Liege lord of Limberry. Marquis Elmdore battled fearlessly against the Ordallian army when it invaded Ivalice in the Fifty Years' War, hailed by friends as the Silver Noble and feared by foes as the Silver Ogre.
Personae description
Marquis Messam Elmdore de Limberry, also known as Marquis Mesdoram Elmdor, is the ruler of Limberry in Final Fantasy Tactics. He is known as the "Silver Prince" by his allies, and the "Silver Demon" by his enemies. His job, ark knight, is basically the samurai with a different name. Marquis Elmdore is a popular figure among the commonfolk of Limberry even though he is a noble. He is a devout member of the Church of Glabados and serves as one of Duke Goltanna's loyal generals in the war.
History[]
Abduction by the Corpse Brigade[]
Concept art.
The Corpse Brigade captain Gustav Margriff abducted Elmdore during a trip to Eagrose Castle. Corpse Brigade is a group of rebels that wants to overthrow the rule of nobles in Ivalice, viewing it as tyranny to the common man. Elmdore's servant, Argath Thadalfus, escaped, and was rescued by two military cadets, Ramza Beoulve and Delita Heiral.
Argath convinced the two to rescue the marquis, despite orders from Ramza's elder brother, Dycedarg, to let him handle it. At the Sand Rat Sietch, Wiegraf Folles, leader of the Corpse Brigade, killed Gustav since he had acted without orders from Wiegraf who opposed the marquis's kidnapping. When Ramza and Argath arrived, Wiegraf traded Elmdore for his own escape.
Joining the Lucavi[]
Questions are the right of the victor, Ramza - not that of a man about to meet his end!
Elmdore, under Lucavi's command
When the War of the Lions broke out, Elmdore fought on the side of the Order of the Southern Sky. He was mortally wounded in battle, struck by a stray arrow, but because he was holding the Gemini auracite, he did not die, but became a host to Zalera, one of the Lucavi demons. Now a part of the Lucavi plot, Elmdore was given two Ultima Demons disguised as human girls for servants, Celia and Lettie. Elmdore joined his Lucavi allies at Riovanes Castle, the Knights Templar Wiegraf—who had quit Corpse Brigade—and Folmarv Tengille, who was really the Lucavi demon Hashmal.
On the castle's roof he came across Grand Duke Gerrith Barrington trying to force Rapha Galthena hand over an auracite right after Ramza defeated the demon Belias. Lettie threw Barrington off the roof, and Elmdore and Celia joined her to fight Ramza, who realized Elmdore's true nature, remembering he was supposed to be dead. Despite the assassin girls' dangerous moves and Elmdore's use of the Sword Spirit powers of katanas, Ramza fended them off, and Elmdore retreated to Limberry, telling Ramza to follow.
Battle at Limberry Castle[]
As Ramza approached Limberry Castle, Celia and Lettie attacked with the help of many monsters. Ramza forced them to retreat inside where Elmdore was meeting with Folmarv, the leader of the Knights Templar of the Church. The girls warned them of Ramza's approach, and Elmdore told Folmarv to take care of resurrecting Ultima, the Lucavi leader, while he would deal with Ramza. Elmdore, Celia, and Lettie confronted Ramza and his allies in a hallway. Elmdore proved to be a dangerous opponent, but Ramza's company killed Celia and Lettie. Elmdore rushed downstairs and summoned several undead to help him. As Ramza entered the room, he transformed into Zalera.
Folmarv's daughter, Meliadoul, entered, and, witnessing Elmdore's transformation, realized the truth about her father. She joined Ramza in battle against Zalera, and they killed the demon, thus destroying Elmdore as well.
In The Ivalice Chronicles, Elmdore has more dialogue between Agrias Oaks and Count Cidolfus Orlandeau. During the battle at the roof of Riovanes Castle while protecting Rapha Galthena from them, Agrias discovered Elmdore alive and he soon explained everything to her: prior to being rescued by Ramza, Delita, and the marquis's servant, Argath, the captive Elmdore overheard the conversations of Gustav Margriff and the other members of the Corpse Brigade. Elmdore genuinely cared for his people in Limberry until participating in the War of the Lions where he got struck by an arrow. Agrias realized Elmdore survived because he had struck a bargain with a Lucavi within his Gemini auracite due to his desire for power.
During the confrontation at the castle in Limberry, Count Cidolfus Orlandeau commented on how Elmdore yet lived despite having been reported dead in battle. Elmdore did the same, Orlandeau having been reported assassinated. Elmdore challenged Orlandeau in a sword duel to the death, which Orlandeau accepted. Elmdore reveled in his desire for power, leading to Orlandeau to vow to stop him. At the undercroft following his transformation into Zalera, Elmdore informed Meliadoul that Folmarv had entrusted him the Gemini auracite, which gave him power to survive, and that Folmarv was responsible for Isilud Tengille's death alongside the others in Riovanes, having gone on a rampage as a Lucavi. When Orlandeau saw Zalera, he could scarcely believe the Lucavi legend was true, leading him to join with Ramza in his quest. He denounced Elmdore was no longer the Silver Prince, Zalera agreeing that Elmdore was no more but a Death Seraph who wanted to purge them all. As he lay defeated, Elmdore/Zalera hoped Folmarv would forgive his failure, and lamented it was up to the other Lucavi hosts to finish their task and exploded.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Tall and athletic, with a strong yet refined build, Messam has a handsome, clean-shaven face with a stern, calculating expression, and piercing eyes. His silver hair is long and neatly brushed back.
Elmdore's overall appearance is that of a dashing yet calculating aristocrat. His attire blends the noble and warrior aspects of his character, showing him as both a man of power and influence and a trained soldier. His clothing and armor are meant to impress and command respect, and they reflect his position in Ivalice's aristocratic hierarchy.
He exudes an air of confidence and control, someone who is both a political manipulator and a military figure, fully aware of the importance of appearance in maintaining his status and influence.
Personality[]
Marquis Messam Elmdore is a softspoken and calm man, who embodies the archetype of the ambitious, prideful noble with a keen sense of political savvy and a willingness to manipulate those around him. His charm and courteous demeanor mask a calculating, self-serving nature, but he also displays loyalty to certain causes; he believes that the world cannot be changed with idealism, and that order and peace can only be obtained with power.
According to Count Orlandeau, Messam used to be a good and compassionate man, prior to his change of convictions and mission under the Church of Glabados. During his fight against Ramza atop of Riovanes Castle, he admits that he longed to put down his sword during The Fifty Years' as the mountain of corpses continued to grow; he tired of the unnecessary bloodshed.
Despite his pride, Messam knows how to see the value in other individuals. During Ramza Beoulve's party incursion to Limberry Castle, he expressed his respect for Orlandeau's honor and devotion to the commonfolk, while saying that he wasted his talents serving Duke Goltanna.[1]
Gameplay[]
Boss[]
Elmdore is fought twice as a boss; the first at Riovanes Castle, and the second at Limberry Castle. At Riovanes, he is level 33 with 70 bravery and faith, and is equipped with the Muramasa, black cowl, black robe, and Nu Khai armband. He has access to the Sword Spirit command, which also grants him the Safeguard ability, and can use First Strike, Doublehand, and Ignore Elevation. In this battle, he is immune to all negative statuses except Blindness, Silence, Oil, and Slow. It is not necessary to KO Elmdore to end the battle; simply reducing either him or the two assassins to critical will end it.
In the last battle with him at Limberry Castle, he is level 41 and comes equipped with a full set of Genji equipment as well as the Masamune, which cannot be stolen in the original Japanese version or in the War of the Lions enhanced port (see below). He has access to the Sword Spirit command still, but now comes with the Vampire command, as well as the Master Teleportation, Brawler, and Shirahadori abilities. He is innately immune to the same statuses as before. Again, it is not necessary to KO Elmdore; simply reducing his HP by 80% will end the battle.
Elmdore's Masamune and Genji equipment during the battle at Limberry Castle were once the subject of debate of thievery. Despite the statement of the official Japanese guidebook, they cannot be stolen in the Japanese original version or the War of the Lion port due to the hidden innate ability, Safeguard, of Elmdore's job class. The English PlayStation version made stealing them possible even though the chance of success is extremely low. By reducing Elmdore's bravery stat (using orator's Intimidate ability, the mystic's Trepidation spell, or Beowulf's Chicken spellblade), the chance of stealing all of the Genji equipment rises significantly. Elmdore's Genji equipment can be stolen in The Ivalice Chronicles.
Rendezvous[]
When fought in the fourteenth Rendezvous battle: Brave Story, Elmdore is level 99 and starts with 70 bravery and faith. He comes equipped with the same equipment and abilities as before, and remains immune to the same statuses as before.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy Record Keeper[]
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Behind the scenes[]
According to Director Yasumi Matsuno, in the initial concept, Marquis Elmdore held the rank of "baron" and was conceived as a "vampire" type of enemy, notably due to the cape. Elmdore resembles Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, both in appearance and backstory, as well also wielding the Masamune. According to Matsuno, Sephiroth was not an inspiration behind the character, with Elmdore also having the long silver hair being a coincidence.[2] Matsuno theorizes that Elmdore also wielding the Masamune could have been a deliberate choice of Hiroshi Ito, who handled the battle data settings.[3]
There are two references to Elmdore in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. In the quest "Karlos' Day", his name is mentioned in the description of the quest in the pub. There is also an engagement involving a Bangaa Templar named Silverlock and two Viera Assassins named Celia and Redy.
Elmdore's "death" during the breakout of the War of the Lions is noted in pubs. The player may check the character profiles to confirm the note of Elmdore's death. However, unlike most deceased characters, Elmdore's age at death will be shown in brackets instead of being absent.
Elmdore was given a voice in The Ivalice Chronicles. He is voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi in Japanese and Scott Arthur in English. Elmdore speaks in a manner similar to Sephiroth in the remake versions of Final Fantasy VII.