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Jan 23, 2022

A Deep Dive Into Lumie’s Backstory

Hello and welcome to my look and interpretation of the backstory of Lumie Miratisa, and Lunaris Lore at large. I’m not going through all of Lumie’s story segments again, thanks, so forgive me if the info in my head isn’t like, 100% accurate, but I do have menu quotes, alt descriptions, and broken contract dialogue to back me up. Ya.

Featuring: An Actual Summary of Lumie’s backstory(/-ies), theorizing, and my shoddy memory.

Here, have a table of contents

1. Core Backstory 2. Alt Differences 3. Alt Comparisons 4. The effect of backstory on story 5. Lumie and Nine parallels

Lumie’s core backstory

Backstories across alts differ, but core aspects always remain the same. In Lumie’s case, across all four alts available to her, she is always from the country of Lunaris, and she is always the protector of the seal of a primordial beast.

This seal was created by a sacred beast that sacrificed itself to protect others from the primordial beast, and now its successors protect the seal, to prevent the primordial beast from waking. In return, each of the successors hold power over ice.

In all likelihood, this seal is located in the region (or city?) of Moonlake, possibly within the Philmore mountains. Geography is meaningless, considering Lunaris isn’t an actual playable region. Shakes first at CG. Anyway. Hold on I should put this on Lumie’s wiki page. I have that power.

Lumie is the leader of Lunaris and guardian of Lunaris' seal, created by a sacred beast to banish a primordial beast. As the sacred beast's successor, Lumie wields the power of ice.

To keep the seal safe and prevent the primordial beast from waking, Lumie passed much of her time alone at the site of the seal in Moonlake. Consequently, she cherishes time spent with her friends, chatting with them for hours and only stopping when she grows too tired to continue. She likes to talk a lot.

Generally, she is a very friendly and outgoing person, yet often hides her own loneliness. Though she places great importance upon her duty as a guardian, she sometimes resents the isolation she incurs because of it. She will never abandon her duty. Even so, she secretly wishes to forge her own path someday.

yeehaw. let us proceed.

Alt Differences

W Lumie

As Lumie is the “default” Lumie encountered in both Normal and Hard, her backstory is also the default, and largely matches the one above.

In addition to that, Lumie is considered the leader of Lunaris. Therefore, she represents Lunaris in the Avillon Alliance. She’s also friends with Rosanna, meaning Lunaris has a favorable relationship with Isola.

“Ah~ Rosanna? It's a very good conversation partner. We often chat while drinking tea together, but after about 5 hours, we have a hard time because our physical strength is running up.” - menu select quotes

“The leader of Lunaris, a mystical nation on the central continent. As the living successor of those who sealed the primordial monster, Lumie wields powerful cold magic.” - W Lumie’s desciption

Lumie has a successor of her own, somebody named Lukia, relation to Lumie unknown beyond being a friend of Lumie’s, likely covering as the guardian of the seal while Lumie is absent.

”Is Moonlake okay? Well, the successor, Rukia, must be doing well~ I've been doing it long enough.” from Lumie’s menu select quotes.)

“I made plans on a particularly gorgeous day to go out with my friend Lukia.” - W Lumie’s broken contract dialogue

F Lumie

F Lumie is an interesting case. She still holds powers over ice, yet any info on her just.. does not mention the sacred beast. At all.

This version of Lumie does not dwell at the seal, she lives alone at the Philmore Mountains, in a place referred to as the “crimson snowfield” at its very top. Lumie is referred to as the snowfield’s “original owner”, making it likely she created it with her own power. Perhaps as a way to prevent others from reaching her, since F Lumie was... banished to the mountains. A “fearsome guardian” protects the crimson snowfields, deterring those who climb the mountain in search of the power to control the cold, which the snowfield can grant, according to legend.

“There is an ancient legend known among the residents of the Philmore Mountains that speaks of a crimson snowfield at the peak of the highest mountain top. This legend states that anyone who can reach that snowfield will gain the power to control the cold, including snowstorms - a tempting offer to those who must constantly endure the elements in the mountains. [...] Unbeknownst to the world at large is that the guardian, who is also the field's original owner, is not in fact fearsome, but leads a lonely life after having been unjustly banished from her village.

Furthermore, F Lumie has quite the different personality to W Lumie. In her broken contract dialogue, she is disappointed. Others abandoning her is to be expected. Even so, having her hopes dashed once more still hurts. She’s not a chatterbox like W Lumie. Instead, she often has prolonged silences, as if carefully considering her words. Her greatest wish is to just... be with other people again. W Lumie has friends to fill her whole schedule out with. F Lumie has nobody. Everyone left her.

“Just like all the others... He says he’ll come, but then disappears without a word. [...] Why even get my hopes up in the first place? Why make a promise just to break it?”

“Please, help me get off this lonely mountaintop and back into the world. I want to see more sights and meet more people.” - F Lumie’s broken contract dialogue

On a more speculative note, I think she was banished because of her ice powers. It’s curious how her alt is the only one to not mention the seal or the sacred beast. This is the only Lumie that’s not guardian of the seal. In all likelihood, she is still a descendant of the sacred beast and has its powers, but the sacred beast’s sacrifice is just not known. Therefore, her power is strange and fear-inducing, leading to Lumie being unjustly banished.

If Lumie still has her powers, the sacred beast must’ve existed. So did it simply kill the primordial beast and leave no seal behind? Is the seal still there, but protected by obscurity instead of a guardian? Who knows man. F Lumie is my poor lil scrungly and i’m gonna tuck her under a blanket and give her a cup of warm cocoa.

E Lumie

For E Lumie, there’s literally only her description so far. I eagerly await her return to the shop, so I may grab her recruitment dialogue. Recruitment dialogue is so good. Especially L Fram’s, because it implies a timeline in which lord-

ahem. scuse me.

E Lumie is the “guardian of the labyrinth”, not of the seal. Additionally, she is said to guard the “Calamity’s Cradle,” a name you’ll recognize from raids. To trap the monster inside, Lumie erected a labyrinth to contain it.

“The warden of Calamity's Cradle at Lunaris, from which it is said a terrible calamity will someday emerge and destroy the land, plunging the world into darkness. To prevent this, Lumie has erected a labyrinth around the Cradle said be unfathomable by even the greatest adventurers, so great is its size. Within its still walls, Lumie waits and watches in silence. “ - E Lumie’s description

that’s literally all of it

This description doesn’t mention W Lumie’s seal, either. Possibly, the primordial beast in this case only sleeps instead of being sealed, like the beast in varhya, leading Lumie to build the labyrinth to contain it in case it wakes. Presence of sacred beast unknown, but she still has ice powers? We know next to nothing abt E Lumie. I am Waiting on that recruitment dialogue.

At least we know lunaris’ “primordial beast” is likely similar or identical in nature to the beasts in varhya and lumisade. How many of these are there. Stupid worms.

D Lumie (Extreme mode spoilers ahead)

D Lumie is the exact same as W Lumie. except, she failed.

Due to the actions of the Gallus Empire, the primordial beast escapes its seal, and the entire country of Lunaris is frozen over into an unihabitable wasteland. The remaining people of Lunaris flee to dakkeon, which is also occupied by gallus. In dakkeon, the refugees are treated as free labor and live in extremely poor conditions until the arrival of the avillon alliance who bring the issue to aslan’s attention.

Lumie is seen as the scapegoat for the calamity. She is blamed for her people’s suffering at the hands of gallus as their supposed guardian. Consequenlty, she endures resentment from them. Nonetheless, she tries to make their lives better. Because of her failure, she has closed off her own heart.

All of this is from the extreme mode dakkeon story segments.

Interestingly, her description stresses the ways in which she loathed her duty.

“Her bright-eyed view of the future was soon entirely filled with the earnestness of all who looked to her for hope. She felt all too acutely the burden of her duty. Never did she tell anyone about her dream, nor would she; instead, she had no choice but to hide it away in a deep corner of her heart.” [...]

“Never would her people know the loneliness of she who stood at the vanguard, protecting them from the bilzzard while her own hands, cheeks and heart became more and more frozen. “

Additionally, Lumie’s failure is framed positively.

“Time passed, and she discovered a new path - one that may have actually been there all along. Perhaps she only now saw it because her burden was now lighter and her vision clearer. “

“Her burden was now lighter.” She was released from her duty as guardian. Before this event, D and W Lumie are identical. Which brings us to the next point:

Alt Comparisons

Again, D and W Lumie are identical before the story. What does it mean for D Lumie to loathe her duty? To want to forge her own path? To see the end of her duty as release? Furthermore, she always buried these feelings, and didn’t confide them in anyone. She likely harbored this dream to be free for a long time.

Well, it means W Lumie also harbored these feelings. She just hid them. In normal mode, we don’t see much of Lumie at all, least of all her deeper feelings. Hard mode gives more sceentime to Lumie, yet we only really see her cheerful side, as well as her fiercely protective one. Even so, from W Lumie’s description, we know Lumie is lonely as the guardian.

“Contrary to her appearance, she can be quite talkative, and those wishing to become close with her should plan for at least a five-hour chat over tea, but this is only because she's spent all her time alone at the site of the sealed monster.”

In fact, she is lonely because she is the guardian, and because of that, she’s a chatterbox.

And this is where I pull out F Lumie. I pose you this: F Lumie’s behaviour, her cynicism and dejection, may be how W Lumie, the story’s Lumie, acted in the past. F Lumie has an additional layer to it: She was abandoned and banished, but W Lumie has duty to tie her down. Few come to visit her, her loneliness is virtuous.

“Now I’m stuck wondering how much longer I’ll have to wait again Why am I the one who always gets left waiting around?” - F Lumie’s broken contract dialogue

Both of them are sick of waiting. Lumie is an extrovert. She wants to be among others. F Lumie is sadder, yeah, but she is much more honest to her feelings. She admits to what she wants, and even admits she cried when Lord forgot to visit her. W Lumie is much more cheerful, but rarely mentions her feelings.

It’s possible that, during her time as sole guardian, Lumie was just like that, sad and alone. Instead of lamenting her banishment, she grows to loathe her duty, and just wishes to be free of it. Because of her responsibilites as guardian, she keeps those feelings secret. F Lumie allows us a glimpse at what she keeps hidden.

The effect of backstory on story

D Lumie is the logical progression to W Lumie’s character arc. Lord of Heroes uses its timeloop setting in a way I greatly admire; it uses the excuse of a changed past to place characters into situations that allow them to grow.

For example, Schneider wants to be a knight. First, in normal mode, he gets to experience what being a knight is like. In hard mode, he sees the trials of being a knight, and how difficult it can be to uphold your values. In extreme mode, he gets to be a knight, and put into action what the previous iterations of his character have learned.

With Lumie, it’s similar. In normal mode, we only see her cheerful face. In hard mode, we see more to her. We see her stand up for what she believes in, and reach out to Nine.

In extreme mode, her hidden feelings are brought out by force. She is removed from her position as guardian, the crux of her previous position in the plot. She is cut off from the support of her people, and has to redefine herself outside of her duty. She is angry at Gallus, but that hides the anger she has for herself.

She chained herself to her duty, and she failed. Now she is hated. Her situation in extreme mode is quite similar to F Lumie’s, actually. But, D Lumie’s anger is also a facade. She cuts off her own words, and forces herself to maintain her anger. She closes off her heart in fear of being hurt again, of being abandoned again, drawing back on that F Lumie comparison.

There is a scene I quite like in exreme mode that I love a lot. When Nine begs for Lumie’s forgiveness, and asks to be her friend, she just deflates. The anger vanishes from her face, and she accepts wholeheartedly.

Lumie and Nine parallels

The previous section’s shortness is explained by the fact that it is pretty impossible to talk about Lumie in LoH’s main plot without also talking about Nine.

The first parallel drawn between these two is in west gallus hard mode, by Lumie herself.

“You’re lonely too, aren’t you? I can tell by looking at you. I feel the same energy from you that I had.”

And with as much insight into her backstory as I have offered you, we can extrapolate on what exactly those similarities are. Previous to this, Nine holds your typical boss monologue, along with a tangent on how he’s better than others because he was created for a purpose. Astrid points out that “being created for a purpose” is the description of tools.

In their second meeting, Nine seems to.. internalize this.

“I’m a tool. The moment I stop being useful, I’ll be thrown away!”

I’d like in this case to draw a connection between these two things. Looking at the backstory, at the sacred beast’s descendants, in all likelihood, the position of guardian is hereditary. Either that, or decided to be whoever inherits the beast’s power. Lumie, in her own way, was also born for a specific purpose. This purpose led to isolation from her peers. Similarly, Nine was created to be a tool of war, and he’s very socially isolated as a result. He doesn’t have friends; just subordinates and those he is subordinate to.

However, Lumie, as an adult, is much better adjusted. Evidently, she has managed to break out of this mindset. Lumie has friends.

“I understand. You hate to admit you’re lonely, but once you do, you’re able to start being honest with yourself. Your mind and heart become lighter, and you can start to know what you want.”

Side note: the more i look at Nine’s confused expression, the more he looks like. a confuddled cat.

Initially, Nine acts extremely high and mighty. He calls everyone inferior, points out how much better he is, and can’t admit defeat. This is of course an act, cuz he’s a tiny kid playing with the big boys, so he tries to act like the big boys, and be intimidating, despite being a literal child. Funnily enough, there is an instance of Lumie also putting on a face to match the role she assigned herself.

That being D Lumie, of course.

“See? Don’t set your conscience aside, Lumie. Live a life of love. That’s who you are... Who I am.”

Lumie is no stranger to this behaviour. The key difference here being that Lumie acknowledges what she truly feels, and the conflict between her true feelings and how she forces herself to behave leads her to drop it. Again,

“You hate to admit you’re lonely, but once you do, you’re able to start being honest with yourself.“

“She felt all too acutely the burden of her duty. Never did she tell anyone about her dream, nor would she; instead, she had no choice but to hide it away in a deep corner of her heart.”

Maybe she tries so hard to give Nine a proper childhood because it’s what she was denied. Her opinion is that children should be loved. So if no one else will? She’ll do it.

From a character standpoint, there are similarities in personality between L Nine and F Lumie, namely the attempt to be mature despite how difficult it is. Like how I mentioned that F Lumie is more honest to her inner feelings than W Lumie is, L Nine is more honest than D Nine. L Nine ends up being more mature by not trying to be. Cool stuff honestly.

By reaching out a hand to Nine, it’s breaking a cycle of kids taking on duties they shouldn’t have to just because they were born. It’s, in a way, reaching out a hand to herself, too.

It’s very rare to see that in media, honestly. Lord of Heroes is kid friendly, yeah, but most of its cast are adults and the story is for adults, I figure. Hell, Nine is the youngest character in the game, flat out. The game and its characters acknowledge that. This is just one of the many plots that plays into one of the story’s core aspects: cycles, and how to break them.

Lumie and Nine. i wuv them. Thanks.

#Feli speaks #lord of heroes #loh #lumie miratsa #nine loh

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