Final Fantasy XIV Disciples Of War Tank / Characters

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/FinalFantasyXIVDisciplesOfWarTank

This page covers the NPCs featured in the various questlines for Tank classes and jobs. For the classes and jobs themselves, see Tank Classes.

As the story has advanced beyond the point of hiding plot twists, there are unmarked spoilers below, you have been warned.

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Gladiator/Paladin

Mylla Swordsong

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mylla_ffxiv.jpg

Race: Highlander Hyur
Discipline: Gladiator

"Every man and woman here has the potential to become a champion, but it is you— and you alone— who decides your destiny."

Guildmaster of the Gladiators' Guild. Inherited her father's guild as well as his Hot-Blooded temperament.

Always Someone Better: Despite her best efforts and reputation as the First Sword, Mylla admits that Aldis has always been a league above her in skill and strength. This is part of the reason why she feels so insecure around him, as she knows the position should have been given to him.
Belligerent Sexual Tension: She very clearly has a thing for Aldis even after seven years of thinking him dead. But she refuses to admit this, instead ranting and raving about his devil-may-care atttitude.
Beneath the Mask: While she puts up a front as a stern woman in perfect control of her emotions, Aldis tends to send her into a frenzy with his antics, revealing a much more insecure and emotionally vulnerable person.
Big Damn Heroes: She and the rest of the Gladiators show up to save Aldis from execution and aid him and the Warrior of Light in the final battle against Alacran.
Hot-Blooded: When Mylla gets angry or gets into anything, she'll be very outspoken on the subject to say the least.
Knightly Sword and Shield: Contrasting the rogue'ish and more traditional gladiator Aldis with his large red falchion and buckler, the more noble and selfless Mylla wields a longsword and kite shield which along with her plate armor makes her look like a knight.
Magic Knight: Combines sword-and-shield combat with healing magic when she fights alongside you as an ally.
A Mother to Her Men: Though she can be strict and temperamental, Mylla places her Gladiators and their growth first and foremost, this is best shown after the disastrous first battle with Alacran, where she chews herself out for acting out so rashly and endangering her fellow Gladiators.
Out-of-Character Moment: At the beginning of the guild missions, she comes across as a capable and charismatic leader that keeps the Gladiators together; everybody respects her, especially after what she had to go through because of the fiasco with Aldis. However, when both Aldis and Leavold come back she finds herself increasingly frustrated and stressed, which results in her making a terrible decision to make the Gladiators charge at the Alacrans despite not knowing what they were going up against. This ultimately serves to show how dangerous the Alacrans are and to pave the way for her and Aldis to bury the hatchet.
Never a Self-Made Woman: Zig-zagged, on the one hand she wasn't meant to inherit the Guild, Aldis was, on the other hand she does a very good job at keeping them together and make them a trusted Guild in Ul'dah.
Red Baron: She's known as the First Sword of the Gladiators' Guild.
Statuesque Stunner: As a Highlander Hyur, she's pretty tall and fills out a suit of plate armor nicely.

Aldis

Race: Highlander Hyur
Epithet: Sword of Nald
Discipline: Gladiator, Samurai

A once famous champion of the Bloodsands coliseum, 7 years have passed since he fell from grace. These days he keeps himself busy indulging in simple pleasures, mostly ale and women.

Ambiguous Situation: The truth behind his exile from Ul'dah is pretty murky. In-game has match-fixing as the controversy, while Encyclopaedia Eorzea posits him having a hand in the death of the previous guildmaster of the Gladiators' Guild. No solid answer is given as to whether he is actually guilty of either of these crimes, but it is implied that he was framed for them by Leavold.
Black Knight: He joins the Ul Cup as the mysterious Black Lotus with a full helmet concealing his identity.
Blow You Away: Aldis is able to conjure up blasts of winds with a slash of his sword.
The Casanova: He is always flirting with Mylla in a teasing manner, but he genuinely does care for her.
Casual Danger Dialogue: When a group of assassins barge into the Quicksand and announce their intention to take his head, Aldis' response is to complain about how he'd be unable to enjoy his ale if he lost his head.
Charlie Brown from Outta Town: The level 68 Paladin quest reveals he's Black Lotus and quite out in the open in Ul'dah, considering his status.
Cool Sword: Carries a large, red-tipped serrated blade with runes named "Frenzy". It's one of a unique pair of swords forged by the drunken master blacksmith Gerolt.
Counter-Attack: He's an expert at using his shield to counter his enemy's moves and then bash them with it to disarm them, as seen in his fights against Leavold and Mylla. Prior to being removed in Shadowbringers he used to teach the player the Shield Swipe ability, which could only be used after blocking an attack and would temporarily disable enemy weaponskills and auto-attacks, explicitly citing it as the technique he beat Leavold with in their last bout in the arena.
Dash Attack: During the duel against him, he will quickly shorten the distance with Shield Blast to slam his shield in your face and stun you.
I Have Your Wife: Not his wife, but he's forced into forfeiting the Ul Tournament since the main villain in the Stormblood job quests wants the Warrior of Light to win and does so by kidnapping his adopted nephew. After the kid is rescued he gets to fight them anyway.
Know When to Fold 'Em: After seeing the Warrior's power by their aura alone in Shadowbringers, he knows he is completely outmatched and decides to forfeit the duel before it even starts.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Fitting a skilled gladiator and duelist, Aldis carries a buckler in addition to his sword and is very skilled at using it to block enemy attacks as well as disarm them.
Master Swordsman: He was one of the greatest gladiators to ever grace the bloodsands and honored by Raubahn, the Bull of Ala Mhigo himself. When the Alacran ambush him and the Warrior at the Quicksand in the Level 10 Gladiator Quest, it takes him seconds to dispatch one goon after the other while the Warrior is chipping away at a single opponent. Mylla's insecurities are largely derived from how she was Always Second Best to him despite being a master swordsman herself.
Named Weapons: The large red sword he carries is known as Frenzy. It's so legendary that just the sight of it in Ul'dah is enough to confirm Aldis' identity.
Oh, Crap!: He challenges the Warrior of Darkness to a friendly duel in Shadowbringers, but becomes extremely terrified by them when he sees their powerful aura and wonders how they've gotten so strong.
Red Baron: He and Leavold were known as the "Twin Swords of Nald'thal", with Aldis as the "Sword of Nald" as a testament to his skills. After all, would you want to pick a fight with a guy compared to one of the gods presiding over life and death?
Retired Badass: 7 years of forced retirement has done little to dull his skills.
Shield Bash: He's very handy at wielding his buckler as a weapon, expertly using it to counter and disarm his foes, as seen in his fights against Leavold and Mylla. When you fight him, he will also charge and slam you with his shield, opening you up to his follow-up attack.
Sink or Swim Mentor: At one point he pits you against an assassin come to take his life as a training exercise, despite easily being skilled enough to defeat her himself.
We Used to Be Friends: With Leavold and Mylla.
Western Samurai: The level 80 quest shows that he travelled to the Far East and took up the way of the samurai while the Warrior of Light was busy saving the First. He gives it up and goes back to being a Gladiator after seeing just how powerful the Warrior of Light has become.
Worthy Opponent: He joins the Ul Cup specifically to get a match with the Warrior of Light. He gets his wish in the finale and is very happy to have gotten the match of his life.
You Can't Go Home Again: Due to rigging his duels (which is implied to be Malicious Slander from Leavold) and thus is disgraced from the coliseum and the Gladiators' Guild. This gets reversed in Stormblood where he is pardoned and by Shadowbringers, he returns to the guild.

Leavold

Race: Midlander Hyur
Epithet: Sword of Thal
Discipline: Gladiator

Former friend of Mylla and Aldis, a disgraced gladiator who desires revenge against Aldis and now leads the Alacran, one of the most infamous criminal groups in Thanalan.

Arc Villain: The acting head of the Alacran.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Refusing to surrender to Aldis after his defeat, Leavold decides to jump off the cliff and fall to his death purely to spite Aldis and deny him the satisfaction of his victory.
Bond Breaker: The duel between him and Aldis is what lead to the friendship with each other (as well as with Mylla) to crumble.
Cool Sword: Wields the twin of Aldis' Frenzy, a large and serrated falchion engraved with runes.
Disney Villain Death: He falls off the bridge he and Aldis were fighting on after their duel.
Evil Former Friend: He and Aldis were once brothers-in-arms as gladiators.
From Nobody to Nightmare: Turned the Alacran from gang of common thieves into the most feared criminal organization in Thanalan.
Greater-Scope Villain: While he features only in the 1-30 Gladiator questline, as the leader of the Alacran he is this to the 1-30 Pugilist questline as well. The Alacran also play a minor role in the 1-30 Thaumaturge questline and even the MSQ for players starting out in Ul'dah.
The Resenter: Towards Aldis. He begged him to throw the duel, but when he didn't, he slandered him which lead to his disgrace from the Gladiators' Guild.
Rival Turned Evil: After his loss to Aldis, he joined the Alacran in hopes to kill him.
The Unfought: Leavold is never fought directly by the player; the final battle of the Gladiator questline has the player battle against his minions while he and Aldis duel elsewhere.
We Used to Be Friends: With Aldis and Mylla.

Zana Lyehga

Race: Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te
Discipline: Pugilist

Leavold's enforcer in the Alacran.

The Dragon: She serves as this for Leavold.
Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: She uses Hundred Fists when at low health, reducing her auto-attack delay by an absurd amount. She uses no other skills while its active, but when she's auto-attacking nearly twice a second she doesn't need them.

Jenlyns Aesc

Race: Midlander Hyur
Epithet: Jenlyns Straightblade
Discipline: Paladin

Captain of the Sultansworn and the Paladin job trainer. He seeks to recruit more adventurers to their dwindling ranks to become Free Paladins, unconnected to the Sultanate but still upholding justice throughout the realm.

Glory Days: Jenlyns is obsessed with restoring the Sultansworn back to what it was in its glorious past and believes retrieving Oathkeeper is key to reclaiming their honor, which the Monetarists use to manipulate him against you and Solkzagyl.
Hazy-Feel Turn: During the Paladin quests in A Realm Reborn, he turns against you after Monetarist agents give him false evidence implicating you as Solkzagyl's accomplice. It takes a sound beating from you and a save from Solkzagyl himself to get him get him to calm down.
Honor Before Reason: His absolute faith and trust in his fellow Sultansworn makes it easy for the Monetarists to control and manipulate him by posing as his brothers and planting fake evidence against you and Solkzagyl.
Knightly Sword and Shield: Being a Paladin, Jenlyns fights with a knightly longsword and a shield, more specifically a buckler.
Madness Mantra: Towards the end of his boss fight in the second level 45 quest, he eventually devolves into screaming "CONFESS!!" at you over and over.
Praetorian Guard: Jenlyns is captain and leader of the Sultansworn, elite Paladins who serve as the royal guards of the Sultanate.
Sketchy Successor: Jenlyns himself doesn't feel worthy of his position as captain when he realizes that he only succeeded Solkzagyl because he was a useful puppet for the Monetarists.
This Cannot Be!: After turning on you and being defeated at the Sagolii, he cannot believe that he, who has served in the Sultansworn for years, was bested by his junior, stubbornly stating he is your superior in every way even as he is kneeling on the ground.
Unwitting Pawn: Jenlyns is easily manipulated and used as a puppet by the Monetarists, playing on his obsession with retrieving Oathkeeper and planting fake evidence to turn him against you and Solkzagyl.
The Uriah Gambit: The second level 45 quest reveals that all those "tests" he's been sending you on were in fact discreet attempts to get you killed after Monetarist spies tricked him into believing you're Solkzagyl's accomplice. Said quest has him fed up with the past failures and deciding to take matters into his own hands before you and Solkzagyl set him straight.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: When he fails to kill you and is defeated, the Monetarists' assassins try to kill him as he no longer serves a purpose as their puppet.

Solkzagyl Keltnaglsyn

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/solkzagyl.png

Race: Sea Wolf Roegadyn
Epithet: Solkzagyl the Loyal
Discipline: Paladin

The former captain of the Sultansworn, having served in the position for 30 years before he mysteriously disappeared along with the legendary sword Oathkeeper. Solkzagyl first introduces himself as a fellow "Free Paladin" to the player when they seek to become one and tasks you with returning a Paladin Soulstone to Jenlyns, which enrages the new captain as he believes Solkzagyl is responsible for Oathkeeper's theft. In truth the sword was stolen by the Death's Embrace, personal assassins of the Monetarists. Solkzagyl left the order to pursue the thieves and retrieve the sword, but was subsequently framed for the act.

Cool Crown: Solkzagyl wears a golden coronet as a symbol of his status as a Paladin. In Heavensward he switches to a circlet with a pair of silver wings while passing his coronet to Constaint.
Cool Sword: He initially wields a replica of the Curtana, a massive blue sword with gold ornaments, before passing it to Constaint. As the previous captain he also wielded the legendary Oathkeeper and fights you wielding it at the end of the Heavensward quests.
Faking the Dead: Solkzagyl fakes his death in the Heavensward job quests, having been seemingly killed by bandits. He shows up at the end of the questline, revealing his faked death being part of a ploy to test if Constaint's conviction to become a Paladin was true and as a means of restoring the glory that Oathkeeper once possessed.
Knight Errant: Appears first to the player as a "Free Paladin"^note. Turns out this is half true. He's a Free Paladin, but not by willing choice. He was forced to leave the Sultansworn to protect them from slander as best he could. He now travels as a Free Paladin to protect those in need wherever they may be and to find clues on where Oathkeeper was taken.
Knight in Shining Armor: Solkzagyl is a noble and loyal Paladin in shining silver armor, ready to protect the innocent from harm and willing to endure his own shame to restore his order's honor. His teaching methods, however, are a bit less shining.
Knightly Sword and Shield: Solkzagyl initially wields replicas of the Curtana and Holy Shield, the relic weapons for Paladins in A Realm Reborn, serving as a preview for the weapons the player can get.
Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Solkzagyl wields a replica of the Holy Shield and notably uses it to protect Jenlyns from an assassin's arrow.
Non-Standard Character Design: Solkzagyl is a Seawolf Roegadyn, but has a black nose like the Hellsguard.
Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Solkzagyl manages to retrieve Oathkeeper from the Death's Embrace completely offscreen and doesn't explain how he did it.
Old Soldier: Solkzagyl is 54 years old and has served as a Paladin for most of his life, 30 of which as Captain of the Sultansworn.
Put on a Bus: He departs at the end of the Heavensward Paladin quests, and does not reappear during the questlines for Stormblood or Shadowbringers.
Stealth Mentor: The Heavensward Paladin quests were all set up by him to test both the player and Constaint as Paladins in order to find somebody worthy to make Oathkeeper shine again. Both Constaint and Jenlyns express exasperation at his methods.
Sword Beam: During his duel against you, Solkzagyl will charge up his sword and unleash a massive slash that covers a wide area, very similar to Ilberd's Sanguine Blade.
You Wouldn't Believe Me If I Told You: He responds this way if you ask him how he arranged the events of the Heavensward quests.

Constaint

Race: Wildwood Elezen
Epithet: Constaint Solidblade
Discipline: Paladin

A young man from Ishgard who pledged himself to be a squire under Solkzagyl and learn how to be a Paladin.

The Apprentice: Originally to Solkzagyl, but ends up looking up to the Warrior of Light as their true mentor.
BFS: Constaint takes up Solkzagyl's sword, which is a replica of the Curtana sword and massive in his hands.
Knight Errant: Takes on the mantle of a Free Paladin to wander the land and protect people from harm.
Knight in Shining Armor: Constaint eventually grows into a noble Paladin, eager to defend the innocent from evil threats.
Knightly Sword and Shield: Takes up the arms of a Paladin during his quest and ultimately receives Solkzagyl's sword and shield, replicas of the Curtana and Holy Shield relic weapons.
Take Up My Sword: The Heavensward quests are framed this way initially: With Solkzagyl seemingly killed by the remnants of the Death's Embrace, Constaint seeks to avenge him and literally picks up pieces of his discarded arms and armor while proving himself as a Paladin along the way. However, Solkzagyl isn't actually dead, having framed his death to spur Constaint on the path as part of his gambit to restore Oathkeeper's glory.
Took a Level in Badass: Constaint grows from an insecure squire to a skilled knight, even doing pretty well in the Ul Cup tournament in Stormblood.
The Unchosen One: He was originally picked by Solkzagyl to be a rival to the Warrior of Light in his quest to restore Oathkeeper. He takes it in stride and decides to follow up the path he chose.
What the Hell, Hero?: While he ultimately takes it in stride, he does call out Solkzagyl for his schemes in Heavensward.

Marauder/Warrior

Wyrnzoen Saelsmyndsyn

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wyrnzoen.jpg

Race: Sea Wolf Roegadyn
Discipline: Marauder

"It is not our way to simply outfight our adversaries; we seek to overwhelm them."

Axemaster and leader of the Marauder's guild.

Everybody Knew Already: When the "Familiar Marauder" reveals himself to be Wyrnzoen in Stormblood, he is shocked to find that the Warrior of Light isn't even remotely surprised.
Facial Markings: Two large white lines under his eyes.
Paper-Thin Disguise: As the "Familiar Marauder", his disguise literally only consists of a face-covering helmet while otherwise still wearing his distinctive blue armor.
Retired Badass: Wyrnzoen was once a captain of the Yellowjackets, but a knee injury forced him to retire from the front lines.
Rugged Scar: Wyrnzoen is an experienced soldier with the facial scars to match: One long and partially stitched scar runs across his forehead and over his right eye, while a smaller scar runs across his nose.
Secret Test of Character: Or rather, he tries to keep it a secret. Upon sending the Warrior of Light on a minor mission, he and many of his fellow guild mates disguise themselves to fight the Warrior and test his strength. The Warrior and Solkwyb see right through the ploy, but Solkwyb bids the Warrior to play along.
Younger Than They Look: Wyrnzoen is only 35 years old, but his white hair and mustache along with his guildmaster status make him seem like an Old Soldier.

Solkwyb Saelsmyndwyn

Race: Sea Wolf Roegadyn
Epithet: Solkwyb the Enlightened
Discipline: Conjurer

Wyrnzoen's sister, and a conjurer who accompanies new recruits on quests to support them.

Deadpan Snarker: She's entirely unafraid to sass her brother whenever he gets a bit too... overzealous.
Eyepatch of Power: A capable conjurer who wears an eyepatch over her left eye.
Only Sane Man: Gives off this vibe in regards to Wyrnzoen.
The Medic: Keeps you alive throughout many of your trials as a Marauder, and even accompanies you for your trial as a Warrior.
Smoking Is Cool: She smokes a long pipe.

Broenbhar Rocksplitter

Race: Sea Wolf Roegadyn
Discipline: Marauder

"Got room for one more? Can't let the novice have all the fun!"

A veteran member of the Marauder's guild who occasionally assists with a new recruit's training.

Paper-Thin Disguise: When you face the Masked Marauder's minions, Broenbhar fights you while only wearing a helmet as a disguise along with his regular armor. Lampshaded, as he is labeled as "Someone Familiar."

Kujata

Race Aurochs

A large aurochs that threatens the smallfolk of La Noscea.

Arc Villain: Of the Marauder storyline.
Brutish Bulls: Kujata is an enormous buffalo that has been indisciminately rampaging across the La Noscean countryside since the Calamity.
Circling Vultures: Kujata is constantly followed by flocks of vultures, as well as a pack of wolves and even the odd raptor, which all feast on the carrion left behind by its rampages.
Wolfpack Boss: The wolves that follow Kujata assist it in battle. Broenbhar moves to deal with the wolves, allowing you and Solkwyb to face Kujata alone, but if you take too long Broenbhar will be overwhelmed leaving you to face Kujata and the wolves.
Wound That Will Not Heal: It inflicts Infirmity, a status condition that reduces healing received, which in-universe is why its victims were so hard to heal as well.

Curious Gorge

Race: Hellsguard Roegadyn
Epithet: The Northerner
Discipline: Warrior

A Hellsguard Roegadyn from the volcanic homelands of Abalathia's Spine who has traveled to Eorzea to decipher scrolls of the Warrior heritage. He also protects Wineport from any monster attacks. Seeing the Player's skill, he begins your training in the ways of the Warrior.

Achilles in His Tent: His going off to sulk due to losing a fight or control of his Inner Beast is practically a Running Gag.
Aesop Amnesia: Played for Drama. As much as Curious Gorge seeks to control his Inner Beast, he continuously loses control of it throughout the questline, to the point that it's almost Once an Episode where he loses it. That being said, Gorge admits that this is a failing on his part, and seeks to improve himself so that he stops losing control at the drop of a hat.invoked
Crazy Jealous Guy: In the level 80 quest, he sees the Warrior of Light and Dorgono smiling at each other and concludes that they’ve been having an affair behind his back. He promptly loses control of his Inner Beast yet again, only for Dorgono to knock some sense into him.
Get A Hold Of Yourself Man:
- At one point asks the player to slap him to get over his own doubts, which the player complies to. As things go on, he keeps asking the Warrior of Light to smack him periodically to get him moving again.
- After Gorge loses control of his Inner Beast, the player has to Beat the Curse Out of Him by engaging him in a Duel Boss fight. This happens more than once.
Heroic BSoD: He remains largely in a funk through the level 50-60 portions of the Warrior quests for fear of losing control of the Inner Beast and attacking others again.
Love at First Punch: Falls hard for Dorgono upon seeing her succumb to her Inner Beast, his vision is clouded by a Crush Filter of sparkles and pink hearts just before she sends him flying into the bay.
Curious Gorge: She swings like a dream....
Love Epiphany: Curious Gorge falls and falls hard for Dorgono upon meeting her, but because he spent most of his life dedicated to becoming a Warrior he didn't fully understand his own feelings, and her initial spiteful attitude towards him made him hate her in equal measures. This conflict of emotions temporarily robs him of his Inner Beast, complicating things further. By the level 70 quest, Curious Gorge has everything sorted out and is ready to confess his love to Dorgono.
Mr. Fanservice: A lot of the 50-60 quests is spent in the Camp Bronze Lake hot springs where Curious Gorge is walking around in a swimsuit.
Once per Episode: It has become a Running Gag at this point that Curious Gorge will lose control of his Inner Beast at least once per expansion.
Pointless Bandaid: Across the bridge of his nose.
The Power of Love: After coming terms with his feelings and admitting his love to Dorgono, he uses that love as a source of power to help overcome their opposition.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Curious Gorge is proud of the Warrior way, even though it has been shunned by the populous some time back because the warrior art tends to turn people into berserkers incapable of distinguishing between friend and foe..
Red Eyes, Take Warning: When fighting and tapping into his Inner Beast.
Shout-Out: His name is a rather peculiar one to Curious George. Don't ask him about it.
Tsundere: He is rather on the Tsun side around Dorgono during the Stormblood arc.
Unfortunate Name: Immediately after introducing himself, he warns that if anyone mocks his name he's going to gut them.
Unstoppable Rage: Curious Gorge has used his rage to control his Inner Beast, yet he learns that such a method exhausts quickly and leaves one defenseless, and indeed he loses control of himself.
Younger Than They Look: This burly Roegadyn is actually only 23 years old. Given that the Company of Heroes disbanded in 1572, that means he was fighting monsters since he was at least 18.

Broken Mountain

Race: Hellsguard Roegadyn
Epithet: The Sleeping Volcano
Discipline: Warrior, Arcanist

Curious Gorge's older brother. Once also a Warrior, Broken Mountain was the main target of the Warrior quests in A Realm Reborn, as Curious Gorge and the Warrior of Light sought to stop him after he succumbed to his Inner Beast. While they were successful, he suffered a career-ending injury at his brother's hands, forcing him to retire and instead pour over texts to better understand the Warrior and control the Inner Beast.

Genius Bruiser: A capable Warrior himself, and the one doing all the research into the history of their art. Fittingly he is also a very skilled Arcanist which is the most mentally demanding form of magic.
Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Unlike Curious Gorge, Broken Mountain's replica artifact armor lacks the helmet.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Throughout the Warrior quests in A Realm Reborn his eyes glow red as he has been taken over by his Inner Beast.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: During the Shadowbringers Warrior epilogue, Dorgono's father revealed that the injury Broken Mountain suffered at Curious Gorge's hands wasn't as severe as he thought, and that it was in-fact a mental block caused by losing out to both his brother and his Inner Beast that was holding him back. Following this revelation, he took up the ax again and rededicated himself to his training alongside his brother and Dorgono.
Sleeves Are for Wimps: Outside of his Warrior attire, he wears a sleeveless tunic that shows off his burly Roegadyn arms.
The Unfought: Is set up as the apparent Arc Villain of the A Realm Reborn Warrior quests, only to fall to his brother before the Warrior of Light gets a chance to fight him.

Dorgono of the Qerel

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dorgono_1.png

Race: Xaela Au Ra
Epithet: The Bedevilled, Dorgono Blueblade
Discipline: Warrior

"The will of Karash burns brightly within me. Too brightly."

A Xaela from the Azim Steppe, Dorgono was exiled from her tribe after awakening her Inner Beast. She traveled to Eorzea in the hopes of finding a way to tame it.

All Amazons Want Hercules: She is thoroughly impressed by the Warrior's strength and asks them to return to the Azim Steppe with her and join her clan so they can teach her clan how to control the Will of Karash. She's understanding, but visibly disappointed, when the Warrior refuses on account of their responsibilities.
Anguished Declaration of Love: After Curious Gorge loses control of his Inner Beast, Dorgono has the same love epiphany he did. She loudly declares that she loves him, loud enough to physically strike Curious Gorge with her voice alone and bring him back to his senses.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: As a Xaela of the Azim Steppe, Dorgono is a proud warrior who looks down upon those she deems weak, deriding Curious Gorge as a "worm" for being easily brushed aside by her axe.
The Berserker: She isn't in control of her Inner Beast, as the Warrior of Light and the others find out.
Cursed with Awesome: The will of Karash/Inner Beast turns anyone not in control into a super-strong mindless berserker, Dorgono included. She and her tribe see it as a curse. The Warrior of Light, Curious Gorge and Broken Mountain, having learned to control it, see it as a blessing. Delicate to handle, but a blessing nonetheless.
Even the Girls Want Her: Potentially. In the level 80 Warrior Quest, Dorgono's father Luvsan offers Dorgono's hand in marriage to the Warrior of Light, thinking that the Warrior is more than worthy in strength and ability to be Dorgono's mate. One of the dialogue options the Warrior has to respond with is an enthusiastic "Don't mind if I do!" to the offer. None of this dialogue changes if the Warrior of Light is female.
The Exile: She is a Taken, a Qerel who succumbed to the will of Karash/Inner Beast. Taken are exiled from their tribe until they learn to control their rage.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: As a female Au Ra, only lalafells are smaller than Dorgono, yet she is still paired off with Curious Gorge, a hulking Roegadyn.
Muscles Are Meaningless: She's a delicate-looking thing but has no problems sending Roegadyn marauders and warriors flying with a single swing of her axe.
Lady of War: As dainty and cute as any female Au Ra. She is also an axe-wielding berserker.
Massive Numbered Siblings: She is the youngest of eighteen siblings.
Never Learned to Read: The Qerel have no written word. As a result, any mail the Qerel happen to get ends up fed to the goats. This is why none of Curious Gorge's missives of love got any responses.
Pintsized Powerhouse: As a female Au Ra, Lalafell are about the only other Spoken smaller than her. Doesn't stop her from sending three Roegadyn men (the largest of the Spoken by comparison) flying with minimal effort.
Playing with Fire: Her inner fury can manifest as balls of flame that she blasts her enemies with.

Nayaga of the Chagan

Race: Xaela Au Ra
Epiethet: Nayaga the Taken
Discipline: Warrior

The Chief of the Chagan clan, the exiles of the Qerel who embrace the bloodlust of the Karash, aka the Inner Beast.

Arc Villain: Of the Stormblood Warrior questline. He's first mentioned in the Level 68 quest, then appearing in the Level 70 quest.
The Beastmaster: While Dorgono and Curious Gorge are charging up their attack, Nayaga summons mammoths to join him in the battle.
Blood Knight: He leads the outcasts of the Qerel who willingly embrace the Karash/Inner Beast.
Final Boss: Of the Stormblood Warrior questline.
No-Sell: At 70% health, he invokes the Dusk Mother to shield him, making him invincible.
This Cannot Be!: He has this reaction when Dorgono and Curious Gorge's power is enough to break his power, weakening him.
"My strength... No, this cannot be happening..."
Walking Shirtless Scene: Compared to his cronies, he's the only one without any chest piece on.

Luvsan of the Qerel

Race: Xaela Au Ra
Discipline: Warrior

Khan of the Qerel tribe, and Dorgono’s father. He accompanies her to Eorzea to thank Curious Gorge and the Warrior of Light for helping Dorgono overcome the Will of Karash.

Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: He embarrasses Dorgono by offering the Warrior of Light a gift of thirty horses (and when that gets shot down, fifty goats), and by giving them his blessing to marry Dorgono in the mistaken belief that they’re the one she loves.
Continuity Nod: Luvsan will address the Warrior as "khagan", reflecting how they became khagan of the Azim Steppe back in Stormblood.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Played for Laughs. Due to never leaving the Azim Steppe until arriving in La Noscea with his daughter, he tries to reward the Warrior the way the nomadic Xaela would, with a proud herd of thirty horses. Dorgono has to remind him that the Warrior is constantly on the move. As wonderful a gift as it sounds to the Xaela, it would only be a burden for someone who packs and travels light. This just contributes to Luvsan's Amazingly Embarrassing Parents image.
Witch Doctor: He’s a boo, and he performs a ritual to heal Broken Mountain’s mental and physical wounds.

Dark Knight

Fray Myste (Unmarked Spoilers for A Realm Reborn and Heavensward)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fray_ffxiv.jpg

Race: Midlander Hyur
Epithet: Fray of the Onyx Shade
Discipline: Dark Knight, Conjurer

"Only when you have renounced everything are you free to do anything."

A dark knight of Ishgard whom you meet after Fray is on the losing end of a tussle with the Temple Knights, Fray initially seems to be out like a light, until you have a strange experience with Fray's soul crystal... at the end of which, Fray is standing above you, right as rain, and offers to instruct you after seeing your resonance with the Soul of the Dark Knight. Fray seems to be a bit taciturn, plain-spoken, and willing to get the job done quickly.

Except this isn't actually Fray.

While Fray Myste was once a living man and comrade to Sidurgu, what you happened upon that day was just a corpse, and the soulstone reacted to you and your curiosity. "Fray" is just a figment of your imagination, and is in fact Esteem, the embodiment of all your frustration and anger at being The Hero constantly. Esteem is literally you - just the you that is absolutely godsdamned tired of all these people begging you for help and offering up little more than a simple thank you, or maybe even less. Esteem has grown especially prominent in your mind following the trauma you suffered during The Parting Glass - they mention, late in the questline, not ever being taken by surprise like that again. Your interaction with the Dark Knight soulstone simply allowed "Fray" to manifest in a significant way, and is acting as a kind of cipher to teach you the abilities and fighting styles contained within the soulstone.

Esteem grows increasingly frustrated with your refusal to simply turn away from those who beg your aid when you have your own business and your refusal to leave Eorzea to its troubles, so they eventually try to overwhelm you and commandeer your body - being literally you, they're going to become the dominant part of your personality and take the meaty bits away from Eorzea's conflicts, which they think ultimately has nothing to do with you. On being defeated, they reintegrate with your mind, reminding you that they will be there whenever you finally agree with their assessment of Eorzea.

Ambiguous Gender: It's hard to tell of Fray is male or female under those robes, and the style of them doesn't particularly lean either "masculine" or "feminine". This is, of course, so that Esteem's gender matches whatever the gender of your Warrior of Light is. The original, living Fray was male, but you never truly interact with him, just his corpse.
Ambiguously Human:
- It's unclear if the Fray you interact with is just a figment of your imagination, or is part of your mind animating that poor dead knight's body. Whenever Esteem speaks to someone else, people react as though you are speaking to them. That said, there is some kind of weird transfer between the body and you at the start of the questline; at the end of the level 50 quest, Fray's body falls away as Esteem forms in front of it with your semblance, and the House Durendaire knight mentions burying your "friend" after defeating them.
  - The original Japanese script is much more blatant about what Esteem is. They are the "Hero's Shade", the Warrior's buried inner darkness and negative thoughts given form by the dying Fray's desire to live and the aether stolen by the job crystal. Said aether reanimated Fray's corpse when they're in Ishgard but accompanies the Warrior on their travels as a shade. Because they are Living on Borrowed Time, they implored the Warrior to choose them and run away from it all, harboring resentment toward everyone who considers the Warrior their "champion" and preventing them from living for themselves. In addition, Fray is in fact present and perceivable to others in the Japanese script, and the idea that the Warrior of Light is simply alone and tearing into others is unique to the English localization.
- Given the lack of reaction of people to having Fray talk to them despite not knowing them, the accusation that you’re witnessed talking to a corpse in the level 50 quest, and the sheer surprise people showed when Esteem actually shows up in the same quest, it’s heavily implied that, at least out of battle, the interactions with Esteem are all from your imagination. Ambiguity remains however whether Esteem’s assistance in battle in earlier quests are him actually manifesting (which is supported due to him always being a conjurer regardless of your current class), or a case of Gameplay and Story Segregation.
- Esteem manifests again for the level 70 Dark Knight quest with Fray's original appearance where Sidurgu, much to his shock and confusion, can very much see them to complicate the point even more.
Anger Born of Worry: It becomes increasingly clear over the course of the storyline that Fray's ranting and raving is driven largely by concern for the Warrior, beckoning them to leave their titles behind so they can get a fresh start somewhere else. This is even more blatant in the Japanese script, where Esteem speaks almost like a concerned parent, asking them to rein in their recklessness and wondering what they're going to do with the Warrior after their adventures on the First.
Anguished Declaration of Love: In the final Dark Knight journal entry, Esteem says that they don't know if they'll ever speak to the Warrior again. After explaining that they hope that they changed the Warrior for the better (and that they desperately hope that their journey together wasn't All for Nothing), Esteem writes, "But even if this is our end, it won't change what we had. I love you more than you will ever know. Be well."
Anti-Hero: Fray is willing, if begrudgingly, to help those in need and who cannot help themselves. Fray is also perfectly able and willing to rip people in half and fight the law to help people, and encourages you to do the same, stating it is the purpose of a dark knight to find justice where it cannot otherwise be found. They are your inner urge to be unchained justice in the wake of what happened to you in Ul'dah, and plans to make you a full-blown antihero once they decide to take over your body.
Back for the Finale:
- After having remained silent for the Heavensward and most of the Stormblood job quests, Esteem tires of Myste's bullshit during the level 70 Dark Knight quest and manifests again to aid the Warrior of Light in defeating him. They want to help put an end to it so badly that by the end they're screaming at you in the quest log to let them out.
- Esteem is far from silent if you pay attention to your quest log.
- They're also quite talkative during the level 80 quest, which basically consists of letting you check in on all the people you interacted with during the 30-50 questline to see what they're up to now, complete with comments from them in the quest log after every stage of the quest before you head back to Coerthas and have one last chat.
Back-to-Back Badasses: With the Warrior of Light during the level 70 job quest.
Berserk Button: Fray throws barbed insults with every other breath, but they become livid to the point of shouting colorful put-downs the second they are disrespected or taken advantage of for their heroism. Considering what the WoL just went through at Ul'dah, this is expected from their suppressed dark side.
Big Damn Heroes: In the climax of the level 70 quest they re-appear to aid you in the fight.
Cassandra Truth: Esteem tries their damnedest to get the Warrior of Light to realize Myste is incredibly dangerous, but it doesn't click until the end, and by then they're panicking about the fact that Sid and Rielle are in mortal danger.
Dark Is Not Evil: Played straight, ruthlessness and all. Even near the end of the quest chain, when they claim they'll kill a bunch of innocents to prevent your arrest, they still hold back enough to merely incapacitate them. They also genuinely want what's best for you... even if that's not necessarily what's best for Eorzea.
Dead All Along: The actual Fray is dead when you find him. What happened was that the Warrior of Light's repressed psyche possessed the corpse and kept it moving while they're in Ishgard. Once you reach the Level 50 quest, they abandon the corpse entirely.
Deadpan Snarker: Holy shit, Esteem is relentless, especially later on in the quest. Anyone acting even remotely "dumb" is likely to be a victim of one of Esteem's pointed barbs. Including and especially you yourself. Yes, this means that you're putting yourself down.
Defeat Means Friendship: As far as Esteem is concerned, they were your friend from the beginning, but only after you defeat them in the level 50 job quest do they give in and stop trying to show this friendship by taking over your life. Later during the level 70 Dark Knight quest when they suddenly manifest to aid the Warrior of Light they make it clear that they've buried the hatchet.
Esteem: No hard feelings about Whitebrim, eh? Promise not to stab you in the back. It'll be just like old times.
Doppelgänger Attack:
- Esteem will create copies of themself during the level 50 quest and each of them, while weaker than the main target, have their own attacks.
- In Shadowbringers, a Dark Knight who achieves level 80 can summon a shadow with Fray's form and Esteem's name to attack. However, Esteem's journal will tell you that this "doesn't count" as actually spending time with them.
Dub Personality Change: In the English localization, Esteem is a coarse Deadpan Snarker prone to admonishing both the Warrior of Light and everyone around them in equal measure. They hate the Warrior of Light's inability to put their own needs above those of others and represent their buried desire to be free of their burdens. In the original Japanese script, Esteem is far calmer and more pensive, instead speaking much more like a concerned friend who knows the Warrior better than they know themselves, but is no less passive-aggressive. Whereas the localization frames Esteem as being the Warrior's continued desire to escape responsibility, they instead accept the Warrior's desire to protect others of their own free will and ask to go on an adventure with them in the Japanese script.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: Invoked. Esteem is the Warrior's inner darkness from constantly having to play the hero and getting zero thanks for it. Anyone who shows outright ingratitude makes Esteem snap at them, even threatening to get violent, for what they see as an insult. In particular, when a merchant demands fifty percent of the payment for their damaged goods, Fray snaps and tells the man off, including letting a line slip about their true identity when Fray says that they should have left the citizens of Eorzea to "drown in Leviathan's tidal wave".
Enemy Without: Fray was this to the Warrior of Light from the very beginning when they first met. Esteem reveals themself as the Warrior of Light's inner desires to dish out justice how they see fit and answer to no one and when the Warrior of Light refuses to back down from their own heroism, Esteem attacks them.
Establishing Character Moment: After unlocking the Dark Knight job, the first quest has you and Fray assaulting some Spoiled Brat knights who want to have their way with a peasant woman. When you and Fray arrive, one of the knights asks if you're here to kill them. After some snark, Fray responds with a very blunt "yes, I'm here to kill you" and attacks. It shows that Fray can be heroic, but will also be ruthless in the pursuit of justice.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For all their barbs, cynicism, and attempted takeovers, Esteem is still a part of the Warrior of Light; their actions during the 30-50 quest chain are, in their evil own way, an attempt to protect their "good" side from all the Ungrateful Bastards taking advantage of them. This is done by encouraging them to stand up for themselves at first, and then by trying to seize control of the Warrior's body to make them walk away from destiny. Naturally, this continues into the Lv. 70 quest, where Esteem shows up to help the Warrior fight Myste, stating that they won't let Myste use the Warrior's guilt to drive them into the ground.
Even Evil Has Standards: Upon reappearing in the Lv. 70 quest, Esteem all but spells out that they're still not happy with their lot in life of endless "slaving and slaying". But they're even less happy about Myste embodying the Warrior of Light's guilt and trying to make them think they can't bear their own burdens. Even the Warrior of Light's dark side understands nothing will change what has happened because of them, and that the desire to prevent such tragedies from happening again is what moves them forward.
Esteem: ... A compromise, I suppose? Our dear friend here refused to let me take the reins, but I wasn't about to stand idly by while that imbecile tries to do... whatever he was trying to do.
Expy:
- Esteem is basically the Warrior of Light's Shadow from the Persona series. Esteem is the repressed parts of your psyche, especially your anger and resentment about having to play the hero all the time and getting nothing but praise (if you're lucky) in return. In the end you have to accept that Esteem is a part of you, much like the characters in the Persona franchise, even though the entire population of Whitebrim saw your dark and ugly side.
- As the Level 30-50 Job Quests are a Whole-Plot Reference to Fight Club, Esteem is also one to Tyler Durden. They both encourage the protagonist to disregard the law to follow their own ideals, and are ultimately revealed to embody their alienation towards society. Unlike Tyler, Esteem was able to make peace with the WoL, going so far as to help them during the fight with Myste.
Good Is Not Nice: Esteem is willing to help people, but very begrudgingly. And that's only because nobody seems to give anything more than a "thank you", if that, for saving their lives and/or their livelihoods. When a merchant gets mad at the Warrior for getting blood on their merchandise, Esteem explodes at the merchant that they should be grateful their were left with even that, and makes it clear that Esteem could "decide" to take it all away at any moment.
Grand Theft Me: Invoked. The Level 50 Dark Knight quest sees Fray revealing their true identity as Esteem, complete with not only being the same race as the Warrior of Light, but also having their face. Since the Warrior still won't just give in and go full Anti-Hero, Esteem forces the issue by attempting to defeat the Warrior in combat and take over their body. However, when even that doesn't work, Fray begrudgingly concedes.
Hearing Voices: Esteem encourages this in the Warrior of Light; there's a "voice" the WoL has been hearing since touching the soul crystal, and Esteem wants the WoL to examine it for wisdom. The whole situation, of course, is you hearing the voice of your own anger and frustration with the people of Eorzea, embodied in Esteem - the voice you hear is the core of Esteem's portion of your psyche.
Heel–Face Turn: In the level 70 Dark Knight quest, Esteem, or rather the Warrior of Light's inner darkness, emerges from the Warrior of Light's soul to protect them from Myste's minions. Instead of trying to force the Warrior of Light to give in to the abyss, they support them in their darkest hour. They even outright tell Myste that while they have indeed sinned, they don't hold any regrets and they laugh at the idea of Myste even thinking that they could manipulate the Warrior of Light. Esteem even apologizes to the Warrior of Light for the events at Whitebrim and promises not to stab them in the back again.
Interface Screw:
- As the questline goes on, Esteem essentially begins to hijack the quest log entries. When you fight them (or rather, yourself), even the quest objective gets hijacked as it says "Embrace the abyss! Set yourself free!" It isn't until you defeat them that it returns to its normal style.
- Happens again for the level 60-70 quest logs as early as the level 63 job quest, as the player consumes the abyss left behind by Myste's simulacra. In this case, it is Esteem trying to warn the Warrior of Light about Myste. By the time you're about to confront Myste they're screaming to be let out and help.
  Esteem: I can end this charade godsdammit, I can end it! Now is the time! You need me! YOU NEED ME!
- And it reaches its peak in the level 80 story, where half of the quest log (presumably written by Esteem) actually disappears unless the player has the Dark Knight soul crystal equipped.
  "Hold the crystal close that we may enjoy these moments together. Or put it away and pretend I was never a part of it. That I was never really here."
Interface Spoiler: Using a Fantasia to change your character's gender will also affect Fray's gender, spoiling the big twist that they're an Enemy Without.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Esteem is the personification of the Warrior of Light's resentment towards Eorzea and its people post-The Parting Glass with an acerbic tongue and temper to match. But they are still a part of the WoL as they share their strong sense of justice and are ready to protect innocent lives alongside them (if reluctantly). In addition, after the smackdown with Myste, Esteem demonstrates considerable empathy and forgiveness towards Myste which was able to get through to him.
Jerkass Has a Point: As stated above, this is pretty much the sole purpose of Esteem as a character. They may be rather snarky and aggressive, but most of their criticisms are well-justified. Especially when you consider all the Dude, Where's My Respect? moments the Player Character had to deal with prior to Heavensward.
Knight in Sour Armor: Esteem might be one of the most abrasive people in Eorzea, but as a Dark Knight they are sworn to right injustice where they find it. They might complain every second of the Warrior of Light's little rescue missions during their training, but they will not once leave the Warrior or any innocents behind.
Lemony Narrator: Unlike before, Esteem's entries in your journal regarding the 60-70 quests have a rather comedic and sarcastic air to them, at least until the last one.
Meaningful Name: In spades. Fray Myste/Esteem is the representation of your frayed nerves, morality, sanity, and self-esteem in the wake of the trauma you experienced at the end of the ARR main story.
Mirror Match: The level 50 Dark Knight quest has you fighting against Esteem, who is also a Dark Knight. To take this even further, Esteem will be the same race, the same gender, the same body measurements, and have the Warrior of Light's face.
"No More Holding Back" Speech: Delivers one to Myste, telling the child to take the whole guilt trip charade and stuff it during the level 70 quest.
Esteem: Serve... Save... Slave... Slay... I've sins aplenty, aye, but regrets? Not so much. And if he/she wouldn't listen to me, the embodiment of good sense and pragmatism, then what hope could you possibly have? A house divided cannot stand, you know. This childish rebellion ends now.
Possessing a Dead Body: The Fray the Warrior of Light first meets is a fresh corpse. Fray's dark knight soul crystal draws the Warrior's inner darkness into the body and animates it, creating the Esteem who begins your training in the art of the abyss. It's not wholly clear how often this is going on and how often the Warrior of Light is simply seeing Fray doing and saying things that in reality they are doing and saying, though.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: "...Justice demands no less."/"I tire of this charade." Which is said is entirely dependent on The Warrior of Light's response during the dialogue during the Level 70 job quest.
Rage Breaking Point: The level 45 quest is the one where Esteem finally stops barely restraining their annoyance at being called upon to solve all the problems of Eorzea. Upon recovering some supplies for a merchant in Moraby Bay in Lower La Noscea, he complains about all the Qiqirn blood splattered over his goods. It's the blood of the Qirqin bandits that mugged him in the first place, and the dozen and a half or so of which you just got done slaying. The merchant decides that you should pay for the damages, but out of "generosity" due to the circumstances, he'll only ask that you pay for 50% of the goods. Esteem (or, in the English localization, the Warrior) finally snaps at him for being such an Ungrateful Bastard. Esteem gives right there and then a "Reason You Suck" Speech to pretty much all of Eorzea. Their choice of words and how the other characters react is pretty much a dead give away also to Fray's true identity.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Upon recovering some supplies for a merchant in Moraby Bay in Lower La Noscea, he complains about all the Qiqirn blood splattered over his goods—the blood of the Qiqirn bandits that mugged him in the first place, and the dozen and a half or so of which you just got done slaying. The merchant decides that you should pay for the damages, but out of "generosity" due to the circumstances, he'll only ask that you pay for fifty percent of the goods. Esteem/the Warrior finally snaps at him for being such an Ungrateful Bastard.
Esteem/Warrior Of Light: Fifty percent? FIFTY PERCENT!? I slaughter a gang of Qiqirn bandits for your precious goods and this is the thanks I receive!? You spineless sack of shite. I kill your enemies. I fetch your things. I do what you people can't or won't do yourselves. You're helpless. Weak. All you do is want and need. I should've left you all to drown in Leviathan's tidal wave. At least then I would've been spared your constant bloody whining. Do not speak to me of this ever again.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Esteem's eyes shine red when warning you about the dangers of using too much of the power of darkness all at once. They do so again when "Fray" reveals themself in full as you.
Screw Destiny: When reaching level 45, looking up the completed quest entry during Esteem's Interface Screw shows that they/you are willing to abandon the Scions, the Alliance, and even Hydaelyn herself just to be able to live free and do what you want to do. This never goes through, though.
Shapeshifter Default Form: As seen in the level 50 Dark Knight quest "Our Answer", their true shape is the same as the Warrior of Light's, as they are an aspect of the Warrior of Light's own mind. However, in the level 70 Dark Knight quest "Our Compromise", they appear once again in the form of Fray Myste, suggesting that, true form or not, Fray's shape is one that they have come to prefer. In the quest "Our Closure", however, they once again appear as you, using your name. This may be due to their identity merging with yours once again.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: Esteem's response to Myste's attempt to guilt the Warrior of Light into just accepting the reckoning of consequences to their actions.
Fray: When it comes, I shall welcome it with open arms...But today will not be the day, and you will not be the judge!
Superpowered Evil Side: Of you, the Warrior of Light! Esteem is a manifestation of all of your frustrations at Eorzea's problems and how you're receiving little more than empty thanks from people. How the people can and/or will never do things for themselves. How the soldiers of the realm, who are supposed to be defending it, fail to do so time and time again. How whenever there's any problem — a Primal, an insane megalomaniac, a world on the brink of destruction, or just missing paperwork — it's you that the leaders of the realm call on instead of their own people. Now, imagine if you weren't so willing to play by the rules all the time. If only you'd be willing to charge directly at the problem, and be rid of it once and for all. If only you would be willing to tap just a little bit more into powers others fear to touch... you could solve everything, says Esteem. As such, Esteem is constantly trying to get you to say "damn the consequences, I'll kill 'em all and let the Twelve sort 'em out" or "this petty nonsense isn't my problem, deal with it yourself" to anyone who asks for help. And while you can acknowledge that Esteem isn't exactly wrong that people should be giving you more respect, Esteem eventually starts leaning so far into bloodlust and apathy for Eorzea's plights that the overall point gets increasingly blurry until Esteem forces the issue with a Mirror Match where they try pulling a Grand Theft Me.
Split-Personality Merge: Once defeated, Esteem simply promises that, should you ever desire to let them take the reins again, they'll be happy to oblige, but ceases trying to do so forcefully. At the end of Shadowbringers, finding closure allows for Esteem to go dormant indefinitely, leaving no trace but a note in your journal that perhaps something may bring them back once more and that, no, your new "trick" isn't really them (despite the Simulacrum being labeled "Esteem" on-field).
That Man Is Dead: In the Japanese script for the Level 70 job quest, Sidurgu tries to call out to Fray when they manifest in response to Myste's ultimate plan. Esteem responds by telling him that the real Fray is dead and that they are not the real one.
Tomato in the Mirror: Boy, everyone else is really bothered by how short-tempered the Warrior of Light seems lately. And, um... is the Warrior talking to themselves? And why is Fray going on about having stopped Leviathan if Leviathan was slain by the Warrior of— Wait a minute.
Toxic Friend Influence: Esteem takes this role to the Warrior despite being a part of them. In their role as a "mentor" in the ways of a Dark Knight, Esteem encourages the Warrior to shirk the mantle of Warrior of Light and escape to the life of freedom and happiness they always desired. This is not out of a desire to manipulate them, but because Esteem is the embodiment of the Warrior's sense of indignation as "the part [of them] that could not become a hero". As such, Esteem can't bear to see the Warrior suffer betrayal and loss and wishes to free them from it.
Trial by Combat: This is how the original Fray was killed, having been put on trial for his practice of the dark arts. The Warrior of Light finds his corpse unceremoniously dumped in the Brume immediately after this.
Try Not to Die: In the Japanese script, Esteem offers a gentle but firm critique of the Warrior's reckless actions and near-death experience on the First.
Esteem: If you think the flower that blossoms at the very end of its life is beautiful, even a little, then I tell you this: Please survive. Through tomorrow, too... And through the tomorrows after that. No matter how glorious your end, if it costs you your life, then I cannot look at it... If you understand, then try to moderate your recklessness. I'm always trying with all my might that you might live.
Tulpa: The Fray that serves as the Dark Knight mentor absolutely is this. Fray is a being created from the thoughts and emotions of the Warrior of Light. Specifically, the part that constantly hates getting disrespected, ignored, or even attacked for being a hero. Initially, there's hints that it's the Warrior saying the things Fray says, and that no one else can see them. But as time goes on, these hints get increasingly more blatant, until the Wham Line in the Level 45 quest that confirms it outright. The level 50 quest has a Mirror Match between this side of Fray, knows as Esteem, and the Warrior of Light after Fray becomes corporeal and can attack some Ishgardian soldiers stationed at Camp Dragonhead.
Walking Spoiler: Everything about their true nature spoils the entire questline. The worst part of it is, the reveal doesn't come in full until late in their section of the Dark Knight line.
Wham Line: "I should've left you all to drown in Leviathan's tidal wave." While there have been hints the whole time that Fray is more than just some person you met in Ishgard, this is the first time the game shoves it in your face — since as far as you know, Fray was definitely not part of the anti-Leviathan operation — and the last time the game settles for merely hinting at what Fray's deal is before The Reveal comes with the next quest.
White Mage: Esteem wields a Conjurer's staff and provides you with healing support during the various instanced battles during the job quests. A few throwaway lines from Sidurgu and Rielle imply that the original Fray was a Conjurer at some point in the past prior to becoming a Dark Knight, and that he taught Rielle most of what she knows about Conjury. Another line implies he was a more powerful Conjurer than a Dark Knight, and may have won his trial by combat had he been allowed his staff rather than his sword. Humorously, it dovetails with how the original Dark Knight/Magic Knight worked in the Famicom version of Final Fantasy III, where that job could use White Magic, even if only to L3.

Sidurgu Orl

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sidurgu.png

Race: Xaela Au Ra
Epithet: Sidurgu of the Obsidian Heart
Discipline: Dark Knight

An Au Ra Xaela dark knight, Sidurgu was the comrade of Fray (the actual, living one, mind) and takes up the responsibility of further training you after Fray is... "finished". He is a somewhat more traditional dark knight, in that he fights the Ishgardian power structure's excesses wherever he can. He is also looking after Rielle, a girl who the Temple Knights are absolutely dedicated to killing, for some reason...

Alternate Self: Played for Laughs, but he might have one in Xylle of Clan Nutsy on the First, who repeats Sidurgu's threat to "rip off [a moogle's] pom and shove it down [his] godsdamned throat" word-for-word.
Berserk Button: Threatening to bring harm to Rielle is a fast way to get Sidurgu to come after you with his massive sword, which the moogles found out the hard way when they had pretended to kidnap the girl.
BFS: Wields a Deathbringer sword.
Blood Knight: He claims to be very extreme in protecting Rielle from the Temple Knights for her safety, but his actual behavior seems to lean more towards looking for any Temple Knights in general just so he can kill them after everything they put him through. Rielle eventually calls Sidurgu out on this, getting him to dial down his aggressiveness and actually listening to what Rielle wants.
But Thou Must!: When you first encounter Sidurgu for the Stormblood Dark Knight missions, telling him "If I must forsake the abyss to serve the Light, then so be it." ends the mission right there. You have to restart the mission and tell him "So long as innocents suffer, I will not forsake the abyss."
Character Development: After his Heel Realization below, he has started to try to make his priority actually protecting those in need rather than simply using them as a means to the end of indulging in his vendetta against Ishgard's knights.
Child Hater: Well hater is a strong word, but he is clearly not thrilled when he has to take care of both Rielle and Myste between the Dark Knight class quests. Babysitting as he puts it.
Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: In the level 58 Dark Knight quest, he vows to "rip off [a moogle's] pom and shove it down [his] godsdamned throat" during the fight against the moogles.
Dark and Troubled Past: His Au Ra clan came to Ishgard when he was a boy, fleeing the Garlean invasion of Doma. When Ishgardians mistook them for Dravanians, they protected themselves but spared the Ishgardian knights. Those knights repaid them by returning with reinforcements and slaughtering everyone. Sidurgu watched as both of his parents were executed before nearly suffering the same fate. Saved at the last moment by a dark knight, he became that knight's disciple and dedicated his life towards revenge on the Ishgardian knights.
Everyone Has Standards: He's less than pleased by the way Lowdy is being treated by her Temple Knight watcher in the level 63 quest... until he hears that Lowdy sabotaged the Ishgardian/Dravianan peace conference and poisoned the Warrior of Light. Although he does still conclude that the Knight is taking things too far, that's mostly because the Warrior themselves is willing to "forsake bloody revenge", and it's clear that if the Warrior was a little less forgiving, Sid would let her punishment continue.
Game-Breaking Injury: He suffers heavy injuries from Ser Ompagne's test, which leaves him sidelined for the rest of the Stormblood questline.
Healing Potion: He uses an Aguae Vitae on you when assisting in battle since he does not use healing magic.
Heel Realization: After Rielle's What the Hell, Hero?, Sidurgu admits that even though he does care about her, he was using her as an excuse to continue his vendetta against Ishgard and she was second in priority to him.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Sidurgu is a dark knight who has killed countless Ishgardian knights. His charge is a girl being hunted down by said knights. Where do they stay between events? The inn that is right across the street from the knights' garrison, of course. It takes until the very end of the level 56 quest before anyone notices.
Horned Humanoid: As an Au Ra. His horns point straight down.
In-Series Nickname: Rielle often calls him "Sid".
Let Us Never Speak of This Again: If you talk to him without a waiting quest after the Stormblood arc and choose to discuss Myste, he politely asks that they not contemplate the battle with Ser Ompagne's shade any further.^note
Jerkass to One: He's a dour fellow, but Moogles in general just piss him off after the 50-60 story quest. During the level 65 quest when three tried to sneak up on him for a prank, Sidurgu beats them half to death and didn't have a hint of remorse. When he's injured during the same quest, he asks the Warrior of Light to punch a moogle in the face for him. And if talked to again after that, Sidurgu makes it clear he wasn't kidding.
Mercy Kill: Strikes down Rielle's mother after seeing that she's gone insane and that she would continue to hunt down her own child in the name of Halone.
Pragmatic Hero: Believes being a Dark Knight means becoming this; defend the weak at all costs while saying screw you to the law, moral code, and any imposed honor, even if it makes you a pariah in everyone's eyes. After meeting with him for the first time in Ishgard, Sidurgu tells you that showing mercy to the enemy is a grave mistake and you must prepare to kill them to save your own skin.
Promotion to Parent: In Shadowbringers he can relate to what he hears of Thancred's personal struggles. Rielle, for her part, seems quickly irritated by associating Sid with "father".
Properly Paranoid: The moment he meets Myste, Sid is on edge and never really trusts the boy or what he requests, despite Rielle's insistence that Myste is a good person. Myste's page reveals that Sid had the right of it from the start.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Was the Red Oni to Fray's Blue Oni when the two were students together. Their master likened them to a smouldering campfire and a frozen lake respectively.
Secret Test of Character: He and the Player are put through one by the Moogles for the level 58 quest, when the Moghome Moogle Guards "kidnap" Rielle, to see if he is truly fighting others because he cares for and wants to protect Rielle, or if because, as Rielle suspects, she and Sidurgu's oath to "protect the weak from the corrupt" are really a convenient fig leaf for his Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the Temple Knights for what they did to the Au Ra refugees. Turns out, both theories are right.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Sidurgu is very cold and distant, but he very clearly cares about Rielle. He always reinforces that he'll protect her and asks about her wellbeing, while looking away from her and crossing his arms over his chest.
Student–Master Team: Sidurgu's quests are essentially a spin on the classic student/mentor relationship, where the Warrior of Light brings their own very recent experience in controlling their own emotions to the table, and is thus helping Sidurgu come to terms with his own anger and rage at the Temple Knights, culminating in the Secret Test of Character, whilst Sidurgu teaches the Warrior various new techniques.
Take Up My Sword: Non-fatal example. When Esteem manifests to help the Warrior of Light defeat Myste, after his initial but intense shock of seeing Fray again, Sidurgu throws his sword to them without any hesitation, since he himself is still recovering from the fight against Ompagne's shade and can't join the fight himself.
Sidurgu: A dark knight needs a sword. Take mine.
Virtue Is Weakness: Holds this view when it comes to dealing with the corrupt elements of Ishgard. His first meeting with the Warrior of Light is mere minutes after the events where the Warrior of Light regains control of the Esteem portion of their mind and soul, where a corrupt Temple Knight lies to them to lure them out to the wilderness to murder the Warrior of Light for the use of the Dark Knight's powers, calling the WoL a "demon". The Warrior of Light spares the leader of the group, but Sidurgu hunts the knight down off screen and kills him. Sidurgu explains that no such mercy was granted to his people when Ishgard killed innocent Au Ra, thinking they were heretics who drank dragon's blood, when they were really refugees fleeing from the Garlean Empire.
What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Played with. After being on the receiving end of the Moogles of the Churning Mists Secret Test of Character and informed via a musical number that he needs to temper the power of darkness with the power of love and wanting to truly protect someone to make the most of his Dark Knight power, he's absolutely flabbergasted, thinking that the moogles would instead teach him and the player a new technique. He doesn't verbally agree with the moogle's assessment and feels it was a waste of time, but it does give Rielle a chance to call him out on his behavior, which he does acknowledge that she's right, and his mistake. He does come around... grudgingly... to admit that the moogles might have the right of it.

Rielle

Race: Wildwood Elezen
Epithet: Rielle the Voiceless
Discipline: Conjurer

A young Elezen girl under the care of Sidurgu in Ishgard. She is constantly hounded by the Temple Knights for something that dwells within her soul. Rielle is a quiet girl who follows wherever Sidurgu goes.

Abusive Parents: Her father was a Heretic who drank dragons blood during his years with Ystride, and thus used Rielle as part of his plans to sow chaos in Ishgard. Her mother, being a fanatic religious zealot to the more corrupt elements of the Templar order and Ishgard faith, sees her daughter no longer as one, but as a monstrous "thing" to be kept locked up in a cell like a caged animal, or slain.
Beyond Redemption: In the Dark Knight Level 50-60 questline. Despite insisting that she's faithful to Halone and not a monster, Ystride simply refuses to so much as acknowledge Rielle as her daughter. After seeing that her mother is simply not going to listen to anything Rielle says, Rielle essentially gives Sidurgu the green light to kill Ystride and end her madness.
Calling the Old Man Out: Calls out her mother Ystride for going from the loving mother she knew, into the crazed psychopath that keeps calling her own daughter a "monster", "thing" or "it", and that she was never a heretic to begin with, instead, forced to bear the sins of her father's actions. As Rielle makes quite apparent, she always was faithful to the Halonic faith. When it becomes apparent that her mother will never stop seeking to kill her daughter and has lost her sanity to hatred, Rielle gives Sidurgu the go ahead to put an end to her mother's madness, while reciting the Halonic last rites for Ystride.
Dark Secret: Her secret is the reason why the Temple Knights want to kill her so badly. Her father was a heretic spy whose transformation into a dragon was apparently decades in the making, during which he married Ystride and sired Rielle. Due to the bloody history between dragons and Ishgard, any native of Ishgard that drinks dragon blood can transform into a dragon (which, while true, is much more complicated than any of the Ishgardians realize at the time). Rielle is physically fine as she inherited this power rather than actually drink dragon blood herself, but the Temple Knights don't want to take any chances of having someone transform into a dragon in the middle of the city. To make matters worse, her own mother sides with the knights and aids them with hunting her own daughter down. Rielle doesn't tell Sidurgu or the Warrior of Light about her secret until a dying dragon reveals the truth to them.
Healing Hands: Uses Conjury arts in battle and heals you with Cure spells.
The Quiet One: While she does speak, Rielle is very wary of you at first and her nameplate is "Rielle the Voiceless". Near the end of the Level 50 questline, it's revealed that this is largely because she feels she won't be listened to, as Sidurgu insists that he's doing everything for her while disregarding all of her desires and feelings on the matter. She does eventually open up. By the Stormblood questline, she is rather talkative and cheerful, playfully pushing Sidurgu's buttons now and again.
Parental Abandonment: After Rielle's father was discovered to be a heretic and she'd inherited draconic power from him, her mother throws her in a cell and refuses to address her by name or even a gender pronoun by calling her an "it". Because Rielle's mother is extremely devout to Halone, she seeks out to kill her own daughter in the name of the goddess. Rielle always hoped that her mother would come to her senses and love her again as she did in the past, but sadly, this would never happen.
Precocious Crush: Implied in Shadowbringers. She's quick to remind Sid that love is necessary for a Dark Knight, and quickly becomes angered when he compares the two of them to Thancred and Minfilia/Ryne's Father/Daughter relationship, storming off when he amends it to Master/Servant or former-Knight/Noblewoman. Talking with her afterwards she expresses annoyance at being considered a child by him and that she's overdue for a growth spurt.
What the Hell, Hero?: She gives Sidurgu pretty big ones in the Level 56 and 58 Dark Knight quests. After he yells at her for not telling them the inquisitor leading the search for Rielle was her own mother, saying that Rielle is the reason Fray is dead, Rielle tells him to stop acting like he's fighting Ishgardian Temple Knights for her sake. She tells him she doesn't enjoy seeing him return day after day, injured and drenched in blood, and enjoys having to heal him up time and time again even less. In the latter quest, Rielle tells Sidurgu that maybe he should find another maiden to justify his vendetta against Ishgard, because he clearly cares more about his vengeance than he does about her. Sidurgu, for his part, accepts that she is right about this, but insists that he genuinely does want to protect her.

Ystride de Caulignont

Race: Wildwood Elezen
Epithet: Ystride the Godhand
Discipline: Conjurer

An Elezen Countess and priestess who is a follower of Halone and works with the Temple Knights to capture and/or kill Rielle for the secret contained within her. Despite an outwardly calm appearance, her sanity quickly begins to unravel as the Warrior of Light and Sidurgu continuously thwart her plans. Serves as the Big Bad for the 50-60 Dark Knight quests.

Arc Villain: Of the Heavensward Dark Knight storyline.
Ax-Crazy: While she puts up a calm facade during your initial confrontations with her, by the time of the final trial by combat it quickly becomes apparent just how utterly deranged she is.
Blue Blood: Ystride descends from House Caulignont, a noble house that has always held strong ties to the Ishgardian Orthodox Church. This is why she and many members of her family hold important positions in the church. Her husband, a Dravanian spy, purposefully seduced her to get close enough to murder her. The shock of this and the realization that Rielle has the blood of dragons mentally destroys Ystride, turning her into the Ax-Crazy woman seen in the story.
Dishing Out Dirt: She'll cast Stone and Stone II on you in battle.
Fantastic Racism: Ishgardians are well known for their bigotry against Dravanians and their sympathizers, but Ystride takes the cake in this regard, wishing death on her own daughter simply for inheriting the power of dragon blood, and willing to fulfill it with her own hands.
Flunky Boss: She'll send out several waves of Temple Knights after you, Sidurgu, and Rielle before eventually joining the battle herself.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: The circumstances that led to Ystride becoming an Ax-Crazy monster are genuinely tragic namely that her husband was a spy and an assassin sent to kill her, resulting in her retreating into Halone's teachings for guidance and purpose. Sidurgu is even tempted to spare her, reasoning that for all her crimes, Ystride is still Rielle's mother. But it soon becomes clear that there is no reasoning with Ystride and her past does not exonerate her actions that she refuses to repent for. That's when Rielle gives Sid the go head to kill Ystride.
Rielle: How great your love for Her. Far greater than any you ever bore me. For a long time, I prayed for forgiveness. I prayed you would take me in your arms and hold me as you did before... But I know that shall never come to pass. ...I will pray for you, Mother, that you might find peace in Her halls.
The Fundamentalist: She is fanatically devoted to Halone and that faith manifests as a monomaniacal desire to kill Rielle, a child who is her own daughter, because she inherited draconic power from her father, and refers to her as an "It". Any appeal to reason with Ystride falls on deaf, pointed ears.
Go Mad from the Revelation: It's implied that between her husband's heresy and trying to kill her when he transformed, and discovering Rielle's power, Ystride snapped, resulting in her throwing her daughter in jail (and eventually deciding to kill her after Sidurgu rescued her) while claiming that the Fury wills it. Rielle mentions that Ystride used to care for her and love her like any mother would, which makes the history between them all the more tragic.
Gory Discretion Shot: Sidurgu's blade can be heard upon impact as the game cuts to black to hide the killing blow.
Heel Realization: Maybe has one. Ystride's face softens and she looks surprised when Rielle, whom Ystride declared a heretic and a monster, prays to Halone for her soul. The journal even states that all hatred vanished from Ystride's face in that moment. However, we don't know what is going through her head as this happens moments before Sidurgu kills her.
I Have No Daughter!: Is the mother of Rielle, but refuses to acknowledge her as such. Not only does she refuse to address her daugther by name, but she won't even use gender pronouns and prefers to use "it" instead. She sees Rielle as a demon because of the dragon blood inside her.
I Lied: When she first issues a trial by combat to Sidurgu, Rielle, and the Warrior, she claims that they may go free if they survive, in accordance with Ishgardian law. After the dark knights emerge victorious, Sidurgu offers her the chance to live up to that promise, but Ystride makes it abundantly clear that she intends to hunt Rielle to the ends of Hydaelyn, their victory be damned. This is the final nail in her coffin, and Rielle gives Sid the go-ahead to execute Ystride.
"It" Is Dehumanizing: Her pronouns of choice when referring to her daughter, Rielle, are rather telling.
Just You and Me and My GUARDS!: A variant in the "trial by combat" she offers Sidurgu, Rielle, and the Warrior. As we see in the Main Scenario Quest, an officially-sanctioned trial by combat pits the accused against an equal number of petitioners in front of a crowd of witnesses. Ystride lures the trio to an isolated hole in the western highlands and sics her entire contingent of Temple Knights on them.
Knight Templar: A rather nasty one where she teams up with the Temple Knights to hunt down Rielle, who is only a child, in the name of Halone. She firmly believes what she is doing is the right thing to do and she refuses to listen to anyone who doesn't agree with her.
Offing the Offspring: She certainly wants to do this to Rielle.
Off with Her Head!: As it becomes clear to Rielle that her mother will not stop her monstrous actions, Rielle gives the go-ahead, and Sidurgu decapitates the crazy bitch.
Revive Kills Zombie: Her manifestation in the level 70 Dark Knight quest has her casting Cure and Cure II on you for damage instead of healing.
That Thing Is Not My Child!: Because Rielle has draconic power in her body, she dismisses her as a demon and doesn't want to be associated with her.
Villainous Breakdown: She grows increasingly frustrated and feral as the 50-60 questline goes on and her plans are continuously foiled. By the time of the final battle, she's completely lost it and spends the entire battle screaming at you to just die and spewing raving "prayers" to Halone.
Why Won't You Die?: During her Villainous Breakdown, she's reduced to ranting and raving to the two Dark Knights — Sidurgu and the Warrior of Light — to just die and let Ystride kill Rielle for being an "abomination" to her.
Would Hurt a Child: Has no qualms with killing Rielle. Even if she is her flesh and blood.

Myste (Unmarked Spoilers for Stormblood)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ffxiv_myste.png

Race: Wildwood Elezen
Epithet: Myste the Delusionist
Discipline: ???

"It is not death itself we fear, but the unfinished story. The promise of what could have been."

A mysterious, light-blue haired Elezen who appears in Ishgard. Constantly in a state of sadness, Myste accidentally drains aether from the Warrior of Light's Dark Knight soulstone, breaking it in half. He promises he can return the aether once he has used it to aid people in reconciling with the past and "be made whole".

He has the power to create simulacra of the dead, by using memories to shape ambient aether into physical bodies. These copies look, feel, and sound like the original people, but ultimately are constrained by the knowledge and mindset of the people whose memories Myste draws upon, and do not actually contain the soul or memories of those who have died. Myste wants to use these copies to help grieving or otherwise hurt individuals find a measure of peace by having one last conversation with the fallen. Myste's chance encounter with the Warrior of Light gave him an opportunity to perform this act of healing five times, at which point the Warrior of Light's soul crystal will be restored, and they can go their separate ways.

And of course, it isn't quite that simple.

It's revealed at the end of the questline that Myste, like the phantom of Fray, is the Warrior of Light's emotional pain given form by their soulstone. While Esteem was the embodiment of the Warrior of Light's rage at their never-ending battle and the less-than-grateful people they fought it for, Myste is from the opposite end of the scale, embodying their sorrow and desire for forgiveness for all the people who suffer and die because of that battle. Their ultimate plan is to make a "world without death" that involves using his simulacrums as replacements for those unfortunate souls to absolve their guilt, and when the Warrior of Light refuses to give up fighting to protect people in spite of the suffering, Myste revolts against them.

Ambiguously Human: From the get-go, things don't add up regarding his origins. In the end, all we can really say is that he definitely has something to do with the Warrior of Light's self and soulstone, but exactly what or how are never given definitive answers.
Anti-Villain: Technically, he isn't a villain at all beyond his methods, as he wants to make up for all of the harm the Warrior of Light has caused, but said methods are enough when rejected for him to qualify as an antagonist if nothing else.
Apologizes a Lot: Myste always feels responsible for whatever hardship he comes across to the point that "forgive me" is his catchphrase.
Bad Powers, Good People: His powers necessitate draining aether from the surroundings, sometimes to lethal degrees for wild animals, but he only wishes to help people.
Black-and-White Insanity: The main flaw with Myste is his utter refusal to look at the big picture. As the guilty conscience of the Warrior of Light, Myste hates the fact that they've had to kill people in order to save Eorzea. However, Myste ignores all context, justification, or explanation as to why the Warrior killed people, saying that "murder is murder" and it's not an excuse. He uses this even on people from the Garlean Empire who were planning to Take Over the World, and even on the Knights Twelve, who were perpetuating an oppressive government. The fact that the Warrior of Light doesn't feel good about any of the blood on their hands doesn't matter a whit to Myste, which Myste uses as proof that the Warrior is a monster.
Character Catchphrase: "Forgive me." He says it quite a bit after every questline comes to an end, and even a few times during those quests. But it's a hint as to who — or rather, what — he really is.
Dude Looks Like a Lady: Oh lord, yes. How any characters in-game recognize him as male is baffling. This was more than likely intentional. While Esteem's form was taken from the original Fray, Myste draws from both Haurchefant and Ysayle. Both being ambiguous allows for them to pass as a part of a Warrior of Light of either gender. In fact, his model is a combination of a child Haurchefant, used as artwork in an official short story, along with Ysayle's hair. This was confirmed in the second lorebook, where it is indeed written his appearance is made of a combination of those two. And it's all but stated that he specifically represents the Warrior of Light's grief over the loss of Haurchefant, which might be why his traits (the model and his hair and eye color) are more dominant than Ysayle's (who only contributed the hairstyle).
Enemy Without: Heavily implied to be the Warrior of Light's emotional anguish made manifest, in a similar manner that Esteem is their pragmatism and temper. However, unlike Esteem, Myste definitely is seen independently from the Warrior of Light. But like Esteem, he eventually revolts against the Warrior of Light in a violent clash.
Flunky Boss: He never once enters combat directly. During his fight with the Warrior, he'll summon a multitude of memories from both the Heavens' Ward and Warriors of Darkness. When the Warrior of Light is finally given the chance to attack Myste, he falls in a single stroke to the Souleater attack.
Guilt Complex: Heavily implied to be an Anthropomorphic Personification of one for the Warrior of Light. Myste accuses the Warrior of being a Doom Magnet who brings ruin upon friend and foe alike. Myste's very appearance is modeled after Haurchefant and Ysayle, who both gave their lives to protect the Warrior.
Heroic BSoD: Arguable if this is a blue screen, a villainous breakdown, or a mix of both, but the moment Esteem manifests and joins the Warrior of Light to battle Myste all he can do his tremble in terror and summon shades until he exhausts his power summoning the Warrior of Darkness and Sir Zephirin, leaving himself vulnerable to Souleater when they're defeated.
Myste: No… No… This is wrong. This is all wrong. I offer you peace! Restitution! A chance to make amends! Do not think you are above it! Do not think that a reckoning will be postponed indefinitely!
Hypocrite: His plan is to create a "world without death" where simulacrums of those who have died take the places of the departed so that no one ever has to say goodbye. But to do this, Myste would need an enormous amount of aether, and he only gets what he needs in the level 70 quest by absorbing aether from animals in such a way that it kills them. Sidurgu even calls Myste out on this, to which Myste doesn't have a comeback.
Interface Spoiler:
- People who own and read a copy of Encyclopaedia Eorzea, thus knowing the last name of the original Fray was "Myste", will immediately know something is very amiss with the entire 60-70 Dark Knight scenario.
- A female Warrior of Light will be tipped off at any point Esteem takes over the 60-70 journal entries as they will stop referring to Myste with male pronouns and instead use female ones. The last quest even drops a big hint in its very name: "Our Compromise", following the naming theme last seen in the 30-50 questline, rather than that of the rest of the 60-70 one.
Ironic Echo: He refers to the Warrior of Light as the "Weapon of Light", just as Fray did at one point during the level 50 quest. Contrasting Esteem's use - disparagingly calling the Warrior nothing more than a weapon the people of Eorzea look for whenever they need something done and then throw away whenever convenient - Myste uses it in reference to just how many people the Warrior of Light has killed, from genocidal conquerors who needed to be stopped to rank-and-file who have done no more wrong than simply being on the other side.
I Should Have Been Better: Invoked. Myste basically is this feeling, made manifest from within the Warrior of Light's subconscious thanks to the Soul of the Dark Knight. Myste's ultimate goal is to create simulacrums of the people who died in the Warrior's battles, or who the Warrior was helpless to save. He's doing this out of a desire to create a "world without death" and where he — or rather, the Warrior — doesn't have to feel guilty about what they weren't able to do anymore.
Lost Lenore:
- Never stated outright, but between his hair color, race, and some very choice words during his ultimate departure and end of the quest, it's heavily hinted at that he was made manifest, ultimately, by the Warrior of Light's anguish over the loss of Haurchefant.
- Notably, Myste also has the same hairstyle as Ysayle. He otherwise shares the same model as child Haurchefant in the short stories. The conversation with Count Edmont just after his departure, as well as many dialogues and journal entries during the quest line also explicitly tie Myste to Haurchefant.
Master of Illusion: Myste's signature power is to create a replica of someone's loved ones through manipulating aether, using that living person's memories of them. Because of their origin, they are filtered through their source's subconscious, and may differ from the actual deceased person based on the source's relationship with them - this also means they only know what the living person knows, even if the living person only knows it subconsciously. However, most of them at least tend to be fairly accurate depictions. They also do not last, as they require the loved one's memories to sustain them (meaning they disappear very quickly if that person dies) and cannot travel too far from that person.
Meaningful Name:
- He's the incarnation of the Warrior of Light's tortured and mangled self-esteem (replace the "ee" with "y"). Or rather another part of it, with Esteem themself already incarnating one part.
- "Myste" is a surname given to unclaimed Ishgardian orphans such as Fray, Leofard, and Stacia. As the Anthropomorphic Personification of the Warrior of Light's Guilt Complex and eviscerated self-esteem, Myste accuses the Warrior of being a Doom Magnet who brings ruin upon friend and foe, making orphans and widows out of people on both sides of the conflict.
Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: During the final battle in the level 70 Dark Knight quest, Myste summons a multitude of figures from the Warrior of Light's past (imperials, the Heavens' Ward, and the Warriors of Darkness among them), all of whom represent a particularly deadly battle or a painful memory, and all of whom died either in battle with the Warrior of Light, or shortly thereafter. Myste's final two guardians are Ardbert (a reminder of where the hero's path leads), and Ser Zephirin (Haurchefant's killer, who almost exclusively attacks with the same spear of light that killed Haurchefant). Myste's goal with these shades appears to be to display the Warrior of Light's many sins, and break their will to resist Myste's plan for a world without death.
So Last Season: When Esteem returns, they openly mock Myste for trying to steer the Warrior of Light from their path, stating that if not even they, "the embodiment of good sense and pragmatism", could do it, Myste's chances are even worse.
Tulpa: Much like Fray/Esteem, Myste is a creature made manifest of the Warrior of Light's thoughts and emotions. To be specific, the Warrior of Light's guilt at having had to kill so many people to save the realm, and the desire to seek forgiveness for not being able to save everyone.
Villainous Breakdown: When the Warrior tries to stop him from enacting his plan, Myste appears to be dumbfounded, wondering why the Warrior of Light won't go after "peace, restitution, [and] a chance to make amends". He then starts summoning shades to battle Esteem and the Warrior.
Walking Spoiler: In keeping tradition with Esteem, talking about Myste in any definitive sense is hard without blowing the (admittedly heavily hinted) fact that he is yet another portion of the Warrior of Light made manifest.

Ser Ompagne

Race: Wildwood Elezen
Epithet: Ompagne Deepblack
Discipline: Dark Knight

The master of Sidurgu and Fray. Formerly a commander in the Temple Knights, he led countless battles in the Dragonsong War, and raised and lost countless young soldiers in those same fights. Eventually resigning from the Knights, Ompagne eventually took in Sid and Fray as his wards, training them in the ways of the Abyss. Myste brings Sid's memories of Ompagne into existence in the Churning Mist. The shade of Ompagne challenges Sid and the Warrior of Light to a final test, a duel against him, to see their growth.

The Atoner: One of the reasons he became a dark knight and took in Sid and Fray was to atone for all of the lives lost under his command.
BFS: Ompagne carries the level 70 dark knight blade.
Covered in Scars: His face shows several scars telling a long carreer as a knight.
The Mentor: He is the dark knight who raised Fray and Sidurgu and trained them in the arts.
A Million Is a Statistic: Ompagne had trained and lost so many soldiers in his career that one day he realized he couldn't remember the face of the first young man who died in his service. That was the day he retired from the Temple Knights.
Not Afraid to Die: One of his lessons points out that unlike most men, dark knights do not fear death, since they've stared into the abyss and suffered greatly already.
Posthumous Character: He's long dead by the events of the story, having passed his legacy to Fray and Sidurgu. But Sidurgu's memories of him serve as a a catalyst for Myste to create a facsimile of Ompagne similar enough to the original that Sidurgu is able to find some catharsis from fighting him.
Sink or Swim Mentor: Sid remarks that Ompagne was never one to hold back during lessons. During the trial, several times he nearly kills Rielle and Sid, and Sid is left mostly sidelined for the entire rest of the questline from the injuries sustained.
So Proud of You: He shows nothing but pride for Sid and for the Warrior of Light, saying that Fray would be proud of them as well.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Ompagne cares about Sid greatly, but isn't afraid to call him out for being, among other things, "a chocobo's arse".
Wolfpack Boss: Ompagne can summon dark sprites to fight on his behalf.

Gunbreaker

Radovan Slobasch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/radovan.jpg

Race: Helion Hrothgar
Epithet: Radovan the Undaunted
Discipline: Gunbreaker

"You have your own ideals to protect, your own promises to keep."

A traveler from the far north of Ilsabard and former (unwilling) soldier of the Garlean Empire. He came to Eorzea to seek a new life after escaping the Empire.

Cold-Blooded Torture: Radovan occasionally suffers shocks that leave him unable to fight due to the torture he recieved at the hands of the Garleans, who according to him did it whenever it pleased them, and please them it did.
Dented Iron: Something of an Ambiguous Situation. Due to his time being affected by a Garlean shock collar, his body will occasionally seize up without warning; it's not fully clear whether the condition persisting after his escape is this trope or Shell-Shocked Veteran. It doesn't stop him from taking mercenary work, but it does kick in at inopportune moments during multiple Gunbreaker quests.
I Have Your Wife: He was forced into service to the Empire because they held his family hostage.
Last of Their Kind: He considers himself the last of the Gunbreakers, due to the order's strict rules regarding the exclusion of outsiders. That is, until you meet him...
- Eventually, he discovers there was another surviving Gunbreaker, Rostik. Not only does he suggest there may have been other Gunbreakers who were away from Bozja during its destruction, but he reveals he too in fact taught the secrets of their order to an outsider: Thancred.
Gameplay and Story Integration: He cannot use his Final Bastion limit break on his own since it requires an incredible amount of aether to use. The player character can use it and other limit breaks with no problem since they have tons of aether. Sophie gives Radovan her aether so that he can use his limit break.
Limit Break: Uses Final Bastion to heavily nullify damage from Vitus quo Messalla's ultimate attack on you.
My Greatest Failure: He holds deep regret for failing to protect his queen and family.
Revenge Before Reason: When he discovers that one of his clients is the selfsame Garlean scientist who performed experiments with Cid's father that led to the destruction of his homeland, he attempts to carry out vengeance against the scientist, who was trying to redeem himself. After the Warrior of Light pulls a What the Hell, Hero? on him, he suffers a crisis of conscience. Later downplayed, as he explains he had no intention of actually killing the scientist, only wanting him to confess for his sins, although the selfishness in such a desire was still cause for him to call his integrity into question.

Sophie

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ffxiv_12042019_230253_523.jpg

Race: Veena Viera
Epithet: Sophie the Steadfast
Discipline: Conjurer

"If there's one thing I can't bear, it's standing about doing nothing."

Radovan's traveling companion. A former resistance fighter who was forced to flee when the Empire overtook her comrades.

Dishing Out Dirt: Stone II is her main attack spell.
The Fashionista: During their adventures in Eorzea, Sophie made it a point to wear a different outfit in every city state they visited.
Healing Hands: Uses Medica to heal your group. She can also use Dedication to fully restore HP, which is her version of the White Mage's Benediction ability.
Hope Bringer: Was this toward Radovan when he escaped imprisonment and found that his family was dead. Radovan was near to taking his own life until Sophie helped him find a new purpose.
Younger Than They Look: At least when compared to other Viera the Warrior of Light meets. She is only 20 when she is introduced, compared to others that are at several decades if not centuries old.

Vitus quo Messalla

Race: Duskwight Elezen

"Yes... your head will make a fine trophy."

A Garlean soldier and leader of a faction called the Alaudae, prisoner soldiers who fight toward lightening their sentences. Was tasked with tracking down a Garlean scientist that chose to defect, and comes across Radovan and the Warrior of Light in this search.

Arc Villain: Of the 60-70 Gunbreaker quest line. Though he doesn't appear until the Level 68 quest.
Bad Boss: He slaughters his own men after Radovan incapacitates them.
BFS: Crossed with BFG - he wields a type of Garlean gunblade with a size comparable to a Dark Knight's greatsword, similar to the one used by Regula van Hydrus.
Blood Knight: He razed a village full of innocents to sate his bloodlust, which even made other Garleans disgusted with him.
Boxed Crook: Messalla was originally sentenced to death for butchering an innocent village as a pilus prior, but was spared to fight as one of the Alaudae, a collection of Garlean prisoners who serve the empire in exchange for reduced sentences. Later, he rose through the ranks to lead them and now they fight like men possessed, both for the promise of freedom and to avoid his wrath.
Cold-Blooded Torture: On the giving end of this, not just toward Radovan in the past, but to the prisoners that serve under him. He forces the Alaudae to wear shock collars just like Radovan once did, which proves to be useful prior to the final confrontation to even the odds.
Glory Seeker: With his exploits as the leader of the Alaudae, Vitus had already achieved enough notoriety to be considered equal or greater to Gaius van Baelsar in terms of power and skill. Upon crossing paths with the Warrior of Light, his motive immediately changes from "hunt down the defected Garlean scientist" to "capture/kill the Warrior of Light and obtain even greater notoriety."
Master Swordsman: He is spoken of as being equal to Gaius van Baelsar in swordsmanship and he proves to be an extremely dangerous opponent.
Older Than He Looks: He's 52, but looks a lot younger, especially with his career as a conscript.
One-Handed Zweihänder: While he mostly wields his gunblade with both hands, one of his attacks has him slashing rapidly with it using only one hand despite its massive size.
Sadist: Vitus is a monster who delights in giving pain and bloodshed. He was demoted by Garlemald for the unsanctioned slaughter of a village full of innocents, who he put to the sword for no other reason than to sate his bloodlust.
Sword Beam: He can use Terminus Est, the X-shaped sword beam used by many high-ranking Garlean swordsmen. He has several other attacks that involve swinging his sword to launch beams and shockwaves.

Role Quests

Granson Ketchthane

Race: Hume
Epithet:Granson of the Mournful Blade
Discipline: Goldsmith, Dark Knight

"I couldn't care less who you are or what you've done. The only thing I'm looking for these days is a like-minded partner."

A former goldsmith and game hunter-turned bounty hunter who is looking for a tenacious fighter to hunt down Dikaiosyne.

Bounty Hunter: He currently works as a bounty hunter, killing Sin Eaters for profit, though that is only window dressing for his hunt for Dikaiosyne.
Can't Hold His Liquor: In the quest "Safekeeping", he accidentally drinks some wine instead of juice. Just one sip of it and he goes from standing upright to fall down drunk like a felled tree.
Guest-Star Party Member: He fights alongside you during the Lakeland portion of The Heroes' Gauntlet.
I Call It "Vera": Granson bought a worn, nondescript greatsword from a scavenger in Derelicts and restored the blade with his goldsmithing skills. He dubbed the restored weapon "Mournful Blade" and always ensures it's in prime condition.
The Lost Lenore: Once had a fiance named Milinda, she ended up turning into a sin eater by Dikaiosyne, and Granson had to put her down.
"Not So Different" Remark: After the Warrior of Light recounts how Branden had to kill his beloved princess after she became a monster, Granson realizes how he and Branden were so alike.
Revenge: Granson seeks to destroy Dikaiosyne to avenge his wife Milinda, who Granson had to kill after Dikaiosyne turned her into a Sin Eater.
Rugged Scar: One that is self-inflicted across his face, as a reminder to stay on the path he chose.
Staking the Loved One: Dikaiosyne struck down his wife Milinda, turning her into a Sin Eater. With the last of her will, she begged Granson to kill her, which he did with a heavy heart.
Self-Harm: The scars on his face and body were self-inflicted after he was pushed over the Despair Event Horizon by having to kill his wife.
Vengeance Feels Empty: Sul Oul's account of Branden's life along with the Warrior's own Echo vision of the past makes Granson realize that he's done nothing but fill himself with hate in the years following his wife's death. Having devoted himself entirely to his mission to kill Dikaiosyne, Granson had pushed away all other forms of happiness he still had left. This, combined with the realization that he and Branden were forced to kill someone they love, allows Granson to let go of his hatred and instead fight out of his love for his wife and his desire to give Branson a Mercy Kill.
Walking the Earth: After defeating Dikaiosyne and making peace with matters, Granson decides to spend some time on the road, offering his sword to anyone who needs help.

Characters / Final Fantasy XIV Disciples Of War Tank

Gladiator/Paladin

Marauder/Warrior

Dark Knight

Gunbreaker

Role Quests

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Characters / Final Fantasy XIV Disciples Of War Tank

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Gladiator/Paladin

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Role Quests

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