Ardbert Hylfyst

Ardbert Hylfyst, also known as Arbert and the Warrior of Darkness, is a character from Final Fantasy XIV. He is the leader of the Warriors of Darkness and serves as the main antagonist of Patch 3.4, and later as the narrator and one of the tritagonists of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers.
==History==
=== Early life ===
Ardbert hailed from the First, one of the shards of the Source, a world thus similar to Hydaelyn. He was one of the reincarnated shards of Azem's soul. Born into an ordinary family on an island in the seas of Kholusia, Ardbert was an inherently curious youth who enjoyed fishing and dreamed of seeing the world. He spent his childhood among the birds and the beasts, there being no others of his age to play with in the mountain village. His father taught him how to care for all manner of animals, including amaro. Upon turning 18, he began to pursue adventuring. He was following a hobgoblin in Kholusia only for it to lead him into an ambush. At the brink of death he was met by the dwarven healer, Lamitt, who healed his wounds. Realizing that her healing would make it easier for him to deal with the goblins, Ardbert asked her to join his party. Following the hobgoblins' defeat, Lamitt joined Ardbert's quest, becoming the first of his friends.
During his travels Ardbert befriended the adventurers Branden, Renda-Rae and Cylva, and became rivals with the elven mage Nyelbert. They took on a job into the mines of Amh Araeng to slay a beast causing tremors. Renda-Rae and Branden were separated from the rest in a cave-in. After slaying the beast, they learned the stone it dropped had caused the tremors, and Nyelbert planned to use it to save his friend. In the end he destroyed it to save the people of the mountain, and was gifted a crystal of light for his sacrifice. Ardbert, seeing the anguish this act had caused him, invited the elf to join his band, and the group was complete.
Ardbert met his faithful amaro companion, Seto, in the city of Nabaath Areng. The thin, sickly bird had belonged to a cruel man who sold counterfeit gems, and after Ardbert and his companions exposed the merchant, Ardbert made a deal with the local authorities to buy the criminal's amaro after it was confiscated. Naming the amaro "Seto", the two would become close friends.
Their adventures took them to the Rak'tika Greatwood, where Renda-Rae heard the beast Balam Quitz was sighted. She snuck off at night to face the creature alone, but Ardbert and the others showed up to help slay it. When Renda-Rae explained why she went off alone, Ardbert pretended to scold her and then joked about her good hearing to cheer her up. He asked her to trust in her friends and bring them along next time. She was gifted a crystal of light for trusting her friends.
After amassing fame across the realm, the friends traveled to Voeburt to aid investigate a mysterious plague. They discovered it was the court mage's doing and put him to the sword, but with his final act he cursed the princess and transformed her into a monster. Ardbert volunteered to slay her so that his friend didn't have to kill someone he held dear, only for Branden to request he himself do it, and in doing so was given a crystal of light.
Following their victory in Voeburt, Lamitt sought to help those in her village from a disease known as Stoneblight. They traveled to ancient Ronkan ruins to find a magick able to cure it, and Lamitt was gifted a crystal of light. Once she returned to the village, the elder was furious for her apparent transgressions against tradition and exiled her. Ardbert tried to defend her only for the elder to shut him down. Lamitt accepted her punishment and those formerly stoneblighted decided to leave with her. Ardbert comforted her by saying he was glad she was there, helmet or no.
Ardbert and co traveled to Lakeland to face the Shadowkeeper only to discover it was their companion, Cylva, all along. Faced with a difficult decision, Ardbert faced off against her, but refrained from killing her out of love for his friend. He pursued the Ascians, Loghrif and Mitron, who had been the ones to manipulate Cylva into doing their bidding. He destroyed Loghrif and struck Mitron with a Blade of Light, mutating him into the first sin eater, which would later be known as Eden. Ardbert's wish for the Light to prevail against the Darkness caused Eden to unleash the Flood of Light.
=== Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward ===
Following the Ascians' defeat, Ardbert held himself responsible for the catastrophe that ensued. Elidibus, the Emissary of the Ascians, claimed that Ardbert could save their world by traveling to another and causing an Umbral Calamity there.
The five heroes discarded their vessels so their spirits could traverse unto the Source, their bodies kept in the crypts within Eulmore. Once on the Source in temporary bodies, the "Warriors of Darkness" were tasked with harassing the beast tribes and killing the Warrior of Light of the Source.
A final confrontation at the Bowl of Embers revealed to the Warrior of Light of the Source as well as their companions in the Scions of the Seventh Dawn that the Warriors of Darkness had offered up their lives in their own world to travel here. When the Warriors of Darkness used their crystals of light, the Warrior of Light drew upon their own and transported them all to the realm of Goddess Hydaelyn. Here, Ardbert attempted to strike down Minfilia when she offered to save the First, but was stopped. He promised to return to the First with her, but before leaving, told the Warrior of Light of the Source to take a different path than the one they had chosen.
=== Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers ===
Ardbert returned to the First with the other Warriors of Darkness and Minfilia. She used the power of the souls of the other Warriors to halt the Flood of Light while barring Ardbert from participating much to his confusion. For a century, Ardbert wandered the realm as a shade, unable to communicate with anyone or touch anything. During that time, his body remained in the crypt while the others were reanimated as the Cardinal Virtues. The surviving residents of the First vilified Ardbert and his fellow Warriors, believing they had caused the Flood, forgetting the group's past heroic deeds.
When the Warrior of Light of the Source traveled to the First much later (due to the time difference between the Source and the First), Ardbert was surprised that someone could finally hear him. The Scions and the Warrior of Light, whom the First's residents now knew as "the Warrior of Darkness", vanquished the Lightwardens. Ardbert revealed more of his history and both warriors related to each other's experiences. Ardbert questioned the details the Ascian Emet-Selch has revealed about Hydaelyn, and comforted the Warrior in their moments of pain struggling to contain the Light within them. When not conversing with the Warrior in their room, Ardbert wandered the First, shadowing the Warrior, cursing his inability to interact with the world when he witnessed sin eaters attack people. He silently wept over his old amaro friend, Seto.
When the Warrior suffered a bout of pain from containing the Light, they and Ardbert made contact and sparked a reaction, hinting at a greater connection between the two. A self-aware Amaurotine illusion revealed they can also see Ardbert and recognized him and the Warrior to be two parts of a sundered soul. When the Warrior was on the brink of corruption from the Light within them while facing Emet-Selch, Ardbert merged his soul into the Warrior's to contain the Light. With Ardbert speaking through the Warrior, Emet-Selch momentarily saw an Amaurotine who was an old friend of his in the Warrior's place. In truth the Warrior, and thus Ardbert as well, was a reincarnation of Azem, the fourteenth member of the Convocation of Fourteen from the ancient Amaurot.
Ardbert's final act of merging his soul with the Warrior's broke the protection placed on his body, enabling Elidibus to possess it. Elidibus masqueraded as Ardbert to exact revenge, exploiting the Scions' act of clearing Ardbert and his company's names to manipulate the residents of Crystarium into becoming new Warriors of Light.
After defeating Elidibus, the Scions prepared to return to the Source. The Warrior of Darkness returned to Seto, entrusting Ardbert's powerless Crystal of Light to the amaro. Saddened that the Ascian used his partner's body for evil deeds, he was glad that Ardbert could finally rest in peace. Seto received closure upon sensing Ardbert as the Warrior allowed him to briefly manifest through them.
===Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker===
A shadow of Ardbert appears in Ultima Thule when the Warrior of Light is forced to walk alone as all of the Scions sacrificed themselves. Of the many memories who encourage the Warrior forward, Ardbert is both the first and the last to speak.
==Characteristics==
===Appearance===
Ardbert is based on the appearance of the Meteor Survivor from the A Realm Reborn promotional material. He is a hume from the First, with the appearance of a midlander Hyur of the Source, with brown hair and blue eyes. Unlike the Meteor Survivor, who is clean-shaven (up to Heavensward) or has stubble (from Stormblood onward), he has a full beard. He wears the Fighter artifact armor and his axe is the Bravura Atma, showing blood stains on the blade.
===Personality===
Ardbert is angry, brash, and cynical. Quick to decry the notion of heroes and bemoan his role in dooming his world to a Flood of Light, he acts as a foil to the Warrior of Light and their companions' consistent optimism. Ardbert is good at heart and treasures his companions dearly, expressing anger and frustration at being forced to play the villain during his time on the Source to save his world.
When he meets the Warrior of Light as a spirit on the First, he follows them, and through observing their actions slowly regains his sense of hope.
==Gameplay==
Ardbert is fought as the Warrior of Darkness during the Main Scenario Quest , alongside his party.
In Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Ardbert is fought once more as a simulacrum of memory, alongside his party, in the Dark Knight level 70 duty .
In Shadowbringers, Elidibus is faced while using Ardbert's body as a vessel during the Main Scenario Quest .
==Gallery==
FFXIV Ardbert render 2.png|Alternate render for 5.1.
FFXIV Warriors of Darkness.png|Artwork.
FFXIV Ardbert Artwork.jpg|Artwork for Shadowbringers.
Warriors of Darkness from FFXIV.png|The Warriors of Darkness.
Ardbert from Final Fantasy XIV.png|Ardbert
Ravana vs WoD from FFXIV.png|Ardbert attacking Ravana.
Thancred vs WoD from FFXIV.png|Ardbert versus Thancred.
==Etymology==
Arbert and Ardbert are both romanizations of , his name in the Japanese version of the game. Albert is also an alternative romanization. Albert is derived from the Germanic name Aþalberht, a compound of aþal ("noble") and berht ("bright" or "shining").
==Citations==
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Warriors
Category:Hyur
Category:Antagonists