Flora

For the Stone Colossus monster, see Flora (Monster).

The Flora are one of the three major races of Grandis, alongside the Nova and the Anima. The Flora are culturally divided into the High Flora and the Verdant Flora. In all regions except for GMS, the High Flora and the Verdant Flora are known as the High Lef and the Wooden Lef.

There are four playable classes in the Flora race: Adele, Illium, Khali and Ark.

History

The Flora Schism

After the fall of the Ancient Gods, the Flora became the most populous and technologically advanced race on Grandis. The Flora channeled the flow of mana from their brilliant red wings into the mytocrystals embedded on the back of their hands, allowing them to cast powerful spells. With the power of the crystals, the Flora created a grand civilization and asserted their superiority over the other races of Grandis. Flora society revolved around a caste system based on magical talent, with the God-King on top, followed by the Gods, the Priests, and the powerless commoners on the bottom. Many centuries ago, the God-King ruled the Flora benevolently, protected by the Knights of the Einherjar. Several years into his reign, however, the God-King underwent a dramatic change of personality. Many of his subjects, including the knights, were alarmed by his madness, unsure of its cause. Unbeknownst to them, however, the God-King's insanity was brought about by an illness instilled into him by his son, Prince Gerand Darmoor, who hoped to break the balance of life on Grandis in order to awaken as the new Transcendent of Life.

In his belligerence, the God-King declared that, as the superior race on Grandis, it was the responsibility of the Flora to fix the other races through conquest and extermination. A faction of Flora, led by their God, opposed the God-King's mandate and asked that he strive for peace with the other races. Soon after, however, it was revealed that this faction had planned to destabilize the caste system by sharing power with the commoners. They and their God were accused of treason, for which they had their wings ripped out of their bodies before being exiled. This faction became known as the Verdant Flora, while the ruling faction became the High Flora. In exile, the powerless Verdant Flora struggled to create their own society without their magical wings. Eventually, the God of the Verdant Flora discovered a way to combine technology with their residual magic, allowing them to regain their old power through mechanical blue wings. With their magic restored, the Verdant Flora created their own society, making the city of Aboris as their capital. However, over the years, several Verdant Flora began to grow dissatisfied with their weaker magic and reliance on technology, causing discord to be sown amongst their ranks.

Mission to Sefirot

Around the time of the Flora schism, Sefirot - the sanctum of Grandis' Transcendent of Life - was attacked by an unknown enemy, resulting in the deaths of countless guardians who fell while protecting the sanctum. Following this battle, the spirits of the fallen began haunting the sanctum, with the Monks of Life holding memorial services to put them to rest. Furthermore, the Transcendent of Life seemingly disappeared from Sefirot, with their altar remaining locked and inaccessible. However, a stone tablet was left behind at the altar, which contained an encrypted message about how to summon the Transcendent of Life, to which the Monks of Life continued tending to the garden in Sefirot in the hope of bringing back the Transcendent to the sanctum, believing that keeping the garden alive and verdant would allow for the Transcendent's return. Because of the schism that tore apart the High Flora and Verdant Flora, the balance of life on Grandis was broken, causing Gerand Darmoor to awaken as the new Transcendent of Life, with the former Transcendent of Life and their monks disappearing from the sanctum, though it remained unknown how or why the Transcendent had disappeared. Nevertheless, Darmoor kept his awakening secret from the rest of his people, leaving the people of Grandis unaware that the former Transcendent of Life had disappeared from Sefirot, for which they continued visiting the sanctum in the hope of having the Transcendent grant their wishes. However, Darmoor - who had hoped that seeing the world through the eyes of a god would allow him to see some hidden value in humanity - came to believe that most lives were worthless, for which he hoped to prune away all those except "noble lives" worthy of survival in the true paradise that he intended to create.

Meanwhile, the God-King continued his designs to conquer the other races of Grandis, causing growing dissent within the ranks of the Knights of the Einherjar, with many torn between their loyalty to the God-King and their own morality in waging an unjust war. After the God-King's most loyal knight, Adelaide, refused to follow him into battle, the God-King threw her into prison, thereby eliminating her as a figurehead for the other dissenters to rally around. As the God-King's madness grew worse, he slowly began transforming into a twisted monster, rendering him incapable of speaking or even recognizing his people. In desperation, several Knights of the Einherjar began investigating the source of his insanity, which led them to realize that his affliction came from an illness. The knights began to secretly investigate a cure for his madness, but after finding no solution, they came to believe that the only way to save their king was through the blessing of the Transcendent of Life, for which they planned a secret expedition to Sefirot. Darmoor, disguised as a man named Aaron, arrived in Sefirot with two Knights of the Einherjar - Edvar and Yuel. There, they began working with Sefirot's gardener, Asha, in order to find a way to summon the Transcendent of Life by using an encrypted tablet left behind at the Transcendent's altar.

Darmoor and Asha began working together to solve the cipher, with Darmoor coming to respect Asha for her selfless dedication to maintaining the garden, as she had been told by the Monks of Life that keeping the garden beautiful would allow the Transcendent to return. With the monks having taken her in as a child, Asha hoped that tending to their garden would not only repay them for their generosity, but also bring them back to Sefirot along with the Transcendent. Darmoor was intrigued by Asha's beliefs on pruning the garden, as he shared her beliefs with all life - that the worthless parts needed to be cut away before they dragged down the parts worth saving. Together, Asha and Darmoor deciphered the tablet and learned that the inscription upon it stated that only the beautiful sacrifice of a "noble life" would draw the Transcendent's gaze. Darmoor led Yuel and Edvar into believing that the sacrifice of a Flora Knight was required to summon the Transcendent, for which he asked them to decide who would be sacrificed.

As the two fought to save themselves, several Verdant Flora - dissatisfied with their weak magic - were anonymously lured by Darmoor to Sefirot, where they were led to believe that they would be able to meet the God-King and become High Flora. Instead, Edvar and Yuel attempted to sacrifice them, believing that any member of the superior Flora race was sufficiently noble enough. As chaos devolved, Darmoor unleashed the monstrous God-King, who began to absorb the Verdant Flora's magic and grow even more berserk. Abandoning his duties, Edvar fled and set the garden on fire, intending to kill everyone there and blame the God-King's disappearance on the Verdant Flora by erasing all evidence of the Knights' presence. Asha attempted to stop Edvar from destroying the garden, though she was knocked unconscious and burned in the fire. In the end, Darmoor revealed himself as the Transcendent of Life to Edvar and explained that he had incited everything in the hope of seeing whether seeing the world through the eyes of a god would help him gain a better perspective. However, he revealed that in the end, he hadn't seen anything to change his stance, claiming that the arrogant High Flora, and the Verdant Flora - who claimed to be different, were all the same in the end, and equally worthless. After Darmoor killed Edvar, he discovered Asha, grievously wounded and praying for her death to be the "beautiful sacrifice" that would bring the Transcendent back and restore the garden. As Darmoor approached Asha, his powers caused the burned garden to bloom back to life. He then brought Asha back from death, claiming that she was the "noble life" that he had been searching for.

Flora Civil War

With the God-King having turned into a monster and disappeared, his stand-in remained at the capital. During this time, Darmoor gained the loyalty of several knights who opposed the God-King's will. Many pledged their loyalty to Darmoor, hoping that together, they could stop the God-King before he began his senseless genocide. Within the palace, a schism took place between the Knights, with half defending the God-King and half attempting to overthrow him. Several knights freed Adelaide from prison, hoping that she would lead them in the coup to overthrow the God-King. However, Adelaide refused to betray her lord and took arms against the rebels in a battle to hold down the Einherjar - the palace gate. Meanwhile, the Verdant Flora came to learn that Darmoor planned to begin his father's war against the other races of Grandis. As the coup to overthrow the God-King raged on, the Verdant Flora rushed to the High Flora capital, only to find Darmoor standing over his father's body. Darmoor immediately called for the guards, claiming that the Verdant Flora had murdered the God-King.

With the Verdant Flora being framed for the God-King's murder, the High Flora immediately retaliated and attempted to wipe out the Verdant Flora, thus sparking the Flora Civil War. The bloody conflict lasted for hundreds of years, with great casualties on both sides. As the civil war raged on, Darmoor assumed command of the High Flora and began his father's war of genocide against the other races. Over the course of centuries, the High Flora began suffering great losses. With their numbers rapidly dropping, Darmoor began making grand speeches about Flora nationalism in order to motivate young High Flora to enlist in battle, calling their fight the 'War for Peace'. During this time, the High Flora revived previously forbidden studies from the era of the Ancient Gods on Specters. Using a special ritual, the Flora performed ethnic cleaning on the other races of Grandis by forcibly transforming them into Specters and using them as soldiers in their army. Additionally, the Flora experimented with creating partial Specters that could retain their individuality while still holding a Specter soul.

Eventually, the conflict reached its peak in a final battle at the Verdant Flora capital of Aboris, causing massive death on an immensely large scale. During this battle, Darmoor finally revealed that he had awakened as the new Transcendent of Life after hiding his abilities for centuries. Because of his deception, it was mistakenly believed by the rest of Grandis that the bloody battle of Aboris had broken the balance of life on Grandis, which had resulted in Darmoor's awakening. With his powers, Darmoor obliterated nearly every living being on the battlefield. He then approached the wounded God of the Verdant Flora, who had managed to survive Darmoor's attack, and sealed him inside the mytocrystal on the back of his hand. The surviving High Flora then successfully sacked Aboris, ending the war with the capture of the Verdant Flora capital and the near-total destruction of its people.

Fall of Grandis

With the war ending in his victory, Darmoor crowned himself the new God-King of the High Flora. Even though the High Flora forces had been crippled at the end of the Flora Civil War, Darmoor nevertheless turned his focus on his war of genocide, which had been waged simultaneously with the battle against the Verdant Flora. Darmoor ordered his exhausted army to push forward and moved the High Flora capital to the former Verdant Flora capital of Aboris, where he ruled from the new God-King Temple at the Aboris Royal Palace alongside his twelve Apostles. Following the end of the Flora Civil War, Darmoor invaded the Chronica Sanctuary and attempted to convince Chronica, the Transcendent of Time, to join him. When they were unable to come to a resolution, Darmoor stole Chronica's powers. However, the use of the stolen powers of a Transcendent came with consequences. Not only was Darmoor severely weakened, but several Interdimensional Portals that led to other worlds appeared throughout Grandis, and it was said that Darmoor himself used a portal to travel to Maple World. Ruling from the capital city of Aboris, stolen from the Verdant Flora, the High Flora held six territories in Grandis, including Erimos and a snowy mountain territory, which were led by Gods, who served as regional lords. Additionally, the High Flora began spreading their influence across Grandis and began creating colonies by driving out and purging the native races of those regions. To defend their cities, the Zealous - the royal guards - were established to serve the lords and people of their respective regions. Meanwhile, the Central Army pooled together soldiers from all six regions in order to conquer more land. To increase the Central Army's numbers, Darmoor hired tens of thousands of mercenaries as common low-ranking soldiers, while the High Flora served as their officers.

Meanwhile, the surviving Verdant Flora used their powers to create a pocket dimension called Sanctuary. Led by Agate, the disciple of the God of the Verdant Flora, the survivors created a new society, hidden from the High Flora.

End of the Verdant Flora

In hiding, the Verdant Flora were able to replicate much of their old grandeur in Sanctuary, where they celebrated a combination of magic and technology under the leadership of Agate. However, the Verdant Flora were eventually betrayed by their Guardian, Darius, who believed that their reliance on engineering was an affront to the glory of the ancient Flora. Darius led the Specter army into Sanctuary and wiped out nearly all the Verdant Flora. During the attack, Agate entrusted the Elder Crystal, a powerful creation of the God of the Verdant Flora upon which he had imprinted his consciousness and powers, to a young Verdant Flora boy named Illium. Illium then led the survivors to safety and began a quest to awaken the power of the Elder Crystal and stop the High Flora.

Preparing for Invasion

In the decades after the war, the High Flora began making preparations for Darmoor's grand plan to create a world for the High Flora alone, with the Apostles working in the shadows to amass power and influence across the moons of Grandis. Unbeknownst to them, however, Darmoor did not intend to create a world for the High Flora, but rather, to purge the unworthy and leave behind only those lives he deemed "noble". Nevertheless, to prepare for Darmoor's designs, the High Flora began purchasing powerful superweapons, such as Vision Bombs, from Mr. Hazard - a corrupt member of the Shadowdealers - and several other corrupt branches. Under the leadership of Limbo, an Apostle of Darmoor, the High Flora began harvesting bioenergy from the moon of Verdel. They also began launching missions to collect keys to awaken the Ancient Gods. One such mission was conducted by Veronica, the Vice Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar, where she attempted to obtain a key to awakening the Ancient God of Ristonia, though the efforts of Adele and Jerome prevented the key from falling into her hands.

Soon after, the Nova successfully allied with the Maple Alliance in an effort to gain allies in the fight against the High Flora in exchange for aiding Maple World in their battle against the Black Mage. The Alliance and the Nova then launched a joint operation to take back Heliseum, after which the Nova and many heroes of Grandis formally joined the Alliance. Around this time, Darmoor began recovering from his weakness and started taking a more active role in his plan to remake all life. He sought out the Angler Company, which had gone underground after the explosion of its headquarters, and allied with them in order to gain access to their superior technology. He also began mobilizing his Apostles on missions, such as the destruction of Fox Point Village on Vulpes, and sent one of his servants, Melange, to infiltrate the Arcane River expedition in order to spy on the Alliance and the Black Mage's plans.

After the creation of the Adversary at Black Heaven, Darmoor left the capital and used his old disguise as Aaron to enter Cernium, claiming to be a turncoat High Flora who hated his own kind. Posing as a theologian and historian, Darmoor was given access to the royal library of Cernium, where he spent many years organizing the countless records about the Ancient Gods while also maintaining appearances at Aboris. Before the death of the Black Mage, Darmoor predicted the Black Mage's defeat and the convergence of Maple World and Grandis, for which Prince Carlisle began preparing to organize an expedition across the forgotten sea to request the Alliance's aid against the High Flora. As the Alliance came to Cernium, Darmoor ordered Havoc, his Apostle of Lightning, to invade Cernium before disappearing from the capital.

Under Havoc's command, the High Flora allied themselves with a group of heretics called Ebonstar in order to cause chaos within the city. He also allied with a Celestial called Gilmore, who volunteered to undergo a experiment that would turn him into a special Specter, such that he could trick the Holy Sword Azor into believing that he was the Chosen One of the Sun God Mitra. After a fierce battle, the Alliance successfully forced the High Flora to retreat. Soon after, however, Darmoor revealed his true identity and destroyed the Seal Stone within the Adversary. Though the Alliance believed that Darmoor had done this to destroy their only weapon against the Transcendents, Darmoor had intended to save the Adversary's life, as the destiny of all Adversaries was to die after killing a god, for which the Adversary would have met their demise if the Seal Stone had remained in them. Additionally, Darmoor intended for the Adversary to go in search of a new Seal Stone, which would eventually lead them to Odium. Shortly after, the High Flora began mobilizing the Specter army and sent them across the forgotten sea that bridged Maple World and Grandis, where they began skirmishing with the Alliance members at the border of Maple World.

Stealing the Power of the Gods

Over the next several months, Darmoor and his Apostles began preparing for their plan to steal the power of the Ancient Gods by using special draining crystals, made as offshoots of the Godspheres, which were capable of stealing the power of higher beings. In preparation for this, Darmoor invaded High Mountain and augmented the sealed Ancient God Tynos, intending for him to weaken Mitra in order to capture him. Meanwhile, the Angler Company moved in to manipulate the Adversary into finding Odium, where Darmoor dispatched his Apostle, Kaling, to help the Angler Company enter the heart of the laboratory and take the World Heart. After the Adversary managed to take the World Heart first, Darmoor sent Kaling to invade Shangri-La, where the Adversary successfully defeated her and absorbed the Transcendent power that Darmoor had given her, killing her and restoring a small portion of the World Heart's power. Unbeknownst to the Adversary, Darmoor intended for the Adversary to restore the World Heart by collecting the power of the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents.

Following this, Darmoor ordered his Apostles to move out of the shadows and conduct raids on all known sites in Grandis where the Ancient Gods slumbered. After learning from Ypsilon's interrogation of an Alliance soldier that Cygnus was a Transcendent-in-waiting and Shinsoo was an Ancient God, Darmoor sent Reina to invade Maple World aboard Arteria, where Reina successfully took Cygnus' power, though she was unable to take Shinsoo's. Soon after, Limbo attacked Carcion and attempted to take the powers of the Ancient God Keira, though the Adversary and the Alliance managed to stop him. With the High Flora openly launching their attack on Grandis, many began banding together in resistance to them, with one major resistance group being the Primacy. In order to get their help, the Alliance decided to seek them out after Seren, having met them, requested the Adversary to meet the Primacy at "the place where the world starts again". Following this, the Adversary and the Alliance deduced this location to be Tallahart, where they worked alongside the Primacy against the Knights of the Einherjar, under the leadership of the Apostle Baldrix and Veronica. There, Baldrix secretly allowed the Adversary to claim the full power of the Ancient Gods of Tallahart and revealed to them that Darmoor would soon begin his great culling to purge unworthy lives. Following the battle at Tallahart, Baldrix reported to Darmoor that the Adversary was still intact as a Vessel, and that the World Heart's completion would allow Darmoor's plans to be realized. In preparation, Darmoor gave an order for all available Apostles to gather at the Morning Star Banquet, where the Apostle Ressa - the God-King's messenger - gave the Apostles their new orders for the great culling.

Society and Culture

High Flora

The High Flora nation is composed of the capital city of Aboris, along with six territories ruled by lords, as well as all the outlying colonies. Currently, the only known territory is Erimos - a fertile land surrounded by desert, which is ruled by Ypsilon, a God and an Apostle of Darmoor. Another territory is located in the snowy mountains, where the cold makes it difficult for the citizens to survive and make a living. The former lord of that region was focused on the immediate problem of saving his people from dying, rather than sending troops to fight for the Central Army and conquer the surrounding area, which would allow them to escape their freezing environment. Eventually, this lord was defeated in a Syaman duel by his direct blood relative, Reina, who took his position as the lord of the snowy mountains and his caste rank of God, becoming an Apostle of Darmoor.

High Flora society is heavily rooted in cultural and magical superiority. Societal status is exclusively based on magical talent, with commoners being heavily discriminated against. This caste system is the linchpin of High Flora society and any disruption to it, such as the God of the Verdant Flora attempting to share power with the commoners, is considered high treason. The God-King is the central figure of the High Flora and has immense influence, not only politically, but also culturally. All High Flora citizens are taught to believe that the God-King's will is divine mandate. The God-King's authority is unchallenged, as he is unquestionably the strongest being in their power-based society. The God-King has supreme authority in all political, military, and cultural matters. His immense presence and authority are such that the High Flora believe that they only prosper through his blessings and grace. Directly below him are the Gods of the High Flora. Next to the God-King himself, the Gods are the most powerful figures in High Flora society. The Gods are the regional lords of their respective territories and are given the responsibility to protect their citizens. Gods must constantly demonstrate their superior power and are require to accept a Syaman - an honor duel - from any person of a lower caste. Though the Flora caste system is normally rigid, becoming a God is possible for a Priest by defeating a God in a Syaman.

Priests make up a majority of Flora society. Though Priests stand above commoners in the caste system, any Flora who demonstrate even a hint of magical power is part of the Priest caste. There also exists a subdivision within the Priests called High Priests, though it remains unknown whether this is a position or a distinction of strength between those who hold greater magical power from the other Priests of their caste. However, the position of High Priest is hereditary, as Khali was recognized as a High Priest by Simer, who recognized her as the daughter of Anan. Most Priests in High Flora society are ordinary citizens who hold routine jobs, protected by the lords of their territories. Priests are indoctrinated into believing that their role is to serve the God-King and their lords through any means that they can. For those who wish to serve their nation through combat, there are two options available to them.

The first is the Zealous - elite soldiers who protect their lords and the people of their territories. Selection examinations for the Zealous are both strict and exclusive. Candidates are required to fight in Syaman duels against other candidates, with only a select few winners being sworn in. The other path is joining the Central Army of the High Flora - a united military under the command of the God-King and the central government. Priests from each territory may enlist in military academies and serve as officers in the High Flora army. Following the Flora Civil War, both the High Flora and Verdant Flora faced near-extinction in the carnage. As a result, the vast majority of the High Flora army is composed of hired mercenaries from other races. Because the High Flora have an ample supply of footsoldiers, High Flora Priests are trained to begin as officers from the start of their career. As mercenaries cannot become officers, the military is seen as the perfect place for Priests to rise through the ranks after demonstrating their magical and tactical prowess.

The lowest caste of the High Flora are the commoners. Commoners are those who hold no magical power, and as such, exist at the bottom of the power-based Flora caste system. Commoners are viewed as second class citizens and have little to no privilege in High Flora society. The flow of information is restricted to them, including matters of military, even something as basic as knowing where a family member is stationed. It is expected that commoners work menial jobs in order to contribute to High Flora society in what little way they can. Though commoners are not segregated from Priests, it is uncommon for Priests and commoners to socialize. Commoners are taught to view the upper castes as superior and are expected to be deferential and obsequious to them at all times. Many commoners will even kneel to the ground in order to bless Priests.

Though commoners hold no magical power, they are permitted to join military academies. However, commoners are unable to hold officer positions like the Priests, and are instead tasked with assisting officers, although they do hold some political power through being tasked with managing the High Flora colonies established through conquest. As commoners are unable to use magic, they are unable to prove themselves through battle. Instead, their only chance to gain status is through completing their menial missions perfectly. As a result, many have not been in contact with their families for years, as they are unable to take time off from their missions. The High Flora caste system is - with rare exceptions - a fixed system. There is little potential for those born into a particular station to better their lives, and it is expected that they remain content with existing as they are. Lineage is highly prioritized and it is taught to all High Flora citizens that power is a result of one's birth, which no amount of hard work can overcome. Because of this, attempting to question the integrity of the caste system is seen as treason. When the God of the Verdant Flora and his people were revealed to have been attempting to share power with the commoners, they were punished and exiled as a result.

There are two notable exceptions to order of the High Flora caste system. The first are mutants - those with magical powers who are born to commoners. It is said that the magic of mutants is 'impure', and as a result, being a mutant is punishable by death. Furthermore, hiding or protecting a mutant will result in severe consequences as well, regardless of one's caste. Despite this, however, the true nature of mutants remains largely shrouded in secret, with rumors that the secret behind mutants is hidden in Flora history, with this knowledge available only to the High Priests. The second exception is those who have had their wings removed. Wings are the greatest symbol of pride to the High Flora, as wings are their source of magical power. Though unconfirmed, it is speculated that wings darker in color correspond to higher magical ability. High Flora are able to open and close their wings at will for flight and battle. Though the Flora can use magic without opening their wings, their power will be reduced compared to opening them. Having no wings is seen as the greatest disgrace to the Flora and is a punishment reserved for traitors. Regardless of one's caste, the removal of wings strips away all power and privilege, leaving them on the same level as commoners.

The High Flora government is fascist in nature, with the belief that the Flora are the superior race being central to their policies. There is a heavy emphasis on nationalism and racial pride, which is the basis of High Flora propaganda in military recruitment. Despite their belief in Flora superiority, the High Flora are not above recruiting non-Flora members to their military, with the vast majority of their soldiers being hired mercenaries. Additionally, there several non-Flora members of Darmoor's Apostles who hold high military rank and status, even greater than that of most High Flora. In spite being the God-King of the High Flora, Gerand Darmoor personally detests his own race, though this fact remains hidden to his people. Crystals are another important symbol in High Flora culture, as the Flora channel their mana through crystals in order to use specialized spells. Crystals have been incorporated into much of High Flora society, such their buildings and art. All Flora have mytocrystals embedded in the back of their hands, allowing them to refine their magic.

Verdant Flora

Verdant Flora society, in contrast to their High Flora counterparts, is much more socially liberal, as the Verdant Flora directly opposed the caste system and the notion of Flora superiority. As a splinter faction of the High Flora, much of Verdant Flora society is largely the same, including their emphasis on crystals and wings. Because of the loss of their original wings and the construction of their artificial ones, technology and engineering are both valued and respected in Verdant Flora culture. Though not much is known about Verdant Flora government before the Flora Civil War, they established their capital as Aboris before its fall. After the war, the Verdant Flora retreated to Sanctuary, where they created a new society. In Verdant Flora society, the original caste system of the High Flora was replaced with a new system of Seekers, Guardians, and Engineers. Before the fall of Sanctuary, the leaders of the Seekers, Guardians, and Engineers were Agate, Darius, and Curly, respectively. It is likely that the rough equivalents between the Verdant Flora and High Flora systems were Engineers being the equivalent for commoners, Guardians being Priests, and Seekers being Gods. The renaming and replacement of the caste system with positions was likely meant to decouple the classism from the lofty naming convention of the High Flora, instead placing emphasis on one's function (i.e. referring to commoners as Engineers empowers them as valued members of society, rather than placing the focus on their lack of magical talent.)

The leaders of the Verdant Flora typically determine the policies of the Verdant Flora, such as their ironclad rule to keep Sanctuary hidden, as well as their beliefs and culture. The Verdant Flora have a heavy emphasis on respecting the past, as they honor the past Gods of the Flora in the Festival of the Gods. Traditionally, young Verdant Flora create sculptures to honor their past leaders and the festival typically has a great deal of magic and lights. Education is highly coveted and privileged, as few are able to attend the famed Crystal Academy. As Headmistress, Agate ensured that the Verdant Flora received a comprehensive education, as she believed that the salvation of the Verdant Flora lay in future generations. With the destruction of Sanctuary, Illium and a handful of Verdant Flora students are the only known survivors of their culture. With the High Flora having left Sanctuary after its destruction, the Verdant Flora children have made the Crystal Academy their base of operations. They have also immersed themselves into the culture of Maple World, having made many bonds with its people. Despite the Verdant Flora having been framed for the death of the God-King, there exists a great deal of confusion and mystery about the events of the war, as many records are said to contradict each other. The Nova, for instance, believed that the Verdant Flora killed the God-King as revenge for their exile, and that Darmoor had been an opponent of the war. Though Illium was able to clear their name, many things still remain unknown about the war, such as the reason for the God-King's sudden change of personality, Darmoor's role in his father's death, and the reason why the Knights of the Einherjar who followed him continue to do so, despite him waging the war of genocide that he had promised to avert.

Notable Members

High Flora

• God-King:
  • Gerand Darmoor - the current God-King of the High Flora and Grandis' Transcendent of Life
  • Former God-King of the High Flora - Darmoor's father who was turned into a monster, with his current whereabouts and status remaining unknown
• Apostles:
  • Ypsilon - a God of the High Flora, the Lord of Erimos, and an Apostle of Darmoor
  • Reina - a God of the High Flora, the lord of the snowy mountains, and an Apostle of Darmoor
  • Limbo - General in the Central Army (formerly Brigadier General), an Apostle of Darmoor, and a partial Specter
  • Baldrix - the Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar, and an Apostle of Darmoor
• Knights of the Einherjar:
  • Baldrix - Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar, and an Apostle of Darmoor
  • Veronica - Vice Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar who turned on the God-King and joined Darmoor
  • Avril (formerly) - a Knight of the Einherjar who left the order and joined the Central Army under the command of the Apostle Havoc
  • Adele (formerly) - a Knight of the Einherjar who was sealed away in the Void during the Flora Civil War
  • Edvar (deceased) - a Knight of the Einherjar who was killed by Darmoor during the mission to Sefirot
  • Yuel (deceased) - a Knight of the Einherjar who was killed by the God-King during the mission to Sefirot
• Central Army:
  • Avril - adjutant to Havoc, the Apostle of Lightning, and a former Knight of the Einherjar
  • Albaire - Colonel under Limbo, and Ark's former best friend
  • Lystor - adjutant to Reina, an Apostle of Darmoor
• Gods:
  • Ypsilon - a God of the High Flora, the Lord of Erimos, and an Apostle of Darmoor
  • Reina - a God of the High Flora, the lord of the snowy mountains, and an Apostle of Darmoor
  • Former lord of the snowy mountains (deceased) - Reina's direct blood relative, killed by Reina in a Syaman duel
• Priests:
  • Avril - adjutant to Havoc, the Apostle of Lightning, and a former Knight of the Einherjar
  • Albaire - Colonel under Limbo, and Ark's former best friend
  • Lystor - adjutant to Reina, an Apostle of Darmoor
  • Lotusha - a Priest who reportedly underwent Specter experimentation to get revenge on Ren
  • Lotusha's brother (deceased) - a High Priest who was wounded by Ren and later succumbed to his injuries
  • Anan (deceased) - High Priest of Erimos, Khali and Rasha's father, killed by Ypsilon
  • Laiyan (deceased) - Captain of the Ypsilon Zealots, killed by Khali
  • Rasha (deceased) - former Zealot, Khali's twin sister, killed by Ypsilon
• Commoners:
  • Tasha (deceased) - a powerful commoner who fought against the caste system, Khali's biological mother, died in childbirth
  • Jad (deceased) - a commoner who owned a weapon shop, Khali's biological father, killed by Ypsilon
  • Kinan (deceased) - Tasha's close friend and a commoner who fought against the caste system, killed by Ypsilon
  • Ritan (deceased) - Jad's mother, killed by Ypsilon
• Classes:
  • Ark - a turncoat High Flora soldier and a partial Specter
  • Adele - a former Knight of the Einherjar who served the former God-King
  • Khali - a High Priest of the High Flora who once served Ypsilon as a Zealot.
• Others:
  • Nile - servant of Anan's household

Verdant Flora

• Leaders:
  • God of the Verdant Flora - the creator of the Verdant Flora's mechanical wings and the Elder Crystal, through which he fused with Illium
  • Darius - former leader of the Guardians of the Verdant Flora who betrayed his people to Darmoor
  • Agate (deceased) - leader of the Seekers of the Verdant Flora and Headmistress of the Crystal Academy, killed by Darius
  • Curly (deceased) - leader of the Engineers of the Verdant Flora, presumably killed during the fall of Sanctuary
• Professors:
  • Professor Kalsat (deceased) - Mytocrystal professor, killed during the fall of Sanctuary
  • Professor Andrada (deceased) - Magical Combat Training professor, killed during the fall of Sanctuary
  • Professor Citrine (deceased) - Gate Creation professor, killed during the fall of Sanctuary
  • Professor Lutil (deceased) - History professor, killed during the fall of Sanctuary
• Classes:
  • Illium - inheritor of the Elder Crystal and the leader of the surviving Verdant Flora
• Students:
  • Dean - Student of the Crystal Academy, one of the last Verdant Flora survivors
  • Morian - Student of the Crystal Academy, one of the last Verdant Flora survivors
  • Carnelian - Student of the Crystal Academy, one of the last Verdant Flora survivors
  • Sinaria - Student of the Crystal Academy, one of the last Verdant Flora survivors, sided with Darius and betrayed Illium