than his brothers, and has no one else to turn to. Seeing Balbanes in him, Orlandu agrees to take him in as a soldier of the Southern Sky.

From there, the plot of the story takes a very different turn from the original game, but the verdict is still the same; Ramza uncovers the Lucavi plot and works to stop it. Things, however, aren't as easy as they seem, because the Lucavi quickly learn not to pull any punches when dealing with their enemies. The character dynamics and interactions are also noticeably different than in canon, yet still fit in with the characters as they were originally envisioned - and with how the storyline evolves - rather plausibly. The main pairing is Ramza/Meliadoul, with many other BetaCouple pairings by the side for measure.

The story is split into three arcs, which effectively comprise the traditional ThreeActStructure:

* '''Part One''': ''The Southern Sky'' (Chapters 1-13)
* '''Part Two''': ''The Great Divide'' (Chapters 14-29)
* '''Part Three''': ''The Rising Abyss'' (Chapters 30-40)
* '''Epilogue'''

Written by [[http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2530385/ObsidianDawn ObsidianDawn]].


See ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' for tropes surrounding the original game and story.

!!Tropes listed in The Lion of Ivalice:

* AdaptationalBadass: Izlude in the original game was killed by Hashmal alongside various soldiers. In this story he becomes strong enough to take on Hashmal and win.
* AdaptationDistillation:
** While certain story elements are expanded upon, the author doesn't go overboard in either description or character explanation, simply opting for the crucial storytelling elements. This is why the battles, conflicts and relationships are streamlined whilst still being plausible, making for a tight yet still-compelling read.
** The battles are a load more streamlined than in canon. For instance, there's less overuse of magic by the Lucavi to focus instead on their individual skills and strengths and the unique strategies required to defeat them. And while the events of the plot follow ''elements'' of canon almost symmetrically, they're more compressed so that the repetitive re-matches against certain enemies and the pointless squabble fights either don't happen or are extremely brief rather than dragged out into genuine tactical conflicts.
* AdaptationExpansion:
** The opening battle of the War of the Lions, the Siege of Lesalia, had a single paragraph written about it in the game. This story has an entire chapter devoted to it.
** The Lucavi are given somewhat of a greater spotlight (with more showing up), letting their motives and individual traits develop a little more. See also AscendedExtra for the characters who receive more development thanks to the plot.
%%* AloofAlly: [[spoiler: Wiegraf]].
* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler: Wiegraf, who loses his left arm in Chapter 35 in a fight against Velius]].
* AntiHero: Ramza has slight shades of this, leaning into Type II territory due to both his Dark Knight training and the [[BreakTheCutie massive breaking the story's putting him through]]. Gafgarion started as a Type IV but has since shifted to Type III (and may be heading towards Type II). Meanwhile, [[spoiler: Wiegraf]] & [[spoiler: Delita]] start as a Type IV & III respectively, before sliding upwards by one level each.
* AntiVillain: Wiegraf, just like in canon although more emphasised, particularly when [[spoiler: he keeps his word in letting Alicia and Lavian go in exchange for Ovelia's co-operation]]. Delita is more definitely this regarding his actions, as is [[spoiler: Agrias]]. [[spoiler: All three eventually HeelFaceTurn, deciding to focus their energies fighting the ''true'' enemy]].
* AnyoneCanDie: Roughly halfway through the story, this trope sets in to full effect. While certain characters don't actually die, a few of them are still subjected to ScarsAreForever, such as [[spoiler:Wiegraf losing an arm and the twins' wounds under dark magic.]]
* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler: With Altima's revival, the entire province of Lionel sinks under the sea. The water eventually recedes, and looters and pirates move to salvage anything of value in the province.]]
* AscendedExtra:
** Technically all those that weren't playable in the game: [[EnsembleDarkhorse Izlude]], [[DamselInDistress Alma]], [[BadassBookworm Olan]], [[LadyOfBlackMagic Valmafra]], [[SmugSnake Gafgarion]], [[ThoseTwoGirls Celia and Lede]] ''&'' [[AmazonBrigade The Lionsguard]], [[KnightTemplar Zalbag]], [[spoiler: [[FallenHero Wiegraf]], [[ByronicHero Delita]].]]
** Bad guys include Rudvich, Duke Barinten, and Balk & Rofel of the Templar Knights. [[spoiler: They are all Lucavi hosts.]]
** Kletian of the Templars as well. [[spoiler: ''Without'' being a Lucavi host, to boot!]] And out of all the Lucavi, [[spoiler: Velius]] manifests in the mortal realm ''without'' a host body. [[spoiler: But this is probably because the Gates of Hell were opened at Murond.]]
** Izlude ''especially'' counts. In the game, he was a minor supporting character who died in the same Chapter he was introduced; here, he's Ramza's most constant friend and companion, and the third most-important character after Ramza and Meliadoul. [[spoiler: When Mel [[DemonicPossession was put out of action]], he essentially earned {{Deuteragonist}} status.]] Heck, the author hadn't even ''planned'' for him to be a permanent fixture of Ramza's FiveManBand at first!
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: Agrias & Delita]], after a HeelFaceTurn; also [[spoiler: Wiegraf]], even though [[spoiler: his]] demeanour might suggest otherwise. Gafgarion's loyalty to Ramza is also all about this.
%%* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: Zalbag and Agrias Beoulve]]
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Izlude in Chapter 24, thanks to Mel's DealWithTheDevil]].
%%* BadassCrew: The Knight Blades
* TheBadGuyWins: Chapter 13, where Ramza [[spoiler: fails to stop Delita from releasing the waters of the Bethla Sluice, drowning most of the Northern Sky forces. This is in stark contrast to the game, where Ramza ''himself'' opened the sluice to ''prevent'' a massacre.]]. It counts even more when [[FridgeBrilliance you realise that]] [[spoiler: [[FridgeBrilliance this probably resulted in enough blood being spilled for the Lucavi to bring back Ajora/Altima without any complications - hence why Hashmal is still around instead of sacrificing himself, and why events actually happen ''much'' more quickly than in canon]].]]
%%* BashBrothers: Ramza and Izlude
%%* BattleCouple: [[spoiler: Agrias and Zalbag]].
%%* BetaCouple: Izlude/Alma, Delita/Ovelia & [[spoiler: Zalbag/Agrias]]
* BerserkButton: If you so much threaten or endanger Ramza's sister and/or lover's life, lie or not, consider yourself an [[spoiler: almost]] dead man.
%%* {{BFG}}: The Peacemaker
%%* BigBadassBattleSequence: The Siege of Lesalia and all of Part 3, The Rising Abyss
%%* BigBrotherMentor: Ramza, to Izlude.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: [[{{Cliffhanger}} In the end, it was Rattletrap who saved them]].]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: So now Altima and her 12 Lucavi generals have been slain AND sealed back into hell, Ivalice still stands, and Delita, now king, has given the country democratic reform with the commoners able to vote for their representatives to speak issues alongside the nobility. The only downsides is that a good deal of Lucavi escaped beyond Ivalice and some of their friends, including [[TheHero Ramza]], are dead.]]
** EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: However, given the determination that everyone made in the war, all of them, including the countrymen, seem to get off a lot better than canon. Not to mention nearly a ''dozen'' characters that normally died in the game [[SparedByTheAdaptation survived though this]]. Ramza as well, [[TheEndOrIsIt or so it is implied]].]]
* BodyguardBabes: Celia and Lede take these roles for Mustadio [[spoiler: when he's piloting the Valefor in the final battle.]]
%%* BossBattle: All the Lucavi fit at least one video-game boss trope:
%%** ClimaxBoss: Mateus
%%** DamageSpongeBoss: Zodiark, [[spoiler: Exodus round 2]]
%%** DualBoss: [[spoiler: Adramelk & Queklain]]
%%** DuelBoss: Velius, [[spoiler: Hashmal]], [[spoiler: Shemhazai (sorta)]]
%%** FinalBoss: Altima [[spoiler: ([[TrueFinalBoss her second form anyway]])]]
%%** FlunkyBoss: [[spoiler: Shemhazai again.]]
%%** SequentialBoss: [[spoiler: Velius, Exodus, and Famfrit all at once]]
%%** [[TeleportSpam Teleport Spammer]]: [[spoiler: Altima]]
%%** WakeUpCallBoss: Zeromus
%%** WarmUpBoss: Chaos
%%** ZeroEffortBoss: [[spoiler: Zalera]] ([[SincerityMode no, I kid you not]]).
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Happened to Rafa and Malak [[spoiler: after Barinten was possessed by Zeromus]].
* BreakoutCharacter: Mustadio. [=ObsidianDawn=] intended for him to appear only briefly in the story and be written out; instead, he becomes an AscendedExtra in Part II, and he them comes to play a key role in Part III.
* BreakTheCutie:
** Meliadoul, who [[spoiler:learned that everything she believed was a lie, discovered that her father was involved in the conspiracy, heard her (possessed) father call her "[[WordOfGod and her mother a tramp in one sentence, and then tells her she is a disgrace]]". Ramza nearly had to drag her [[HeroicBSOD distraught self]] out of there alive. If that wasn't bad enough, she arrives back to Orbonne Monastery to see her brother dead, still not recovering from the bitter words her father said.]] What happens next leads to [[spoiler:the WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds entry below.]]
** Ramza himself counts; just think about it. His foster siblings (presumably) both die at Ziekden and it's his brothers' faults. He finds belonging and friends at the Southern Sky only to discover much later that not only is Delita alive, but he's become ruthless enough to [[spoiler: massacre the Northern Sky]] for his own ambitions. He [[spoiler: has to kill his demon-possessed elder brother]]. Many people he's considered friends or allies are either against him or in danger because of him. He's in love with a woman who's psyche has become fragile due to her beliefs being tested, and [[spoiler: he ends up losing her to the Lucavi when her brother is temporarily killed, followed by losing his beloved sister]]. To top all that off, his desire to learn Dark Knight training has twice pushed him to the brink of cold-blooded murder and yet it's a key element of his strength. I'd say all that definitely qualifies as somewhat 'broken'.
* CameBackWrong: [[spoiler: Izlude]] was revived, sure, and evidently gotten stronger too, but [[spoiler:Shemhazai didn't mention her deal of reviving him included 'company'.]] An example of Type III of this trope, which would have led to [[spoiler:Izlude killing Ramza if not for the now purified Taurus stone, which banishing said demon (who turns out to be a shade of Chaos, the stone's iconic demon.]]
* CerebusSyndrome: The story gets gradually darker as the plot continues. The first two parts have major climaxes, but things generally cool off a little afterwards... until Part Three, that is.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** Protagonists aside - and they get plenty of growth, of course - a number of characters with rather predictable personalities were given more depth than they had in canon (see AlternateCharacterInterpretation). Ruvelia, for example, is a BrokenBird who ended up in a loveless marriage and grew resentful of both her position and of her former lover Cid, who refused to fight for their relationship. Gafgarion is a DeathSeeker plagued by guilt for causing [[spoiler: the death of a young Dark Knight named Cerra, who was like a daughter to him]]. Not to mention Olan, Valmafra, Mustadio's... the list goes on.
** More significantly, the development never feels forced or exaggerated. The romantic relationships deserve mention - because they don't steal all narrative focus while showing the key elements, what pacing and portrayal they ''do'' get feels true to life and presents them in a mature manner (unlike most FanFics). It probably helps that [[RealitySubtext the author is in a happy relationship himself (which only improved with the birth of his daughter)]], giving him a clear understanding of healthy and functional relationships that feel organic
* ChickMagnet: Mustadio. The twins ping on him a lot and Rafa also shows some 'interest', much to Malak's dismay.
%%* CoolAirship: "Welcome to the Valefor."
%%* CoolSword: The Shadow Sword, last Touten blade in Ivalice. Other swords include TG Cid's {{Excalibur}} and Elmdore's [[KatanasAreJustBetter Masamune]].
* ContinuityNod:
** All the new Lucavi not shown in the game? They are the Scions of Darkness from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''.
** Gafgarion's hometown is called Raithwall, named after the legendary Dynast-King in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''. WordOfGod though states that it is not the same place as the Tomb of Raithwall dungeon in that game.
** There have been several hints that the Lucavi's incredible magic and abilities are a result of them being able to manipulate and control [[VideoGame/VagrantStory the Dark]].
* CreepyTwins: Celia and Lede, from time to time.
** CreepyGood: But unlike {{Canon}}, they are very much heroines.
* DarkerAndEdgier: "Part Three: The Rising Abyss"
* DarkIsNotEvil:
%%** Dark Knights. A whole town of them.
** Ramza as well - despite coming close to snapping twice, he's so far managed to keep the darker urges that come with training in the class well-checked. For now, anyway...
* ADayInTheLimelight: Several "side quest chapters" in Part Two, which focus entirely on groups outside of the central characters but still serve to develop the plot: Chapter 19 focuses on Olan's group, but also on Mustadio; Chapter 20 focuses on Gafgarion and Cid; Chapter 21 focuses on Agrias and Zalbag.
* DealWithTheDevil: The Lucavi's ''modus operandi'', of course. Also, [[spoiler: Meliadoul makes one to bring back Izlude, just like Rafa in canon. Unlike Rafa, Mel ends up being possessed by the Lucavi demon Shemhazai]].
%%* DeathByAdaptation: Read the KilledOffForReal entry for specifics.
%%* DeathSeeker: Gafgarion, for reasons connected to his past revealed in Chapter 20.
* DefeatMeansFriendship:
** Having bested Gafgarion [[spoiler: and later Wiegraf]] in a [[DuelToTheDeath one-on-one duel]], Ramza instead forces the loser to help him. Gafgarion teaches him Dark Sword techniques and helps him rescue Mel, [[spoiler: Wiegraf leads them to the city of Murond. He gets much less trust and leeway than Gafgarion did, though with good reason given his actions caused much more trouble.]]
** The epilogue indicates that [[spoiler:while they aren't exactly FireForgedFriend, Ramza's comrades - especially Meliadoul, due to their being similar - have set aside their differences and quandries with Wiegraf, chosing to let go of the past and move on. It helps that his actions and sacrifices during the Lucavi War have largely redeemed him of his sins.]]
* DemotedToExtra:
** Rafa and Malak get relatively minor roles compared to the others, and Mustadio almost fell in with them. Beowulf and Reis also suffer, but they're secret characters anyway. Heresy Examiner Zalmour Rusnada (whom Ramza fought twice in the game) got mentioned in one sentence, and never appeared proper in the story. The non-FFT cameos, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII Balthier]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2 Luso]], are COMPLETELY absent.
** The monster guests-turned-party-members are also MIA: Boco the Chocobo was replaced by an original Black Chocobo named Atro. The Reaver Byblos doesn't show up either, but considering the fact that only TWO Tactics fanfics have ever remembered Byblos exists (which were back in 2002 and 2005), the odds of it appearing were never good in the first place.
** On the villains' side, aside from Larg and Goltanna appearing less than in canon [[spoiler: and both being killed in Part One]], Cardinal Draclau & [[spoiler: Dycedarg Beoulve]] are even less important here. [[spoiler: Both face Ramza's group in a DualBoss fight - as Lucavi - and die without much fanfare (heck, Dycedarg/Adramelk is ''singlehandedly'' defeated by Ramza).]]
** In-universe when [[spoiler: Vormav/Hashmal pretty much gets kicked to the curb by Shemhazai. In more ways than one.]]
** Somewhat ''averted'' with Mustadio, however - he was ''intended'' to be this, but makes a few key appearances starting Chapter 19 which give him a significant role. So although he's... well, ''still'' DemotedToExtra compared to the original game, for the author he's... an AscendedExtra.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Rafa. In fairness, it did illustrate the way death in war happens ''very'' suddenly, plus it motivated Valmafra - who'd not done that much until then - to TakeALevelInBadass and kill the murderer, Kletian]].
%%* DualBoss: Non-game example: [[spoiler: Adramelk ''and'' Queklain]]. Unfortunately, the fight was over rather quickly (narrative-wise) and as a result, it feels rather like an AntiClimaxBoss.
%%* DuelBoss:
%%** Gafgarion and [[spoiler: Wiegraf, just like in canon]]. Also kind of seen in "Ramza versus [[spoiler: Dycedarg/Adramelk]]".
%%** Two others in Chapter 35: [[spoiler: Valmafra vs Kletian]] and [[spoiler: Wiegraf vs Velius.]]
%%* DyingAsYourself: [[spoiler: Besrodio Bunanza]] in Chapter 37. See ICannotSelfTerminate below.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Rattletrap, after [[NotQuiteDead somehow surviving an entire airship crashing on him]], goes out his way to fight the remaining Lucavi. When he was at his weakest, he self-destructed himself to kill Famfrit and cripple Velius enough for Delita to strike the killing blow.]]
%%* EleventhHourSuperPower: [[spoiler: Ramza bonding with Pashtarot in the climatic final battle with Altima.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler: Morrigan and Ajora, past lovers and the original vessels of Shemhazai and Altima respectively.]]
* EvilTowerOfOminousness: [[spoiler: One of these is constructed by the Lucavi by Bethla Garrison, ostensibly to serve as the center of their invasion.]]
* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Agrias]] in part one, [[spoiler: joining forces with Delita. She goes back on it later]].
%%* FailureKnight: Agrias, when [[spoiler: Wiegraf kidnaps Ovelia while she's under the Lionsguard's protection.]]
* FlashStep:
** How Ramza, Celia and Lede used the Teleport skill when confronting Elmdore and his samurai.
** Taken a step further with [[spoiler: Altima's TeleportSpam]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Elmdore calls out Ramza [[HannibalLecture for being the one to endanger Bervenia and Meliadoul]], saying it was all his fault they got injured or killed. [[spoiler: Ironically, Mel also calls out on him [[WhatTheHellHero that Izlude died because of his faith in him]]. She then is lost from him, giving herself to Shemhazai in order to resurrect Izlude.]]
** Also related to [[spoiler: Izlude's brief death]] is Mel's threat in her first meeting with Ramza. "I just want ''you'' to know that if you endanger (Izlude) in any way, it will be me you have to answer to." [[spoiler: Shemhazai made sure that would come to pass.]]
* FromBadToWorse: [[spoiler: [[YouCantThwartStageOne The revival of Altima]] and [[LegionsOfHell calling of a thousand demons from the City of Murond]] gradually grows big enough to [[WhamEpisode try and conquer the country of Ivalice]]. The [[EvilTowerOfOminousness Tower on top of Bethla Garrison]] opening a LARGER portal for MORE demons to show up would be enough to [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt take over the entire WORLD]].]]
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan!: Executed in a unique case by Delita; he drew his sword and tried to behead Ramza after he couldn't talk him out of his HeroicBSOD. When he questions his actions of this, Delita 'believed' he wanted to die [[spoiler: before the impending invasion took over the rest of Ivalice]], but merely proved he still has some fight in him left by parrying him.
-->"Stop drowning in remorse. You're still alive, and you still have the chance to set things right. We both do." Delita said, sighing.
* {{Golem}}: Construct 8, renamed Rattletrap by Mustadio.
%%* GottaCatchEmAll: The Zodiac Stones of course.
%%* TheGunslinger / GunsAkimbo: [[spoiler: Celia and Lede when facing Elmdore]]
%%* TheHeavy: Vormav/Hashmal [[spoiler: until Chapter 24, where Meliadoul/Morrigan/Shemhazai takes over.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Rafa and Malak after being freed from the aforementioned DemonicPossession, but also [[spoiler: Gafgarion, Agrias, Delita and Wiegraf]].
%%* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler: Ramza in Chapter 28. [[SubvertedTrope THANK GOD it was just a joke]].]]
* HeroicBSOD:
** Meliadoul has one [[spoiler: in Chapter 23; coupled with her beliefs being shattered much earlier and her brother's death in the chapter ''immediately after'', it leads to her making the monumentally stupid decision to give herself to Shemhazai in exchange for her brother. Things just [[FromBadToWorse get worse]] after that]].
** Ramza has a big one in Chapter 29, [[spoiler: what with his sister now being possessed by Ajora/Altima and the world literally starting to go to hell]].
%%* HeroicSacrifice:
%%** [[spoiler: Master Daravon, the teacher of the Dorter academy]], in Chapter 23.
%%** Followed by [[spoiler: Lavian and Alicia, Agrias's knights]], in Chapter 29.
%%** And then [[spoiler: Rattletrap, saving Celia & Lede's lives]] somewhere between Chapters 36 & 37. [[spoiler: Only he wasn't quite dead yet...]]
* HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Marquis Elmdore]] managed to ''literally'' pull this trope off by - to the shock of many readers - killing off [[spoiler: ''Orlandu'']] of all people. Wow!
* HumbleHero: Ramza, of course, but [=ObsidianDawn=] makes it a clear point that he doesn't fight for himself and doesn't let his own pride of power get to him. [[spoiler: Hence the reason why he would accept Pashtarot, a Scion of LIGHT, to help him defeat Altima after almost beaten to death on his own.]]
* IAmTheTrope: Right before Zalbag encounters a Lucavi for the first time:
-->'''Zalbag''': What are you?
-->'''[[spoiler:Barinten/Zeromus]]''': We are the future.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler: Besrodio Bunanza]], as seen in Chapter 37. [[spoiler: He begged his son Mustadio to kill him in his moment of clarity, before the demons possessed him again.]]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Elmdore. Excalibur ends up in the hands of [[AntiHero Gafgarion]], who combines its natural Holy powers with his Dark Knight abilities to shatter Masamune, before promptly slaying Cid's killer in retribution.]] Even more fitting because of [[spoiler:the old mens' OddFriendship.]]
* KickTheDog: A rather brutal one by [[spoiler: Vormav, who insults Mel ''and'' her mother in the span of two sentences and breaks her spirit]]. ''Bonus points'' qualify if you go by the theory that it was actually a BatmanGambit to [[spoiler: weaken her resolve so that, when Izlude was killed by Wiegraf, she'd break completely and offer herself to Shemhazai, advancing the Lucavi's plans ''further''.]]
%%* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Master Daravon; Lavian & Alicia; "Thunder God" Cid Orlandu; Rafa Galthana; Besrodio Bunanza (Mustadio's father); and Rattletrap]].[[spoiler: Ramza]] looks to have also died, but [[spoiler: his final fate is ambiguous]].
* KillItWithFire: Celia and Lede's suggestion towards Construct 8/Rattletrap.
* KnightOfCerebus: Zeromus, possessing [[spoiler: Duke Barinten]], is the first Lucavi who in battle is shown to be a deadly-serious threat, almost killing [[spoiler: Zalbag]] (who was being aided by [[spoiler: Agrias]], another seasoned warrior). A more ''lasting'' example is [[spoiler: Shemhazai/Morrigan]], who plunges the story - previously moderate in tone - into definite DarkerAndEdgier territory.
%%* TheLegionsOfHell: [[spoiler: As of Chapter 29]].
* MoralityKitchenSink: While Ramza is quite firmly a hero and the Lucavi are clear-cut villains, many characters notably run the spectrum: Gafgarion, Zalbag, Wiegraf, Delita and Ruvelia are chief among them, but [[spoiler:Agrias and Meliadoul]] also qualify.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Meliadoul. She ''didn't'' regret bringing back her brother, but she ''was'' ashamed that her actions brought calamity, death and bloodshed to Ivalice.]]
* MyGreatestFailure:
** Gafgarion is haunted by his failure to [[spoiler: protect Cerra, a young Dark Knight who was his most gifted student and surrogate daughter, from the Ordallian forces - something her brother, the Dark Knight [[MythologyGag Cecil]], never forgave him for.]] Cid even notes this to be a key foundation of his DeathSeeker nature.
** Zalbag comes to see his actions at Ziekden as this, condemning himself for choosing the Beolve name and his pride over the life of his foster sister Teta.
* MyNaymeIs:
** Valmafra. Everyone else has their names faithful to the Platform/PlayStation version. [[WordOfGod ObsidianDawn made this change because he liked the War of the Lions port version of the name, as opposed to Balmafula.]]
** Same deal with "Hashmal" instead of "Hashmalum" - the author was simply picking the spellings he preferred, which mostly fell on the spectrum of the original Playstation version due a small level of [[WordOfGod self-confessed]] NostalgiaFilter.
* MythologyGag:
** The common name gag of Biggs and Wedge. Two of the knights were named as such in Chapter 7.
** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Cecil]] the Dark Knight in Chapter 20. Shadow, Ramza's sword, was also a weapon wielded by [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Cecil.]]
** The airship which appears in Chapter 19 is dubbed "The [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Valefor]]" by Mustadio. [[spoiler: His new one in the Epilogue is called The [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Ixion]].]]
* NearVillainVictory / DeusExMachina: Not ''quite'' to the extent that some works go, but still present. Notably, [[spoiler:Ramza was only able to defeat Altima due to a form of divine providence - namely Pashtarot the Knight Star, the Scion of Light which is the other half of the Cancer stone (which Ramza was carrying), which offers its powers to aid Ramza in his DarkestHour to defeat the demon.]]
* NietzscheWannabe: Ramza notices that most Lucavi like to talk with an air of mystery, and the most evident of them is Elidibus/Zodiark. He was merely pondering on thoughts "humans wouldn't understand" until [[spoiler: Morrigan]] talked him to fighting for the Lucavi.
* NoNameGiven: Chaos, the first Lucavi, never verbally introduced himself or was given a name other than his host [[spoiler: Rudvich]].
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Rattletrap didn't die from the airship's collapse after all.]] [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope But the golem DID die when]] [[SelfDestructMechanism exploding itself the very next chapter]].]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:Meliadoul and Wiegraf]], crucially noted by the former in the epilogue as the reason why they should let each other's scars heal instead of hating each other.
%%* NumberTwo: [[spoiler: Agrias]] becomes this to Delita.
%%* OddFriendship: Between Cid and Gafgarion, mostly seen during Part 2.
* PowerFist: [[spoiler: Ramza sports one in Part 3, based on Rattletrap's technology]]
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: The Glabados Church has shades of this in the story, as they hire out their Templar Knights to secular armies for additional training and experience. This is how Ramza gets to know Izlude.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Lucavi ''seem'' to be this at the start, since the first few who appear aren't ''too'' big of a challenge, and [[spoiler: Zalera]] dies ''[[CurbstompBattle ridiculously quickly]]'' at the hands of Rattletrap (though to be fair, the author considers him a weak Lucavi anyway). The ones that follow subvert this, however.
%%* RedemptionEarnsLife: [[WordOfGod Pointed out]] concerning [[spoiler: Wiegraf Folles]].
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Subverted - people who have sins they wish to atone for tend to find themselves alive, with a key narrative theme being to find a reason to continue living. Even Wiegraf gets away, though with a lost arm - but considering he was facing a Lucavi one-on-one, this is unsurprising, and in fairness it was probably enough payment considering his role in the post-war world.]] Given that a key theme of the story (unstated, but subtly implied) is to forgive and move on with life even after the trauma, making good of it regardless of what you've done... this is highly appropriate, indeed.
* RelationshipUpgrade: It is implied that Ramza and Mel had a LOT of alone time between Parts 1 and 2, and in "The Resistance", Ramza finds himself in bed with her after giving her a thoughtful birthday present. They aren't the only ones, as the epilogue shows.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: As the Queen of Ivalice, Ovelia ascends to this trope during the final battle by [[spoiler: secretly joining the Healers' ranks to help wounded soldiers]]. Delita is only Regent of Ivalice - and not yet King - so he doesn't doesn't quite count, but he's getting there too.
* SacrificialLion: By WordOfGod, [[spoiler: Lavian and Alicia]] dying in Chapter 29 invokes this trope.
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler: Mustadio]], though in this case it ''really'' [[ICannotSelfTerminate wasn't]] [[DyingAsYourself his]] [[MercyKill choice]].
* SequenceBreaking: Many of the events from {{Canon}} do take place, but in a very different order and context. Parts 1 & 2 are based on Chapters 2-4 from the game, with Part 3 diverging into a completely different plot.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Ramza's main motivation for joining the Southern Sky. [[spoiler: He eventually ''fought'' against the Southern Sky too after Delita takes over, still with ideal beliefs.]]
* ShipTease: The early chapters of the story hint at Agrias being somewhat attracted to Ramza. This ends up [[RedHerring not going anywhere]], and eventually she becomes much more interested in [[spoiler: his older brother.]]
* ShoutOut:
** In Chapter 12, Ramza says they cannot just [[WalkIntoMordor walk into Igros.]]
** At the end of Chapter 13, right before [[spoiler: Delita opens the floodgates of Bethla to drown the Northern Sky army]], there is this exchange:
-->'''Ramza''': This isn't war! This is a massacre! Delita, this is madness!
-->'''Delita''': Madness? [[Film/ThreeHundred This is Ivalice.]]
** Worker/Construct 8 is named "Rattletrap" in a pretty clear reference to [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rattletrap the Transformers character]].
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan:
** Pretty much fits all the pairings in the story, more or less. Meliadoul for one finds herself attracted to Ramza's unerring justness and refusal to stop doing the right thing no matter the cost, which is in [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism stark contrast to her more pragmatic views on life]].
** Special mention must be made for the [[spoiler: Agrias/Zalbag]] pairing, as it is easily the strongest example of this trope. During the first half of the story, she is in an odd relationship with [[spoiler: Delita]] that doesn't have much of a foundation besides wishing to put a new monarch on the throne of Ivalice. Once that is done, the narrative all but spells out that the relationship is a very emotionally unsatisfying situation for her, and sleeping with him causes her to feel empty and guilty. Unsurprisingly, it quietly ends with little fanfare.
*** In contrast, once she begins interacting with [[spoiler: Zalbag]] on a regular basis, their relationship develops much more naturally, going from strangers to allies to friends and finally, lovers. They have many more things in common, and a healthy dose of [[BattleCouple fighting demons back-to-back]] and [[RescueRomance saving each other's lives frequently]] [[SnarkToSnarkCombat with a helping of snark]] [[FlirtingUnderFire under said situations]] definitely help as well.
* SlidingScaleOfVillainEffectiveness: '''Credible''', at first. It starts to rise towards '''High''' in the second half of Part Two, and becomes firmly stuck there when [[spoiler: [[KnightOfCerebus Shemhazai]]]] shows up.
* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Possessed-Izlude]] would have killed Ramza if not for [[spoiler:his carrying the Taurus stone - because his "dark passanger" was Chaos, the stone's iconic demon, it was able to banish him for good and free Izlude.]] In turn, [[spoiler:Izlude's saving Ramza enabled him to free Meliadoul and Alma & defeat the Lucavi threat, saving Ivalice.]]
* SparedByTheAdaptation: A lot more than you would expect: [[spoiler: Izlude, Zalbag, Gafgarion, Olan, Celia, Lede, Wiegraf, Ovelia... even some of the minor characters like Simon and Aliste.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: Cid and Ruvelia became this when Ruvelia became Queen, but were finally reunited after many years and, putting aside their old resentment, re-establish their old bonds. [[spoiler: Then Cid is KilledOffForReal.]]
* TakeUpMySword: [[spoiler: Gafgarion takes Excalibur by Cid's approval, in his dying moments.]]
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: [[spoiler: Ramza and Wiegraf. Well, more like ''everyone'' and Wiegraf, but Ramza's the one most commonly seen.]] Justified on both sides: [[spoiler: Ramza killed Wiegraf's sister, and Wiegraf's actions indirectly led to Ramza and Izlude losing their sisters & lovers, and hastened the rise of Altima]]. In the end, [[spoiler: though the most personal parties can't outright forgive each other anytime soon, they've all reached an understanding, especially following Wiegraf's actions protecting Ovelia; Meliadoul in particular won't hold Wiegraf accountable, having also experienced a similar fall into darkness.]]
%%* ThoseTwoGirls: Lavian & Alicia, as well as Celia & Lede.
* TimeSkip:
** A few months pass between Chapters 13 and 14 (or more appropriately, between the end of Part 1 and the start of Part 2). A good chunk of Ramza and Meliadoul's relationship development occurs during this "offscreen" period.
** Another occurs between [[WhamEpisode Chapter 29]] and [[BreatherEpisode Chapter 30]]. Not as long as the aforementioned skip, but long enough for [[spoiler: Lionel Province to sink underwater and an army of demons to begin their invasion of Ivalice.]]
** A minor one also happens between Chapters 8 and 9, where Ramza has just bested Gafgarion and Mel is suddenly captured. [[spoiler: All the time between that is Ramza finding his sister, training under Gaff, and saving Mel with her brother.]]
* TranquilFury: Ramza towards [[spoiler: Wiegraf, who believed it would finally be his chance to extract his revenge for Miluda's death. [[OhCrap He]] [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown was]] [[VillainousBreakdown dead]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck wrong]].]]
%%* TrueCompanions: Ramza and all his companions, made noted in Chapter 30. [[spoiler: Except [[TeethClenchedTeamwork Wiegraf]].]]
* TwinThreesomeFantasy:
** Valmafra ''heavily implied'' that she was in a past relationship with Celia and Lede.
** Now it seems they're trying their luck on Mustadio.
* TheVamp: Shemhazai the Whisperer
* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: [[spoiler: Zalbag to Agrias: she recounts an incident to him in which they had met at Igros as children and involved him falling off a chocobo. Their relationship is pretty well solidified after this.]]
* WeCanRuleTogether: Wiegraf gets an offer [[spoiler: from Velius]] to join the Lucavi: they would give him the satisfaction of crushing the nobles that denied his rights before, as well as [[spoiler: bringing his sister back. Wiegraf knows it is just a lie, and fights him.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Delita of course, except here he's also joined by [[spoiler: Agrias]]. [[spoiler: Both HeelFaceTurn later on]].
* WesternZodiac: Like the game, but able to go above and beyond by showing the demons representing all 13 (including Serpentarius). [[spoiler: Also Pashtarot the Knight Star for Cancer's light half.]]
* WhamEpisode:
** Rather [[ThreeActStructure fittingly]], Chapter 29. To elaborate: [[spoiler: Ramza fails to prevent Ajora being resurrected in Alma's body; Lavian and Alicia pull a HeroicSacrifice via YouShallNotPass to buy everyone more time; and with Ajora rising, Murond sinks into the sea, followed by the Legions of Hell being allowed entrance into Ivalice.]]
** Also Chapter 24: [[spoiler: Wiegraf has killed Izlude and kidnapped Alma, and in a fit of grief Meliadoul surrenders herself to Shemhazai in exchange for her brother's life restored.]]
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Mustadio reflects on this a couple of times regarding Rattletrap, being astonished at how sentient and independant-minded a human-made machine can be. [[spoiler: After his (first) HeroicSacrifice, Celia and Lede [[TearJerker sombrely honour Rattletrap]].]]
%%* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue
* WhereItAllBegan: Igros Castle and Bethla Garrison. The former is where Ramza and Delita started their days as Hokuten soldiers before the fanfic starts, [[spoiler: and note how they never thought of being back when the Lucavi start invading in the beginning of Part 3.]] Meanwhile, Bethla Garrison is where Ramza relocates after Ziekden and has plenty of fond memories of fighting with his men, his friends, and the people he grew to love and trust. [[spoiler: When he finally re-enters via sneaking for the fist time since the climax of 'Southern Sky', he couldn't help to think back on those memories and smile. Giving him all the more reason to drive the remain Lucavi back and to save his home.]]
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler: Meliadoul, giving herself to save Izlude, unleashes Morrigan/Shemhazai upon the world, and she proves to be a bigger threat than ''Hashmal''!]]
%%* TheWorfEffect: How ''else'' can you view [[spoiler: Elmdore killing ''Thunder God Cid'' of all people]]?
* YinYangBomb: [[spoiler: Wielding Excalibur after Cid's death, Gafgarion combines his natural Dark Knight abilities with the sword's HolyHandGrenade powers, giving it the power needed to ''shatter'' Elmdore's Masamune]].
* YouShallNotPass: [[spoiler: Lavian and Alicia pull this in Chapter 29 to buy everyone else time]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Morrigan does this to Hashmal for not only failing to kill Izlude, but also for having the gall to [[BerserkButton order her]] to help him out.]]
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