Priest of Light

Priest of Light
Heroes of Mana artwork Trials of Mana HD artwork
First appearance	Trials of Mana (1995)
Latest appearance	Trials of Mana HD (2020)
Japanese name	光の司祭
Title(s)	Priest of Light His Eminence
Homeland	Holy City Wendel
Faction	His own, alongside The Oracle of ShadowsHoM
Role	Ally
Gender	Male
Relatives	Leron (son) Shela (daughter-in-law) Charlotte (granddaughter) Heath (foster son)
Species	Human
Counterpart(s)	Belgar
Voice actor(s)	Scott Holmes (eng)ToM

The Priest of Light is a recurring character in the Mana series.

Background

His Eminence has had his position as the Priest of Light for quite some time before the events of Heroes of Mana. He shared his position has head of state with Belgar, the Oracle of Shadows. Together they would provide guidance and healing to visitors from all over the world. As a neutral state, they would not engage in any conflict and remain a sanctuary city for refugees. It is unlear if he had his son, Leron, prior of the events of Heroes of Mana but he raised him to be a priest officiating inside the Temple of Light.

History

Heroes of Mana

“Governs the holy capital of Wendel. Wielding the Mana Goddess's magic, he offers salvation to the masses with his healing hands. Though not one to use it on the battlefield, his wizardry is impressive.”

—Notebook

The Priest of Light is first seen during Chapter 5 : Dragon Wings of Reunion, where he welcomes beastmen refugees where he learns about Peddan forces invading Ferolia and Laurent. He understands Roget and crew's concerns about Pedda's ambitions, but he nonetheless wants Wendel to remain neutral in all this. He changes his mind upon learning about Esina's mirror being discovered in Laurent and the intervention of a Nevarlan desterter named Larkbone pleading for him to help his kind in the Burning Sands as their former leader tracks them down. Belgar offers them to help and joins the party.

Later in the story, the Priest of Light learns the terrible new of both the nations of Valsena and Altena falling at the hands of the Peddan-Nevarlan alliance. He suggests that the party look for the Mana spirits and the Benevodons spread across the world and befriend them, starting with the one in the Shimmering Ruins, just as they did with Gnome and Salamander.

His Eminence is later seen defending the holy capital from Peddan invadors in Chapter 15, Battle Over the Holy Capital. Pedda took advantage of the released mirrors of Esina to pull back their army from the invaded nations and lead a full-on assault on Wendel. General Baxilios is about to strike at the Temple of Light when the Priest fires a powerful light spell at her. She immediately relatates with a dark beam of her own, overpowering him and wounding him in the process. The last black mirror of Esina is unearthed, hinting at a sinister future for Fa'Diel.

The Priest of Light was most certainly affected by Anise's Mirror and had his memory of these past events stripped from him.

Interlude

His Eminence's son eventually took on his duties as a priest inside the Temple of Light. Fifteen years prior to the events of Trials of Mana, he was however smitten by an elf princess named Shela and the two of the conceived a child, going against the law preventing a human and an elf to marry. Both the Priest of Light and the Elfin Elder did not consent to this, afraid that this would shorten their life spans. Leron and Shela did not care and she eloped from Dior with Leron. The young Charlotte did not get to see her parents for long, sadly, as they departed from this world when she was a toddler. To alleviate his guilt from abandoning his son, His Eminence took into himself to raise the young half-elf under his care and she left the elf village for the Temple of Light in Wendel. To prevent any further tragedy, the Elfin Elder sealed Dior from humans, letting only elves to know how to traverse the Lampbloom Woods.

One day, Belgar, the co-ruler of Wendel, came across a sickly young girl that couldn't even be saved with the power of light. The Oracle of Shadows turned to the forbidden reviving arts and used a forsaken spell called "Black Chant" in order to save the child. This sparked an obsession in his mind to cheat death, but his new dark powers were in vain, since he couldn't save the girl in the end. His use of the forbidden arts was rejected by the Temple of Light, ultimately leading the Priest of Light to banish him from the Holy City. His Eminence vowed to raise the Oracle of Shadows' son, Heath as if it his own.

Trials of Mana

“Priest of Light -- The Priest of Light is a revered figure in the world and Charlotte's grandfather. Many people come to Wendel to seek his wise guidance.”

—Adventure Log

All main character's introductions, save for Charlotte, lead them to believe that the Priest of Light will be of guidance to them during their trying times. They thus leave their homeland to visit the Holy City of Wendel. The Faerie character encountered in Rabite Forest also claims to seek the help of the Priest and requests the protagonist to lead her to him.

During Charlotte's opening gambit, Heath is tasked by the Priest of Light to investigate the strange light phenomenon in Astoria. Believing there is also trouble brewing in the nearby town of Jadd, the Priest of Light tell Heath he will erect a magical barrier at the entrance of Cascade Cavern to prevent intruders coming in. Charlotte, who we spying being a pillar, overhears this, and immediately devise a plan to go after Heath to prevent the young priest from being harmed. She eventually succeeds, sending the whole temple in a frenzy to search for His Eminence's grandchild.

The main character traverse Cascade Cavern after Faerie undo the Priest of Light's magical barrier. Should Charlotte be a party member but not the Chosen, She will wait outside the Temple of Light once they arrive at Wendel, claiming she left witout telling the Priest of Light and he is probably angry at her. His Eminence welcomes the travelers to the Holy City and start listening to their plea. He cannot, however fulfill their wishes, stating that only the Goddess of Mana herself can undo most of their woes. Faerie goes to speak to His Eminence, explaining that the Tree of Mana is withering, Mana power growing weaker every day as a consequence. The Priest of Light seems distraught by those dire news, saying the Benevodons contained within the Mana Stones will be unleashed, causing chaos in the world. The Chosen asks what is the purpose of the Mana Sword, to which the Priest of Light replies that it is the golden wand the Goddess used to create the world of Fa'Diel before turning herself into a tree. The one holding the fabled sword holds immense power and once the protagonist revives the Goddess with it, they can restore peace on the land and grant their wishes. The portal to the Sanctuary is currently closed, but by releaseing the energy of the Mana Stones and befriending the elementals close to them, they can open the portal. He suggests starting with Lumina the nearest elemental said to reside in Cascade Cavern. The party thanks him and head back to the cave.

With the barrier leading to Wendel gone, the invading beastmen swarm into the cavern and are at the gates of the Holy City. Upon learning this, the Priest of Light risks his life by erecting an emergency barrier around the town, rendering him severly ill. A rumor spreads around the city, saying only Heath can cure His Eminence, but he is nowhere to be found.

The party comes across Flowerburg Dior much later, where they seek advice from the Elfin Elder. There they learn there is nothing the elder can do with the decline in Mana power, the only solution remaining is to ask the Mana Goddess herself by retrieving the Sword of Mana.

In Charlotte's epilogue, the Priest of Light is finally cured by none other than Heath, who used forbidden magic to cure His Eminence as the Tainted Soul, ending his life in the process. Fortunately, the Goddess revived him and led him live a happy life in the Temple.

Circle of Mana

The Priest of Light makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. He appears in 3 sets of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
UR	魔	光の司祭	クレリック	プリースト	[光]ビショップ	[闇]セージ	「じゃがワシの孫じゃ！　それが罪を重ねるのをみすみす見過ごすわけにもいかん。」 "He's the grandson of a potato eagle! We can't just let him commit more crimes."
SUR	魔	光の司祭	クレリック	プリースト	[光]ビショップ	[闇]セージ	「おお、シャルロット！何という事じゃ！！こんなおさなごが、マナの剣をぬかねばならぬ事になるなんて！マナの女神は、この子に何とかこくな運命を与えたもうたのか……。」 "Oh, Charlotte! What's the matter?! I can't believe that such a young child will have to take the Sword of Mana! The goddess of mana must have somehow given this child a terrible fate..."
SSUR	魔	光の司祭	クレリック	プリースト	[光]ビショップ	[闇]セージ	「この町から夜を奪い去ったのを救いの手と申されるか。」 "Would you say that stealing the night away from this town was a helping hand?"

Trivia

• The Priest of Light's design and purpose in the game is very smiliar to Cibba from Final Fantasy Adventure who's also a head priest of Wendel and perfor healing and guidance to people.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Priest of Light.

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  Priest of Light^ToM

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  Priest of Light portrait^HoM