The Lost Heroes

"The Lost Heroes" is the name given to a group of adventurers who defected from the Cyrdian Army to stop the Great Cataclysm. Their members are as follows:

Alda

Loyal female elf paladin

Alda Perdove was the daughter of an esteemed elven nobleman in the Cyrdian Empire who joined the army to fulfill the family's tradition of military service. She was a champion of the god Erastil, whose edicts of faith were to protect one's community and family. Despite the fact that the army was conquering neighboring nations for the sake of ambition, Alda was blind to the wrong in this, believing that the empire was improving the lives of those it conquered (which, in some cases, it did). This changed when the heroes fought against Bevum Mitsurge, a Wyvern Knight from Upriel and a fellow champion of Erastil, as Alda began to question the beliefs she had been raised with, eventually leading to her joining the others in their desertion when they discovered Cyrdin's plans

When the heroes were passing throught the Outer Rifts, the plane of demons, on their way to Elysium, Alda was killed, and she passed on to her afterlife as an archon in Heaven. She stayed in Erastil's domain for a brief time before rejoining the other heroes.

Angeal

Selfish male human half-elf druid

Angeal Onus was originally a lowlife criminal before he abandoned that life, becoming a druid in hopes of attaining immortality. When he was unable to do so (at least, not as quickly as he hoped), he joined the army instead, thinking that the powerful empire may have access to something he could use for that purpose. He was right, and when the vampire Baron Khaeremon offered to turn him into a vampire as well, he accepted.

Being unable to take on missions during the day, Angeal was transferred out of the heroes' squad to other duties. When the heroes returned from Elysium, he fought against his former squadmates, as he was unwilling to betray the nation that had brought him the immortality he so desperately sought.

Ignis

Treasonous male human geniekin psychic

Ethan Reige Von Salamandra, usually refered to as Ignis, was a geniekin whose father hailed from the Plane of Fire. He was a psychic with the ability to add and remove energy from his spells, giving him access to powerful fire and ice magic. His village was destroyed and his mother killed by rampaging undead, and he developed a hatred for those who live after death. He joined the Cyrdian Army in hopes of climbing the ranks and finding a way to assassinate Cyrdin. He also hated his father for abandoning him and his mother to return to the Plane of Fire.

When the heroes journeyed to Elysium, they passed through the ifrit city of Medina Mudii'a in the Plane of Fire. Ignis took this opportunity to find and kill his father, and he barely managed to escape the vengeful genies with his life. Afterwards, he began to care more about saving the world than destroying emperor Cyrdin.

Lolino

Ambitious male elf alchemist

Lolino Loho grew up in the Cyrdian capital of Salernum and was apprenticed to an alchemist. His mentor insisted on teaching him medicine, but he wished to make bombs and poisons and find glory in war. One day, his mentor vanished, and Lolino took the opportunity to join the army, being added to the heroes' squad after Angeal left. Despite his wishes, Lolino's training ensured that medicine was always his greatest skill, and he often found himself acting as the group's medic.

While the heroes were traveling to Elysium, Lolino found his mentor in the Plane of Earth. He had abandoned both Lolino and the empire and fled there, seeing them both as too violent, and he still wanted nothing to do with Lolino when he saw him again.

Mel

Good-natured feminine android warrior

The android nicknamed Mel was created to serve in the army as a scout, but she began to question her allegiance the more violence she saw. She quickly resolved to try to stop Cyrdin's plans when they were discovered. Being an android, she had no family or connections except the other heroes, and she became more sure of her ideals and beliefs as they traveled together more.

Structure

The heroes were ostensibly led by Ignis, who was their highest ranked member while they were in the army, but even then he was rarely responsible for making any decisions, and the heroes treated each other mostly as equals.

History

The heroes began as a squad of soldiers in the Cyrdian Army, who began their service in the north of the empire. Their first missions involved protecting a town called Breksand and keeping the recently-conquered region of Ogri in check. Not long after they began their time in the army, however, they (along with most of the other soldiers in the north) were relocated south to help the conquest of Upriel. During this time, they were given a leave in the capital of Salernum, and this is when Angeal accepted Khaeremon's offer to become a vampire and left the party. The army then assigned Lolino to the squad to fill his role.

The heroes were responsible for the destruction of Straldeg Citadel and were involved in storming Upriel's capital. They were also part of the small force sent into Phodr after the nation's patron god died. However, when the heroes returned to Salernum as guards in the palace, they discovered the emperor's plans to create synthetic titans. In an effort to change his mind, they deserted the empire and traveled across the planes to Elysium to bring back evidence of the original titans' inability to be controlled. When they returned, however, they discovered that Cyrdin already knew the true story of the titans, he simply believed that he could succeed where the gods had failed.

Knowing that the titans could destroy the world, the heroes resorted to combat to stop Cyrdin from unleashing them, and while they both defeated the emperor and slew one of the titans, the other eleven escaped and grew to their full size and power. Despite their best efforts, the heroes were unable to stop the Great Cataclysm.

Disbandment

As the Great Cataclysm began, the heroes split up, each doing what they thought best. Lolino left for the Plane of Earth, hoping to reconcile with his alchemy mentor. Alda, too, left the material plane, hoping to bring back a force of archons from Heaven to defeat the titans. Unfortunately, both became unwitting victims of Nerilia's separation from the other planes, and were unable to ever return.

Ignis and Mel stayed on Nerilia, and, resolving to do what they could against the seemingly insurmountable power of the titans, followed a single one and attacked it. While they did manage to kill the titan, they were also defeated in turn. Ignis died, and the magic he released upon meeting his end still scars the area with fire and ice to this day. Mel came very close to being destroyed, and her body went missing. Some believe that she was saved by the god Ulem or some other powerful entity, while others believe she may still be dormant somewhere near the titan's body.

Angeal was not destroyed in the cataclysm, and he still dwells in Salernum. Centuries without blood have reduced him to little more than a feral beast, however.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

3 B.C. - 1 A.C.

Type

Adventuring Party

Related Myths

• Mel's Survival