"I claim no great ambition, nor any heated calls to action. All I wish is to restore order for our people and to safeguard our land from the threats beyond. This chaos we face is but one of God's many trials."
Aestivum Svafrlam Forden is a major character and antagonist in Metaphor: ReFantazio. He is the 78th sanctifex of the Sanctist Church and the supreme authority of Sanctism, the state religion of the United Kingdom of Euchronia, the leader of the governing Euchronian Senate and the organizer and a major participant of the Tournament for the Throne. Seemingly a benevolent public figure with wide support from the populace, he is secretly the chief mastermind of a kingdom-wide political conspiracy to usurp the throne that has thrown the entire country to its current tumultuous state, and is directly or indirectly responsible for the various conflicts in the game's story.
Appearances[]
- Metaphor: ReFantazio: Major Antagonist
Design[]
Forden is a tall, old rhoag man with white skin, gray eyes and gray markings painted on his face and forehead. He has pointy ears and a moustache under his nose. His hair is long and gray in color and is slicked-back to reveal his forehead. He dons an ornate long robe in gray, black and white and a gold and black cape around it, and in his right hand he wields a scepter tipped with the Sanctist Church emblem. Because of the rhoag tribe's greatly enhanced lifespan, he has not visibly aged in twelve years while Rella was still a child at around the same period.
Personality[]
Within the Sanctist Church senate, Forden is a bigoted, manipulative and power-hungry man who instigated the events of the story for the sake of power and his hatred towards the elda tribe. He is also rather self-confident, as shown when he bragged in front of the royal tournament's other contestants after Louis' (supposed) death that he will take the throne with his major competition out of the way.
He is shown to be extremely skilled in deceiving other people; even King Hythlodaeus V and the prince's closest aides believe his lies that Louis assassinated his son rather than the sanctifex himself. Forden is also not above making threats or manipulating others including children, such as forcing Rella to assassinate the prince in exchange for the safety of her adopted sister Junah. However, all of Forden's crimes are committed in complete secrecy and he is a highly popular public figure who puts significant effort into maintaining his public image, rendering him near suspicion-proof and unaccountable. Those who work closely for him, such as his right-hand man Gideaux, do not realize the true extent of his treachery. The party only discovers his involvement in the prince's assassination after he accidentally slips up when congratulating Hulkenberg on stopping the assassin despite her never telling anyone about it out of shame.
As the sanctifex, he bears a profound hatred against the elda tribe due to their vast knowledge and connection to the Old World before Sanctism's founding, and has instigated multiple pogroms against their sanctuaries. Forden also strongly desires the death of the half-blooded prince simply because he despised the idea of an eldan king leading the country where Sanctism is wide-spread. His own hatred for the elda tribe proved to be his undoing as it brought his demise to the hands of Louis, who he had single-handedly driven into becoming a madman.
He generally takes action against anything he views as a threat to his power and authority, but always uses Sanctist teachings and influence as pretext to hide his true intentions and to give himself plausible deniability while doing so (and cannot act in such a manner otherwise). This includes treating the mustari tribe as pagans and using the tournament to plunder Eht Ria's holy relics to prove the church's supremacy, in spite of the church's usual passivity towards the mustari people; while it was explicitly a power-grab move, this can also be seen as the church confiscating the relics in case if someone intends to use them for nefarious reasons. Forden also ordered the Mage's Academy to be shut down behind King Hythlodaeus V's back, as the institution's research into magic without the use of igniters had the potential to undermine the funding that the Sanctist Church received through the Igniter Consortium's profits, but used the excuse of them researching a dragon, among other divine relics that might be considered heresy for the church.
Due to his long-living nature as a rhoag and his pretense as a moderate Sanctist, Forden created his own image as a wise man whom the public frequently seek for knowledge and leadership, and provides his Sanctist theocratic dictatorship as the more favorable alternative to Louis' Darwinistic meritocracy. His reputation with the citizens is so great that his followers remain loyal even after the party confronts him regarding the prince's assassination—it took Rella personally confessing both her and his involvement for the public to realize the full extent of his crimes.
Forden is highly pragmatic and will satisfy the citizenry only if it helps his public image, even if that action would otherwise displease him, such as with the slaying of the giant squid and the execution of the serial killer Sanctoress Joanna during the monster head exhibit. Though he often speaks in a calm and soft-spoken manner, he is prone to outbursts of anger in private.
Profile[]
Forden is the 78th sanctifex of the Sanctist Church, the leader of its senate and King Hythlodaeus V's chief advisor. According to the Memorandum entry for the Prince of Montario, he was able to ascend to the church's highest position because of his family's close ties with the Montario noble family, who were devout Sanctists for generations.
Infamous for his hatred of the elda tribe, the sanctifex ordered the monk knight army to start a pogrom on the Ancient Eldan Sanctum, killing half of its population, including the eldan queen and Louis' family, and forced the survivors to close themselves in the ruins. According to Louis, the attack had little to do with Sanctist teachings and he only ordered the sanctum to be burned down to eliminate the prince, the king's potential heir that he viewed as a mongrel and an inconvenient affront against him. The king himself then visited the sanctuary to bring the prince back to the Royal Capital Grand Trad. The prince was not the only elda the king brought back to the capital; Louis would follow him as well and the king employed him as one of the kingdom's greatest military assets, who would go onto quickly climb the military ranks while disguising himself as a clemar with a pair of fake horns.
Still unsatisfied, Forden followed up by forcing a twelve-year-old Rella to assassinate the prince by threatening her newly adopted sister Junah. She was unable to control the spell and instead cast a curse that siphoned her own magic, rendering the prince unconscious with no hope of waking up while she still lives. Forden, able to completely avoid suspicion due to his popularity, framed Louis for the crime, which (unintentionally) kickstarted the younger man's path to full-blown radicalization, setting up for the chaos that would plague the country years later.
Forden's attempt on the prince's life drove the king into depression that he took advantage of to systematically alter the country's politics in his favor, effectively turning him into the sanctifex's puppet king. The king was way too grief-ridden to do anything to stop his attempted usurping of the throne, making sure that he will take power completely unopposed. Heismay heavily implies that he made the king announce Sanctism as the state religion in a conversation, and a flashback in the Skybound Avatar confirms that he tricked the king into shutting down the Mage Academy under the premise that igniters will replace naturally-learned magic. By the time Louis kills King Hythlodaeus V and incites a succession crisis, the Sanctist Church has already evolved into an overbearing, oppressive institution whose authority exceeds that of the royal family, and Forden, as the one engineering its ascension to power, is greatly speculated to become the next king.
He first appears in-game on the day after the king's assassination, where he and his fellow senate members enter the king's bedroom to investigate the king's corpse. Later, at the royal funeral, he berates Louis for his blatant desecration against the king as the king's election magic activates, which also prevents him from stealing the throne for himself as originally intended and forcing him to take roundabouts to get there. He is initially the most popular candidate for the throne and the most formidable opponent to Louis, whose ascension to power is interpreted as a worse threat against the kingdom and the populace.
Despite the horrific atrocities and treachery he commits behind the backs of people, Forden's campaign garners many supporters, as most people are unaware of his real nature and fear the dangers posed by Louis taking the throne. Posing as a moderate Sanctist, he becomes a major participant of the Tournament for the Throne and is also responsible for organizing the challenges of the tournament alongside his fellow senators, effectively allowing him to game the system to his favor and making sure that he would turn Euchronia into a theocracy with barely any opposition standing in his way other than Louis.
He shows up to the monster hunting exhibition with a giant squid that he claims to be the monster plaguing Port Brilehaven's waters, slain by him to protect the population. After the party brings Sanctoress Joanna, the chief perpetrator of the Martira kidnappings, he is forced to execute the sanctoress to save his own skin, putting him in a foul mood.
In an attempt to strengthen the church's grip on Euchronia and to recoup the church's reputation lost from executing Joanna, Forden decides that for the second round of the tournament candidates must plunder Virga Island for holy relics he falsely claims were stolen by the mustari. When Rella warns him of the small possibility that one of the relics will be able to bypass the king's magic, Gideaux laughs off her concerns. Unbeknownst to the two men, Louis is hunting for such a relic: a dragon-empowered lance known as Drakodios that can kill any candidate regardless of their popularity. On the relic exhibit proper, Forden was poised to win the competition by offering a towering Holy Grail said to be capable of "granting the wishes of the masses," before claming that the pagans looted it from the church's vaults and he convinced them to hand it over to him through mutual dialogue.
After the party seemingly kills Louis in Altabury Heights, they are congratulated by Forden while a member of the church inspects Louis' body. Unbeknownst to him, the Sanctist member is Louis' right hand man Zorba in disguise. Before confiscating the lance for "safety," Forden compliments Hulkenberg in her attempt to stop the prince's assassin by slashing them on the back. That night, the party discovers that the curse on the prince has not been dispelled despite Louis' death. This leads Hulkenberg to suspect that Forden was somehow involved, as she never told anyone about trying to stop the assassin out of shame, meaning that only the assassin and whoever ordered the attack would know.
The next day, wielding Drakodios, Forden holds a speech at the Montario Opera House. He announces that his victory is all but assured with his only major opponent slain and the other candidates nowhere near popular enough to be a viable threat. The party directly accuses him of being involved in the prince's assassination, which he dismisses. Spurred on by his supporting crowd, Forden prepares to execute them for defying him.
Before any further confrontation between the sanctifex and the party can happen however, a hooded Sanctist appears on stage and reveals himself to be Louis who, thanks to the lance just missing his heart, was able to be healed by Zorba. Citing divine punishment, Forden attempts to kill Louis with Drakodios; the lance is quickly proven to be the fake forged by the party earlier on when the king’s magic activates and protects Louis. With the real lance in hand, he kills Forden. When Zorba revealed himself in front of the party, he tells them that this happened because he secretly swapped the real Drakodios from Forden with the fake on the night before. Rella is soon appointed as the sanctifex representative replacing Forden in the tournament, only for her to expose Forden's crimes to the public and commit suicide to free the prince from his curse. The grave losses suffered by the Sanctist Church causes it to quickly disintegrate as a political body, nullifying their control over the tournament and the country.
Quotes[]
- "The king has sired an illegitimate mongrel of a boy, and now he's brought him to the castle. If we do not act now, one day we will be bending the knee to an eldan king! Moreover, of late we have another nuisance rearing its head. Louis. An impious little upstart with no respect for the Church. But his military merits are getting too great to ignore. Some are even saying he's fit for high command. As the matter stands, we have but one way to deal with both in a single stroke. Dispose of the mongrel prince, and place the blame on Louis. Such a manoeuvre demands someone who can be a match for Louis, in magical ability and physical stature. A girl of your intelligence can figure out the rest, I trust?" (Blackmailing Rella)
- "...If I recall, you have a sister. Unrelated by blood, yet already they speak of her beauty—and a most charming singing voice, yes?'
- "Rella, you are destined to lead your family in due course. Surely it's your responsibility to protect them from the grief of any personal tragedies? Or... will you live the rest of your life regretting a single night's lapse of judgement? Hm?" (Threatening Rella with Junah's life)
- "The festivities for this year's Saint's Day shall be conducted with the utmost ceremony. A fine opportunity to expand the market for igniters and spread them among the people. Along with this policy, we will announce the closure of the Mage Academy." (Tricking King Hythlodaeus V into shutting down the Mage Academy)
- (Responding to King Hythlodaeus V's shock of the announcement of the Mage Academy's closure) "The reports are troubling, I'm afraid. They secretly study dragons and other profane forces deep in the mountains. The people will not abide it. With the popularisation of magic igniters, all this theoretical study of magic will be soon obsolete anyway. Unless you have any objections, my liege?"
- "I'd heard tell of a monster tormenting the people of this beautiful port city. I could do no less than grant them respite from their suffering."(In Port Brileheaven, during the headhunt exhibit)
- "You must be the lady Hulkenberg. The day His Highness was attacked... I heard you fought harder than any other. Your blade even struck the back of the blackguard who did it. Of all his defenders, you came closest to avenging the prince. But where you faltered then, you triumph today. In form and heart, you are a true knight." (Accidentally slipping up his involvement in assassinating the prince)
- "Hahahaha! You waste your breath! What do your words matter now!? The royal family is gone! Louis is dead! Only I remain, and only am fit for the throne!" (Preparing to battle the party)
- "Behold! The flock has spoken: those who defy me are to be executed. Before you die, know that I am in your debt for killing Louis and handing me the crown! Hahaha!"
- (To Louis, moments prior to being assassinated) "Impossible! How could you have survived? Not that it matters.It falls to me to finish the job, then. Coming here sealed your fate! Hell awaits, and this time I'll make sure you stay there! Face your divine punishment, Louis!"
- "You snake... Louis!" (Death)
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
- Aestivum is a Latin specific epithet meaning "of the summer." Plants of this species include the Leucojum aestivum, an ornamental plant commonly called the summer snowflake, and bread wheat.
- Forden comes from Old English ford, meaning "road" or "way," a word borrowed as fordd in Welsh. The modern form Forden derives immediately from the Welsh Ffordun, a village in Powys, Wales.
Trivia[]
- The text on his campaign poster reads: "Pre u kaj vi estos savita Aestivum Svafram Forden," roughly translating to "Pray and you will be saved: Aestivum Svafram Forden."
- Forden, Edeni and Julian are the only Tournament for the Throne candidates that the party cannot battle anywhere in the game. Unlike the other two (which are mostly relegated to non-hostile interactions), however, the party was fully prepared to fight him on the day where they knew he masterminded the prince's assassination, only for to Louis kill him before any battle can occur.
- Louis purposefully assassinated Forden on Montario Saint's Day proper to maximize the impact of his death and the exposure of his crimes. According to Louis himself, he could easily do it on the night of Saint's Day Eve, but chose not to.