Knights in The Nightmare/Characters

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Character sheet for Knights in The Nightmare.

WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.

Story characters

King Willimgard Ron Dragan d'Gleivnir

The king ruling over Aventheim Castle, thirty-eight years old. He carries the blood and powers of the Arbitrator, but because the Arbitrator line's knowledge of their role was sealed generations ago, he does not know how to use these powers. He is an active fighter known as the "Lion Heart King" for his prowess in battle, and because of this, he is very well-liked amongst his knights and citizens. He does, however, receive criticism from political opponents—including his own son—for doing nothing to change the enslavement of the Mehse and the discrimination towards the Tiamat race, among other things. He's also a bit on the gullible side. He took Alighierie as a lover out of loneliness, since his queen died not long after his son was born.

Right before the beginning of the game, Willimgard is killed by Melissa (or Marietta) when he stumbles upon her and Zolgonark. With his nation in shock and Capehornus free to act on his plans, Maria (or Meria) steals the vessel containing his soul and releases it as the Wisp, helping it fight monsters and working together with it for her own purposes.

In Atlus' localization of the game, his name is Romanized as "Wilmgard".

Maria

An armor-clad valkyrie who appears to be about twenty years old. She is a fragment of the archangel Marietta's personality, split from Melissa in the main route of the game. Maria steals the king's soul from the castle and frees it in the abandoned church, and occasionally aids him in his quest to regain his body. Her main goals are to find Marietta's staff Ancardia and to find a way to atone for Marietta's desire for power and its disastrous consequences. Halfway through the game, Maria is trapped in the throne room of Aventheim after shielding the Wisp from Zolgonark's attacks; she only reappears in the final two scenes. In the canonical ending of the game, she triumphs over Melissa, becomes one with her to return to being Marietta, and returns to Asgard despite knowing that she will be castigated and exiled. She restores Willimgard and Alighierie to life in return for Willimgard's help.

Maria is reticent and downcast, endlessly blaming herself for Marietta's actions. She is also very kindhearted and a worrier, and does her best to help the Wisp whenever she can. Eventually, she takes courage in Willimgard's perseverence, and decides to give her all to take responsibility and "punish herself".

Meria

Heroine of the game's alternate route, accessible only as a New Game+ bonus. She is an armor-clad Astarte who appears to be about twenty years old, and a fragment of Marietta's personality, split off from Marietta herself. She takes Maria's place in the story, rescuing Willimgard's soul from Aventheim and helping him get back to the castle to confront Zolgonark. Unlike Maria though, Meria is the embodiment of everything Marietta hated about herself; also, rather than fighting to atone for Marietta's Plot Induced Stupidity, Meria fights a.) for her right to be an individual free from Marietta, and b.) because she has a beef with Zolgonark.

She is also just a tad bit insane.

While not cheerfully slashing her way through monsters, Meria offers the Wisp some sage advice (including one particularly touching speech) and gets into fights with Marietta, whom she cannot abide. It is implied that Meria is actually deeply insecure about her identity, which is suggested to be the reason she wants so badly to be free from Marietta. Otherwise, she is a cocky loose cannon. In her sole ending, however, Meria takes the same actions as Melissa for some reason. Must be 'cause she's supposed to be EVIL.

The Romanization of Meria's name is a point of contention between fans, as it has been officially and unofficially written at least three different ways. "Meria" and "Mellia" are the two most common, and Atlus used "Mellia" in their localization.

"Just tell me... Tell me who needs to die."

"Looks like on the PSP homepage, there are lots of different wallpapers. I-it doesn't make me happy or anything!! It's got nothing to do with me!!" (Twitter post concerning the wallpaper featuring her)

Prince Nordische Raoul Dennis d'Gleivnir

Willimgard's sixteen-year-old son and only heir. Although his mother died when he was a baby, he was spoiled by his servants and the people of the castle, and so he's grown up to be rather self-centered. He does, however, have strong political ideals. He has feelings for Capehornus' granddaughter Pisce, but he and his father arranged his marriage to the princess of the Tiamat race in order to create an alliance between their peoples. Although Capehornus is Nordische's advisor, Nordische only gets annoyed with the cardinal's attempts to control him. After Willimgard's death, Nordische realized that Capehornus might have been behind it and planned to ruin Capehornus by leaking the truth to the people, but he was discovered by Yellma, who turned him into a werewolf.

As a monster, Nordische lived in the forest and preyed on the people and monsters of the area until his father (as the Wisp), not realizing his identity, killed him. While he was alive, he was closest to the knights Ganosh and Couger, and was often at odds with his father, whose popularity was greatly overrated (in his opinion).

In Atlus' localization of the game, his name is Romanized as "Nordich".

Pisce Pianotte Lucius

Capehornus' sheltered granddaughter, eighteen years of age. Although Pisce lives in Castle Aventheim, she rarely sees her grandfather, and does not know very many people. The knight Rosa looks after her. She's rather naive, and loves Prince Nordische wholeheartedly despite the fact that they cannot be together for political reasons. She never learned of his death, and not long into the game, Zolgonark turns her into a harpy to punish Capehornus for not warning him that Willimgard is the Arbitrator. After this, Yellma attempts to use Pisce as her pawn; Pisce flees to the ruined tower built by the Mehse and lives there until she is killed by the Wisp.

In Atlus' localization of the game, her name is Romanized as "Piche".

Cardinal Capehornus Mirza Lucius

The cardinal of Willimgard's kingdom, and secretly one of his political opponents. Sixty-five years old, Capehornus is actually one of the Tiamat; he was exiled for researching the forbidden Written Law in order to restore the Tiamat race to power. Disillusioned by this, he swore revenge on everyone and everything that had done him ill in his life, and worked to ruin both the humans and the Tiamat race by undoing the separation of the worlds. He summoned Zolgonark to accomplish this, but between Zolgonark's power and Yellma's ambitions, all his plans are undone. The only person he genuinely cares for is his granddaughter Pisce.

In Atlus' localization of the game, his name is Romanized as "Capehorn".

Aqueline Ariel Lutia

An apathetic knight of the Third Order; one of Capehornus' top generals. She is twenty-five years old. Capehornus is the only person she fully trusts, but she especially dislikes Yellma, and is constantly bickering with her comrade Leonel. She wields a rapid-fire crossbow, and is a renowned shot. Aqueline strongly believes that the gods have abandoned the world, and it's up to people to create a new order. She is infamously racist, and others often remark on her cold demeanor; the only person that actually cares about her is the knight Elizabeth.

In Atlus' localization of the game, her name is Romanized as "Aquina".

Leonel Legid Fernando

A bloodthirsty knight of the Third Order; one of Capehornus' top generals. He is twenty-two years old. Leonel is unabashedly in on Capehornus' plans just so that he can fight and kill worthy opponents, and often whines about his orders to attack people that he doesn't believe are worth his interest. He often gets in trouble with Aqueline because of his lax attitude, and bickers with her over quite a lot of things. Leonel is famous for his skill with many different kinds of swords, along with his lack of remorse; there are quite a few knights in other orders who are terrified of him.

In Atlus' localization of the game, his name is Romanized as "Leonil".

Yellma Ul Varomone

Said to come from a ne'er-do-well Ingeid family, Yellma was found by Capehornus and quickly recruited to the Third Order, then made a general. She is thirty-six years old. Despite what she owes Capehornus, she has no loyalty to or respect for him; she makes a contract with Zolgonark for power, and tries to manipulate everything in sight in order to obtain as much power as she possibly can. She is responsible for Nordische's transformation, and also tries to manipulate Vilgo and Pisce to do her bidding; she puts Alighierie under mind control to make her retrieve Willimgard's body.

Although Yellma eventually does obtain Willimgard's body and takes it for herself, she is destroyed by Zolgonark when she tries to dominate him... much to the disappointment of many a player who wanted to pummel her.

In Atlus' localization of the game, her name is Romanized as "Yelma".

Ganzer F. Albandor

The fifty-year-old Grand Marshal of the kingdom, and commander of the Second Order. Ganzer was one of Willimgard's top lieutenants and a well-respected man, but after the king's death, he fell into a deep depression and blamed himself endlessly for not being there to help. Capehornus and Yellma gave him a cursed suit of armor resembling Willimgard's, and told him to wear it in remembrance of the king; once Ganzer put it on, his personality changed drastically, and he came under suspicion by many of his own knights. Ganzer is one of the first bosses of the game, and can only be freed from the armor's curse through death.

In Atlus' localization of the game, his name is Romanized as "Gunther".

Princess Arlier Ciel Graceheize

Eighteen-year-old princess of the Tiamats. She is a wise leader who struggles to ensure the survival of her people in times when their race is small in number and persecuted viciously by the humans nearby. She is an occasional ally to the Mehse, and her people helped them build the tower that drew Asgard's attention. Because her people found the Written Law, she believes that not even they are innocent of breaking the law of the multiverse. Arlier agreed to an arranged marriage with Prince Nordische to give her people a voice in court and political standing, although the contract fell through when Capehornus tried to murder her. Arlier orders her people to capture Willimgard's corpse and places a seal on it which is linked to her life. She is very close to Sacchito, and is more understanding of the big picture than most other characters in the game.

In Atlus' localization of the game, her name is Romanized as "Alier".

Sacchito

A magically animated puppet created to protect the barrier that hides the Tiamat race's hidden sanctuary. She is very dutiful, but her loyalty is to Arlier rather than the Tiamat race as a whole. Because she's only a puppet, she doesn't place a very high value on her own life, something that Arlier admonishes her for. Sacchito is killed by Yellma, but then reanimated by her both to act as a barrier against Willimgard and so that the Tiamat people won't realize that she has infiltrated their realm.

Thus far, there is no official Romanization of her name. "Sacchito" and "Sakito" are the two most commonly seen; "Sacchito" is used in Atlus' localization.

Alighierie Mirza Ector

A twenty-six-year-old Tiamat woman chosen by their late elder to become a spy in the Gleivnir court. She is praised both by her people and the knights for her beauty, intelligence and skill in battle; she was also chosen specifically to seduce Willimgard, but although she was warned to keep her emotions separate from her job, she fell in love with him anyway. He made her commander of the Sixth Order. As part of Capehornus' removal of all those close to the king, Alighierie was accused of regicide; although she rightly guessed the intentions of her accusers, she was forced to flee the castle and captured by Yellma. She spends most of the game under Yellma's mind control, and what little she doesn't, she spends moping over the loss of her king and the feeling that she doesn't fit in with her people anymore. She also believes quite firmly that Willimgard was the only person to genuinely care about her despite the fact that she has many friends and admirers amongst the knights. Yellma kills her for disobedience.

In Maria and Marietta's best endings, Alighierie is revived along with Willimgard as a reward for his long fight.

In Atlus' localization of the game, her name is Romanized as "Algiery".

Agin Donier Gaudy

The former elder of the Tiamat race, and Princess Arlier's chief advisor. He was seventy-seven years old. Agin was the one who decided that the Written Law be hidden in the past, and also orchestrated Arlier and Nordische's arranged marriage. He was the one who decided to send Alighierie to spy for them in the Gleivnir court. However, when Capehornus sabotaged the arranged marriage, Agin sacrificed himself to give Arlier the chance to escape, and was killed by Leonel and Aqueline.

In Atlus' localization of the game, his name is Romanized as "Azhan".

Vilgo

The leader of the Lemonoug race (also known as the Mehse or "those westerners"), an impossibly old man. After their first attempt at building a tower to Asgard, he and his race were cursed with technical immortality—only fatal injuries will kill them, but their bodies age and decay—and were cast out and enslaved by the Gleivnir kingdom. Vilgo and his people tried to build a second tower to plead for Asgard's intercession, but all they got was Marietta and a very destroyed tower as a result. Vilgo hates the kingdom with all his soul, but feels powerless to oppose them after all the atrocities they've put his tribe through. He raised Vienya after the deaths of her parents.

After Capehornus' death, Yellma transforms Vilgo into a lich and sets him against the Wisp to buy time for herself to find Willimgard's corpse.

Thus far, there is no official Romanization of his name. "Vilgo" and "Virgo" are the two most commonly seem; "Vilgo" is used in Atlus' localization.

Vienya

A very young Mehse girl. Although she is a talented witch, due to the bondage of her people and her own poor living conditions, she tends to appear very scruffy and bedraggled; she has a crow named Moja as a familiar, which is often seen sitting on her head. Vienya's parents were murdered by a knight from one of the orders, after which she was raised by Vilgo, the chief of her tribe... so it's no surprise that she hates the kingdom as much as he does. Vienya is eventually revealed to be suffering from starvation; she picks the pockets of what few travelers come through the Mehse lands for food.

Although she is unable to pickpocket Yellma, she does learn from the witch that Willimgard is coming, and decides to fight the Wisp to avenge Vilgo and her parents. Vienya is a selective mute—probably due to the trauma of losing her parents—and communicates telepathically with Moja, who interprets for her as best he can.

Thus far, there is no official Romanization of her name. "Vienya" and "Vinya" are two of the more commonly seen variations; "Vienna" is used in Atlus' localization.

Melissa

A fallen angel who seems to be in her twenties. She is a fragment of Marietta's personality, split off from Maria in the main route of the game. Melissa remains in bondage to Zolgonark, but despite being bullied and ordered around by him and his human flunkies, her main prerogative is finding Marietta's staff Ancardia. To this end, she hassles Maria and the Wisp multiple times over the course of the game. Throughout its second half, however, she spends most of her time lying in wait and trying to recover; after Zolgonark is defeated, she is unable to resist the temptation of his power and eats it, becoming Melod Melgis. She is unable to control her power, and is defeated by Maria so that the two of them may become Marietta once again.

Instead of being presented as an evil character, Melissa is characterized as aimless and mercurial, neither wholly good nor wholly evil. However, she is also unable to stop herself from lusting after power and trying to get hold of it at any given opportunity. She killed Willimgard when he stumbled upon her and Zolgonark prior to the beginning of the game, but does not seem to have any particular ill feelings towards either Willimgard or Maria.

Marietta

A recurring character in the Dept. Heaven series, Marietta is an archangel who appears to be in her twenties, but is much older than that. She is one of the most devout servants of the gods, and in the story of Knights, she is sent down to punish the world of Aventheim for building a tower that almost reaches Asgard. Wishing for more power so that she can serve Asgard better, Marietta makes a Deal with the Devil with Zolgonark, who of course just manipulates her into helping lift his barrier and then splits her soul in two and hides her staff, intending to make her his pawn.

In Maria's route, where the two halves of her soul are Maria and Melissa, Marietta's role ends here. In Meria's route, however, Marietta serves as the "good" half and Zolgonark's pawn while Meria is the "bad" half and the heroine. Marietta assumes Melissa's role as the one to kill Willimgard and act as the proverbial thorn in the protagonists' sides, and is ironically a lot nastier than Melissa was. At the end of the game, the player is presented with the option to betray Meria and side with Marietta in order to get an ending resembling the better ones in Maria's route.

More of Marietta's story can be seen in Yggdra Union and Riviera.

Zolgonark

The three-headed demon lord of the Underworld, summoned to this world by Capehornus and Yellma. While both intend to use him for their own means, Zolgonark is only interested in the freedom to take over the world of Aventheim. He summons three Accursed--Rivulia, Dotaurus (and his "dog" Garm), and Scoppio—to serve his ambitions, and manipulates Marietta into helping him bypass his barrier. He then proves himself despicable by bullying Melissa (or Marietta), turning Pisce into a harpy, and blasting Maria (or Meria) when she tries to protect the Wisp.

Zolgonark is eventually defeated by the Wisp and the heroine, and has his power eaten by Melissa or Meria. He is connected to the character Hades from Riviera.

Lord of Aventheim Castle

A mysterious, godlike presence taking the form of a skeletal man in a red rocking chair. He is the narrator of the story, and only appears in special cutscenes at the end of Maria's route. He reveals that he created Aventheim when the worlds became separate so that no matter what political nonsense went on in Asgard and the Underworld, he could observe the behavior of mortals in this world uninhibited. So far, all he has noticed is that humans are inexplicable and never learn from their mistakes, causing history to repeat itself endlessly, but he still finds humans fascinating.

He is accompanied by a raggedy black cat even more mysterious than he is (the game designers themselves admit in the manual that they have no idea if the cat is the Lord's familiar or another godlike being, or just a normal animal).

Hector

A recurring character in the Dept. Heaven series, he is one of the Seven Magi, and is also an arrogant prick extremely dismissive of the worth and rights of individuals, believing mortal creatures and the other races of Asgard to be beneath him. He appears in special cutscenes in Meria's route, and orders the sealing of Heaven's Gate to protect Asgard (read: himself) despite protests from his Servants that he may be abandoning Marietta to die.

Hector is an incredibly important figure in the continuity of this series; see the backstory of a certain character from Yggdra Union for why we despise him, and Riviera for a game in which he takes a major role.

Primea

The latest, most successful result of Hector's as-yet-experimental synthetic Grim Angel creation process. She is a very young girl who is seen only in special cutscenes in Meria's route; her real name is never revealed (if she even has one), but her registration number is 549, and the other characters refer to her by her codename Primea. She is not a complete Grim Angel, and her fake Diviner is only a prototype. Her wings are slightly malformed at the shoulder... whether this is congenital or a result of Hector's modifications to her body is unknown.

Primea appears to be a rather naive and airheaded young girl; although Hector and his Servants discuss their plans around her, all their talk goes straight over her head.

Melod Melgis

A godly figure of questionable sanity, born when Melissa (or Meria) eats Zolgonark's power. Depending on the ending, she is either defeated or destroys the multiverse, breaking the boundaries between all the worlds to create a chaotic, desolate plane where power is the only law. The final boss of Maria's route.

In Atlus' localization of the game, her name is Romanized as Melad Margus.

Pamela

The Dept. Heaven series mascot, a witch who originally appeared in Yggdra Union and will show up in a randomized stage at a randomized level if the player has Yggdra Union in the GBA slot of their DS/Yggdra Union save data on their memory card. She is accidentally pulled into Aventheim while trying to travel to another dimension for her research, and decides to side with the Wisp to get rid of Zolgonark's corruption so that she can go home.

Yggdra Yuril Artwaltz

The heroine of Yggdra Union, who has a route of her own in the PSP remake only. She trades places with Maria at the release of the Wisp in what appears to be a freak time-space accident; though she wanders off on her own quickly afterward, Yggdra is understandably rather disconcerted at being suddenly plopped into a completely different continuity, and winds up allying with the Wisp, much like Maria and Meria before her. Thus far, any other details are unknown, although it's likely her path of the story will play out similarly to theirs.

Orders of Knights

The First Order (King's Knights)

One of the smallest orders, these knights are the king's handpicked bodyguards. Because of the importance of their duties, this order is incredibly difficult to get into, and only the knights with the highest qualifications are included in its ranks. All four members are of the Elvale race, perhaps not coincidentally.

This order is led by Willimgard himself, and its members are Gieche, Ganosh, Bordoo and Beatrice. Ito, the game designer, compares these knights to elite prep students in an escalator high school.

The Second Order (Guardian Knights)

The kingdom's main line of defense, under the command of Grand Marshal Ganzer. It's the second-largest order, and contains many competent knights who are both very serious about their duties and quite close-knit. Their usual station is at Fort Gerhard, which is said to be one of the most important defensive points for the entire kingdom.

Aside from Ganzer, the knights in this order are Josef, Jungwill, Diora, Bergmann, Walder, Hildegardea, Cornelia, Hysrick, Freibear, Rolenta, Meryl, Lyzz, Johanna and Colts.

The Third Order (Cardinal Knights)

Capehornus' handpicked pawns. As they are all directly under his command, they often carry out hush-hush missions that fit into his master plans; not coincidentally, the order is filled with strong personalities that have trouble working together. Many of the knights in this order also have... issues.

The order is of course led by Capehornus, and its members include Aquelina, Leonel, Yellma, Alfred, Rosa, Hansreev, Yavuz and Grunwalde.

The Fourth Order

An order organized to support the Guardian Knights, commanded by the respected and well-liked knight Reinhardt. They take orders from Ganzer as often as from the king, and like the Guardian Knights, they are a tight-knit bunch that often act as examples for other knights. They serve as a secondary line of defense for the kingdom.

Their roster includes Reinhardt, Wunsche, Crowzephy, Ernest, Annalotte, Schmitz, Nina, Lillian and Billys. Ito compares them to a group of well-rounded students with strong leadership skills.

The Fifth Order

Guards assigned to defend the castle, led by Morozoff, a friendly—if somewhat conservative—wizard. All the knights in this order are very goal-oriented, loyal citizens, devoted to their leader even if they often comment on his love of alcohol. These knights rarely see assignments for work outside Aventheim due to how well they do their standard jobs.

Their roster is comprised of Morozoff, Moulounge, Rudolf, Seriee, Baltah, Neriedor, Atkasia, Lakshmi and Kriemhilt. Ito compares them to academically-oriented students who don't have much use for sports, festivals and other distracting events.

The Sixth Order

An order comprised mostly of female knights, led by Alighierie. They work with the Fifth Order to protect the castle, and are mostly found within its walls instead of outside them. However, its priestesses sometimes get work to support other orders. They're referred to sometimes as the Glamorous Order because of the number of women in it who are thought to be great beauties.

The order is comprised of Alighierie, Elizabeth, Anselica, Belta, Carena, Dahlia, Enite, Lucia and Leggrodda. Ito compares them to a class from an all-girl Catholic school (yes, think Mari Mite).

The Seventh Order

An order comprised mostly of middle-aged men and ladies in their twenties, led by Rondine. They are adept in all forms of combat and are assigned to support the castle as often as the forts; the Seventh Order is also one of the kingdom's main invasion forces. In current times, they are positioned between Fort Gerhard and the castle.

Its members are Rondine, Audric, Busturk, Klosemn, Isolde, Natalie, Caline, Mysleen and Anette. Ito says they were designed to be like a class full of sports fanatics that cares more about outdoing other classes than studying.

The Eighth Order

One of the few orders firmly supporting Capehornus' faction, likely because he promoted their leader Vishnah. Ordinarily, their duty is to protect the Royal Crypt, but lately, they've also been given missions of espionage and message running. They work well in small groups, and are known as one of the most competent orders. Like the Cardinal Knights, they're all very individualistic.

Their members are Vishnah, Mahmoud, Darshaan, Meslieness, Magenda, Woosh, Sofine, Couger and Michel. Ito says that while they would be a class of excellent students, they would have low attendance because a classroom would bore them.


The Ninth Order

A group whose main job is to police the castle and maintain security in the kingdom. They're used as information runners and as a support force for the Fifth and Seventh Orders. They are commanded by the knight Granitze.

Their roster includes Granitze, Gert, Fritz, Mauser, Platier, Minattier, Theoneil, Ermaperche and Oryza. Ito characterizes them as mannerly students who enjoy competitions and team events.

The Tenth Order

A new order that is led by the recently promoted Fraubellica. They don't have any particular duty, but have become couriers and reconnaissance specialists. Everyone in the Tenth Order is completely devoted to Fraubellica, which speaks for her charisma and leadership abilities. This order is also known for its officers and subcommanders.

Its roster includes Fraubellica, Silvanoier, Heinelrooy, Grimwood, Juno, Oswald, Werner, Ulrich and Amalgun. Ito says that as a class, they would be active, stand out and constantly win awards at competitions and festivals.

The Eleventh Order (Town Keepers)

The largest of all the orders, although they're considered to be little more than a backup force by everyone else. Ganzer founded them, and he has assigned them to look after the towns near the lake; because of this, there are many knights in the order who don't have much combat experience yet. This order is comprised almost entirely of Nestico.

Their roster includes Rolf, Legard, Alonso, Mardin, Erica, Janis, Pilgrim, Staehelingum, Hamilton, Cress, Bonita, Lester, Simone, Flore, Bans, Firenzen, Francais, Leier, Mora, Johann and Dreyse. Ito describes them as the freshman class.

The Twelfth Order (Western Cavalry)

A very small order comprised of mercenaries hired by Capehornus to monitor the Mehse and other peoples in the west. Because they bear witness to the poor treatment and racism that the kingdom inflicts upon the Mehse and Tiamat races, as well as their origins as foreigners and hirelings, many of them have misgivings about their duties. Most of the knights in this order have no particular loyalty to any factions within the kingdom, but are working for a paycheck. Their ranks are mostly filled with Balmore people, and the sole Larocca knight in the kingdom is also a part of this order.

Their roster includes Otto, Saarland, Heckler, Hagen and Roselipp. Ito says that he designed them with an American school in mind.

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