History Characters / FinalFantasyXIVGarleanEmpire

* FightingForAHomeland: Following Garlemald's magitek revolution, its people sought to take back their homeland, Locus Amoenus, from the people who forced them into the northern wastes. The imperial legions quickly overtook the unprepared nation of modern day Corvos, reclaiming what Garlemald believe is rightfully theirs. With this success, Solus zos Galvus easily convinced the Garlean people to conquer more and more to secure their future, leading to Garlemald's dream of global conquest. However, in-universe historians dispute this claim, as Locus Amoenus, as with much of Ilsabard, has always been inhabited by myriad races and cultures. Garlemald's claim to complete sovereignty of Locus Amoenus is thus misleading at best, showing the impact of decades of propaganda and Solus' CultOfPersonality.

** Soul crystals are treated with fear and suspicion by Garlean intelligence and propaganda exagerating and lying about soulstones as effectively being a sort of necromancy that traps part of the bearer's soul and memories, and then overwrites the next bearer's personality and soul. [[spoiler:So of course the Empire's scientists quietly added a "Synthetic Auricite" system to the back collar of Legatus armor that collects combat and personality data of the wearer, which can be latter recovered and used in the newest series of Imperial Anti-Eikon Warmachina Weapon mechs to perform Oversoul, under the excuse that the pilots are expendable but not the skills of Empire's greatest generals. Even when the data of Nael van Darnus effectively acts like a primal with reality warping powers and goes berserk, its treated as a minor inconvenient glitch by the Garleans rather than the horrifying disregard for the pilot's life and safety of everyone it truly is.]]

* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJNR00QQKWs "Imperial Will"]].

* MoralMyopia: On a national level, Garleans have a chip on their shoulders about their homeland having been conquered. But once they started a war to take it back, they quickly began taking other people's homelands away after reclaiming their own.

* UnSorcerer: Pureblood Garleans as a whole are biologically incapable of using magic. They were forced to compensate for this weakness by developing {{Magitek}}. Their non-Garlean conscripts don't have this handicap and sorcerers among them are highly valued, while mixed-race Garleans lose the handicap at the cost of their third eye. Then you find out Garleans can use magic... [[spoiler: at the cost of making pacts with what are basically the FFXIV equivalent of soul eating demons.]]

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Of the Roman Empire, an expansionist superpower with a Latin-inspired language contending with both the peoples they subjugated, or at least threatening to do so, and political strife from within. The location of Garlemald itself appears to be based on Russia.

* FantasticRacism: Barring a few rare exceptions, all "pure" Garleans see others as "savages" to either be enslaved or eradicated.
* FightingForAHomeland: Following Garlemald's magitek revolution, its people sought to take back their homeland, Locus Amoenus, from the people who forced them into the northern wastes. The imperial legions quickly overtook the unprepared nation of modern day Corvos, reclaiming what Garlemald believe is rightfully theirs. With this success, Solus zos Galvus easily convinced the Garlean people to conquer more and more to secure their future, leading to Garlemald's dream of global conquest.

** Job soulstones are treated with fear and suspicion by Garlean intelligence and propaganda exagerating and lying about soulstones as effectively being a sort of necromancy that traps part of the bearer's soul and memories, and then overwrites the next bearer's personality and soul. [[spoiler:So of course the Empire's scientists quietly added a "Synthetic Auricite" system to the back collar of Legatus armor that collects combat and personality data of the wearer, which can be latter recovered and used in the newest series of Imperial Anti-Eikon Warmachina Weapon mechs to perform Oversoul, under the excuse that the pilots are expendable but not the skills of Empire's greatest generals. Even when the data of Nael van Darnus effectively acts like a primal with reality warping powers and goes berserk, its treated as a minor inconvenient glitch by the Garleans rather than the horrifying disregard for the pilot's life and safety of everyone it truly is.]]

* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Despite just how much of the Ilsabard Contingent has had personal experiences with Garlean oppression, they're nevertheless willing to offer humanitarian aid to the 1st Legion and the civilians taking shelter with them in Tertius. Quintus' response is to take the twins hostage and use them as leverage to get the Contingent to leave behind their supplies and an airship. [[spoiler:And when that doesn't work, he orders his men to launch a SelfDestructiveCharge on Camp Broken Glass. Even that basically is over before it starts, as it's revealed that help just isn't coming for the Garleans due to their other legions being wiped out.]]
* FatalFlaw: '''Pride.''' His overwhelming nationalistic pride causes him to make many questionable decisions. First, he refuses any help from the Ilsabard contigent on principle, because doesn't want to "bow down to invaders", despite the fact that his people are on the brink of starvation and freezing to death. Instead, he [[UngratefulBastard takes Alisaie and Alphinaud hostage]] demanding that the Ilsabard contigent hand them over the supplies and leave in exchange for the twins' lives. Alphinaud and Alisaie were offering to just give Quintus all the supplies he needed, no questions asked, but Quintus had to do it the hard way to satisfy his own ego. [[spoiler:This is also despite the fact that Garlemald is crawling with Tempered soldiers and Telophoroi Warmachina they have no hope of defeating. When that fails, he uses the last bit of ceruleum, which is vital for heating, as fuel for Magitek armor and tries to assault the Ilsabard contingent, which is stopped at the last second. When it becomes apparent that reinforcements aren't coming and that the Empire has been completely wiped out, he's filled with so much shame at the thought of bowing down to savages that [[DrivenToSuicide he points a gun to his head and pulls the trigger.]]]]

'''Disciplin''': Gladiator]

** Discussed shortly after meeting him. [[spoiler:One of the reasons why he refuses to believe that the Scions have a cure for tempering. Because if that's true, then it would mean that his murder of his own family in self-defense was for naught, and that they could have been saved.]]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Near the end of the Garlemald arc, [[spoiler:he and the other Garlean refugees who aren't protected by Warding Scales are tempered en masse when Fandaniel uses Anima to send out a massive tempering wave. Thankfully, the Ist Legion is able to be subdued and later cured of their affliction by the Ilsabardian Contingent.]]
* TheCavalry: [[spoiler:When Sharlaryan attempts to transport Thavnair's refugees to the moon teleporter in Garlemald after Anima's destruction, they are beset by a massive hoard of blasphemies that push the Radiant, Ilsabardian contingent remnants, and assembled Scions to the brink. When things look lost, Jullus and the Ist show up with what remains of their men and warmachina to help stem the tide until the Warrior of Light comes. Jullus then swears himself to helping the Scions cause in protecting the people and stopping the Final Days.]]

* ShipTease: He gets a bit of it with [[spoiler:Zero, as he sees her confusion at the notion of altruism as similar to his own early mistrust of the Ilsabard Contingent's offer of help. He even gets a chance to do a DesperateObjectCatch when Zero blacks out from her injuries.]]

* YouAreInCommandNow: [[spoiler:When Quintus commits suicide, he takes command of his legion and almost immediately allies with Lucia and the Ilsabard Contingent, thus giving his cold and hungry soldiers and civilian charges a chance. Later gets a chance to prove his mettle as a commander during the Final Days.]]

* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: When Alphonse takes over the Diamond Weapon, he fires its laser straight at Valens, seemingly obliterating him and destroying the rest of the facility. Later on, after the Warrior of Light disables the Diamond Weapon, Valens shows up alive and unharmed, [[KickTheSonOfABitch but not for long.]] ]]

* WolverinePublicity: Despite being on the cover illustration for ''Prelude in Violet'', he does not actually appear in the patch.

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Is the only one to not have Ultima (The primals) as a battle track, breaks the numbering trend (3-4-5-1), is the only one of the trial Weapons to have a single health bar, and on that note, is the only one to [[spoiler: not have a Legate Related Oversoul, instead having a fused Alfonse as its core AI. Also is the only one to not kill its pilot.]]

* FascistButInefficient: A subtle example. Despite its military might and seemingly endless reserves of Magitek weaponry, the very autocratic, cult-of-personality-driven Empire means it is very susceptible to internal conflict in the event of a transition, which is exactly what happens when Solus dies of old age in the middle of the ''A Realm Reborn'' storyline, sparking a civil war in the home regions of Garlemald. [[spoiler:It happens again when Varis, his grandson and successor, is assassinated by his own son Zenos at the end of the ''Shadowbringers'' storyline, before declining the position, causing another, even more devastating civil war.]]

** By the time the Eorzean Alliance makes an inroad into Garlemald during ''Endwalker'', things in the Empire have gone {{from bad to worse}}. [[spoiler:The Warrior of Light and Eorzea have beaten everything the Empire can throw at them, and Garlemald has dwindled down to its last legs. The entire country is a pile of rubble, with the remnants having joined up under the banner of the Telophoroi either willingly or through tempering by Anima. The ordinary people caught in the middle have little chance for rescue besides running for their lives, braving the land's freezing cold, and hoping that the horrific monsters that roam the ice don't find them. And yet, [[PrideBeforeAFall Garlemald stubbornly refuses to accept any help from the "savages" of the Eorzean Alliance]], either through [[MyCountryRightOrWrong misplaced nationalism]] or [[EvilCannotComprehendGood believing that the Eorzeans aren't really there to help them]]. The only resistance the Garleans put up is a suicidal charge against the Eorzean Alliance's landing party, which relied on hope against hope that a miracle could happen to give the Garleans something, ''anything'', to work with. When it inevitably doesn't, what was left of the Empire's main forces have been basically wiped out, the main Garlean force is informed that their reinforcements were likewise crushed, and their supplies have dwindled down to nothing after using what was left of their heating fuel on said suicide charge. The few surviving Garleans [[HumblePie are left with no choice but to accept the Eorzean Alliance's aid]] instead of starving and/or freezing to death. The moment in which the Garlean soldiers mutter a pitiful surrender to the Warrior of Light and their allies is generally agreed in-universe to be the ''de facto'' end of Garlemald's dream of conquest, with everyone only able to look back [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen in both awe and pity at how far the Garleans have fallen]].]]

''Class and Job Questlines'': [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVDisciplesOfWar Disciples of War]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVDisciplesOfMagic Disciples of Magic]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVDisciplesOfTheHand Disciples of the Hand]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVDisciplesOfTheLand Disciples of the Land]]\\

[floatboxright:'''Race''': Garlean]

''Antagonists'': [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVAscians Ascians]] ([[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVEmetSelch Emet-Selch]]) | '''Garlean Empire''' ([[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVZenosYaeGalvus Zenos yae Galvus]] | [[Characters/FinalFantasyXIVBozjanGarleans Bozjan Garleans]]) \\

!!!Voiced by: Creator/AkioOtsuka (JP), Creator/RichardEpcar (EN, Los Angeles cast), Creator/MichaelMcElhatton (EN, London cast), Philippe Dumond (FR), Thomas Dehler (DE)
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gaius_4.jpg]]

'''Epithet''': The Black Wolf]
->''"He who cannot preserve the sovereignty of his nation is unfit to rule it."''

The Legate of the [=XIVth=] Imperial Legion, and the commander in charge of the Garlean invasion of Eorzea. Gaius is a proud and powerful soldier who holds absolute belief in the ideals of the Garlean Empire. Believing that Eorzea is plagued with chaos and strife, he seeks to deliver the stability and absolute order that would come with Garlean rule.

* AceCustom: His Gunblade Heirsbane is a unique gift made by famed engineer and his dear friend Midas nan Garlond.
* AffablyEvil: He congratulates the players on defeating Nael and genuinely supports their quest to stop him. Then, in ''A Realm Reborn'', he displays considerable charm when talking to the player and is shown to care about his underlings (or some of them, anyway), which makes him even more personable.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: In the original ''Legacy'' 1.0 storyline, he was this to both the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. They could push him back, but he still held the upper hand as a singular force of power and was willing to be a CombatPragmatist by using his excess forces to his advantage. By the time of the end of the ''A Realm Reborn'' 2.0 story, however, the Warrior of Light has become this to him, topping not only his physical efforts but his attempts to use the Ultima Weapon as well. Considering how nigh-unstoppable he was up to this point, [[ThisCannotBe he's left baffled and utterly confused]] before his collapse.
* AnimalMotifs: Wolves. His title is "The Black Wolf", and he's the alpha of the pack. That being said, he also embodies a NobleWolf, since he's an AntiVillain that believes a MightMakesRight mentality would be better for all involved in Eorzea.
* AntiHero: As of [[spoiler:the end of ''Stormblood'' and into ''Shadowbringers'', Gaius is firmly on the side of good, although definitely not without his rough demeanour.]]
* AntiVillain: Compared to many of his peers who decry Eorzeans as mere savages to be put to heel, Gaius genuinely believes that the order and MightMakesRight ideals of Garlemald will bring propserity to the lands he conquers. He's horrified by Nael van Darnus' Meteor Project and secretly tips off the Alliance to help them stop Dalamud's fall. Even after he returns to conquer Eorzea in ''A Realm Reborn'', he's stunned by the devastation wrought by Ultima and is angered the Lahabrea would force the Ultima Weapon to use it. [[spoiler:In fact, he's so distraught by the consequences of his actions that he defects from Garlemald to hunt down every Ascian he can find before allowing Valdeaulin to kill him.]]
* ArmCannon: The left gauntlet on his armor is bulkier and has a visible barrel. The arm cannon, called the Hand of the Empire, fires blue ceruleum blasts that can kill an Ixal in one shot.
* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: He is regarded both as a powerful warrior and shrewd administrator. He even got his position as viceroy of Ala Mhigo by being the man who conquered it!
* BadassBoast: He gives one before the boss fight with him in the Praetorium, along with a MotiveRant that the strong must rule over the weak. He finishes this off with "It is only right that I should take your realm! For none among you has the power to stop me!"
* BadassLongcoat: Wears a red and black long coat that makes him certainly imposing.
* BadassNormal: Gaius, as a Garlean, is incapable of using magic. Everything he does in his boss fight is a combination of his abilities as a MasterSwordsman and his Magitek PoweredArmor.
* BenevolentBoss: Unlike many other Legati and other high-ranking Garleans, Gaius genuinely is a reasonable and fair commanding officer and is a fan of meritocracy for promotions, even of recent conscripts from conquered nations. [[spoiler:It's not entirely surprising that he ends up pulling a HeelFaceTurn later.]]
* BigBadEnsemble: He and Lahabrea, despite himself being DragonInChief to TheEmperor.
* BlackKnight: Wears black armor, and has a sense of honor.
* BloodKnight: He truly wants to compared his strength with the Warrior of Light. Even after realising he's an UnwittingPawn to Lahabrea through his use of the Ultima Weapon, Gaius puts his vengeance on his to-do later list, as he's more interested in seeing whether the Warrior can best him in combat.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Scenes in ''A Realm Reborn'' heavily imply that he is sleeping with his subordinate Livia. [[spoiler:His portrayal when he reappears at the end of Stormblood is generally too noble for one to imagine him doing so, especially since it's stated he basically raised her from childhood. A later quest even states that noticing her obession with him, he started to keep her at arm's length which doesn't quite match up with him ordering her to meet him in his bedchamber as he did in ''ARR''.]]
* CombinationAttack: [[spoiler:Performs one with Estinien in their battle with Zenos in 5.4. Too bad Zenos {{No Sell}}s it]].
* TheConqueror: Gaius is a veteran of many of the Empire's wars. Until Eorzea, he had yet to meet a nation he could not bring down.
* DangerousDeserter: He and his Legion are technically this, having gone AWOL back in ''Legacy'' to help stop Nael's insane scheme. Nero outright says during the Crystal Tower arc that, even if Gaius had won, he would have likely been executed for his desertion.
* DidntSeeThatComing: By all accounts, the Ultima Weapon was supposed to live up to its name and both Gaius and Lahabrea firmly believed it to be unstoppable. Then comes [[TheHero the Warrior of Light]], who not only decimates his forces like a hot knife through butter, but wipes all three entities in battle with a little help from Hydaelyn's protection. Not once prior to Lahabrea stating it did Gaius even think Hydaelyn was involved, but he's still horrified and baffled by the impossibility of the Warrior's power.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: When his Eorzean headquarters of the Praetorium is invaded by the Warrior of Light, he uses his own attack ships to barrage the place and blow holes all through it while effectively directing the Warrior and Cid to a central control station in the facility, entirely to corral them his way so that he can [[WeCanRuleTogether offer a free employment in his forces.]] Naturally, this doesn't stick, lets Cid direct the Warrior straight to the Ultima Weapon, and the Warrior just [[SpannerInTheWorks has to do their thing]] from there, leading to the fall of the Praetorium and the weapon together.
* TheDragon: To Emperor Solus.
* DragonInChief: Due to the Emperor's failing health and advanced age.
* EnemyMine: He aided the player subtly so that they could stop Nael's ambitions to bring Dalamud crashing down in ''Legacy''.
* EqualOpportunityEvil: Gaius is noted as being progressive for promoting based on ability rather then birthright. Rhitahtyn sas Arvina in particular was noted as having come up from nothing to get to where he was, based on what Gaius saw in Rhitahtyn.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: It's clear Gaius has great affection for Livia, Rhitahtyn, and Cid.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Killing the primals and taking over Eorzea? Not a problem. Calling a meteor and destroying everything in the process? Now that's going too far.
** A sidequest line in ''Stormblood'' reveals that the same principle applies to chemical weaponry, personally shutting down the Black Rose chemical weapons program. [[spoiler:Not that that stopped the Empire from using it.]]
--->'''Gaius:''' Toxic gas is not a tool of conquest, but of extermination.
** The reveal of what [[CloneByConversion Oversoul]] does to whoever is driving the new Warmachina Weapons leaves him ''furious.'' Especially since the pilot/victim of Ruby Weapon's Oversoul was [[spoiler:his ''adoptive daughter'']].
* EvilFormerFriend: He was very close with both Cid and Midas, to the point of being an HonoraryUncle to the former. Cid defecting and Midas going mad [[spoiler:thanks to Bahamut]] put a stop to both relationships. Even when Cid and the Warrior of Light confront him at the climax of ARR's storyline, Gaius tries to get Cid back on his side before even acknowledging the Warrior's presence.
* EvilIsBigger: As part of his Darth-Vader-expy credentials, Gaius towers over almost everyone around him in most of his appearances. Only male Roegadyn and Au Ra with maxed-out height sliders even come close.
* EvilVersusOblivion: Assists the player in the 1.0 storyline with stopping Nael. Eorzea needs to actually exist for him to conquer it, after all.
* EvilVirtues: [[{{Determinator}} Determination]], [[AFatherToHisMen loyalty to his underlings]], and [[EvenEvilHasStandards a desire to only be as evil as necessary when it comes to getting what he wants]].
* {{Expy}}: Doesn't he remind you of Darth Vader? He also has [[http://forums.jeuxonline.info/showthread.php?t=1248993 visual similarities]] to [[VideoGame/{{Xenogears}} Grahf]].
* FaceDeathWithDignity: With his base ablaze and in ruins, the Ultima Weapon destroyed, and his plans utterly crushed, Gaius looks around the remains of his ambitions as he quietly admits that's he's lost before letting the explosion of the base consume him. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted since he doesn't actually die and goes on to later call this a moment of weakness]].
* AFatherToHisMen: Gaius has nothing but the utmost loyalty from the men under his command, whom he treats with respect equal to their accomplishments. In some cases, this is ''literal''. According to Cid, Gaius took many promising young orphans of war under his wing in order to give them better lives and many of these children took up working for the imperial army in order to repay him. This turns tragic [[spoiler:after his HeelFaceTurn as many of his children are still loyal to Garlemald]].
* FinalBoss: Of ''A Realm Reborn'', by way of piloting the Ultima Weapon.
* FlatEarthAtheist: Of the 'are they truly gods?' variety. He mocks the Eorzean Twelve for not intervening with the primals, and says they're no different to primals.
* FourStarBadass: Legatus of the [[ArcNumber [=XIVth=]]] Legion.
* FriendToAllChildren: Gaius was something of a serial-adopter of children. In addition to Cid and Livia, he also adopted a quintet of Au Ra children-Milisandia, Allie, Alphonse, Rex, and Ricon-who were orphaned by an epidemic that swept through Werlyt shortly after Garlemald's invasion of it.
* GasMaskLongcoat: His helmet looks the part at any rate.
* GoodParents:
** In ''Shadowbringers,'' it's revealed he adopted several war orphans from the countries he invaded. They have nothing but glowing things to say about him and try to live up to his standards.
** Emphasized even more in the 2022 Hatchingtide-event; [[spoiler:he's willing to embarass himself attending the Hatchingtide Festival just because his adopted daughter wanted to see it.]]
* GoldenSuperMode: His [[BlingOfWar armor turns gold]] in the boss fight against him, and stays that way until Ultima Weapon is defeated.
* {{Gunblade}}: His weapon, Heirsbane, is a revolver gunblade. Unlike [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall's]], however, his is more akin to the real-life historical version of a pistol built with a sword alongside it rather than trying to obtain any sort of {{Vibroweapon}} effect. Though it appears he's using ceruleum fuel to create a FlamingSword and launch a SwordBeam.
* HonorBeforeReason: Several times both in ''Legacy'' and in ''ARR'', there are times where he can easily kill the player and their allies, but chooses not to, deeming it would be too easy. He also despises winning any battle with the help of divine intervention, citing it as a power of weak, false rulers.
* {{Irony}}:
** Despite his AntiVillain nature, he still completely and utterly believes in the cause of Garlemald to his very heart, as one of the most loyal commanders in the entire army. Thus, he believes Eorzea is a threat to the world with the primal threat, and that the Twelve are nothing more than primals in their own right waiting to ruin the world's aether -- for Eorzea to continue existing unabated is to cause The Burn all over again as the Emperor decreed. [[spoiler:He's completely unaware that the Burn was Allagan-inflicted by elaborate technology that was never disabled, and while the primals are indeed a threat, they're intentionally caused by Ascians and his entire purpose as a loyal soldier was to fulfill Ascian machinations to basically destroy all of the world so that theirs can exist again, something that Gaius later takes ''very deep offense to'' for understandable reasons.]]
** Also, as mentioned above, he was under full belief that the Twelve were primals drinking aether from the land and worship of them needed to stop. [[spoiler: Endwalker would reveal that he was mostly incorrect and turning his attention towards conquering Eorzea's spoken was built on a total mistake. Only the Twelve that Louisoux summoned at Cartinaeu were primals, the actual Eorzean Twelve are both very real and repeatedly drive home that they are ''not'' primals.]]
* KnightInSourArmor: A villainous version. He doesn't even ''like'' Eorzea very much, seeing it as technologically backwards, prone to infighting and having way too many false gods for his liking... but he believes it can be saved from itself, and that he has an affirmative moral duty to do so.
* KnightTemplar: He believes that the Eorzean people's faith in the Twelve is a weakness and leaves them at the mercy at the primals. And that [[MightMakesRight only through strength can peace and stability be obtained]].
* LateArrivalSpoiler: His receiving a voice credit in the ''Stormblood'' patches can be one. So he appears in ''Stormblood'', but probably in flashbacks, right? [[spoiler:Not so much. He's still alive.]]
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: While he is a dangerous foe in ''A Realm Reborn'' who is dead-set on conquering Eorzea, in comparison to the other military leaders of the Empire, Gaius is far more pragmatic and far less genocidal. He was staunchly opposed to the Meteor Project and even helped Eorzea's heroes in small ways, since it wouldn't do to wipe out a region that could otherwise be brought into the Empire. He is also AFatherToHisMen, who rewards his soldiers when they show merit. Furthermore, he does not buy into the racist doctrine that is endemic in the Empire, believing that one's actions show the measure of one's character, not the circumstances of their birth -- which has gone a far way towards earning him the loyalty of non-Garlean soldiers. [[spoiler:This would be in stark contrast to Valens, who gleefully partakes in torturing "savages", even those under his command, including ''Gaius's adopted children''. This eventually becomes ALighterShadeOfGrey when he becomes "Shadowhunter".]]
* LimitBreak: Veni Vidi Vici, which is Latin for "I Came, I Saw, I Conquered". It's named for a quote of UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar, who reportedly said this after a decisive military victory. Gaius summons four shadow clones which must be defeated before his sword's power completely fills; otherwise, it's a OneHitKill on everybody.
* MagicKnight: Uses magitek to enhance his abilities, particular those based on using ceruleum fuel.
* MascotVillain: Gaius is the one on the cover of most versions of A Realm Reborn and is quite popular among the staff and fans for his [[AffablyEvil reasonable]] and [[FairPlayVillain honorable]] personality.
* MasterSwordsman: Gaius' swordsmanship knows practically no peer in Garlemald. Many of the sword techniques used by Garlean legates were ''invented'' by Gaius.
* MightMakesRight: Part of his viewpoint as to why it's okay to conquer the lowly heathens of Eorzea. The fact the player can beat him in battle is the reason he's impressed with them.
* MistakenForMurderer: [[spoiler:Is mistakenly believed to be responsible for killing Varius, who, in truth, was in fact murdered by his son, Zenos. Granted, Zenos had no real intention on setting the record straight]].
* MoralMyopia: He's right to call out Eorzea on their [[WeAreStrugglingTogether divided citystates causing them to totally fail to come together]]. For most of ''A Realm Reborn'', at least. Though by the time he's finally fighting, they've amended this, even if it comes to bite them in the ass again after the Empire's out of their immediate hair. However, Gaius is [[{{Hypocrite}} willfully ignoring]] the very, ''very'' blatant fact that most of the Empire is just as divided; even if they generally follow the goals of Solus and Varis, almost every other commander, scientist and Legate is out for their own ends and power, some of them even straight up traitors to their country the moment they get the opportunity. And Gaius is hardly blind to it; he himself has stood in the paths of his own emperor, and betrayed Nael and the Meteor Project to Eorzea, to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* TheMusketeer: Is a very skilled sword fighter and gunman who can take on superior numbers.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He is genuinely horrified to learn of the Ultima Weapon's true purpose, and the destruction it's capable of. His shocked disbelief is contrasted with Lahabrea's [[EvilLaugh malevolent cackle]]. It's even more apparent in the Japanese voice over, where you can hear the sheer horror in his voice and the volatile ''rage'' he has for Lahabrea.
--->'''Gaius:''' Such devastation... This was ''not'' my intention...
* NamedWeapons: His gunblade is called Heirsbane.
* NeverFoundTheBody: Gaius was last seen to still be alive as the Praetorium exploded, [[spoiler:which in turn leads to the speculation that he is Shadowhunter. This is confirmed to be true in patch 4.5]]
* NotSoStoic: He [[spoiler:loses his icy front when a dying Alfonse says how proud he was to have had Gaius as a father and finally cries over the loss of all but one of his kids.]]
* NumerologicalMotif: Legatus of the [=XIVth=] Legion, and a primary antagonist throughout both ''Legacy'' and ''A Realm Reborn'', thus representing ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''.
* ParentalSubstitute: He helped raise Cid while his [[DisappearedDad father]] was frequently away on business and raised Livia himself after she was orphaned by war.
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: "As you wish." [[note]]Said before he takes on Yda, Papalymo, Thancred, and Y'shtola during the legacy quest Future Perfect.[[/note]]
* PlayingWithFire: Creates blue fire pools to burn you with from his ceruleum-fueled Magitek and can use it to [[SpellBlade create]] a FlamingSword and to become WreathedInFlames.
* PoweredArmor: Gaius's armor can gild itself with Aether, a process described to increase the armor's resistance to enemy spells.
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Gaius does not sugarcoat what he thinks of Eorzea's gods and religious beliefs.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
** He wants to lead an invasion to conquer Eorzea, not destroy it and turn it into a smoking crater. He believes in earning rank and honor through one's own skills. And he offers his opponents a chance to surrender and join the Empire peacefully. Recognizing the Warrior of Light's talent; Gaius immediately offers to let the [=WoL=] rule over Eorzea on behalf of Garlemald as Regent. Normally, a subjugated person must serve for 20 years in the military before they are even recognized as official citizens.
** In ''Stormblood'', it's revealed that Gaius founded an entire squadron of Ala Mhigan conscripts called the Skulls, hoping to help integrate the youths of Ala Mhigo into imperial rule without much fuss or trouble. Unfortunately, this backfired, leaving a band of youths who had known only violence accepted by neither the empire ("a savage is a savage") or their own people ("a band of kinslaying traitors"). He might've been able to right the ship, or at least help Fordola have a bit more pride in herself, had he lived, but instead the Skulls end up under the command of ''Zenos'', and that goes [[BloodKnight about as well as you'd expect]].
** As mentioned under EvenEvilHasStandards, Gaius wanted to bring other nations into the fold as arms of the empire and have their Spoken members aid them in stopping the threats of the primals, not leave them empty dead territories to repopulate with their own people. For this reason, he sabotaged both Nael's Project Meteor event by tipping off the players and leaving them to go at him when he could have killed them then and there, and putting a full halt to the Black Rose project unveiled in ''Stormblood'' due to finding it too horrific, ordering all samples destroyed and all research burned/deleted. [[spoiler:He had no way of knowing at the time, but doing so almost certainly saved the world from an early Umbral Calamity.]]
** [[spoiler:In ''Endwalker'', despite being very personally invested he doesn't join the Alliance's mission to help the Garlean citizens recover from their nation's ruin and defeat the Telophoroi occupying the royal palace. He says his presence would just cause further strife since the Garleans think he's the one who killed Varis and plunged their country into civil war.]]
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: When he meets the Warrior of Light, he lambastes the Eorzeans for their faith in the Twelve gods, stating that even if they intervened, the Eorzeans would be weak for depending on them, and believes [[MightMakesRight only a strong ruler can break the cycle of primal summonings]].
* RedBaron: The Black Wolf.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His outfit consists of black plate armour overlaying red fabric and Gaius is a ruthless, if benevolent, conqueror.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: He fiercely proclaims that the summons of the Twelve that bound Bahamut during the Battle of Cartenau were primals and always were, given the reverent belief that brought them forth. However, while [[spoiler:''Endwalker'''s Alliance Raid series confirms the summoned versions were indeed primals, the Twelve themselves are very real entities, and implied to be the fellow Ascians that helped summoned Hydaelyn, meaning they're technically self-made deities outside of the established primal system in a way ''anyone'' would mistake for primals.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: During Legacy, he allowed the players to take the plans of the Lunar Transmitter to Cid so they can find a way to stop Project Meteor and Nael.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: His helmet is a stylized SkullForAHead.
* SocialDarwinist: Of the 'strong deserve to rule the weak' variety. [[spoiler:Except it's a touch more complicated than that - he doesn't think it's a matter of the strong ''ruling'' the weak with authority, but rather, guiding and protecting them because they can't protect themselves.]]
* SwordBeam: [[Literature/BookOfTheNewSun Terminus Est]], which creates an X made of energy that launches in a linear pattern after being created.
* TeleportSpam: Like Nael before him, Gaius is capable of limited short range teleportation. Once he starts teleporting during the battle with him, he won't stay in one place very long, forcing the tanks to chase him.
* ThisCannotBe: After the Warrior of Light defeats the Ultima Weapon the first time, yanking the primals inside out of it, he roars out "But the Ultima Weapon is all-powerful! Why does my enemy still stand?!"
* TinTyrant: Gaius is the latest of a long line of armor-clad Final Fantasy {{Big Bad}}s.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the 2.0 Praetorium up until 6.1, his fight was little more than a footnote prior to the real threat of the Ultima Weapon. 6.1 overhauled him to be the actual endboss of Praetorium, and thus gave him a significant glow up to be a more notable challenge appropriate of his hype. [[spoiler:He also ends up becoming badass enough to kill several Ascians off-screen after he survived his supposed demise.]]
* {{Ubermensch}}: He shares all Garleans' disdain towards the primals. What makes Gaius different is he openly mocks the worship of the civilised Eorzean's Twelve gods, saying that even if they intervened, they're no different to the primals, and man's dependence on them makes them weak. He believes freedom from the primal threat can only come from shedding belief in ''all'' deities and finding strength in man's self (though this subsequently leads to a SocialDarwinist view of the world, believing it is the destiny of strong men to rule over the weak...just without the intervention of deities).
* UndyingLoyalty: To the Emperor; his gunblade is called Heirsbane because he personally slew nine potential usurpers of the crown.
** [[spoiler:Even after going into exile and sabotaging the Emperor's chemical weapon factories, he ''still'' attacks Zenos to avenge the Emperor's death.]]
* WreathedInFlames: His blue fire again.
* WeCanRuleTogether: In the buildup to the final battle, he offers Cid and your character the chance to join him in conquering Eorzea for the Empire in return for Regency of it once they've fallen, but you deny him almost instantly. Due to this, he believes [[WithUsOrAgainstUs that you are too dangerous to be left alive.]]
* WifeHusbandry: He is strongly implied to be involved with Livia, whom he raised from her childhood as a war orphan. [[spoiler:Subverted come 5.4, where it is revealed that Gaius found Livia's romantic obsession creepy and kept her at arm's length because of this.]]
* TheWorfEffect: Gaius is one of Garlemald's greatest warriors and an almost unparalleled swordsman. [[spoiler:His and Estinien's attacks are effortlessly repelled by Zenos to show just how much stronger the latter had gotten after further mastering his Resonant powers.]]
* VillainTakesAnInterest: Much like the rest of Eorzea, he takes a vested interest in the Warrior of Light after they slay Ifrit, ordering Livia to attack Vesper Bay in an attempt to capture them.
* TheVonTropeFamily: This being the Garleans [[PlanetOfHats hat]], he has one.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nael van Darnus]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nael.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here for Darnus' face]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nael_face2.jpg[[/labelnote]]]]
[floatboxright:
'''Race''': Garlean\\
'''Epithet''': The White Raven\\
'''Discipline''': Lancer]
->''"Opposition must needs be put down with fire and steel."''

Legate of the [=VIIth=] Imperial Legion, and also known as "The White Raven". Nael (or rather his sister, Eula) is assigned the task of dealing with the primals that have been judged a grave threat to the Garlean Empire. However, believing that Eorzea is beyond saving, Nael plots to use the power of "Project Meteor" to bring Dalamud down upon the continent, wiping out everyone and everything upon it.\\\

As her plan continues, Nael's madness is catalysed by the dark presence lurking within Dalamud: the sealed primal Bahamut. Though Nael is defeated by the Warriors of Light, [[YouAreTooLate the victory comes too late]]: Dalamud is unleashed upon the world, heralding the Seventh Umbral Era.
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* DropTheHammer: Wields a copy of Nero's Mjolnir gun-hammer and swings it like an axe.