Elders of Grandis

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The details below contain SPOILERS, you may want to view this after completing the storyline in-game.

The elders of Grandis, also known as the Sinners, are the twelve most outstanding Anima chosen by the Overseers to stop the chaos of the Ancient Gods. After the Ancient War, the elders sequestered themselves in Shangri-La, the realm of the sages.

Story

The Will of the World

In order to stop the chaos of the Ancient Gods, the Primordial God created the three Overseers. To defeat the Ancient Gods, the Overseers created a powerful relic known as the World Heart. Imbued with immense divine power, the World Heart had the ability to absorb the power of higher beings.

On the planet Grandis, twelve wise and courageous Anima sages became known as the elders, famed for their strong sense of duty and their desire to help the world by sharing their wisdom and knowledge. Their excellent character and convictions drew the attention of the Overseers, who gave them a direct mission to use the World Heart in order to create beings who could stop the chaos of the Ancient Gods.

The elders were given much by the Overseers, including a long lifespan and researchers to aid them in their experiments to create the powerful beings that would defeat the gods. The elders created a large floating laboratory called Odium, where they began investigating how to create mortals that could stand up to the gods. Using the World Heart as a template, the elders created relics known as the Godspheres.

As these man-made Godspheres were weaker than the World Heart, they did not possess the power to drain the energy of higher beings, nor did they share the conditions required to awaken its power. Instead the Godspheres had their own unique conditions - namely that they would only awaken in response to the collective determination of the people, such that their immense power could never be monopolized by a single individual.

Knowing that those who feared the power of the Godspheres, as well as those who coveted it, may attempt to attack Odium, the elders gathered four of the strongest Anima in Grandis: Ara the Blue Dragon, Shuli the Vermillion Bird, Baekyeon the White Tiger, and Gaon the Black Tortoise. These four Anima became known as the Four Symbols and severed their ties to their old lives in order to protect the elders and their research.

The Adversary Experiments

Early Experiments

In Odium, the elders began conducting experiments to fuse mortals with the Godspheres in order to give them the power to match the gods. The elders created mechanical Guardians to defend the laboratory, as well as to identity suitable test subjects. Worthy candidates were known as Vessels, who would then be experimented upon in order to be fused with the Godspheres.

As the elders conducted their experiments, they began using a combination of magic and cybernetics to enhance their Vessels and make them stronger, as well as to forcibly make them compatible with the Godspheres. Their early experiments resulted in a number of failed test subjects, many of whom were deemed defective and thrown off the edge of Odium, such as the Angler Father.

Contamination

Over time, the elders began perfecting their research and were soon able to successfully unite the Godspheres with their Vessels, giving rise to the first Adversaries. Imbued with the power to challenge the gods, the Adversaries began the conflict that would one day be known as the Ancient War. With the success of their experiments, the elders began mass-producing Adversaries in order to subdue the gods and end their chaos.

As the war progressed, however, the elders soon began noticing that their research had a critical flaw. As a result of their experimentation, their Adversaries began losing everything that made them human - their memories, their emotions, their free will, and their sense of self - thereby reducing them into empty shells devoid of anything except their single-minded obsession to fulfill their assigned purpose as Adversaries of the gods.

This lack of humanity was called contamination by the elders, who were shocked and disgusted with themselves for having forcibly taken away the humanity and free will of so many heroes of the world. Nevertheless, as they had been given a direct mission by the Overseers to end the rampage of the wild and unaccountable gods, the elders continued with their research, despite knowing that they were committing grave atrocities and compromising all the core values that they held sacred.

Kaling and the Four Perils

Soon after, the elders also realized another side-effect of their Adversaries - one which had been directly created by the Overseers themselves. The Adversaries' power to destroy higher beings made them a great danger to the world, for while they were working to end the chaos of the gods, allowing such powerful and dangerous weapons to remain in the world was a grave risk, as their mere existence had the potential to usher in a new age of chaos, equal to that of the Ancient Gods. For this reason, it had been ordained that the fate of every Adversary - from the moment that they awakened - was to die soon after fulfilling their purpose. As a result, their Adversaries - after defeating the gods - began falling one by one.

Because of this, the elders continued requiring candidates for their experiments in order to give rise to more Adversaries. Though most Vessels were brought in from outside Odium, there was one amongst the researchers who aided the elders named Kaling, who was deemed a suitable candidate for experimentation, despite the research team's reservations about whether she would be compatible with the Godsphere. A researcher named Aroa warned Kaling that the experiments would be incredibly painful, and that she may face unending pain or even death as a result, as well as the possibility of her humanity being stripped away from her.

Despite Aroa's warnings, Kaling - who was considered the most kind-hearted researcher amongst them - gladly agreed to undergo the experiments, despite knowing the risks, as she had a strong desire for peace and had full faith that the experiments would bring about that peace. However, though Kaling underwent the brutal experiments, she was ultimately deemed a defective Vessel.

At the same time, the war continued progressing as the elders had hoped, with the Adversaries successfully accomplishing their mission by defeating the Ancient Gods. Meanwhile, the contamination began overtaking Kaling, whose humanity was stripped away from her, leaving her obsessed with fulfilling her purpose to defeat the Ancient Gods. Aroa, who had previously warned Kaling about the experiments, discovered that Kaling had created four mechanical monsters imbibed with energy.

Kaling explained that while the researchers had Vessels and Godspheres, they lacked the power to fill the Vessels in order to make them stronger. She revealed that while her four machines were small, they could amass great power by consuming other small monsters, which could then give rise to an extremely powerful Adversary. Despite Aroa and the other researchers recognizing the signs of contamination in Kaling, they turned a blind eye to her experiments, refusing to believe that the contamination could affect even the best of them.

The Bell Mysticant

Over time, however, the elders and the researchers began realizing that the contamination was beginning to affect even them, slowly eroding away their humanity. Hoping to stop the contamination, an elder named Weio proposed that they create an object known as a mysticant, which would be able to cleanse them of their contamination and wash away their grave sins.

Several elders refused, claiming that they should view their lack of humanity as punishment from the Overseers for their abhorrent crimes. However, some of the elders agreed with Weio and began experimenting alongside her to create an object to stave off their contamination. Their efforts resulted in the creation of the bell mysticant, whose ring would be able to cleanse their sins and their contamination. However, as the bell would only ring in the hands of someone with an exceptionally pure heart, Weio - a sheep Anima - left the bell with a sheep Anima village, entrusting them to find someone who could make the bell ring.

End of the War

Towards the end of the war, the contamination deepened inside Kaling, erasing her morality and causing her to fall completely to evil. After she released her four monsters - Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie - into the world, her creations began consuming fiends and terrorizing the entirety of Grandis with their impunity. Aroa soon confronted Kaling and ordered her to terminate her research immediately, claiming that it was a complete failure.

Aroa explained to Kaling that her monsters had become known as the Four Perils, and that they were causing great harm upon the people of Grandis. However, Kaling retorted that Grandis was already embroiled in war and chaos, even without her creations. She then claimed that once the Four Perils consumed enough monsters, she would combine them and create an extremely powerful Adversary who could defeat all the Ancient Gods and win the war.

Before Kaling's experiment could finish, however, the Adversaries defeated the last Ancient God at the holy city of Cernium. At the end of the war, the elders and the researchers realized that they could no longer turn a blind eye to Kaling's madness, and so they sent another defective Vessel named Tai Yu in order to stop Kaling and her Four Perils. Tai Yu successfully sealed away Kaling in a place that the researchers could not reach, and in a way that left no trace.

After the war ended, the elders realized that their contamination had spread critically, which threatened to completely erode their humanity. They also realized that though the war had ended, their research to create beings capable of destroying gods had the potential to give birth to a new age of chaos. For this reason, the elders, in accordance to the will of the Overseers, decided that they would clear away their research and sequester themselves from the world in order to prevent both the contamination and the secrets of the Overseers from leaking out.

With no Godspheres left in Odium, the elders took the World Heart - the original template made by the Overseers - and forcibly fused it with Hundun, the strongest of the Four Perils. As the World Heart's power was so strong that even they could not handle it, the elders hoped to deplete its power in order to ensure that no one would be able to misuse it. After fusing it with Hundun, the elders used him as the power source of Odium. Meanwhile, Tai Yu sealed away the other three Perils, though the elders kept the truth about Hundun secret from both Tai Yu and the researchers.

The researchers, using some of Kaling's old research, created mechanical dolls called Constables - sentient robots made in the researchers' own image, with their Anima features replaced with metal equivalents. The Constables were then tasked with maintaining the laboratory in the researchers' absence. Additionally, the elders created a powerful sentinel called Guardian Kalos in order to reinforce the other mechanical Guardians, which had been made to keep all but a worthy Vessel from entering Odium. With Hundun and the World Heart powering such a vast and complex mechanical system, the elders hoped to slowly deplete the World Heart's power over the span of many ages.

The elders then locked all remnants of their research - including the monstrous creatures born from their failed experiments - inside the laboratory, tasking their Constables and Guardians with safeguarding Odium. With all traces of their research cleared away, the elders used their power to create Shangri-La, also known as the realm of the sages, where they planned to imprison themselves.

The Realm of the Sages

Shangri-La - a realm made completely out of magic - was created in the image of a beautiful painting and structured with four inner realms that corresponded to the four seasons. The outermost barrier was Spring, which led deeper into Summer, Autumn, Winter, and finally to the innermost pavilion where the elders lived. Shangri-La was created to be closed to outsiders, with only a true sage being allowed to enter and leave, either physically through a special hanging scroll, or by astral projection through their dreams.

In order to prevent outsiders from forcing their way into Shangri-La, the Four Symbols who protected the elders were tasked with guarding each of the inner realms and their barriers. Ara the Blue Dragon protected spring, Shuli the Vermillion Bird protected summer, Baekyeon the White Tiger protected autumn, and Gaon the Black Tortoise protected winter. Each of the Four Symbols had their life forces tied to special scrolls that served as gateways in and out of their respective realms.

With the natural balance of the four seasons, the elders hoped that the contamination spreading to themselves and the researchers would be halted. After imprisoning themselves inside Shangri-La, the elders spent the ages filled with guilt and remorse for the atrocities that they had committed during the war. Because of the contamination, the elders and the researchers also began having their humanity stripped away, slowly eroding their ability to feel. Nevertheless, the spiritual balance of Shangri-La countered the contamination and prevented it from worsening.

Filled with unending regret, the elders branded themselves as the Sinners and waited ages for the one who would ring the bell and wash away their sins to appear. Despite their guilt and their contamination, the elders maintained their strong sense of duty and morality for which the Overseers had chosen them. Seeing it as their continued responsibility to quell the chaos of the world, just as the Overseers had ordered, the elders sent Tai Yu and several other sages to the outside world in order to correct all that had gone awry.

The Bell Rings

Eons later, Lara came in possession of the bell mysticant and went on a journey to make it ring. Her travels led her to Narin Village, where she and a wolf Anima named Gri discovered that a woman named Hannah was using a paintbrush mysticant to gouge out the happy memories of the villagers. When Hannah threatened to kill Gri, Lara offered to sacrifice herself and her happy memories in exchange for Gri's life. Her selflessness and purity of heart caused the bell to ring, which erased Hannah and the paintbrush mysticant.

In Shangri-La, the elders sensed that the bell had rung, though they found that their contamination had not been erased, causing them to conclude that their sins were unforgivable.

Later on, Lara was inadvertently consumed by the darkness of the bell and encountered the memories of Wushuai, the horse Anima elder. Tai Yu then broke through the darkness and saved Lara, who called out to Wushuai and asked him to keep believing in her, promising to save him. In Shangri-La, Wushuai heard Lara's words, which gave him the strength to keep holding on.

The Angler Company

The Angler Father, a defective Vessel thrown out from Odium, was affected by the contamination and was singularly-driven towards fulfilling his purpose by becoming an Adversary, despite his incompatibility with the Godspheres. He created Karote, a self-building tower, to reach Odium and formed the Angler Company, a powerful arms-dealer organization that used stolen technology from Odium. He also created several cyborg children that would carry out his will.

Eventually, however, the Angler Company headquarters were destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion that severely damaged Angler Father and his children. One of his children, Cosim, broke free from his father's programming due to his injuries and turned against his family. Eventually, Cosim met the elders of Grandis and occasionally encountered Tai Yu on his missions. After his sister, Senya Angler, attempted to destroy Savage Terminal in an attempt to harvest energy for the Angler Father, Cosim decided to speak with the elders in Shangri-La about the Angler Company's return and Darmoor's Apostles making their move.

Fox Valley

After an Apostle of Darmoor blocked Sino the Fox God's vision and nearly destroyed Fox Point Village, Sino decided that it was time to speak with the elders in order to discuss what had happened.

Shangri-La

After the Adversary retrieved the World Heart from Hundun and escaped, Darmoor contacted several elders who had secretly turned against the will of the world - including Shensung, Maolang, and Xula - and promised them freedom from Shangri-La in exchange for allowing Kaling to enter the realm of the sages.

Meanwhile, the elders encountered the Adversary, who had come to Shangri-La with Tai Yu's help, and learned that they had managed to avoid their destiny to die after Darmoor had shattered their Seal Stone. Believing them to be a defiance to the Overseers' will, the elders ordered the Four Symbols to detain the Adversary and stop them from leaving Shangri-La.

Around the same time, Maolang and Shensung destroyed the barriers around Shangri-La, allowing Kaling and her forces to invade. Maolang and Shensung both captured two of the Four Symbols - Ara and Baekyeon - while the Adversary fought and killed Kaling with the World Heart. Following the battle, the elders reluctantly agreed to allow the Adversary to leave Shangri-La, despite their reservations that the Adversary and their potential to throw the world into chaos.

Before the Adversary left, Zigang and Weio also told the Adversary about the origin of the World Heart, as well as their goal to drain it of its power. They revealed that against their expectations, the World Heart had demonstrated that it could not only destroy the power of higher beings, but absorb that power as its own. They also told the Adversary that unlike the Seal Stones and the Godspheres, the World Heart did not react to the will of the people, and so they tasked the Adversary with finding a way to awaken its power.

Soon after, Maolang, Shensung, Xula, and three other elders left Shangri-La in order to meet Darmoor, who had asked them to revive their Adversary experiments for his own purposes.

Carcion

During the High Flora attack on Carcion, Shensung and Xula accompanied Limbo on his mission, hoping to find a candidate for the Adversary experiment. In Carcion, Shensung experimented on Limbo's Specters in order to have them mimic the appearance, scent, and bioenergy of the native Anima, which were then released in order to turn the two Anima tribes against each other and kidnap its weaker members. Shensung and Xula created a laboratory in the rainforest, where they began experimenting on the captured Anima. However, they were unable to find a suitable candidate and decided to return back to the other traitorous elders.

Organization and Hierarchy

Elders

There are twelve elders of Shangri-La, each one being a different type of Anima. Each of the elders wear a glowing sash that signifies their holy power. The elders in charge of Winter have white sashes that glow gold with golden cloud shapes around them. The elders in charge of Spring have silvery-blue sashes with blue cloud shapes around them. The elders in charge of Summer have silvery-blue sashes with pink cloud shapes around them. The elders in charge of Autumn have solid gold sashes with white cloud shapes around them.

Zigang is a rat Anima who oversees Winter. He is the leader of the elders and directs sages like Tai Yu in order to maintain order in the world. He was quite close to Kaling and considered her to be one of his favorite researchers. He initially ordered for the Adversary to be imprisoned in Shangri-La, though he changed his mind after they helped stop Kaling.

Chouxian is an ox Anima who overseers Winter. He is one of the elders who was against the Adversary from leaving Shangri-La, and he expresses that his mind has not changed, even after the Adversary defeats Kaling.

Maolang is a rabbit Anima who oversees Spring. She is one of the six elders who betrays Shangri-La and sides with Darmoor. Maolang attacks Shangri-La's Spring and captures Ara the Azure Dragon, rather than killing her, out of guilt for betraying her comrades. Despite her contamination, Maolang retains her sense of duty and follows through with her responsibilities, first with the Overseers and then with Darmoor.

Siyu is a snake Anima who oversees Summer. After the battle of Shangri-La, she speaks with the Adversary and explains that she believes that everything comes down to destiny in the end, though the Adversary disagrees. She is one of the elders who agreed with Weio's idea to create the bell and left behind several test tubes in Odium, which contain traces of their experiments to create it.

Wushuai is a horse Anima who oversees Summer. He would often spar with Ara and Baekyeon, the Symbols of Spring and Autumn, before Maolang and Shensung kidnapped them. Lara views Wushuai's memories within the bell during her storyline and sees Wushuai lamenting over his lack of humanity from the contamination. Lara's words of encouragement help Wushuai to keep holding on, which he attributes as the reason why he continued remaining faithful to the Overseers, rather than betraying them as Shensung and Maolang did.

Weio is a sheep Anima who oversees Summer. She came up with the idea of creating a bell in order to cleanse the elders of their sins and left it behind with a sheep Anima village in the hope that someone would eventually make it ring. When the bell's ringing fails to cleanse their contamination, Weio realizes that in the face of learning that their sins cannot be forgiven, the elders have gained the courage needed to face their sins head-on. She tells the Adversary about the origin of the bell, as well as details about how the World Heart operates.

Shensung is a monkey Anima who oversees Autumn. He is one of the six elders who betrays Shangri-La and sides with Darmoor. Shensung attacks Shangri-La's Autumn and captures Baekyeon the White Tiger when he is outnumbered between Baekyeon and Tai Yu. Despite having been chosen by the Overseers, Shensung claims to have been pretending to be a good person, even during the Ancient War. Having lost all his sense of duty, possibly from the contamination, he now seeks freedom from responsibility and believes that aiding Darmoor in his Adversary experiments is a fair price to pay for being liberated from his obligations to the Overseers.

Haia is a pig Anima who oversees Winter. She is highly uneasy of the Adversary and their existence as one who has transcended order, for which she had voted against allowing them to leave Shangri-La.

Xula is a dog Anima who oversees Autumn. She is one of the six elders who betrays Shangri-La and sides with Darmoor. Xula accompanies Shensung to Carcion alongside Limbo, where she experiments on the Anima of Carcion to identify a suitable candidate for their Adversary experiment. Despite having turned against the will of the world, Xula retains her sense of morality and often scolds Shensung for his rudeness. She also tells Gaon that Ara and Baekyeon are still alive, hoping to put his mind at ease with the news before his final moments.

Yinshuai is a tiger Anima who oversees Spring. She is one of the six elders who betrays Shangri-La and sides with Darmoor. Yinshuai accompanies Maolang to a hidden research laboratory alongside Ymir, who experiments on Ara and Baekyeon for Darmoor.

Chenyuan is a dragon Anima who oversees Spring. He is one of the six elders who betrays Shangri-La and sides with Darmoor. Chenyuan accompanies Maolang to a hidden research laboratory alongside Ymir.

Youzhen is a rooster Anima who oversees Autumn. He is one of the six elders who betrays Shangri-La and sides with Darmoor. Youzhen accompanies Maolang to a hidden research laboratory alongside Ymir.

Sages

Several sages of Grandis aid the elders in their mission to bring order to the world. These sages are a combination of researchers and Vessels.

Master Tai Yu is a legendary sage of Grandis and a defective Vessel of Odium. He was responsible for sealing away Kaling and three of the Four Perils, as well as adopting and raising Hoyoung. Despite his mandate to not interfere in the outside world, Tai Yu nevertheless acts of his own morality to protect innocent lives. He resides in the Hermitage, located in Shangri-La.

Hoyoung is a sage of Grandis who was adopted by Tai Yu and raised in the Hermitage of Shangri-La. He inadvertently freed and fused with Taotie, one of the Four Perils, and left Shangri-La to go to the outside world in order to recapture all the fiends that had escaped from Taotie upon their fusion. Aside from Baekyeon, Hoyoung is the only known white tiger Anima left in the world, as the rest of his people were purged.

Kaling is a former researcher who was considered to be the kindest of all the researchers. Due to her strong desire for peace, Kaling willingly underwent the experiments, though she was deemed a defective Vessel. She was later infected with the contamination and grew obsessed with fulfilling her role as an Adversary, for which she created the Four Perils to gather energy in order to give rise to a powerful Adversary. She was later sealed by Tai Yu, though she later escaped and became an Apostle of Darmoor. Kaling was later killed by the Adversary after she invaded Shangri-La.

Aroa is a researcher and an Anima who was close friends with Kaling. She initially warned Kaling about the danger of the experiments and later discovered Kaling's Four Perils experiment. Despite having many opportunities to stop Kaling, she had chosen to turn a blind eye, believing that everything would work out in accordance to the wishes of the elders and the will of the world. Later on, she confronted Kaling about the Four Perils terrorizing Grandis, though Kaling had fallen too far to be talked out of her plan. Aroa deeply regrets not having done more for Kaling. She later created a Constable named Aro in her image.

Hanasol is a researcher and an Anima who created a Constable named Na-Sol in his image.

Somiya is a researcher and an Anima who created a Constable named Miya in his image.

Trivia

• The twelve elders are based on the twelve animals of the Chinese/Korean zodiac: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig.
• In GMS, the first part of the elders' names corresponds to the twelve Earthly Branches, based on their zodiac:
  • Rat (Zi) = Zigang
  • Ox (Chou) = Chouxian
  • Rabbit (Mao) = Maolang
  • Snake (Si) = Siyu
  • Horse (Wu) = Wushuai
  • Sheep (Wei) = Weio
  • Monkey (Shen) = Shensung
  • Pig (Hai) = Haia
  • Tiger (Yin) = Yinshuai
  • Dragon (Chen) = Chenyuan
  • Rooster (You) = Youzhen
  • Dog (Xu) = Xula
• In KMS, each of the elders has the first letter of their name in Korean start with the character for the zodiac animal that they are based on:
  • Rat (Ja) = Jagang (Zigang in GMS)
  • Ox (Chuk) = Chukhyun (Chouxian in GMS)
  • Rabbit (Myo) = Myorang (Maolang in GMS)
  • Snake (Sa) = Sayu (Siyu in GMS)
  • Horse (O) = Osol (Wushuai in GMS)
  • Sheep (Mi) = Mio (Weio in GMS)
  • Monkey (Shin) = Shinseong (Shensung in GMS)
  • Pig (Hae) = Hea (Hae-ah), (Haia in GMS)
  • Tiger (In) = Inseol (Yinshuai in GMS)
  • Dragon (Jin) = Jinyeong (Chenyuan in GMS)
  • Rooster (Yu) = Yujin (Youzhen in GMS)
  • Dog (Sul) = Sula (Xula in GMS)
• In CMS, TMS and JMS, each of the elders has the first character of their name start with the character for the zodiac animal that they are based on:
  • Rat (Zi) = 子康 (zi kāng) / 子剛 (zi gāng) / 子康 (Ko Kō)
  • Ox (Chou) = 丑贤 (chǒu xián) / 丑峴 (chǒu xiàn) / 丑玄 (Ushi gen)
  • Rabbit (Mao) = 卯娘 (mǎo niáng) / 卯朗 (mǎo lǎng) / 卯朗 (U rō)
  • Snake (Si) = 巳柔 (sì róu) / 巳尤 (sì yóu) / 巳由 (Mi Yū)
  • Horse (Wu) = 午率 (wǔ shuài) / 午索 (wǔ suǒ) / 午率 (Uma-ritsu)
  • Sheep (Wei) = 未梧 (wèi wú) / 未悟 (wèi wù) / 未央 (Mio)
  • Monkey (Shen) = 申圣 (shēn shèng) / 申聖 (shēn shèng) / 申成 (Saru Sei)
  • Pig (Hai) = 亥雅 (hài yǎ) (JP: kai miyabi)
  • Tiger (Yin) = ?
  • Dragon (Chen) = ?
  • Rooster (You) = ?
  • Dog (Xu) = 戌拉 (xū lā) (JP: inu lā)