Scias

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In the role-playing game Breath of Fire 4 Scias is a stuttering mercenary of the doggish persuasion who is assigned to watch the party. He later drops his contract and joins the party freely.

[edit] History

Nothing is known of Scias prior to his appearance in Breath of Fire 4; he has no back history, and the only real reference to his nature states that he will do virtually anything for money. He is brought in by the government of Ludia to keep an eye on Ryu, Nina and Ershin, who, alongside Cray, were caught sneaking into the confines of the Fou-Lu Empire in the pursuit of Nina's sister. He allows the party (save Cray, who finds himself trapped in court for the stunt) to wander about freely, so long as he is there to watch their progress.

Despite his contract Scias shows no inclination to stop the party from doing whatever they want, occasionally citing that he was paid only to keep an eye on them, not stop them. As such he eventually aids the party in freeing Cray from the Ludians; contrary to these actions, however, he runs back to inform the Ludians of the party's intent to speak to P'ung Ryong, the Wind Dragon.

Scias soon redeems himself by showing up on the roof of Pung'tap, the shrine through which P'ung Ryong can be found, and helping the party fight off the Ludians who try to take custody of Ryu. From that point on he joins the group and aids in their quest to find Fou-Lu.

[edit] Personality

Scias' real value as a character, since he has no big role in the plot, comes from his personality. It comes out only in small snippets (thanks largely to his silent stuttering), but it's fairly visible nonetheless.

Scias is, for the most part, a loner. He is seen at the beginning of the game as a man who will do anything for money: however, this quickly changes, as he witnesses the selfless acts of the party. He questions why they do anything without expecting anything in exchange, and in doing so learns there are things more valuable than money. His change comes so quickly that you are left to wonder whether he needed to learn this, or if he knew it all along and simply needed a reason to act towards a nobler goal.

Somewhat akin to Peco from Breath of Fire 3, Scias is a lover of the easy life, taking frequent naps and revelling in simple environments (like, say, the island the party finds itself temporarily marooned on in the latter half of the game). Despite his love of solitude he does not appear to be particularly shy, nor even self-conscious of his stutter: that's just the way he is. Although extremely reticent and aloof, he is also quite dependable. One detail left out of his backround in the game is that he's a drinker, perhaps as a means to escape his troubled past.

Scias has rare flashes of grim, morbid humour, usually in response to less-than-happy events occurring around him. His jokes are almost always punctuated by a creepy smile which show off his impressive canines.

There is no point in the game at which Scias' eyes become visible, befitting a character whose motivations and history are ambiguous at best.

[edit] Skills and Powers

Scias is a highly accomplished swordsman who, when equipped with the proper weapon, can attack twice in the same turn. His attacks come so quickly that he flashes out of sight for an instant before delivering a few lightning-quick blows. As expected of such attacks, he is probably the fastest character in the game; consequently, however, he does not hit as hard as other characters. Scias can use many of the same swords as Ryu, alongside a few unique to him alone.

In addition, Scias is an accomplished magic user, combining a bevy of ice-based attack spells with valuable healing spells. These, combined with his speed, make him an ideal character for racking up high combos.

Scias' weakness lies in his low hit and ability points. He excels in neither, and will often be the first character laid flat on the battlefield; as such he serves best in the back ranks of a battle formation.

Scias' field action is Rakhasa. When Scias goes critical (his HP turns yellow), his defense is added to his offense (similar to the Last Resort ability), which increases his power immensely while making him even more vulnerable.