Prince of Mavolia

Prince of Mavolia
Trials of Mana (remake) artwork Trials of Mana artwork
First appearance	Trials of Mana (1995)
Latest appearance	Trials of Mana HD (2020)
Japanese name	黒の貴公子
Title(s)	His Dark Majesty
Homeland	Dark Castle (formerly the Light Castle)
Faction	His own
Role	Antagonist
Gender	Male
Relatives	Belladonna (lover)
Species	Human (formerly) Mavole
Status	Dead
Other form(s)	Archdemon
Voice actor(s)	Jpn: ?ToM HD Eng: Michael ScottToM HD

This article is about The Prince of Mavolia as a character. For the Archdemon of Trials of Mana, see Archdemon.

“Yes! This is what the ruler of Mavolia, the human realm, and the Sanctuary of Mana looks like! Hah! I can feel the power within me! I will obliterate you myself!”

—Trials of Mana in-game dialogue

The Prince of Mavolia, addressed as His Dark Majesty in-game, is a non-player character in Trials of Mana and the primary antagonist of his own storyline.

Background

As told by the demoness Belladonna, His Dark Majesty was once the human prince of a kingdom adjacent to Laurent, whose remains include the Dark Castle. Based on a prophecy held in his kingdom, the boy was cast out of his human family due to the presence of a malevolent power within him. He was soon after imprisoned in the castle dungeon in order to prevent the prophecy from coming to pass, at which point the previous ruler of Mavolia took him in and reared him as their future ruler. Eventually granted Mavolian powers by the lord of the underworld, he turned against his mentor and usurped the throne. He then turned his aggression on the mortals who rejected him. He took his own castle and reestablished it as a stronghold for his demon subjects, but humans slew him and reduced his defeated body to ash, whereupon his most loyal followers including Belladonna and the vampire Malocchio recovered the remains.

Story

Trials of Mana

As the influence of mana begins to wane by the time of the story, Belladonna and Malocchio search for a way to revive their master with the power of the Tree of Mana, in order that he might rule over all realms, turning Fa'Diel into Mavolia itself.

In order to see his vision through, however, the Prince will need to transfer his essence into a new body; as with Thanatos before him, the quasi-immortal requires a new human body to serve as his host at regular intervals. Thus has he chosen Elliot, the child prince of Laurent for this purpose, sending his minions to kidnap the boy. They succeed during an orchestrated siege of the citadel by Nevarl Fortress, prompting Riesz, crown princess of Laurent and captain of the elite guard, to give chase. Meanwhile, Hawkeye, a Nevarlan thief in exile by the Prince's machinations, desperately searches for a means to undo a curse laid upon Jessica, his close friend.

Over time, because of attacks that were also made by the minions of the Dragon Lord and the Masked Mage, all of the Mana Stones were broken. At this point, the heroes had gathered the spirits of each element and attempted to use them to open a portal to the Sanctuary of Mana right when Dark Majesty uses up the power keeping his broken body alive to summon the Dark Mana Stone to Fa'Diel from Mavolia, perishing in the process. They prove unsuccessful, but because of the energy released by the Mana Stones, the portal still opens.

Belladonna and Malocchio hastily gather their troops aboard a carrier to reach the Sanctuary in time. The events that happen next depend on whose the main character:

• If Duran or Angela is the main character, the Prince's remains needed for him to resurrect are destroyed by the Dragon Lord.
• If Kevin or Charlotte is the main character, the Prince's remains needed for him to resurrect are destroyed by the Masked Mage.
• If Hawkeye or Riesz is the main character, then Belladonna and Malocchio kill the Dragon Lord and the Masked Mage.

Then, after Hawkeye or Riesz gains the Sword of Mana, the two demons kidnap Faerie and trade her back for the holy blade in the Nevarl Fortress, then they release the Benevodons from the Mana Stones. While the player characters are busy defeating the fearsome beasts, the Sword of Mana is used off-screen to allow the Dark Majesty to reanimate his broken body in Fa'Diel, who watches the events unfold from his base, the Dark Castle.

The main characters manage to destroy all but one of the fearsome beasts, and now scout the ancient capital city of Pedda for more clues. Because of the unstable time-space continuum, the party is transported in the past where the bustling city stood before its destruction. There they learn about a prophecy telling despair and destruction will be spread from Mavolia's domain. The rest of the prophecy is unintelligible, but a scholar thinks this means that the world's destruction will be caused by the ruler of Mavolia himself.

Back in the present, the party head to the northeastern continent. There, they free and defeat the last Benevodon in the Night Cavern and learn from Malocchio that the combined power of the Benevodons and the Sword of Mana will revive the Dark Prince to its full power. The party defeat the vampire and venture into the Dark Castle, where they meet with Belladonna. She explains that she would do anything for his Dark Majesty, but she is ultimately defeated in the ensuing battle. The party finally meets with the Dark Prince at the highest point of the castle, who claims he will use Elliot's body once he absorbs the the holy swords power. However, he feels the Goddess of Mana's restraint even after embuing himself will enormous power. He decides to settle this himself by going to the Sanctuary to slay the Tree of Mana. He teleports himself and Elliot's body to the holyland.

The party arrives too late, as the Dark Prince already claimed to have destroyed the Tree of Mana along with the Goddess herself. He gloats as he is about to fuse Mavolia and Fa'Diel together and become their supreme god. He then kills Faerie and tells he cannot wait to inhabit the young prince of Laurent's body. He then transforms into his Archdemon form and overpowers the player characters with his dark magic. He is however hit by Faerie's light, telling him that as long as the chosen lives, the hopes of people will never disappear. She revives the party and the final battle ensues. The Archdemon is ultimately defeated and peace is restored to Fa'Diel.

Circle of Mana

The Prince of Mavolia makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. He appears in 10 set of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
SUR	魔	黒の貴公子	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「ククク、新たな神となった私が、希望がいかにおろかな幻想か思い知らせてくれよう！！」 "Hehehe, now that I have become a new god, I will show you what a foolish illusion hope is!!"
SUR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス]	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「なかなか面白い余興だ。では、この世界を手に入れるとしようか。」 "It's quite an interesting sideshow. Now then, let's take possession of this world."
SSUR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス]	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「フフ…それでは共に奈落の底へと堕ちていこうか、勇者よ。力は光にも闇にもなる。それは貴様らも同じ事…」 "Hehe...Then let's fall into the abyss together, hero. Power can be both light and darkness. The same goes for you..."
SSUR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス[闇]]	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「ふざけた男だ。いいだろう、その娘一時お前に預けておく。」 "You're just kidding. It's okay, I'll leave the girl in your care for a while."
SSUR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス[大魔公]]	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「気晴らしにはなったが、それ以上ではない。」 "It was a distraction, but nothing more."
SSUR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス[ビキニ]]	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「魔界の砂浜だけではなく、この世界の砂浜も私が制覇する。」 "I will conquer not only the sandy beaches of Mavolia, but also the sandy beaches of this world."
LGR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス[真]]	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「ふざけた男だ。いいだろう、その娘一時お前に預けておく。」 "You're just kidding. It's okay, I'll leave the girl in your care for a while."
LGR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス[栄冠]]	呪われた王子	闇の王子	[光]滅国の王子	[闇]魔界の王子	「ふざけた男だ。いいだろう、その娘一時お前に預けておく。」 "You're just kidding. It's okay, I'll leave the girl in your care for a while."
LGR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス[真ビキニ]]	陸サーファー	ビーチボーイ	[光]浜辺のプリンス	[闇]浜辺のフィクサー	「魔界の砂浜だけではなく、この世界の砂浜も私が制覇する。」 "I will conquer not only the sandy beaches of Mavolia, but also the sandy beaches of this world."
LGR	魔	黒の貴公子[クリスマス[栄冠ビキニ]]	陸サーファー	ビーチボーイ	[光]浜辺のプリンス	[闇]浜辺のフィクサー	「魔界の砂浜だけではなく、この世界の砂浜も私が制覇する。」 "I will conquer not only the sandy beaches of Mavolia, but also the sandy beaches of this world."

General information

Physical appearance

The Dark Prince is depiced as a young, slender man with dark gray skin, long ashy blond hair, protuding horns on both sides of his temples, pointy ears, and yellow eyes. He wears a open black jacket decorated with elaborate silver patterns with a wide collar and shoulder pads with yellow fringes. He dawns a tiny vest beneath his jacket, only covering his stomach. His chest is protected by a large metal ornament holded by chains on both sides. He also wears a wide leather belt made with large triangular pieces sewn together. His legs are covered with thigh-high metal greaves. He back is covered with a long dark crimson cape with yellow fringes.

Personality

The Dark Prince has been the recipient of abuse for most of his childhood, being rejected by his royal parents and all of his subjects. This trauma built years of resentment and hatred against his people and humanity as a hole, as he slowly became consumed by the powers of Mavolia. He retaliated by commiting murder on his mentor and parents, eventually leading to destroying his own country. Even when reanimated by Belladonna and Malocchio, his Dark Majesty was dead set on merging the world of Mavolia and Fa'Diel and become their supreme leader, hinting at some god-like complex. Because of his heart closed to any form of affection, he doesn't seem to reciprocate the love and admiration Belladonna displays to him, and even seems to despise it. Like the other villains of Trials of Mana, he shares their power-hungry, cunning nature, and single-minded attitute.

Abilities

See also: Archdemon

The Dark Prince is able to communicate with his trusty subjects even in death transfer some of its powers to them, just like he did to Belladonna and possibly Malocchio. After gaining the essence of the holy sword and the combined powers of the Benevodons, he is granted enormous might, enough to destroy the Goddess of Mana. He is also proficient in a vast array of magic, as shown during the final battle.

Trivia

• Although Belladonna is strongly implied to have romantic feelings for the Dark Majesty, he doesn't care about her and when he finds that she was killed, he dismisses her as a "worthless pawn."
• Unlike the other villains, the Dark Majesty is met after the game's penultimate boss fight, as opposed to before.
• His Japanese name actually means Dark Lord, though since he is referred to as the heir of his kingdom it was assumed by the fan translation that he was a prince and not an ascendant king.
• Dark Majesty bears some similarities to Dawn of Mana villain Stroud, and Final Fantasy Adventure/Sword of Mana/Adventures of Mana villain Dark Lord. However they are distinct characters from him due the anthology nature of the series.
• His true form in the 3D remake appears to have tree-like elements incorporated into its design. Whether these are naturally part of his true form, or a side-effect of him having absorbed the Sword of Mana is unclear.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Prince of Mavolia.

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  Trials of Mana sprite

• 

  Trials of Mana HD screenshot

References

• Seiken Densetsu 3 Perfect Analysis Guidebook