Characters - Origins Scenario:
Party Members
Eiric Istane Guardia: Youngest in a long family line dating back to one of the founders of Zeal, he is considered by his peers a useless layabout, and was only drafted into the Alphard Coalition to keep him out of the way. That said, he's a dab hand with a bow, and if one manages to catch his interest, they'll find that they now have a friend for life.
An Ice Person - Can imbue his arrows with Ice magic in one of his Techs, freezing and inflicting Stop on a single enemy.
Archer Archetype - Wields a bow and arrows.
Badass Family - Considering his family contains the likes of Ayla and Marle, this is no surprise.
Bottomless Magazines - No matter how many arrows he fires, his quiver never empties. Justified, since he replicates his supply with magic.
Handsome Lech - Downplayed. He's not a sleazeball, but he is a shameless flirt.
Healing Hands - His first Tech is Aura, and he ultimately learns Cure All and Arise.
Hero of Another Story - In Chrono Trigger. While Crono's group was infiltrating the Ocean Palace, Eiric was busy trying to evacuate the Kingdom. After Zeal's fall, he was out searching for survivors, explaining why the party never meets him. That there were ANY survivors left in Antiquity were due to his efforts.
Making a Splash - His innate color is blue, and his elemental attack line is Water.
Noodle Incident - Has been involved in more than a few, and no, he will not elaborate.
The Lancer
Only Sane Man - Like Cain, he seems to be the only other person in Zeal to realize something is deeply wrong with society.
Shipper on Deck - For Cain and Schala. In the Normal Path, he's the one who convinces Schala to try and understand Cain's views and mend their strained relationship. That, and he's the only person who catches on to the fact that the two engaged in 'shenanigans' before Cain's arrest and everything goes to hell.
Suckcessor - How the rest of his family views him. He even personally describes himself as 'the spare to the spare of the spare of the spare', referring to his family's lines of succession between his many brothers. Ironically, he ends up outliving them all after the Fall of Zeal.
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Zhao: A former combat trainer who now spends his twilight years running Zeal's greatest forge of elemental weaponry. When the kingdom 'officially' moves towards pacifism and tries to shut down his forge, Zhao understandably worries for his livelihood. Once Chancellor Arvis decides to push the issue by arresting his employees and sticking them in the Underground's colosseum, Zhao takes up arms in order to save them.
Blow You Away - His innate color is green, and he's a master of wind magic.
Cool Old Guy - The oldest of Cain's party members and a jovial guy all around.
Doomed by Canon - In the Normal Path, he and the rest of the Alphard Coalition is imprisoned in Mount Woe after Cain's death, and is executed before Crono's party ever learns of his existence.
Dual Wielding - Halberds with rather large axe heads.
It's Personal - When Isaac kidnaps his non-mage workers for the Underground's colosseum, Zhao takes it upon himself to rescue them.
Old Master - Was once the combat instructor for Zeal's Royal Guard, and the only other party member besides Schala that Cain knows personally.
The Big Guy
Ultimate Blacksmith - Zhao is close friends with Melchior and taught the latter everything he knows about smithing.
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Eva: A young woman employed by the Alphard Coalition as its Spymaster. Cool-headed and aloof, she's introduced investigating strange happenings in the abandoned Benedict Estate. Able to manipulate stone and metal with her powers, she creates an armored humanoid golem by the name of Benmaru.
Action Girl
Bedlah Babe - Her outfit heavily invokes a belly dancer vibe. Slightly justified as she moonlights as a dancer when gathering intel.
Big Damn Heroes - Joins the party and officially introduces Benmaru during the battle with Issac and his colosseum beasts, turning the tide.
Blade Below the Shoulder - Has a baton attached underneath her armband that she can call to her hand with a thought. Said baton also conceals a hidden blade with which she fights reverse-grip.
Clark Kenting - The only difference between her civilian attire and 'spymaster' attire is a long scarf. Nobody else but the Coalition can tell the difference, and it confuses them greatly.
Deadpan Snarker
Dishing out Dirt - Her innate color is yellow, and she can manipulate earth to create constructs.
Doomed by Canon - In the Normal Path, she and the rest of the Alphard Coalition is imprisoned in Mount Woe after Cain's death, and is executed before Crono's party ever learns of her existence.
Fragile Speedster - She can hit harder than the norm, but Eva is the fastest member of the party.
Gadgeteer Genius - She considers herself a student of Balthasar, and has a knack for building and repairing technology. In the epilogue of Another and Endgame Paths, due to Dalton being stranded in Zeal during its fall/taking a trip through the golem portal early, she's the one who installs wings onto the Epoch.
Jack of All Stats - Not in terms of battle per se, but in her place in the Five-Man Band. Once Schala joins in Another Path, Eva immediately proves her flexibility in group dynamics. With Benmaru, she can double as The Big Guy to help take the load off Zhao, her tech savvy meshes well with Tristan's knowledge as The Smart Guy, she can offer insights that Eiric can't as a second Lancer, and although she's not as fitting for the role of The Chick on her own, she becomes the firm hand to contrast Schala's gentle touch.
Ms. Fanservice
Ninja - The closest Zeal has to one.
The Puppet Master - Controls Benmaru with mystical wires when using him to attack.
Samurai - What Benmaru is modeled after, complete with stylized antler-horned helmet.
Secret Test of Character - Has been conducting one on Cain since even before the two meet, under the orders of King Alphard. The test is to confirm Cain's suitability to become the future king of Zeal.
Scarf of Asskicking - Sports a long on appropriate for her role as Spymaster, though it doesn't quite match her outfit.
Ship Tease - Between herself and Eiric.
Shock and Awe - Although she can create earth constructs, the attack spells she has that are governed by her innate are Lightning-based.
Tomboy and Girly-Girl - The Tomboy to Schala's Girly-Girl.
We Have Reserves - No matter how many times Benmaru is destroyed, Eva can just reconstruct him again.
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Tristan: An Enlightened of noble birth with an ancestry reaching back as far as one of the Six Founders of Zeal. He is the governor of the kingdom's southeastern landmass, is a staunch supporter of King Alphard, and beloved by his people. He is a member of the Alphard Coalition, but due to his upbringing and his unique powers, he is the slowest of the party to warm up to Cain.
Blue Blood - He is a noble of quite high standing, and one of the few aligned with the Alphard Coalition.
Casting a Shadow - His innate color is black, and he utilizes the Dark series of attack spells, as well as Dark Bomb.
Doomed by Canon - In the Normal Path, he and the rest of the Alphard Coalition is imprisoned in Mount Woe after Cain's death, and is executed before Crono's party ever learns of his existence.
The Empath - Tristan is psychically in tune with the emotions of those around him. Cain's clear distaste and anger towards society is enough to make him wary, and the sheer rage felt when the latter transforms into the Arbiter of Hatred in Another Path is enough for him to nearly pass out.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold - He has blonde hair and is one of the few nobles left in Zeal who still considers the Earthbound Ones people.
Martial Pacifist - He would rather not kill if he doesn't have to, but neither will he abide threats to the people under his care.
Royal Rapier - His weapon of choice.
The Smart Guy
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Important Characters
King Alphard Zeal
The Good King
Mentor Occupational Hazard
Shipper on Deck - For his daughter and Cain to the point that he drafted up an arranged marriage for them.
We Hardly Knew Ye - He dies only a couple of chapters in.
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Janus Zeal: Schala's younger brother and Prince of Zeal. Does not seem to have much empathy for others. Has a cat named Alphador that follows him everywhere.
Caustic Critic - Towards Cain, of whom he believes isn't worthy of his sister's time. Half the time, the feeling is mutual.
Cessation of Existence - Heavily implied to be what will happen to him should history go as it has in other timelines, his existence completely replaced by Magus. Saving the kid from such a fate ends up being another reason Cain resolves to kill the Prophet.
Sitcom Arch-Nemesis - He and Cain butt heads constantly to the point where it tests even Schala's patience. Played for laughs… at first.
Took a Level in Kindness - In Another Path, after Schala convinces Eiric, Eva, Zhao, Tristan, and even Cain to enchant the amulet she'll give her brother. It's enough to move even his stubborn heart.
The Unfavorite - The root of his issues with others, especially Cain, as he feels his parents favored the Ward far more than their own son. These feelings get worse after the Queen goes mad.
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Abel Lorre:
A Father to His Men - He is actually quite popular amongst the (actual) soldiers of Zeal's military as their commander. Enough so that depending on the story path, they either believe Cain murdered him and side with Arvis (Normal Path), or realize the frame-up and join Cain (Another Path).
Badass Normal - Doesn't have a drop of magic in him. Doesn't stop him from doing his duty.
Big Damn Heroes - Makes a Dynamic Entry during the tail end of the fight against the Arbiter of Hatred, using the flat end of his sword to knock it out, restoring Cain to normal.
Big Good - Becomes this after Alphard's death. (Unfortunately, Chancellor Arvis is already five steps ahead of him.)
By the Book Cop - Abel isn't ignorant. He knows Arvis Cray was responsible for masterminding Alphard's death and would more than anything see him brought to justice. Unfortunately, without any real proof, Abel's hands are tied, and he gets exasperated when Cain continues to act on his own. This is due to the belief that Alphard's dubiously sanctioned assassination of King Victor is what led to Zeal's current problems to begin with…
Doomed by Canon - In the story proper, he is the commander of Zeal's security forces. In Chrono Trigger, that role has become Dalton's. Doesn't take much to figure out something terrible happens to him in the interim.
Killed Off for Real - He is killed by Dalton in order to frame Cain for insurrection.
Number Two - To King Alphard, being his closest friend and advisor.
Poor Judge of Character - This man let Dalton of all people join the military. Ultimately subverted, as Abel justifies his decision by stating it would be better for Dalton to be in a place to be monitored as opposed to remaining a vagabond causing who knows what kinds of mischief. Unfortunately, this also serves to give the Chancellor a foothold in the military.
You Can't Thwart Stage One - Abel dies no matter what story path you take. The only difference is how.
- Normal Path: He is ambushed in his personal office by Dalton and his goons and is unable to fight back. His soldiers are none the wiser and the plot to frame Cain for the murder is successful.
- Another Path: Having been prepared for Arvis' endgame, Abel beats back Dalton, but suffers a mortal wound regardless. He collapses in the middle of the main palace hall and dies in Cain and Schala's arms, and more importantly, in full view of his men, causing the attempted frame-up to backfire spectacularly.
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Gaspar, Guru of Time:
I Knew It - He had a feeling that Cain had been caught in some sort of temporal shenanigans for some time. Says this trope word for word when Cain finally gets the nerve to consult with him in Another Path.
Mr. Exposition - In Another Path, he is the one who explains the nature of the Time Loop Cain has been experiencing to the others.
Melchior, Guru of Life
Belthesar, Guru of Reason
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Pitch: Proprietor of the Pitch Black tavern in Zeal's Underground, one of Eiric's favorite hangouts.
Deadpan Snarker
Good Guy Bar - Runs one in the Underground, which serves as a hub for the first third of the story.
Killed Off For Real - He's slain when the Way of Lavos sack the Underground.
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Viola: One of Melchior's students, who had recently given her a magic sapling to cultivate.
Canon Character All Along - She's the ancestor of Chrono Trigger's Fiona, complete with her magic sapling dilemma.
Small Role, Big Impact - She spirits Eiric out of Zeal in the Normal Path, ensuring that he survives to start the royal bloodline of Guardia.
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Chief Imeric: The leader of the Earthbound Village Algetty.
Rickett: A young Earthbound hunter of Algetty and one of Cain's former hunting mates.
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Antagonists
Queen Samaela Zeal
Abusive Parents - Under Lavos' influence at least, as Schala and Janus can attest to.
Axe-Crazy - She loses it in Another Path when Schala outright refuses to power the Manmon Machine.
Be Careful What You Wish For - For years, she had wondered what drove her father mad enough to try and sacrifice her. She gets her answers in the worst way possible.
Bonus Boss - She is fought when using the Green Gate to access different endings, first in her human form, then in her corrupted 'Arbiter of Madness' form.
Fighting from the Inside - Subverted. We never see such a struggle on-screen. The only proof that she has been fighting (and failing) against Lavos' control is a letter found by the party in Another Path which basically spells out that trying to turn her back to normal is a lost cause and she needs to die to restabilize the kingdom.
Puppet Queen - What she ends up becoming to her Chancellor, Arvis Cray. Justified as she couldn't care less about anything other than Lavos. As long as he's leading the people towards her goal of immortality, she doesn't care how he runs the kingdom.
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Chancellor Arvis Cray: Cain's estranged father, and the architect of the schism between the Enlightened Ones and the Earthbound.
Compelling Voice - One of his greatest talents in magic, it installs an unnatural sense of charisma that draws all who hear his 'sermons' to listen, instilling a sense of More Than Mind Control. It is ultimately one of the major reasons he is a Villain With Good Publicity.
Greater Scope Villain - Of Antiquity as a whole when factoring both Origins and Trigger.
Hate Sink - This man is ultimately responsible for nearly everything that's gone wrong in Antiquity. He is the mastermind behind the death of King Zeal, inadvertently causing the Queen's madness and dependence on Lavos, and takes advantage of the situation to install himself as Chancellor. He proceeds to mold the masses towards apathy and glory with a platform of complete mage supremacy, all while plotting a Final Solution upon the Earthbound. And that's not getting into the shit he puts his own son through, both as a child and as a young adult. There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this man.
Karma Houdini - Subverted. In the normal ending, he gets away with all of his numerous crimes. However, it's soon apparent that he ends up vaporized in the initial salvo when Lavos destroys Zeal. Completely averted in the golden ending path where he meets a violent end at the hands of Cain, the son he had wronged since birth.
Karmic Death - As someone who used their Compelling Voice to sway the masses towards apathy and complacency, he's stabbed unceremoniously in the throat by Cain and chokes to death on his own blood.
Maternal Death? Blame The Child - Arvis was livid when his wife died giving birth to Cain, enough so that he would go on to gaslight the boy and make his life a living hell.
- The worst part is that he didn't do so out of love for his wife; she was an influential scholar and thus a major stepping stool for his political ambitions, and he saw her death by childbirth as Cain being a Spanner in the Works.
Villains Want Mercy - After everything he had done to destroy Alphard's legacy, when he is finally confronted and defeated in Another Path, he drops all pretenses of superiority and 'might makes right' philosophy and begs to be spared, all while unironically spouting why he deserves to rule and Alphard 'deserved' to die. To the son he abused. To the allies of Alphard. All of whose lives he personally made a living hell. Evil Cannot Comprehend Good? Or simply the end throes of a Villainous Breakdown?
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The Prophet (Magus)
Adaptational Badass - Magus was already a formidable foe in Chrono Trigger, and it's implied in the story that he had been holding back against Crono's party if the boss fight in the North Cape was any indication. Against Cain? Not so much. For all his Adaptational Villainy, this is Magus at his most powerful. He ultimately curb-stomps Cain in the final battle of the Normal Path, and in Another Path, while he is ultimately defeated, he makes the Alphard Coalition work for their victory.
Adaptational Karma - The Normal Path ends with Magus killing Cain. In this context, getting curbstomped and having his powers absorbed by Lavos can be retextualized as him getting his just desserts.
Adaptational Villainy - Justified, as this story takes place before his canonical defeat and depowering against Lavos. The Normal Path ends with his murder of Cain, ultimately leading to the above event. In Another Path, said event never happens at all, meaning he has no reason whatsoever to pull an Enemy Mine/Heel-Face Turn, and thus remains a villain to the bitter end.
All For Nothing - When all is said and done, what Magus wanted most was to save his sister and his kingdom. Unfortunately, his heavy-handed tactics plus his cruelty and lack of remorse ultimately made his goals impossible. Not only did Lavos beat him back and absorb his power, but his methods to summon the creature, his murder of Cain, and the whole tragedy of the situation drives Schala to commit suicide.
Final Boss - Of Another Path. (Except he's not.)
Freudian Excuse - Having come from the First Timeline, Magus witnessed his own timeline's version of Cain go mad and summon Lavos to kill off humanity, with the events ultimately dragging him through time to the Middle Ages. This left him not only with a hatred of Lavos, but also a bitter resentment for Cain. It's bad enough that he paints all different timeline versions of him with the same twisted brush, regardless of innocence.
Fusion Dance - An unwitting one with Thanaton for the Final Battle of Another Path.
Hero Killer - He kills Cain in the first ending, leading into the timeline of Chrono Cross.
Mutually Exclusive Party Members - Escalated to the point of being mutually exclusive timelines. Magus despises Cain for the role the latter's original timeline self played in his being shunted through time as a child. Likewise, Cain hates the Prophet for not only siding with Arvis, but using Schala for his own selfish ends, as well as his role in Cain's death in most timelines. Because of this, Word of God says that there is no timeline where Cain would ever team up with Magus. (Cain and Guile, on the other hand…)
No Sell - In the Normal Path, during the second half of the final battle, he blocks Cain's every attempt at Rapid-Fire-Fisticuffs with one arm. Not only does this demonstrate the power gap between them, but causes Cain to realize that he's not making it through this fight alive.
Sinister Scythe - His weapon of choice. Infusing it with the power of the Six Gates causes it to glow a sickly red and grow immensely powerful.
The Unfettered - Nothing will stop him in his crusade against Lavos. Not even his own sister.
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Dalton
Batman Gambit - What his taking Schala hostage in Alghetty actually is. He states that they can always sacrifice Janus to the Manmon Machine, meaning that his claim that Schala's life means nothing is more than empty words. Considering that none of our heroes want her to be harmed, Dalton gets what he wants no matter what.
Hero Killer - Although Chancellor Cray was indeed the mastermind, Dalton was the one who actually killed King Alphard.
Obfuscating Stupidity - Acts the fool to throw off suspicions of treachery. When confronted by Cain in Alghetty however, he drops the mask entirely and shows his true competence.
Villainous Legacy - Dalton is pretty much Arvis' protege.
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Sigmund: An assassin under Chancellor Cray's employ. He hounds Cain throughout the story.
Absurdly Sharp Blade
Ax-Crazy - During the final confrontation with him in Another Path, Sigmund drops all pretenses of sanity and goes nuts.
Birds of a Feather - He comes to believe that Cain is the same as he, desiring to see the world burn. To Cain's frustration, he isn't entirely wrong.
Blood Knight - Even before the reveal, it's clear he has a thirst for violence.
The Dragon - To Chancellor Cray. Is usurped by Dalton after he decides to break his leash in Another Path.
Dragon with an Agenda
Dual-Wielding - Twin katanas he imbues with destructive magics.
Duel Boss - Every fight with him is with Cain alone.
Four Eyes, Zero Soul
Godzilla Threshold - Once he decides to act on his own, he manages to kidnap Schala under everyone's nose. Since Arvis needs Schala alive to satisfy the Queen's quest for immortality (as well as keep his position and/or his head), Sigmund's defection forces him to team up with the Coalition to help find her.
Hard Truth Aesop - Delivers one to Schala during his Dying Speech in Another Path about the uselessness of pacifism in the face of monstrous cruelty. Due to earlier events in Another Path, Schala ultimately takes this advice to heart.
Katanas Are Just Better
Recurring Boss - Is fought no less than four times during the story.
Suicide by Cop - How he meets his end in Another Path, specifically to prevent a peaceful solution to the problems he caused.
Super Mode - To Cain's horror, Sigmund is also capable of opening the Sixth Gate, though this reveal doesn't happen until Another Path.
Victory is Boring - More along the lines of Peace is Boring, but the idea is the same. Sigmund is a fighter at heart and is not satisfied unless he's trying to kill someone. With Chancellor Arvis constantly one step ahead of the Alphard Coalition in Another Path, he decides to slip his leash and cause chaos.
Your Days Are Numbered - He is revealed to be receptive to the Black Wind, and taunts Cain with his impending death after his own in the Normal Path.
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Pavlov: A key person of note in the Regicide Conspiracy. Was appointed Minister of Finance by Chancellor Cray.
Hoist By His Own Petard - Is crushed to death by the Demon Lord he summons.
Villain With Good Publicity - The masses see him as a philanthropist. When Cain and Eiric investigate him, he's revealed to be an unrepentant demon summoner.
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Isaac: A person of note in the Regicide Conspiracy, and the official 'governor' of Zeal's Underground. A sadist who owns a colosseum where he pits unsuspecting Earthbound Ones for blood sport.
Bread and Circuses - Basically his role in Chancellor Cray's schemes, desensitizing Enlightened Ones to the brutalization of the Earthbound.
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Benedict: A noble considered one of King Alphard's allies. However, he ultimately lures the king into a trap where the latter perishes. He is killed by an enraged Cain shortly after.
Cruel and Unusual Death - Cain literally cooks him alive inside the cockpit of his robot.
Fat Bastard
Karmic Death
Meaningful Name
Olivia: Key person of note in the Regicide Conspiracy, and leader of the Way of Lavos.
Cruel and Unusual Death - In both story paths. In Normal, Cain knocks her into a pit of rubble where she's Impaled with Extreme Prejudice. In Another, she runs afoul of the Arbiter of Hatred and is crushed like a grape in its hand.
From Nobody to Nightmare - She was once Queen Zeal's handmaiden before being witness to the latter's first attempted communion with the Frozen Flame. Her sanity dropped like a rock after the aforementioned event.
Hypercompetent Sidekick - Out of all of Arvis' fellow conspirators, she is the most successful in completing his goals.
Knight of Cerebus - She's first seen as just another crazy Lavos cultist, albeit its leader. Then she torches the Underground, which in both story paths leads to a major change for the Alphard Coalition.
Not in this for your Revolution - She doesn't care one wit for Arvis' game of thrones. She just wants to live in service of Lavos.
The Ophelia - She's… not all there to say the least.
Lavos
Thanaton: A mythical figure said to be one of the Four Kings of the Demon Realm, and the Harbinger of the Black Wind that foretells death.
Because Destiny Says So -
Final Boss Preview - This is the same being summoned by Pavlov that becomes the story's first true boss fight. However, freshly summoned to a new realm it hasn't adapted to, it goes down without much fuss. When Magus summons it at the end of Another Path, he summons the version from 600 AD, whom had long since adapted and grown far stronger.
Fusion Dance - With Magus at the end of Another Path.
God of Death - The Chrono setting's version.
Mythology Gag - You know that four-armed demon statue in the summoning chamber atop Magus' Castle in Trigger? That's Thanaton.
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Other Characters
King Victor Zeal
The Six Founders
(To be continued)