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☼ Character Information
•CHARACTER ☆ Oerba Dia Vanille
•FANDOM ☆ Final Fantasy XIII
•AGE ☆ Technically Five Hundred and Nineteen, appears to be Nineteen
•SPECIES ☆ Human
•GENDER ☆ Female
•TIMELINE ☆ Chapter Eleven, just as they arrive in Oerba village on Gran Pulse.
•PERSONALITY ☆ Vanille is, technically, over five hundred years old. Despite her actual age, she still acts as a nineteen year old, having spent the past five hundred years suspended in crystal statis. She seems to have an almost child like innocence about her, like something you would see in someone much younger. She mostly appears to be constantly happy and cheeful, choosing instead to run away from her problems instead of focusing on them as they come. She remains positive in situations that other would find hopeless, and she can often be very stubburn about things that she believes deeply. She's the type who always tries to see the bright side of things and believes that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark it seems to be.
She's kind to everyone, extremely considerate of their feelings and very caring for her friends. She likes to try and be there for them, even when she herself is afraid. She deeply wants to help, even though she herself is running away. It seems that for her, it's easier to take on other's problems then her own.
She cares deeply for Fang, consranrly worries for her and about her, and severely dislikes it when the other is not around or they're seperated for any period of time. While Fang is the stronger of the two and often takes care of Vanille, she's much stronger and tougher than she seems. She often says that she wants to be strong for Fang, and that she's going to be the one to take care of the other. She loves Fang as a friend and thinks of her as a sister, and it's this deep relationship that gives her a lot of strength. She's also extremely protective over those close to her, as shown by the care she shows for Hope, and the way she always seems to go out of her way to make sure that he's alright. She is very brave, as long as she has someone to be brave for.
Early in the game, Vanille seems content to simply handle all of her problems later, handling them by running from them.Through out the game, however, Vanille learns to stop running from her problems and starts to face them head on, with Fang and the rest of the gang's help. She still tends to cope with her fears by closing her eyes and trying to lose herself in a time when things were happier. She's also extremely curious and always wants to explore and know what's going on around her, despite what everyone else thinks. All in all, she's extrmely kind and caring to everyone and is always very positive, although she's shown that she does have a softer, less optimistic side, although she tries to hide it from everyone. She's the type to try and keep everyone's spirits up, no matter how hopeless things and thr situation may seem.
Another very important thing to note is that Vanille is the narrator of the game. Because of this, many of her views on situations are shown quite clearly. In a lot of ways, this shows that under everything else, all of the running away, all of the puttering her problems off to be faced later, all of the kindess, everything, Vanille is very insgithful. She may not always appear as though she knows the full weight of the situation, or that she has truly taken it in, but she has. She knows full well what their situation means, as well as the fact that it could end badly for him. She however, chooses not to dwell on it, afraid that it would bring down the rest of the group. She does, however, express such emotions as sadness, depression, remorse and guilt through out the game. She's complex, although she tends to hide away these complexities in an attempt to keep attention away from her, allowing her to continue to run from her problems. Although nearer to the point where I have taken her from, she has begun to learn how to stop running from her problems as previously mentioned and how to find strength within herself as well as others.
•ABILITIES ☆ Vanille uses a weapon known as a Binding Rod. The head of the rod resembles a pair of antlers while the body contains four long wires attached to hooks which deal damage by latching onto an enemy and pulling, much like one would expect from a fishing pole. Because of the long distance range of her weapon, however, she mostly concentrates on casting spells to defeat her enemies.
She ranks second highest in the game in terms of magical attacks, which makes her ideal for the Ravager, which allows her to cast powerful elemental spells. She also makes a rather effective Saboteur, possessing many skills that most enemies are weak to. She also shines when placed into the medic role, as she has many healing spells that are quite effective. In fact, she evens goes so far as being able to revive Hope at one point. Because of this, she's less likely to succumb to powerful attacks made by the enemy.
Because Vanille is a L'Cie, she also has the ability to summon her Eliodon, Hecatoncheir, which seems to come from inside of her, instead of coming from another world or some other space continum. Hecatoncheir is a many-armed, Earth-elemental Eidolon that transforms into a bipedal mech with four machine gun turrets which allows Vanille to ride on it's back when needed.
Vanille also has many different rods that she fights with throughout the game, but because she's intinally equiped with the binding rod, it's the one she'll be coming into Adstring with. She will mostly be filling the Ravager role, but will have access to her healing spells and will be less likely to succumb to powerful elemental attacks made by an enemy. Also, Hecatoncheir comes from inside of Vanille, not from the world around her, so he should, technically be able to come with her.
•HISTORY ☆ Vanille was once a resident of Gran Pulse and came from the village known as Oerba. during the War of Transgression, which took place five centuries before the events depictied in the main game, Vanille and Fang both lost their families at the hands of the Cocoon l'Cie and the fal'Cie. After meeting at Oerba's orphanage they quickly became close friends, like sisters. Not long after their meeting, Fang chose to become a l'Cie so that she could protect Vanille and Gran Pulse. Vanille was worried about Fang's safety and so she decided to tag along, eventually deciding to become a l'Cie as well. By the powers of the Pulse fal'Cie Anima, Vanille and Fang were granted the destructive power of Ragnarok and were given the Focus to destroy Cocoon. During the war's climax, Vanille was too scared to use the power of Ragnarok, forcing Fang to transform into the beast on her own. Fang's incomplete Ragnarok managed to leave a huge scar on the shell of Cocoon, but she was unable to destroy it completely. Taking pity on the people of Cocoon, the Goddess interveneded into the war and crystallized both Vanille and Fang before they were able to complete their focus.
Five hundred years later, Fang and Vanille are awoken on Cocoon, inside the Pulse Vestige, which had been taken to Cocoon in secret by Barthandelus in the aftermath of the war. Vanille soon discovers that Fang has lost her mmeories of their previous Focus as well as those of Ragnarok. Not wanting to endanger and hurt more innocent people, Vanille makes the decision to lie and says that she too has forgotten her Focus. Although Fang's l'Cie brand is scarred, appearing burned or scorched and remains unchanging, Vanille's brand appears to still be active and is progressing at the same steady rate as it was previously. Fang, unwilling to simply stand by and watch as Vanille becomes a Cie'th, vows that she will remember and complete their Focus, no matter what it may be. But after a few days of looking for answers with no luck, the two return to the Vestiage. Upon their arrival, Fang suspects an intruder and they very quickly rush to the center where the fal'Cie Anima dwells. It's then thay they discover Serah Farron lying unconscious and Vanille notices A Pulse l'Cie brand fresh on her arm. Vanille immediately begins to blame herself for Serah's misfortune in being branded as a Pulse l'cie, assuming that the fal'Cie Anima has seen through her lies and has chosen to transfrom Serah into a l'Cie in order to complete the Focus that she herself has been trying to deny.
As the days start to pass, Fang grows more desperate. They use the ID cards they had stolen to board a train and travel to Euride Gorge to see the fal'Cie Kujata. In a reckless attemot to try and remember this Focus, Fang plans to attack Kujata, although Vanille remians reluctant. However, things quickly beging to sprial out of control as Dajh Katzroy enters the room and the fal'Cie brands him. Vanille and Fang are them chased by PSICOM solkdiers, where Vanille begins to insist that their best plan of action would be to try and escape back to Pulse and forget their Focus. Fang, however, decides to face the soldiers alone in order to give Vanille a chance to escape. Vanille, not wishing for her friend to be left behind, refuses, only to have Fang push her into an elevator and the two are seperated.
Lost and alone, Vanille returns to the Vestige at Bodum but finds herself unable to spend the night by herself. While standing outside of the shopping mall nervously, Vanille see's the same strange, white bird that she had spotted when she and Fang stole their ID cards. Vanille then begins to see Cocoon as a kind of peaceful paradise, but she can't forget the guilt she feels over what happened to both Serah and Dajh because of her.
After falling and scraping her leg on the near by beach, she is aided by Serah, and the two quickly strike up a friendship. Vanille tells Serah that she was chasing after someone and wants to apologize for something she did but that she is simply unable to find the words. Serahs tells her to face it later if it seems too much to deal with since things can look a lot more clear when they are looked at from a distance. Vanille then gets on her knees and apologizes to Serah for her role in Serah having become a l'Cie, although Serah is completely obvilious to the other girls involvement.
Two days later, Vanille attends the annual firework festival in Bodhum. Inspired by her meeting with Serah, she wishes for the safety of Cocoon and for the safety of all of it's people. Even if it ultimately meant her becomming a Cie'th, Vanille had made up her mind. She would not bring any harm to Cocoon, or to it's people. The following day, the Sanctum announces their discovery of the fal'Cie Anima deep within the Vestige, the quarantine of Bodhum and their plans for the Purge. Unaware of the true nature behind the Purge and believing it to be nothing more than a forced migration to Gran Pulse, Vanille decidxes to board the Purge train. Although she doesn't want to leave Fang behind on Cocoon, she thinks thinks that if she can return hom to Gran Pulse she can somehow prevent her Focus from causing more pain and suffering.
Upon boarding the train, Vanille sees Lightning along with Sazh Katzroy (along with his Chocobo Chick) on the platform and bumps into Nora Estheim and her son, Hope, whom she then choses to stay beside becauses she believes them to be kind. Vanille, torn between her excitement of going home andher regret of leaving Fang behind on Cocoon is comforted by the knowledge that her best friend can't turn into a Cie'th, due to her brand being scorched.
As the Purge train enters the Hanging Edgem it is derailed by Lightning and Sazh trying to escape. Along with the rest of the Purgees, Vanille is brought to safety by Snow Villiers and the rest of his resistance group, named NORA. As they stop on bridge, Snow purposes that they aid in the battle against the Sanctum. Vanille offers to take the last gun after it is refused by Hope, vowing to protect those left behind should they need it. As the group of Purgees split up, Vanille and Hope's group head to the higher bridgeway. From there, they can do nothing but watch helplessly as PISCOM destroy the lower bridgeway, and the other group, including Hope's mother, are plunged to their deaths. Vanille is left with a shell-shocked Hope and tells him that he'll have to face his pain later. For now, they must keep moving until they are safely away.
They reconvene with the suriviving members of the other group which includes Snow, who had failed in an attempt to save Hope's mother as she fells. It's there that Vanille encourages Hope to approach Snow, whom Hope now blames for Nora's death. When Hope seems hesitant, Vanille offers to accompany him, trust forming the beginning of their friendship. When Snow leaves before Hope has a chance to speak to him, Vanille manages to steal Gadot's air vehicle and she and Hope follow Snow in the Pulse Vestige.
They proceed to crash inside of the Vestige. After recovering, Vanille suggest they look around, where she recovers her weapon which she had left thetre eariler. The two hear Snow's voice coming from somewhere in the distance, and they realize that he is heading their way. Following Vanille's adopted philosophy of running away, they decided to head further into the Vestige, where they are attacked by Cie'th. Snow quickly jumps in to the fray, and afterwards he explains his search for Serah and allows the two of them to tag along out of concern for their safety. They eventually find Serah once more laying unconcious in Anima's Throne, and when Vanille see's the firls face and recognizes her as her new friend from Bodhum, she is shocked. She and the rest of the party, now joined by Lightning, Serah's sister, and Sazh, witness Serah's transformation into a crystal, her Focus apparently complete. Lightning and Sazh then furiously begin to attack the fal'Cie, who awakens and brandes them all as l'Cie. The Vestige breaks and they all are thrown into the ice of Lake Bresha below.
When they are all awakened, Sazh prompts them all to determine what their shared Focus is and to remian positive. Instead of simply explaining her situation, Vanille decides it best to pretend that she too has just been branded by Anima along side the rest of the new party. Everyone begins to wonder how to understand and complete their Focus. Vanille tells Lightning that she saw it. They interupt their Focus as having something to do with Ragnarok, and also with destroying Cocoon. Through all of this, Vanille remains silent about her past. After leaving Snow behind to remain with Serah's crystal, Vanille stumbles upon a Sanctum ship, which Sazh then proceeds to pilot out of the ruins. After elduing the first wave of enemy ships, Vanille see's Primarch Galenth Dysley on a telecast, announcing the apparent success of the Purge. The airship then comes under heavy fire from a secnd wave of enemy ships, crashing down into the Vile Peaks.
Lightening's impatience to reach Eden causes herself along with Hope to become seperated from Vanille and Sazh, who decide to stay together. Despite Sazh's despair at their sitation, he vows not to let a "kid" like Vanille run alone. With a piece of machinery now blocking their path back to Lightning, the pair are forced to find another route out of the Peaks. They evetually find Hope, who has been abandoned by Lightning. Vanille then manages to persuade Hope to keep going until they can return him to his father in Palumpolumm while the three of them continue searchoing for the way out. They finally stumble upon Lightning once more, before they are forced to fight a Dreadnought. Afetr the battle, Lightning runs ahead once against while Hope chases after her, leaving Sazh and Vanille behind and on their own once more. The duo continue their passage through the Vile Peaks, often discussing their fates. When Sazh claims the world would be a better place without the fear of Pilse, Vanille becomes visily upset, but somehow manages to hide her feelings. When they stumble across an old and on abandoned power plant, they find a secluded place to rest. Though Vanille playfully draws a line ground, stating that Sazh was not to cross it as they slept, he still awakens during the night to see Vanille curled up beside him, crying softly in her sleep.
Without any real destination in mind, Vanille and Sazh find themselves in the Sunleth Waterscape, where Vanille becomes enthralled by the similarities it holds to her homeland. However, her new found bliss is short lived as she notices her companion growing worried over Lightning as hope as fleet of Sanctum ships fly by over head. In an attempt to ease his mind, Vanille insist that they keep running from the Sanctum, heading in the opposite direction inside of following them, to Nautilus, also know as the City of Dreams. During their passage there, Vanille ask Sazh about his family, and it is them that he reveals himself to be the father of Dajh, the young boy who had been branded as a l'Cie due to Vanille and Fang's interfernece, and now Sazh himself has been branded a l'Cie in his desperate attempt to solve his son's Focus. Overcome by the guilt she feels over being responsible for two other innocent people's pending fate, Vanille can't bring herself to tell Sazh about her involvement in the incident. They managed to find a hold in the fence leading to the Seabus Docks, where the boat to Nautilus is waiting, ready to set sail. When Sazh says he believe the whole Purge had been started because of Dajh, Vanille implores him to place the blame he feels elsewhere, onto the Pulse l'Cie who had attacked Kujata. But as she still can't admit to Sazh that she was partly respoonsible for his son's branding, she runs out of the shelter they had found from the rain, hoping to hid her tears in the downpour.
Once in Nautilus, however, Vanille can no longer hide behind her cheerful facade, and the guilt over her friend and his son's fate begins to over come her. Noticing the change in the young girls usually perky attitude, Sazh suggest they go watch the Pompa Sancta in hopes of cheering her up. On the way to the show, they see a news bullentin showing the footage of the chaos in Palumpolum being broadcast across the park. Sazh notes Lightning, Hope and Snow's appearances in the footage, but Vanille is shocked to see another face she recognizes. Fang.
The pair proceed to the Pompa Sancta to watch the spectacle, though as the audience cheer at the demise of Pulse, Vanille can only shed another tear as a copy of her home is destroyed before her. After the show, Sazh reveals his new intention to give himself over to the Sanctum in hopes that they would allow him to see Dajh one final time before the boy is either crystallized or turned Cie'th, even if that means it would lead to Sazh's execution. Vanille becomes distraught, and desperately tries to change her friends mind, eventually even going so far as to tell him that she can name the person who is responsible for the Euride incident if it means he will continue on this journey with her. Before she has a chance to finally admit her guilt, the Sanctum attack from overhead. Despite Sazh's wishes to be captured, he honors his previous vows to protect Vanille and allow her to escape to safety before turning himself in.
The two flee from ther Clock Tower, where they face the Midlight Reaper together. After defeating the monster, Dajh appears from the tower, much to Sazh and well and Vanille's surprise. However, before the father and son can truly reunite, Dalh crystallizes into Sazh's outstretched arms. Jihl Nabaat then arrives with her troops, and the boy's Focus is finally revealed. To capture the servants of the lowerworld fal'Cie. As Sazh sinks deeper and deeper into dispair, Nabaat shows him the security footage of that fateful date in Euride, revealing that it was Vanille, along with Fang, who had disturbed Kujata and forced the fal'Cie to brand his son. Unable to cope with the situation, Vanille manages to flee the scene, finding her way to Fiendlord's Keep. Nabaat preventsher soldiers from following her, and instead allows Sazh to angrily pursue her, curious as to just how much date they could collect from watching two l'Cie fight each other.
When Vanille stops within the courtyard, she has a vision of Sazh, where he proceeds to call her a cold blooded killer, pretending to be like the others so that she could use them as shields. When Sazh does eventually arrive, Vanille is fully ready to face her fate. Preparded for herdeath, she finally reveals her true name, Vanille Dia Oerba, and that she had been previously branded as a l'Cie. Spreading her arms, still sobbing, she implores Sazh to shoot her, causing her death for all of the unjust suffering she has caused him and the world. Sazh, while furious with her for believing that all would be rectified in her death, refuses, but Vanille can't see any other way to atone for what she has done. Sazh then drops to her knees, clusting at his heart as his Eilolon, Brynhildr materializes in an orb of flame. As the firey beast approaches the fallen Sazh, Vanille desperately throws herself in between them. Her determination to protect him, no matter what the cost to her, prompts him to rise and shoot at Brynhildr. The two manage to defeat the Eidolon, but Sazh is still broken. As Vanille sinks to her knees and sobs, she can do nothing byt look on in horror as Sazh raises his own gun to his head. Vanille is captured by PISCOM soon after, followed by Sazh's open-faced casket as it is lead into an airship by Jihl's regiment.
During their captivity aboard the air ship the Palamecia, Vanille tells Sazh that she became a l'Cie to fight Cocoon centuries before, and how she and Fang had awakened on Cocoon with a new Focus, and how Fang had lost her memory. Vanille then tells him that she is afraid their new Focus will hurt more innocent people, and so she chose to play dumb and pretended that she didn't remember anything about their past either in an attempt to run away from her Focus and from her fate as a l'Cie. Sazh forgives Vanille when he realizes that what happened to Dajh was an accident, not something that Vanille did on purpose, nor was it something that she could have prevented. Soon, two PISCOM soldiers enter their cell and tell them they are going to move them. Sazh says it's time to be recused. Vanille disagrees and says that for the first time in her life, she's going to be the one to save Fang. They eventually meet up with the rest of the party, and Vanille is finally reunited with Pulsian friend. After they share a quick hug, Fang abruptly falls to her knees, lifting Vanille's skirt to check how far along her l'Cie brand has gotten, and is relieved to discover that she had more time left than she had thought. Vanille then helps Fang to take down a Garuda Interceptor by entangling it in the wires of her Binding Rod. The party then uses the monster to reach the bridge of the ship where they confront Galenth Dysley, who then reveals himself to be a fal'Cie by the name of Barthandelus. After evading Yaag Rocsh who was pursuing the group by entering Eden, Vanille tries to warn Sazh before it is too late too look out ahead and their airship crashes into a structure.
Once they enter the Fifth Ark, Vanille suspicions that it looks like it is from Pulse are confirmed as they realize that it is a piece of Pulse technology, somehow having been brought and left on Cocoon. Vanille then remembers a legend from Gran Pulse about the Arks, and how the fal'Cie creathed them out of fear of an invasion from the outside, and how they had built living weapons for a time of war and stored them within the Arks. After the party defeats Cid Raines, Vanille and Ligthning help Fang to tame her Eidolon, Bahamut. A new path is then revealed, and at the end Vanille ends up finding a Pulse airship and guesses it to be another of the Ark's weapons. With there being seemingly no where left to run within Cocoon, everyone agrees to visit Gran Pulse in hopes of finding a way to change their fate as l'Cie's, using the airship yo transverse the portal into Pulse.
During the flight, the airship is attacked by a wild wyvern in the skies above Pulse, causing it to crash and the l'Cie to become stranded in the valley of Vallis Media, wjhere they make their camp. After having spending days searching the wilderness and finding nothing, they are ready to give up hope until Vanille suggest that they go to Oerba, her and Fang's adopted home. Hope, however, believes thar he should be left behind, and summons his Elidolon, Alexander, fighting it with the help of the others and brings it under his control, leaving the other's to wonder about the true purpose of the Eidolons. Finally, they discover a path to the Archylte Steppe and they begin their journey towards Oerba, the place where it all began.
In the Yaschas Massif, Vanille reminds Hope during a quiet moment of their promise to see Pulse together and Hope admits that he can't remember making the promise. Vanille laughingly admits that it was probably another fabrication of hers. As Hope tricks Vanille into thinking that he likes her, she gets flustered, before he reveals that it was nothing more than joke and runs off, with her chasing after him. Later, when the party finds the ruins of Paddra, Fang says that it's strange that she and Vanille are back home with the very people they has chose to fight against. Vanille then admits that it was her who became Ragnarok and had scarred Cocoon centuries before. As Fang talks about being turning into crystal despite not doing anything in the war. Vanille once again shows guilt over knowing that what her friend believes is indeed false. Soon after, the group sees the fal'Cie Dahakra fly by them, and knowing that it resides near Oerba, decide to follow it.
It is in the Mah'habara Subterra, that Fang finally regains her memories and remembers that it was her who had become Ragnarok, now Vanille as she had claimed, despite Vanille's insistence. In her emotional distrress, she realizes that her friend, the person she loves and cares about most, has finally discovered her deepest lie, and her l'Cie brand begins to glow. Her Eidolon, Hecatoncheir, then appears, and she and Fang battle it, helping Vanille to bring it under her control. during the battle, Fang had admitted that she was simply bluffing about regaining her memories in an attempt to get Vanille to confess. Once the Eidolon has been tamed, Vanille says that it wasn't fair that Fang has to do those horrioble things while she stood on the side lines and did nothing. Fang forgtives her for her lies and reassures her that she isn't alone anymore. She no longer has just Fang, but he new found family as well. In the Sulyya Springs, Vanille then admits to Snow that she had met in Bodhum, and tells him that Serah had probably had the same vision of Ragnarok, although he focus had been to pass it on to them, along with the fate of Cocoon.
After ascending Taejin's Tower, Vanille and Fang begin to reminisce about their hometone, describing it to the group as a small billage filled with lots of nature and flowers. However, Sazh is quick to warn them that the view from the top of the towers doesn't exactly fit theuir description. Concerned, Lightning asked Vanille is she wants to stay behind, but Vanille insist that she needs to see it for herself. The party look out on the remains of Oerba, and Vanille is shocked to see her once beautiful home completely devoid of life and color. Suddenly filled with despair and question as to whether or not they will really be able to find a way to fulfill their fate and remove their brands without being turned to crystal, Vanille vows to continue and the party ride a capsule down the other side of the tower and towards the outskirts and Oerba.
(This is the point in which I'm taking her. Instead of ending up in Oerba, she ends up in Adstringendum.)
•CHARACTER ☆ Oerba Dia Vanille
•FANDOM ☆ Final Fantasy XIII
•AGE ☆ Technically Five Hundred and Nineteen, appears to be Nineteen
•SPECIES ☆ Human
•GENDER ☆ Female
•TIMELINE ☆ Chapter Eleven, just as they arrive in Oerba village on Gran Pulse.
•PERSONALITY ☆ Vanille is, technically, over five hundred years old. Despite her actual age, she still acts as a nineteen year old, having spent the past five hundred years suspended in crystal statis. She seems to have an almost child like innocence about her, like something you would see in someone much younger. She mostly appears to be constantly happy and cheeful, choosing instead to run away from her problems instead of focusing on them as they come. She remains positive in situations that other would find hopeless, and she can often be very stubburn about things that she believes deeply. She's the type who always tries to see the bright side of things and believes that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark it seems to be.
She's kind to everyone, extremely considerate of their feelings and very caring for her friends. She likes to try and be there for them, even when she herself is afraid. She deeply wants to help, even though she herself is running away. It seems that for her, it's easier to take on other's problems then her own.
She cares deeply for Fang, consranrly worries for her and about her, and severely dislikes it when the other is not around or they're seperated for any period of time. While Fang is the stronger of the two and often takes care of Vanille, she's much stronger and tougher than she seems. She often says that she wants to be strong for Fang, and that she's going to be the one to take care of the other. She loves Fang as a friend and thinks of her as a sister, and it's this deep relationship that gives her a lot of strength. She's also extremely protective over those close to her, as shown by the care she shows for Hope, and the way she always seems to go out of her way to make sure that he's alright. She is very brave, as long as she has someone to be brave for.
Early in the game, Vanille seems content to simply handle all of her problems later, handling them by running from them.Through out the game, however, Vanille learns to stop running from her problems and starts to face them head on, with Fang and the rest of the gang's help. She still tends to cope with her fears by closing her eyes and trying to lose herself in a time when things were happier. She's also extremely curious and always wants to explore and know what's going on around her, despite what everyone else thinks. All in all, she's extrmely kind and caring to everyone and is always very positive, although she's shown that she does have a softer, less optimistic side, although she tries to hide it from everyone. She's the type to try and keep everyone's spirits up, no matter how hopeless things and thr situation may seem.
Another very important thing to note is that Vanille is the narrator of the game. Because of this, many of her views on situations are shown quite clearly. In a lot of ways, this shows that under everything else, all of the running away, all of the puttering her problems off to be faced later, all of the kindess, everything, Vanille is very insgithful. She may not always appear as though she knows the full weight of the situation, or that she has truly taken it in, but she has. She knows full well what their situation means, as well as the fact that it could end badly for him. She however, chooses not to dwell on it, afraid that it would bring down the rest of the group. She does, however, express such emotions as sadness, depression, remorse and guilt through out the game. She's complex, although she tends to hide away these complexities in an attempt to keep attention away from her, allowing her to continue to run from her problems. Although nearer to the point where I have taken her from, she has begun to learn how to stop running from her problems as previously mentioned and how to find strength within herself as well as others.
•ABILITIES ☆ Vanille uses a weapon known as a Binding Rod. The head of the rod resembles a pair of antlers while the body contains four long wires attached to hooks which deal damage by latching onto an enemy and pulling, much like one would expect from a fishing pole. Because of the long distance range of her weapon, however, she mostly concentrates on casting spells to defeat her enemies.
She ranks second highest in the game in terms of magical attacks, which makes her ideal for the Ravager, which allows her to cast powerful elemental spells. She also makes a rather effective Saboteur, possessing many skills that most enemies are weak to. She also shines when placed into the medic role, as she has many healing spells that are quite effective. In fact, she evens goes so far as being able to revive Hope at one point. Because of this, she's less likely to succumb to powerful attacks made by the enemy.
Because Vanille is a L'Cie, she also has the ability to summon her Eliodon, Hecatoncheir, which seems to come from inside of her, instead of coming from another world or some other space continum. Hecatoncheir is a many-armed, Earth-elemental Eidolon that transforms into a bipedal mech with four machine gun turrets which allows Vanille to ride on it's back when needed.
Vanille also has many different rods that she fights with throughout the game, but because she's intinally equiped with the binding rod, it's the one she'll be coming into Adstring with. She will mostly be filling the Ravager role, but will have access to her healing spells and will be less likely to succumb to powerful elemental attacks made by an enemy. Also, Hecatoncheir comes from inside of Vanille, not from the world around her, so he should, technically be able to come with her.
•HISTORY ☆ Vanille was once a resident of Gran Pulse and came from the village known as Oerba. during the War of Transgression, which took place five centuries before the events depictied in the main game, Vanille and Fang both lost their families at the hands of the Cocoon l'Cie and the fal'Cie. After meeting at Oerba's orphanage they quickly became close friends, like sisters. Not long after their meeting, Fang chose to become a l'Cie so that she could protect Vanille and Gran Pulse. Vanille was worried about Fang's safety and so she decided to tag along, eventually deciding to become a l'Cie as well. By the powers of the Pulse fal'Cie Anima, Vanille and Fang were granted the destructive power of Ragnarok and were given the Focus to destroy Cocoon. During the war's climax, Vanille was too scared to use the power of Ragnarok, forcing Fang to transform into the beast on her own. Fang's incomplete Ragnarok managed to leave a huge scar on the shell of Cocoon, but she was unable to destroy it completely. Taking pity on the people of Cocoon, the Goddess interveneded into the war and crystallized both Vanille and Fang before they were able to complete their focus.
Five hundred years later, Fang and Vanille are awoken on Cocoon, inside the Pulse Vestige, which had been taken to Cocoon in secret by Barthandelus in the aftermath of the war. Vanille soon discovers that Fang has lost her mmeories of their previous Focus as well as those of Ragnarok. Not wanting to endanger and hurt more innocent people, Vanille makes the decision to lie and says that she too has forgotten her Focus. Although Fang's l'Cie brand is scarred, appearing burned or scorched and remains unchanging, Vanille's brand appears to still be active and is progressing at the same steady rate as it was previously. Fang, unwilling to simply stand by and watch as Vanille becomes a Cie'th, vows that she will remember and complete their Focus, no matter what it may be. But after a few days of looking for answers with no luck, the two return to the Vestiage. Upon their arrival, Fang suspects an intruder and they very quickly rush to the center where the fal'Cie Anima dwells. It's then thay they discover Serah Farron lying unconscious and Vanille notices A Pulse l'Cie brand fresh on her arm. Vanille immediately begins to blame herself for Serah's misfortune in being branded as a Pulse l'cie, assuming that the fal'Cie Anima has seen through her lies and has chosen to transfrom Serah into a l'Cie in order to complete the Focus that she herself has been trying to deny.
As the days start to pass, Fang grows more desperate. They use the ID cards they had stolen to board a train and travel to Euride Gorge to see the fal'Cie Kujata. In a reckless attemot to try and remember this Focus, Fang plans to attack Kujata, although Vanille remians reluctant. However, things quickly beging to sprial out of control as Dajh Katzroy enters the room and the fal'Cie brands him. Vanille and Fang are them chased by PSICOM solkdiers, where Vanille begins to insist that their best plan of action would be to try and escape back to Pulse and forget their Focus. Fang, however, decides to face the soldiers alone in order to give Vanille a chance to escape. Vanille, not wishing for her friend to be left behind, refuses, only to have Fang push her into an elevator and the two are seperated.
Lost and alone, Vanille returns to the Vestige at Bodum but finds herself unable to spend the night by herself. While standing outside of the shopping mall nervously, Vanille see's the same strange, white bird that she had spotted when she and Fang stole their ID cards. Vanille then begins to see Cocoon as a kind of peaceful paradise, but she can't forget the guilt she feels over what happened to both Serah and Dajh because of her.
After falling and scraping her leg on the near by beach, she is aided by Serah, and the two quickly strike up a friendship. Vanille tells Serah that she was chasing after someone and wants to apologize for something she did but that she is simply unable to find the words. Serahs tells her to face it later if it seems too much to deal with since things can look a lot more clear when they are looked at from a distance. Vanille then gets on her knees and apologizes to Serah for her role in Serah having become a l'Cie, although Serah is completely obvilious to the other girls involvement.
Two days later, Vanille attends the annual firework festival in Bodhum. Inspired by her meeting with Serah, she wishes for the safety of Cocoon and for the safety of all of it's people. Even if it ultimately meant her becomming a Cie'th, Vanille had made up her mind. She would not bring any harm to Cocoon, or to it's people. The following day, the Sanctum announces their discovery of the fal'Cie Anima deep within the Vestige, the quarantine of Bodhum and their plans for the Purge. Unaware of the true nature behind the Purge and believing it to be nothing more than a forced migration to Gran Pulse, Vanille decidxes to board the Purge train. Although she doesn't want to leave Fang behind on Cocoon, she thinks thinks that if she can return hom to Gran Pulse she can somehow prevent her Focus from causing more pain and suffering.
Upon boarding the train, Vanille sees Lightning along with Sazh Katzroy (along with his Chocobo Chick) on the platform and bumps into Nora Estheim and her son, Hope, whom she then choses to stay beside becauses she believes them to be kind. Vanille, torn between her excitement of going home andher regret of leaving Fang behind on Cocoon is comforted by the knowledge that her best friend can't turn into a Cie'th, due to her brand being scorched.
As the Purge train enters the Hanging Edgem it is derailed by Lightning and Sazh trying to escape. Along with the rest of the Purgees, Vanille is brought to safety by Snow Villiers and the rest of his resistance group, named NORA. As they stop on bridge, Snow purposes that they aid in the battle against the Sanctum. Vanille offers to take the last gun after it is refused by Hope, vowing to protect those left behind should they need it. As the group of Purgees split up, Vanille and Hope's group head to the higher bridgeway. From there, they can do nothing but watch helplessly as PISCOM destroy the lower bridgeway, and the other group, including Hope's mother, are plunged to their deaths. Vanille is left with a shell-shocked Hope and tells him that he'll have to face his pain later. For now, they must keep moving until they are safely away.
They reconvene with the suriviving members of the other group which includes Snow, who had failed in an attempt to save Hope's mother as she fells. It's there that Vanille encourages Hope to approach Snow, whom Hope now blames for Nora's death. When Hope seems hesitant, Vanille offers to accompany him, trust forming the beginning of their friendship. When Snow leaves before Hope has a chance to speak to him, Vanille manages to steal Gadot's air vehicle and she and Hope follow Snow in the Pulse Vestige.
They proceed to crash inside of the Vestige. After recovering, Vanille suggest they look around, where she recovers her weapon which she had left thetre eariler. The two hear Snow's voice coming from somewhere in the distance, and they realize that he is heading their way. Following Vanille's adopted philosophy of running away, they decided to head further into the Vestige, where they are attacked by Cie'th. Snow quickly jumps in to the fray, and afterwards he explains his search for Serah and allows the two of them to tag along out of concern for their safety. They eventually find Serah once more laying unconcious in Anima's Throne, and when Vanille see's the firls face and recognizes her as her new friend from Bodhum, she is shocked. She and the rest of the party, now joined by Lightning, Serah's sister, and Sazh, witness Serah's transformation into a crystal, her Focus apparently complete. Lightning and Sazh then furiously begin to attack the fal'Cie, who awakens and brandes them all as l'Cie. The Vestige breaks and they all are thrown into the ice of Lake Bresha below.
When they are all awakened, Sazh prompts them all to determine what their shared Focus is and to remian positive. Instead of simply explaining her situation, Vanille decides it best to pretend that she too has just been branded by Anima along side the rest of the new party. Everyone begins to wonder how to understand and complete their Focus. Vanille tells Lightning that she saw it. They interupt their Focus as having something to do with Ragnarok, and also with destroying Cocoon. Through all of this, Vanille remains silent about her past. After leaving Snow behind to remain with Serah's crystal, Vanille stumbles upon a Sanctum ship, which Sazh then proceeds to pilot out of the ruins. After elduing the first wave of enemy ships, Vanille see's Primarch Galenth Dysley on a telecast, announcing the apparent success of the Purge. The airship then comes under heavy fire from a secnd wave of enemy ships, crashing down into the Vile Peaks.
Lightening's impatience to reach Eden causes herself along with Hope to become seperated from Vanille and Sazh, who decide to stay together. Despite Sazh's despair at their sitation, he vows not to let a "kid" like Vanille run alone. With a piece of machinery now blocking their path back to Lightning, the pair are forced to find another route out of the Peaks. They evetually find Hope, who has been abandoned by Lightning. Vanille then manages to persuade Hope to keep going until they can return him to his father in Palumpolumm while the three of them continue searchoing for the way out. They finally stumble upon Lightning once more, before they are forced to fight a Dreadnought. Afetr the battle, Lightning runs ahead once against while Hope chases after her, leaving Sazh and Vanille behind and on their own once more. The duo continue their passage through the Vile Peaks, often discussing their fates. When Sazh claims the world would be a better place without the fear of Pilse, Vanille becomes visily upset, but somehow manages to hide her feelings. When they stumble across an old and on abandoned power plant, they find a secluded place to rest. Though Vanille playfully draws a line ground, stating that Sazh was not to cross it as they slept, he still awakens during the night to see Vanille curled up beside him, crying softly in her sleep.
Without any real destination in mind, Vanille and Sazh find themselves in the Sunleth Waterscape, where Vanille becomes enthralled by the similarities it holds to her homeland. However, her new found bliss is short lived as she notices her companion growing worried over Lightning as hope as fleet of Sanctum ships fly by over head. In an attempt to ease his mind, Vanille insist that they keep running from the Sanctum, heading in the opposite direction inside of following them, to Nautilus, also know as the City of Dreams. During their passage there, Vanille ask Sazh about his family, and it is them that he reveals himself to be the father of Dajh, the young boy who had been branded as a l'Cie due to Vanille and Fang's interfernece, and now Sazh himself has been branded a l'Cie in his desperate attempt to solve his son's Focus. Overcome by the guilt she feels over being responsible for two other innocent people's pending fate, Vanille can't bring herself to tell Sazh about her involvement in the incident. They managed to find a hold in the fence leading to the Seabus Docks, where the boat to Nautilus is waiting, ready to set sail. When Sazh says he believe the whole Purge had been started because of Dajh, Vanille implores him to place the blame he feels elsewhere, onto the Pulse l'Cie who had attacked Kujata. But as she still can't admit to Sazh that she was partly respoonsible for his son's branding, she runs out of the shelter they had found from the rain, hoping to hid her tears in the downpour.
Once in Nautilus, however, Vanille can no longer hide behind her cheerful facade, and the guilt over her friend and his son's fate begins to over come her. Noticing the change in the young girls usually perky attitude, Sazh suggest they go watch the Pompa Sancta in hopes of cheering her up. On the way to the show, they see a news bullentin showing the footage of the chaos in Palumpolum being broadcast across the park. Sazh notes Lightning, Hope and Snow's appearances in the footage, but Vanille is shocked to see another face she recognizes. Fang.
The pair proceed to the Pompa Sancta to watch the spectacle, though as the audience cheer at the demise of Pulse, Vanille can only shed another tear as a copy of her home is destroyed before her. After the show, Sazh reveals his new intention to give himself over to the Sanctum in hopes that they would allow him to see Dajh one final time before the boy is either crystallized or turned Cie'th, even if that means it would lead to Sazh's execution. Vanille becomes distraught, and desperately tries to change her friends mind, eventually even going so far as to tell him that she can name the person who is responsible for the Euride incident if it means he will continue on this journey with her. Before she has a chance to finally admit her guilt, the Sanctum attack from overhead. Despite Sazh's wishes to be captured, he honors his previous vows to protect Vanille and allow her to escape to safety before turning himself in.
The two flee from ther Clock Tower, where they face the Midlight Reaper together. After defeating the monster, Dajh appears from the tower, much to Sazh and well and Vanille's surprise. However, before the father and son can truly reunite, Dalh crystallizes into Sazh's outstretched arms. Jihl Nabaat then arrives with her troops, and the boy's Focus is finally revealed. To capture the servants of the lowerworld fal'Cie. As Sazh sinks deeper and deeper into dispair, Nabaat shows him the security footage of that fateful date in Euride, revealing that it was Vanille, along with Fang, who had disturbed Kujata and forced the fal'Cie to brand his son. Unable to cope with the situation, Vanille manages to flee the scene, finding her way to Fiendlord's Keep. Nabaat preventsher soldiers from following her, and instead allows Sazh to angrily pursue her, curious as to just how much date they could collect from watching two l'Cie fight each other.
When Vanille stops within the courtyard, she has a vision of Sazh, where he proceeds to call her a cold blooded killer, pretending to be like the others so that she could use them as shields. When Sazh does eventually arrive, Vanille is fully ready to face her fate. Preparded for herdeath, she finally reveals her true name, Vanille Dia Oerba, and that she had been previously branded as a l'Cie. Spreading her arms, still sobbing, she implores Sazh to shoot her, causing her death for all of the unjust suffering she has caused him and the world. Sazh, while furious with her for believing that all would be rectified in her death, refuses, but Vanille can't see any other way to atone for what she has done. Sazh then drops to her knees, clusting at his heart as his Eilolon, Brynhildr materializes in an orb of flame. As the firey beast approaches the fallen Sazh, Vanille desperately throws herself in between them. Her determination to protect him, no matter what the cost to her, prompts him to rise and shoot at Brynhildr. The two manage to defeat the Eidolon, but Sazh is still broken. As Vanille sinks to her knees and sobs, she can do nothing byt look on in horror as Sazh raises his own gun to his head. Vanille is captured by PISCOM soon after, followed by Sazh's open-faced casket as it is lead into an airship by Jihl's regiment.
During their captivity aboard the air ship the Palamecia, Vanille tells Sazh that she became a l'Cie to fight Cocoon centuries before, and how she and Fang had awakened on Cocoon with a new Focus, and how Fang had lost her memory. Vanille then tells him that she is afraid their new Focus will hurt more innocent people, and so she chose to play dumb and pretended that she didn't remember anything about their past either in an attempt to run away from her Focus and from her fate as a l'Cie. Sazh forgives Vanille when he realizes that what happened to Dajh was an accident, not something that Vanille did on purpose, nor was it something that she could have prevented. Soon, two PISCOM soldiers enter their cell and tell them they are going to move them. Sazh says it's time to be recused. Vanille disagrees and says that for the first time in her life, she's going to be the one to save Fang. They eventually meet up with the rest of the party, and Vanille is finally reunited with Pulsian friend. After they share a quick hug, Fang abruptly falls to her knees, lifting Vanille's skirt to check how far along her l'Cie brand has gotten, and is relieved to discover that she had more time left than she had thought. Vanille then helps Fang to take down a Garuda Interceptor by entangling it in the wires of her Binding Rod. The party then uses the monster to reach the bridge of the ship where they confront Galenth Dysley, who then reveals himself to be a fal'Cie by the name of Barthandelus. After evading Yaag Rocsh who was pursuing the group by entering Eden, Vanille tries to warn Sazh before it is too late too look out ahead and their airship crashes into a structure.
Once they enter the Fifth Ark, Vanille suspicions that it looks like it is from Pulse are confirmed as they realize that it is a piece of Pulse technology, somehow having been brought and left on Cocoon. Vanille then remembers a legend from Gran Pulse about the Arks, and how the fal'Cie creathed them out of fear of an invasion from the outside, and how they had built living weapons for a time of war and stored them within the Arks. After the party defeats Cid Raines, Vanille and Ligthning help Fang to tame her Eidolon, Bahamut. A new path is then revealed, and at the end Vanille ends up finding a Pulse airship and guesses it to be another of the Ark's weapons. With there being seemingly no where left to run within Cocoon, everyone agrees to visit Gran Pulse in hopes of finding a way to change their fate as l'Cie's, using the airship yo transverse the portal into Pulse.
During the flight, the airship is attacked by a wild wyvern in the skies above Pulse, causing it to crash and the l'Cie to become stranded in the valley of Vallis Media, wjhere they make their camp. After having spending days searching the wilderness and finding nothing, they are ready to give up hope until Vanille suggest that they go to Oerba, her and Fang's adopted home. Hope, however, believes thar he should be left behind, and summons his Elidolon, Alexander, fighting it with the help of the others and brings it under his control, leaving the other's to wonder about the true purpose of the Eidolons. Finally, they discover a path to the Archylte Steppe and they begin their journey towards Oerba, the place where it all began.
In the Yaschas Massif, Vanille reminds Hope during a quiet moment of their promise to see Pulse together and Hope admits that he can't remember making the promise. Vanille laughingly admits that it was probably another fabrication of hers. As Hope tricks Vanille into thinking that he likes her, she gets flustered, before he reveals that it was nothing more than joke and runs off, with her chasing after him. Later, when the party finds the ruins of Paddra, Fang says that it's strange that she and Vanille are back home with the very people they has chose to fight against. Vanille then admits that it was her who became Ragnarok and had scarred Cocoon centuries before. As Fang talks about being turning into crystal despite not doing anything in the war. Vanille once again shows guilt over knowing that what her friend believes is indeed false. Soon after, the group sees the fal'Cie Dahakra fly by them, and knowing that it resides near Oerba, decide to follow it.
It is in the Mah'habara Subterra, that Fang finally regains her memories and remembers that it was her who had become Ragnarok, now Vanille as she had claimed, despite Vanille's insistence. In her emotional distrress, she realizes that her friend, the person she loves and cares about most, has finally discovered her deepest lie, and her l'Cie brand begins to glow. Her Eidolon, Hecatoncheir, then appears, and she and Fang battle it, helping Vanille to bring it under her control. during the battle, Fang had admitted that she was simply bluffing about regaining her memories in an attempt to get Vanille to confess. Once the Eidolon has been tamed, Vanille says that it wasn't fair that Fang has to do those horrioble things while she stood on the side lines and did nothing. Fang forgtives her for her lies and reassures her that she isn't alone anymore. She no longer has just Fang, but he new found family as well. In the Sulyya Springs, Vanille then admits to Snow that she had met in Bodhum, and tells him that Serah had probably had the same vision of Ragnarok, although he focus had been to pass it on to them, along with the fate of Cocoon.
After ascending Taejin's Tower, Vanille and Fang begin to reminisce about their hometone, describing it to the group as a small billage filled with lots of nature and flowers. However, Sazh is quick to warn them that the view from the top of the towers doesn't exactly fit theuir description. Concerned, Lightning asked Vanille is she wants to stay behind, but Vanille insist that she needs to see it for herself. The party look out on the remains of Oerba, and Vanille is shocked to see her once beautiful home completely devoid of life and color. Suddenly filled with despair and question as to whether or not they will really be able to find a way to fulfill their fate and remove their brands without being turned to crystal, Vanille vows to continue and the party ride a capsule down the other side of the tower and towards the outskirts and Oerba.
(This is the point in which I'm taking her. Instead of ending up in Oerba, she ends up in Adstringendum.)