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This tragedy, greater even than the Seventh Umbral Calamity, must be undone.
G'raha expressing his mission in The First
G'raha Tia is a non-player character from Final Fantasy XIV. He is a historian and marksman with the Students of Baldesion introduced in the Crystal Tower storyline. He is also known as The Crystal Exarch.
Profile
Appearance
G'raha is a male Miqo'te with a muscular build and reddish brown hair. His left eye is cyan and his right eye is red, being is referred to as an "Allagan Eye" or the "Royal Eye". He carries a bow and a quiver of arrows. After a storyline event, his left eye becomes red as well.
Though no association with either organization is ever implied, G'raha bears the trademark neck tattoos of the Circle of Knowing, as well as an arm tattoo resembling the eye worn by the members of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. In his case, they may simply be symbols of the Students of Baldesion as a whole.
As the Crystal Exarch, his body has partially crystallized and seems to either be missing or concealing his tail. He wears a black robe alongside a red and white toga with golden accents. It has a hood to obfuscate his face. He wears a pair of wrapped sandals, and has wrapped his left arm in the same material. He carries a hefty golden staff that doubles as a walking cane, which has an intricate and mysterious design befitting his visage.
Personality
G'raha is eccentric, initially playing a game with the Warrior of Light while gathering the aethersand, and whimsically naming the combined investigation team after an ancient Allagan sage.
As the Crystal Exarch, despite his youthful appearance, his mannerisms border on that of a wise older figure, giving both the people of the Crystarium and the Warrior of Light guidance for the duration of their stay in the First. He is not without his own form of pleasant beguilement. Often inspiring those around him to action with words of encouragement, he is an effective leader revered by the people of the Crystarium as a source of wisdom. He is cordial, respectful and inviting toward the Warrior of Light as well as the other Scions and is concerned for their safety and health during their stay in the First.
Despite his good intentions, G'raha is secretive and does not reveal his identity or endgame until he feels this is necessary. This creates a sense of uneasiness to some of the Scions, Y'shtola Rhul stating that he speaks in riddles and half-truths. Nonetheless, G'raha proves himself devoted to the cause and to his friends.
Story
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
G'raha is encountered off-screen during the quest "A Performance for the Ages," where he tells the Warrior of Light he already claimed the water-blessed ore sought in Urth's Gift. He points the Warrior to find wind aethersand shipment at the Ixali Logging Grounds in North Shroud. After fighting off the beastmen to claim the prize, the "unseen voice" congratulates the Warrior of Light for being entertaining and tells him or her to inspect Proud Creek for the reward. The item turns out to be water aethersand, with G'raha promising they will "meet again soon."
Once the Warrior of Light returns the sand to Cid nan Garlond and Rammbroes back in Mor Dhona, G'raha Tia formally introduces himself and dubs the Crystal Tower investigation team NOAH ("Nominated Observers of Artifacts Historical"), after an ancient Allagan scholar.
Later meeting Doga and Unei, G'raha Tia learns that he possesses the lineage of Allagan nobility. After Doga, Unei and Nero are abducted by the Cloud of Darkness at the top of the Crystal Tower and taken into the World of Darkness, he returns to camp with the rest of NOAH to figure out a way to rescue them.
G'raha seals the Crystal Tower with himself inside.
Once Cid opens a portal to the World of Darkness, G'raha ventures through it with the Warrior of Light. Upon the Cloud of Darkness's defeat, they discover Doga and Unei who intend to remain to sever the Cloud's ties to Eorzea. Before sending the group off, the duo infuse a portion of their blood into G'raha to grant him control over the Crystal Tower. This allows G'raha to learn the last will of Salina, an ancient princess who used Allagan technology to infuse her DNA into G'raha's ancestor so that his family could restore the Crystal Tower as a beacon of hope. G'raha seals the Crystal Tower with himself inside, intending to guide the Eorzeans once they have reached the same technological level as the ancient Allagans. He bids farewell to his companions before sealing the door to the tower.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
By the time the Crystal Tower is reopened two centuries into the future, G'raha has partially fused with the tower to prolong his life as its keeper. He learns of the Eighth Umbral Calamity that claimed the life of the Warrior of Light and the Scions along with the endless conflict that followed. Acting on a hypothesis proposed by Cid, G'raha sends himself and the Crystal Tower to the First sometime after the Flood of Light occurred. Taking on the identity of the Crystal Exarch, G'raha establishes the Crystarium as a haven for the people of Lakeland.
G'raha attempts to summon the Warrior of Light to the First via the Calling, but ends up summoning the Scions instead. Due to the time difference, the Scions end up appearing years apart from each other. G'raha confides in Urianger Augurelt, telling him everything, and asking him to be his accomplice in a scheme to prevent the First's Rejoining—with full knowledge that the negation of the Eighth Umbral Calamity would erase him and send the Scions back to their world fully restored.
Gameplay
The Crystal Exarch is available as a Trust System NPC for Holminster Switch. He is able to fill any role as a Paladin, White Mage, or Black Mage. After completing Shadowbringers' main scenario, he can no longer be selected.
Gallery
Trivia
- The name G'raha coined for the investigation of the Crystal Tower, NOAH, is an allusion to Noah from Final Fantasy III. That name also alludes to the Abrahamic character, Noah, who saved lives from a big flood, reflecting G'raha's story in Shadowbringers.
- G'raha Tia is the second character in Final Fantasy XIV to originate from an optional questline before being promoted to an integral character in a later expansion, the first being Estinien.
- If the player cleared the Crystal Tower raid before entering the Shadowbringers main scenario, dialogue options will expand for the Warrior of Light to immediately suspect that the Exarch is G'raha. Following Emet-Selch's defeat, the player has a choice to call G'raha by his real name again, causing him to start crying tears of joy.