The Tainted Grimoire

"But there's one thing I do know. Today, I have to part with my carefree childhood because there's nothing but hard work ahead."
"So with this, I bid you farewell for now. Goodnight, Grandpa. Goodnight, Frimelda, and..."

"...Goodbye, Halcyon Days...."

—Luso, at the end of Chapter 2.

Can be read here by cuttingmoon57. First chapter was posted on 13th June 2008.

Summary by the author: The Grimoire of the Rift, a powerful magic tome. Luso Clemens, an average, fourteen year old boy. It asked him but one question. "One is fated to fill these barren pages. Know ye his name?" His answer would be the catalyst that changed his life forever.

Description: The Tainted Grimoire is an Alternate Universe Fic based on Final Fantasy Tactics A2 where we still follow the adventures of Luso, there is still a book which records his journey and he still joins Clan Gully, BUT, in this story, his older sister is Frimelda, that paladin that joins you in the game and there are many original characters and cameos from other works. The world of this story is also far more fleshed out than the one in the game.

Has a recap page

Tropes used in The Tainted Grimoire include:

• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Ensei is this sometimes, like when he eats so much food at public restaurants which usually earns stares from everyone else.
• Amazon Brigade: Clan Falzen, who were introduced at the beginning of the St.Galleria arc.
• Anti-Villain: Crow, culminating in a Heel Face Turn.
• Armor Is Useless: Averted. They can be very useful. Specific instances:
  • Luso wore the Flame Robe which made him immune to Fire-based attacks during Clan Gully's attack on Khamja's base.
  • Vili once had to battle a Bangaa Defender who was almost completely covered in armor, forcing her to come up with a creative way to defeat him as the armor made most of her attacks ineffective.
• Arranged Marriage: Is part of the plot of the St. Galleria arc.
• A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Ewen went undercover using the false name Fasullo to spy on Baron Beltorey.
• Backstory: Several were given.
  • Vaticus explains during a lull in his battle with Luso and Adelle what his motivations are and how he became the person he is at present.
  • We see bits and pieces of Sir Loin's life, including the development of his relationship with Adelle, during the chapter where he died.
  • Cheney explains to Tweigel his history with Freise before joining House Bowen and properly explains why he left House Bowen.
• Badass: Several characters are this, be they good or evil, for example Judgemaster Cid Randell, aka the strongest man in Jylland, Illua who showed some of her power in the first chapter and Ensei Rou, who defeated 120 mages, without taking any damage.
• Badass in Distress: Cid, who got captured by Khamja.
• Battle Aura: Luso radiates this when preparing a Fighter ability.
• Beastly Bloodsports: This is one of the fates in store for many of the poached creatures during the Poaching Arc.
• Big Eater: Many are they who are shocked at how much Cid and Ensei can eat.
• Blood Knight: Commander Kain, who debuts in Chapter 53, is revealed to be this during the Villain Episode.

Commander Kain: Yeah. Yeah, that's good. That's really good. I've been looking forward to a war like this for years. You better bring it to us you hear? Don't you back out. You better show me a good time. I'll be waiting for it.

• Bodyguard Betrayal: Twice.
  • Raven is actually a member of Khamja. While he and Crow are protecting Maria, their true objective is separate and more sinister but the moment Maria got involved, Raven could have killed her without remorse if it wasn't for Adelle.
  • Fasullo is actually Ewen in disguise and the whole time he spent working as the leader of Baron Beltorey's guards was just so can take something the Baron had.
• Chekhov MIA: Grant, who was initially mentioned as part of the backstory of Vaticus Finch, appears in the story proper later to provide Cid with a way to enter active clan duty again after getting a serious heart injury that White Magic can't cure due to how it works in the story.
• Choice of Two Weapons: Cheney, as a Hunter, uses both a bow and a hunting knife.
• Chick Magnet: Luso has three girls who definitely likes him. They are Kanin, Anna and Maria.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Luso, other members of Clan Gully have joked about it.
• Concert Climax: The climax of the St. Galleria arc takes place at a major wedding.
  • Justified Trope: That wedding is an important plot point during the St. Galleria arc.
• Continuity Nod: The Camoan native who cheered Luso and Cheney up in Chapter 63 turned out to be the father of the girl whom Luso, Cheney and Hurdy helped all the way back in Chapter 8.
• Conveniently-Timed Attack From Behind: During the climax of the St. Galleria arc, Auggie is saved from three members of the Archbishop Guard like this.
• Curb Stomp Battle: Has happened and probably will happen again.
  • Early in the story, there were several people who went up against Cid and Ensei, that were defeated in just one hit.
  • At the climax of the St. Galleria arc, after Ensei was able to give Judgemaster Cid proof of Vaticus' crimes, Judgemaster Cid sent his personal guard to assist The Heretics defeat the Archbishop Guard. The back-up easily defeated those that went up against them. Many who saw them were in awe.
  • When Veis and Vili were introduced, Veis defeated the leader of a group of would-be thieves easily.
• Curse Cut Short: At least twice.
  • One time, Sasasha got interrupted when two members of the Targ Wood Police put a hand each over her mouth.
  • Another time, Luso got interrupted by an announcement.
• Cuteness Proximity: When Kanin and Maria see Auggie's pet dreamhare, they squeal saying that it's cute, shocking Luso who had never seen them like that before.
• Dance Battler: Penelo is still this.
• Day in The Limelight: Clan Gully aren't the only ones the story focuses on, even if they are the main ones.
• Death Glare: Adelle gave one to Hurdy when he was about to mention something that contradicted her claims.
• Dirty Cop: According to Barley, Khamja has informants within the ranks of the Jylland Defenders of the Peace.
• Disability Superpower: Auggie was born blind, but through experimenting, is capable of seeing Mist, no matter how small the concentration. It doesn't fully substitute for proper sight though.
• Doorstopper: This story has 391,774 words and 67 chapters, and is no where near finishing yet.
• Dual-Wielding: Luso does this sometimes.
• Edible Theme Naming: All named Seeq in the story are named after a type of meat.
  • First, there is T-bone.
  • Second, there is Ribs.
  • Third, there is Sir Loin.
• Evil Versus Evil: In Chapter 60 Duelhorn declares war on Khamja.
• Exact Words: Ewen only promised to let Clan Gully leave the building alive.
• Exposition: When Luso asks for details about the world he is in, other characters will be happy to oblige, though sometimes, they have to first get over their shock at Luso not knowing what to them is common knowledge.
• Extra! Extra! Read All About It!: There is one in Chapter 59.
• Famed in Story: Clan Gully after they saved Baron Beltorey, one of the most influential people in Jylland.

Beltorey: This incident is going to spread like wildfire, and whether for better or worse, this small ^[1] eight-person clan is now officially on the map.

• Fantastic Racism: There is some of this.

Cid: Though it is not as widespread as in the past, there are still those out there who believe in racial hiearchy. Humeism is one of these. It seems they picked up on the Archadian's sense of Hume superiorty.

• Fantastic Rank System:
  • Khamja has one of these.

Barley: Khamja combative forces are divided into five ranks based on skill, intelligence and power, kupo. We've got the grunts like the one you just took out, squad captains like me, platoon leaders, liutenants, and finally the division commanders.

• • So does the Jylland Defenders of the Peace. At the top is the Judgemaster, next are the Judges. Somewhere below them are the Officers, Captains and Judgemaster Personnel Guard.
• Female Gaze: Kanin has, on at least one occasion, checked Luso out when he was training, in just swimming trunks.
• Fish Out of Water: Luso, getting taken from one world and being placed in another one tends to have that effect. He has however been shown slowly adjusting under his training and is learning new things about the world he is in.
• Flash Back: Several:
  • Vaticus when explaining his Backstory.
  • Sir Loin has flashbacked to his and Adelle's history together, and his history from before that.
  • Bowen had a flashback to his memories of his wife.
• Flat What: The reaction of the crowd at the Acqua Alta when they see Luso has entered the race with a chocobo. Bear in mind that the Acqua Alta is a water race.
• Flexible Tourney Rules: During the Camoa Cup, Acidwire requested a single duel to decide the match between them and Clan Gully rather than the best of three that was supposed to happen. They got away with this because when they requested this, they made it seem like they were doing it out of consideration of the fact that Clan Gully has yet to recover properly from their last few matches when actually it was so they could make it easier for them to defeat Clan Gully. This backfired on them when Luso defeated their leader Suzuka.
• Foreshadowing: There is a lot of these in the story.
• Freudian Excuse: Vaticus, Ignatius and Riccio have their's revealed during the St. Galleria arc.
• Got Volunteered: Luso and Vili would unwittingly be roped in as dance partners for Kanin and Adelle when they get Cheney to teach them how to dance.
• Graceful Loser: After being defeated by Luso, Vaticus gives him an important item and supported the accusations against him when Aquila held a city-wide conference.
• Half-Human Hybrid: The result of the Interspecies Romance mentioned below. Kanin is one of the Feol Viera mentioned below.
• Happily Adopted: Adelle, a Hume, is the adopted daughter of Sir Loin, a Seeq.
• Heel Face Turn: Crow does this during the Grazton arc.
• Heroic BSOD: Adelle suffered from this after her dad Sir Loin died.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Sir Loin pushed his daughter Adelle out of the way of a Firaga spell, being the one who gets hit instead.
• The High Queen: Queen Remedi is this.

Narration: She stepped lightly towards her throne, with the practiced grace common of nobility, though the aura she exuded contained a mixture of a staunch monarch along with a mother's compassion.

• Hypocritical Humour: Ensei once commented on Adelle's Greed, right before going to the buffet to steal the next day's dinner.
• Immortality: Dread Raven is revealed to have a variant that combines a Healing Factor and The Undead.
• Interspecies Romance: This has happened in-story, between Humes and Viera, and the resulting offspring are called Feol Viera with an in-universe explanation.
• Intrepid Reporter: Cheney and Vili meet one in Chapter 43 named Anrias.
• It's All My Fault: Luso had a period of this due to being comepletely helpless and only being able to watch Sir Loin burn to death, despite being the one to defeat Vaticus Finch. Thankfully, Judgemaster Cid was able to talk him out of it by going over how flawed that line of thinking is.
• Jerkass: Everyone in Acidwire.
• Killed Off for Real: Sir Loin and Barley for example.
• La Résistance: The Heretics, they oppose Vaticus Finch.
• Lethal Chef: Vili put poison in the meal she cooked for Luso, Crow, Hurdy, Kanin and Adelle when she mistakenly thought it was just seasoning.
• Meaningful Name: Many
  • Cheney's middle name, Difronte, is Italian for opposite, since his two jobs virtually contrast the other in function and purpose. The actual Italian term for opposite is 'di fronte', but the two separate words was combined into one to create the name.
  • Kanin's middle name, Leporidae, comes from the Classification Family for Rabbits. She's a Feol Viera.
  • Crockett, his name is derived from the crook of a shepherd's cane. His ability to control and herd Baknamy are reminiscent to that of a shepherd controlling a flock of sheep.
  • Cama Leonte. Camaleonte is Italian for chameleon. His success at blending into the Archbishop guard reflects the animal's ability to blend into its surroundings.
• Mr. Vice Guy: Ensei with Greed as his flaw. Same with Adelle.
• Mugging the Monster: The Yellow Wings learned the hard way that Cid and Ensei are way out of their league.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Dread Raven.
• Name's the Same: Clan Gully Co-leader Cid and Judgemaster Cid Randell.

Cid: There's always going to be someone out there that's stronger than you, lad. Of course, a man or beast hasn't been found that can best Cid Randell at one on one combat. Makes me proud to share the same name.

• Overprotective Dad: Ensei is said to be this by Sasasha. An example includes his reaction to learning Kanin is going on a date. It is exactly what you'd expect from someone labelled overprotective.
• Post-Kiss Catatonia: Luso had this after Maria kissed him on the cheek.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner:

Dread Raven: I'm going to turn you into ashes.

• Put on a Bus: Too many characters to list. This is due to the fact that Clan Gully and many of the people they meet do a lot of travelling.
  • The Bus Came Back: Of course, some characters are rather important to the story so they get a Day in The Limelight to show us what they have been up to. Either that or meet up with Clan Gully again.
  • Commuting on a Bus: Micaiah and Francesca both have long periods of absence between their multiple re-apperances.
• Redemption Equals Death: Barley's final act was to try and save Cid. Ewen had him killed for that.
• The Rest Shall Pass: When Crow appears while Clan Gully and their comrades is trying to rescue Baron Beltorey and Cid, Luso takes him on alone and the rest of his group moves on.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Baron Beltorey is a good example as he is takes his position seriously. For example, when an underground sport was causing harm to civilians, he took measures to minimise the harm and in the process, also turned it into a legitimate sporting event.
• Secret Test of Character: Luso had to go through one so a shopkeeper is satisfied that Luso is mentally and emotionally prepared to be a Fighter before the shopkeeper will sell him the necessarry equipment.
• Ship Tease: Chapter 40 teases Luso/Kanin in it's climax and conclusion.
• Shipper on Deck: Sasasha supports Luso/Kanin.
• Skeleton Government: Averted, just look at Chapter 41 where we see a huge gathering of nobles and/or politicians to discuss political matters, as well as an explanation of how the Jylland Defenders of the Peace operates in relation to the clans, explaining that all clans must register new members as well as keep a log of achievement and accomplishments.
• Storming the Castle: Clan Gully and their comrades had to attack Khamja's base in Grazton to save Baron Beltorey and Cid during the Grazton Arc.
• Straw Hypocrite: Vaticus Finch, aka, Jacobus Sicuro, is this.

Maria: How befitting of a holy man such as yourself. How can we possibly lift up the name of Elianto when his own Archbishop is so morally corrupt.
Vaticus: No…don't tell me…you actually think I believe in all that rubbish! This position, Archbishop; this was only a stepping stone on my way to the top. Everything I said, every charity I funded; I didn't mean any of it. I didn't care for any of it. I simply needed the people on my side.

• Subordinate Excuse: Al Cid's assistant Marie is revealed to have a crush on him.
• Talking Is a Free Action: Sometimes played straight, sometimes averted/subverted.
  • Played straight: Crow took time out to explain how a certain spell was possible during a duel with Luso.
  • Averted/subverted:

Luso: I still can't believe you blew up our wagon...
Adelle: Well...I'd like to think of it more as...saving a life...
Sir Loin: IF YOU GUYS DON'T MIND, WE COULD USE SOME HELP HERE!

• Team Chef: Cheney.
• Took a Level in Badass: Luso after learning how to draw his aura and then again after being given the ability to channel Mist.
• Tournament Arc: The Camoa Cup, with the twist that Clan Gully faces Acidwire during the first round after the preliminaries have finished. Also much shorter then expected.
• True Companions: Clan Gully is like this.
• Villainous Breakdown: Vaticus had a brief one before being defeated. He became a Graceful Loser after being defeated.
• Villain Episode: Chapter 60 focuses on Khamja and Duelhorn ending with Duelhorn declaring war on Khamja.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Vaticus Finch until the end of the St. Galleria arc.
• The Watson: Luso and to a lesser extent, Hurdy, get things they don't know about explained to them by other characters.
• You Shall Not Pass: Auggie says this to a Behemoth to protect an unconscious Luso. He got interrupted by it's attack but succeeds anyway.

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