A newly added member of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, G'raha Tia possesses a profound understanding of the Allagan civilization and a stubborn drive to defy fate's design. As such, he is a stalwart ally in the battle to deliver a brighter tomorrow.
Official Endwalker website
G'raha Tia [ˈɡrɑː.hə ˈtiː.ə], also known as the Crystal Exarch [ˈɛɡ.zɑːrk], is a character from Final Fantasy XIV, introduced in the Crystal Tower quests in A Realm Reborn and becoming a main scenario ally of the Warrior of Light starting in Shadowbringers.
History[]
Early life[]
G'raha Tia was born in Corvos in southern Ilsabard, where the ancient Allagan Empire once flourished during the Third Astral Era. Long ago the Allagan Empire brought many tribes of Miqo'te there to serve as slaves. During the empire's last years G'raha's ancestor, Desch, was entrusted with safekeeping the royal bloodline by Allag's princess Salina. Desch's descendants would occasionally be born with one red eye, the Allagan Eye, as a sign of this legacy. While many Miqo'te returned to Eorzea during the Age of Endless Frost that froze the seas, G'raha's tribe remained in Corvos to protect the Allagan technology there from being misused.
Thousands of years later, G'raha was the last child born with the Allagan Eye, and made fun of by the other children of his tribe for having two different-colored eyes.
When the Garlean Empire conquered Corvos and the imperial House Darnus began searching for Allagan relics, the tribe feared being discovered and buried their ties to ancient Allag. As a bearer of the Allagan Eye, G'raha was sent to Sharlayan and entrusted to the custody of friends in the Students of Baldesion.
After acquiring Sharlayan citizenship and freedom from more mundane duties, G'raha concentrated on his education, earning his Archon's mark for his groundbreaking research into ancient arcane wisdom.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn[]
The future is where my destiny awaits.
G'raha Tia
Owing to these qualifications, G'raha Tia was tasked with the duty of investigating the Crystal Tower, the most fascinating and forbidding of the surviving relics of the Allagan Empire. To pass the magick barriers at the entrance to the Crystal Tower, the Warrior of Light was tasked with acquiring elemental-charged aethersand from various sources. G'raha's unseen voice told the Warrior he had already claimed the water-blessed ore sought in Urth's Gift.[2] He directed the Warrior to find a wind aethersand shipment at the Ixali Logging Grounds in North Shroud. After fighting off the beastmen to claim the prize, the "unseen voice" congratulated the Warrior of Light for being entertaining and told them to inspect Proud Creek for the reward. The item turned out to be water aethersand, with G'raha promising they would "meet again soon". Once the Warrior of Light returned the sand to Cid Garlond and Rammbroes back in Mor Dhona, G'raha Tia formally introduced himself and dubbed the Crystal Tower investigation team NOAH ("Nominated Observers of Artifacts Historical"), after an ancient Allagan scholar.
Later meeting Doga and Unei, G'raha Tia learned that he possessed the lineage of Allagan nobility. After the Cloud of Darkness abducted Doga, Unei, and Nero at the top of the Crystal Tower, taking them into the World of Darkness, G'raha returned to camp with the rest of NOAH to figure out a way to rescue them.
G'raha seals the Crystal Tower with himself inside.
Once Cid opened a portal to the World of Darkness, G'raha ventured through it with the Warrior of Light. Upon the Cloud of Darkness's defeat, they discovered Doga and Unei who intended to remain to sever the Cloud's ties to Eorzea. Before sending the group off, the duo infused a portion of their blood into G'raha to grant him control over the Crystal Tower. This allowed G'raha to learn Salina's last will, an ancient princess who had used Allagan technology to infuse her DNA into G'raha's ancestor so that his family could restore the tower as a beacon of hope. G'raha sealed the Crystal Tower with himself inside, intending to guide the Eorzeans once they had reached the same technological level as the ancient Allagans.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers[]
De facto leader for the people of the Crystarium, the Crystal Exarch gained his title as much for his position as for the crystalline transformation steadily consuming the flesh of his body. This enigmatic figure promises to play a prominent part in the Warrior of Light's future adventures.
The Crystal Exarch's description from the official Shadowbringers website
Artwork for Shadowbringers.
By the time the Crystal Tower was reopened two centuries into the future, G'raha had partially fused with the tower to prolong his life as its keeper. He learned of the Eighth Umbral Calamity that had claimed the lives of the Warrior of Light and the Scions of the Seventh Dawn along with the endless conflict that had followed. Acting on a hypothesis proposed by Cid, G'raha sent himself and the Crystal Tower to the First some time after the Flood of Light had occurred there, the catalyst that had allowed the Umbral Calamity to unfold on the Source. Taking on the identity of the "Crystal Exarch", G'raha established the city of Crystarium as a haven for the people of Lakeland.
G'raha attempted to summon the Warrior of Light to the First via the Calling, but ended up summoning the other Scions instead. Due to the time difference between the Source and the First, the latter being a parallel world of the former, the Scions ended up appearing years apart from each other. G'raha confided in Urianger Augurelt, telling him everything, and asking him to be his accomplice in a scheme to prevent the First's Umbral Calamity—with full knowledge that the negation of the Eighth Umbral Calamity on the Source would erase him and send the Scions back to their world fully restored.
When the Warrior of Light finally arrived on the First, G'raha, in the guise of the Crystal Exarch, acted as the Scions' guide and leader, directing their efforts in defeating the Lightwardens. When the final Lightwarden was defeated, G'raha revealed his plan all along had been to steal the light that the Warrior had absorbed from the Lightwardens. With it, he would transport himself and the Crystal Tower to the Dimensional Rift where the light could be safely expunged, killing him and returning the Scions to the Source. Emet-Selch thwarted the plan, having figured out his true identity. When the Warrior prepared to battle Emet-Selch, G'raha used his powers to summon heroes from other worlds to fight alongside them. After Emet-Selch's defeat, G'raha returned to Crystarium where he continued to aid the Scions in finding a way to return to the Source.
In time, G'raha, with the help of Beq Lugg, worked out a method to send the stranded Scions back to the Source using crystals infused with his own blood. He created spirit vessels for each Scion, plus an additional one for himself, intending to take the first as a safety precaution. However, drawing upon the Crystal Tower's energy to such a degree caused G'raha's body to further crystallize.
The Ascian Elidibus seized G'raha's spirit vessel and used it to conduct the Crystal Tower and summon spectral versions of otherworldly heroes, having them relentlessly hunt down the Warrior from the Source, who in averting the Flood of Light on the First had gained the moniker "Warrior of Darkness". Coming to the Warrior's aid as they overpowered Elidibus, G'raha used the last of his strength to finish the Ascian off, using the Crystal Tower like White Auracite. G'raha gave the Warrior of Darkness his spirit vessel containing his soul and memories, content to having fulfilled his mission. He cryptically hinted to the Warrior honoring his last request before fully crystallizing.
After the Warrior brought the Scions back to the Source, they revived the still-resting G'raha at the Crystal Tower, which was warded with Krile's assistance. Days after recuperating from being fused with his future self's soul and memories, G'raha pledged himself to the Scions as their newest member and agreed to accompany them on future adventures.
G'raha then accompanied the Warrior of Light and Alisaie in search of the tempering cure.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker[]
G'raha and his fellow Scions departed to Sharlayan to learn about the coming of the Final Days. He accompanied the Warrior of Light on a tour of the city, and joined the group of Y'shtola, Alisaie, Alphinaud, and Krile of learning the Forum's plan. While investigating at the Studium's library, he was caught due to his use of floating magick and the Scions were brought to the Forum for questioning.
After getting banned of researching the Forum's goal, G'raha joined the Scions to storm the Tower of Zot where he stayed behind to heal the kidnapped Arkasodaras. After Estinien destroyed the tower's core, the structure disappeared and G'raha used a mass floating magick to save everyone inside it.
G'raha joined his fellow Scions and the Eorzean Alliance at storming Garlemald as Ilsabardian Contingent. He stayed alongside Y'shtola at the contingent's main base of operation for providing succor. When Zenos Galvus used the Warrior of Light's body to infiltrate the contingent, G'raha realized the ploy and stormed the Tower of Babil alongside the Scions.
After the Warrior of Light returned from Mare Lamentorum, G'raha visited their room and the two talked about their promises to have an adventure together. The next day, Final Days fell upon Thavnair and G'raha stormed the forest of Vanaspati alongside his comrades. When the beasts of the Final Days attacked Radz-at-Han in full, G'raha resumed the Crystal Exarch persona to rally the civilians. With the crises averted for now, G'raha had an idea to research Final Days' cause by consulting the soul of Elidibus trapped inside the Crystal Tower on the First.
Some time later, the Final Days fell upon Garlemald. G'raha and his fellow Scions arrived to help the refugees there. Afterward, they were brought back to Sharlayan where the Warrior of Light explained what they had learned in Elpis.
After helping the Forum with the Starship Ragnarok's aetherial engine, the Scions used the Aitiascope to meet with Hydaelyn herself. She commended G'raha for his efforts of uniting the people of the First during a moment of hopelessness.
Following the Final Days' aversion, G'raha joined Krile in her efforts to rebuild the Students of Baldesion.
While assisting in the rebuild, G'raha was stuck with a variety of administrative tasks. The Warrior of Light approached G'raha, intending to recruit him on an expedition to the ruins of the Bounty. Krile, sensing G'raha was resisting the urge to ditch his work to go on an adventure, gave him permission. G'raha gladly accepted, and assisted in recruiting Y'shtola and Urianger to the expedition. During it, G'raha learned that the secret of the ruins was a voidgate to the Thirteenth created at Vrtra's request. He offered his insight into how the soul gets corrupted from overexposure to extreme amounts of a specific type of aether, but attempted to soften his comments when he realized he was being insensitive to Vrtra. He assisted Vrtra in getting a sense of the current difficulties facing the people of Thavnair: the extended closure of ports and lack of able-bodied sailors is ruining the economy and the rise in the number of orphans, which was a result of the Final Days. He also assisted the Warrior of Light and Deryk gather information about the Phantom Realm and the Twelve. He also played a part in the Crystal Tower Deep Dungeon; unlocking the tower for the Warrior of Light to explore.
Krile and G'raha called the Warrior of Light to Sharlayan out of request from Erenville, as he wanted the Warrior to meet someone. The three then met Erenville, who had gone to Tural, the New World, and his associate hailed from there. They then met Wuk Lamat, adoptive daughter of the ruler of Tuliyollal, a nation that governed in Tural. She wanted the Warrior to come with her to Tural to take part in a rite of succession, but G'raha told her to slow down. He wondered about the rite, since Mamool Ja were the ones ruling in Tural, but Wuk Lamat claimed that Tuliyollal is culturally diverse, and even though she wasn't a daughter by blood, she still had every intention of winning. In order to get to know the Warrior better, she suggested they go on a hunt together, and Erenville suggested they take on a petition to the Island of Haam. G'raha agreed and Krile went to do some preparations and would join soon.
At the island, G'raha, the Warrior and Wuk Lamat hunted down normally docile creatures and a giant colibri. They managed to put it down, but it got back up, and Krile finished it off with her skills of pictomancy she had been studying ever since the Final Days were averted. G'raha asked what inspired her to make this change, and she explained she didn't want to remain behind like she did, when the Scions descended to the aetherial sea in search of Hydaelyn and when they embarked to Ultima Thule. She then asked Wuk Lamat to confirm the authenticity of the letter she found, addressed to her grandfather, Galuf. Wuk Lamat confirmed the letter was authentic, even though it was written in Eorzean rather than Turali. They then took the bird to be eaten, although G'raha was uncertain.
At Last Stand, the companions ate and Wuk Lamat told them about the rite, and was determined to win in order to make sure one certain contestant doesn't as he was an ambitious warmonger, who was keen to invade eastern continents now that Garlean Empire is no longer a threat. G'raha asked if it was even allowed for foreigners to take part in an internal Tuliyollal affair. Wuk Lamat said it was actually encouraged, since the leader of Tuliyollal would have to be able to rule over the many races and different cultures that inhabit the nation. She again addressed the Warrior to join her, but G'raha first suggested they get some background information about Tural first.
In the Noumenon, G'raha and Warrior read a number of tomes about Tural, and discussed the matter outside. Alphinaud and Alisaie found them there as well, as they were seeking knowledge about how the Garleans might better be able to form relations with its neighbors. The Warrior and G'raha explained what they were doing, and it inspired the twins. While heading back to Baldesion Annex, G'raha told the Warrior that despite everything they had heard so far, he felt they still hadn't heard everything, but both were intrigued to learn more. After all, Tural was still largely unknown to Eorzea. G'raha then went to the agora to purchase something, where he ran to Alphinaud and Alisaie again, and they expressed an interest in meeting Wuk Lamat. Wuk Lamat was happy to accept their help as well. G'raha then encouraged worrying Krile to leave the Students of Baldesion to his and Ojinka's care, as he insisted that Krile follow in his grandfather's footsteps, as an opportunity like this is rare. He then showed everyone the thing he bought at the agora: the current map of the world, which showed the next destination of their great adventure west of Sharlayan - Tural.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail[]
G'raha Tia arrived in Tuliyollal alongside Y'shtola after Tuliyollal came under attack by mysterious, high-tech army led by Zoraal Ja from a dome that suddenly appeared in Yyasulani in Xak Tural. They had been called by Krile to ascertain recent events and come up with plan to proceed. Krile then told everyone about the late Gulool Ja Ja told Wuk Lamat, Koana and her about when he and his companions discovered the golden city. Twenty years ago, Gulool Ja Ja had called Galuf Baldesion to help investigating the matter, when all of a sudden a gate appeared and it opened from another side. From the gate, two Lalafells appeared, carrying a baby and a mysterious artifact. Galuf took the baby and raised her as his own, while the artifact was held by Gulool ja Ja, until it was stolen recently. From this, it was determined that the baby was Krile and that the gate led to another reflection. As Krile also determined that the forces, who attacked Tuliyollal were somehow connected to the golden city, she called to G'raha and Y'shtola for their expertise, G'raha in particular due to his expertise with reflections, particularly with the First.
Wuk Lamat and the Scions ventured to Shaaloani to investigate the dome, where Y'shtola determined that the dome was made out of high concentrations of lightning aether and that touching the dome is fatal. The railroad engineers of Shaaloani came up with an idea to transform their locomotive into a bomb by loading it with ceruleum and reinforcing it with defenses and weaponry. G'raha suggested arming the train with aetheric cannons derived from the cannons used in Crystarium. After the train was ready, G'raha used Vanish-spell to make the train invisible for a time, so that it wouldn't become an instant target for the enemy. He joined the Warrior, Wuk Lamat, Krile, Alisaie and Erenville to assault the dome.
When the Vanish-spell faded, the train came under attack by the enemy. The heroes managed to hold them off until they reached the end of the line. The train smashed into the garrison protecting the dome, granting the heroes access inside. They fought their way through the garrison and made it to the other side. What they discovered was unprecented: the region was nothing like Yyasulani Erenville had left behind, before he came to Sharlayan. The buildings there were supposed to be only few years old, but now it seemed they had been standing there abandoned for decades. As the heroes ventured further to Erenville's home town, which was now in ruins, they encountered Sphene, who claimed to be the Queen of Reason of Alexandria. From what Sphene told them, G'raha Tia theorized that it seemed part of the reflection beyond the gate within Skydeep Cenote had somehow fused with the Source, similar to how a Rejoining took place after every Umbral Calamity, but in a more localized fashion. From this G'raha also suspected that due to time disparaties between reflections could also explain, why buildings around the region, now known as Heritage Found, had aged so much in such a short time. As Sphene led the heroes to the outskirts of Everkeep, there they learned from the people that even though the dome appeared only days ago for them, within the dome thirty years had already passed, confirming G'raha's suspicions.
Sphene directed the heroes to Cahciua, Erenville's mother, who was operating a machine now. Cahciua was the leader of a resistance group called Oblivion, that stood against Zoraal Ja. They explained to heroes the use of soul regulators that most people wear in Alexandria. The regulators act as devices that utilize soul cells in different ways. Firstly, it allows a person to be revived should they get killed by an accident or in a fight, but it doesn't prevent death from old age. Secondly, when a person dies, the regulators erase the peoples memories of that person, so that they wouldn't have to feel pain and sorrow of loss. The memory of the person is then stored in a "cloud". And thridly, the regulators can also be used to empower oneself with a soul cell of a beast, granting the person the beasts properties for a time. The heroes had reservations about this, since this was in violation of how souls travel between the living and aetherial sea, but to the people Alexandria, this was normal. The material called electrope was the reason all this could be made possible.
Sphene granted the adventurers access to Solution Nine, the ninth level of Everkeep. Astonished about the scene, G'raha went to explore the place with Alisaie and later rendezvous in the Backroom, Oblivion's headquarters. While there, the communications officer Shale, noticed Krile's earring was actually a data storage device made from electrope. She offered to examine it and G'raha also began to look at the data, in order to learn more about interdimensional fusion, while the Warrior, Wuk Lamat and Alisaie went to search for Gulool Ja Zoraal Ja's son.
When Zoraal Ja ordered Alexandrians to be killed and their souls harvested after the failed invasion to Tuliyollal, G'raha and Krile went to protect the people and were joined by the Warrior, Wuk Lamat and Alisaie. Alisaie told them to provide healing for the people while the rest deal with Zoraal Ja's remaining forces.
After stopping the carnage, Cahciua gathered everyone in the Backroom to plan the assault on Zoraal Ja's chambers. He had retreated to the eleventh level and shut down the elevators. But the soul refining facility Origenics was still functioning and still acted as a way to reach the eleventh level. G'raha was amazed to hear that Origenics basically functioned just like souls are cleansed within the aetherial sea, but without having contact with it. G'raha joined the Warrior, Wuk Lamat, Alisaie and Krile in assaulting Origenics, eventually reaching the eleventh level. Once there, they found Everkeeps soul repository, but many of the storage units were empty, meaning Zoraal Ja had absorbed them into himself. They were then reinforced by Alphinaud, Y'shtola and Estinien to help dealing with Zoraal Ja.
In the next chamber, they found a massive dimensional gate leading to the unknown reflection. But Zoraal Ja was also there, having become powerful by all the souls he absorbed, yet it had completely destroyed his sanity. The heroes engaged him, and despite his power, he was defeated. Sphene then appeared, declaring her intention to drain the Source of aether to ensure the continuing existence of her people, the Endless and she fled through the gate aling with the key, closing it behind and denying the heroes means to follow her. Also Cahciua's robot body stopped functioning, making everyone realize she too is an Endless.
Returning to Tuliyollal, the Scions, Wuk Lamat, Koana, Shale and Gulool Ja determined Sphene had retreated to the Living Memory, and that their only means of following her was the gate within Skydeep Cenote. Everyone journeyed there, where Krile attempted to use the earring to open the gate, but the terminal denied access. Shale suggested Gulool Ja give it a try, and his new authority as the king of Alexandria allowed the gate to open. Y'shtola, with the assistance of Alphinaud and Alisaie, conjured up spells to keep the gate open. G'raha asked if he should too, but Y'shtola told him he should join the expedition team in case the gate closes behind them, due to his experience with interdimensional travel. G'raha entered Living Memory alongside the Warrior, Wuk Lamat, Krile and Erenville, the physical form of the fabled golden city.
The expedition was directed to Meso Terminal in order to talk with Sphene and attempt to stop her peacefully. Even though Sphene acknowledged her actions were brutal, she refused to reconsider, even after G'raha told her her actions will only delay the inevitable. Even if she succeeds in gathering the necessary aether to sustain the Endless by harvesting all the living souls, at some point she would find no more souls to harvest, and then there will be nothing to sustain the Endless anymore. Despite their efforts to reason with her, Sphene began to erase her memories in order to ensure her kind personality will not serve as a hindrance to her goal and retreated inside Meso Terminal. The expedition couldn't follow her.
As the expedition considered their next move, they met Cahciua. She requested they erase the Endless, as she felt their hollow existence is against the natural order. They agreed, but they decided to learn more about them first. As G'raha and the Warrior explored Canal Town, they were offered popcorn to be tried. While it had texture, it had no flavor. In order to not blow their cover, they pretended to like it. They also got the feeling, when talking with the Endless, that many of them were content to be erased, should it come to it. They then went on a gondol ride, where G'raha reminisiced about the moment, when he advised the Warrior to be true to themselves, as they contemplated about going to Tural. Finally, the expedition shut off the Hydro terminal maintaining the Endless in Canal Town.
Following the shutting down the Geo terminal, they then proceeded to Asule Volcano, where they encountered Krile's birth parents as Endless. Krile had trouble speaking with them, until G'raha managed to break the ice between them. Speaking with them, they learned that the Milalla came to the unlost world from the Source to escape the Fifth Umbral Calamity and later their involvement with the mysterious Preservation group that created the Endless. Objecting to Preservation's full intent to plunder worlds for aether to sustain the Endless, their way of life and of the possibility of experimenting on an infant Krile upon learning that she possessed the Echo, Krile's parents sought to frustrate their plans. Gathering the interdimensional key, their daughter and, with heavy heart, left both within in the Source. Having gained the knowledge they needed, Krile shut down the Pyro Terminal after bidding farewell to her parents.
After bidding farewell to Cahciua and shutting down the Aero terminal, the way to Meso Terminal was now open. They had to hurry, as Sphene was almost ready to enact her plan. Inside Meso Terminal, the expedition made their way through physical manifestations of Sphene's memories and the terminal's security systems. Reaching the core, they learned that Sphene had erased her memories, and now only saw the expedition as entities to be removed. She kicked G'raha, Krile and Wuk Lamat out, leaving the Warrior to engage her alone, while using the crystal of Azem. The Warrior managed to defeat her, and Sphene acknowledged that G'raha was right about the inevitability of being unable to sustain the Endless forever. She bid farewell to her kingdom and gave the key to the Warrior.
G'raha returned with everyone to Tuliyollal to celebrate, where he tried a taco for the first time, and was stunned about how delicious it was before being dragged off by Alisaie.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
The Crystal Exarch.
G'raha is a male Miqo'te with red hair. His height is the shortest available to male Miqo'te. His left eye is teal and his right eye is red, being referred to as an "Allagan Eye" or the "Royal Eye". He carries a bow and a quiver of arrows. After a storyline event, his left eye becomes red as well. G'raha bears the trademark neck tattoos (Archon's Mark) of a Sharlayan sage, as well as an arm tattoo resembling the eye worn by the members of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. In his case, they may simply be symbols of the Students of Baldesion as a whole.
As the Crystal Exarch, his body has partially crystallized and his robe conceals his tail. He wears a black robe alongside a red and white toga with golden accents. Its hood obfuscates his face, and does not have contours for his ears like the hoods worn by playable Miqo'te. He wears a pair of wrapped sandals, and has wrapped his left arm in the same material. He carries a hefty golden staff that doubles as a walking cane, which has an intricate and mysterious design befitting his visage. The crystallization begins to overtake more of his body and clothing with glowing cracks due to overexerting himself in his work.[3] By the time of the climatic battle of Norvrandt, most of his body and clothing, save for his face, are crystallized and cracking at the seams until it finally consumes him.
After his soul and memories merge with his original self, G'raha regains his former physical appearance, now sporting an outfit better suited for traveling that has embellishments from his Exarch attire, with gold and blue jewelry and a black scarf. As a Black Mage or White Mage, he wields a staff that uses a piece of the Crystal Tower as its focus. When acting as a Paladin, G'raha wield a light-constructed sword and shield.
During his trip to Garlemald, he wears a gray Urban coat and wears brown gloves to stave off the cold. This outfit could be unlocked to use in the Trust dungeon runs after he achieved level 90 in Avatar mode.
Personality[]
Yours is a long road, my friend, and it stretches on to places beyond imagining. With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there. For in times of hardship, when you fear you cannot go on... The joy you have known, the pain you have felt, the prayers you have whispered and answered—they shall ever be your strength and your comfort. This I hope—I believe, here at memory's end.
G'raha Tia to the Warrior of Darkness
G'raha's appearance back on the Source.
G'raha is eccentric, initially playing a game with the Warrior of Light while they are gathering the aethersand, and whimsically naming the combined investigation team after an ancient Allagan sage.
As the Crystal Exarch, despite his youthful appearance, his mannerisms border on that of a wise older figure, giving both the people of the Crystarium and the Warrior of Light guidance for the duration of their stay in the First. He is not without his own form of pleasant beguilement. Often inspiring those around him to action with words of encouragement, he is an effective leader revered by the people of Crystarium as a source of wisdom. He is cordial, respectful, and inviting toward the Warrior of Light as well as the other Scions and is concerned for their safety and health during their stay in the First.
After coming back to the Source, G'raha adopts a calm and friendly personality once again. But his experiences in leading people as the Crystal Exarch still rear its head sometimes, culminating in him taking a leadership role when Radz-at-Han is assaulted by the beasts of the Final Days. Despite the influences from his time as the Exarch, he frequently expresses some of his more innocent youthful traits, such as being insecure about joining the Scions; such traits help him form a particular bond with Alisaie Leveilleur, who playfully acts like his senior.
Despite his good intentions, G'raha is secretive and does not reveal his identity or endgame until he feels it necessary. This creates a sense of uneasiness in some of the Scions, Y'shtola Rhul stating that he speaks in riddles and half-truths. Nonetheless, G'raha proves himself devoted to the cause and to his friends. He becomes embarrassed anytime someone mentions his admiration towards the Warrior of Light or any of the other legendary heroes he has read about, such as Lyse Hext and Estinien Wyrmblood. G'raha dedicates himself to his work to such extent that those close to him occasionally have to remind him not to push himself so hard. He is unafraid of death should his demise help his allies, so much so that he was planning to sacrifice himself to see the Scions return to the Source.
Gameplay[]
The Crystal Exarch is available as a Trust System NPC for Holminster Switch and The Grand Cosmos. He can fill any role as a Paladin, White Mage, or Black Mage. Before patch 5.1, after completing Shadowbringers' main scenario, he could no longer be selected. After completing patch 5.3, he could be selected again as a level 80 All-Rounder for any trust dungeon.
In the Main Scenario Quest, "Death Unto Dawn", G'raha Tia is a playable character in the fourth part of the solo instance. His role is a mix of Black and White Mages. While battling Lunar Ravana, he must use Break on certain adds that are attacking the Confluence, while keeping Alisaie Leveilleur healed up.
In Endwalker, G'raha is available as Duty Support party member once again in most dungeons excluding The Fell Court of Troia, Lapis Manalis, The Aetherfont, and The Lunar Subterrane. He can also participate in The Mothercrystal trial.
In Dawntrail, G'raha is available as a Duty Support member in the Vanguard, Origenics, and Alexandria dungeons, as well as the Everkeep trial.
Behind the scenes[]
An early color variant of G'raha Tia.
The name G'raha coined for the investigation of the Crystal Tower, NOAH, is an allusion to Noah from Final Fantasy III. That name also alludes to the Abrahamic character, Noah, who saved lives during a great flood, reflecting G'raha's story in Shadowbringers.
Additionally, G'raha Tia's role in the Crystal Tower storyline alludes to Desch from Final Fantasy III, an amnesiac who joins the party as they explore the mysterious Tower of Owen, as he feels drawn to the tower. When they reach the top, Desch recovers his memories, and realizes that he is the last of the Ancients who built the tower. He chooses to remain inside, seemingly sacrificing his life, to repair it and prevent a destructive earthquake. Similarly, G'raha Tia realizes his heritage after exploring the mysterious Crystal Tower, and chooses to stay within to maintain it and protect the outside world from it. A character named Desch is mentioned during the "Heaven-On-High" story, who is revealed to be the man that Princess Salina of Allag fell in love with, making him a distant ancestor of G'raha Tia.
G'raha Tia is the second character in Final Fantasy XIV to originate from an optional questline before being promoted to an integral character in a later expansion, the first being Estinien. As of 5.3 however, the Crystal Tower raid had been fully integrated into the Main Scenario Quest. Before, if the player cleared the Crystal Tower raid before entering the Shadowbringers main scenario, dialogue options expanded for the Warrior of Light to immediately suspect that the Exarch is G'raha. Following Emet-Selch's defeat, the player can call G'raha by his real name again, who will cry tears of joy. Additional interactions included showing the Exarch their 
Wind-up G'raha Tia, where if the player had not yet completed the Crystal Tower raids, the Exarch would be uncomfortable and ask that the Warrior of Light not show him it, as it brought up unwelcome memories.
During development, G'raha Tia's color palette was a bright green instead of red, including his eyes. This was rejected outright by Naoki Yoshida, going through multiple iterations before eventually leading to the red color scheme in the released game.[4]
Gallery[]
.png "FFXIV SH G'raha Tia (Trust).png (161 KB)")
![G'raha Tia in an alternative timeline during the Eighth Umbral Calamity.[5]](/wiki/File:FFXIV_TFTS_Graha.jpeg "FFXIV TFTS Graha.jpeg (64 KB)")
Citations[]
- ↑ Gamescom 2019 Q&A (Accessed: September 01, 2019) at Final Fantasy XIV Forums
- ↑ Final Fantasy XIV, G'raha is encountered off-screen during the quest "A Performance for the Ages".
- ↑ Final Fantasy XIV, Patch 5.3
- ↑ [Day 1] FINAL FANTASY XIV FAN FESTIVAL 2024 in TOKYO - YouTube (Accessed: January 16, 2024) at YouTube
- ↑ Tales from the Shadows - An Unpromised Tomorrow'