Regis Lucis Caelum

Regis Lucis Caelum is a major character in the Final Fantasy XV Universe. He is the main protagonist of A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV, and also appears in Final Fantasy XV and the feature film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

As the king of Lucis, he is referred to as King Regis or Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII. He uses the Ring of the Lucii to channel the power of Insomnia's Crystal. With it, he maintains the Wall, which gradually drains his life-force. Regis thus feels ambivalent his son, Noctis Lucis Caelum, would have the same fate befall him.

Appearance
Regis is a rapidly aging man with gray hair and green eyes. In his youth, his hair was black. On most occasions, Regis wears a black suit with thin, white stripes, and a black cape. He wears a gold brace on his right knee, and black shoes. Regis uses a cane to walk, and a silver, hornlike crown on the right side of his head, held behind his ear. The crown may be intended to allude to Bahamut who has curved horns on his helmet in his true appearance and on the. The golden ornaments on his cane and braces also have wing motifs, like the royal arms do.

Personality
Regis believes those of his royal bloodline are strong of heart and will, although he is deeply saddened by the fate that awaits Noctis. His son's safety is his first priority. He helps Noctis grow and shows him what it means to be a king. Out of everyone he meets, Regis has the greatest impact on Noctis's life. Regis wants Noctis to find his own path in life. As such, he asks Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto to not guide Noctis, but rather stand by his side as he finds his own way.

Abilities
Regis uses the Ring of the Lucii to channel the power of the Crystal, and thus can use magic. Through the ring he creates and maintains the Wall, a magical barrier that shields the Crown City from outsiders. This gradually drains Regis's life-force, and thus he is unable to command the Old Wall. He is a skilled swordsman capable of summoning weapons from thin air. His personal royal arm is the Sword of the Father. He uses the Ring of the Lucii to cast powerful spells, such as Thunder and Protect. He chooses to lend his powers to the Kingsglaive who thus protect the kingdom as an extension of Regis himself.

Story
Regis was born in M.E. 706. His father was King Mors and he was to be the 113th king of Lucis. In M.E. 725, Prince Regis fought alongside Cid Sophiar, Clarus Amicitia, Cor Leonis and Weskham Armaugh on their trip to Accordo. During his travels, Regis met Ezma Auburnbrie, and promised her the threat behind the sealed doors in the dungeons of Lucis would be dealt with once the war with Niflheim was over.

Due to the defeat of the Lucian-Accordian allied forces, the Niflheim army had breached the three Lucian regions of Leide, Duscae, and Cleigne, where they began establishing bases followed by a period of peace. Lucis challenged the empire, but were pushed back. Regis, as the Lucian prince, traveled to Accordo with a select few to seek the restoration of an allied force, but was forced to withdraw to the Crown City due to the Lucian army's defeat. King Mors pulled the range of the Wall back to Insomnia's ramparts to maintain the strength to resist the empire's invasion efforts.

Regis had a falling-out with Cid, and became the king of Lucis in M.E. 729 when Mors passed away. Regis reconciled with Cid, and the two stayed in contact via letters but never saw each other again in person, as Cid lived in the outlands, now outside the Wall. Regis married his childhood friend, Aulea, in M.E. 732, and four years later, the couple had a son, Noctis. After Aulea passed away Regis became the sole parent to their son.

He upholds the magical Wall that isolates Insomnia from the rest of Eos, but doing so drains his life-force and he thus ages rapidly. His seat of power is in Citadel, one of the most prominent buildings in Insomnia, where the Crystal is also kept. The Crystal is a magical artifact said to have been gifted to the Lucis Caelum bloodline by the gods two thousand years ago, and they are sworn to protect it until the coming of the prophesied King of Light, a person chosen by the Crystal to save the world from darkness. In M.E. 741 Regis learned from the spirits of the old kings that Noctis is the Chosen One. This same year the Kingsglaive was founded, an elite group of soldiers from the outlands of Lucis who began to wield Regis's power to protect Lucis.

In M.E. 744, Regis traveled to Tenebrae with Noctis, who was to recuperate there from a serious injury. As depicted in Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV, their motorcade had been attacked by a daemon, and though Regis had saved Noctis, Noctis had fallen to a coma. Regis had stayed by his son's bedside and given him a Carbuncle totem as a charm that would protect him. As depicted in Platinum Demo – Final Fantasy XV, Carbuncle would guide Noctis through a dream from which he would awaken after finding Regis's car, associating it with safety and with being with his father. After Noctis's near-death experience, he became withdrawn, but befriended Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae during his stay there.

As depicted in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Niflheim attacked Tenebrae to kill Regis and Noctis. As Regis fled with Noctis and Lunafreya, the young Prince Ravus of Tenebrae called out to him and begged for help. Regis ignored the boy's pleas, and Lunafreya elected to stay behind with her older brother. Ravus would always blame Regis, but Lunafreya understood the king's actions.

Regis returned to Insomnia where he grew frail from using his power to uphold the Wall, the only thing protecting the city from being invaded by Niflheim. Perhaps motivated by the knowledge of the dark future that lay before them, Regis wanted Noctis to live a regular childhood, and he attended a normal school and even worked a regular part time job as a teenager. As depicted in Brotherhood, Regis tasked Ignis Scientia to look after Noctis's needs as his advisor and friend. Noctis struggled seeing his father grow frail before his eyes, with knowledge he would need to succeed the throne. On Noctis's 16th birthday Regis gifted him the Engine Blade.

As depicted in the Omen short film, at some point, Regis spoke with the deity within the Crystal, who demanded one more life (Regis's). After gaining the final soul, the Ring of the Lucii would accumulate enough power for his successor, Noctis, to be the True King spoken of in prophecy. As a result, Regis decided to prioritize Noctis's safety over even Insomnia's.

In M.E. 756, Regis is offered terms of peace by Ardyn Izunia, the chancellor of Niflheim. Forced to accept the proposed treaty, Regis sends Noctis to Altissia to marry Lunafreya alongside his friends Ignis Scientia, Gladiolus Amicitia, and Prompto Argentum. As told in Final Fantasy XV Prologue Parting Ways, Regis is so busy with the treaty-signing preparations he doesn't have time to see Noctis when the latter comes to the Citadel. The day before Noctis is to depart, Regis spends all day in meetings. He speaks with Gladiolus's father, Clarus Amicitia, who is his bodyguard and sworn shield. Regis ponders how the future generations will remember him, and hopes Noctis will one day understand why he sent him away without telling him the truth; he knows the treaty to be a trap, but doesn't have the strength to uphold the Wall for much longer and feels they are out of options. Expecting an attack, Regis has the Crownsguard—Insomnia's military force—on duty to protect the citizens and has the Crownsguard's usual duties taken over by the Kingsglaive. He wants to capitalize on this moment to draw Niflheim's attention from Noctis by sending him away from Insomnia. He addresses the apprehensive outlands on the deal by saying he has not forsaken them, but is signing the treaty to protect the people from war.

As depicted in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Regis welcomes Iedolas Aldercapt, the emperor of Niflheim, to Insomnia with a grand party. Regis remains suspicious of his guest and believes he intends to steal the Crown City's Crystal. Regis's fears are confirmed when Niflheim's magitek infantry attacks on the day of the treaty signing. As Iedolas and Ardyn take the Crystal, the Wall falls and Niflheim deploys daemons within Insomnia. Regis teams up with Clarus to battle Imperial General Glauca. Clarus is killed, and Regis continues to duel Glauca alone. He is overpowered and the Ring of the Lucii is severed from his hand. A Kingsglaive soldier Nyx Ulric and Lunafreya come to Regis's aid, and with them, he escapes down a secret passageway with the ring.

At the end of the passageway Regis gives the Ring of the Lucii to Lunafreya and asks her to pass it on to Noctis. He begs Nyx to take Lunafreya to Altissia, and sacrifices himself to Glauca so the two can escape. His spirit joins the rank of the Lucian kings that still watches over the world. Regis argues in favor of Nyx among the Lucii when Nyx puts on the ring despite not being of the royal bloodline. Regis convinces the kings to grant Nyx the power of the ring, albeit, at the cost of Nyx's life at dawn. Nyx wields the power of the ring to kill Glauca while Lunafreya escapes the city. Lord Ravus later takes Regis's sword from his body, and keeps it on his person, prepared to yield it to Noctis should the latter prove he is the Chosen King.

When Noctis hears of the events he tries to return, but finds Insomnia blockaded. He at first doesn't understand why his father hadn't told him the truth, but as urged by Cor sets out to collect the royal arms of his forbears and to forge covenants with the Astral gods of Eos. Cor explains to Noctis that the day Regis sent him on his journey, he hadn't wanted Noctis to remember him as the king, but just to be his father. Cor tells Noctis Regis always had faith that when the time came, Noctis would ascend for the sake of his people.

Lunafreya delivers the Ring of the Lucii to Noctis just before her death. Starscourge, a malady that infects men and beast alike and turns them into daemons, and blocks out the sun, advances without hindrance now that Lunafreya—the last Oracle—is dead. The world plunges into chaos and eternal night. Noctis learns of his destiny as the King of Light when he finds the stolen Crystal in the imperial capital. Ten years after King Regis's death, Noctis returns, ready to fulfill his destiny. Donning King Regis's old attire, Noctis returns to the ruins of Insomnia to challenge Ardyn, really the immortal embodiment of the forces of darkness.

Regis's spirit is summoned from within the Ring of the Lucii to help Noctis bring an end to the Starscourge, a plague that has left Eos in perpetual darkness to be ruled by daemons. When Noctis and his friends reach the room in the Citadel with the paintings of the prophecy, he remarks he never liked it as a child because his father was always so somber there. Holding his father's sword, Noctis sits on the throne while the spirits of the past kings attack him while Regis watches on. As Noctis's soul is taken by the ring, he, alongside his father, Luna, and the past kings of Lucis, delivers a finishing blow to Ardyn's spirit. His destiny fulfilled, the Ring of the Lucii breaks and the sun rises.

Regis's voice declares Noctis and Luna a man and wife as their spirits share the throne seated above a banner bearing the name Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV.

Regis's actions served as the first step to fulfilling the prophecy by sending Noctis away from Insomnia. He had foreseen the treaty with Niflheim was a ruse, and knew he would need to die for Noctis to get the power of the True King.

Omen
Omen is a short film that was revealed at Paris Games Week 2016. It details a premonition King Regis has about the fate of his son, Noctis. Hoping to avert this future, Regis asks Insomnia's Crystal how many more lives it needs. The Crystal claims it needs only one: Regis's. Regis asks for the gods' forgiveness, as he apparently decides to accept the treaty the empire is offering.

A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV
Regis is the playable protagonist of the game.

Creation and development
In the trailer for Final Fantasy Versus XIII released at the "Square Enix 1st Production Department Premiere" in January of 2011, Regis sits on his throne and talks to himself. He faces off against Iedolas Aldercapt and wields a falchion with an engine attached to its hilt. In the final game, Noctis is the one to wield a sword this design: the Engine Blade, said to have been given to him by Regis.

When Final Fantasy Versus XIII became Final Fantasy XV, Regis was redesigned. He was made to look older, but not because his original design no longer suited the game. At Tokyo Game Show 2015, it was revealed maintaining the barrier that protects Insomnia causes Regis to age rapidly. Director Hajime Tabata also stated the film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV would explain this in greater detail.

Regis was redesigned to resemble Jon Campling, a British actor who confirmed his likeness would be used for the character in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. To maintain an immersive experience, this design was carried over into Final Fantasy XV.

When Hironobu Sakaguchi first saw Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, he pointed out Regis's eyes were too immaculate, clear, and childlike. They were not the eyes of someone with a lifetime of experience. Sakaguchi claimed Regis's eyes prevented immersion; they gave away the fact he was a CGI character. Director Takeshi Nozue took this into account and decided to further polish his film.

The car Noctis and his friends drive in Final Fantasy XV, the Regalia, belongs to King Regis and represents him on their travels. The bond between Regis and Noctis, as well as the Regalia and its representation in the story of Final Fantasy XV, was important to Hajime Tabata. He explained that in Japan, children are proud of their father's car; it is a "big thing" to go on a ride and have one's father explain the car's functionalities. Tabata listed this as a wonderful experience from his childhood that he wanted to present within the game. In the Platinum Demo – Final Fantasy XV the young Noctis identifies Regalia as his safe haven, associating it with his father.

Voice
King Regis's Japanese voice actor is Tsutomu Isobe. He shares his Japanese voice actor with Douglas Hein from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

In the English version of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Regis is voiced by Sean Bean. In Final Fantasy XV, he is voiced by Jim Pirri.

Merchandise
A static bust of King Regis was released on March 26, 2017.

Gallery

 * Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

Etymology
Regis Lucis Caelum is a Latin phrase that means "sky of the king's light" or "sky of the light's king." Like Noctis, Regis is named in accordance with a theme pertaining to light and the sky.

Trivia

 * Regis is Hajime Tabata's favorite character in Final Fantasy XV.
 * There is a monument to Regis on the floor at the center of the Citadel. When the party returns to Insomnia's ruins, the penultimate boss sits atop it.