Emperor Mateus

Mateus Palamecia
Appearance
Age	Mid to late 20's
Species	Human
Sex	Male
Height	5'9"
Weight	170 lbs.
Background
Series	Final Fantasy 2
Combat Styles	Trap Master
Hometown	Palamecia
Group	Shadow Lords
Occupation/Job	Emperor
Force:	Forces of Ruin
Quote
"Can you win with shadows in your heart?"
Recent Events
Biding one's time pays such great dividends...

Profile

Emperor Mateus of Palamecia sought to rule the entire Imperial World, utilizing darkness and Heartless to make his goal a reality. But when the world fell and merged with the World of Ruin, a far greater opportunity presented itself. He is well known in his world as coldly calculating and ruthless, ambitious but not overreaching, with a sharp mind and sharper intuition. Though he prefers to manipulate beyond the shadows, controlling hearts and minds, he is no stranger to the battlefield and utilizes powerful magic along with his command over the Heartless.

History

In the Imperial World, the militaristic kingdom of Palamecia was always known as a land of darkness, closest to the mysterious realm of Pandemonium—what they considered to be 'Hell'. And this darkness would tempt Palamecia's kings and crown princes, whispering promises of power beyond compare. Early on in the dynasty, the kings stood strong against the whispers, becoming beacons of light in the mountainous darkness. But as the lineage grew longer, the whispers grew louder and the resistance to them weakened.

It was in such an era that Mateus of Palamecia was born, his father the King already well on the path of corruption. The king declared the kingdom into an empire, thus placing himself as emperor, and viewed his young son with nothing but contempt and suspicion. His wife and Mateus' mother, the queen Airu, was perhaps the sole source of light in the dark realm. She tried to nurture such things as hope and kindness in the young boy, but Mateus looked more to his father for influence. He found he did not disagree with the Emperor's intent, but the methods were too sloppy—too careless. And thus the whispers reached Mateus' heart, darkening it.

Queen Airu tried her best to prevent the darkness from taking her son as it had stolen her husband. Realizing Mateus' aptitude for magic, she had him sent away to Mysidia for training in the magical arts, hoping that through controlling magic he could also control the darkness within. Her instincts were not wrong and Mateus proved to be a magnificent black mage, a fast learner and a sharp student. His only failings were his snooty princely nature compared to his fellow mages in training and a more-than-healthy interest in dark arts beyond simple black magic. But he never pushed matters once boundaries were laid down, and though he did not have friends he never truly made enemies either.

But darkness calls to darkness, and Mateus' darkened heart could not forget its homeland. Dark clouds settled over the horizon beyond which Palamecia lay and Mateus, already a full-fledged wizard and just reaching manhood, felt the pull—heard the call. And thus he left Mysidia to return home, battling more and more creatures of the dark the closer he got to the castle. Seeing the effect of the darkness on the peasantry and royals alike, even his own mother, Mateus was determined to end the Emperor's reign of uncontrolled madness no matter what it took.

He descended into the deepest bowels of the castle, to a room of ancient craft teeming with darkness, where the Emperor was in the midst of a ritual. Drunk on power beyond understanding or control, he was preparing to sacrifice all of Palamecia to Pandemonium in order to receive even more. Mateus interrupted the Emperor's mad ravings, easily subduing his father with black magic both accepted and forbidden, and took command of the ritual. To the darkness and the eyes beyond, he ventured a deal—he would sacrifice the Emperor in return for power. Power to conquer and rule the whole Imperial World. Power to control the very darkness that sought to consume them all. And, if needed, power to send scores more lives to Pandemonium than Palamecia alone—for what kind of ruler sacrifices his own country in a bid for power?

The deep darkness accepted the Crown Prince's offer, sealed with the Emperor's blood spilt by his own son. Golden-eyed shadows consumed their would-be master and Mateus rose to the throne in his father's place. Though the darkness retreated, contained, the dark clouds did not lift over Palamecia. Queen Mother Airu pleaded with her son, tried to pull him back from his dark path, but Mateus had completely given his heart to the darkness. As a final kindness, Mateus banished Queen Mother Airu to the deserts beyond the mountainous land, away from the darkness she so feared and away from him. This was perhaps the last good deed he ever accomplished, and thus began the final chapter of the Imperial World—stained in blood and darkness.

Emperor Mateus studied Pandemonium, finding it to be a not just another land but a completely separate plane of existence made of pure darkness. It was not Hell, not as whispered by superstitious adults to their young children. When his father had initiated the ritual in the depths of Palamecia Castle to access 'Pandamonium', what he had truly done was open a Corridor of Darkness into the plane of The Darkness itself. Had Mateus not gained control this temporary Corridor, the Imperial World would have been consumed with no direction nor purpose. Learning this gave the Emperor a new-found appreciation for the powers at his command and the drive to master them utterly.

Though learning how to control the Heartless took longer than anticipated, he did not keep to himself in his castle while the world trembled. He assembled his armies, bolstered and strengthened beyond human limits by darkness' might, and sent them out to surrounding lands to conquer all who stood in his way. Kingdom after kingdom fell under his control, whether by militaristic conquest or intimidating diplomacy, until he reached the small kingdom of Fynn. It fought his forces valiantly, but even they eventually fell thanks in part to a Fynnian noble, Borghen, defecting to the Palamecian Empire and enabling Emperor Mateus' forces to breach Fynn's walls. Word reached him that four youths escaped Fynn upon its occupation and only one was recaptured, but Mateus thought little of it. He instead corrupted the youth brought to him, turning into the Dark Knight and sealing his heart so that he would forget everything... even his original name: Leon.

He paused his conquest for a time, strengthening his forces with monsters tamed with darkness as he secured his hold on the conquered. He ordered for an airship to be built, using the conquered populace of Bafsk as a workforce. During this time, he started to see movement from Kashuan guerrilla fighters calling themselves the 'Wild Rose Rebellion'. Though he dismissed their threat, he paid close attention to their movements and found three names that were constantly included in such reports: Firion, Maria, and Guy. Perhaps those were the three youths that had escaped Fynn?

Only when he tracked their movements towards Bafsk did he act again, not so much in reaction to the Rebellion as much as the airship 'Dreadnought' had reached completion. Mateus took to the air, resuming his conquering of kingdoms by wielding the Dreadnought as a weapon of mass destruction. He made certain to destroy Altair in the process, having received more than enough information that pointed to it as the base of the Wild Rose Rebellion. He assigned Borghen to tail the youths in particular and stop them from achieving any goal they set for themselves.

Upon receiving a series of reports of the youths traveling to the Snow Cave and retrieving the Goddess Bell, Emperor Mateus extrapolated what their plan would be and set up a trap accordingly. Sure enough, the youths went to Kashuan Keep and retrieved the Sunfire from within, then they waited for Cid's Airship to come retrieve them. Mateus was ready and the Dreadnought intercepted, capturing both Cid and Princess Hilda along with the airship. This, however, was only to give these youths an even greater reason to risk infiltrating the Dreadnought. The true trap had yet to be sprung.

He purposefully had the Dreadnought land for refueling outside of the Palamecian mountain range, and the youths did not disappoint him. They boarded, seeking their companions and the destruction of the airship, but Mateus had a horrid surprise for them. The airship was crewed not by Palamecian soldiers, but by Heartless—a force no rebel had dealt with before. The Heartless drove away the youths before their goals could be accomplished and thus the monsters set about devouring the Imperial World itself.

Surprisingly, the Imperial World did not fall completely. Fragments coalesced with other fragments into the World of Ruin itself, kingdoms and lands never known to each other now neighbors. Finding Palamecia relatively unchallenged on the northern continent, Emperor Mateus pulled back his forces and strengthened his control on what remained of the Imperial World. Borghen was named Consul of Fynn and Mysidia had merged with another City of Magic by the same name, but most—if not all—other kingdoms and lands had fallen to Darkness.

Thus, Mateus watched, unthreatened and ignored. He watched as kingdoms formed allegiances and adversaries, watched as portals opened to worlds unimagined—full of technology and wonders. He measured the light of so-called heroes of lands both foreign and familiar, and he waited for the youths to reveal themselves once again. Surely their dream could not be consumed so easily? But as time passed and matters stabilized, Emperor Mateus could wait no longer and he prepared his forces to move. If the youths truly have survived, they will reveal themselves in time—and if not, then neither their hearts nor their dream were worth his time after all.

Abilities

• Sorcerer

Emperor Mateus is primarily a Black Mage. His highest affinity is to Air and Thunder magics, but he is capable of using Fire, Dark, and non-elemental magic as well. He is capable of telekinesis, able to levitate himself and manipulate objects (or people) with a thought. Because of his levitation ability, he is able to fly for as long as his concentration holds but is not adverse to walking and is quite capable of standard locomotion. He is capable of magically changing his clothing on the fly, even without taking Portal Magic into consideration. He is also capable of using his magic as little harmless tricks and sleights of hand if he is so inclined.

He keeps orbs handy for magic tricks, contact juggling, or combat—which he infuses magic into these orbs in order to turn them into mines. He owns a staff that he can manipulate with telekinesis and can even magically compress it into a cane, but his magic is not dependent on the item. He also owns an airship, the Dreadnought, but it is for RP flavor only—I do not intend to stat the airship at this time.

• Shadow Lord

Emperor Mateus can use Heartless, but he has not yet created his own specific 'breed' of Heartless. For now, he uses Emblem Heartless--having a particular fondness for the Soldier-type and Knight-type (such as Soldier and Dual Blade, respectively). He is not adverse to using Pureblood Heartless, but he does find that the Emblem types are easier to control.

No, it is the darkness itself he is far more skilled at using. He is able to create Corridors of Darkness easily, and will be visiting new locations to further his 'teleport list', if you will. He is capable of locking away someone's heart, brainwashing and corrupting them to his side—as seen canonically with Leon in particular. He would measure heroes based on the strength of their heart and test how strong the shadows within them actually are. He may even research into the (currently not introduced) concept of Nobodies. The extent of such displays of power, however, are dependent on the scene and player consent accordingly.

Logs

Unlikely Asylum	October 26th, 2013	After all that has happened, Maira and Avira need to find safe haven. Thus, Maira reaches out to an unlikely associate for aid...
Civil Conversation	July 24th, 2013	Maira returns to Castle Palamecia alone to get information, expecting the worst. What actually happens goes far better than anticipated.
The Return Of His Dark Knight	June 9th, 2013	After a month or two, the Dark Knight has returned.
Truth and Consequences	June 7th, 2013	Maira and Leon lead a group of friends and guardians to Palamecia Castle to get answers from Emperor Mateus.
Diplomatic Alliance	May 17th, 2013	Alliances between countries is nothing new. But when two countries inclined to Darkness meet, what will happen?
The Clash Of Balance	May 1st, 2013	The Dark Knight comes for the Maiden of Light. Yet she has something planned for the Dark Knight.
You Will Set the World on Fire	April 25th, 2013	After a heartbreaking and terrifying encounter with Garland and Angantyr, Maira comes to check up on her friends. Unfortunately, she keeps lighting on fire in her sleep and she is /very/ tired.
Coliseum Field Trip	April 22nd, 2013	In continuation of testing Rena's interests, Emperor Mateus gives her a tour of the Palamecian Coliseum and a view of monsters she finds familiar and unknown alike.
Resource Acquisition	April 19th, 2013	Souji negotiates a deal to land in the wilds of Palamecia in order to harvest their resources. EXTREME NEGOTIATIONS ensue.
Beachside Encounter	April 18th, 2013	Maira is spending some time alone at the beach, and it is here that she meets a certain street performer.
Misunderstandings And Breakthroughs	April 16th, 2013	Emperor Mateus and Rena Laradyne have a conversation that begins harshly and ends on a much more positive note.
The Guest of Palamecia	April 13th, 2013	There is a Guest in Palamecia. We don't get guests often.
From Twilight to Darkness	April 9th, 2013	After extending a hand of friendship, Matthew the street performer prepares to lead Rena to his home. But will the Shivan follow...?
Something Old, Something New	April 8th, 2013	Matthew has returned to Traverse Town for another performance. A touch of magic, a bit of wonder... and perhaps, weaving a glimmer of hope from despair.
Information, Data, and Heart	April 7th, 2013	On a self-given fact-finding mission about Carwen, Emperor Mateus ends up getting stalked by CAPGRAS for his heart. What happens next turns out to be quite informative and perhaps beneficial for them both...
Collusion	March 29th, 2013	Emperor Mateus retires to his library for some light reading. What he finds instead becomes far more beneficial...
Reforging Darkness	March 27th, 2013	The Dark Knight returns home to repair his armor and issue a report of his findings to his master, Emperor Mateus. But due to its composition, the armor cannot be restored by craftsmanship alone...
Moment of Wonder	March 24th, 2013	Rena finds herself entranced just for a moment by a magician's strange crystal ball.
Imperial Order	March 22nd, 2013	After far too long silent, the Emperor of Palamecia begins to move his forces...
Dark Distractions	March 9th, 2013	While Xanatos Gambits are being spin, shadows sweep out of the background to provide some serious beatdowns and lobster butter.
Vector Of The Night	February 26th, 2013	One never knows who they may run into during a trip to Vector.

Cutscenes

By The Pricking Of My Thumbs...

April 23rd, 2013

Deep within the heart of the castle, deep in the dark of night, the Emperor is deep in thought. Considering what he has learned, those he has met, and what could be next in store.