History Characters / LibraryOfRuinaAssociations

[[center:[[WMG:''VideoGame/LibraryOfRuina'' '''[[Characters/LibraryOfRuina Main Character Index]]'''\\
[[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaTheLibrary The Library]] ([[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaRoland Roland]]) | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaTheWings The Wings]] | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaSyndicates Syndicates]] ([[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaTheFiveFingers The Five Fingers]] | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaTheFiveFingersSubsidiaries Subsidiaries]] | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaOtherSyndicates Other Syndicates]] | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaTheReverbEnsemble The Reverb Ensemble]]) | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaFixers Fixers]] ('''Associations''' | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaOffices Offices]]) | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaOtherGuests Other Guests]] | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaDistortions Distortions]] | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaAbnormalities Abnormalities]] | [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaOthers Others]]]]]]

[[header:Associations]]
Large professional organizations comprised of [[Characters/LibraryOfRuinaFixers Fixers]] and their managers specialized in more dangerous lines of mercenary work, taking jobs no one else wants to. This does not mean they don't take up non-combat jobs, however. They help manage the majority of the Offices under their contracts and allow much greater pay and more advanced equipment than a basic Office. Because of their larger structure, Associations are able to cover more ground with their Fixers and can take requests from any district. Most of their headquarters are most likely based in the Nests, where directors and Fixers manage requests from either the City's denizens or affiliate Offices. In an Association, the president is the head, and is split into several branches based on the directions of a compass, and are run by a branch manager. These branches are further divided into sections, which are run by directors. Sections are ranked from 1-6, 1 being the highest. There are 12 Associations, of which 11 are managed by the Hana Association, and they all have their own uniforms, rules, and specialties in their line of work.
----
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:In General]]
* BadassInANiceSuit: The Associations are much larger and more professional than Fixer Offices and thus, favor a stricter dress code. The Zwei, Hana, Seven, and Liu Association Fixers all wear suits and ties as part of their uniform. The Shi Association instead takes the BadassLongcoat approach, since they focus on covert operations.
* TheHeavy: Since the Head does not deal with entities that don't directly anger him or harm them (including City-wrecking Distortions), the Associations and their Fixers act as the frontlines who do most of the work against the city's more generic disorderly entities.
* HufflepuffHouse: There are twelve Associations in total, but only the Zwei, Seven, Shi, Liu, and Hana Associations have any real relevance to the game, and four of the other Associations are not even mentioned (the ones corresponding to the numbers 8, 9, 10 and 12). Some of these have since appeared in the following game, ''VideoGame/LimbusCompany'', as mentions and corresponding Identities.
* NumerologicalMotif: Their names are all based on a different sequential number, each in a different language. Not only that, but the Association's aesthetic is informed by what language their number is in: For example, "Hana" is 1 in Korean, and have a focus on Korean spiritual practices in their fighting styles, while "Dieci" is Italian for 10 and have uniforms similar to that of Catholic clergy.
* PunchClockVillain: You might be expecting corrupt elites who don't give a rat's ass on who dies and who lives when you hear these organizations, but it probably only applies to the hidden higher-ups. In fact, most people you encounter personally that come from one are well-meaning, aspiring, and friendly folk who are forced to take on combatant jobs and die in the Library for occupational purposes, considering everything in the City is expensive and the only real way to live is to take up arms.
* TokenGoodTeammate: VideoGame/LimbusCompany reveals that the Associations are actually Syndicates in their own right, but they all clearly operate with the blessings of The Head rather than The Fingers' defiance through strength, and the services they provide to The City are shown to trend towards the morally grey at worst.
* ThemeNaming: "Coincidentally", each association's associated language lines up with the perceived "Nationality" (re: Language of origin for the book they are based on) of the matching numbered Sinner in Videogame/LimbusCompany (ie: Yi Sang, Sinner No 1, is Korean; Dante, Sinner No 10, is Italian, etc), with the exception of Gregor, as there is no 12th Association that is yet known.
** This leads both the 7th and 8th association to be named in English (Seven and Eight), as Wuthering Heights is of British origin, and Moby Dick is of American origin.
* YouAreNumberSix: Each of the Associations are named after a number in a different language:
** The Hana Association is named after the number, "one" in Korean.
** The Zwei Association is named after the number, "two" in German.
** The Tres Association is named after the number, "three" in Spanish
** The Shi Association is named after the number, "four" in Japanese.
** The Cinq Association is named after the number, "five" in French.
** The Liu Association is named after the number, "six" in Chinese.
** The Seven and Eight Associations are named after the number, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "seven" and "eight" in English respectively.]]
** The Dieci Association is named after the number, "ten" in Italian.
** The Öufi Association is named after the number, "eleven" in Swiss German
[[/folder]]

!Hana Association
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hanaassociationicon.png]]
-->''"Like I said some time ago, the Hana Association is the institution that grants permits to Offices and grades Fixers. They also adjust threats real-time and let everyone know. And the Hana Association sometimes takes matters into its own hands to strike down Stars of the City. Just like now."''
--->- Roland
An Association that focuses on grading Fixer and office ranking, and the leader of all the Associations. All Fixers must first get a Fixer license from the Hana Association before they are cleared to begin Fixer work. Extraordinary Fixers are rewarded the title of a Color by the Hana Association. Their uniform is a pure white jacket with gold highlights with a white shirt and a black tie underneath. The Southern Branch's Section 3 director is Mirinae.\\
After defeating most of South's Section 3, the last operative, Olivier, returns and tries to assassinate Angela by using a gadget on her to experience a thousand years. Roland steps in to save her, and then challenges Oliver to a one-on-one match, while claiming his Black Silence's gloves from Oliver. Because of Olivier's former friendship with Roland, he accepts his challenge, causing Olivier to be booked as well. They cover Impuritas Civitatis Chapter 1.
----
* ConsummateProfessional: The Hana Association characterizes itself with a heavy emphasis on professionalism and a collected approach in their operations, a sharp contrast to most organizations seen in the game.
* DuelBoss: Episode 2 has you forced into a one-on-one match with Roland using the Black Silence pages against Oliver.
* EliteMooks: Hana Association isn't number one for nothing. Their basic Fixers are far more dangerous than the vast majority of generic enemies in the game, possessing a strong set of stats and powerful combat pages, including the first 5-dice combat page the game throws at you.
* MorphWeapon: Their trigram weapons take the form of black crystals that they can shape into whatever they please. ''True Trigram Formation'', the exclusive combat page of Harold, Mirinae, and Olivier, make use of this as they jab their opponent with their weapons before more blades form that also impale them.
* PureEnergy: Their favorite attacking method is Ba Gua magic.
* TheWorfEffect: The Hana Association is stated to be the strongest and most elite Association of them all, and they're shown to have a very professional attitude. Despite this, at the start of the Impurity chapter, Sections 1 and 3 of the Southern Branch are devastated by the Reverberation Ensemble and the Library respectively, showing off just how dangerous both threats have become.
[[/folder]]
!!Known Operatives

[[folder:Olivier '''(Unmarked Spoilers)''']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoiler__94027_5.png]]
One of Roland's former associates and a former friend of his. He was a former member of Charles' Office, who joined the Hana Association after its disbanding. He invades the Library alongside Mirinae and Harold, only to leave for a short while to get a device from T Corp, believing it could neutralize the Library. After the defeat of his cohorts, he returns and almost succeeds in crippling Angela, only for Roland to arrive and stop him. Roland requests to duel him one-on-one and officially assumes his true identity as the Black Silence during the duel.
----
* AffablyEvil: Well, to be clear, he's an antagonist to the Library, but he's not ''evil'' per se. While his first act before his reception was to nearly succeed in killing Angela (per Iori's advice), when he's facing Roland he suddenly changes attitude to a friendlier one, and has some time for banter before the two duel to make ends meet.
* AssassinationAttempt: Attempts to assassinate Angela with a device created by T Corp as a planned move beforehand. It's implied that Iori taught him to use the device to neutralize Angela.
* BladeLock: Depicted doing this with Roland in the art for ''Double-edged Rencounter''.
* DuelBoss: You must defeat him with Roland, and Roland alone.
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue oni to Roland's red. One of the reasons why Olivier worked well with Roland was because their personalities complemented each other's flaws well. Olivier would prevent Roland from acting too rashly while Roland would ensure that Olivier wouldn't prevent the pair from accomplishing their assignments due to acting too cautiously.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: By calling Roland out to Y Corp's nest to do errands for him, Olivier indirectly set up the tragedy that follows after by leaving Angelica alone without Roland to protect her. She then gets killed out of nowhere by the Pianist, and by the time Roland killed it, it was already too late and she was dead.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Used to be old friends with Roland, with his RoaringRampageOfRevenge followed by his disappearance greatly worrying him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mirinae]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mirinae_ruina.png]]
The Director of the Hana Southern Branch's Section 3. She's a young woman in white wearing glasses, having a body height shorter than her cohorts and Angela. Despite her appearance, she's professional and dead serious in destroying the Library.
----
* BadassAdorable: She might not look like it unlike Yujin or Xiao, but she's dead serious in taking the Library down just like the other section directors.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: She's shorter than Angela and the co-operatives next to her.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Despite being an association leader and one of the last (and strongest) regular enemies of the game, Mirinae is only a bit taller than Tiphereth.
* StatusBuff: Her page's ''Hana For All'' passive encourages her to utilize cards that give these by giving a random ally an equivalent buff whenever she gains Strength or Endurance.
* SupportPartyMember: She is geared towards support due to her aforementioned passive, which copies most types of buffs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Harold]]
[[quoteright:347:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoiler__6.png]]
A Fixer of the Hana Southern Branch's Section 3.
----
* GenderBlenderName: 'Harold' is a masculine name.
* LadyLooksLikeADude: Harold might look masculine, but her voice is decidedly feminine.
* PowerFist: Their preferred weapon - formed with trigram crystals, like the rest of the Hana Association's weapons - is a giant gauntlet and sleeve formed around the arm.
[[/folder]]

!Zwei Association
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zweiassociationicon.png]]
[[caption-width-right:128: ''We're the Zwei, 'Your Shield'.'']]
-->''"A case recognized by the Associations is guaranteed to be rewarding. And money attracts an awful lot of attention."''
--->- Roland
An Association that specializes in peacekeeping and bodyguarding. Their uniform consists of a navy blue jacket over a yellow dress shirt with a black tie. Due to the nature of their specialty, they clash frequently with the Shi Association. Their Associate Offices include the Streetlight Office and Dawn Office. The Southern Branch's Section 6 director is Walter.
----
* {{BFS}}: Their signature weapon is the Zweihänder, a two-handed sword from which they are named.
* BlueIsHeroic: Downplayed due to the setting's GreyAndGreyMorality, but they do specialize in normally heroic activities such as protection services and warding off dangerous Syndicates. Many of the people working for them were also generally easy-going, professional folk.
* LawEnforcementInc: While Associations as a whole are more akin to PrivateMilitaryContractors than law organizations, only taking jobs based on profit, the Zwei is the closest thing to a police force in the City. They even have major crimes units and investigators on top of public protectors.
* LifeSavingMisfortune: In the long run, getting booked in the Library saved the Zwei members involved from facing the wrath of the Stray Dogs.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: South Section 6 receives one from the Stray Dogs after their director Walter fails to pull through on a deal due to falling in the Library. The Stray Dogs massacre the section and beat their members to a pulp.
* StoneWall: Quite fitting, given that they most often take protection jobs, the Zwei Association's cards comprise primarily of defensive dice and focus on limiting their opponents' offensive options by inflicting paralysis and bleed.
[[/folder]]

!!Southern Branch

!!!Section 1

[[folder: Edgar]]
A highly-skilled Grade 1 Fixer in the major crimes unit of Zwei S. Section 1, appearing in ''The Distortion Detective''.
----
For tropes about Edgar, see [[Characters/TheDistortionDetective here]].

[[/folder]]

!!!Section 6

[[folder: Walter]]
[[quoteright:304:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/walter_normal.png]]
The Director of Zwei South Branch Section 6, motivated only by his career.
----
* PointyHairedBoss: According to Salvador, Walter is pretty much a completely untalented hack whose saving grace is knowing how to suck up to his superiors. The Stray Dogs also note that Walter almost always sends his subordinates to do the hard jobs for him, which surprises them when they hear that he personally went to the Library.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Despite being a Section director for one of the biggest Fixer Assotiations in the city, he (and Zwei in general) is gone in the same story section he's brought up in and is only mentioned after the fact in a disparaging manner. The other Associations, like Shi and Liu, receive the lion's share of focus from then on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Isadora]]
[[quoteright:221:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a8fd6f702f68c6fa.png]]
One of the top Fixers in Zwei South Branch Section 6, known for her professional work ethic and her loyalty to her friends.
----
* BadassAdorable: This cute {{Tsundere}} is one of the best in her Section.
* BeleagueredAssistant: After struggling to convince Walter about the significance of the Library, when he suddenly changes his tune and joins her there because the Library has the L-Corp floor plans he desperately needs, she's ''then'' forced to remind him that provoking Angela might not be a good idea.
* ChildhoodFriends: Reading her book reveals that she and San grew up together, and maintain a personal relationship despite San's departure from the Zwei.
* ConsummateProfessional: Regretfully informs San that while she's sympathetic to his plight, her hands are tied until the Hana Association deems the Library worth an Association's attention... which happens just a few seconds later.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[TranquilFury She's far more subdued about it compared to Lulu]], but even [[PointyHairedBoss Walter]] can tell Isadora has more personal reasons to be paying the Library a visit.
* SupportingProtagonist: While Walter is toughest opponent out of the Zwei and his behind-the-scenes actions are what drive the overarching plot forward, the Zwei chapter mostly follows Isadora and her investigation of the Library.
* TranquilFury: The only time she raises her voice during her fight is when she's killed.
-->''"...You must be one of the clique that took San and Julia."''
* {{Tsundere}}: Are you surprised with that hairstyle? Isadora puts up a front of being a ConsummateProfessional to disguise the kinship with her associates that is typically discouraged among Fixers. She even drops a variation of a classic tsundere line.
-->''"I-I said I'm just doing my job. It's not like I'm doing you a favor or anything."''
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Julia]]
One of the Fixers in Zwei South Branch Section 6 with a cheerful disposition.
----
* EyesAlwaysShut: Even in combat.
[[/folder]]

!Tres Association
[[folder:In General]]
An Association that specializes in Workshop products and weapons. They regulate what types of weaponry workshops are allowed to produce.
----
[[/folder]]

!Shi Association
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:142:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shiassociationicon.png]]
[[caption-width-right:142: ''Treat every person equally, as the weight of death is equal for everyone'']]

-->''"It's unfortunate to see 'em struggle, yeah. Here's the thing, though; we only saw things from their perspective. You think they're free from the blame of killing some other people who struggled for life and fought for change?"''
--->- Roland
An Association that specializes in assassination. Their uniform consists of a black coat with red highlights. Due to the nature of their specialty, they clash frequently with the Zwei Association. Their Associate Offices include the Full-Stop Office, although others are mentioned to be indirectly decimated by Argalia. The Southern Branch's Section 2 director is Yujin while the Southern Branch manager is Thelma.
----
* AllAreEqualInDeath: This is the reason that the Shi Association doesn't discriminate against who they get their requests from, and treat everyone equally.
* {{Blackmail}}: Was hit by this during Urban Nightmare because Yujin threatened to rat Argalia out to the Head. Argalia then used his trust with Thelma to bombard Yujin with a series of dangerous Urban Nightmare quests to tire them out, and throw them onto the Library to get them killed. [[YouHaveOutLivedYourUsefulness After he indirectly decimated a huge chunk of Thelma's fleet through treachery, he ordered the Smiling Faces to execute him]], who [[AndIMustScream flaked the meat on his body into ten thousand meat flakes while gagged]] as Argalia watches alongside Eileen and throws sarcastic remarks against him.
* CriticalHitClass: A sub-theme they gain in ''Limbus Company'', where each Shi Identity gets to gather Poise to deal critical hits.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Though they specialize in assassination and have a terrifying namesake, they have a CodeOfHonour to treat every person fairly and are more of a NobleDemon.
* FourIsDeath: Their symbol is styled after the kanji "shi" (死, lit. "death"), with a red "4" being highlighted.
* HandicappedBadass: Due to being forced to work on multiple Urban Nightmare-level requests prior to arriving to the Library, all of the Section 2 Shi Association fixers are inflicted with the passive ''Extreme Fatigue'', which causes them to begin the battle with only 25% of their base HP remaining. This is abused by their decks, as nearly all of their cards gain [[DisabilitySuperpower additional effects when used by a character with 25% or less HP remaining]]. In addition, due to their base HP being absolutely massive (their weakest fixers have a base HP of 288), this causes their effective HP to be about the same as the other guests around their tier.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: The Shi Association's weapon is a red katana.
* MurderInc: Though as fixers, they theoretically can fulfill multiple jobs, their specialty is assassination jobs.
* NobleDemon: Despite their haunting namesake, the Shi Association is surprisingly well-coordinated and maintained, and its members are professional, job focused folk.
-->'''Excerpt from A Shi Fixer's Page:''' ''Treat every person equally, as the weight of death is equal for everyone''
* ProfessionalKiller: The Shi Association's specialty lies in discreet killing.
[[/folder]]

!!Southern Branch
[[folder:Thelma]]
!!Thelma
The branch manager of the Shi Association's Southern Branch. He was saved from losing his position by Argalia in return for having the Southern Branch finish a list of requests in a short time period. Secretly, this is out of spite that his subordinate Yujin was going to rat out Argalia to the Head, and he manipulates Thelma into tiring Yujin out with an endless barrage of dangerous quests that leads to the operatives of Sections 2 and 3 and their affiliate Offices being killed. After Yujin and her own subordinates die in the Library, Argalia hires the Smiling Faces to brutally murder him in a Night of the Backstreets (to make sure his crime couldn't be held accountable), citing the fact that he has failed his own promise with Argalia.
----
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The Shi Southern Branch's Fixers are well aware of his corruption, and Yujin is even planning to find a way to overthrow him. Unfortunately, they all have to respect his authority as branch manager and fulfill whatever orders he gives them. It's stated that he nearly lost his job in the past, too, and only kept it thanks to Argalia, causing him to owe Argalia a favor.
* AssholeVictim: Is a live demonstration that the Nights in the Backstreets have no exceptions, being chipped and fileted by cannibals at the request of a former friend. Unfortunately for him, he's already been established as a massively corrupt cyst on the back of the Shi Association, making any sympathy he'd earn moot as he experiences one hell of a KarmicDeath.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Actually one of the few times this is subverted in the game. Despite being the manager of Shi Association's Souhtrrn Branch, Thelma is a DirtyCoward who's easily blackmailed and manipulated by Argalia and obviously far less competent than his own subordinates.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Blatantly abuses his power as a Branch Manager for his own benefit, defying the Association's belief that everyone is equal under death.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: While [[NothingIsScarier not displayed on screen]], Argalia executed Thelma by '''''having the Smiling Faces chop him into 10,000 meat flakes while gagged, as the cannibal killers eat him alive.'''''
* DealWithTheDevil: His promise with Argalia. Argalia saved him from being removed from his job, but in return Thelma had to use the Shi to complete the seemingly ImpossibleTask of finishing a large list of requests given by Argalia in a certain amount of time. Argalia manipulates him into only using Section 2 and wiping them out, and then kills him afterwards because Section 2 dies and the other sections cannot finish the tasks in time.
* KarmicDeath: He destroys Section 2 by piling requests on them to have them suffer a figurative DeathByAThousandCuts through attrition. In return, Argalia gives him a literal death by ten thousand cuts from the Smiling Faces.
* VillainsWantMercy: Even partway into his execution, he is still DefiantToTheEnd against Argalia, threatening that his murder would cause severe retaliation from the Associations. However, after he realizes it's the Night in the Backstreets and thus no one will bother helping him or even investigate his death, he immediately breaks down in tears and begs for his life. Argalia simply rebukes him.
* TheVoice: He appears in two chapter stories, and is only heard in both.
[[/folder]]

!!!Section 2
[[folder:Yujin]]
!!Yujin
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dialogue_2.png]]
A cold, but a professional woman who runs Shi Association's South Section 2 as its director. She was targeted by Argalia because she wanted to report him to the Head, but Argalia intercepted this and blackmailed Thelma to give her a series of highly dangerous quests to tire her out, followed by a request for her to enter the Library. She dies in the Library alongside her co-workers afterwards.
----
* BenevolentBoss: Cares very much for her subordinates' well-being. Many of her current scars and injuries are said to have come from her [[TakingTheBullet taking hits]] for her subordinates.
* DeathOrGloryAttack: Her SecretArt Boundary of Death, a 4-light cost card that uses a single pierce dice with an unimpressive roll range of 1-4. If it rolls the max value, however, the dice gains an additional 45 power, all but guaranteeing a massive blow on the target, if not outright killing them.
* FightingYourFriend: Potentially, as Roland knew her while he still worked as a Fixer in the City.
* FourIsDeath: As mentioned above, the name and icon for the Shi Association already references this trope, but several of Yujin's abilities in particular are themed after it - her Eye of Death gives +4 to all her rolls, while her Boundary of Death technique does massive damage (often guaranteeing a kill) if she rolls a natural four.
* GlowingEyes: Whenever Yujin attacks, her eyes momentarily flash red.
* HandicappedBadass: By the time she enters the Library, Yujin is exhausted to the point that in-game she only has 25% of her health remaining. This doesn't stop Yujin from still being one of the strongest enemies by this point in the game.
* TheInformant: Defied. Yujin wanted to report Argalia to the Head so they could take him down for severe misconduct, but Argalia knew this and manipulated Thelma (which he was a close friend with) to barrage her with a series of heavily exhausting tasks before sending her and her fellow workers to the Library so they might be killed.
* NumerologicalMotif: Four, and it's not just in the name of the Association she leads. Her keypage is number 2'''4'''001, her fight lets you bring four Librarians, her playable page has 44 stagger resist, her SecretArt Boundary of Death has a cost of 4 Light, she starts at 1/4th of her max HP, and her story is coded as number 400001 in the game data.
* WorfHadTheFlu: At their peak, Yujin alone would be comparable to an endgame boss fight. However, due to being in such bad shape after Argalia's manipulations, they're not even a Star of the City level threat, making them quite manageable for the part of the game they appear in.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tenma]]
!!Tenma
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2634.png]]
A colleague of Yujin who is a young woman with her mouth covered by her clothes and an eyepatch on her right eye. She was involved in a series of dangerous quests alongside Yujin and Valentin before they were all baited into the Library and killed.
----
* BadassAdorable: Tenma might be one of the more childish looking entities working for an association, but she's a dangerous assassin.
* DualWielding: In combat, Tenma fights with two katanas - one in each hand. One of them is on her back in her dialogue sprite and is shorter (possibly a tantou).
* GenderBlenderName: 'Tenma', when written as 天馬, is a masculine name.
* OlderThanTheyLook: She's a short woman who could almost pass off as a young girl like Hod, but she's actually 29.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Valentin]]
!!Valentin
[[/folder]]


!Cinq Association
[[folder:In General]]
A duelist Association, Cinq specializes in one-on-one combat and are usually hired as proxies to solve personal disputes between two parties. They also hold a secondary duty of organising meetings between Associations, since duel requests don't show up as frequently as other kinds of requests each Association specialises in.
----
* LightningBruiser: Gameplay-wise, their specialty in VideoGame/LimbusCompany is to pile up stacks of Haste, increasing their own speed compared to the enemy. Since they gain more power the greater the speed difference between them and the enemy, a Cinq ID with a ton of Haste is going to completely annihilate anyone that clashes with them.
[[/folder]]

!Liu Association
[[folder:In General]]
[[quoteright:164:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/liuassociationicon.png]]
[[caption-width-right:164: ''We're the Liu, the Association that solely exists for war.'']]
-->''"[The Liu is] a combat-oriented Association specializing in all-out war. Basically the polar opposite of the Shi we received the other day."''
--->- Roland
An Association that specializes in all-out warfare. Their uniform consists of a maroon coat with gilded highlights. The Southern Branch's Section 2 director is Lowell while the Section 1 director is Xiao.
----
* AttackAttackAttack: Subverted, though the Liu Association's specialty lies in large scale battles, their strategies in approaching these battles are much more nuanced than recklessly charging forwards.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Section 1 of the Liu Association's Southern Branch Actually manages to take down [[PersonOfMassDestruction The Crying Children]]. Unfortunately for them, [[VillainousRescue Argalia and Oswald don't allow them to get the finishing blow]].
* KatanasAreJustBetter: A variation. Whereas the Shi use Japanese katanas, the unnamed Liu members use Chinese blades known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dao_(Chinese_sword) dao]]. Meanwhile, Lowell and Xiao prefer using the guandao.
* PlayingWithFire: The Liu Association channels fire in their attacks as they apparently have hidden gear in their equipment that allows them to set things on fire. They are stated to do this because of their focus on fighting groups, as fire can easily spread. This is also represented some of their passives that apply Burn to your entire team after hitting just one already Burned librarian.
* RedIsHeroic: While they are still an Association under the whims of the Wings and the Head, they are noticeably more prone to displaying emotional bursts than the Zwei and the Shi, and its director Xiao became open to expressing her true self, something that is noticeably ''unusual'' for high ranking Fixers.
[[/folder]]

!!Southern Branch

!!!Section 1

[[folder:Xiao '''(Unmarked Spoilers)''']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2458.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote: Click here to see her with E.G.O. manifested]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoiler_3_2.png[[/labelnote]]]]
--> ''"Dreams, hopes, ideals, all the words to describe what motivates humans to get up and live... Those words encompass meaning too grand for description. But it's so simple at the same time."''
The section 1 Director of Liu Association's Southern Branch, she is married to Lowell a year ago. Despite her notoriety as a fearsome warrior of the Liu earning her the title "Maiden of Iron", she is actually fairly emotionally frail and is deeply caring for Lowell. After her husband died in the Library, she becomes highly emotional and is baited into the Library alongside her Section 1, where she overcomes the voice of Carmen and manifests her own, proper [=E.G.O.,=] only to be defeated and booked alongside the other Liu southern branch higher-ups.

----
* AchillesHeel: Stagger. While she starts off with a massive pool of stagger resist, it only regenerates half when she gets back up from stagger unlike every other character. If the player focuses on dealing stagger, then she can be taken down much more easily. At the point you fight her, the Floor of Technological Sciences in particular will have a way to delete 70% of any stagger bar, no matter how full it is, and it is regarded as a solid way to deal with her.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: A darker example than most: After Lowell dies, she freely admits her love for him and goes to the Library to get his book back, even though she always struggled to admit her feelings when he was alive.
* BattleThemeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeBQMVnmr2Y Iron Lotus]], a Chinese-style boss theme reflecting Xiao's determination to see her fight through to the end with her newly gained E.G.O. despite her regrets of losing everything and everyone she held dear.
* BossBattle: Serve as one of bosses as the climax of Star of the City, and serves as the finale of the Phillip arc.
* ChekhovsGun: A throw-away line during Liu Association Section 2 has one member call her the "[[RedBaron Maiden of Iron]]". Her E.G.O. has exactly that design in mind.
-->Come on, Lowell. Everyone in Section 2's gossiping about how you're spending your newlywed life with Director Xiao, the Maiden of Iron.
* DamageOverTime: During her boss fight, Xiao constantly inflicts stacks of burn on your librarians, quickly snowballing to burn them away to nothing if you're not careful.
* DoNotGoGentle: It's made clear by the fact that they're still trapped in the Library that's there's no way out, and after gaining a full E.G.O., Xiao makes it clear she'll bring down the Library, or die trying.
-->'''Xiao:''' [[BadassBoast Be prepared, for today, a Star of the City shall be gone.]]
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: While it's always questionable how "normal" a high-grade Fixer is, because of how many augmentations they have to get to stay alive, Xiao was basically just a strong, well-equipped Fixer at first. Even in her first two boss fights, though, she has much higher stats than the vast majority of enemies in the game. But then she gets E.G.O. and unique powers of her own, at which point her boss fight is placed alongside ''a Color Fixer, a powerful Distortion, and the top mercenaries of one of the strongest Wings'' in terms of difficulty in-universe and out.
* FisherKing: Her background is a battle-torn and blazing Great Wall of China with the sun shining between the hills.
* {{Foil}}: Xiao is one to Philip. Both are Fixers who lose their loved ones in the Library. They both then attempt to retrieve the books of their loved ones, causing the deaths of several of their other allies who join their venture to return to the Library. Both of them become overwhelmed with grief and guilt for inadvertently causing the deaths of others in their obsession to reclaim the books of their loved ones, leading to them to partially manifest their E.G.O (Which happens to focus heavily on [[PlayingWithFire Burn]]) mid-battle. Philip, however, was ultimately too much of a CowardlyLion to overcome his regret and was broken by the words of Oswald and Pluto, ultimately becoming a Distortion in the end. In contrast, Xiao, due to her [[{{Determinator}} more resilient personality]] was able to overcome her grief, partially thanks to Miris' counsel before his death, and was able to fully manifest her E.G.O like the Red Mist before she meets her end in the Library.
* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Miris tells Xiao to get it together, due to her being better than that. It helps her, along with her own determinator personality, to manifest an E.G.O. rather than a Distortion.
* HiddenDepths: According to Lowell, Xiao actually prefers cute things when decorating her house.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Every other turn, Xiao [[StatusBuffDispel turns off Power buffs to all dice]]. While tricky, if played carefully this can be turned against her, since it also turns off ''her'' buffs. One can effectively reap the benefits of chopping down her stagger from winning against ''Reverse Scale'' while nullifying the Strength and Endurence boosts she gets from losing.
* LastStand: For her last boss fight, she has no way out and is up against insurmountable odds against the Librarians, and all of her allies and friends are already dead. But that doesn't mean she won't take the opportunity to show just how powerful E.G.O. can be.
* LoveHurts: The White Nights and Dark Days has been manifesting greater emotional reactions in people all over the City, and Xiao is no exception, but her position requires some restraint in maintaining professional relationships. When Lowell dies, Xiao is so overcome with rage and despair that she hastily forgoes her position as the Liu Association head and dives into the Library to get her husband's book back. She even acknowledges the fruitlessness of the endeavor (since getting her husband's book back won't bring Lowell back to life) as well as the incredible risk posed by choosing to go into the Library, but still goes through with it anyways.
* MadeOfIron: Gets beaten down by the Librarians not once, but twice, only to manifest E.G.O. and go right back in for another round.
* MultiMeleeMaster: Wields a guandao, a type of Chinse polearm, alongside a jian, a Chinese double-edged sword. By the time she fully manifests E.G.O. she wields a much more ornate guandao.
* MyGreatestFailure: If the lyrics to "Iron Lotus" are any indication, all throughout her boss fight [[PartingWordsRegret she's regretting not telling Lowell she loves him before his death]].
* MythicalMotifs: Specifically dragons in regards to her E.G.O. The ThemeNaming behind her combat pages and passives upon completely manifesting E.G.O. is directly named after the Nine Sons of the Dragon in ''Myth/ChineseMythology''.
* NotSoStoic: Xiao's entire character arc in the game is having her iron-hard stoic facade slowly crumble to reveal herself as a very emotional, open person.
* OneWingedAngel: Just like Philip before her, she manifests E.G.O. to fight the Library once more in a much stronger form.
* PowerOfLove: Implied to be what fuels her E.G.O. and caused it to fully manifest. Her love for Lowell and everyone else who fell to the Library for her sake caused her to fully manifest it and fight to the bitter end.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to Angela prior to the first reception against Liu Section 1, calling her out for her failure to understand love and humanity and explaining her motives for entering the Library.
* ShoutOut: Her E.G.O. greatly resembles ''UsefulNotes/LuBu'', especially the feathers on her head resembling the long feathers that is associated with the warlord.
* SchmuckBait: Winning a clash against her relatively weak ''Reverse Scale'' page will inflict a ton of stagger damage to her... but also gives her a huge buff next turn. This is negated if you stagger her or if she gets hit by her own "[[StatusBuffDispel Pú Láo]]" ability, which negates all power buffs (including her own).
* WreathedInFlames: Her E.G.O. has fires surrounding her like a shawl.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miris]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mirisprofile.png]]
A high-ranking Fixer and one of Xiao's direct subordinates.
----
* AndThenWhat: During the Liu Section 1 encounter he poses this question to Xiao, asking what she'll do after throwing away her status as an accomplished Fixer just to retrieve Lowell's book. Xiao doesn't answer and just states she's already resolute in her decision to enter the Library.
* FieryRedhead: Subverted. He has dark red hair but he's pretty levelheaded, especially compared to Xiao who's deadset on overcoming the Library's ordeals. Thanks to this temper that he manages to talk some sense into Xiao [[spoiler:and consequently help her manifest E.G.O]].
* MauveShirt: In the grand scheme of things, Miris is just another Fixer who meets his end in the Library. But the cutscenes for Liu Section 1 give him some more characterization than most, and ultimately it's his [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan speech]] to Xiao that lets her [[spoiler:avoid distorting and fully manifest her E.G.O.]]
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Can use the exclusive "Flaming Dragon Fist" combat page, a flame-wreathed punch that sends the target reeling and inflicts heavy Burn.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After the first reception of Liu Section 1, he drags Xiao with him and flees. Not that the Library lets them get far...
* UndyingLoyalty: To his director. His key page story even states that he truly believes Xiao will snap out of her emotional outburst and return to normal.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chun]]
[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoiler_9.png]]
A high-ranking Fixer and one of Xiao's direct subordinates.
----
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Mostly due to his rather feminine long hair, it's rather easy to mistake Chun for a woman.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Just like Miris, he can use the powerful exclusive Page "Flaming Dragon Fist".
* UndyingLoyalty: Perfectly willing to follow Xiao into a death trap like The Library, even when she orders them not to.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: Unlike fellow Section 1 Fixers Miris and Xiao, who both survive the initial reception against Liu Section 1, Chun is killed off with little fanfare.
[[/folder]]


!!!Section 2

[[folder:Lowell]]
[[quoteright:291:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2374.png]]
The Director of Liu Association Southern Branch Section 2. Lowell is a kind but no-nonsense high-grade Fixer. He's married to Xiao, the Director of Liu Section 1.
----
* BenevolentBoss: Lowell is quite friendly and open with his subordinates. If one of them dies in combat, he will promise to finish the fight for them.
* CasualDangerDialogue: Holds a calm, polite conversation with his subordinates about his marriage with Xiao while waiting in the lobby of The Library.
* ChargedAttack: Can use the "Forming Storm" Combat Page, leaving himself open, in order to use his powerful Mass Attack the next scene.
* FieryRedhead: Downplayed. Lowell's hair is a wine red and while he's tender compared to most Fixers he doesn't let it compromise his professionalism. And compared to Xiao, he ultimately turns out to be the calmer of the two following his death.
* HappilyMarried: While they may have a hard time expressing their feelings for one another, since they're both high-ranking professionals in a world that frowns upon emotional expression in general, he and Xiao love each other deeply. Of course, given his current opponent was an undefeatable and omniscient walking disaster, it doesn't end well.
* NervesOfSteel: So much so that he has a passive, "A Fighter That Never Retreats", that gives him Strength and Endurance buffs whenever the Emotion Level rises.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He might just be another high-ranking Association Fixer fought by the Library, but Lowell's death triggers Xiao's emotional outburst, entry to the Library, and eventual E.G.O. manifestation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mei]]
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3ae7450b57c3a845.png]]
A high-ranking Liu Association Fixer, working directly under Lowell as leaders of Liu Section 2
----
* BadassAdorable: Mei might be pretty small and cute, but she's a very competent and dangerous Fixer.
* MsExposition: Spends her screentime prior to the reception explaining the situation the Liu Association is in and why they're headed for the Library.
* SecretArt: Mei and Cecil are the only ones who can use the exclusive page "Tieshankao".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cecil]]
[[quoteright:252:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2373.png]]
A high-ranking Liu Association Fixer who works under Lowell in leading Section 2.
----
* BareHandedBladeBlock: Shown doing this in the artwork for the "Iron Wall" Combat Page.
* SecretArt: Mei and Cecil are the only ones who can use the exclusive page "Tieshankao".
* ShipperOnDeck: Has great fun teasing Lowell about his marriage to Xiao, especially given their upcoming anniversary; it's the bulk of the comedy in her pre-reception Liu scenes.
[[/folder]]

!Seven Association
[[folder:In General]]
An Association that specializes in investigation and intelligence. Oink was apparently a member of the Seven Association's South Section 3 before he joined the Musicians of Bremen. The Seven Association's Section 3 can also later be invited as an Urban Nightmare-tier General Invitation guest. Their Associate Offices include Moses' Office.
----
* ArmorPiercingAttack: The Seven Association Identities in ''Limbus Company'' all inflict the fixed damage-based Rupture debuff, and can even get extra bonuses if the enemy has certain amounts of that debuff on them.
* AttackItsWeakpoint:
** The passives used by and obtained by the Seven Association Fixers encourage using damage types that their opponents are weak to, as their passives grant additional damage for dealing damage with a damage type their target is weak to.
** This is further encouraged by Dante's passive, ''Seeing Through Weakness'' which permanently changes an enemy's resistance from weak to fatal if the user manages to damage that enemy with a damage type they're weak to and if that enemy has at least 5 stacks of Fragile by the end of the scene.
* BoringYetPractical: According to Oink, the Seven Association Fixers use nothing but a simple bladed weapon in combat. Despite the simplicity of their weapons, however, the Seven Association can still effectively protect the intel that they have gathered.
* KnowledgeBroker: While they don't have intel on top-secret information such as the secrets behind the Singularities or the Head, the Seven Association has information on almost everything else that occurs within the City.
[[/folder]]

!Eight Association
[[folder:In General]]
An Association of unknown purpose. Current theories state that it is devoted to exploration.
----
[[/folder]]

!Devyat' Association
[[folder:In General]]
An Association that seems to work as couriers and handles business transactions
----
[[/folder]]

!Dieci Association
[[folder:In General]]
An Association that deals with the collection of knowledge, running what are essentially libraries.
----
* CastFromExperiencePoints: Dieci Association perceives knowledge as power in a literal sense by using equipment that draws physical strength from knowledge: The harder to obtain and more precious the knowledge, the greater the strength it grants in return. However, this knowledge is personally lost when they use it.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Dieci Association is further split into two large divisions: The Keys and the Fists. The former apparently fights with weaponized size-shifting keys.
* NunTooHoly: They dress like nuns and priests while bludgeoning foes with their fists or keys.
[[/folder]]

!Öufi Association
[[folder:In General]]
An Association that specializes in dealings and transactions. They oversee contracts and enforce them, as well as serving as witnesses of the signings.
----
[[/folder]]
----

An Association of unknown purpose

An Association that specializes in dealings and transactions.