Croma (Chocobo's Dungeon)

Croma Magnolie is a mysterious figure in Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. She is the older sister of Shirma and the original Oracle of Darkness until the Destroyer began his rampage. She starts out as an enemy to Chocobo, but later becomes an ally.
Croma is a recurring type of character in the Chocobo series.
== History ==
A book found in the empty house after the ending reveals that Croma and her sister were the daughters of two of the nine former heroes who died against the Destroyer: Elena, the White Mage and Nero, the Black Mage. When a young Shirma got a painful injury and yelled out in pain, Croma told her not to cry and healed her with white magic. Shirma wanted to learn white magic too, and Croma believed she would master it in no time and vowed they would always be together. The two sisters held this promise dear in their hearts for the rest of their lives, and shared a deep bond and love from thereafter. At some point, Croma became the Oracle of Darkness.
When the Destroyer attacked the town that would later be known as Lostime, Mayor Gale urged the oracles to release the Guardian Beasts to seal the Destroyer, and subsequently Memoria and everyone's memories, from the rest of the world. Though Shirma did not want to lose her memories, a weakened Croma begged her to follow through. As Shirma summoned the last of the Guardian Beasts, Alexander, Croma prayed to the great gods of the crystals to seal Memoria so that they would never live another tragedy. Alexander granted their wishes. Croma's parents were killed during the battle, and Croma lost all her memories except for the duty to put a stop to the one who would disrupt this fragile peace. The Bell of Oblivion was created as a means to prevent everyone from regaining their memories lest the Destroyer would be reborn. 
Croma spent the majority of her time ensuring this peace was kept by staying in the shadows and ringing the Bell of Oblivion to prevent the return of the people's memories. She had forgotten everything else, even her own sister or her own name, though she could sense a voice that she wanted to hear as well as a faded image that she was chasing, which was her sister. Rage and hatred ate her up over time. 
One day, Chocobo and Cid ended up in Lostime. As Chocobo helped the townspeople regain their memories, Croma suspected he was the one who would disrupt their peace. She met Chocobo in the Guardian of the Flame and told him to stop, accusing him of being a thief. She warned him to leave and not to rob the town of its future. 
Chocobo did not back down, eventually making his way to the Guardian of the Flame and defeating Phoenix, releasing the Fire Crystal's sealed memories of the Destroyer's initial attack. Croma met Chocobo midway in the Guardian of the Water, where she chided him for derailing their future. She felt she would have to eliminate him and summoned four elementals. They were a fair match, but Chocobo dispatched them. Croma bitterly gave Chocobo what she felt was her own advice, explaining that if he tried to change the memory sealing while ignoring its effect, it would result in a distortion.
Chocobo made his way to the end of the Guardian of the Water and defeated Leviathan, releasing more memories from the Water Crystal. Croma knew of Raffaello and Chocobo's appearances in the crystal shrines and believed she was obligated to stop their threats to the peace. Believing that they were evil beings under the guise of saints, she waited in the Guardian of the Light inside the clocktower. When Chocobo arrived, she declared to be fooled no more and summoned a shadow of herself. 
When Chocobo defeated her shadow, Croma stepped up to duel Chocobo herself using a range of black magic. As Chocobo began to gain the upper hand, Croma began to remember that she was not to direct her rage at him, but at a much more malevolent and powerful threat. She told him that she needed just a little more time, and patted Chocobo before leaving him alone. 
When Chocobo reached the top of the clocktower and defeated its Guardian Beast, Alexander, Raffaello awoke from inside a cocoon near the Light Crystal, and used his feathers to revive the townspeople's memories who celebrated him as their savior. Croma warned the townspeople not to be fooled and claimed that Raffaello was no savior. Shirma told Croma they were long lost sisters and Croma remembers her own name and realized the voice she had wanted to hear and the faded image she had been chasing was Shirma. 
As the sisters embraced, Croma warned Shirma that the town's memories could not be brought back. Raffaello, with the voice of the Destroyer, summoned the Floating Fortress and mockingly asked if she remembered. After the Destroyer manifested himself through Raffaello, Croma explained that he had orchestrated everything. The Destroyer tormented the townspeople by using his evil feathers to bring back their terrifying memories.
Croma challenged Raffaello, though Shirma begged her to stop, arguing that it was impossible for Raffaello to be the Destroyer since he was born a baby. Croma retorted the Destroyer's innocent guise of a child was part of his plan to throw off suspicion and that the Destroyer had used Chocobo for his own gain and even orchestrated Chocobo and Cid's arrival to Lostime. Croma called for all of them to fight together, imploring the despairing Shirma to understand, taking the blame for the Destroyer's return and the lives taken for her inability to stop the Destroyer. Croma dueled Raffaello using a range of black magic, but he blocked her attacks, and neither could gain an advantage over the other. The Destroyer knew her weakness and he threw his blade towards Shirma. Croma rushed to shield her and took the fatal blow. The Destroyer absorbed Croma's energy through his blade and flew away back to the Floating Fortress. 
Though the Destroyer had absorbed Croma's energy, the good Raffaello was still alive and fought the Destroyer from inside to save Croma, buying her time before the Destroyer could completely devour her. Croma awoke inside the Destroyer, and felt a pulse from Raffaello, realizing he had a benevolent side that was different from the Destroyer. She asked to help him attack the Destroyer from within. Chocobo made his way to the Floating Fortress and defeated the Destroyer, and Raffaello and Croma were freed. They boarded the airship that Chocobo had used to fly to the Floating Fortress, which exploded, sending Chocobo flying towards the ground. Raffaello piloted the airship to save Chocobo, landing it in Seaside Park. They emerged to meet Shirma, the Oracles, Stella, Cid, and Mayor Gale. As Shirma asked Croma in disbelief if it was really her, Croma apologized for having worried everyone, then explained how Raffaello had saved her. After bearing witness to Mayor Gale's speech, Croma thanked Chocobo alongside Shirma, Mayor Gale, and Raffaello. 
Some time later, Croma was present at Seaside Park with Chocobo, Shirma, Cid, Stella to see Raffaello off to atone for his sins and to embark on a new path. Croma returned to Stella's farm to rest. When Chocobo came to see her, she apologized for her mistake: she had tried to prevent the Destroyer's return by using the Bell of Oblivion, but that had only robbed everyone's past and denied everyone's future too. 
She thanked Chocobo for giving her a second chance for her to fulfill the promise she made to Shirma. Unbeknownst to her, she had lost some of her memories, and Chocobo dived into the whirlpool of memories to retrieve them. Croma realized that though she and Shirma had promised to always be together, they had futures of their own and should not stand in each other's way. She declared that when she healed, she would embark on a long journey to find the dark crystal that had disappeared. No matter how far apart she and Shirma were, their hearts would always be together. 
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
===Personality===
Croma is a bitter, serious, and no-nonsense woman. She rarely smiles and expresses a mysterious and intimidating demeanor. Unlike her sister Shirma, Croma never shows signs of happiness or love other than for her own sister until after the Destroyer's defeat, and though she is grateful to Chocobo, she thanks him with seriousness. Croma is courageous, especially when facing her enemies. She demonstrates remarkable inner strength, which Shirma acknowledges and admires about her. She struggles seeing the good in others. Antithesis to her optimistic and caring sister, Croma is pessimistic and skeptical. 
Croma is wise, perceptive, and cunning, even noted by the Destroyer himself who compliments her for figuring out his plan. Though intelligent and intimidating, Croma is equally as stubborn, evident in her refusal to believe her own sister on Chocobo and Raffaello's character. She is resolute in her plan to use the Bell of Oblivion to prevent the Destroyer's return, despite its chaotic effects on the town. She accuses Chocobo of robbing the town of its future, when in reality, the bell was doing that very thing.
Croma has a soft side buried within her, brought out by her sister Shirma and her kind personality. Croma cares for Shirma and her family, but the removal of her memories and prolonged separation diminished this over time. Her caring side was exemplified in her early life when she made her promise to Shirma. After joining forces with everyone to fight the Destroyer, Croma becomes less bitter, and later thanks Chocobo for "thawing [her] frozen heart" and teaching her how to love again. Croma is a responsible person, as she helped look out for her sister in her early years, took the blame for the Destroyer's return, and vowed to go on a quest to look for the dark crystal that had disappeared. Croma is selfless and willing to do anything for her loved ones and generally a good person. Though her serious demeanor may give off a negative impression, her intellect helps foresee the Destroyer's return, and in Chocobo's final standoff, her kind heart comes out. She has good intentions and her heart is in the right place.
===Abilities===
Croma is a powerful Black Mage, able to make a shadow of herself, a 'Croma Shade', to attack Chocobo with similar Black Magic abilities, albeit weaker. She wields powerful Black Magic abilities herself, including Firaga, Blizzaga, Thundaga, Flare, and Meteor, and a signature magic ability called Maxym that could deal high damage and knockback, something that not even Chocobo could use with the Black Mage job. Croma demonstrated her abilities once more when she dueled Raffaello at the top of the clocktower, using her preferred spells of Firaga and Thundaga. She threw the Destroyer off with a powerful Meteor attack that caused a ring of fire to surround him and everyone else on the scene. Croma can summon Elementals of any element.
Croma also knew a little bit of White Magic, as she practiced it during her early life and used it to heal Shirma. She gained the powers of an Oracle when she became the Oracle of Darkness.
==Etymology==
Croma is a shortened form of Kuro Madoushi, "Black Mage", in Japanese.
category:Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
Category:Oracles
Category:Characters in the Chocobo series