Granz Castle

Granz Castle
First appearance	Sword of Mana (2003)
Latest appearance	Sword of Mana (2003)
Ruler	Dark Lord
Inhabitant(s)	Dark Lord Julius Isabella (temporarily) Hero (temporarily) Amanda (temporarily) Willy (temporarily)
Background music	Endless Battlefield

Granz Castle is a location and field area in Sword of Mana. It's part of the greater Topple region at the north of the world, and it's connected with Mt. Illusia by its entrance bridge. This is where the Hero's story begins. Later on the game, once the protagonist returns here and enters the castle, they will not be able to leave until the end of the events here, also some sidequests can be lost.

Story

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

As the Hero

After the prologue and the dream's sequence of the protagonist's house invasion and his capture, the Hero wakes up from his dream screaming in the prison, where he stands after battling in the arena as a gladiator to entertain the crowd. This waking up Willy and then the Hero telling him his dream about a girl.

Willy tried to console him by saying that the Hero as a child could not do anything at that time to save her, after telling him her her name, the two share a meal.

Willy is surprised to hear her name, and tries to cheer him up by saying that the girl is alive and that he will be able to see her soon.

Hearing this, another prisoner soon asks if they are planning an escape, arguing that they were caught and punished for the last one.

Willy tries to cheer up, saying that he learned from one of the soldiers that there is an exit behind the cell holding the monsters, but the other prisoner does not change his opinion, arguing that everyone went without food for a week because of the last escape plan.

Questioning the source of the information, Willy tells that this soldier sang a sad song, which makes the Hero remember Lord Granz, after a brief conversation, the protagonist goes talk to another prisoner who says, due to the Hero's state, that he should not fight, then asks him that if he escapes, he could contact her brother in Menos.

Soon after, talking to her again, she will teach you how to use the protection of the goddess by the Godness Statue for any situation, including the one that in there, but will ask him not letting the guards see them, proceeding to pray the statue and saving.

Thus, when talking to the other prisoner, he will say that it's almost time, successively, a cutscene takes place showing the rise of the Dark Lord aftermath and the persecution of the mana clan followers called heretics, being cheered by the crowd after his speech.

Back to the prison, soon after, the Hero and Willy are summoned to battle in the arena. There, the monster is released from its prison and a battle ensues.

After the battle, the two put their plan into action and escape through the monster's cell.

Leaving the castle, the two stop at the entrance bridge, then, while celebrating their freedom, the Hero reveals that he wants to defeat the Dark Lord.

Willy tries to appease him, revealing that he already knows someone with the Heroine's name, but he doesn't know if it's the same person, and tells them to go to Topple where mana followers might know something.

Suddenly, the Dark Lord and his soldiers appear, he invites them to join him as heretic hunters. Willy says nothing, the Hero immediately rejects it, saying that he has murdered his parents and the Heroine, but the other refuses, arguing that he is only complying with own law.

Willy asks the Hero to play along, but this one refuses, telling him to do what he wants, but not to join the villain. Then, the Hero goes to attack the Dark Lord, but he will stops the sword with one hand, then counterattacks causing the Hero to fall off the bridge.

Willy screams and begs the goddess to save him. Soon the scene cuts to Niccolo in Path to Topple.

After a long journey, following the events at Devius Manor, the Hero along with Lester finally returns to Granz's Castle across the bridge, after a quick conversation, the two proceed.

When they arrive at the castle gates, the Hero will meet Isabella, who will be on a mission to protect the castle. He refuses to fight her, but she says is doing it for her beloved, and insisting on fighting, she soon attacks him.

After dodges her attacks, the protagonist asks her to stop, soon, Goremand appears saying the same, as ordered by the Dark Lord and orders them to meet him inside.

After a dialogue between Isabella and Goremand the two leave. As soon as the Hero and Lester enter, the gates are locked, Goremand's voice echoes and directs them to their encounter, going ahead mocking that he will devour their souls. Then, the duo start to cross the castle.

When the two go to a prison in the basement, the Hero is reunited with Willy. Happy to see him alive again, in a briefly talking, the Hero reveals to have come defeat the Dark Lord. Trying to free Willy, this one says to take care of the villain first, so the Hero leave him. Next to the prison, Vega can also be found if all of his sidequests are completed.

After finding a golden key in another prison, the protagonist and Lester can continue through the castle, and later, upon defeating some Granz Soldiers, the Hero receives the spear as a weapon.

Soon, they reach Lord Granz's room, Bogard will appear and say that this room is protected by a special barrier, so they are safe.

The Hero is glad seeing Bogard well, in sequence, the Heroine and Willy appear, and she will be surprised that the Hero also know Willy.

As the Heroine

After climbing Mt. Illusia, the Heroine and Bogard finally arrive at Granz's castle bridge, there, after a brief dialogue in which Bogard is sure the Hero and Lester have already arrived here, the two enter the castle.

Once inside, the doors lock, soon Goremand's voice echoes welcoming them, then he says that the Dark Lord awaits them showing the right direction, and mocking that he will devour their souls, the voice disappears. So the two go on their way.

When they reach the prison cells, the Heroine is reunited with her childhood friend Willy, who is also happy to see her alive. Bogard tries to break the cell but fails, suddenly, a bird appears and hands the Heroine two keys, one of which opens the prison.

Opening the door, Willy will thank her, after a short conversation, he will tell her about his cellmate who always regretted not being able to protect her in the past, in this, she recognizes this being the Hero, telling the other that he is alive too.

Happy with this news, Willy asks to join Heroin, who soon does. Bogard says that he will stay and release other prisoners and asks the two to go to Granz's room, which he says has a protective barrier there, and then leaves.

Using the other key, they cross the castle, eventually defeating a monster, she gains the spear as a weapon. Thus, they reach Granz's room, and find Bogard, Lester and the Hero there.

The Heroine is happy to see the Hero, who in turn is thrilled to see Willy again for the first time since they escaped Granz's Castle.

Both stories continuation

After a happy reunion between the characters, the heroes telling Willy about Amanda's death, which upsets him. Soon, Lester will introduce himself to Willy as Amanda's brother, then, he tells the group to look for clues if Lord Granz is still alive, as he can feels.

Bogard agrees, then he asking the protagonist to stop the Dark Lord for what happened to Granz, Devius and Lady Medusa.

Thus, with a brief conversation the Hero and the Heroine join together to stop the Dark Lord. Speaking with Lester again, he says that Granz's music has always had a magnificent composition even telling about secret passages behind shelves, that even Consul Hermann really did made a similar device in Granz Castle.

Searching on the shelves, the main character can read Granzs' diaries to learn a little about his history, after reading it, they will see one out of place, and inserting the book, the doorway to the top will opens and the two continue their way.

Once they reach the top of the castle, they encounter a monster and a battle ensues. Upon ending it, the two head the other tower. There, they find the Dark Lord, Isabella and Goremand waiting for them.

In the Hero's story, the Dark Lord congratulates the Hero for having reached this point, but this one reply questioning the reason for all the deaths caused by him. The Villain only replies that it is justifiable, even teasing the Hero by saying that he has also stained his hands with blood. After a brief dialogue, in which the Hero rejects violence as the answer, the Dark Lord argues of his hypocrisy, that because he is the consul's son, that everything was given to him, and that he has no right to take what the Dark Lord claims.

Shortly after, the villain will tell his henchmen not to interfere, they will soon leave the scene, so he tells the Hero to draw his sword and a conflicted take place.

In the Heroine's story, he mocks her about the key, but she doesn't care. She then tries to persuade him, saying that when they first talks in the Airship she didn't hate him, even after the deaths he caused, and argues that until she met him, she saw that he was dominated by his hatred against Mana.

So, the Hero manifests saying that violence does not solve anything, which the Dark Lord accuses him of being a hypocrite. The Heroine tries to convince him that world domination is a fleeting vision, but he, on the other hand, blames those who accumulate Mana power and even tells of Vandole's defeat as an attempt to maintain that power, which the Heroine denies.

Finally, this one says that she is just a pawn in the hands of the clueless Lord Granz, and shortly after, the villain will tell his henchmen not to interfere, they will soon leave the scene and a conflicted take place.

In both stories, after being defeated and nearly dying, the Dark Lord calls Isabella and asks her to take off his mask, revealing that his appearance is similar to Devius, and therefore, for him it doesn't matter how he or Devius are treated, blaming Granz for everything.

The protagonist denies it, saying that they never wanted things to happen the way they did, which the other responds that he recognizes this, including that his father tried to stop it, finding all this almost comical.

Isabella will try to stop him from talking, so he will tell that she must stop Julius, which she agrees.

After saying he wanted to spend more time with her as his last words, the scene is suddenly interrupted by the entrance of Goremand, who, revealing his true intentions, attacks the heroes and paralyzing them, then demands Isabella for the pendant.

She denies it, arguing that he was made one of Julius's pets. Goremand mocks wanting the Dark Lord's tormented soul, and even provokes Isabella by making her hate grows, in short time, he steals the Dark Lord's soul.

Completely furious, Isabela channels her energy and turns into a monster, sequentially, a cutscene starts, showing the unconscious heroes being found in the desert and the protagonist having nightmares. Following this, the main character awakens next their friends in Ishe.

Spoiler ends here.

Enemies

• Granz Soldier
• Granz Wizard
• Polter Box
• Anthrosect
• Chobin Hoodlum
• Goblin Guard
• Dainslaif
• Duck General
• Black Dudbear (See Spirit Rescue)
• Jackal (Boss - Hero's story only)
• Garuda (Boss)
• Dark Lord (Boss)

Treasures and Findable Stuff

• Chocolump (In the second scenario, go up the stairs to the right and jump the stone baluster returning to the first scenario at the top)
• Magic Walnut (In the second scenario, go up the stairs to the left and jump the stone baluster returning to the first scenario at the top)
• Angel Grail (In the second scenario, go through the leftmost door, go down the stairs and jump over the southwestern stone baluster)
• Chocolump (Next to Willy's prison, on the right)
• Animal Bone (After finding a golden key in prison, going through the central door two scenarios, in one of the left corners)
• Magic Walnut (From the previous one, follow all the way now to the right)
• Granz Steel (In the second hall with three stairs, go up the one on the left and pass through the trap)
• Gumdrop (In the second hall with three stairs, go up the middle one and go left)
• Long Seed (From the previous one, continue the central way, on the left side hidden by the flag)
• Gator Skin (In the room to the left of the Granz's room, on the northwest part)
• Granz Steel (Near the previous one, in the southwest part)
• Magic Walnut (Near the second golden godness statue, head left and jump over the stone baluster)
• Round Seed (Next to the previous one going left)
• GummiFrog (Next to the previous one keep going to the left)
• Lance (From defeating Granz Soldier)

Sidequest

• 39# Last Shiny Knight
• 49# Spirit Rescue