Endwalker's Graha Tia: A Character Rewrite

[AwesomeJr44]

Recently I was having a discussion about the character Graha Tia and how I was dissatisfied with his appearance in Endwalker. At the tail end of that discussion, I wrote a small hypothetical of what I'd do with the character, and had the idea of writing a larger rewrite of the character starting at his return to the source. This is that rewrite.

My Problem with Endwalker Graha:

Before I begin describing what I'd do in the rewrite, I should explain why I believe this character is not currently a good character. To properly do so, I think it’s best to start back in Shadowbringers.

The Exarch in Shadowbringers always had a clear goal that drove his character forwards. The Exarch was not a passenger in someone else’s vehicle, he had his own motivations and pursued them. His major goal in Shadowbringers was to prevent the eighth Umbral Calamity. Everything the Exarch does is to further this goal, and he is willing to sacrifice himself to accomplish this goal. (as seen when he attempts to do so after the Crown of the Immaculate trial, and when he does after the Seat of Sacrifice trial) This is something that the Exarch cares about and his actions have a purpose and meaning behind them. This is not the case for Graha post-5.3.

Graha’s current motivation is to go on an adventure with you. But the question remains. What does this mean? What can Graha do to accomplish this goal? The answer is nothing. Graha’s goal does not require him to do anything. This goal he’s chosen amounts to him literally following you around like a lost kitten. In Endwalker, Graha does not have a goal. He has a desire to go on an adventure with us, but that is not a goal of his. Graha’s desire for adventure does not impact the story, and thus he is just along for the ride. This is a problem with many of the Scions in Endwalker as most of their arcs have been concluded, but it seems to be especially bad in Graha’s case.

Basic changes to Graha:

Graha as he is needs to be changed, and this was apparent as soon as I started the rewrite. First and foremost, he needs a goal. Something that ties into his character and backstory, but something he has not yet achieved. Graha is the last of the Allagan royal line due to inheriting royal blood, thus I believe it makes sense that he’d feel some kind of responsibility to deal with any remaining Allag-related problems. Graha’s new goal is the following: He wants to find any remaining Allagan relics or weapons and either seal them in the Crystal Tower or destroy them to keep them out of the wrong hands. In addition, in doing so he wants to help people who have been harmed by said Allagan technology. Between expansions and patches, Graha would be off attempting to complete this goal, but he would be more than willing to return whenever we need his help. I don’t want to remove his desire for an adventure with us, so I won’t, but this will not be his main motivation.

Graha retains part of his previous Endwalker personality, although it’s toned down a bit. In this version, he is a bit careless and laid back, and sometimes this can be to his detriment. However, even if he isn’t perfect, he always tries to help other people, generally being a selfless person who puts others before themselves. He also has a very good relationship with the other Scions, still being an official member, and although he usually is out in the world trying to work towards his own goals, he is quick to return and help his friends should they need him. However it should be noted that although he has the Exarch’s memories, he does not have the Exarch’s personality. The reasoning for this will become apparent later.

Part I: 5.3 and 5.5

Now as a rule I set for myself, I can’t kill off Graha in 5.3, even if I believe that was the best course of action for the character. This would make this rewrite too easy, as it would be “Graha should have died in 5.3, the end”. In addition, I do believe that the Exarch in 5.3 is fine as is, thus there won’t be too many changes for that patch. The only thing I would add is an extra scene during the cutscene in Mor Dhona where Graha becomes a Scion. The other Scions ask Graha what his goal is now that the Crystal Tower is sealed. Graha responds by stating that although the Crystal Tower is currently sealed, there are still Allag-related threats out in the world, and that it’s his intention to seek them out and resolve them. Graha is given a linkpearl and told that he will be contacted if a problem arises that the Scions need his help with. He also turns to us and tells us to call him when we’re ready for that adventure we promised him. Graha then says his goodbyes and leaves to go forth on his quest, opening a new chapter in his life.

For 5.4, I don’t believe Graha needs to be too involved, but he is required for a few cutscenes. The patch plays out mostly the same, although Graha is eventually contacted to help with the cure for tempering. When Graha responds to the linkpearl call, he reveals that he is investigating a potential Allagan threat. Graha admits that he hasn’t found enough evidence that it’s serious enough for the Scions to get involved just yet, but he offers advice on how to finish the cure for tempering.

In 5.5, shortly after Fandaniel reveals the towers, Graha arrives too late to warn the Scions about the aforementioned Allagan threat, which by now everyone knows to be the towers. Graha shares what he knows so far, which is not much. The rest of the patch plays out essentially the same, although Graha wonders aloud how Fandaniel, a rogue Ascian, was able to get so much Allagan technology while hiding his intentions from both Graha and the other Ascians. Graha decides to stay with the Scions in Mor Dhona for the foreseeable future as he can best combat Fandaniel’s schemes by sticking around and working directly with the Scions.

For these patch quests, I wanted to establish Graha as a character who is certainly our ally, but is also willing to separate from the group when needed. This could be compared to Thancred and Alphinaud’s journeys to Garlemald for reconnaissance.

Part II: Thavnir 1

In this version of Thavnir 1, the Scions arrive together as an entire group as the events in Sharlyan and Labyrinthos have not occurred yet. Thavnir plays out similarly to the existing plotline for a bit, but the changes begin shortly after the Scions arrive at the great work. At the Great Work, Fandaniel arrives to taunt the heroes, announcing that he is about to put on a show on the stage that is Thavnir, and that the heroes better hurry if they want to get to the Tower of Zot in time to prevent him from summoning a primal. The Scions receive the warding scales from the alchemists and proceed to head towards the Tower of Zot to stop Fandaniel.

En route to the Tower of Zot, they encounter a settlement that is being terrorized by Allagan machina that Fandaniel unleashed to distract the Scions. The Scions are divided on what to do, as they want to help the town, but they also need to get to the tower as soon as possible. Graha, feeling responsible for allowing Fandaniel to use Allagan technology against innocent people, insists on staying to help before continuing onwards. The other Scions, knowing that they’ll need Graha for their assault on the tower (primarily due to his knowledge on Allagan technology), agree to help as the sooner they can fix this problem, the sooner they can arrive at the tower.The Scions battle the machina (probably in a solo duty), defeat them, and move on to the tower.

Upon arriving at the tower, Fandaniel once again taunts them, for they have arrived too late to stop the summoning of the Magus Sisters, just as he planned. Graha demands to know how Fandaniel has such practiced command over Allagan technology, and Fandaniel reveals himself to be Amon. After this revelation, the Warrior of Light receives an echo vision of Amon in the era of Allag. Amon was a lonely man who felt he was only ever understood by his creations. (this also mixes in some of his personality as Hermes) This made Amon very easy to manipulate by Xande, who took advantage of Amon’s loneliness and desire for a friend who understood him, and pushed Amon to adopt Xande’s goals as his own. I won’t go too much further into this as this isn’t an Amon rewrite, but I liked this idea enough to include it as it ties Amon to Allag more and almost makes a connection between him and Graha. Could Graha have been Amon if born in a different era in a different place? (Maybe I’ll do an Amon/Hermes rewrite in the future tho )

Fandaniel leaves and pits the Magus Sisters against the Scions, in what is essentially the same exact dungeon as the one we got. However, once the sisters have been defeated at the end of the dungeon and before the Tower can be destroyed, the sisters are once more summoned by the tower’s defenses. Before they can be vanquished again, one of them lands a grievous blow on Alphinaud, knocking him unconscious and injuring him.

After the tower is at last destroyed, the Scions check on Alphinaud, and while his wound isn’t fatal, it very nearly was, and Alphinaud will need to be sent home to Sharlyan to recover. This causes emotions to rise between the scions. Some of the Scions, like Alisaie and Urianger, understand that this was always a risk and are just happy that he will be fine. Others like Thancred and Yshtola simply remain silent. However, Estinien becomes angry and blames Graha for causing them to be late. He claims that if they arrived at the tower in time, the primal wouldn’t have been able to hurt Alphinaud. He accuses Graha of not seeing the bigger picture and not taking their job seriously. While the other Scions manage to calm things down, this event causes a change in Graha. During the next sections of Endwalker, Graha has a subtle shift. He is more unsure of himself, and he is more reluctant to propose ideas to the team, afraid that he might cause more problems. He hasn’t had a complete personality swap, but it is clear that he understands that there are consequences to his actions and choices, and sometimes other people will have to pay the price for bad ones, and that scares him. Although Alphinaud recovers by the time the group is done in Sharlyan and Labyrinthos and he doesn’t blame Graha, he still can’t shake that feeling of guilt. From here, the story proceeds through Garlemald and Mare Lamentorium in a very similar manner.

Part III: Thavnir 2 and Radz-at-Han

The Final Days have begun in Thavnir, and the Scions have arrived to help. This section is very similar to the original with some minor changes. Urianger is still occupied on the Moon, Vanaspati occurs normally, and the Scions enter Radz-at-Han. During the scene where the people begin turning into monsters and the Satrap gets eaten, Graha freezes. He wants to help everyone, but what can he do? He doesn’t have the power to stop this and he’s unsure on how to help those who haven’t turned. He even starts to turn into a blasphemy himself before something in him clicks. A switch has been flipped in Graha’s head.

Graha suddenly grabs everyone’s attention, guiding them to safety while assuring them that everything will be fine. His Exarch personality has activated like in the official story, but unlike that version, this is not simply Graha using his memories as the Exarch to emulate what he did for the Crystarium, this is something else. That something else has taken control of Graha, Graha is not in control. After the citizens have escaped and the remaining monsters have fled or been destroyed, Graha suddenly passes out. Vrtra has his best healers look over him while the other Scions think on what to do next.

Soon, Graha wakes up and the Scions rush to see if he’s alright. Before he can say anything, the Warrior of Light has another echo vision, showing a dream that Graha had while unconscious. In this dream, Graha is faced with none other than the Crystal Exarch himself in an area similar to the one we met the Exarch in back in 4.55. It turns out that when we gave the Exarch’s soul to Graha, they didn’t quite fuse like we thought they did. Graha has the Exarch’s memories, but the Exarch’s soul has remained dormant inside Graha’s head, watching everything unfold from behind Graha’s eyes. The Exarch is not sure why they didn’t fuse properly, but acknowledges that these side effects were possible as this kind of soul transferring was a brand new field of study when Beq Lugg performed it. He theorizes that other Scions were fine as they were placed in their soulless bodies, but Graha was a being with his own soul when the Exarch’s soul was transferred to him. So far, the Exarch has been unable to interact with Graha in any significant manner, yet it seems that he was able to take control briefly during the crisis. The Exarch guesses that he could possibly take control again should a similar situation occur, but he doesn’t know if there could be consequences to doing so. If he took over too many times, he may potentially take over permanently and Graha’s soul may be either destroyed or forced into the same situation the Exarch is in now. The Exarch states that he is unsure if Graha’s is up to the tasks ahead of him and warns that if Graha fails, the Exarch will not hesitate to take over, permanently if needed. The Exarch wants Graha to succeed and live his own life, but he will not allow his past self to fail to protect the world he fought so hard to save. Before leaving, the Exarch tells Graha to send the Warrior of Light to the Crystal Tower of the First and look for the meaning of the Elpis flower. The Exarch recognizes that name from the Crystal Tower’s database, but does not remember what it meant as it was never relevant to his mission.

The echo vision ends, and the Warrior of Light regains their senses. Graha is being celebrated as a hero by everyone around him, and even Estinein seems to have forgiven Graha, telling him that he misjudged him and apologizing. Graha clearly is troubled by this, and sees that our character has just had an echo vision. He realizes what we just saw and asks that we keep it to ourselves until he has had time to think over it. The other Scions are curious but accept not being told what we saw just yet. Graha tells us that he remembers the Exarch seeing something about the Elpis flower in the Crystal Tower (not revealing that he spoke with the Exarch) and that the Warrior of Light is the only one who can investigate things on the First. Thus, we are sent to Elpis as usual. Obviously as Graha isn’t in Elpis, that section will be skipped.

Part IV: Labyrinthos 2, Ultima Thule, and Aftermath

While the Scions are in Labyrinthos preparing to travel to Ultima Thule, Graha pulls us to the side as he wants to discuss something with us. Graha feels that we are the only person who understands what he is going through as we’ve fused with Ardbert in the past. He’s been giving the situation a lot of thought, and he believes that the world needs the Exarch, not Graha Tia. The Exarch is a man who can provide order and stability, even in the face of certain doom. He admits that the praise he received in Radz-at-han wasn’t for Graha, but for the Exarch, even if everyone else didn’t know it. Graha believes that he doesn’t live up to his future self, and that while he's not incapable of helping others, he’s just a normal person trying to fit into the shoes of a giant, an impossible task. He hasn’t heard from the Exarch since our return from Elpis, but he's considering handing over the wheel if given the chance. On the other hand, he is scared that he might never get a chance to live his own life, that if he gives his body to the Exarch, he’ll never have gotten to go on that adventure he wanted to go with you on. He is unsure if he’s ready to give up his life yet, but he also believes that desire to continue living is selfish and wrong.

Right before we are given a chance to respond, Thancred appears and reveals that he’s been listening in all along, using his skills as a spy to remain undetected. Graha prepares to apologize for not telling him about the Exarch in Radz, but is cut off. Thancred tells him that he had devoted his entire life to protecting Minfilla after the incident in Ul’Dah, and while he does not regret his decision to do so and wouldn’t change what he’s done if he could, he tells Graha that duty or the desire to protect others shouldn’t define a person, and that he learned from his own experiences that revolving your entire person around your mission can drive you to dark places. He reminds Graha of Elidibus, a man who became so obsessed with his duty that he lost himself in it. Thancred also warns that the opposite can have similarly dangerous consequences, that shirking your duty can get others hurt, and that there is a balance to be found between those polar opposites. He states that regardless of what Graha chooses to do with his life, Graha needs to become his own person, and while the Exarch is indeed helpful in many situations, Graha should decide what kind of person he wants to be. Graha half-heartedly accepts this and prepares to board the Ragnarok.

The first two sections of Ultima Thule are similar to how they normally go as Graha mainly is part of the third section with the Omicrons. When looking to figure out what the despair of the Omicrons are, the remaining Scions discover that the Omicrons’ despair is tied to their indecision on what they should be. The Omicrons are torn between the lifeforms they were, and the machines they are now. They deeply regret their decision to convert themselves into machines, yet are wondering if it could have been the best choice. Graha feels a connection to the Omicrons as he is going through a similar experience, and he realizes that Thancred’s words in Labyrinthos were true. Graha tells the Omicrons that a person is made up of all aspects of themselves, not just one part. The Exarch and Graha are both aspects of what makes him Graha Tia. This acceptance allows the souls of Graha and the Exarch to finally merge and become one, with the Exarch mentally speaking to Graha (similar to Ardbert before the Seat of Sacrifice trial) and congratulating him on finding his way, before fully becoming a part of Graha. This does not empower Graha in any way like a rejoining would, but it causes Graha to become a mix of the two personalities. Graha is still himself, willing to socialize and be carefree at times, while also being more serious, careful, and willing to see the bigger picture when needed. Graha proceeds to fight the Omicron’s despair as he does in the original timeline, and everything from here on is about the same.

After returning home, Graha thanks us for taking him with us on our adventure. He once again intends to go on a journey to find Allagan relics and to help people impacted by Allagan tech. However, he also has decided on a new goal. After hearing Emet-Selch’s speech about the duty of Azem to travel the world, Graha wants to embark on a quest to discover the secrets of Allag, and he’ll be staying in Mor Dhona for a bit as he wants to poke around some of the information in the Crystal Tower’s database. Previously as the Exarch, he ignored information that didn’t serve his purpose of saving the First, but now he is curious to see if any knowledge inside the tower could be used to help others. He soon leaves to go do so, and a separate cutscene may show him looking through the database and finding a previously undiscovered file with Amon’s notes on the Twelve, leading into the Myths of the Realm alliance raid series.

I don't believe this to be a perfect rewrite as I intentionally limited myself from tearing apart Endwalker and remaking it entirely, but if this was the Graha Tia we got, I do believe I would find him as a much more compelling character than the one in the current official story.

[aveyond-dreams]

An excellent rewrite through and through, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. It makes for a far more compelling arc than what we saw in EW for him and I would’ve been ok with this version of the character and this arc in the story.

[SentioftheHoukai]

It's here.

It's here.



This is going to be GREAT.

[AwesomeJr44]

An excellent rewrite through and through, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. It makes for a far more compelling arc than what we saw in EW for him and I would’ve been ok with this version of the character and this arc in the story.

Thank you! I tried to make the character a more active and evolving character (as opposed to the static and stagnant one we got) and it seems like I succeeded.

[aveyond-dreams]

Thank you! I tried to make the character a more active and evolving character (as opposed to the static and stagnant one we got) and it seems like I succeeded.

Indeed you have. It's more in line with what I expected from G'raha Tia when he joined the party following the events of 5.3, but in the actual game it's like they forgot what made people accept and like this character in the first place. It went way too heavy on the fan service and none of his previous attributes from both his Exarch nor his "adventurer" persona.

We got so little of substance from him in EW, and if he's going to show up in the MSQ again then I hope they take your ideas into consideration because EW demonstrated that they need to start looking towards outside sources other than Twitter for when it comes to inspiration for what to do with these characters. Books falling on peoples heads and hamburger eating/coffee swirling are straight out of the comics people make on there, but that's where that stuff belongs: in the comics, and well away from the MSQ.

[SturmChurro]

I have said before I think the Crystal Exarch's sacrifice would have been the perfect ending to his character, and they could have easily brought in G'raha Tia to the cast with his own unique character development. What was done has cheapened the character of the Crystal Exarch and his sacrifice, in my opinion. I also don't think it was really fair what he did to his previous self.

[Eloah]

Not having fully delved into your changes, but having looked over your summery, I think you are missing one key facet of his current character. In his mind, he's supposed to be dead.

As you said, as the Exarch, he was very goal oriented, since he had clear cut goals; save The First and return the Scions to The Source. But his plans hinged upon his death. With that averted, twice, he's been given a second chance.

The reason his character in Endwalker is "directionless" is because he is directionless, but not in a bad way. He's been given a second chance and needs to figure out what he wants to do for himself again. However, he knows he has time, kinda, and is content with just going on a journey with his friend for now. Not focusing on himself, but the moments that come.

You can see this in the two major moments where he picks up his Exach persona, in order to provide greater aid to those around him. For over 100 years he had to be a leader and be strong for his people. But he no longer has to shoulder that burden and can just focus on himself, but he has to relearn who he is first. That's why his goals are very simple, and he's content with assisting instead of leading.

I'm not saying his character couldn't have done more, but from a human perspective, how he was written for Endwalker makes perfect sense.

[aveyond-dreams]

The reason his character in Endwalker is "directionless" is because he is directionless, but not in a bad way. He's been given a second chance and needs to figure out what he wants to do for himself again. However, he knows he has time, kinda, and is content with just going on a journey with his friend for now. Not focusing on himself, but the moments that come.

Thank you for highlighting the main problem a lot of us have with this character, having gone from serious to nearly pure fanservice. This isn't the sort of character we needed in an expansion about the end of the world.

You can see this in the two major moments where he picks up his Exach persona, in order to provide greater aid to those around him. For over 100 years he had to be a leader and be strong for his people. But he no longer has to shoulder that burden and can just focus on himself, but he has to relearn who he is first. That's why his goals are very simple, and he's content with assisting instead of leading.

I'm not saying his character couldn't have done more, but from a human perspective, how he was written for Endwalker makes perfect sense.

I think the rewrite does a good job of fleshing out the Exarch vs Graha personas and has both reach a satisfying conclusion. It also gives him more than just goals that are are as simple as they are irrelevant. Just wanting to hang out isn't compelling. Having a battle between two conflicting personas in your mind is, along with the bit about trying to clean up after the remaining messes Allag left in the world.

We didn't want someone content with merely "assisting" we wanted the cool mage dude who was ready to sacrifice it all for the sake of a world not their own. Instead we got Ultima Thule with no real impact on his character arc.

[Eloah]

Thank you for highlighting the main problem a lot of us have with this character, having gone from serious to nearly pure fanservice. This isn't the sort of character we needed in an expansion about the end of the world.

I think the rewrite does a good job of fleshing out the Exarch vs Graha personas and has both reach a satisfying conclusion. It also gives him more than just goals that are are as simple as they are irrelevant. Just wanting to hang out isn't compelling. Having a battle between two conflicting personas in your mind is, along with the bit about trying to clean up after the remaining messes Allag left in the world.

We didn't want someone content with merely "assisting" we wanted the cool mage dude who was ready to sacrifice it all for the sake of a world not their own. Instead we got Ultima Thule with no real impact on his character arc.

Uhh... you're welcome?

[Vahlnir]

Not having fully delved into your changes, but having looked over your summery, I think you are missing one key facet of his current character. In his mind, he's supposed to be dead.

As you said, as the Exarch, he was very goal oriented, since he had clear cut goals; save The First and return the Scions to The Source. But his plans hinged upon his death. With that averted, twice, he's been given a second chance.

The reason his character in Endwalker is "directionless" is because he is directionless, but not in a bad way. He's been given a second chance and needs to figure out what he wants to do for himself again. However, he knows he has time, kinda, and is content with just going on a journey with his friend for now. Not focusing on himself, but the moments that come.

You can see this in the two major moments where he picks up his Exach persona, in order to provide greater aid to those around him. For over 100 years he had to be a leader and be strong for his people. But he no longer has to shoulder that burden and can just focus on himself, but he has to relearn who he is first. That's why his goals are very simple, and he's content with assisting instead of leading.

I'm not saying his character couldn't have done more, but from a human perspective, how he was written for Endwalker makes perfect sense.

I don't care that he's directionless. I care that he has been reduced to being a WoL fanboy and very little else. He just weirds me out now, and that's a shame. I liked his character as the Exarch. Honestly, I kinda wish I could lock him away in Pandaemonium with the rest of the abominations.