Vana'diel Bestiary: Shadow Lord  

Emergence of the Shadow Lord

Twenty years before the Dawn of the Age of Adventurers, a terrifying demon emerged from the frozen heights of Xarcabard. Nobody knew where this demon came from, and none of the nations were prepared for his wrath. This Kindred demon united the beastmen of Vana'diel against the five races of Altana in a war referred to nowadays as the Crystal War, or the Great War of 20 years ago.

This demon was called the Shadow Lord.

At the conclusion of the Crystal War, an elite squad of warriors fought through Castle Zvahl Baileys and cornered Shadow Lord in his throne room. There, the mighty demon was defeated... or so the world thought.

Come the Age of Adventurers, the dark spirit of the Shadow Lord began to stir once more. Motivated by this great force, the beastmen of Vana'diel set in motion a plot to revive their revered leader. Before this plot can envelop the world in a second Great War, a young adventurer joins forces with veterans of the original war to foil the sinister plot. In the end, the Shadow Lord does rise again -- but the adventurer is there waiting. An epic battle ensues. When it is over, only the adventurer is left standing.

The Shadow Lord then reveals his true identity: he is Raogrimm, the former Galka Talekeeper, consumed by the torment and pain of generations of his people.

In this final defeat, the Shadow Lord believes he can rest peacefully.

SPOILERS: Origins of the Shadow Lord

A decade before the Crystal War, the three nations of Vana'diel launch an expedition to the frozinvestigate a lost civilations . The expedition included Ulrich, a powerful Hume swordsman; his friend, Raogrimm, the Galkan Talekeeper, keeper of the race's memories; and Cornelia, a beautiful Hume female warrior.

The expedition through the northlands was going as planned until a rift began forming between Ulrich and Raogrimm. The Galka was advocating peace with the beastmen, a thought Ulrich didn't agree with. Also, Raogrimm had proven to be the better warrior of the two, despite Ulrich's prowess with his blade. Then there was Cornelia; the Hume female and the Galka had developed a secret affection for one another, and Ulrich was green with envy.

The day finally came when Ulrich could no longer control his jealosy. The Hume surprised Raogrimm, pulling his sword and moving to kill him. Cornelia, faithful to the end, stepped in front of Ulrich's blade -- and he ran her through. Raogrimm took her dead body in his arms, and then Ulrich killed him, too.

Ulrich hid the truth of what happened when he returned home from his expedition. However, the rage and saddness of the betrayal resonated through the world, and into the memory of the magicite crystals.

Thirty years after the fact, as you find pieces of magacite crystals hidden throughout Vana'diel, you catch the first glimpses of the horrid betrayal, the event which ignited Raogrimm's hatred and allowed him to ressurect himself as the Shadow Lord.

Click here to see the Rank 5 Shadow Lord battle script.