#Titus yae Galvus

[fatedroses]

heh, short.

[zakifairer]

The crown princes Lucius and Titus

about to get themselves into heaps of trouble.

[autumnslance]

At its center, naturally, was the stern visage of Solus zos Galvus. Though still dignified in his old age, the gaze which he fixed upon the reader was more melancholic than proud. Never saw the man smile once. To the Emperor's right stood Titus, second of Solus's sons, along with his wife Arrecina and son Nerva. Both Titus and his son had a strained look about them, not dissimilar to the younger Solus found in the history books.

On His Radiance's left was his grandson Varis, the only legacy of the deceased crown prince Lucius. A proud one, too─Varis was tall and broad of shoulder, and his comportment marked him a prime candidate for high legatus even then. His wife and right-hand, Carosa, had passed away in her prime, and so he was flanked instead by his mother, Hypatia. Though she departed to join Carosa a mere year after this portrait was taken, she supported Varis's claim to the throne until the very end. And then there was the young man with a faraway look in his eyes and an air of detachment...

[sodomhipped]

title: from the garlean apocrypha

rating: gen

relationship: varis & titus

characters: varis zos galvus, titus yae galvus, & brief nerva yae galvus

words: 1k

[fandom-geek]

The Unity Day described in this print had taken place while Jullus was in the academy, and marked the last year that the ailing Solus had been in attendance. Though the lead article detailing the events and speeches of the day was in tatters, the accompanying portrait of the imperial family remained.

At its center, naturally, was the stern visage of Solus zos Galvus. Though still dignified in his old age, the gaze which he fixed upon the reader was more melancholic than proud. Never saw the man smile once. To the Emperor's right stood Titus, second of Solus's sons, along with his wife Arrecina and son Nerva. Both Titus and his son had a strained look about them, not dissimilar to the younger Solus found in the history books.

On His Radiance's left was his grandson Varis, the only legacy of the deceased crown prince Lucius. A proud one, too─Varis was tall and broad of shoulder, and his comportment marked him a prime candidate for high legatus even then. His wife and right-hand, Carosa, had passed away in her prime, and so he was flanked instead by his mother, Hypatia. Though she departed to join Carosa a mere year after this portrait was taken, she supported Varis's claim to the throne until the very end. And then there was the young man with a faraway look in his eyes and an air of detachment...

Zenos yae Galvus. Though his anger had cooled since their encounter on the Eblan Rime, Jullus nevertheless found himself wrenched back to the present with no little displeasure.

so the new tales from the dawn officially gave us the names for the women in the garlean royal family, as well as solus’ eldest son!

[onwesterlywinds]

PROMPT #1: Envoy

He was about to leave. Already, she might say, except that he had first been received to the palace twenty bells ago, and she had been awake for all of them. Something like the thrill of victory echoed through her skull, a little more urgent and a little less clarion, and it propelled her back to the front hall just as Titus yae Galvus had turned his back to push his way through the stone double doors leading out of the throne room.

"Legatus," she called out.

He stilled his hand upon a bit of marble tiling fashioned in the shape of Rhalgr's star.

"Did you never wonder what became of her?"

"Ashelia-" Raubahn began, but Titus held out a hand to silence him - the first indication of his descent from an emperor that Ashe had seen all day. His face pieced together several emotions, none of them disdainful: curiosity, surprise, and certainly doubt, to name but a few.

"Did you care for her?" It was hard to tell for certain, but not because they were so far above the Undercity. There was now an entire lifetime on top of those memories, not unlike a sturdy foundation. "Did you care for her, or were you good at giving the impression you did?"

Behind her, Lyse gasped; Morgana gave a noise that sounded rather like a poorly-disguised laugh.

Titus narrowed his eyes, then leaned in a little closer to her. Thanks in part to his towering bulk, the gesture could not hope to bridge the distance between them. "I wondered," he whispered, though the whisper of course rang out to all present. "And yes, I did."

She nodded, then, because the rest of this next part was as simple as turning a tap. "She was never certain. She went south with a babe in her belly. The others at the Saltery all thought her mad when she walked out to the loch alone at night to watch the star-signs pass, but she couldn't tell them of the visions she saw reflected back to the heavens. And then she waded too far in, and orphaned her boy when he was barely three."

Raubahn approached to take hold of her at the shoulder. "Grand Steward, perhaps we ought to-"

"Let her finish," Titus demanded, then seemed to remember the reality of where he stood. "…Please."

For a moment, thanks to Raubahn's touch, she feared she would not find that thread again now that she was groping for its return; then, a deep and familiar ache wound its way back to her with intention. "Her son grew up under the care of all kinds of men: one a highwayman, one a beggar, one a fishmonger, on and on, each lasting no more than a year before they met their respective ends. And then the son found the Undercity and made it his own. And then he found a woman and loved her as Death had so loved him. And then he found, at the end of the tunnel, a red-masked madman who whispered to him the name of his sire."

Titus yae Galvus stared into her eyes, boring into them as if to mine her secrets like ceruleum. When no more proved forthcoming, he sighed. "I can see now," he said, "why my father put such a high bounty on your head." Ashe could feel more than hear Morgana reaching for her sword, but a wry grin crossed Titus' face. "I hope we meet again, Ashelia Riot. Assuming my great-nephew's fool plot doesn't damn us all."

With a single great shove of his armored hand, the door swung open and he strode out of the palace.

[invarietas]

also, i've changed my pinned to reflect this, but i am adding a couple canons here as well.

so far we have:

nyx ulric

ardyn izunia

titus drautos (likely in passing for now)

zenos yae galvus

I have a separate blog for sephiroth, @iratiisfatum. egregiously under construction, pls don't expect much yet. life is busy and good, so i may not be on daily.

[macarensesangles]

what im saying is titus yae galvus is probably like 60 or something but through a series of hilarious mishaps i have become his stepfather. oops!

[memlost]

Envoy

Words: 861

“What should we do with him?” 

Libertas’ hold upon his scythe tightened as he looked down at the trembling Garlean soldier beneath his heel. The man wasn’t built like most Garlean soldiers. He was a lot thinner, lacking in muscle mass that most soldiers had. It’s what had him suspicious in the first place. The usage of swords, lances and fists were common among Garlemald soldiers. The only ones who were usually thin were either non-combatants or assassins and, considering this fool had managed to sneak onto their camp without his knowledge, he was sure that he must be the latter. 

Libertas removed his foot from the man’s chest and waved his hand to signal to the other rebels to pick him up. “Tie him to a pole. I’ll ask what the captain thinks...” He trailed off for a second, his gaze focusing on the Garlean soldier yet again. “Later, anyway.” 

He turned on his heel. The winters in Garlemald were to be feared for a reason. They were unforgiving when they wanted to be and a nuisance when it was feeling particularly tricky. Either way, the idea of being tied to a pole in the middle of the winter wasn’t appealing to anyone. He appreciated having the opportunity to let their temporary prisoner sweat a little. 

Libertas passed by all of the other rebels who were all too happy to enjoy the very brief peace that they had. It was almost sad in a way. They did their best to loosen up while they could because each mission they went on could mean they would never have the chance again. Gravesites were littered just about everywhere in Garlemald wherever they went. The losses they experienced would always leave giant holes where comrades used to be. Needed skill sets were buried with the people who had them. 

The War of Succession was something of a good opportunity for them because the Empire had a common enemy in both them and the Doman Liberation Front. But the Doman Liberation Front wanted nothing to do with them. 

He eventually stopped in front of a tent where he heard the telltale clinking of a glass that signaled that their leader was in there. Libertas took a deep breath before walking inside, the smell of strong alcohol hitting him directly in the face. 

Iungo viator Fax sat in front of a table, his long hair thrown just about every which way as he stared down a map in front of him. Upon hearing the flaps of the tent open, he turned his tired gaze towards the intruder before brightening up upon seeing who was his visitor. 

“Libertas!” He greeted him happily. “Have you come to join me for a drink?” 

“No.”

“Ah, right.”  Iungo ducked his head like a disappointed child and pouted. If Libertas didn’t know any better, he’d have thought he wasn't a man who was twenty years his senior.  “You’re still young. Your palette for liquor still hasn’t quite gotten there yet.” 

His cheeks grew hot. “I’m not a child!” He shouted, sounding very much like the child he claimed he was not. 

Iungo knew that always got a rise out of him. Libertas didn’t appreciate being treated like a youngster. He was a capable fighter just like every other soldier was no matter his age. 

Besides, Iungo’s alcohol always tasted like a raging inferno. It burned his throat and made him cry the first time he snuck a sip. He didn’t know how he and the rest of the fighters in their unit were able to keep it down. 

Iungo’s chuckle eventually died down as he poured himself another drink. “So, what brings you here?” 

“We’ve been discovered by someone. They were in a Garlean soldier uniform and claimed that they had a message from Titus yae Galvus.” 

It always did fascinate Libertas how quickly Iungo was able to go from carefree to serious in a matter of seconds. He stared down hard at his drink. “If he was able to get here and truly was sent by Titus, that isn’t very good for us. What do you make of it?” 

Iungo often deferred to him for his opinions. If not to test him, it was sometimes done because he genuinely did value what he had to say. It made him feel seen, like his words actually had meaning. “I don’t trust him. He could be an assassin.” 

“Ah. A reasonable suspicion.” He took a swig of his drink. Libertas felt a but coming on.

“But,” Ah, there it was. “If it were an assassin, don’t you think they’d have killed us instead of exposing themselves?” 

“Or maybe they hoped to be taken prisoner so they could kill us later.” 

“That’s also a possibility.” Iungo raised his glass before setting it down on the table. He forced himself to his feet. “But the only way to know is to investigate ourselves. Come on.”

As Iungo passed by him on his way out, Libertas grabbed the man’s coat from nearby before throwing it over Iungo’s shoulders. 

For Iungo’s sake, he hoped that whatever Titus had to say would be beneficial to them.

[heavenslapse]

@heartsaligned

      From the boggy heat of Radz-at-Han and all the way back to the frozen tundra that once was once his empire, Garlemald. Emet-Selch who'd played the role of founding father would be returning to the broken remains of his home as the true heir, Hades zos Galvus. His sigh was large enough to take all the oxygen from the room. Scraping together a brief Will to decree him as such, they'd set off to their destination to stop the threat of the final days.

      The cruel cold of far north billowed down onto Camp Broken Glass, and colder still had to have been the sour stare of his second born son, Titus yae Galvus. Ever the ambitious man, his strapping build towered over Emet-Selch. He'd finally thought he'd had his shot at the crown, only for it be whisked out from under him in a matter of seconds by not only his father's bastard, but a mutt. His lips couldn't help but quirk at his son's distain, bight eyes glimmering dangerously. The vexation poured off of him in waves. The man's son had recently turned into a blasphemy, something he'd seemed to have quickly forgotten about in light of current events.

      Emet-Selch had been easily welcomed by the straggling survivors, hope rekindled in hooded eyes. In spite of his appearance, as Garlean's were known for their larger frames, they'd hardly questioned the proof of his character--the resemblance to his sire impossible to ignore.

      After the introductions, they'd left. Emet-Selch wasn't about to waste further moments of his precious time on a jealousy simpleton. Far enough out of the way it'd been decided they would fly to the grand palace. With the snap of his fingers Emet-Selch summoned GRANI, ever the magnificent steed with spikes running up and down his spine and adorn in purple silks with the lavishly decorated saddle across his back. Much to the protests he knew were sure to come, it didn't halt him from taking hold of Hythlodaeus' waist and placing him up on the mount's back before climbing up himself.

      Over the course of the last few days, there were moments with the three of them that made Emet-Selch recall the past when Amaurot stood proud and Azem was still alive. Always the troublemaker rushing headlong into danger, their reborn self was ever much the same. He'd once said on the First that accompanying them was taxing enough, and to fight for them was out of the question. How those standards seemed to have changed with the Final Days once more upon them. But little did anyone know of the ill-fate that befell the star 12,000 years ago. Whether it was a trip to the moon or a journey into the past, Emet-Selch was the only one who could provide the answers.

      He voiced his complaints about their current aberrations as the brutal gales of frigid wind whipping at his cheeks and plastering frost against the fur lining of his thick coat. ❝I played my part to perfection. I had EARNED my rest. Now I am forced to aid my former nemesis in saving a star that I'd sought to destroy. And who's fault is all that I ask you? After all it was Venat who sundered everyone. Yet let us not forget before her involvement it was first Lahabrea's brilliant idea to offer up the notion of sacrificing half the population to preserve our star and quell the Final Days. But NONE of this would have ever happened were it not for Hermes' stupidity over a flawed question and bogus attachment toward his familiar. If it's unfit to do the job you simply UNMAKE it.❞

      The irony of those words for the shade in Amaurot who awaited his return; who waited for a man he knew he may never see again. A being who housed no soul but was very much alive. There were multiple chances to erase the shade who had developed his own consciousness of the world around him. Emet-Selch had grown to love the copy as much as the real. Had he felt even a single doubt at the result of the battle between the Warrior of Light and himself, a sudden unknown variable he'd have never seen coming, he would have erased the shade and spared him the painful loneliness sure to follow in the days that came.

      The ground below was a sea of crushed buildings and machinery smoldering black plumes of wispy smoke into the air. His once great city destroyed, and the empire he'd built from the ground up bent under the weight of chaos. His brow knit, the lines in his forehead etching deeper as more disaster came into view.

      Unlike Fandaniel, he'd wanted to form the rejoining, bring back their lost brethren and return life to the one most precious to him. No cost would ever be so great; no sum large enough to pay.

      In his grief, Emet-Selch became a man fixated on that single-minded goal. Fandaniel only wanted death. He had valued life so highly that he'd destroyed it, and his own in the process. Had his memory not been erased Emet-Selch would have seen to it that Hermes never make his way onto the Convocation. It had always seemed as if Fandaniel chose his words careful around him after their time on Elpis. Far from suspicious, as many had done the very same. Emet-Selch, while highly regarded for his power and vast knowledge, had never been the most well-liked person in the room.

      The ruins of Garlemald were stained in black. Even the trees in the palace courtyard were empty of life. Grani descended, his clawed feet landing gently on the ground covered in fresh fallen snow. It was eerily silent, not a soul in sight. Emet-Selch dismounted, brushing off the ice and snow that'd gathered in a frozen layer over his person. He reached up, biting back the amusement he felt welling up within at the familiar nostalgia Hythlodaes' appearance brought.

      ❝I recall the last time I saw you in such a state. Although...❞ he mused, ❝you weren't technically riding a horse.❞

[fatedroses]

Part 2 of the sketch comic, though Zenos and Solus spend little time together they tend to bond over their mutual interest in making Varis' life more troublesome when they can get away with it.

Solus on the other hand notices something with Tsukiko and is keen to see how this all plays out.

[totallycorrectffxivquotes]

Titus: What have I said about comparing Emperor Solus to the devil? Varis: That it’s offensive to the devil?

[autumnslance]

More Garlemald

Between finishing off PVP series goals and the new Large house for the FC, C'oretta's journey through Endwalker has been neglected.

We're still in Garlemald, with the first follow quest and meeting Licinia and the other refugees at Victor's Spoils, and the ceruleum tappers through that. The tragedy of the sisters is one the Eorzeans had not anticipated, and even their Garlean allies had not thought about: the ambivalence of the Imperials toward the Eorzean humanitarian effort, and being especially suspicious of magic users.

Which makes sense; the story of Garlemald's history is their lack of magic made them shunned and bullied, victims of others who could wield arcane power. Only the magitek revolution put them on even footing, and then the call to "take back" their ancestral homeland--800 years later--was a siren song to people in a harsh and frozen land. Is it any wonder "Solus's" propaganda caught on over the past 80 years?

Lucia, Maxima, the Ironworks, are all used now to magic and their friends in the Alliance. But the ones who stayed behind and only heard the horror stories, the false news...

We saw some of this in Stormblood, among those in Gyr Abania who believed the Imperial tales of "savage" Eorzeans who would bully and execute anyone in their way, especially the few decent Garlean officers, like Baut, who had stayed behind to continue protecting the villages they had grown genuinely fond of. If Gyr Abanians could believe such of their Eorzean neighbors after only 20 years under Imperial rule and abuse, how much more the Garleans separated from all else, in the capital and its surrounds?

Anyroad. In the debriefing, as we move on and learn of the cured Populares and their reports:

Lucia: It brings to mind events at the Ghimlyt Dark, does it not? The Emperor's sudden withdrawal from the front lines, specifically.

Lucia: Nerva and his father, Titus─Varis's then political rival─took advantage of rumors that Crown Prince Zenos had been possessed by a demon.

Alisaie: Elidibus. What better way to disparage your enemies than with the truth─or a close enough approximation.

Lucia: Indeed. But before their accusations could be substantiated, many of Titus's followers were silenced.

Lucia: While some were merely stripped of their status, others died under curious circumstances. One after another, suddenly and suspiciously.

Y'shtola: Again, Elidibus. Like as not, he had a hand in it. No evidence was found to implicate Varis, certainly.

Y'shtola: Again, Elidibus. Like as not, he had a hand in it. No evidence was found to implicate Varis, certainly.

Y'shtola: Nevertheless, Titus, Nerva, and the IIIrd Legion would have judged it a brazen attempt by the Emperor to rid himself

Y'shtola: And then, in the midst of this growing turmoil, Varis zos Galvus is murdered...

Y'shtola: And Garlemald's own prodigal son, Gaius van Baelsar, is named the murderer.

Y'shtola: Shortly thereafter, Nerva claims the right of succession, and in response, the Ist Legion claims the assassination was part of a coup d'état orchestrated by Titus and Nerva.

This clarifies that Prince Titus survived the initial conflict with Varis for the throne after Solus's "death." That Titus then supported his son as the possible new emperor after his own failed claim and Varis's demise at Zenos's hands.

I've long thought the coffin Varis spat on in the scenes in earlier patches was actually Solus's, not his uncle's. His anger at the lack of clarity in succession and the chaos it caused the empire was always there. What he learns of his grandfather later only makes matters worse.

Then we're piecing together the reports of the Populares and the refugee survivors, and the importance of the radio, with the ore resembles the talismans that protects the Contingent. Which strikes me as a very nice alternate solution than scraping Vrtra's hide of all his scales.

The briefing is cut short, however, by the arrival of and meeting with our future friend Jullus...

[sodomhipped]

from the garlean apocrypha (8218 words) by reclamation

Chapters: 7/7

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Varis zos Galvus & Zenos yae Galvus, Emet-Selch & Varis zos Galvus, Emet-Selch & Unpossessed Solus zos Galvus, Emet-Selch & Zenos yae Galvus, Varis zos Galvus/Regula van Hydrus, Varis zos Galvus & Titus yae Galvus

Characters: Emet-Selch (Final Fantasy XIV), Varis zos Galvus, Zenos yae Galvus, Unpossessed Solus zos Galvus, Regula van Hydrus, Titus yae Galvus | Varis's Uncle

Additional Tags: violence, corn

Summary:

Stories that you won't find in official Garlean history.

[fandom-geek]

@lynmars79

You raised a good point about translations, so I just hunted down the German and French versions to have a peek - they have some pretty interesting information, turns out.

So in the French version:

Son fils aîné n'étant déjà plus de ce monde, le trône devait en toute logique revenir soit à Titus, son second fils et ex-princeps senatus, soit à Varis, son petit-fils, général dans l'armée impériale et candidat favori de la classe militaire. Quant à Zenos, il était le fils aîné de Varis. Reste qu'aux yeux du gouverneur de Doma, un politicien issu du civil et partisan de Titus, il n'était ni plus ni moins qu'un adversaire sur l'échiquier politique, et pas des moindres.

Now my French isn’t the best, but with the slight assistance of French dictionaries for the phrases towards the end (I know some of my followers are more fluent in French, feel free to correct my translation):

His eldest son had already passed away, therefore the throne should logically go to Titus, his second son and “ex-princeps senatus” [note below], or to Varis, his grandson, general of the imperial army and favoured candidate of the military class. As for Zenos, he was the eldest son of Varis. In the eyes of the Doman governor, a civilian politician and a supporter of Titus, he was nothing more and nothing less than a political enemy, but certainly not the least.

"Princeps senatus” is interesting to me, as it’s a Latin term, not French. The princeps senatus was the leader of the Roman senate, chosen by the censors. Although it wasn’t part of the formal progression of your political career (the Romans got very technical about this stuff), it had a very rigorous selection criteria. You had to be of a patrician family, so the very top of Roman society,  and usually selected from the oldest and most honourable senators, as well as a former censor yourself.

Under the Roman Empire, things get interesting - the Emperor was the leader of the senate, although he usually used “princep” as princeps senatus was a legal term. So, all in all, some interesting implications for Garlemald - as well as the continued implication that Zenos has younger siblings (I think it’s also in the English EE?).

Then we have the German version:

Der ursprüngliche Thronfolger, Solus' älterer Sohn, war bereits verstorben und hatte mit General Varis einen Sohn hinterlassen, der nun mit Solus' jüngerem Spross Titus, einem ehemaligen Mitglied des Senats, um die Krone focht. Zenos wiederum war der älteste Sohn von Varis und somit für Domas Statthalter, einen Beamten und Anhänger der Titus-Fraktion, ein Feind im eigenen Land.

My German’s nowhere near as good as my French, so this was a lot more reliant on Google Translate (thankfully it doesn’t seem too bad):

The original heir to the throne, Solus' older son, had already passed away and had left a son, General Varis, who was now fighting for the crown with Solus' younger son, Titus, a former member of the Senate. Zenos, in turn, was the eldest son of Varis and therefore an enemy in his own country for Doman governor, an official and supporter of Titus’ faction.

I know French and German both use the Japanese version as the base to translate from, instead of the English version, and checking the Japanese version, it calls Titus “元老院首席ティトゥス” -  元老院 seems to specifically be the Roman Senate,  首席 meaning a political leader, and the rest being Titus’ name in Katakana.

It’s interesting that English seems to have invented the bit about Titus lacking a “ready heir” (I don’t think the implication is present in Japanese), and completely omitted Titus having his own faction or being a senatorial politician. That being said, they usually try to reconcile conflicts between the English and Japanese versions (as both are used as the bases for others translations), so I’m curious to see how they deal with the whole “ready heir” bit, if at all.