Date: 9 March 2003 ESSENCE OF SAGA (version 1.0) Making Sense of the SaGa Frontier World by Lynn U. (lynn_chan@hotmail.com) INDEX *Introduction *Spoiler Warnings *Important Note *Author's Note *Extra Tidbits *Characters *Regions / Organisations *Background Information *Got a Question? *Disclaimers and Acknowledgements INTRODUCTION SaGa Frontier is the fourth instalment of the Romancing SaGa series created by Squaresoft, and was released somewhere in 1997. A non-linear RPG, it was a game that one would either love or hate tremendously. Although the North American release was not very well-received, the Japanese release enjoyed tremendous success. This was enough of a catalyst for the release of two books (in Japanese) about the game: "The Essence of SaGa Frontier" and "The Complete of SaGa Frontier". "The Complete of SaGa Frontier" is a strategy guide to the entire game, listing every statistic, map and monster information a player would need. "The Essence of SaGa Frontier", on the other hand, details all seven plotlines within the game (plus a deleted eighth one), joining them up into one giant main quest comprising all of the major characters and a ton of extra ones. It is the latter that this FAQ is based upon. It was created in an effort to add many interesting details and background information to the colourful world of SaGa Frontier, much of which were omitted due to lack of memory or time constraints. It was created to prove that there is more to SaGa Frontier than meets the eye. It was created to prove that SaGa Frontier does, indeed, have a plot. SPOILER WARNINGS Please take this warning SERIOUSLY! If you have not finished playing the game and would not like to be spoilt silly, do not read this FAQ. I have tried to keep in-game spoilers out of it as much as possible, but the little bits will always slip through. However, if you have finished the game and are interested in knowing about the background of certain characters (or the ending of a, ahem, certain character's quest -.-xxx) or have several mysteries solved... or if you just plain don't care for spoilers no matter if you've played the game or not, then by all means, read on :o) IMPORTANT NOTE This FAQ is not a direct translation of "The Essence of SaGa Frontier" and it will never reach the level of depth and information that the book contains. If you are able to read Japanese, I highly recommend that you order the book and read it for yourself-- it would be infinitely more enjoyable than simply reading a translated compilation of it on a webpage. This FAQ was created to serve the minority of SaGa Frontier fans who can neither read nor understand Japanese, and have nowhere to turn to but the good Samaritans who understand Japanese and willingly answer our questions without fail. To order these books, you will most likely have to go through an online bookstore. The following details should help you make the order: The Essence of SaGa Frontier The Complete of SaGa Frontier 336 pages 366 pages Studio Bent Stuff 1997 Studio bent Stuff 1997 ISBN# 4893668951 ISBN# 4893668099 Besides, "The Essence of SaGa" is reputed to have a treasure trove of beautiful artwork, so much so that even those who have no knowledge of Japanese have bought it ;o) So what are you waiting for? AUTHOR'S NOTE Not a single part of this is made up. Really. Everything is based on factual evidence, although some of it can be really kooky at times. However, it is all completely true, completely canon, and not fanon. There are several speculations by fans that I have included simply because they lend more depth to the character involved, but this is the exception rather than the norm, and they are quite clearly marked out. For more speculations, I suggest visiting the GameFAQs SaGa Frontier board-- it has a wonderful community, both helpful and friendly, and many have a horde of interesting speculations to answer the numerous "why's" the game presents us with. ******************************************************************************** EXTRA TIDBITS SAGA FRONTIER? Where did this name come from? Anyone who knows that the original name for this instalment was going to be "Romancing SaGa 4" would wonder about that. Well, according to Essence, there is a quote in a previous game which mentioned a place called Frontier. The description below it shows that it was a prophecy made by Poet, from Romancing SaGa 1, indicating the appearance of SaGa Frontier. So, to quote Hyena, "the name change came from a quote said a long time ago that hardly anyone remembers." TIMELINE The seven quests were acknowledged to have taken place at around the same time. A very vague timeline would be beginning with Asellus (technically, hers began twelve years before game time) and ends with Blue. Everyone else's begins and ends somewhere in the middle. WHAT FREAKING EIGHTH QUEST?! Yes, there is an eighth quest that was supposed to centre on the members of IRPO. Your main character was supposed to be Fuse, and it served to explain, among others, the seemingly trivial sub-quest of having to retrieve a flower from the top of a mountain. "The Essence of SaGa" has a mini IRPO novel that tells Fuse's entire quest, and suffice to say, it is very entertaining. Unfortunately, it was deleted from the game due to time constraints. I may put up the summarised version of the novel later on, but for now the bits are scattered throughout several characters. ******************************************************************************** CHARACTERS (arranged alphabetically) ANNIE Annie is a member of Gradius and had helped Emilia escape from Despair, along with Liza, another Gradius member. She is tough and practical, with several siblings to take care of. However, one of her sisters was adopted by a wealthy man in Yorkland-- the same girl who was possessed by Moral, a monster. She knows about Shuzer of Black X because Gradius has always had a rivalry with it. Gradius' leader, Roufas, has been plotting its destruction for a long time. ASELLUS Asellus was formerly a human girl who was turned into a half-mystic by Orlouge. He had infused her with his pure mystic blood, thus turning her into the first half-mystic to have ever been created. Asellus only realised this when she woke up twelve years later. She then escaped from Facinaturu with Princess White Rose by jumping into the fires of Kurenai and was transported to Mosperiburg. She spent a majority of her life fleeing from Orlouge's lackeys, fighting those that stood in her way. Among the mystics she met were Furdo, Princess Lion, Princess Rei, and Zozma. Asellus also stumbled upon the Bio Lab in Shrike and it was there did she witness the cruelty of humans; she met several mystics who had been captured and imprisoned there, soon realising that humans and mystics were so alike, yet were so equally evil towards one another. Evidently she and White Rose had also been captured by Yaruto, and Zozma broke into Trinity Base on a mission to rescue them. Contrary to popular opinion, Asellus and White Rose were not an item. Asellus' confusing feelings were speculated to be the after-effect of having Orlouge's blood in her. Gina was surprised by Asellus in the beginning, because she had thought the latter to be male. In the end, after defeating Orlouge, Asellus was established as the new ruler of Facinaturu (albeit a sane one). BLUE AND ROUGE Blue and Rouge are twins from the Magic Kingdom, who were sent on separate quests to acquire and master as many schools of magic as possible. Their quests end in a single duel to the death, with the winner being allowed to return to the Magic Kingdom. According to Essence, Rouge acquired space magic -- he was transported from the region, Paradise by Kylin due to his rudeness. In all likelihood, Blue acquired time magic. It is uncertain which twin acquired arcane, rune, shadow and light magic. In the duel, it was Rouge who eventually won, thus earning him the title of Master Magician. He returned to the Magic Kingdom and ventured into Hell, alone, and fought against Hell's Lord. At the same time, Hell was being sealed up as Rouge was evidently used to stall for time. It worked out: Hell was sealed... but so was Rouge. Ultimately, however, he managed to break free of his bonds after hearing the calls of his friends. Rouge had also begun warming up to them; his experiences in the outside world helped change his formerly cold personality for the better. DIVA Diva is a giant monster sent by Joker to kill Emilia. DOLL Doll is another patrolman, and the voice of reason in IRPO. This is a necessity due to the fact that most of IRPO comprises members who cannot talk or are plain idiots. Hence she is the one who keeps them together. Doll is known as Icy Doll, a good sign of her personality, but her real name is Doris. EMILIA Emilia is an ex-supermodel who was suspected of her boyfriend, Ren's murder. She was thrown into the prison Despair by a furious Fuse, but soon escaped with the help of Annie and Liza, joined Gradius, and eventually faced off with Joker, her boyfriend's murderer at gunpoint. Joker turned out to be Ren, who had been possessed by the mask. Emilia shot the mask and freed him, but after that, she left him. Although she still loved him, she couldn't take the shock after all she had gone through. Emilia also got her revenge on Fuse for falsely persecuting her by performing the Dream Super Combo (DSC) on him. FURDO Furdo is a Mystic Lord that lives in the Magic Kingdom. He had fought Asellus and taught her that a high-ranked mystic isn't always powerful and dominating, as low-ranked mystics are also capable of acquiring unique powers that no one else has. In Furdo's case, he has the power to turn people to stone. The Time Lord is also an example. FUSE Fuse is a hot-tempered patrolman who was good friends with Ren. After the latter's murder, he threw Emilia in Despair with barely a second glance. His flirtations with the IRPO secretary led to the quest of acquiring the flower from the top of Mt. Mosperiburg. He is known by the nickname Crazy Fuse, although his real name is reportedly Rooster. ILDON AND RASTABAN Ildon and Rastaban are mystic princes under Orlogue's rule. However, Rastaban was also responsible for dethroning Orlouge by plotting his arrest and bringing Asellus to power. Ildon was mostly following Rastaban; he was sent by the latter to protect Asellus as she continuously tried to escape from Orlouge's minions. Ildon assumes the title of "Prince of Black Wings", and is linked to the raven. Rastaban is the "Black Knight". Ildon and Rastaban are lovers. JOKER AND REN Ren was Emilia's boyfriend and an IRPO patrolman, who was evidently killed by a masked man named Joker. However, Joker was actually another identity created after Ren was possessed by the mask. He had originally been on a mission to investigate Cube and other ancient legacies when the mask took hold of him. It is actually an item created by an ancient race to recover Cube. It carried the will of the ancients and was trying to recover their lost glory. KYLIN, SPACE LORD Kylin is a holy beast with the especially unique ability to control space magic, since by nature monsters are unable to acquire magic of any kind. It assisted Rei's reincarnation after her death, and is the creator of Paradise, a region created for all the children that exist. This colourful region is a land inhabited by homeless children, or simply children who have had a bad life. It is much like Neverland, only more childlike, with towers and buildings made of colourful candy canes. There is also a maze to which Kylin transports any opponent who wishes to contest for the gift of space magic. Because Paradise was created by Kylin, its existence is tied solely to Kylin's. When it dies, so does the region and all its inhabitants. Unlike in the game, Kylin does live after being challenged by Rouge for the gift of space magic. LEONARD Leonard was a scientist who was assassinated due to his knowledge about Mondo's secret dealings. However, he was able to live on as a mech and assisted T260G in its quest. After the battle, Leonard used the virus he attacked RB3 with to affect the Region Broadcast Centre's (RBC) main computer, releasing information about Trinity's evil doings. Trinity crashed in less than a week. Leonard was elected as the new president after Mondo's fall, and established a new government. LUTE Lute is a wandering minstrel in search of adventure, only to find himself facing off against his father's murderer-- Mondo. In his battle against Great Mondo, Lute delivered the finishing blow by playing the worst song ever. He was made the representative of Yorkland for Leonard's new government, after this. Lute's father and Capt. Hamilton were friends and had worked together in an anti-Trinity movement. At the same time, Lute's father and Mondo had been best friends as well. MBLACK MBlack is a mech created by Dr. Klein. However, it is a sentient being with a kind personality. It is forced to fight against its will by its master and thus, does its best to fight Red fairly. MONDO Mondo is the commander of Trinity, having arranged the monster invasion into Trinity Base to remove the previous commander, Yaruto. He was a friend of Lute's father and had formerly been involved as an agent in an anti-Trinity movement, along with his girlfriend. However, she has since died. Mondo gave Emilia the Angel Broach because she resembled his deceased love-- both were agents in an underground movement. He also told Emilia about Joker's whereabouts because he wanted her to kill him. Mondo has an arrangement set up with Black X: in return for military support, Dr. Klein builds Great Mondo for him. Incidentally, Great Mondo was created from Cube. He planned Leonard's assassination because the latter had found out about the agreement. The ending ties all characters together to face Great Mondo as the final boss. NUSAKAN, DR. Dr. Nusakan is a mystic doctor who has a clinic deep in the back alleys of Koorong. He is a lover of diseases, virology and anything else that makes one sick, even curses. It is for this reason that he opened up his clinic in Koorong-- his aim is not to help people but to conduct research on all things connected to illnesses and diseases. The reason he chose the human world is due to the mystics' immunity towards illnesses. Dr. Nusakan is actually as strong as a Mystic Lord, although it is up for debate if he is as strong as Orlouge. ORLOUGE, CHARM LORD Orlouge is the dictatorial ruler of Facinaturu; his seat of power is in Chateau Aiguille; he has a harem-full of mystic women as mistresses, most notable of which are Princess White Rose, Princess Lion and Princess Rei. Under him is an assortment of mystic princes-- Ciato, Ildon and Rastaban are among them. Orlouge ran over Asellus with his carriage while searching for his only missing mistress, Rei. He then infused her with his blood, effectively turning her into his heir, and sent a horde of underlings to reclaim her when she escaped with White Rose. Orlouge eventually faced off against Asellus herself and was defeated in battle. Orlouge was truly defeated when he was arrested by Fuse for kidnapping girls-- a plot initiated by Rastaban as a coup de tat. RB3 AND HQ In ancient times, two countries were at war-- one built RB3 and another built HQ to battle each other. The war was won when someone had infected HQ with a virus, thus stopping it from functioning. Because RB3 was created to destroy HQ, when HQ stopped functioning, RB3 lost its main objective and stopped functioning as well. REI, PRINCESS Rei was the first mistress of Orlouge. However, with the addition of many other mistresses -- the numbers reaching the 50's and 60's -- into the harem, she soon became jaded and eventually only wished for release from Orlouge's rule. Rei managed to escape Facinaturu (and was the only princess ever to escape) through Kylin's help. She stabbed herself and was reborn as a 12-year old mystic, complete with memories of her previous life. She currently serves as a priestess in Devin's Shrine. In terms of power, Rei is as strong as Orlouge. Before escaping, she had sucked his blood and, in effect, stole his power. It is because of this that Orlouge kept his mistresses in coffins, in order to prevent similar rebellions from happening again. The name "Rei" means "zero", thus giving her the name "Princess Zero". It has been speculated that this symbolises her position as the first of Orlouge's harem. SILENCE Silence, true to his name, is a natural mute and is the only mystic patrolman of the ones already known. He can be a little insane, particularly when he is about to absorb monsters, as proven by his failed attempt to absorb Tanzer. Silence also has a nickname, courtesy of Fuse: Narcissistic Cosplay Jerk. This is because Fuse dislikes Silence's dress style, which, like other mystics, is quite fancy-- Silence was also wearing an Ocean Jewel accessory which saved him when he was attacked by Maelstorm; Fuse, on the other hand, got blown away. However, Silence is also quite popular, so jealousy being Fuse's motive is a theory with merit. SLIME (yes, it has its importance too ;o) Slime played a vital role in the fight against BossX, going so far as to bring victory to its comrades. It had covered BossX's eye, causing him to scream: "Oooooops! What happened? My eye, my eye.... Please take it off, please! Nooooooo!" Slime had also directly attacked Mondo in the final battle, dropping onto Great Mondo's head and releasing acid. The acid dripped into the cockpit and Mondo was heard screaming. SUZAKU Suzaku is a phoenix that was trapped in an ice cave by Jotnar. Fuse was able to melt the ice imprisoning it, using the fire from Kurenai in Facinaturu. Fuse had told Red, the eighth mistress of Orlouge, that if she did not want to get arrested for forgetting to report about the waste being incinerated, she had better melt the ice for him. After being freed, Suzaku joined IRPO. T260G T260G is a mech that lost its mission and is on a quest to reclaim it. It was once the main frame of the ship used to destroy RB3-- in the opening sequence, the voice speaking to the captain before the ship crashed is that of T@60G. T260G's personality is female-based. TANZER Tanzer is a giant monster that lives in the void. Although any other living being that steps out of their region ships and into the void will be consumed by it, Tanzer has a natural immunity against the void's effects. It is so massive that it sometimes swallows the region ships and their passengers, whole. TIME LORD The Time Lord is actually a nameless, low-ranked mystic who is able to control time, giving him the power to rival that of a high-ranked mystic's. This unique ability drew Virgil's attention, and he granted the formerly unknown mystic the title of Time Lord. Virgil also supplied the laboratory in which the Time Lord could conduct his experiments and expand his mastery over time magic. It is speculated that the Time Lord is modelled after an owl, if one examines the artwork in Essence. However, others have associated him with a snake, because he stands on the Serpentarius sign in his region and because of his poison-related attack. THUNDER Thunder is an ogre monster that was picked up by Lute when he was a baby monster who got lost. Lute picked him up and they lived together as brothers. Thunder is actually younger, only he's much bigger due to his being a monster. ******************************************************************************** REGIONS / ORGANISATIONS REGIONS AND SHIPS Regions are equated to the planets of our solar system, and the void they are in is space. As such, to travel to other regions, one must use the region ships because anything that steps into the void is automatically consumed by it. THE HOLY LAND OF HEROES This region is basically a promised land for all males. It is the holy ground that turns them into heroes. IRPO is aware of the heroes' existence and allows them to do what they want. IRPO With a pseudonym meaning "Inter-Regional Patrol Organisation", IRPO is the peace-keeping force overseeing all the regions. It has an acknowledged rivalry with Gradius, is investigating Cube and other ancient relics, and is also after organisations such as Black X. It is known as a sub-organisation of Trinity. Among its members are Fuse, Doll, Ren, Cotton, Suzaku and Silence. TRINITY Trinity is a major organisation that consists of Manhattan (for trade and politics), Tartarus (for labour and mechanics) and Nirvana (the residential section). Yaruto was its commander, but he was later ousted by Mondo. HELL The creation of Hell goes back many years ago. In ancient times, someone from the Magic Kingdom had collected the rings and wished for Heaven. However, as wishes never go as planned, the rings had created the opposite of Heaven, Hell, instead. ******************************************************************************** BACKGROUND INFORMATION 3 MISTRESSES The three paintings behind Orlouge are symbolisms of mystic attributes: Pride that bows to None; Beauty that charms Anyone; Fear that dominates Everyone. The portraits were matched to the princesses that symbolized them: Rei (pride) with the purple hair on the left, White Rose (beauty) in the middle and golden-haired Lion (fear) on the right. MYSTIC LORDS AND LORDS Mystic Lords are different from Lords. Any mystic born of nobility is considered a Mystic Lord; however, only certain individuals are given special titles based on their abilities. Among them are Virgil, who is known as the Ring Lord due to his mastery over the rings and Orlouge, who is the Charm Lord because he is undoubtedly the master charmer. The Space Lord Kylin and the Time Lord were granted their titles due to their mastery over their respective fields. They are, however, not Mystic Lords because Kylin is a monster and the Time Lord is merely a low-ranked mystic. King Sei of Shrike is known as the Death Lord, possibly because he was a great ruler who continues to protect his kingdom until today. So exalted was he that even his soldiers were willing to follow him until their death, and even after that. To become a Mystic Lord is not as easy as simply being born a noble, though. Several requirements had to be met: a mystic must be over 1000 years old, have a large territory, and must have conducted a Shayou hunt (basically, it's hunting humans). However, these rules were later abandoned due to the change in society. In a nutshell, the title "Mystic Lord" recognises nobility in the mystic ranks whereas the title "Lord" is a recognition of one's unique ability and is recognised by all races. LOVE-METER Red's quest was supposed to have a unique spin to it-- he was supposed to have a love parameter that would determine how close Red and Yuria are. Depending on how Red responded to her, they would either end up together or not. However, due to a lack of memory, this project was scrapped, and it is the general consensus that they end up together. IMMORTALITY Mystics have a longer lifespan than humans: they are immortal. However, immortality only denies death by natural causes; unnatural, outside elements such as stabbing or poison could most certainly kill a mystic. RINGS The Master Ring and all the other rings bring absolutely no good; since they had originally been made by ancient monsters to collect negative energy from humans, these rings can only bring evil. It is said that the rings are embossed with an ancient monster language that has since died out. Virgil is known to have power over the rings, but the question of him being their creator is still unanswered. CUBE Cube is a mysterious power core created by an ancient race-- it was being hunted down by Joker, and many have suspected it to be in Yorkland. Cube is actually located in Tartarus, and is the power source for RB3. ******************************************************************************** GOT A QUESTION? You must be wondering, "Where the heck is Roufas? Gen?? And the gazillion other weird things that exist in the game?!!" If you don't see a question of yours that's been answered, then it's always a good thing to ask :) This FAQ is far from complete and will expand only when people start asking more questions, since the question-and-answer session makes it easier for our esteemed sources to figure out what people want to know. Of course, "The Essence of SaGa Frontier" does not have information about every single thing, right down to the colour of Asellus' hemline (some things are better left up to the imagination) but we will try our best to give you the information you want. Feel free to send me your questions and I'll pass them on for you. On the other hand, if you're a member of GameFAQs, pop into the GameFAQs SaGa Frontier board and holler your question there. We all love new meat ;o) ******************************************************************************** DISCLAIMERS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SaGa Frontier is property of Squaresoft. "The Essence of SaGa Frontier" is property of Studio Bento Stuff. This FAQ is copyrighted 2003 Lynn U. and cannot be reproduced anywhere without my expressed permission. Now, for the much-needed thank you's... *to Squaresoft, for creating this immensely-detailed game-- even though it wasn't exactly a record-breaker, we still love it to this day :) *to Studio Bento Stuff, the creators of "The Essence of SaGa Frontier", for fleshing out this intricate world and answering so many questions! *to the contributors of the FAQ: Niu, Hyena, St. Ajora and all the ingenuitive people on the GameFAQs SaGa Frontier board who kept asking all the right questions-- it was you guys who breathed life into this little FAQ in the first place! *to GameFAQs, for creating the message board that has become a haven for desperate SaGa Frontier fans ;o) *to Dragonsagadensetsu.com (http://www.dragonsagadensetsu.com/), for providing the book information ********************************************************************************