Clavis is a mysterious man who reappears several times in Chapter 3 of the MARDEK series. He is an 'equilibriumancer', and was the first human of the Aether element. He has a strange purple tattoo on his forehead and is interested in the Keystone theory.
Background[]
An unusual man with a fondness for using Keystones as a metaphor. He claims to be an 'Equilibriumancer' and likes to ramble in a way that almost seems like moral lecturing or something, made to make his audience think. His motives are unknown... as is basically everything about him, really.
Involvement[]
Sun Temple[]
Meeting Clavis at the Sun Temple.
Clavis is first met in the Sun Temple, studying the imbalance there. He sees that Mardek and his allies were sent by the Solakian High Priest Shamash and introduces himself as a travelling scholar, or an 'equilibriumancer' to be pretentious. He talks about the temple and states that it was built for a purpose, using that as an example of how everything created by 'sentient minds' has to have a purpose. He also explains that a long time ago, the region was imbalanced. He talks about the Keystones, and their importance, even using the Warding Stone as an example. He apologises for rambling off since he apparently has not met many people and tells them to think about his Keystones metaphor. He leaves and thinks that they will meet again somewhere. Donovan comments of him being strange and thinks that he knew or was expecting the party while Mardek likes Clavis' forehead tattoo.
He is later seen in Xantusia, reading books at the library. He is relieved that Mardek and his allies were still alive and comments that he finds libraries interesting, with the Xantusia library full of all kinds of knowledge. He is reading a book about the two Temples, to find out that the state of balance throughout the ages and observed that all conflict seem to be caused by a lack of balance. He lists examples of the lack of balance such as a disturbance of Keystones, a rise of wars that occur when a ruler dies without an heir that drive ancient societies to ruin, and the Elemental Crystals, which he sees as the strongest Keystones on Belfan. Clavis quickly decides to stop his rambling and asked them to leave 'an old man to his stories'.
Warport[]
Clavis at the Warport.
Clavis is seen again in the Hadris Warport, waiting for Mardek and his friends. He tells them that he felt a shift of energy while he was studying in Xantusia that first went towards balance, which he found to be good, but in the end went towards the favour of Light. When Mardek asks him if more Light meant more Good, he mentions that having too much Light is just as bad as having too much Dark; there is no balance as a result. When he asks them about the Dark Crystal, Rohoph mentions that it was removed and that they are currently planning to collect the rest of the Crystals. Clavis seemingly recognises the 'brilliant glowing letters' and advises him that he should treat the crystals as Keystones and that removing several crystals can be summed up as unhinging Nature itself.
Rohoph replies by saying it was for the Greater Good and while that removing the Crystals may cause temporary damage, not doing anything about the Crystals will have a much worse fate upon them. Clavis disagrees but felt that this isn't the time and place to argue with him. Rohoph points out his self-righteousness and Clavis agreed that being the one talked down is worse than the one talking down. Before leaving, Clavis reveals to them that he is staying at the Warport to make sure that they are alive and well and is glad that they managed to finish their mission at the Sun Temple and congratulates them.
Saul's House[]
Clavis is encountered again when Mardek and his allies are trapped by Saul. His presence is known because his character theme interrupted the usual music. Rohoph asks him if he was planning to ramble on about the Keystones and the Crystals again. Clavis actually has considered it but decided not to since there was nothing in their surrounds to compare the Keystones to. He reveals that he has been following them and is planning to 'assist' them from their problem. Rohoph tells him that they didn't need any help to escape but is actually surprised of the very idea of Clavis helping them, since from his recurring appearances, Rohoph thinks that he would be a recurring villain. Clavis apologises if he had been antagonising them since he lacked the social skills to make himself more friendly.
He also mentioned that Saul and his house reminded him of a friend, who was a necromancer. Clavis described him as odd and creepy but knew that he had good intentions, since he used his undead to stop potentially dangerous threats and thought it was better to recycle than to leave them unused. Clavis disclosed that Saul's house had reminded him of his friend's workshop and that now he was gone, society was left unbalanced. Rohoph mentioned that he had a friend that was very similar to Clavis's that he lost because of him, which was something he did and did not regret, since his mind was too fractured so Rohoph thought he was a lost cause. Clavis warned Rohoph that he should think about the consequences of his actions since the death of his friend could have very serious repercussions. The death of his friend had led him to think about the Keystones metaphor since he saw his friend as a Keystone and that now he was gone, much chaos was caused at his home. Before leaving, Clavis told him again to think about the consequences of his actions and that the removal of the Keystones was never the only and best option.
Water Temple[]
After Mardek and company obtain the Water Crystal, Clavis appeared before they leave with the Crystal. When Rohoph asked how he could enter the Water Temple when its location was unknown, he introduced himself to the Water Guardian first and told him that he has his ways of getting around and remarked that it was not difficult to follow them. Clavis hoped that they were not actually going to get the crystals, which was why he followed them, but saw that they were actually serious about getting the Crystals when he sees the Water Crystal in their hands. He criticized them that the Crystal was a Keystone of the highest order and told them it was not wise to remove the Crystal from its place since the dead temple was a testament to their actions. When Rohoph questioned Clavis's intentions, he was bothered by the fact that they were removing Crystals without realising the consequences of their actions. According to Clavis, the Keystones maintain order and when they are removed, only chaos remains.
Rohoph again ignored Clavis's advice since he told him that he can figure out the results without Clavis lecturing him about it and restated that they know what they are doing and it was for the Greater Good. Clavis complied with his message, since all he wanted to do is to make sure Rohoph was thinking about the Keystones, but asked him to apply the Keystones analogy to other parts of his life, such as his greater goals, so he can remember that their loss will result in sheer devastation. When Rohoph asked Clavis what he was implying here, Clavis stated again that he is a scholar and equilibriumancer. He also mentioned that he has experienced many events in his life that caused him to not want to see repeats of past events that had caused him so much destruction and loss. Clavis asked him to reconsider his actions based on the consequences and left the now-lifeless Water Temple. The Water Guardian remarked on how strange Clavis is and wonders how he got into the temple but was relieved that he at least had not done anything bad.
Aftermath[]
Clavis appeared when the King of Goznor was defeated in battle. He started to talk about the King's defeat and how he was a Keystone, with Rohoph becoming uninterested and told him to go away. Clavis felt saddened by Rohoph's attitude but asked Donovan how he felt about the passing of his father. Donovan answered him by saying that he felt angry, lost, and saddened by his father's death since now he had to take responsibility for his actions. Clavis related to him and the recent passing of events and suddenly revealed that he was actually Qualna in disguise. Rohoph was surprised by this revelation but Qualna told him about what was going on in Anshar, how he had been watching him for the past several years, and his reasons of possessing Clavis and the King. He advised Rohoph to try to solve his problems without violence. Unfortunately, Rohoph believes he was trying to trick him, so Qualna, now thinking that Rohoph was a lost cause, left towards Anshar through the Astral Tunnel.
Rohoph followed him alone and Qualna sensed that he himself was going to die. Before they battled, Qualna asked him not to seal his soul when he dies since he wishes to stay out of the problem now. Rohoph promised not to seal his soul. When Rohoph defeated him in battle, Qualna was now relieved that he was free at last and advised Rohoph to know what he is doing and to be careful with Gaspar. Qualna asked him again not to seal his soul since he was Lawful and he had promised but Rohoph believed that the Violet Crystal warped his mind and that he will return to the others as a spirit and broke his promise. Qualna realised his mistake and called him an utter monster before Rohoph seals his soul.
Personality[]
Clavis reinforces the importance of keystones throughout the chapter, going so far as to call the Elemental Crystals Keystones. He seems to know far more than he lets on, as he can tell the difference between Mardek and Rohoph.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Clavis has a strange tattoo on his head showing a key, which means he might have believed in the Keystone theory before he became possessed. There is also the possibility that he was created by Qualna from scratch.
- He is the second person to be True Neutral in MARDEK after Bernard.
- His means of transportation are unknown, although it could simply be Qualna.
- The word Clavis translates from Latin. It means 'key'.
- According to Pseudolonewolf, Clavis, despite being a major supporting character, was not originally planned to be added to the game.
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