Avalonian Empire

The Avalonian Empire also called Avalon, The Avalon Empire, or simply The Empire, is a major political power in Final Fantasy Dimensions and serves as the main antagonistic force. It is a technologically and military advanced regime, ruled by the mysterious Emperor whose identity is unknown to all but his most loyal servants.
Avalon has its capital in the equally named Castle Avalon located at the southeast continent of World and is the only human settlement found there.
==Profile==
Years ago the Avalonian Empire started a quest for world domination, subjugating several nations, such as Burtgang, Falgabard and Harmonia among others through sheer force, subterfuge or betrayal. Years later the Avalonian Empire would form an alliance with the kingdom of Lux, which would be nothing more than a facade for the Empire to attempt to steal its Crystal for The Emperor to become immortal and govern for eternity.
After the world is split in two, a world of light and a world of darkness, the Avalonian Empire would mount an even greater expansion headed by its Generals to acquire the shards of Crystals and other natural resources. Places that have fallen victim of the Empire include the Dragoon town of Deist with a vast part of the dragon population killed by water poisoning, the elf nation of Alfheim through the masquerading of its king by an imposter, and others, leaving few places free of the Empire's cruel conquering, such as Gardenia.
==Story==
===Background===
Several years before the current regime, in an age of constant war, the Avalon Empire with its idealistic nature brought stability and peace to the world. In the present time however, it has conquered most of the world with the exception of the Kingdom of Lux. While small in comparison to Avalon, Lux stands in equal footing due to its Crystal. Thus, the Empire allied with Lux. Aigis, the top warrior of Lux, goes in an expedition to the Empire. His friends Sol, Diana and Glaive believe he is going to be scouted.
===Prologue and Chapter 1: Reckoning===
Behind the curtains the Empire seeks to betray Lux and acquire the Crystal using their alliance as a front. Commander Cid uses youngsters imprisoned at the town of Harmonia—the silent Nacht, the twins Alba and Dusk, and the already captive Sarah—to steal the Crystal in exchange for their freedom. The youngsters pretend to work for the Empire and approach the Crystal whose guardian, the Watchbeast, destroys the Crystal to protect it, splitting the world into two halves one of light and one of darkness.
The Empire terminates its alliance with Lux and moves on their conquering campaign once more. The Warriors of Light Sol, Sarah, Aigis and Dusk in company with the prophet Elgo investigate the split of the world and travel to the Kingdom of Liene, which was taken as an imperial stronghold. While crossing Mt. Liene to reach the castle, Sarah reveals her origins from the Kingdom of Burtgang, which was betrayed by the Empire. Upon reaching Castle Liene the Lux inhabitants Sol and Aigis realize the Empire's true colors.
Trying to reach the Empire to find Diana and Glaive, the party takes over the nearby Warship and are met with Baugauven of the Fire, one of Avalon's Four Generals whose might overpowers the party. As he performs his Final Backdraft technique Elgo shields the Warriors of Light with his body, suffering major damage. Before Baugauven can move for the kill, several dragons assault the Warship and incinerate it, forcing the general to retreat. Elgo with his remaining strength attempts to steer the out of control vehicle to allow the Warriors of Light to escape.
===Chapter 2: The Generals Approach===
The Warship crashes and the prophet is considered deceased. The Warriors of Light arrive near the town of Braska, realizing they are even further from their objective. The party crosses the Cave to Deist and shortly before exiting the cave are attacked by a dragon. The beast is calmed by a mysterious woman and the warriors keep moving.
They arrive at the town of Deist, which is under Imperial domination. They learn that the Empire poisoned the dragons' water supplies creating mistrust among them and humans. This allowed the Empire to slaughter most of the Dragoons, leaving Ricard crippled. They learn about Barbara, the missing daughter of Abel, Deist's once strongest Dragoon from Ebba from Barbara's once caretaker, who asks them to deliver Abel's Spear to her.
The party finds that a young boy tries to gather Dragon Grass to save the dragons, but is met with Imperial opposition. The Warriors save the boy and decide to carry on his action. As they travel through Dragon Valley they are attacked by Ceres and Barbara, unable to convince them they are friends. Upon reaching Dragon Roost they find Barbara, who reveals Ceres will lay an egg atop Highwind Tower and demands the Warriors to leave.
The party travels to the Tower and shares Dragon Grass with the weakened dragons revealing their intentions to help. Barbara is further convinced by Ricard being brought with help of the boy. Barbara joins the Warriors in helping Ceres, realizing an Imperial Warship is nearby.
The Warship piloted by Cid is bombarded by dragon fire, although the commander trusts their airship can resist the assault due to several layers of protective magic. He orders them not to harm the dragons as he's using the android Argy to look for something. Upon escalating the tower, Barbara reveals the dragons separated themselves from humans to protect them, believing they would be safe from the Empire if they left their side. Atop the tower Ceres turns mad by the poisoning and attacks Barbara, but she feeds her Dragon Grass.
Cid finds what he sought, but is interrupted by Vata of the Wind, one of Avalon's Four Generals, who goes on his place. Vata assaults the party, but the Warriors of Light, along with Barbara, defeat the general and protect Ceres who uses the last of her strength to lay her egg and perishes. The bond between Barbara and Ceres causes the gem on Abel's Spear to react, and is revealed to be a Crystal which bestows the Warriors of Light with the power of the Dragoons.
Vata seizes a remnant of power for himself, revealing that the Crystal power was his (and Cid's) goal. He gains Dragoon abilities and becomes much stronger. Satisfied, he leaves the party behind and returns to Cid's Warship. Cid is infuriated at Vata's intervention and threatens him with a court martial. The general is confident he won't be judged.
In the meantime the Warriors of Darkness arrive at the lands of Verde and the Mazewood where they find Imperial Scouts and defeat them so as to keep their presence a secret. They witness an Imperial airship closing in the World Tree Yggdrasil, and return to the village to prepare before venturing the treacherous forest. They find a mysterious blind old man whom they refer simply as Gramps. Despite his lack of vision Gramps is a skilled Ranger, and saves the party from an Imperial soldier after they heal an injured beast.
The old man shows his gratitude and guides them to Alfheim, the land of the elves, while revealing he suffers from amnesia. Reaching Alfheim the Warriors of Darkness find out from the inhabitants that suspiciously, King Freyr has hanged his behavior and has surrendered the kingdom to Imperial control. The Warriors of Darkness travel to the World Tree, but are blocked by guards. Gramps remembers a secret passage into the Tree and the Warriors reach Yggdrasil. Climbing the giant structure they find Adrian, the young prince of the elves who requests their help into investigating his father's sudden dark personality. The Warriors agree to help him and Adrian creates a distraction to allow The Warriors into the throne room at the upper level of Yggdrasil, where they find the king who resembles Gramps.
Gramps suffers from severe headaches while a Crystal in Nacht's possession begins to glow and unmasks the present king as Asmodai of Earth, one of the Four Generals. He had an encounter with Gramps who is the true King Freyr who has lost his sight and memory in exchange for his wife and son's safety and had been left for dead by the General.
Asmodai, posing as King Freyr, pretended to comply by "the prophecy" that would give him Crystals. Seeing the Warriors of Darkness he decides to take their Crystals by force. The Warriors fight but cannot harm him as he exudes a Miasma that renders him invincible. The Warriors are left weakened by Asmodai's attack as he prepares to deal the finishing blow. Adrian interferes and receives the attack himself. Attempting to kill the boy Asmodai prepares his attack again, but Freyr takes the hit instead. Not wanting to see his Kingdom and his loved ones to suffer, he confronts Asmodai alone, piercing the Miasma. Freyr puts all his life into a single attack, which destroys the Miasma for good allowing the Warriors of Darkness to defeat Asmodai. The General, not worried about the current setback, retreats promising to fulfill the prophecy.
Meanwhile the witch Styx of the Water was preparing for the arrival of the Warriors of Light. She hired Pirate King Bikke and his crew to take over the port of Capo preventing the citizens from fishing to lure the Warriors and have them delivered to her in the town of Rusalka. The Warriors of Light defeat Bikke and his crew with the Pirate King repenting from his actions, and reveals the reasons behind his actions and allies with them. He intends to protect them by returning them to Capo, but Aigis insists they must go to Rusalka as Bikke had been ordered to bring them in, therefore allowing them to sneak in the town unsuspected. After arriving at Rusalka the party hears rumors about a fabled bard named Eduardo who disappeared from the town, and got intel from informants about an Imperial Base at Mt. Rusalka.
The Warriors investigate the mountain and find an Imperial Weresoldier at the top. The Warriors defeat the mutant soldier and ask about the witch. The soldier reveals she's on Rusalka and that Eduardo is involved before dying. The party returns to the town and sleeps the night at the inn. Sol unable to sleep and listens to a frog singing. The frog disappears and hides on the sewers prompting the party to follow. They transform into frogs as they cannot fit in the passage otherwise.
They find the frog who turns out to be Eduardo, who says he wanted to meet a mermaid he fell in love with and was tricked and cursed by Styx. Unable to lift the curse they go to the Underwater Temple where they encounter Edna, the mermaid that Eduardo had seen. They are interrupted by Styx who reveals her position as one of the Four Generals and that cursing Eduardo and going after Edna was her plan to lure the Warriors. A battle ensues and Styx loses ground and tries to kill Edna. A Masked Man interferes with casting a lightning spell on her.
The Masked Man warns the Warriors that the events are in motion and departs. Styx is believed dead, and Eduardo reunites with Edna, learning she is his mother who gave up her human form to save him from a fatal disease. Edna kisses Eduardo reverting him to human form and disappears, saying she will watch over him forever, her tears coalescing into Crystals which the Warriors acquire.
The party attempts to return to the surface, but are ambushed by Styx who reveals her true strength in her dominion of water. She drives them into a corner, but Bikke and his crew bombard her with cannonballs, injuring Styx and forcing the Avalon General to retreat. The party inquiries how Bikke could pinpoint their location, and learn the Masked Man had told him.
The Warriors of Darkness, under the recommendation of Queen Cilque, are transported via Gryphon by Adrian in the lands of Kurgis. They travel to the Umberwood where they encounter the ghost of a dead knight whom they pay no mind. They arrive at the dwarf village of Aulë where they meet the leader Kokkol who reads the letter from Cilque to aid the Warrior in their quest. Kokkol cannot aid them in battle, so he allows them to pass to the Cave of Dread.
The Warriors encounter a monster they cannot defeat as it regenerates. The ghost knight Graham joins them, and using his Dark powers defeats the monster. The five venture into Mt. Falgabard, as it is the only way to reach Castle Falgabard. Graham reveals he's one of the last survivors, which shocks Nacht. The Warriors wonder how could Falgabard fall to the Empire given its strategic position surrounded by mountains. Graham reveals the Empire's airships can pass natural barriers and assault the castle.
Upon arriving at the ruins of the castle, the Warriors find the lurking ghosts of the deceased soldiers of Falgabard who curse their heroes for letting their kingdom fall. They find a group of bandits and their boss ransacking the place. The Warriors defeat the thieves and follow them through the passage where the bandits are found defeated by an Imperial Commander and his soldiers where they block pass to Mt. Gulg.
The Warriors defeat the Imperial guards and make their way through the volcano being occupied by Imperial forces. They notice several pieces of machinery that harvest the natural power of Mt. Gulg for unknown purposes. At the control room the Warriors defeat the officer in charge, and Graham destroys the controls, setting a chain reaction that destroys the base. As soon as they escape they are intercepted by Baugauven who mistakes Graham him as Sigurd, and the four youngsters, confident he can deal with "four more brats".
The Warriors of Darkness inquire to the General what he meant, and he reveals his encounter with his companions but believes them dead after the airship crashed. Graham takes on arms to avenge his fallen comrades and although they corner the General, Baugauven unleashes his true power. Graham takes the remainder of his strength into his final attack Zantetsusen, and defeats Baugauven.
Graham collapses and he's revealed to be an empty suit of armor. The armor is of Sigurd, the former greatest hero of Falgabard, and Graham was his companion. The two had faced Baugauven and were defeated with Sigurd entrusting his son Nacht to Graham. The desire to fulfill Sigurd's wish was strong enough that it transformed the dying Graham into a Dark Sword with which he possessed Sigurd's armor. The sword's glean becomes Crystals with The Mask watching from afar.
===Chapter 3: Warriors of Light and Darkness===
Dr. Lugae checks on his creation, Argy, before being interrupted by Commander Cid. Cid is going to be in charge of Argy as of now, and transports the two of them on his airship to Fabrica as the Heliogabalus is ready. Lugae begs Cid to give him more time as Argy is not ready, but Cid strikes him for his insolence and to not get attached to his creation. The act causes an emotional reaction in Argy, who in a fit of anger damages the airship before being catapulted into Ashmonte.
The Warriors of Light, who left Rusalka on Bikke's ship, witness the airship and decide to go to Fabrica and dock on the nearby town of Mathel. Hearing rumors of a shooting star, the Warriors of Light venture into Ashmonte where they find Imperial presence. The party splits into two groups of Sol with Sarah and Aigis with Dusk. Sol and Sarah encounter and rescue Argy after being found by Imperial soldiers, defeating them and retrieving the android who has memory loss. The duo decides to give her a temporary name and bring her with them.
Dusk and Aigis meanwhile have a heated discussion about Dusk's true identity, although he assures he is not an Imperial spy. The group reunites and debates on having Argy come with them. Dusk opposes, but Aigis supports it, reminding Dusk he's in no position to be distrustful. Much to the party's surprise Argy believes Sol and Sarah to be her "Daddy and Mommy" and grows emotionally attached to them.
Back at the Mathel the party enters Hierro Cave to reach Fabrica, where they learn the Empire has been overloading the city with tasks and deadlines that has the population in full work. In the Fabrica Cave they find Imperial guards, and much to their surprise, Vata himself. Argy mentions "Heliogabalus," which she cannot remember fully, but it makes her scared. They decide to sneak in and investigate. The Warriors venture into the Ship with The Mask guiding them from afar.
The Warriors defeat Imperial guards blocking an entrance, and are interrupted and confronted by Vata, who is surprised at seeing Argy, believing they have "tamed the beast". Sol and Sarah refute those claims and demand answers, but Vata is uninterested on the android, revealing that Cid is the one who seeks her. After forcing Vata to retreat, the Warriors find themselves in the still unfinished Heliogabalus.
Sol tries to bust his way open triggering alarms, getting himself scolded but making Argy happy. On the deepest level they find Dr. Lugae and Cid. The scientist is left in shock that Argy has lost her memories. Cid activates a set of controls to turn Argy against the Warriors, who reluctantly fight back and are cornered. Argy overloads fighting her control, and attacks Cid. Cid is surprised as Argy should only be capable of learning combat aspects and not emotions, and deduces that Dr. Lugae had programmed her with the ability to feel.
Cid reveals his trump card, another Argy model with upgrades of his own. Deeming the old model a defect, he sends the new android to fight. Argy tries to protect Sol and Sarah and takes a brutal beating. The Warriors fight in her place and defeat the upgraded robot, but Cid escapes. Argy remembers Dr. Lugae and is grateful to the party for bringing her to her "Daddy" as Argy's soul manifests into Crystals for the party. The battle has consequences, as the nearby equipment begins to explode around them.
Following Baugauven's demise, Graham instructs the party to travel to the Kaklim region to look for the rebel organization Desert Moon as the Warriors of Darkness are not strong enough on their own to face the Empire. Traversing the Kaklim Desert the party arrives at Gardenia, a city outside the Empire's control, and asks clues about Desert Moon. They are hinted by the Dancer Matoya about the organization's location. The Warriors of Darkness prove themselves to the negotiators, which earns them an audience with Azhar, the rebel group's number two. Azhar instructs them to see Matoya through the password "Desert Rose".
The party meets with Matoya who demands them to storm the Imperial Forward Camp at the north of Gardenia to prove themselves. The Warriors of Darkness invade the base but find it empty before being ambushed by several Imperial guards. Being overwhelmed by their numbers, the Warriors run for it, but Diana is lost in the process. Glaive worries for her, ignores his friends' warnings, and decides to look for her. He is barred by a Unit Captain who is too strong for him and is aided by The Mask. The two find Diana and rescue her from her captors. The Mask disappears as Alba and Nacht appear behind them, and the Warriors of Darkness continue their mission until they meet the base's Commander and are joined by Matoya impressed at their performance.
The five defeat the commander, but are suspicious that the base was too easy to conquer. They return to the Desert Moon Hideout and find the slums stormed by Imperial Forces, realizing the camp was a decoy to destroy the rebel group. Matoya suggests using a secret passage to arrive to the core of their base. Upon reaching the hideout they find the members of Desert Moon massacred and deduce that an Imperial spy leaked the password. The Pub Owner reveals himself as the spy and, accompanied by soldiers, attacks the Warriors, but is defeated.
The Warriors meet Azhar who collapses from his injuries causing Matoya and the Warriors to seek revenge. After leaving Gardenia they notice an airship heading north of the Imperial Camp and depart for the Underground Fort. At the bottom of the Imperial base they encounter Asmodai of the Earth once more who reveals his previous affair with Matoya and that he masterminded the scheme to terminate Desert Moon. He rejoices at meeting Matoya and demands she hands her Crystal to him. The two forces engage in battle. Asmodai turns himself invisible and proves he's much stronger than the last battle. Matoya uses her Crystal Eye to see through Asmodai's tricks and the Warriors defeat the General, making him the second General to fall.
Before dying Asmodai reveals the Emperor gave him the power to stop aging, which makes Matoya wonder how the Emperor can be alive even after a hundred years. Matoya gives the Crystal to the Warriors of Darkness empowering them and decides to remain in Gardenia to protect the city from Imperial forces.
Cid goes to make his report directly to The Great Emperor of Avalon, and reveals he has unsatisfactory results. The Emperor chastises him and his subordinates for his ineptitude at handling "simple tasks" with Cid begging the Emperor for another chance.
The Warriors of Light escape the exploding equipment with the help of Dr. Lugae who prepares his ship. They navigate to the town of Berth, which is close to the land of Burtgang, the former kingdom of Sarah, and learn about their honorable knights. In the town the Warriors encounter a drunkard man, Gawain, whom Sarah recognizes. Upon hearing he lives on Mt. Wells, the party ventures to the summit to meet him.
They are awaited by Vata who claims he has non-hostile intentions. Sol doesn't trust him and a battle ensues where Vata is pushed back. He claims he came to warn the Warriors of the approaching greater danger of the Divine Generals of Avalon, and that they are starting to make a move. Vata disappears without explaining his intentions further. The party reaches the summit, but are unable to find Gawain at his hut, so they spend the night there.
Gawain approaches but retreats before being noticed by Sarah. Gawain recalls the events of the Burtgang's demise in which the Empire had hired a clan of ninja to assassinate the knights of Burtgang and their King before he himself was injured by a strong ninja he had injured before. Sarah remembers being adopted by a former Commander of Burtgang under the name Lassah before he passed away. Sarah had delivered herself to the Empire being captured by Cid.
Gawain rejoices at seeing Sarah alive, but believes himself unworthy to be by her side and leaves. The party returns to Berth to try to find Gawain and spend the night at the inn. Sarah disappears and the next morning Sol infers she went to Burtgang by herself, and that Gawain may be there since he is a former knight. They request help from Dr. Lugae to transport them to Burtgang by ship.
Sarah arrives at the feet of Mt. Burtgang and crosses the mountain and reaches her deteriorated homeland. At the Castle Burtgang she is ambushed by Imperial forces. In the meantime the Warriors of Light are assaulted by an Imperial airship, and with no other option, use their Bubbly Water to escape by sea. Dr. Lugae remains as he refuses to leave without Argy who is in the ship's interior. Making their way through the Underwater Cave, they reach Castle Burtgang.
Gawain saves Sarah from the Imperial soldiers reaffirming his loyalty to his homeland and Sarah gaining newfound hope. The party joins with them and strengthening their friendship decide to help Sarah recover her homeland. At the throne room they find the supposedly deceased Queen of Burtgang who rejoices at seeing Sarah again and asks her to come with and her father. Sarah sees through the ruse and the "Queen" is revealed to be Styx of the Water, being sent by the Emperor as he prophesied that the Crystals could be found in Burtgang. She decides to take the Crystals from the Warriors of Light, but is defeated. Shango of Lightning of the Divine Generals appears mocking Styx's state, saying that as one of the four Generals it is her duty to accept defeat and die. Styx begs for mercy but is struck down by lightning and killed.
Gawain entrusts his blade Galantine to Sarah and instructs Sol to protect her and to retreat. Sarah refuses to leave him behind, but the party convinces her to have faith in Gawain and escape. Alone the two warriors exchange names before dueling. Shango becomes annoyed at his persistence, and wonders how a human like him has such a strong will. Gawain believes it is not him but the whole of Burtgang's spirit fighting. Shango paralyzes Gawain with his Voltage Cross. The Warriors of Light attempt to leave the castle, but notice an Imperial airship approaching and see little means of escape. Dr. Lugae's presumed sunk ship rises from the sea as an airship and rescues the party, being able to lose its pursuer. Dusk receives a message from his communication device, and suggests it is time to travel to Mysidia to meet the Seer.
Upon the recommendation of Matoya, the Warriors of Darkness ask for the aid of the Fuga Clan of Ninja to fight the Empire, as they themselves lack the strength, and Matoya needs time to rebuild Desert Moon. On the way they are attacked by Jinnai, a traitorous ninja who has allied with the Empire. The Warriors offer to capture Jinnai in exchange for the clan's help in their quest. Cornering Jinnai, the Warriors ask about Jinnai's motives to betray his clan, and he discloses his previous mission where he and his men assaulted Burtgang and assassinated their monarch and knights by orders of the village Elder who was hired by the Emperor to "prevent war" requiring absolute discretion. Jinnai eavesdropped a conversation between the Elder of the nunja village and an Imperial emissary, and how without Burtgang's intervention they could proceed with their conquering campaign uninterrupted. Learning that they were used to commit a massacre, Jinnai betrayed the clan.
The party acquires the Hagakure Jewel, which is found to be a Crystal. Jinnai defeats Tobikage, the son of the Hagakure village Elder. They are assaulted by the Elder himself, and the Mind Parasite that controlled the Elder emerges from his body. The Elder apologizes to Jinnai for being possessed by such evil and is frozen solid by the an emissary who is revealed to be Cocytus of Ice, a Divine General of Avalon. Jinnai is also frozen and the Warriors find themselves helpless before her power. The Warriors are saved by The Mask whom Diana and Glaive recognize. The Hagakure Jewel empowers the Warriors and Alba receives a transmission communicating with Dusk about their situation, instructing him to go to Mysidia. The Mask spurs them to break the seal of the Ultimate Magic.
===Chapter 4: Twilight===
The Warriors of Light are pursued by an Imperial airship on their way to Mysidia. The Warriors of Light meet with the Great Elder, Sophia, who had sent the twins Alba and Dusk to protect the Crystals from the Empire, and their initial capture was part of their plan to get in the Empire's way.
The Empire attacks Mysidia, Dr. Lugae claiming the attack comes from the Heliogabalus, the Empire's Ultimate Weapon and Cid's latest creation. Lugae pilots the Warriors of Light on the massive warship's deck so they can destroy its engine. The party breaks through Imperial defenses, and when they come across Argy-2 androids the original Argy helps pacify them via a whisperweed. Close to the engine room they are blocked by Vata whom the Warriors defeat. They are defeated by Shango, but the engine is still damaged.
The party encounters Cid trying to escape on his airship who has his army of Argy-2 set to attack them. The androids refuse as they are the same ones the Warriors encountered before and the androids recognize them as friends. Cid, admitting defeat, decides to pilot them all out of the sinking Heliogabalus, but finds that the airship was damaged by the explosions. Cid tells them of a passageway to the deck, but decides to remain as he refuses to trust his life on the enemy. Cid is grabbed by the Argy-2 group who recognize Cid as a friend and protect him.
Upon reaching the deck the Warriors are cornered as Lugae's ship cannot approach any further. Vata appears before them and gives them a solution, to use the power of the Dragoons to perform a Jump. The party does and escapes the Heliogabalus.
The Mask guides the Warriors of Darkness to the ancient town of Lufenia where the secret of the Ultimate Spell Meteo lies. The party cannot speak in Lufenian language, so they require the assistance of the researcher Unne. Only the Rosetta Stone from the Rosetta Tower can help them, and the Warriors make it to the top where they are confronted by the Guardian. The Mask encourages them to stand up to it, and they defeat the monster and acquire the treasure. Diana and Glaive suspect The Mask to be, in fact, Elgo.
On the airship a shockwave from the explosions throws Diana from Lugae's airship. Barbara, having sensing danger, approached Mysidia and rescues Sarah mounting a new dragon. Dusk realizes Vata was the one who had destroyed the Heliogabalus engine. Vata is unafraid of potential revenge from the Emperor and leaves. Barbara retreats to prepare for the final battle.
Upon returning to Mysidia, Sophia instructs the Warriors to acquire the Ultimate White Magic Holy. Reaching a large Crystal at the bottom of the Mysidia Cavern which levitates Mysidia, Sophia starts a ritual to unseal Holy. The Crystal's power fades and Mysidia begins to fall.
The Warriors of Darkness, now with the Rosetta Stone, reach Unne, who bestows the Warriors with the ability to speak on Lufenian language. The party speaks with the Oracle who gives them their blessing so they are capable of crossing the Barrier Grove and unseal Meteo. In the Lufenia Ruins the party reach a large mirror but without any Crystal. The Mask confesses that he is Elgo, and that he was split into two, one of Light and one of Dark, just like the world did. Not confirming which halve he is, Elgo urges the Warriors of Darkness to ready their weapons.
After Mysidia returns to the lower world, Sophia guides the Warriors of Light to the Massive Cavern, which greatly resembles the Mysidia Cavern as they were one and the same. In the bottom they encounter a Crystal (the one missing from Lufenia Ruins) and Sophia drains the Crystal of its power and empowers the Warriors of Light with Seer powers. They are surrounded by Imperial Forces led by Shango, who reveals they have Mysidia under their control. Shango demands them to deliver the Crystals but Sophia refuses.
On the Lufenia Ruins, The Mask prepares a spell which the Warriors of Darkness think is aimed at themselves, but is cast at a hiding Cocytus. The Warriors of Darkness demand to know what she did to Jinnai, and she responds that she will freeze them like him. The mirror begins to shine and The Mask reveals that while the Crystal wasn't physically there, their courage, friendship and bonds are themselves the Crystal. They are empowered with the Magus job and the Meteor spell. The Warriors of Darkness cast Meteo upon Cocytus who conjures an attack which The Mask takes on, causing his mask to shatter and revealing his identity, which Cocytus recognizes in total disbelief. Injured and in shock at the revelation Cocytus retreats. The Mask mentions his other self, but he collapses before he can elaborate further.
With the ten Crystals drained of their power and both Ultimate Spells unsealed, the Worlds of Light and Dark begin to shake as the Dimensional Shift merges world to become one again. The Warriors of Light find themselves outside the Massive Cavern with no sight of Shango or Imperial forces. The entrance to the cavern disappears and Sophia speculates the cave may have ceased to exist. Back at Mysidia the Warriors of Light find no one. Dr. Lugae is found to be alive as Argy had detected the danger of the Dimensional Shift, as it is hinted the fusion of worlds was incomplete, causing parts of the world to be lost in an alternate dimension.
The Warriors of Darkness awake in the ruins and return to Lufenia which they find empty. Alba also concludes that the world is incomplete. Before they can do more, they are surrounded by Weresoldiers.
On Lugae's airship Dusk receives an SOS from Alba and decides to take the wheel as their allies are in danger. In Lufenia the Warriors of Light battle through Weresoldiers and reunite with the Warriors of Darkness. Both forces return to Mysidia where Alba reports back to Sophia on their own events. Sophia guesses that the current events are something the Empire didn't expect, although the Warriors of Darkness are skeptical as they were assaulted by their forces, so they believe Avalon is still alive. Sol recommends it is time for them to strike at the core of the Empire. The party attempts to storm the Empire's stronghold, but are met with massive barrier. Dr. Lugae mentions seeing an odd phenomenon close to Deist and the party travels to Deist Forest.
They find a portal that transports them to the Rended Void an alternate dimension. The Warriors of Light and Dark battle Imperial forces whose soldiers mutate. They find a strange substance which they take to Mysidia. Sophia recognizes it as Dark Matter, a substance from another dimension whose power can rival that of the Crystals, which the Warriors believe is the Empire's goal. Vata appears and confirms this, saying that the Empire is after eight pieces of Dark Matter and that the Emperor has resurrected the deceased Generals to achieve this. The party prepares to look for the missing fragments of Dark Matter.
The party travels at different places around the world to gather the remaining Dark Matter, they end facing the revived generals now turned into mindless monsters by the Emperor. Upon their defeat the Warriors of Light and Dark gather the eight pieces of Dark Matter which coalesce into a large Crystal, suggesting this was the reason the Emperor sought it all along. After acquiring the Last Crystal, the barrier surrounding Castle Avalon disappears and the party begins their long awaited assault on the Empire's stronghold.
When they reach the entrance of the castle a voice calls out to the Warriors, who not identifying himself, greets the Warriors with orders from the Emperor to treat them as "guests of honor" and the door opens. Making it to the inner part of the Castle, Vata commends the Warriors and passes in an additional piece of information, that above Shango and Cocytus there are two remaining figures, Imperio of the Light and the Emperor's right-hand man and Gehenna of the Darkness, who nobody has ever seen. Vata once more disappears without revealing the motives behind his treachery.
The Warriors then subsequently finding the throne room guarded make their way through the sanctum of Shango and Cocytus and face them for the final time. Following a tough fight they are able to finally defeat the two Divine Generals of Thunder and Ice who before dying express their surprise that mere humans could best them, while revealing that they themselves used to be human at some point in life, greatly shocking the party. Their defeat makes them the first and second of the Divine Generals to fall and the fourth and fifth overall.
The Warriors of Light and Darkness then make their way to the throne room where they encounter a man in noble clothing whose voice the party recognizes as the one that called out to them. The man identifies himself as Imperio of the Light and the 2nd in command of the Empire. He commends the party's efforts and he demanded their Crystals seeing everything was set for them to go through in order to recollect the Crystals to deliver them to the Emperor who was bearing witness nearby. The party however refuses to yield their Crystals after the atrocities committed by the Empire, earning Imperio's ire at their ingratitude at being welcomed with "open arms" and decides he will take the Crystals after killing them. Imperio proves a tough opponent but the party manages to best him, which causes Imperio to undergo a transformation into a more monstrous being of darkness who identifies itself as Gehenna of the Darkness and Imperio's alter-ego. Although more brutal than Imperio the Divine General is also felled, causing the destruction of the two last of the Divine Generals and the 6th and 7th overall to fall.
With his military might in shambles, the Warriors proceed to face the Emperor directly although their attacks are ineffective. Much to their surprise the Emperor is revealed to be nothing but an empty suit of armor which causes the portal to open and swallow them. The party finds themselves in the The Void which eventually leads to the Dark Gate there they encounter Vata who tells them they are in another dimension and that eventually the Warriors may have to perform the "Ultimate Sacrifice". He tells the party to look around the place themselves for clues in where they stand before leaving.
The party travels around the World of Despair where they find Castle Lux and its disappeared inhabitants much to their surprise. There they learn about the existence of Nil an evil force of nothingness controlled by the Emperor, the Armies of Nil, vile monsters from the dimension and the four Blades of Nil the strongest amongst the Armies of Nil. They encounter the first blade in Despair whom has taken the hope from the people of Castle Lux and the party defeats him restoring the land to peace. Within the Dark Gate they travel to the World of Suffering, World of Misery and World of Anguish to defeat the the remaining Blades of Nil Suffering, Misery and Anguish restoring the Trust, Dreams and Love they took from the people of Alfheim, Castle Falgabard and Castle Burtgang.
Upon defeating the four monsters a void opens at the center of the Dark Gate. Dr. Lugae communicates with the party stating that Argy has calculated that a being of nothingness of immense power called "Dark Flow" is pouring from their location and that it will ravage the world into nothingness if not stopped as the world is being consumed within Castle Avalon. The party attempts to fight the Dark Flow but they are unable to harm it as it is nothingness. Surprisingly Vata appears before them and gives them a solution, to turn nothingness into something by feeding it "light" and thus offers himself to hold the Dark Flow back while giving the Dark Flow a corporeal form the Warriors can fight against. Vata reveals his true motivations, that he was the sole survivor of a village ravaged by the Empire and that he sought revenge by getting close to the Emperor to kill him but he was unable to fulfill this as the Divine Generals far outpowered him, and that he was ready to give hope until he met the party who inspired him, feeling pathetic at his lack of resolve. The Warriors defend him saying he did what he had to do and that they would have welcomed him as an ally but he refused as he was free as the wind. The Warriors reluctantly defeat Vata as he is taken over by Nil, and mourn his death, making him the 4th of the lesser Generals to fall and the final one overall to meet its demise.
The destruction of Nil Vata allows the Warriors to venture into the World of Nil. Upon venturing and reminiscing about their travels, the Warriors manage to reach the deepest level where they find the true Avalon throne. Much to their shock they find none other than Elgo who was presumed dead, sitting on the throne who proceeds to congratulate the Warriors for making it so far. The Warriors of Light are surprised but Diana and Glaive are skeptical as The Mask had tasked the Warriors of Darkness to take care of his other half. Elgo then reveals the truth, that he's the Great Emperor of Avalon and that The Mask were his doubts made manifest, calling himself as the "true" Elgo, which the party denies. Elgo reveals that he had prophesied all the events that happened, even the Dimensional Shift and that he journey of both Warriors was all part of his plan to get the Crystals in order to achieve immortality in order to rule for eternity believing the Emperor to be a "God amongst mortals", and for that purpose used the power of Nil which allowed him to move between the worlds of Light and Dark. He demands the Crystals promising the herald the Warriors as heroes of a new age but they refuse, something he had also foreseen forcing Elgo to draw power from Nil and a battle ensues. The Warriors gain the upperhand making Elgo draw in more power from Nil and becomes a tougher challenge, but the Warriors hold their ground and manage to fight back. Elgo becomes irritated and draws even more power from Nil but loses control and is swallowed.
The Warriors believe they are victorious but realize that Nil is going out of control and becoming a giant mass of gravity that swallows all light. Dr. Lugae along with Sophia communicates with the Warriors telling them that Nil is attempting to consume all the world around. While the Warriors despair they receive a call of encouragement from all their allies. Matoya is found in the company of Bikke having rebuilt Desert Moon, the Elves and Dwarves are commanded by Prince Adrian and Queen Cilque to battle the forces of Nil with Eduardo playing a song for both the Warriors and the other two races. Barbara and the Dragons appear on Lugae's ship ready to combat the forces of Nil. Nil monsters begin attacking Bikke's ship but Matoya reveals she enlisted the help of the Fuga clan as part of the Desert Moon. When an even more powerful Nil monster appears, Jinnai is revealed to have been saved from the ice by Matoya and prepares to face the monster. Much to everybody's surprise Gawain is also found to be alive with both him and Jinnai recognizing each other but leaving their differences behind dispatch the Nil monster together. On Lugae's ship Barbara is being overwhelmed by Nil monsters but is aided by Cid who defected the Empire using his Argy-2 units as well as Mysidian mages to destroy the menace. Knowing their comrades are fighting to protect the world the Warriors are instructed by Sophie to destroy the Nil's core.
The Warriors of Light and Darkness return to the throne room where they prepare themselves for a final battle to take their world back and face a mutated Elgo at the core of Nil. The obscene monstrosity unleashes a Dark Flow on the party leaving them weakened but the spirits of their comrades appear and keep the beast at bay while restoring the party at full strength encouraging them to not give up. The Warriors fight once more and are able to destroy the mutation for good. Believing themselves victorious the Warriors attempt to leave but a giant ball of light forms behind them. They realize that all the light swallowed by Nil is coming up, and that while such light will restore the world to its former glory the tremendous burst of energy will disintegrate them instantly. The Warriors decide to run but Dusk, Alba and Glaive decide to remain behind to contain the implosion of light, Glaive makes Sol promise to take care of Diana in his place, and the party leaves with the three others behind. Dusk wonders why he goes to such degrees and Alba reveals Glaive's romantical motivations. Glaive confirms and asks how he can be of help. Dusk and Alba agree that the both of them suffice and teleport Glaive away to safety. As the twins feel joy that they can protect their friends the spirits of Gramps, Vata and Masked Elgo appear and decide to hold the light in their place as Masked Elgo says the future world needs the twins alive and teleports them away to safety. The light finally explodes eradicating all vestiges of Castle Avalon, presumably putting a definitive end to the monarchy and returning the world to peace at last.
==Military==
===Four Generals===
The Four Generals are four individuals of great power that serve as major military figures within the Avalon Empire. They serve as recurring antagonists leading several of the Empire's campaigns across the world. Each of the generals is extremely powerful and has control over one element.
*Baugauven: A brutal berserker with control over Fire, he oversaw the destruction of Falgabard and syphoning resources on the nearby land.
*Vata: A carefree man with control over Wind, he serves as a recurrent interference for the Warriors of Light although his motivations are largely unclear.
*Asmodai: An old man with control over Earth, he used deception and trickery to take over Alfheim and destroy the Desert Moon. He had an affair with Matoya and can no longer age.
*Styx: A witch with control over Water, her mission is to collect Crystals as prophesied by the Emperor.
===Four Divine Generals===
The Divine Generals is a group that serves under the Emperor himself. Higher-ranking, and with strength that surpasses the Four Generals, each has control of a different element. However they are revealed to not be human; Shango and Imperio hint that they once were, but became monsters via exposure to Nil, a substance the Emperor controls implied to be the source of their incredible powers.
*Imperio: A man in noble clothing who has control over Light, he's the emperor's right hand and unofficially leads the Divine Generals.
*Gehenna: A mysterious figure who has control over Darkness. He's the true reflection of Imperio and is more monstrous in appearance.
*Cocytus: A witch with control over Ice, she masterminded the genocide on Burtgang by using the Fuga Clan of Ninja through manipulating their elder with an evil parasite.
*Shango: A brute towering warrior with control over Thunder, he leads several offensive campaigns against the Warriors of Light.
===Other===
*Cid: A commander of the Avalonian Empire, he leads their fleet of airships. He's of lower rank than even the Four Generals, but is a more frequent leading operative than the generals themselves. He also commands the Argy robot series and the Heliogabalus.
*Dr. Lugae: A scientist working for the Avalonian Empire. He creates Argy under Cid's orders.
===Technological===
*Argy Series: The Argy Series are a set of robotic units constructed by Dr. Lugae. They are extremely resilient and capable of using extremely powerful magic. The Argy robots are all telepathically connected and can share emotions.
*The Heliogabalus: A super-massive airship and the Empire's most powerful weapon. Its arsenal of weapons is vast and strong enough to spread genocidal destruction where it passed, under the command of Cid. It was destroyed by the Warriors of Light after a tough struggle.
*Weresoldier: Soldiers that undergo a mutative operation, granting them the ability to turn into beasts.
==Etymology==
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend.
==Trivia==
*In Romancing SaGa 2, another Square RPG, there also exists an Empire called the Avalon Empire.
Category:Organizations in Final Fantasy Dimensions