Barthandelus



Barthandelus [bɑɹtændɪlɨs] (バルトアンデルス, Barutoanderusu, Baldanders in the Italian, Spanish and Japanese versions) is a powerful fal'Cie from Final Fantasy XIII. He is the self proclaimed Lord-Sovereign of the Cocoon fal'Cie, and the main antagonist of the game.

Datalog
''This fal'Cie has long lived under the guise of Galenth Dysley, the Sanctum's supposedly human Primarch. Unbeknownst even to his closest aides, he has kept careful watch on the fugitive l'Cie through the eyes of his rukh, Menrva, forcing them to grow stronger while at times aiding secretly in their flight.''

Barthandelus desires only that the l’Cie complete their Focus, which he explained to be transforming into the beast Ragnarok in order to destroy Orphan and all of Cocoon.
 * &mdash; Datalog/fal'Cie

Appearance and Personality
At first, Barthandelus appears as a burlesque, towering, bronze, god-like creature with gold lining, alien markings visible on his skin, and four faces masks grafted onto the sides of his head as adorements. He also has a snake-like throat with gills at the end. His face consists of pupiless eyes, and an eerie grin, containing sharp, dagger-like teeth. In later appearence, Barthandelus becomes white-skinned with an new adorement.

As Dysley's true identity, Barthandelus is as heartless and sinister, holding a belief that killing thousands of people will summon the maker. The Maker created both Fal'cie and humans. He thinks of humans and I'Cie as nothing more than tools for the fal'Cie's manipulation, and will not hesitate to exploit their weaknesses - and in some situations, their strength - to his advantage.

Story
Barthandelus is a Sanctum fal'Cie whose ultimate goal is to destroy his fellow fal'Cie Orphan, a being representing sunlight that gives life to Cocoon. He believes that by causing the deaths of countless Cocoon citizens as "sacrifice" would call back the Maker, the God who created the world and long since departed, and the world would be born a new. However, being a Sanctum fal'Cie himself he is unable to do anything to harm Cocoon,and thus he needs the help of Gran Pulse l'Cie. Barthandelus has a familiar, an owl-like creature Menrva, that works as an extension of his power and through it he is able to spy on the goings on throughout Cocoon.

Five hundred years before the start of Final Fantasy XIII, the Pulse l'Cie Vanille and Fang were tasked with transforming into Ragnarok to destroy Cocoon. At the last minute Vanille decided against destroying Cocoon and Fang was forced to transform into Ragnarok alone, but this attempt failed, managing to only crack Cocoon's outer surface. The forces of Cocoon were able to repel the Pulsian threat and Cocoon continued to grow into a human paradise, assisted by the Cocoon fal'Cie.

Despite not fully completing their focus Vanille and Fang crystallized and ended up with their fal'Cie Anima on Pulse. In preparation for Pulse's next attack on Cocoon, Barthandelus secretly moved the Pulse Vestige near the Cocoonian town of Bodhum, with Anima, Vanille, and Fang inside. He then assumed the guise of Galenth Dysley and took the helm of Sanctum politics, waiting for the day when worthy l'Cie would take up the mantle of Ragnarok once more.

After the Pulse fal'Cie Anima has branded Lightning, Sazh, Hope, and Snow as l'Cie, and Fang and Vanille have revived from their crystal chassis after 500 years of crystal sleep, Barthandelus realizes his time has come. Pulling strings behind curtains he secretly ensures that the protagonists safely proceed through countless obstacles,namely escaping from the grips of PSICOM. After the capture of Sazh and Vanille he plans on using them as bait in order to get hold of the other four l'Cie and spreads the news that the two are to be publicly executed. Lightning's group takes the bait and rushes to the airship Palamecia to save their friends. In the airship's control room the group confronts Barthandelus in his human guise as Primarch Galenth Dysley and initially believe Galenth to be a l'Cie. Barthandelus, scoffing at their beliefs, absorbs his familiar, the owl Menrva, and sheds his human appearance to reveal his fal'Cie form. Barthandelus attacks the party and is seemingly defeated, but merely melts away and returns as Galenth Dysley, unscathed. After the incident Barthandelus gives the group an airship and sends them to the Ark resting beneath the Cocoon capital Eden in order to further strengthen their powers as l'Cie so they may grow strong enough to defeat Orphan.

Inside the Ark the party finds an old Pulsian airship that takes them to Gran Pulse where they discover the village of Oerba. They are surprised to find Serah at the end of a ruined rail-bridge, chanting a hymn about Ragnarok. Eventually, Serah's guise melts away to reveal Dysley, who tells the party he has set up Cid Raines as a puppet Primarch in order to further his goals. Barthandelus tells his plan is to coax the Cavalry, now outraged by Raines's apparent traitorous behavior, to destroy Orphan. Barthandelus assumes a more futuristic form, goading the party into fulfilling their destructive Focus. After leaving Barthandelus leaves behind his familiar Menvra, now transformed into an airship, so the group may return to Cocoon.

The party reaches Edenhall at the heart of Eden where Barthandelus and Orphan reside, only to find the Cavalry has turned into Cie'th. Barthandelus never intended them to reach Orphan and only used them as a ploy to get the l'Cie to enter Orphan's Cradle. Once beating Barthandelus in his normal form he becomes Orphan. Barthandelus is finally defeated by the group in the core of Orphan's Cradle, first sinking into Orphan's pool, then rising again as Orphan's shell.

Battle
Barthandelus is fought three times, first on the bridge of the Palamecia, secondly at Oerba, and finally as the antepenultimate boss in Orphan's Cradle.

Etymology
Dysley's true form, Barthandelus, is based on the Germanic literary shape-shifter Baldanders that is conceived by Hans Sachs from the Greek god Proteus as described in Homer's epic Odyssey.