List of Gagharv references

The Trails series makes a number of references to the Gagharv series, a trilogy of interwoven The Legend of Heroes games that were released before the start of the Trails series.

Hypothetical same world references

• In Trails in the Sky SC, Kevin Graham is seen reading the finale of the book series The Doll Knight for the children of the Mercia Orphanage. This book series was originally a collectible book series in The Legend of Heroes V: Cagesong of the Ocean. Renne Hayworth, who has read the books herself, repeatedly compares herself and her humanoid weapon Pater-Mater to Princess Tia and the Blue Knight, Pedro, respectively.
  • Chapter 1 of The Doll Knight mentions Weltluna, the continent on which Cagesong of the Ocean takes place.
  • Chapter 21 of The Doll Knight mentions the Thirteen Factories, which appears in the Trails series as a branch of Ouroboros. Campanella, known to break the fourth wall, also mentions this similarity during Who Wants to Be a Mirannaire?.
• In Trails in the Sky the 3rd, the hallway of the luxury airliner Lusitania features a painting of the eponymous Gagharv, a bottomless gash separating two continents in the world of Gagharv.

The Gagharv painting in The 3rd

The Gagharv as seen in Eiyuu Densetsu V: Cagesong of the Ocean

Direct references

• The term Esmelas (one of the seven types of septium) originated in The Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermillion as Muse's real last name.
• Jenis Royal Academy shares its name with a special healing water that was part of a quest in A Tear of Vermillion. The Liebe Balm from the Trails in the Sky FC, SC, and the 3rd shares its name with the Liebe Herb from the same game and treats a similar condition, though the former was localized as Smelling Salts.
• The airship used by the Capua Sky Bandits, the Bobcat, is called the Yamaneko in Japanese, which can be translated as Wildcat. This is also the name of Josette Capua's S-Craft. In The Legend of Heroes III: White Witch there was a group called the Wildcat Bandits led by playable characters Shirla and Goose. Both groups are better people than they appear at first and end up siding with the protagonists.
• The song "Silver Will" from Trails in the Sky FC takes a large chunk of melody from the song Unforgivable Troublemaker from Cagesong of the Ocean.
• The face cards in Ruan's Lavantar casino bar include depictions of Jurio, Chris and Lodi from White Witch and Avin, Rutice and Michel from A Tear of Vermillion.
• Anelace Elfead has two direct references to A Tear of Vermillion. First, her Swordwind Slash is identical to a special ability possessed by Douglas and Lucias. Second, her family name originally appeared in the Gagharv game in the form of Treasured Sword Elfead. Anelace's appearance is also somewhat similar to Lucias and in a non-Gagharv reference, her armor resembles a feminized version of Adol Christin's 'classic' armor from the Ys series.
• Loewe's title of Sword Emperor (Bladelord in localization) originally appeared in A Tear of Vermillion where it belonged to the title character of the Sword Emperor Zamza novels.
• The name Ouroboros appears first in A Tear of Vermillion as the most powerful water-elemental spirit, before it would go on to represent the secret society in the Trails series.
• The spell Blue Ascension in Trails in the Sky SC and the 3rd and Trails of Cold Steel III originally appeared in A Tear of Vermillion as a special ability possessed by Michel which in that game was an enhanced version of the spell Reincarnation. The latter spell itself appeared in Trails to Azure as the strongest Space Art. Similarly, Aero Storm from Trails in the Sky SC and the 3rd originally appeared as a special ability used by Martie and Napalm Breath appeared as a special attack usable by the summoned spirit Kerberos.
• The collectable novels in Trails in the Sky SC and Trails of Cold Steel II are named Gambler Jack. This was one of the aliases used by Thomas in Cagesong of the Ocean.
• Lloyd Bannings and Alex Dudley in Trails from/to Zero and Azure have S-Crafts that were originally used by Gawain in A Tear of Vermillion, Meteor Breaker and Justice Hammer respectively.
• Fran Seeker has a beloved stuffed animal she calls Ban Ban. He previously appeared in all three Gagharv trilogy games, either as a stuffed animal (A Tear of Vermillion, Cagesong of the Ocean) or as Philly's pet bear cub (White Witch).
• Elie MacDowell's music box in Trails to Azure plays the same tune as the music box Chris receives from her mother at the start of White Witch.
• Tio Plato's second S-Craft is called Zero Field and it grants the Max Guard status effect. In A Tear of Vermillion, the reward for collecting all of the Sword Emperor Zamza novels was an accessory called Zero Field which gave the bearer complete protection against damage, though the effect was random.
• The Whitestones that Lloyd can search for at the Lake Beach in Trails to Azure originally appeared in White Witch as a pretty stone said to be found in the Crystal Lake region. In an optional sidequest (omitted from Bandai's PSP remakes) you can visit the region and Chris will make Jurio find one for her, in a sequence very similar to Lloyd's hunting for the same stones in Trails.
• The Zan Suu enemy from the Crossbell games originally appeared in A Tear of Vermillion, along with the Dive Eagle enemy. The Deathcargot in the same games originally appeared in White Witch. The Armored Konpe from Trails in the Sky SC is a reference to the Konpe series of enemies from A Tear of Vermillion but doesn't have a direct parallel.
• The Erebonian Folklore books in Trails of Cold Steel discuss legends concerning witches. The game later reveals the existence of the Hexen Clan and part of the plot concerns two witches from this clan working against one another. This has its parallel in the plot of White Witch, which revolves around two Witches attempting to avert the Wave of Raual but with opposing philosophies about how to do so.
• In Trails of Cold Steel, Chapter 4: "A Midsummer's Revels", Class VII visits Heimdallr's port. There they run into a boarded ship named Esperanza. This is the second name borne by the Divine Sword of Bardus, from the end of A Tear of Vermillion to its final appearance in White Witch.
  • To draw additional attention to the name, an Active Voice segment is played in which Machias Regnitz explains Esperanza means 'hope'. In both Gagharv games, Esperanza's meaning is explained by a character.
• The Music Club's performance in Trails of Cold Steel, Chapter 5: "Signs and Omens" is a reference to Cagesong of the Ocean. The song they play is "Stardust Cantata" from the earlier game and the circumstances surrounding Elliot Craig's role in the performance echo those of Altos in Gagharv as well, with both taking the violin role following an accident which incapacitates the intended violinist.
• In Trails of Cold Steel II, Elliot has two bonding events in which he plays songs taken from the Gagharv Trilogy. In the first, he performs the Wind Serenade which was originally played by Altos in Cagesong of the Ocean. In the same sequences there is a nod to events in White Witch when Torova attempted to play 'Look, I'm Lively' for the people of Darts. In both cases the performance is interrupted by a snapped string, followed by the performer wondering about the power of music and having a crisis of confidence, before a replacement string is procured and the song can be completed. In the second bonding event, Elliot and Rean play a duet version of Look, I'm Lively, which originated in Cagesong of the Ocean and then appeared in the aforementioned scene in White Witch.
• Loa Erebonius in Trails of Cold Steel is known as the 'Ashen Power' and is also described as 'a shadow'. In Cagesong of the Ocean, the Dark-elemental summon was named Erebonius. This also makes the entire country of Erebonia an indirect Gagharv reference.
• The official English art book of Trails of Cold Steel features an illustration which depicts Olivert Reise Arnor playing a tune on a Fredrik Richter piano, a reference to the character of the same name from Cagesong of the Ocean.
• In Trails of Cold Steel III, 'Musse Egret' is revealed to be an alias for Mildine Juzalith de Cayenne. The exact same thing happened in A Tear of Vermillion with Muse/Mildine. Both characters are nobles and consequently far more important than they first appear.
• In Trails of Cold Steel IV, the Holy Beast of Earth, Argres, shares its name with a legendary forest dwelling beast from White Witch.

Thematic Similarities and Indirect References

• The overarching plot of the Trails series (involving Ouroboros, the Septian Church and the Sept-Terrion) is the second half of A Tear of Vermillion's plot (with Octum's Apostles and the Sacred Treasures of Bardus) writ large and a number of characters in the early games have obvious inspirations from Gagharv characters, but much more developed.
• Joshua Bright in has a number of similarities to Rutice in A Tear of Vermillion. Both joined a secret society following the destruction of their hometown and were trained as assassins. Both also consider themselves 'broken' but get over it due to interactions with the rest of the cast and especially with the protagonists who is also their love interest. Both also have nice scarves and use knives. And Joshua was originally conceived as a female character according to interviews.
• Scherazard Harvey has several similar personality traits to Muse from A Tear of Vermillion, along with a similar fashion sense and a preference for whips. Schera's abilities Bind Whip and Queen's Bute (Sadist Whip) originally appeared in the Gagharv trilogy as an ability and a weapon for Muse, respectively.
• Olivert Reise Arnor and Muse are both royals who use assumed names to operate undercover and both would rather have fun than take responsibility. Olivier's ultimate motives are however better developed and far more complicated.
• Leonhardt and Kevin both owe some of their characters to Madram from A Tear of Vermillion. Loewe has a red sword and pulls an impressive heroic sacrifice while Kevin is a holy warrior who experiences a crisis of faith, all of which were first seen in Madram. Both characters have problems relating to a lost love and/or parental surrogate and in Loewe's case Karin's death motivates him in a similar way to how Dominique's death motivates Madram. Rufina herself has some similarities to Dominique by being a member of the Septian Church like Dominique was part of the Church of Bardus. Rufina Argent was also seen as special, though due to her skills and great effort rather than due to being a unique entity.
• The character of Campanella has a predecessor of sorts in the (supposedly fictional) character of Harlequin from the Doll Knight novels in Cagesong of the Ocean. As those novels appear directly in Trails, the link between the two characters may be explicit but this remains uncertain as of Trails of Cold Steel II. Harlequin is a mask-wearing puppeteer who serves as an assassin and speaks in a constantly mocking style. Campanella also speaks in a similar style, he is known as The Fool and he serves as both an observer for the Grandmaster and implicitly (and unofficially) as an assassin if necessary, manipulating events from the shadows like a puppeteer. Adding to the parallels, early concept art of Campanella had him wearing a mask.
• The Arseille of Trails in the Sky SC was inspired by the Planetos of the Gagharv trilogy. Both bear similar nicknames, with the former being known as the White Wings (of Liberl) and the latter as the White Eagle (of the Sea), both are the fastest ship in existence and both serve as a base of operations for the protagonists at some point in the narrative. The captains of both ships also become playable characters and both have international reputations, albeit for different reasons. Both ships also have advanced engines with similar names, the XG-02 for the Arseille and the HF-II for the Planetos, which give them their amazing speed.
• Multiple characters in the Trails series share names with and greatly resemble characters from the Gagharv trilogy. These include the MacDowell family maid Joanna (a playable character from White Witch) and the Crossbell Guardian Force's 'Demon Instructor' Douglas (a playable character from A Tear of Vermillion).
• The Combat Orbment system in Trails is a more developed version of the [[Resonance Stones from Cagesong of the Ocean, with both systems being plot-integrated methods of enhancing your characters and learning magic by equipping special stones. Orbments are specifically mentioned as 'resonating' with their users and in the case of the ARCUS model, the users resonating with each other. Combo Crafts and Links have an antecedent in Ensemble Magic.
• The Carnelia books in Trails in the Sky SC are very similar to the Swordswoman Sapphie books from the Gagharv trilogy. Both books are fictionalized accounts of real individuals and in both cases the in-universe author and the individual or individuals serving as the basis for the story are met during the games. Both title characters are also strong female characters who use swords and have nicknames taken from gemstones.
• Ouroboros and Octum's Apostles from A Tear of Vermillion have some similarities, both being antagonists who are opposed by an organized group of adventurers and the local church and have (or possibly have) more noble goals than their methods would suggest.
• The Bracers in Trails are a much more developed version of the Adventurer's Guild from A Tear of Vermillion (particularly the PC-98 version where there was a sidequest mechanic) and both games feature sequences where more experienced members (Scherazard/Agate Crosner and Martie/Douglas) spend time mentoring the protagonists who have just joined the guild.
• Joshua's second S-Craft and title Black Fang is likely to have been a subtle nod to Mile's strongest special attack from A Tear of Vermillion when he was acting as one of Octum's Apostles, Black Wing.
• Orbal Arts from Trails that have strong nods to magic from A Tear of Vermillion include Aqua Bleed (to Aqua Splash), Cross Crusade (visually, to Death Quake) and Flare Butterfly and Emma Millstein's Craft Aster Flare (to Flare Ghost).
• The Eight Leaves One Blade style in Trails is very similar to the nameless style taught by Castor to his students Douglas and Lucias in A Tear of Vermillion, except that the Trails style is far more developed. Both styles share one technique in common, plus a second technique that is almost identical and in both cases, mastery of the style is recognized by the bestowing of the title of Divine Blade.
• The names of two of the Seventy-Seven Devils first appeared in A Tear of Vermillion as the names of special equipment, Sealed Shield 'Astarte' and Spirit Armor 'Rostrum'.
• The overarching plot of Cagesong of the Ocean contributed greatly to Trails in the Sky FC and SC. In both, an ancient civilization discovered that the power their society was built upon was causing unavoidable harm (the Harmful Frequencies and Aureole), both created a mechanism to counteract the threat which was hidden beneath a capital city and in both cases the threat was temporarily resolved by sending it to another dimension with differing physical laws. Both stories end with the root cause of the threat eliminated and an escape sequence as an ancient structure crumbles around the protagonists. In Trails in the Sky SC, Celeste considered whether to use Aureole's own power to seal it away but rejected the idea as unworkable; in Cagesong of the Ocean this was attempted and succeeded but had far-reaching consequences.
• Sara Valestein is a former high-ranking bracer who was famous for combining lightning with swordplay and has a title to match. Douglas from A Tear of Vermillion is a high-ranking member of the Adventurers Guild known as 'The Thunderclap' and uses lightning in his attacks. Both wield weapons named for thunder or lightning.
• Trails and Gagharv both feature a character named Thomas, who is more important than he appears at first. The two characters somewhat resemble each other, aside from the Trails character's glasses.
• The visual effect of Rean Schwarzer using his 'ogre' power (hair turning silver and eyes turning red) are identical to what happened to Mile when he was resurrected as one of Octum's Apostles in A Tear of Vermillion and both characters have to fight to maintain or regain control of themselves when in this state.
• Ordine, the Azure Knight represents a possible nod to the Blue Knight of the Doll Knight series. The title used to refer to its Awakener personally is identical in Japanese.
• The Rosette Studio in Cagesong of the Ocean likely inspired the Rosenberg Studio in Trails from Zero, with their similar names and both producing world-famous dolls, including ones which can actually fight. The plot in the former game concerning the stolen doll Capri being used as a template for automaton soldiers has a parallel in Rosenberg's true nature as one of the Thirteen Factories and the producer of Archaisms. Rosette himself also has parallels to Dr. Russell in Trails in the Sky FC, SC, and the 3rd, as a kindly old man with an energetic granddaughter who becomes a playable character.
• Aida of Cagesong of the Ocean would inspire Tita from Trails in the Sky FC, SC, and the 3rd by virtue of being the granddaughter and apprentice of a famous artisan who becomes a playable character and who can talk the protagonists ears off about their work if given half a chance. Aida also shares several traits with Trails' Estelle Bright, being extremely energetic, both using similar weapons and both having a scene when other characters expect them to be depressed, only to find that they're not letting it get to them because they still have work to do and they'll worry later.
• Trails of Cold Steel III introduces Juna Crawford, whose name and appearance are very similar to Cagesong of the Ocean's Una and the former's new outfit in the following game resembles the latter's own in coloration. Both also share an interesting relationship with a blue-haired co-protagonist and, despite multiple opportunities to do so, have difficulties telling a character about their feelings.
• The Dark Sun of Cagesong of the Ocean and the circumstances surrounding its revival by the Numeros Empire have parallels in the Great Twilight which afflicts the Erebonian Empire in Trails of Cold Steel III and IV. Both cause a literal darkening of the skies and both are strongly tied to emotions, though the former feeds on negative emotions while the latter amplifies them. The Curse which is revealed to afflict Erebonia in Trails of Cold Steel III is likewise similar to the Dark Sun. In both games there is a repeated refrain that everyone alive is atoning for the sins of their ancestors.
• The nature of the Dark Sun and its effect on offensive Resonance Magic in Cagesong of the Ocean inspired the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon caused by Aureole in Trails in the Sky SC. Both games feature a limited number of items which can be used to counteract the effect in the form of the Sound Stones and the Zero Field Generator.
• The endings of A Tear of Vermillion and Trails of Cold Steel IV both feature very similar resurrection sequences. In Gagharv, the last power of the Divine Sword is used to give Avin the opportunity to save Mile before the power of Bardus fades completely from the world, due to the latter's life being linked to the now-deceased Octum. In Trails, the last power of the Divine Knights and the two Sept-Terrion are used to stabilize Millium and restore Crow to life before they were about to fade from existence due to their lives being linked to the Knights. In Crow's case, this also involved a reversion of his hair and eye color to what they had been previously, much like Mile's hair reverted after his resurrection.