35 replies to this topic

[Starwave]

Zelgius, the Black Knight.

-Sephiran's right hand man
-The pupil of Gawain (and his killer too)
-Ike's rival
-A branded
-Obsessed with fighting strong opponents

To put it bluntly, his character fascinates me, but there's too little information on him. Here are my primary questions.

1. What on earth as his motivations for following Sephiran? He follows him without question, and everything he does throughout PoR and RD is because Sephiran but why would he do such a thing? Does he agree with his goals? If that were the case, why did he even bother to spare anybody, since if Sephiran's plan comes to fruition everybody dies. (petrified technically)

2. Why don't we know anything about his parents? He's a branded and thus he had a laguz and beorc as parents, but they aren't mentioned in any of the games. What was the point of even making him a branded if they weren't going to elaborate on that? Supposedly his branded status could explain why he's good with a sword (same with Stefan) but to me that feels like a cheap cop out since it belittles his training with Gawain. Surely IS was going to do more with his branded status?

3. Where did he come from? Where was he born? How did he end up being Gawain's pupil?

4. If you can recruit sephiran, what can't you recruit him >:P


Yeah so those are pretty much my questions. I wish he had a goal (other than fighting Ike) and could be recruited in FE10.

Edited by Starwave, 25 May 2012 - 12:35 PM.

[Aircalipoor]

Don´t really care about him because RDs plot sucks. It kind of ruined his enigmatic BK status that made him so notable in PoR. I wonder from which laguz class he descended though. My guess is hawk.

[Florina Stark]

1. I doubt Zelgius knew all of Sephiran's goals. Sephiran doesnt seem like he revealed everything to him. What he did tell Zelgius is that the medallion had to be recovered and eventually given to Ashnard. (PoR) Sephiran goes on to say that the whole Greil business was Zelgius's own idea. Why does Zelgius follow Sephiran? What we gather from the cutscene in the Tower is that Zelgius was alone and Branded. He couldnt stay in the Daein army long. Sephiran says "I have a task that I wish to perform. With you at my side, I'm certain it can accomplished." (the whole medallion recovery bit.) But again, i doubt Sephiran revealed everything. He wanted to fly under the radar, but if people are dying all willy nilly and stuff, that would draw suspicion. In PoR, it seems the BK is in fact, working for Ashnard. We do get the hint that Sephiran has something to do with it but its unclear at that time. Zelgius seemed that he needed a purpose and someone to turn to. I believe thats why he followed Sephiran.

2. Zelgius says in the cutscene, "...Yes...There was someone...on my father's side who was with...a laguz." So that actually clues us in that his own parents were not a beorc and laguz but both beorc. The brand will manifest if theres laguz blood in there somewhere, not always directly laguz and beorc. Its the same in Micaiah's case. Her brand is due to Lehran's blood, not her parents. Where does it say anything about his being Branded gives him his extraordinary sword prowess? I always thought that it was through Greil's training that he gained that. The only thing the game tells us about Zelgius's being Branded is that he ages slower and is something of a loner and doesnt get close to people.

3. Its implied he came from Begnion but he could also be from Daein. Its unclear. If he wasnt originally from Daein, his family could have moved there or something and Zelgius wanted to enter to army. Hence training with Greil who was a Rider at the time.

4. Because Zelgius was dead set on fighting Ike. He desperately wants to try to beat Ike because in his mind, its surpassing Greil. So he fights Ike and Ike wins. Zelgius dies. Really, umm...thats why he doesnt get recruited. And if you think about it, he did join your team for a while in part 1 anyway. :P

As for what kind of Branded he was, i was leaning toward Raven for some reason. (maybe because of the shape of his brand.)

Edited by Florina, 25 May 2012 - 12:49 PM.

[Momo]

2. Why don't we know anything about his parents? He's a branded and thus he had a laguz and beorc as parents, but they aren't mentioned in any of the games. What was the point of even making him a branded if they weren't going to elaborate on that? Supposedly his branded status could explain why he's good with a sword (same with Stefan) but to me that feels like a cheap cop out since it belittles his training with Gawain. Surely IS was going to do more with his branded status?

Minor thing, but being branded doesn't mean your parents were beorc/laguz, it just means somewhere in your ancestry that happened. Stefan's support in 9 puts this pretty bluntly.

[I don't play for turns]

The only clue that we might have is raven for his brand species, because Zelgius is described as raven-haired. However, not all branded take traits from their ancestors, so we can't be sure. (Stefan and Soren did, Micaiah and Sanaki didn't)

[Black★Rock Shooter]

IIRC, Zelgius follows Sephiran because Sephiran reached out to him and offered him a place where he could belong, under his command.

[ポーラ]

1. I doubt Zelgius knew all of Sephiran's goals. Sephiran doesnt seem like he revealed everything to him.

He didn't. Zelgius wouldn't have followed him otherwise.

-----

Well...to answer your first question. Sephiran saved him from being an outcast. This is shown after defeating Zelgius. Fourth question..he's already died before this happened. As for the other two...no idea.

[Agro]

You can kind of tell what kind of branded a person is by their brand itself. Micaiah's appropriately looks like a bird in flight (heron) while Soren's resembles the mark that the Goldoan royals all seem to have and I've no doubt that if we saw it closer it would resemble a dragon. Zelgius' brand also looks a little like a bird, but it could be anything, really.

[Starwave]

Thank you for the quick and concise responses.

It's been a while since I last played the FE tellius games which is probably why I ended up forgetting about the specific mechanics of the branded.

2. Zelgius says in the cutscene, "...Yes...There was someone...on my father's side who was with...a laguz." So that actually clues us in that his own parents were not a beorc and laguz but both beorc. The brand will manifest if theres laguz blood in there somewhere, not always directly laguz and beorc. Its the same in Micaiah's case. Her brand is due to Lehran's blood, not her parents. Where does it say anything about his being Branded gives him his extraordinary sword prowess? I always thought that it was through Greil's training that he gained that. The only thing the game tells us about Zelgius's being Branded is that he ages slower and is something of a loner and doesnt get close to people.

Don't branded individuals receive certain powers?
Like Micaiah's sacrifice for example. Stefan attributes his prowess with his sword to being a branded right? Then again, I don't like that Zelgius was a strong swordsman simply due to his race. I doubt the game devs did either so I can see why they didn't elaborate on it. Zelgius being a top tier swordsman because of his years of training with Greil and his resolve is much better.

[Agro]

Don't branded individuals receive certain powers?
Like Micaiah's sacrifice for example. Stefan attributes his prowess with his sword to being a branded right? Then again, I don't like that Zelgius was a strong swordsman simply due to his race. I doubt the game devs did either so I can see why they didn't elaborate on it. Zelgius being a top tier swordsman because of his years of training with Greil and his resolve is much better.

I like to think that Zelgius is a combination of both. Yes, being trained by Greil would make him very powerful, but combining that with Branded strength and you literally have inhuman strength. I mean, this man stops Tibarn, the KING OF HAWKS with a single arm--I don't think all the training in the world could have prepared a normal human being for that. His blood surely plays a factor in his strength.

[Only My Unit]

Don't branded individuals receive certain powers?
Like Micaiah's sacrifice for example. Stefan attributes his prowess with his sword to being a branded right? Then again, I don't like that Zelgius was a strong swordsman simply due to his race. I doubt the game devs did either so I can see why they didn't elaborate on it. Zelgius being a top tier swordsman because of his years of training with Greil and his resolve is much better.

Michaiah could have Sacrifice from being the true Apostle though. It may have been an unmentioned power. Stefan's brand makes him extra skilled, but he's still gotta train.

[Noktra]

The sad thing about Radiant Dawn is that we barely know anything about any character that hasn't got its characterisation back in RoR ...
Zelgius is one of the few characters who gets enough dialogue so we can at least get something out ...

1. following Sephiran
I wonder myself... But if I think about it... Zelgius was alone, he knew his actual rather happy life (under gawain) was only for a short time.
If he is scorned and shunned everywhere he goes, how must it feel when finally someone is willing to give him a welcome. I can only imagine.
Besides, he seems to be a very loyal person, and I mean loyal to the extremest. Zelgius himself said in the tower that he had adored gawain, he had followed him everywhere, he had died for him.
If that's not ...loyalty to blindly following then what is it *lol*


And I personally think that Zelgius was the only one completely informed about Sephiran's whole plan.
first: this double-agent game he plays... he needs to know exactly what to do. otherwise there's a great risk to unconciesly backfire the own plan lol
second: I think it was him, who regocnized what micaiah is ...and who.
"you... are... a lot like her!" pinning a smiliarity to sanaki (I think). ((make him speak to micaiah in 1-F after she spoke to him first ;) ))
and it was in the desert chapter, when he said his master wanted to see her. Why should sephiran bother with micaiah, when it wasn't for zelgius to tell him about micaiahs true self. *just interpreting lol*
that would mean he even knows of sephiran's true self as a heron? I can imagine that, after sephiran told him in the flashback scene that he was in a similar, but not same situation as zelgius.

has he the same goals as sephiran? - maybe not, but even then, why should he care? He barely cares for anything except fighting a strong opponent (and that he'll get plenty while while working for Sephiran.)

Spare people? The only one I can remember him to spare was Skrimir. And I think that was in the interests of sephiran. Had zelgius killed skrimir, the whole gallians had lost their will to continue the war. maybe they had raged a bit about his death, but on the long end they would've been defeated so far. Not good when you need a world-wide war and still some countries not involved.
(I don't count Jarod... because I think he wanted to just test micaiah back there. And he seems to be a bit more passiv while observing people... to know how they think when the time to strike comes. Besides... maybe it's even true what he hinted about alondite having its own mind and not killing unarmed people?)




(need to go now, but I want to add some thoughts about the other points too next time ^^)

Edited by Noktra, 31 May 2012 - 05:36 PM.

[whase]

1. lonely people can do illogical things to no longer be lonely.

2&3. like said before, there was someone on his father's side who was with a Laguz, not either of his parents. he was a cast out of his family and joined the army to have a sense of belonging. And I'm not sure who said it and what the exact line was but "to move at such speed with that heavy armor" was where I find his branded blood to kick in, not with his skill on the battlefield.

4. really, you think Ike, pretty much the leader of this army, would let the man whom killed his father join his army to fight side by side? in battle you need to trust the ones you fight with, I don't think even Ike is this trustworthy. Ike needed the revenge to move on with his life.

[SeverIan]

He didn't. Zelgius wouldn't have followed him otherwise.

Not completely sure about that. Zelgius as the BK threatens to kill Ike and Mist for the sake of the medallion, and talks about "the horrors I will visit" upon Mist in particular. He is not an especially nice guy.

Levail says Zelgius is "the last true knight"... to me, this echoes back to Ashnard calling knights (specifically Bryce) foolish for their loyalty to their masters, specifically to a bloodline. So I think Levail's loyalty to Zelgius was based on Zelgius's unquestionable loyalty to his master, Sephiran. If Zelgius didn't know something of Sephiran's plan, it seems unlikely he would have had Levail and Begnion forces there to oppose Ike's forces - the only important thing would have been him VS Ike.

Michaiah could have Sacrifice from being the true Apostle though. It may have been an unmentioned power. Stefan's brand makes him extra skilled, but he's still gotta train.

It seems likely that Micaiah being the true apostle and bearing the brand are one and the same...

[Arondight]

1. As everybody else answered: he was alone. He was branded, and had a huge mark. Having friends couldn't be easy. Sephiran was probably the first person to know of his brand and accept it. For Zelgius, this means he met for the first time in his life someone who accepted him. With Sephiran, he wasn't alone anymore. And I don't think it was a matter of 'agreeing to Sephiran's goals'. I'm quite sure Zelgius didn't know any of Sephiran motives at that time, and there is doubt about how much he knew. But after such a long time of being together, it didn't matter anymore for Zelgius, he would follow Sephiran, whatever he had to do. Also, he could also just agree with Sephiran, he sees living as a branded as a curse, so that could be a motive.

2. We don't have to. It is quite important why Zelgius is branded. He has the strength to move in his Black Knight armor, as wel as his own red armor with ease. And because he's branded, he ended up with Sephiran.

3. Probably from Daein or Begnion, but we don't know much about it. I think it's most probable that he's fro Daein, because he trained there under Gawain, however, he could have moved from Begnion.

4. Because in chapter 6 in PoR, the fate of the Black Knight was sealed.

[Florina Stark]

. he needs to know exactly what to do. otherwise there's a great risk to unconciesly backfire the own plan lol
second: I think it was him, who regocnized what micaiah is ...and who.

Oh i dont know. If you fight Lehran with Micaiah in the Tower, they have an exchange that goes something like:
Micaiah:You... I've heard about you. Have we... met before?

Lehran: The Silver-Haired Maiden. It's taken so long to finally meet you. If I had known you still lived, I.. I... No, it's too late. This changes nothing. I cannot falter.

So it seems Sephiran wasnt aware Micaiah was even alive until he actually went to Daein to do his whole inspection thing (near the end of Part 1) on the Begnion Occupation. Its possible that the BK informed Sephiran about Micaiah's identity around the time of 1-9. Saying something about her having silver hair and weird powers. I could imagine Sephiran being all "If thats true, than you should go protect her!" Something tells me that Sephiran didnt reveal Micaiah's true identity to Zelgius, and if he did, it was way later like, around part 4. Since BK comes to her aid in the desert. In 1-E, yeah BK notes that Micaiah reminds him of someone. "her." (which is Sanaki without a doubt.) But even still, im sure Sephiran didnt reveal every detail to Zelgius.

That snippit of convo actually eludes to the fact that if Lehran had known Micaiah was alive and well, he wouldnt have bothered with all this chessmastery and gambit ploys.

[SeverIan]

3. Probably from Daein or Begnion, but we don't know much about it. I think it's most probable that he's fro Daein, because he trained there under Gawain, however, he could have moved from Begnion.

One reason it seems a little possible that he is from Begnion, to me, is that when he does become Zelgius in Begnion, he either is or becomes the Earl of Kadohl. I know we don't know a lot about Begnion aristocracy but it seems fairly stagnant - then again, Zelgius is sort of the kind of guy who would get promoted to nobility from commoner in Begnion if anyone we've met would, I guess. And the age thing makes it weird to have him go from Begnion as Earl to Daien and then back to Begnion again without identity shifting.

[Florina Stark]

Oh the Earl thing. That actually could have been Sephiran pulling strings. But it is possible someone in his family was a noble.

[Sangyul]

I've never liked Zelgius/BK. In fact, I think he's the only character I absolutely hate in all of Fire Emblem. But I didn't start to despise him until I saw Ike's memory scene.

Spoiler -

It's one thing to kill Greil because he wanted to "test his strength," but it's something else entirely to kill Greil knowing that Elena was dead as well.

[Xiltas Shepard]

Hmm, you know, I could imagine that when Zelgius said to Micaiah "You are a lot like her", he meant Elena. I mean, Micaiah's and Sanaki's personalities aren't that similar.