Escad

Escad
Legend of Mana artwork
First appearance	Legend of Mana (1999)
Latest appearance	Echoes of Mana (2022)
Title(s)	Holy Knight of Liotte
Faction	Liotte Holy Knights
Role	Ally
Gender	Male
Species	Human

Escad is a major ally character in Legend of Mana and a recurring character in the Mana series.

Background

Escad grew up together with Daena and Matilda in the Gato Grottoes. While Matilda was born into a family of priests and Escad was brought to become a Holy Knight of Liotte, Daena's family had a long tradition of acting as protectors of the temple. Matilda met Irwin the demon during their childhood and treated her and Escad as equals. The young knight resented that treatment and believed the demon to be a harbinger of doom, so much so he tried to kill Irwin in the Ulkan Mines. In a cruel twist of fate, it was Escad who ended up falling into the Underworld.

The young knight ended up honing his sword skills together with Olbohn the ruler of the Underworld and one of the seven Wisdoms. He stayed there for ten years before being able to come out to the surface and visit his friends again.

History

Legend of Mana

“Born into the Liotte family of Holy Knights. He fights for the cause of justice with an overbearing sense of righteousness.”

—In-game Encyclopedia

SPOILERS ENCLOSED! Click "show" to reveal, otherwise skip to the following section.

The Murmuring Forest

Escad is encountered in the Jungle rescuing an injured Nun from a flock of Faeries. The fair folk wanted to bring the poor girl to their master Irwin as their new queen. The Holy Knight orders the protagonist to bring the woman to Rosiotti the Wisdom of the Jungle. However, the Nun stands up and tells Escad their kind should be able to rely on themselves only. On that note, she leaves on her own while the Holy Knight curses the Faeries for siding with a demon. He then tells this place is a forest belonging to the fair folk and they both should be careful about not starting a war with them.

Two Torches

The Holy Knight is visiting his best friend Matilda in the Temple of Healing located in the Gato Grottoes. In the Dreamweaving Room, Escad is seen next to the frail Matilda telling her it's only been ten years since he's been to the Underworld. He doesn't understand how she aged that much since. The old woman is glad to see her friend, even though she lost her precious other friend Irwin for the same amount of time. Escad tells her to stop thinking about that demon since he took her elemental powers to fuel his own ambitions. Matilda replies she's not as unhappy as he thinks. The two friends are interrupted by the main character entering the room, annoying Escad who asks them if they heard their conversation. Daena comes into the room and tells Escad he should go too since he's been inside for a while. The swordsman replies he learned to fight with sword thanks to Olbohn and its his will as a Wisdom to kill the demon Irwin. Matilda tells she wishes she would put the past aside and rejoice with her friends, but Escad warns her to be careful with that demon as he should not be trusted. He leaves the room afterwards.

As the main character decides to exit too, they find a strange Nun entering the Dreamweaving Room next to an injured one. As they reenter, the Nuns becomes belligerent, claiming her lord commands it before vanishing along with Matilda. Daena is seen in a weakened state lying on the ground as she curses the disguised Nun for kidnapping her friend. She joins the party by entrusting the hero to find her missing friend. She orders a Nun to lock all doors to the temple while they search the entire vicinity.

Fortunately, Escad has ambushed the culprit right outside the temple and is questioning them about working for Irwin. The impersonating Nun states she merely follows her master Irwin's orders and teleports away with Irwin. As the team search every nook and cranny around Gato, Escad is seen waiting for Daena near a cave, telling her he lost them. The female monk recalls a sealed meditation room they haven't looked at yet, and she arranges it to be opened as it is an emergency. Escad decides to look around the cave some more while the protagonist and Daena teleport to the aforementioned place. There they find Matilda and the antagonist who claims they have fallen right into their trap. However, the Abbess is escorted back to the temple by two Nuns, foiling the impersonator's plans. They battle them and defeat the threat.

Escad, Daena, Matilda and the protagonist are then seen back in the Dreamweaving Room. The Abbess explains to Escad she never wanted to give up her freedom to become a priestess, as it was Irwin who wanted to free her from a life bound by rules. Escad retaliates by saying Irwin wanted her powers he took from her, but Daena stops the conversation by telling Escad to leave the Abbess alone and that she should rest. The Knight replies he will not sit by idly as that demon grow ever so powerful as he storms off.

Pokiehl: Dream Teller

The protagonist encounters a younger version of Escad in the Ulkan Mines after being sent into the past. The boy is shocked at first to see the main character behind him, but lowers his guard after assessing them not being another demon. He tells them he's looking for Irwin, as he senses everything in him is evil, which will eventually bring doom to the world. He is deeply upset at Matilda for sneaking outside the temple with the demon. The apparition fades as he ventures deeper into the mines.

He is later seen attempting to stop Irwin from robbing Matilda of her Mana powers, but is too late and the vision disappears before knowing of the real outcome. The protagonist wakes up near a grown-up Escad. He then asks whose side are them on. If the player chooses Daena's, he tells them they must accept the path they've chosen and attacks the protagonist.

Star-crossed Lovers

Daena has returned from the Land of Faeries and is seen in the Dreamweaving Room next to Matilda. She promptly asks her to go with her to the Mindas Ruins. Should she crosses into the Land of Faeries there, she could prolong her lifespan thanks to time flowing differently there. The cat monk adds the Abbess is the only one who can stop Irwin. Escad rushes into the room, blade at hand, accusing Daena's mind of being poisoned by the demon. Matilda tries to calm him down, but the Holy Knight swings his sword at Daena as a warning sign. Daena shouts he's the demon and he's been lying about learning from a wisdom. The ailing Abbess chants a spell and teleports her, Daena and the protagonist to the Tower of Winds.

The Holy Knight is seen battling with Daena at the base of the tower. The protagonist has the option to side with either one of them or to stay out of this. If they choose to side with Escad or to say this doesn't concern them, they team up and fight the cat monk until she dies at their hand. The duo climbs atop the tower and reach Matilda, who asks where is Daena. Escad tells her the truth, which deeply upsets her. The Holy Knight expects her to hold it against him, but she replies she won't resent him if he made it out of free will. She then goes toward a large stone tablet, retelling of an old tale about the Wyrm of Light, Lucemia, who descended on Fa'Diel and consumed everything. Escad asks if it's a depiction of an ancient war, but the Abbess replies history only clings to the present. She is about to head by to Gato and asks if Escad will join her for the ride, but he declines the invitation.

Heaven's Gate

Matilda and Escad are discussing about the legend of Lucemia inside the Dreamweaver Room in Gato. The Liotte Knight wants to take care of it before it's too late, but the Abbess asks him to stay by her side, but he replies he can't stay idle as the fate of the whole world is hanging on a thread. As Escad leaves the room, Matilda gives the main character a Brooch of Love.

The two fighters hop on the Cancun Bird to reach the legendary flying fortress. There, they find Selva the spirit of wind, telling them Irwin is only toying with them. However, the adventurers persevere and finally reach the demon. Irwin claims his sole purpose is to eradicate vile creatures from this world, as they have taken so much land from them. The two parties engage in battle and Escad and the main character end up victorious. The fortress collapses as Irwin's body fades away, but they manage to escape thanks to the Cancun Bird. They are, however, too late to save Matilda. A Nun informs them she had just passed away and her body has vanished with her last breath.

Spoiler ends here.

Circle of Mana

Escad makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. He appears in 5 sets of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
UR	力	エスカデ	ライオット家の剣士	怒りの剣士	[光]聖騎士	[闇]奈落の剣士	「俺は奈落で七賢人の一人オールボンから剣技を学んだ。悪魔を倒すのは賢人の意思だ。俺は絶対に悪魔を許さん！」 "I learned sword techniques from Olbohn, one of the seven Wisdoms in the abyss. It is the will of a sage to defeat the devil. I will never forgive the devil!"
UR	力	ハロウィン・エスカデ	ライオット家の剣士	正しき剣士	[光]憎悪の剣士	[闇]滅悪の剣士	「勇者をたおしたら、お菓子がいっぱいもらえるんだぜ？やるしかないよな！」 "If you defeat the hero, you'll get lots of sweets, right? You have no choice but to do it!"
SUR	力	エスカデ	ライオット家の剣士	怒りの剣士	[光]聖騎士	[闇]奈落の剣士	「奈落か…何もかも懐かしい…。行こう」 "The Underworld... everything feels so nostalgic... Let's go."
SSUR	力	エスカデ	ライオット家の剣士	怒りの剣士	[光]聖騎士	[闇]奈落の剣士	「放っておけるかよ。俺は騎士だ。俺はマチルダを守るって誓ったんだ。だから必ずあの悪魔を倒す！」 "Can you leave me alone? I'm a knight. I swore to protect Matilda. So I'll definitely defeat that demon!"
LGR	力	エスカデ	ライオット家の剣士	怒りの剣士	[光]聖騎士	[闇]奈落の剣士	「そうか。ダナエとお前達が、英雄になったんだな…」 "I see. Daena and you guys became heroes..."

Rise of Mana

Escad appears as a recruitable Monster Pet in Rise of Mana.

Echoes of Mana

“A swordsman born into the noble Liotte family of Holy Knights. He is stubborn in many ways, and firmly believes there's no path to justice outside his own. When opposing others, he refuses to back down and considers those who stand against him in the wrong. He harbors a deep hatred for Irwin, who is of demon heritage, over their childhood friend Matilda.”

—In-game character profile

Escad (Beholder of Justice)

Escad was a character and obtainable unit. He had one variant:

• Escad (Beholder of Justice)

He was also depicted in three memory gem:

• Fearsome Foursome
• Finalizing Fate
• Missions Misaligned

Escad appears in the a side story called Labyrinth of Lost Heroes, where he is seen practicing sword fighting in the Jungle. He reminices about what Olbohn the ruler of the Underworld told him about the importance of looking a the answer beyond the labyrinth to hone his skills. While still decifering his master's riddles, he realizes he's being watched by two faeries. His suspicion makes them irate and they teleport him inside a maze called the Minotaur Labyrinth. There, he meets with the Harvester, Duffle, Sumo and Duran who just woke up not too long ago there themselves.

General information

Personality

Escad is a character who is, as a result of having been blinded by the prejudice that he has been conditioned to harbour towards the demon race, portrayed as one who is foolishly impetuous, reckless and hot-headed, completely incapable of rational thought. This hatred that he nurses towards the demon race is one that is evidently cultivated from a young age, presumably by the society that he is directly exposed to; his declarations in the beginning of the Pokiehl: Dream Teller proves as much, where, as a juvenile, Escad proclaims that demons are beings that are evil through and through, and whom will bring the world to catastrophe if left unchecked.

Further funneling the particular hatred that he directs towards the demi-human Irwin is an acrimonious jealousy, one that takes its roots from Matilda preferring the company of Irwin over his, in spite of the love that attracts him to her. His actions both in the past and the present hint very strongly at this; during the Ulkan Mines incident, his decision to trail after Irwin and Matilda is not just motivated by his prejudiced hatred towards Irwin, but also his jealous indignation towards Matilda for having chosen Irwin over him; during the main events of Legend of Mana, he is prone to quick outbursts of rage when he attempts, but fails, to force Matilda to view Irwin in an antagonistic light.

This hatred of Escad's could potentially lead to his eventual downfall in the Tower of Wind in the Mindas Ruins, should the Hero/Heroine choose to side with Daena over him.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Escad.

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  Escad encyclopedia entry

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