Church of Glabados

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Church of Glabados
(グレバドス教会, Gurebadosu Kyoukai?)
Background information
Type	Religious group
Members
Leader(s)	Saint Ajora Glabados

The Church of Glabados, also known as Glabados Church, is a religious organization from Final Fantasy Tactics. Formed soon after the fall of Mullonde, the center of Pharism, it centers around a divine figure named Saint Ajora Glabados.

Although Church of Glabados resembles that of Christianity, it is a polytheistic faith. Tom Slattery, the translator for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, explains it thus:

The whole monotheism/polytheism thing is something I've seen a lot of people mention. The Church of Glabados is clearly modeled around Christianity, and the religion itself would seem to be a monotheistic one. Yet in the very opening scene of the game, Ovelia's prayer mentions "kami-gami" (gods, in the undeniable plural). Since the game's script had made it clear that followers of the world's religion spoke of more than one god, we retained that plurality in the English.

Tom Slattery, translator for Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

The Church of Glabados began as a group of families who witnessed Saint Ajora's first miracle: as soon as he was born, he rose to his feet and proclaimed a well was tainted. Those who drank from the well died soon after, and those who overheard his prophecy were quick to proclaim Ajora a miracle and child of the gods.

When he reached twenty Saint Ajora began to spread the word of the coming of Paradise. Pharist priests, fearing his growing influence, tried him as a traitor to the Holy Ydoran Empire and had him hanged. His death became the doom of Pharism and the Empire, as both were decimated in a terrifying cataclysm. Those who had faith in Saint Ajora preached upon his divinity, and soon after, the Church of Glabados was formed.

The Church of Glabados is corrupt and Saint Ajora Glabados was not who the church claims; he was in fact possessed by the Lucavi demon, Ultima, although few in the church know this.

The leader at the time of the War of the Lions is High Confessor Marcel Funebris, who seeks additional power for the church by having the Order of the Northern Sky and Order of the Southern Sky weaken each other to create a power vacuum for the Church of Glabados to fill. He is unaware the Knights Templar, led by Folmarv Tengille, are possessed by the Lucavi and planning to resurrect Ultima. Even Funebris's second-in-command, Cardinal Delacroix, is in on the Lucavi plot.

When Ramza Beoulve discovers what the Church of Glabados is up to, they label him a heretic to rid of him. This gives the Knights Templar greater freedom to impede Ramza's efforts to stop the Lucavi. Eventually, the High Confessor is no longer of use to the Lucavi, and he is killed by Loffrey with Folmarv and Cletienne Duroi looking on.

The Church of Glabados survives Ultima's downfall by preventing the publishing of the Durai Papers. The report is later discovered by Arazlam Durai, a descendant of its writer, Orran Durai, although it is not revealed what he does with his knowledge of the truth.

Spoilers end here.

Trivia

• Three character portraits go unused in the game that don't appear anywhere except in the game's data where all the portraits are located. The first is the Priest present at the funeral at the game's end; this one has the priest without his hat. The second one is a man with black hair. The final one is a bald man with blond hair on the side of his head, who resembles Zalmour. All three appear to be officials from the Church of Glabados, wearing either a priest's or celebrant's attire, judging from their portraits.

Priest with no hat.

First unused portrait.

Second unused portrait.