Nael van Darnus



Nael Van Darnus, also known as The White Raven , is the main antagonist of the original Final Fantasy XIV storyline. The Legatus of the VIIth Legion dispatched to the western front, he boasts a distinguished parentage in his late father, a founding figure of the Garlean Empire, and is a descendent of the Allagans.

He carries a gunhalberd named Bradamante, said to be named after a warrior maiden he killed.

Appearance and Personality
Nael has glowing red eyes and wears full silver body armor, with a horned skull like helmet concealing his face.

A ruthless man who feels that the empire's invasion of Eorzea is of divine intervention to save its people from their pagan ideals. Nael rose to infamy even among his own people, though he sees them as naught but fools, drawing no distinction between friend and enemy when met with opposition.

Word on the street is that his swift rise to power after the death of ill father was no coincidence, as his father's closest aides were executed soon after his burial. Despite these dark rumors, the battle prowess of Van Darnus and the VII Legion is such that, even though they have spent long years in active service, the Empire has deemed them much too valuable to retire from the frontlines of the war.

Final Fantasy XIV
He has been appearing at some camps to warn adventurers about false prophets. Nael also meets the player as Ifrit is defeated, asking for the name of one who was victorious over a Primal. After claiming that the changes on Dalamud are of imperial doing for the land's betterment, Nael sees the player and his party are not interested in joining his cause as he drains a close aetherial gate using Bradamante and shoots its energy towards the player and his party, destroying the gate in the process.

In a later quest, the player is able to use the echo to view the past of a Gridanian soldier who Nael silenced for eavesdropping in a conversation between him and Gaius Van Baelsar. In that dialogue, Nael is trying to convince Gaius that just conquering Eorzea is not enough to stop the Primals; the forbidden Allagan magic Meteor should be cast upon the land to purge them. Gaius, however, disagrees with that view due to the unpredictable nature of Dalamud until Nael reveals that he can find the three tombstones needed to fully control the Meteor spell.

In the aftermath of Garuda's defeat, Nael reveals the deaths of the Primals are the key to access Dalamud's power while telling the player character that he will let the character live long enough to destroy the other Primals for him.

Soon after, the construction of Castrum Novum was finished, and the lunar transmitter needed to call Dalamud upon Eorzea placed inside it and activated to bring down Meteor. However, due to the efforts of the Grand Companies of Eorzea and several adventurers, the device was successfully destroyed.

Filled with rage, Nael easily defeats the group and is suddenly engulfed in a red light, which he claims to be the power of "his master", Dalamud. With that power, he once again attacks, leaving the adventurer group badly wounded and walks way, saying he still has the means to purify Eorzea with the powers of Dalamud.

Not long after, the companies were able to track down Nael's location to nearby the Allagan ruins in Camp Glory. An attack group was quickly assembled and sent to the region, only to find the Rivenroad. Using the floating island as an altar, Nael sends fiery rocks raining from Dalamud to the countryside. Before the party arrives on the Enterprise. Losing a fierce battle, hoping to use the party as sacrificial offerings, Nael resorted to bathing in Dalamud's light for more power, losing what was left of his mind and becoming a being of pure hatred and destruction. But finally defeated, Nael's body becomes pure energy and disappears into wisps of light, leaving only his gunhalberd behind.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Despite his defeat the End of an Era trailer showed that the efforts of the adventurers who defeated him were in vain. Nael's plan succeeded in a sense, albeit not the way originally thought, when the elder primal Bahamut burst forth from Dalamud and wreaked immense havoc on the land. This caused wide-spread destruction across Eorzea and reshaped a great deal of the terrain.

Nael makes a very brief apperance alongside Louisoix at the end of The Binding Coil of Bahamut where the two are seen observing the head of Bahamut together, but he seems to go unnoticed by Alisaie.

Abilities
Being one of the Garlean Legatus, Nael is one of the Empire's most accomplished warriors.

He is shown to be a very skilled Lancer, having access to two of the strongest Weapon Skills from the class. Furthermore, his gunhalberd is able to drain all the Aether from an aetherial node and shoot it as high energy beam. Nael is also capable of short range teleportation without needing to attune with an Aetheryte.

After being powered by Dalamud, Nael gained the ability to absorb other beings' life energy and to animate stone golems. During the final battle, he is also capable of altering the aether flux around the Rivenroad to capture small fragments of Dalamud and attract them to it as small meteors, and by activating the ruins' magicked glyphs, he also gained the ability to unleash a devastating energy beam over the entire area.

Battle
Nael Van Darnus is fought as the final boss of the Seventh Umbral Era storyline. After losing the first fight, he's powered up by Dalamud and gains access to new abilities as he becomes Nael Deus Darnus.

Musical Themes
Nael Van Darnus has his own leitmotif, most notably played during his conversation with Gaius Van Baelsar and again when he injures the player after he or she destroys the Lunar Transmitter. Additionally, he has two battle themes, each played during a stage of the final battle against him. "Tempest" is a rock-like variation of his theme, played during the first stage of the battle. "Rise of the White Raven" is the theme of the second stage of the battle, played after he loses his sanity from absorbing too much of Dalamud's power and becomes Nael Deus Darnus.

Etymology
"Nael" is a name of Arabic origin meaning "Triumph".

"Van" is based on German word von which means "from", but is also used to show that someone is a member of a noble family. "Van" is also the Dutch word for "from".

Trivia

 * His armor closely resembles those worn by the Archadian Judges of Final Fantasy XII, and in particular, Gabranth's.
 * In "United We Stand", after wounding the player, Nael Van Darnus takes his leave similarly to that of Sephiroth in the Nibelheim burning scene.
 * Nael's race is never stated in-game. However, many players believe he is an elezen, due to his height and mannerisms. His bowing gesture, in particular, is very similar to the elezen /bow emote.
 * Nael Deus Darnus being able to use Megaflare is likely an allusion to the fact that Dalamud was imprisoning Bahamut.
 * Nael Van Darnus is the defacto leader of the Garlean VII Legion and head of Project Meteor, as an allusion to the plot of Final Fantasy VII (Meteorfall).
 * Interestingly, despite having been defeated and even apparently killed quite decisively at the close of the "Legacy" campaign, Van Darnus is listed in the bestiary section of the Realm Reborn website alongside Gaius Van Baelsar and Solus Zos Galvus. Whether this means he survived the previous encounter or if it is simply a legacy entry to explain who he was, is currently unclear.