ITT: We come to understand the story of FFT (spoilers)

[Dokurider]

Now I've been playing FFT for a long time now, but it has just recently occurred to me that I don't understand most of FFT's story. For me and for the most part, it was peripheral to the gameplay, so I didn't think too deeply about the story. But now, I like to make up for lost time and actually start analyzing FFT's story. I don't have a whole bunch of questions lined up right now, I'll just be asking random questions as they pop into my head over time.

Question No.1: Most people hate Algus for shooting Teta, and he deserves it. But what about Zalbag? Zalbag may not have pulled the trigger himself, but he gave the order to kill Teta. Zalbag's hands are as bloody as Algus, and yet no one hates him for it, both in the game and IRL. Zalbag's involvement in Teta's death is never addressed again. He only dies for being so blind to the truth, rather than any involvement for killing an innocent girl. Why is this? It doesn't make any sense for Zalbag to kill so needlessly and someone so familiar with such cold bloodedness. It's so out of character for him. It seems more like something Dycedarg would do, really. In fact, I feel that it should have been Dycedarg to give the order. Maybe he was involved? Wouldn't surprise me. It just seems like a missed opportunity to really establish Dycedarg as a villain. Thoughts?

[Kaijyuu]

Zalbag's still a noble and still nothing like Ramza. Both Ramza and Delita realize that the sort of attitude Zalbag had towards Teta is pretty much what all nobles thought, and don't really blame him specifically for it. Algus gets all the hate because he actually reveled in killing Teta, while Zalbag probably just thought of her as a necessary sacrifice to teach some rebels their place.

[Dominic NY18]

It doesn't make any sense for Zalbag to kill so needlessly and someone so familiar with such cold bloodedness. It's so out of character for him. It seems more like something Dycedarg would do, really. In fact, I feel that it should have been Dycedarg to give the order. Maybe he was involved? Wouldn't surprise me. It just seems like a missed opportunity to really establish Dycedarg as a villain. Thoughts?

I don't think Zalbag was really that familiar with Teta. Not in the sense of being especially close with her. And like Kaijyuu pointed out, Zalbag is like most other nobles. He thinks little of sacrificing commoners for the sake of some greater goal. Algus foreshadows this attitude before he's kicked out of the party:

"I said he would be a fool to hold back an army for fear of spilling a few drops of your common blood!"

I'd also add that while Dycedarg didn't give the order, he's not innocent in her death either. After all he says that no operations would be undertaken before she's returned safely. And yet she's still in enemy hands during the final campaign to eliminate the Death Corps.

Finally, Dycedarg was already established as a villain in the scene at Igros when it was revealed that he was the one who put Gustav up to kidnapping Marquis Elmdor.

[Jon]

Hold on a sec, in the original PS 1 version, with more or less normal text (the one that I am used to) Zalbag never says specifically "kill Teta first", he just says, "Well, what are you waiting for?" Then Algus kills Teta. Maybe (now I know I am pushing it) Zalbag thought Algus was a bit better of a marksman and would have shot the rebel straight away. Maybe Algus is just really bad at shooting...? I agree with Dokurider, if I ever get around to a patch that has those same events, I will be sure to switch Zalbag and Dycedarg.

[Dominic NY18]

You're right that he doesn't say to kill her (in the original game he says "Go on! Do it!", and he basically say the same thing in the PSP version). But what he says doesn't matter much because the damning part is he doesn't bat an eye when Algus does kill her. Which means at the very least, he didn't give a damn about whether she lived or died.

Not sure why you feel the need to switch the two of them, since Dycedarg is guilty of the same indifference towards her and has already been shown to be a villain before then. Plus, that means changing a bunch of other things about the plot just so Dycedarg being at Zeakden instead of Zalbag makes sense.

[Jon]

It could work. I didn't mean that Zalbag was upset at Algus either, he is as indifferent as Dycedarg. A simple patch that anyone could do literally over night is switch Zalbag and Dycedarg at Zeakden, text edit it minorly, and then text edit somehow that Zalbag doesn't appear as a Zombie rather Dycedarg and Zalbag joins you after the Super Beoulve Bros. fight. Could be the most simple "Zalbag Patch", without too much work. But now I'm getting off topic. Dokurider, any other things you are trying to figure out still?

[Dominic NY18]

- Zalbag is the commander of the Hokuten, so it's not surprising that he showed up at Fort Zeakden. There's no reason for Dycedarg to be there though since he's just Duke Larg's retainer. So now you'd need to come up with a compelling reason for him to even be there.

- You'd have to edit the scene at Igros when Golagros kidnaps Teta since Dycedarg is seriously injured during the scene.

- Having Zalbag and Dycedarg join you just doesn't make sense as far as the plot's concerned. Why bother changing what happens later on anyway?


All so Dycedarg can be present when Teta gets killed? I just don't see the point in putting him in that scene. I'll leave it at that to keep from going further off-topic.

[Smitson]

- Zalbag is the commander of the Hokuten, so it's not surprising that he showed up at Fort Zeakden. There's no reason for Dycedarg to be there though since he's just Duke Larg's retainer. So now you'd need to come up with a compelling reason for him to even be there.

- You'd have to edit the scene at Igros when Golagros kidnaps Teta since Dycedarg is seriously injured during the scene.

- Having Zalbag and Dycedarg join you just doesn't make sense as far as the plot's concerned. Why bother changing what happens later on anyway?


All so Dycedarg can be present when Teta gets killed? I just don't see the point in putting him in that scene. I'll leave it at that to keep from going further off-topic.

He wants to get back at Wiegraf and the rest of the corps brigade for almost killing him. That's a good enough reason for Dycedarg to be there.

[VampragonLord]

zalbag is a general in an army, what would have happened had he not made that call? was zalbag to surrender his entire army so golagros could simply kill teta anyways? Im fairly certain zalbag A) figured algus could make the shot(he cant, he couldnt even drop golagros once the meatshield was gone) B) destroying the entire death corps would be worth Teta's life C) He was trying to show ramza some of the sacrifices you need to make to lead. Algus on the other hand thought of teta as pure dirt and that she deserved to die, then gladly killed her

[Dominic NY18]

He wants to get back at Wiegraf and the rest of the corps brigade for almost killing him. That's a good enough reason for Dycedarg to be there.

OK, but if he was seriously wounded, what business does he have being on the front line?

zalbag is a general in an army, what would have happened had he not made that call? was zalbag to surrender his entire army so golagros could simply kill teta anyways? Im fairly certain zalbag A) figured algus could make the shot(he cant, he couldnt even drop golagros once the meatshield was gone) B) destroying the entire death corps would be worth Teta's life C) He was trying to show ramza some of the sacrifices you need to make to lead. Algus on the other hand thought of teta as pure dirt and that she deserved to die, then gladly killed her

Are you saying that because Zalbag had to make the order, he should get a pass for Teta's death (or at least have his decision seen in a more sympathetic light)? The order itself, while being the cause of her death, isn't the main reason why he shares some of the blame for her death. It's because he did nothing to ensure her safety or to try to get her back. His indifference to her fate is the reason why Zalbag shares some of the blame.

BTW, Golagros didn't want Zalbag to surrender to him. He wanted to escape to safety.

[Kill_Bones]

I still show respect for Zalbag, his death was the most painful. Get banished to hell and then turned into a zombie to kill your brother, being completely aware of that happening, and finally getting cut into shreds by him? Yeah......I'll pass. And what did you do to deserve this? Vaguely send out an order that Algus interpreted as killing a commoner? He's still a better damn person than Dycedarg.

[Jon]

Anyone play the Japanese version? Then we can get to the bottom of this. Maybe there is some more clarity in the original game's text.

[Dokurider]

I still think Zalbag not giving a shit about Teta dying is OoC for him. I always pegged him as a nicer guy then that. Then again, I do have trouble understanding the motivations of others, which is why I struggled in literature class. Anyways, if Zalbag wanted to teach Ramza how to be a leader, then why did he suggest that Ramza and his friends go out and investigate Elmdor's kidnapping?

Also, I have yet another question:

What is the deal with Delita being allowed to live so closely and intimately with the Beoluves? How did a commoner get to live with the Beoluves in the first place? I think Delita and Teta are actually the children of Balbane's mistress who were fathered by a different man, technically making Ramza and Delita half-brothers. That is the only explanation I can think of that would explain why Delita gets to live with the Beoluves so closely.

[Dominic NY18]

I still think Zalbag not giving a shit about Teta dying is OoC for him. I always pegged him as a nicer guy then that. Then again, I do have trouble understanding the motivations of others, which is why I struggled in literature class. Anyways, if Zalbag wanted to teach Ramza how to be a leader, then why did he suggest that Ramza and his friends go out and investigate Elmdor's kidnapping?

Well, he did rip into Ramza for suggesting that Dycedarg was a manipulative bastard and basically called him a bastard commoner not worthy of being a Beoulve. If he can basically disown his half-brother, imagine how he might have felt about a common girl with no blood ties to him at all if she's in the way of some greater goal.

I'm not sure what you mean by the question about being a leader. Can you elaborate?

Also, I have yet another question:

What is the deal with Delita being allowed to live so closely and intimately with the Beoluves? How did a commoner get to live with the Beoluves in the first place? I think Delita and Teta are actually the children of Balbane's mistress who were fathered by a different man, technically making Ramza and Delita half-brothers. That is the only explanation I can think of that would explain why Delita gets to live with the Beoluves so closely.

  They'd be a (more) dysfunctional family if this was the case. The actual explanation's a lot more mundane.

From Delita's WOTL Chronicles description:
Delita is Ramza's childhood friend and knight apprentice of the Royal Military
Akademy at Gariland. Born to a farming family in the demesne of House Beoulve,
Delita and his sister were taken in by the late Lord Barbaneth after losing
both parents to the Black Death. Meeting Argath and Milleuda has forced Delita
to question his own place.

In other words, Delita and Teta's parents were commoners that worked and lived on Balbanes' land. When they died, Balbanes took them into the family.

[Jon]

Yeah, it says in the manual something very similar, that Delita's parents were fiefs (like farmers) working Balbane's land. I never played the WotL version, but almost the exact same thing is written in the PSX manual.

[GeneralStrife]

Balbanes was the hero, a peoples person. he took delita and teta in since they worked on his land...he was a great man

quote simon on ramza when he attacks the zodiac thieves

"you're just like balbanes in his younger days, maybe you can stop this"

but dycedarg got corrupted and broke the cycle