'The Capricornian is generally a serious character possessing a wry sense of humor. Independent, steady as a rock, Capricorn reflects earthly values that range from clever to vacuous. Reliable in any profession they undertake, but lacking in orginality, they usually excel in following up on what someone else has started.'

Zodiac Signal

A Final Fantasy Tactics fanfic

By Tenshi no Ai

I don't own the characters and locations in the game that are presented in this work, Square-Enix does.

(Second of the 'Fields of Green and Gold' series)

X. The Goat, Capricorn

The chapel of St. Murond was always gloomy despite the perpetually lit candelabra set in the middle of the room. Perhaps it was because these candelabra were situated at the corners of the coffin of the child of God, the holy Saint Ajora. The coffin was a mere artifice; no bones rested within the ornate golden box. Laid out on top of the coffin was a silver coat, a relic from the age of airships that was said to have once warmed Ajora as he preached the good word during a winter in what was now called Fovoham. Coat, coffin and candelabra sat upon the bier, which was made of pure gold blocks formed in the shape of a gradiented pyramid, step upon step leading up to the heart of the Glabados faith. The constant flickering flames caused shadows to rise and fall at every moment, hovering over the coffin as if they were waiting for a chance to strike.

This room, where light and darkness held an uneasy truce, was Rofel Wodring's favorite place in all of Murond.

He came down here now, needing a quiet place to meditate on the plans Vormav Tingel had set into motion. Tomorrow the commander's son and the former Death Corps leader would depart for Orbonne in order to retrieve the sacred stone Virgo. Vormav had branded the bishop of the monastery and all those who dwelt within its gray walls as traitors who wished for the downfall of Glabados, the appropriate punishment for them implicit in his charge. Rofel knew the truth, though. After all, he was the one who had suggested that there need not be any survivors to reveal their mission before it would be completed. It was just more convenient that way. No one needed to know of the Second Coming of Saint Ajora...of the Bloody Angel Altima.

Everything was going according to plan, but Rofel knew not to become too cocky. Any number of things could happen before Altima arose to take Ivalice. Immortality was at stake here, although Rofel would have willingly served Vormav without such a promise. He did not crave such simple things, unlike his fellow conspirator Balk. The idea of demolishing the aristocracy that choked Ivalice was nice, but that was it. It was enough to follow Vormav, to assist and be a part of the events that would shape the country irrevocably.

That was power.

He entered the chapel quietly, arching an eyebrow in surprise when he saw that there was another person already inhabiting the room. This person was kneeling a respectable distance away from the tomb, the candlelight reflecting off of the golden armor the figure wore. The green surcoat and dress flowed from head to toe, giving the knight the look of water flowing over a rock, complete with a moat of green. Rofel did not dare to disturb the person, recognizing her as Meliadoul Tingel, Vormav's loyal daughter. They were well acquainted with each other and he respected her, though he did find it a waste to have her as a Zodiac Brave when she could not even obtain the blessing from the demon that dwelt within the Sagittarius stone. However, her zealous nature and skill with the sword were at least admirable.

"Oh, holy saint, He who seeks to bring us to the glory of God," he heard her speak resolutely, a trait of hers even while in prayer, "help me understand those who would hide their faces from the light of Your wisdom, so that I could bring them to You and save them from their wicked nature."

"They cannot be saved," Rofel murmured, watching as she stiffened at his voice.

"What a sad thing, if it is true," she replied before standing up, not turning her head to acknowledge him. "Why would they resist God's will?"

"I don't really know," he answered truthfully, "I suppose they are simply unable to see Saint Ajora as we see him, the nurturing water that soothes and replenishes the earth we call humanity. Our faith is constantly nourishing, always fulfilling, but those who cannot even reach out to sip of His love probably decide that the thick taste of sin is more fulfilling."

"Maybe more fattening, by the sound of it," Meliadoul muttered. "I suppose it's like the case of that boy, Ramza Beoulve. One of those decadent nobles...his name gives him everything he could possibly need, and yet he slaughters Cardinal Draclau. I just can't fathom why...I almost want to find him just to ask him why he would just hurl himself into the devil's embrace." From his position behind her, Rofel watched her bring her arms up to her front, holding herself loosely.

He stepped forward until he was beside her, intrigued by her odd words. She did not often need her curiosity satisfied, nor did she care very much about the theological issues surrounding heretics. She was a good soldier. "Sinners wallow in the culmination of their sins. They would rather let their evil continue unabated than to stand up and repent. They are too weak to act differently," he glanced at her, though much of her face was covered by the hood of her surcoat. "Our way is not that of the weak."

"...Pathetic," she sighed. "But all the same, I cannot help but pity them."

"A commendable act, to be sure, but ultimately a waste of effort."

"I know." Shaking her head, Meliadoul turned to look at her superior, regarding him with the serious expression she usually wore out of her brother's presence. "It just saddens me to know that we have to share Ivalice with such wicked creatures. I only wish I could set them on the right path instead of having the divine saint deal with such a responsibility."

"Yes," Rofel agreed. "Saint Ajora should not have to deal with such a gross mistake on our part. Your father has decreed there will be a Purge, so that Saint Ajora may grace our land without seeing a single speck of unholiness."

"Starting with Orbonne, correct?"

"Yes." He glanced at her face and frowned. As shadowed as it was, he had been able to notice something of doubt thinning her pale lips. "Do you disagree with your father's decision?"

There was surprise upon Meliadoul's face as she stared at Rofel. "Not at all. My father knows what is best for us, of course. It is just..." she looked away, casting a glance at the coffin before them, "I wish I were the one to lead the expedition, not Izlude."

"Ah," Rofel nodded. "But you should be happy to see your brother elevated to such a stance. Or...do you find him to be incompetent for this job?"

Righteous fury flared in her eyes as she glared at him. "Excuse me, Sir Rofel, but you should watch your words. You may be above me in rank, but I won't tolerate anyone speaking ill about my brother."

He looked at her for a moment before nodding once. "My apologies. I meant no disrespect." After a wary look she nodded back, and he continued with, "You are worried, though."

"...Naturally."

"Even if it's what your father decided?"

She brought her hand up to her forehead, tugging downward at her hood as if it were a strand of hair. After a minute, she crossed her arms and exhaled slowly through her nose. "It's a silly thing," she finally said, keeping her eyes forward, "Izlude is more than old enough to receive command, I know. However, I just...dislike it. If Orbonne has turned away from us, then who knows what they might have hidden to deal with a response from us. And Wiegraf is his second...but with his experience on actual battlefields, would he not be a better commander for such an unpredictable mission?"

Rofel said nothing at first, impressed by her reasoning. Of course he knew that there was no danger at Orbonne, not unless one was intimidated by priests wielding gnarled oaken staffs and cure spells. There were worst dangers to be found on the way there, and wayward spirits could never become a challenge to Murond-trained troops. But she didn't know that, and so her analysis could not be discounted so easily. "A man can only learn to swim in water," he finally replied, "your brother must be tested. As for Wiegraf, he is still an unknown quality."

"Unknown enough to receive a holy stone?" Meliadoul asked incredulously. Rofel's expression hardened at the question.

"Do you distrust your father's will?"

"No, I don't!" she protested, her voice echoing in the room. She clenched her fists at her sides, an action that Rofel interpreted to mean that she was attempting to calm down. "I could not question my father, you know this."

"You have always been devoted," he said lightly. Only second to myself, he did not finish. Instead he added, "That's why your father wants you at the forefront of the Purge, for you are one of his most trusted Zodiac Braves."

"I would complete the Purge by myself if it meant that Izlude would not have to start it."

Rofel looked at her then, surprised more by the lack of emotion in her voice than the statement she had just uttered. Her poise was that of complete strength, her eyes towards all that remained of Saint Ajora. In her bearing there was a hint of Vormav's influence, sturdy and unflinching even from the weight of her words. "Those nobles, those wicked, wretched sinners," she spat, "dirtying God's promised land, enjoying the fruits of their corruption. Sickening." She glanced over at Rofel, a real anger dancing in her eyes. "My brother should not have to touch such filth, even with the blade of his sword."

The man only smiled at her impassioned words. "And here I thought you felt sorry for them."

"It shouldn't have to come down to this. If they could only bring themselves to seek God's forgiveness, there would be no need for a purge or revolution," she shook her head, uncrossing her arms and letting them rest at her sides, muttering, "But their blatant ignorance is unforgivable. It all...just bothers me." She shook her head once more before turning away from the gilded coffin. "After they depart for Orbonne, I am to leave for Bervenia, to assist with training. That should keep my mind off...sorry. Good night, Sir Rofel."

"Good night, Meliadoul," he murmured, watching her leave the chapel before turning his attention inward, to his plans for the future. Her words stayed with him, even as he thought of the escalating skirmishes between the Hokuten and Nanten.

--I would complete the Purge by myself if it meant that Izlude would not have to start it--

Ah, he thought with a tinge of sadness, such ambition, such a pure, devoted warrior.

That she cannot be harvested for a Lucavi...what a waste...

-Capricorn fades into Aquarius...-

First of all, I hope everyone will have a merry Christmas!

Capricorn is probably one of the easiest to link to the characters under its sign, apart from Pisces. This is because Capricorn is the sign of steadfast ambition, hard work and loyalty. Just look at Meliadoul, a twenty-three-year-old female Divine Knight who can also bear crossbows and spears. That's a little excessive. In fact, both Meliadoul and Rofel are Divine Knights, which appears to be one of the top knights in the Shrine Knight hierarchy. And, although Divine Knights, like many other elite knights, are a physically-oriented class, cutscene-Rofel seems to be packing quite the magical punch--not to talk of manipulating Dycedarg himself. Capricornians tend to be serious, something that can be seen in the dress of these two--they're the only two Shrine Knights with hoods pulled up over their heads, giving them more of a serious, disciplined image. Capricorn, like the other earth signs, tends to be concerned with the family, something I'm sure we've all noticed.

I hear that Ramza is actually a Capricorn in the Japanese version of FFT. This is because the Japanese FFT uses the zodiac as its calendar, and choosing a birthdate for Ramza starts on Capricorn 10, which corresponds to our January 1st. I have also heard that, in the American FFT, if you use a Gameshark you can play around with some sort of battle system and set up variable zodiacs. Setting Ramza on unvariable zodiac will make him a Capricorn. It's all well and good, but I've always thought that Ramza was beyond the zodiac; the soul of a true hero goes beyond the pretty accident of when they were born.

Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign, embodying ambition and devotion by using all their skills in order to achieve their goals. Its opposite sign is Cancer. Something I found very amusing: Meliadoul and Agrias have worst compatibility with each other, which makes a lot of sense with their values and beliefs in-game.

Other Capricorn: Rad, the squire generic with magic.

-The Capricorn zodiac stone's demon is Adramelech or Adrammelech, not Adramelk. It's bad enough that Christian theology turned this god into a demon, but come on...

Reviewers!

Geez, TobyKikami, what are you talking about? Queklain's the sexiest of all the Scorpios! I mean, how can you look at that morbidly obese, corpulent hunk of lard and not be awed by his sexxxy jiggling?
...
I think my dignity just committed seppuku.
If I didn't write about Balk, then the whole chapter would've been about Delita. I don't like Delita. At least Balk has that whole background about being a machinist to interest me; Delita's story is just too laid out in the game for me to really care.

Hey Luna. College can be worth it, until you think about how Bill Gates dropped out and is now one of the richest men in the world. But it is fun, and the freedom is really great. I guess it depends on what you're majoring in and what you expect out of college.
The repetition with the arrows was pretty much the only thing I really liked about Sagittarius other than the short part about Teta's death; I stressed over the story too much to get truly inspired.

Hello, Hawk of Death. I really didn't want to use Delita, but I knew I had to because I couldn't really use anyone else. Ooo, Zalmo, exciting. Maybe I should've used Lede. Oh well.
Balk is really annoying in both of his fights. Bed Desert sucks because of the gun and poison, Sacred Precincts sucks because of the gun and the hyudra-hydra-tiamat and chemist. Bah, that's not fun to play, even on a Reis-only challenge.

Ah, I remember you, Trueborn Chaos. You had a really interesting review in Libra, I really liked it. Sorry that Ramza can't really fit as a Taurus. I'm glad you're impressed, but...you mind letting me know what you're impressed by?

You're really weird, The Burning Misery. I mean, I think I managed to make Sagittarius into a workable story, but I'm stunned that anyone could call it one of their favorites. Though, I do like the 'Teta's death' part of the story, because it was so easy to write. But, uh, thank you for liking the part, it's...nice to hear.
Balk is the guy who poisons the Hokuten in Chapter 4. Besrodio is Mustadio's father.
My challenge fights were always something like, 'Use only Reis in so-and-so battle!' It wasn't very fun in the last battle, though, because Altima has crappy AI. Calculators themselves aren't cheap, because their stats suck and blow simultaneously, so I can see a challenge in that. But come on, 'Orlandu' and 'challenge' don't belong in the same sentence.
I usually only update on Tuesday nights. I like to think that there's someone out there who looks forward to my stories, therefore I try to provide a stable schedule. Maybe it brightens someone's day, I don't know...