The unspoken leader of the rank of Judge Magister of the Archadian Imperial Army, Gabranth is many things to many people. To Emperor Gramis, he is a loyal servant and head of the 9th Bureau of Intelligence and Espionage. To Judge Magister Drace, he is a trusted and respected confidante. To the young Lord Larsa, he is a mentor and protector. To Basch fon Ronsenburg, he is Noah, an estranged brother, an identical twin, and an enemy. But of all the masks Gabranth has worn, of all the roles he's played, all the duties he's shouldered... he will be remembered by those who loved him most, and by those who know the truth, as an integral player in the end of the war in Ivalice and one who gave his life in defense of a child and for what he believed in.
Gabranth: "Lose Larsa and we lose the Empire. Protect him. I would entrust him to no other's care."
Basch: "I will keep him from harm. I promise you. For the Empire, and for Dalmasca."
Gabranth: "Your words... put me at ease, brother. Sorry... to leave you..."
The main reason why Vayne keeps Basch alive is to silence Marquis Ondore. However, another reason is to extract information about the whereabouts of the Dusk Shard, which Vayne failed to obtain for two years. But Emperor Gramis, unaware that Vayne had been after the nethicite way back then, becomes suspicious of Vayne’s actions—particularly the fact that he’s letting Basch live. Gramis orders his confidant Judge Gabranth to investigate Vayne’s true motif. Gabranth's visit to Basch’s oubliette is thus carried out under Gramis’s directive. At the same time, Gabranth has a personal motive: a desire to know why his resented brother has been allowed to live.
Though his words are meant to dig Vayne’s intentions in keeping Basch alive, they also carry an intense hatred, as if to say,
“Why is someone like you still breathing?
Can’t He Just Ask Vayne?
Though Gabranth serves under Vayne, Gabranth is secretly investigating him under a covert order from Emperor Gramis. That’s why he can’t directly ask Vayne why Basch is kept alive.
However, Vayne is fully aware that Gabranth is investigating him. Even Gabranth’s meeting with Basch is something Vayne allows deliberately—he hopes Basch might accidentally reveal useful information, such as the whereabouts of the Dusk Shard, and so he lets Gabranth continue his actions unchecked.
Since any meeting with a prisoner requires Vayne’s permission and cannot happen without an escort of imperial soldiers, Gabranth is unable to conceal from Vayne anything he learns during the meeting.
And even if Gabranth were to discover information from Basch that could disadvantage Vayne, there's a high likelihood Emperor Gramis would execute Gabranth to silence him in order to protect House Solidor.
Serving both Vayne and the Emperor, Gabranth stands in an extremely precarious position—he’s constantly at risk of being cut down by either side at any moment.
Source: Final Fantasy XII Ultimania Ω (Omega), 2006, Page 41.
This is for a comic, based on my 2017 FFXII books I wrote. I've come to really enjoy Gabranth as a character and try to study how to draw him better. I've drawn him quite a lot in the past, but now that I study him more, I realise how gentle his face looks, and there is often a sadness in his eyes. ;_;
Anyway, this is for the story (because I intend to continue it now).
To you who is reading this, perhaps you might find this letter resonant to your heart.
Though this letter is addressed to a fictional character, I hope you also understand this affection and adoration I feel towards one character, the way you adore your favourite character just as much. It is merely a silly desire of mine to write this out, simply because my heart would burst if I didn't.
For those who have not played FFXII, may contain spoilers.
Today is the 17th of March for me, which means one day has passed since your premise was first released. Perhaps you might not understand what that means, since I imagine the measurement of days must differ in your realm.
There was a time when your name did not weigh as much to me. But those are days ever so distant, because I cannot imagine not knowing a character whose past filled him with anger, a feeling that resonates with me dearly. Having to bear weights upon his shoulder, the expectations, that he would pledge his loyalty to someone because it has saved him from a life without freedom or privilege. Yet with that privilege came strings, binding you to be someone's stray hound: leashed, yet treated like a wild one.
For that, you carried with you the guilt of being left behind, the guilt of having left, and the guilt of lending your sword to an oppressor. For that, you never could find the peace and honour you sought to make up for the person you were raised by your old folks.
Gabranth, you may be just a name to others. But that name means to me so much because it has made me reflect about the weights on my shoulder as well. Gabranth may just be an alias you'd learned to pick up, because you shed away the person you were once, the man of Landis, and that resonates with me. Gabranth itself, became a title, more than your own, so that your brother may wield it to protect someone.
Perhaps all this time you were desperately looking for someone to protect, throughout your story, because there was no one to do so for you and your mother. So you took upon that helm, and became the shield and judge, that maybe the land of Archadia was worth your protection. I do not know war as deeply as you, nor do I understand the pain of having your homeland occupied - that is a pain only my ancestors would know.
You may not think this possible to be true, but you are more than a stray. Being lost did not have to mean that you are a dog. Being gone did not mean that you would have to be a ghost.
You still lived on, through your brother's actions. And for that, I mourn and relish in your rest. That you may finally be at peace with the name Noah fon Ronsenburg.
The hidden truth ‘neath the helmet, Gabranth’s past
The name normally used by the Judge Magisters is the surname.「Gabranth」is his maternal surname. Gabranth’s homeland was ruined by the invasion of the Archadian Empire. At the time, Gabranth had an older brother who was a budding knight, but he was unwilling to surrender to the Empire, so he left his family and went to another kingdom.
Gabranth, however, could not leave his ailing mother behind. He moved to the Imperial City of Archades; his mother’s hometown. In order to break connections with his past in Landis, he abandoned his family name and worked his way up the ranks through merit in the Imperial Army. Gabranth stifles his resentment and bend to those in power, watching as his mother sadly passes away. The bitterness in his heart turns into hatred for his brother, who “abandoned” his country and his mother. This hatred continues to ensnare Gabranth until now.
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