Cecil Harvey

Lord Captain Cecil Harvey is the main protagonist of Final Fantasy IV. Cecil is unique in that he is one of the few characters in the series that changes his job during the course of the game, starting out as a Dark Knight, but at a certain point in the game, he transforms into a Paladin.

In the English localization of the Nintendo DS version, Cecil is  (seh-sil), as opposed to the also-common  (see-sil) also found in English. The Japanese form セシル (Seshiru) seems to back this up. Oddly, the bonus disc included with Final Fantasy XII pronounces it the other way.

Final Fantasy IV
Cecil was born to a Lunarian named Kluya and Cecilia from Earth. Cecil's father was killed before he was born, and his mother died in labor. His brother Theodor then ran away with him, but abandoned him outside Baron. The King eventually found him and named him Cecil, since he resembled his late mother.

Cecil was raised by the king, which initially caused some friction between him and the young Kain Highwind. Kain thought that Cecil got too much special treatment from the king, and wanted to fight him. However, a young girl called Rosa broke the two of them up. The three of them eventually grew up and became close friends. Kain and Rosa followed in the footsteps of their parents and became a Dragoon and a White Mage respectively, while the king had Cecil train to be a Dark Knight. Cecil was able to harness the dark powers of the class and he became one of the top warriors of the kingdom. He later became the captain of Baron's airship fleet, the Red Wings.

The story opens with Cecil commanding a raid on the city of Mysidia in order to steal the Crystal of Water for the king. He succeeds, but he and his crew become suspicious of the king. They wonder whether or not robbing national treasures from innocent people is right. However, Cecil reminds his crew that they are the Red Wings, and must represent Baron at all times. When Cecil returns to the castle, Baigan, the captain of the guards of Baron, notices something strange about Cecil, and takes Cecil to meet the king. Cecil hands over the crystal, and is appalled when the king does not even thank him. As a result, Cecil complains to the king that he and his crew do not understand the reasons for robbing crystals from innocent people. As a result, the king discharges him from the captainship of the Red Wings, and orders him to hunt Summoned Monsters in the Misty Valley, and to deliver a ring known as the Carnelian Signet to the village of Mist. Kain comes to Cecil's defense, but to no avail, as the king simply orders him to accompany Cecil. That night, Rosa comes to Cecil's room to show him her sympathy. However, Cecil is upset because he is torn between doing what he believes in and doing what the king orders. He swears that he will never perform another act of evil on behalf of Baron. He also states that despite the fact that he loves Rosa, he knows that they can never be together because of his profession as a Dark Knight.

The next morning, Cecil and Kain left for Mist. They passed through the Mist Cave, where a voice ordered them to return to Baron; however, when Cecil and Kain refused, the mist gathered, and the pair had to fight the Mist Dragon. When they won, they headed towards Mist. When they arrived, the package they were supposed to deliver opened automatically, and bombs flew out and burned the village. Cecil and Kain saw a little girl and her dead mother. The girl explained that due to the death of the Mist Dragon her mother controlled, her mother died. This is because whenever a summoned monster dies, the Summoner who summoned it dies as well. When Cecil and Kain were discussing the fact that they must have defeated the Mist Dragon and thus accidentally killed her mother, the girl blamed them for the death of her mother. Cecil and Kain offered to take her to safety after pledging not to follow any more orders from the king, but she wouldn't listen and backed away from them enraged. She summoned Titan and caused an earthquake making an avalanche separate Mist from the rest of the valley.

Cecil woke up alone with Kain gone and the girl lying wounded. Cecil took her to Kaipo and allowed her to recover at the inn. However, she would not speak to Cecil. That night, soldiers from Baron came to Kaipo and demanded that Cecil hand over the girl, saying that the king decreed that the Summoners of Mist were too dangerous to be left alive. Cecil would not allow the soldiers to kidnap (or possibly even kill) her, and fought them off. The next morning, the girl thanked Cecil for protecting her, and revealed herself to be Rydia of Mist. She then joined Cecil's party formally.

The next morning, Cecil and Rydia heard about a sick girl from Baron who had contracted Desert Fever. They found Rosa wounded in the hospital. The doctors said they had to search for the Sand Pearl in order to cure her. Cecil and Rydia went north through the Underground Waterway to Damcyan, and met an old man, Tellah, on the way. Tellah helped them get through the cave and defeat Octomammoth at the end. However, the three arrived at Damcyan just in time to see the Red Wings attack and steal the Crystal of Fire. At the top of the castle, they found Anna, Tellah's daughter, wounded. Tellah blamed it on Edward Chris von Muir, the prince of the kingdom, and the two got into a fight which Anna broke up. Anna told Tellah the story of her and Edward. Proclaiming her love for Edward one last time, Anna died in her father's arms. Tellah decided to get a vengeance on Golbez for killing Anna and left the party despite Cecil's protests.

After Anna died, Edward began to cry, but Cecil and Rydia had to snap him out of it. Cecil tell him that he is now the king of Damcyan and he must act like a man now. Edward then agreed to take them to the Antlion's Den, where the Sand Pearl could be found. They used the Hovercraft to reach the cave. Inside the cave, they found out that the usually tame Antlion had become aggressive, and the three had to fight the Antlion for the Sand Pearl. They went back to Kaipo and used the Sand Pearl to cure Rosa. There, they decided that they needed to defend the remaining Crystals, and that the Crystal of Air in Fabul was the next target. However, they had to cross Mt. Hobs, a mountain blocked by a thick sheet of ice, in order to reach Fabul. Rydia was the only one who could melt the ice by casting the Fire spell, however, she could not do so as she was afraid of fire due to the memory of Mist being burned. However, with persuasion from Rosa, Rydia eventually mustered up the courage to cast the Fire spell and open the way. Rydia could now use Fire magic at this point. On top of the mountain, the party met a Monk named Yang Fang Leiden who was fighting off Golbez's troops. With help from Cecil and his friends, Yang was able to defeat them. Cecil warned Yang of the danger ahead, and joined Yang in the journey back to Fabul.



In Fabul, Yang warned the king of Baron's incoming attack, and Cecil and Edward helped back him up. The king was initially skeptical because he could not trust the Dark Knight Cecil. However, Yang convinced him of Cecil's loyalty, and Cecil, Yang, and Edward helped defend the castle. Rosa and Rydia were put on relief. However, after the fight against the Baronian army, Cecil was cornered by Kain, who had now turned against Cecil, in the Crystal room. The two dueled, and Cecil lost. Golbez then defeated Edward and Yang, and took Rosa as hostage. Kain took the Crystal and left. Rydia then cured the party. Cecil then decided to sneak into Baron by ship and get an airship from Cid Pollendina, who was also skeptical of what Baron was up to these days. The party boarded a ship provided by the king of Fabul and set sail towards Baron. However, on the way, the ship was attacked by Leviathan, the Terror of the Sea. Cecil, Rydia, Edward, and Yang were all blown off the ship.

Cecil landed on a beach near Mysidia, the town he raided in the beginning of the game. When he entered, he learned that he was unwanted there. The wizards would cast spells on him and encourage him to leave. Cecil went to meet the Elder of Mysidia and told him his plight. The Elder told Cecil that if he was to defeat Golbez, he would have to relinquish his Dark Sword and acquire the acceptance of the Holy Light. As a result, he would be required to become a Paladin. Cecil accepted the challenge, and the Elder sent him to Mount Ordeals. The Elder also sent Palom, a Black Mage, and Porom, a White Mage, with him. They were there to help him, but also to make sure he did not do anything funny. On Mount Ordeals, they met Tellah again, who had been searching for the legendary magic Meteor, which would help him defeat Golbez. Tellah agreed to help them as well. When they reached the top of the mountain, however, they met Scarmiglione of Earth, one of Golbez's Archfiends. Scarmiglione attacked them, but they were able to defeat him twice. After this, they arrived at a room full of mirrors. A mysterious light, who referred to Cecil as "my son," commanded him to take a sword, which transformed him into a Paladin. However, Cecil had to overcome his former feelings of hatred by facing himself as a dark knight. Succeeding by not raising his sword against his darkness, Cecil became a full fledged Paladin. Tellah also learned Meteor at this time.

Cecil, Tellah, Palom, and Porom returned to Mysidia, where the Elder congratulated them. He also spoke of the Mysidian Legend of the sword Cecil now wielded, and how only a Chosen One could wield it. Cecil then agreed to defeat Golbez. He then asked the Elder to open the Devil's Road that leads to Baron, and the Elder obliged. In Baron, Cecil and his friends learned that Cid had created a new airship, but was arrested when he refused to let the king see it. Cecil tried to enter the castle, however, the guards would not let him enter. He overheard that a Karate Man was invited to be an officer in Baron, and that he was hanging out at the inn. Cecil went there, and found out that it was, in fact, Yang. Yang ordered the guards to attack Cecil, and then attacked him himself. However, Cecil was able to snap Yang back to reality, and Yang realized that he was under the control of the king of Baron the whole time. Yang then rejoined the party, and found the Key of Baron in his pocket, which the party then used to enter Baron Castle via the Ancient Waterway.

Cecil's party reached the castle, and met up with Baigan there. Baigan tells Cecil that he is not under Golbez's control, and that he is loyal only to the King of Baron. He offers to help Cecil, and Cecil accepts the help. However, Palom and Porom smell a monster in the area, and point Baigan out as the monster. Cecil's party then fights Baigan, and Palom and Porom warn Cecil to tread lightly around Baron. Cecil then proceeds to meet the king, who is upset that Cecil became a Paladin. However, when Cecil mentions the king of Baron's true name, the king lets out that he killed the real king, and Cecil then demands that the king reveal himself. It turned out that the king was in fact Cagnazzo, the Archfiend of Water. Cecil's party then fought Cagnazzo and won. Cid escaped prison after this, and greeted Cecil enthusiastically. Cid then joined Cecil's party. However, Cagnazzo had one last trick up his sleeve. When Cecil tried to escape, the walls began to cave in. Palom and Porom had to save Cecil's party by petrifying themselves. Tellah tried to heal them, but to no avail. Cid then took them to his newest airship: the Enterprise.

Cecil could not escape on the Enterprise without an encounter with the Red Wings. Kain issued an ultimatum to Cecil. Cecil would either get Kain the Crystal of Earth in Troia or Rosa would die. Cecil had no choice but to go to Troia. There, he learned from the Epopts that the Dark Elf, a monster who lives in Lodestone Cavern to the north, had stolen the Crystal. He also found Edward who was recovering from the Leviathan attack. Edward gave Cecil a Whisperweed because he was too weak to help Cecil out.

Cecil's party then headed to Cave Magnes to meet with the Dark Elf. However, the cave was covered in a magnetic field, and Cecil and his friends could not equip metallic weapons or armor. The Dark Elf was thus able to defeat Cecil. Edward was able to sense this, and began to play a melody on his harp. The Whisperweed reacted to this, and the Dark Elf lost control of himself. As a result, he became weak, and Cecil could attack him with his sword. He was then able to reclaim the Crystal of Earth. He and his party then headed back to Troia, where Kain contacted him and made him get on the Enterprise. Kain then guided Cecil's party to the Tower of Zot, where Golbez was holding Rosa prisoner. Golbez told Cecil's party that he wanted them to "receive" the reward, and made them come to him. Cecil's party then climbed the tower, and had to fight The Magus Sisters at the top. After the fight, they met Golbez, who took the Crystal and would not free Rosa. Tellah then attacked Golbez out of vengeance for Anna, and began casting spells on Golbez. However, they had no effect. He then cast Meteor on Golbez, severely wounding him. Cecil then rushed forward to strike, but Golbez knocked him down. As Golbez was about to strike the finishing blow, he immediately stopped and backed away from Cecil, realizing that Cecil was actually his younger brother. Cecil was surprised that Golbez has stopped from killing him and Golbez then told Cecil that it was not over, and escaped. However, his control of Kain was broken. Cecil's party surrounded Tellah, who was dying due to the effects of him casting Meteor. He asked Cecil, Yang, and Cid to avenge Anna for him, and then died. Cecil's party then talked to Kain, who was free of Golbez's control, and took the party to Rosa. Cecil then saved Rosa, and shared a kiss with her. Rosa and Kain both joined after. However, they could not escape the tower without fighting Barbariccia, the Archfiend of Air. Before she died, Barbariccia tried to kill the party by causing the tower to collapse, but Rosa then cast the Exit spell and the party was warped to Cecil's room in Baron.

Cecil's party was now worried, as Golbez now possessed all four Crystals. However, Kain spoke of the Dark Crystals, which were in the hidden in the Underworld. These Crystals had only been rumored to exist, but Golbez knew they existed. Kain then explained that Golbez needed the Crystals to open "the way to The Moon." Cecil then decided that his party had to head underground to protect the remaining Crystals. Kain then showed Cecil the Key of Magma, which could be used to enter the Underworld. Cid told the party that the Enterprise was back in Baron due to a remote control feature it had. The party then headed for the town of Agart and threw the Key of Magma in the well, which opened the way to the Underworld. The party entered the Underworld via the Enterprise, however, they were too late. The Red Wings had already begun battling with the tanks that the Dwarves used for war. The Enterprise was damaged in this battle, and Cecil's party had to seek help from the Dwarves in their castle. There, they met King Giott, the ruler of the Dwarves. He asked the party for help, and they agreed. However, Cid had to take a leave of absence in order to repair the Enterprise and wrap its body in Mystic Silver, which could be used to help the Enterprise withstand the intense heat. Yang sensed something in the Crystal Room behind the throne, and Giott opened it up for Cecil's party to check out. There, they found Luca's dolls, together known as the Calcabrina, under Golbez's control. Cecil's party defeated them. Afterwards, Golbez himself showed up. He put the party in a magical hold in which they could not move. He then Summoned a monster, the Shadow Dragon, which proceeded to eliminate each party member one by one except Cecil. However, the Mist Dragon appeared and defeated the Shadow Dragon. Cecil was then able to move, and Rydia suddenly appeared and defeated Golbez. The party, Cecil and Rosa in particular, were happy to see Rydia, and she offered her help, which Cecil accepted. Golbez, now weakened to the form of a hand, was able to steal the Crystal and escape.

It is then decided that the party head for the Tower of Babil in order to get the other Crystals back. The party sneaks in, and finds Dr. Lugae, a scientist under Golbez working with Rubicante, the Archfiend of Fire. Rubicante was teleported somewhere unknown, and Cecil's party disrupted and defeated Lugae. Afterwards, the party found the key to stopping the Super Cannon. When they reached the Super Cannon, however, its operators would not go down without a fight or making the cannon unstoppable. Yang had to stop the cannon himself, and he was left for dead.

Golbez catches the party escaping from the tower, and makes them fall off a bridge. Luckily, Cid catches them on the Enterprise before falling into the lava. However, all is not well. The Red Wings are chasing the Enterprise, and Cid has to sacrifice himself to save the party and the airship, which escapes the Underground back into the Overworld. Before he jumps off the Enterprise, however, he asks Cecil to return to Baron and talk to his workers. Cecil does so, and the workers attach a hook to the airship which can be used to pick up and carry the Hovercraft which is used to enter Eblan Cave.

In the cave, the party finds Rubicante again fighting Edge, the prince of Eblan and a Ninja. Edge is defeated by Rubicante. The party tries to convince him to join them. However, Edge does not want help. Still, this does not stop Rydia from crying when she reminisces upon the death of Tellah, and the assumed deaths of Yang and Cid. Edge, being a womanizer, then agrees to join because he doesn't like seeing Rydia, a "pretty girl," cry. Rydia is not impressed with Edge's flirting, though. Rosa cures Edge, and Edge flirts with her as well. Nevertheless, the party enters the upper half of the Tower of Babil and finds Edge's parents at the top. However, they were murdered by Rubicante and transformed into monsters by Dr. Lugae. They attack the party, but Edge brings them to their sense. Then, Rubicante appears and attacks the party. The party defeats him and enters the Crystal Room, where they fall back to the Underground and find a new airship: the Falcon.

The Falcon cannot fly over the lava, so the party heads back to the Dwarves' Castle and visits King Giott, who says that it's time to defend the last Crystal in the Sealed Cave. He gives Cecil's party the key to opening the cave, which is the necklace of his daughter Luca. In order to get the Falcon to fly over the lava, Cecil heads for the hospital to find Cid recovering. He remodels the airship for the party, so it can fly over the lava.

The party can head for the Sealed Cave and open it. They worked their way to the bottom where they found the Crystal. However, they could not escape without defeating a wall which tries to crush the party. Even still, Golbez calls out to Kain, who becomes possessed by Golbez again, and steals the Crystal and runs off. The party then heads back to the Upper World (after Cid attaches a drill to the head of the Falcon) and heads for Mysidia, where the Elder prays for something to help the party. That something is the Lunar Whale, the "Ship of Light from The Moon," which allows the party to fly to The Moon.

On the Moon, the party finds a palace where a man named Fusoya sleeps. Fusoya wakes up and explains that Golbez was being controlled by a Lunarian named Zemus the entire time. He then tells the real reason why Golbez is gathering the Crystals. The Crystals are the key to activating the Giant of Babil which can grant wishes. Zemus wishes for the Earth to be destroyed, and he used Golbez to do it. The party returns to Earth with Fusoya. However, they are too late. The Giant of Babil has awakened, and began to go on its destructive spree. However, Cid, who was fully recovered, lead an army of leaders from all over the world, as well as friends of Cecil, to do battle with the Giant. They helped Cecil and his friends enter the Giant, and the party went towards the main computer, which, if destroyed, would stop the Giant. On the way, however, they had to do battle with the Archfiends again. After winning that battle, the party headed for the CPU and defeated it. Afterwards, an angry Golbez appeared, who was mad that his plans were thwarted. Fusoya knocked Golbez back to reality, and he learned that he was Cecil's brother, Theodor. FuSoYa and Golbez then headed to The Moon to fight Zemus, and Kain rejoined the party. On the Lunar Whale, Cecil asked Rydia and Rosa to leave the ship, as he felt that it was too dangerous for them to go to The Moon. They sadly obliged. However, they stowed away and headed to The Moon anyway, and convinced Cecil that they should join. Rosa has asked Cecil who would heal the wounds, and Rydia believed they were all fighting for the common cause and is the only summoner left. Cecil agreed to have them on the team again, and they eventually headed to the Lunar Core and watched Fusoya and Golbez defeat Zemus. However, the hatred that was possessing Zemus, Zeromus, jumped out and attacked the party. With help from old friends, they defeated Zeromus using the crystal.

In the ending, Cecil and Rosa marry and take the throne of Baron. All surviving party members except Kain attend the wedding. Kain is seen without his helmet standing on top of a mountain, promising to atone for all that he's done to Cecil.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Seventeen years later, he is the father of Ceodore and husband of Rosa. At the start of the game, he is seen at Baron castle with Rosa and Cid, with the castle coming under attack. When the Mysterious Maiden attacks the castle, he attempts to question her identity but is defeated when she summons Bahamut. He hasn't been seen since, until Ceodore and the Mysterious Man return to Baron, only to find that many of its inhabitants are imposters, who they escape from. It turns out that Cecil has been possessed by the Maiden when Ceodore's party encounters him again. They were forced to fight him as well as the Eidolin Odin, who comes to his senses and knocks Cecil out of the possession.

As he was nursed back to health, his son Ceodore joined Rydia, Golbez, Edge and Luca to to take out the Maiden, who then escapes and Golbez calls the Lunar Whale to pursue her. Soon whole party, including Cecil (who has lost his will to fight), went into the crater dungeon to defeat bosses emerging from the 8 Crystals. Then Cecil and Golbez fight a sinister version of the former in the Dark Knight form. But as the Dark Knight was about to finish Cecil off, Golbez jumped in to guard it, taking a mortal blow in the process. Cecil then regains his strength and gets revenge upon the Dark Knight by killing him. After the heated battle, he exchanged goodbyes with Golbez before he heads to the warp tile. Cecil then continues to fight against the forces of darkness, defeating both the Mysterious Maiden and her master, the Creator. With peace assured, Cecil returns home to Baron, where he helps train Ceodore. Even after the events of the game, Cecil is still stronger and wins the sparing match against his son.

Equipment and Stats
As a Dark Knight, Cecil's stats are heavily weighted physically, and he has barely any Magic Defense. He can only equip special swords, shields, and armor designed specifically for Dark Knights. His weapons are ineffective against Zombies, Ghouls, Revenants, and Skullnants. His most powerful Dark Sword, the Deathbringer, can inflict instant death on his opponents, as a Dark Knight he has very low MP and Spirit.

Once Cecil becomes a Paladin, his stats increase, especially in Magic Defense and Spirit. It should be noted that a Level 1 Paladin Cecil has 600 HP, which is much more than even a Level 20 Dark Knight Cecil. He can now equip most any weapon that isn't a class-specific weapon, including swords, knives, and axes. Cecil can also equip most shields, hats, helmets, armor, tunics, rings, and gloves, not to mention, his original ultimate weapon, the Ragnarok, and if he proves himself worthy in his Lunar Trial, he can obtain the almighty Lightbringer. In the DS version, Cecil may also equip the Adamant armor and all the onion equipment, including the Onion sword which has an attack power equal to twice the level of the character using it.

Final Fantasy IV
As a Dark Knight, Cecil uses the Darkness ability, which damages all opponents. Cecil takes a small amount of damage whenever he uses this attack. In the DS version, the "Darkness" ability is a positive status effect that increases the amount of damage caused by a regular attack, at the cost of a small amount of HP being lost every round.

Once Cecil becomes a Paladin, he can use the Cover ability, which allows him to intercept physical attacks against the ally Cover is targeting. Cecil automatically uses this ability to protect any ally whose HP is low. Cecil will automatically stop Covering, active or passive, when his HP is critical. He can also use some basic White Magic. The spells he can use are as follows.

* Nintendo DS exclusive spell

In either class, Cecil's focus is dealing out physical damage. However, he becomes far more powerful when he becomes a paladin.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Cecil's abilities include White Magic and Cover.

Music
Cecil's theme is called The Red Wings, and it is mixed into the fanfare that plays when Cecil transforms into a Paladin.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Chaos has summoned a combined force of Final Fantasy's ultimate masters of evil. Cosmos, in an attempt to protect the Crystals, has summoned warriors to thwart their plans. Cecil is one of these warriors and stands as the hero representing Final Fantasy IV, opposing Golbez.

Trivia

 * A character named Cecil appears in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, as an NPC in Marr's Pass. He has little connection to Cecil from Final Fantasy IV as he claims that he used to be quite the ladies' man, which makes his personality different from Cecil. However, in Final Fantasy IV the player has the opportunity to take Cecil to a brothel and view a strip show, and a soldier in Troia reacts as though Cecil asked her to dance for him, implying that there may be a more womanizing side to Cecil not seen in his dialogue. On top of that, the player can obtain a magazine called the "Lustful Lali-Ho" in the Developers' Room (also called Smut in earlier versions), and have Cecil read it. The description of the magazine reads "Cecil's favorite title".


 * Cecil made an cameo in Secret of Evermore as a merchant in Ebon Keep. He asks the protagonist if he's heard of him, and makes reference to the events of Final Fantasy IV in his attempts to remind him. He mentions he is still married to Rosa, although she does not appear, and gives the player their Bazooka weapon he found on a cliff. Cecil sells powerful medieval-themed equipment he claims to have acquired on his adventures, although none of them are actually items that appear in Final Fantasy IV.


 * Cecil is the first main character in the series to be married and have a son.