Tales of Eternia: The Animation - Wacky Island Vacation

Tales of Eternia: The Animation is a 2001 Japanese animated series that acts as a side adventure to the video game of the same name (it was called Tales of Destiny II in North America). The show uses an original storyline featuring the four main protagonists and was supposedly produced as part of a multimedia campaign, but information on this is scarce. The series was picked up for an English translation in 2002 but the license ended up expiring and so the dub was never released.

Apologies in advance for the poor image quality. This anime series is very old and not widely available in good quality. 

Opening Music: Sora ni Kakeru Hashi (by Masami Okui)

Credit Music: I'd Love You to Touch Me (by Masami Okui)

Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end.

Piofiore: Fated Memories Review: Dark Romance

 

 

 

Set in the small Italian town of Burlone around the early 20th century, the tale follows Liliana Adornato, who has been raised by the churchher entire life. One night Lili becomes entangled in a turf war between three mafia families: the Falzone, Visconti and Lao-Shu families all seek to rule, and Lili is somehow the common key element for all of them.

I've seen plenty of people express adoration for Lili as a protagonist, the sentiment generally being that she is brave and intelligent for a girl sheltered by the church. Her naively kind nature juxtaposed nicely with some of the mafias darker moments. Lili also managed to stand her ground around Yang when it was needed and was remarkably tolerant of someone so opposite to herself. That said, Lili did have plenty of dumb moments, such as walking down unfamiliar alleys alone in a crime ridden area and approaching hostile drug addicts. Lili also shows some initiative in escaping during Dante's route, but she doesn't bother waiting until he has left the yard before trying to climb out the window. She has amazing cooking skills, can treat a minor wound, and has the amazing ability to fall asleep anywhere anytime, but otherwise doesn't posses many meaningful skills or knowledge that would aid in her survival. She spends nearly the entire game as a damsel in distress, kidnapped or held hostage by the love interests. Then there is the obligatory best friend, Elena, but as soon as Lili meets a guy - poof - Elena is no more.

The cast was wildly inconsistent, dodging bullets in a shootout one moment then dying to a random civilian with a knife the next. It also wasn't uncommon to see the ever-convenient "he lost his mind" trope to justify characters breaking character; after-all anyone can technically do anything if they loose their minds in a fictional world. For example, take Roberto. He hates the mafia and wants to bring criminals to justice. In Nicola's route he accepts the aid of the Lao-Shu - arguably the most corrupt of the mafia families - and becomes weirdly convinced that Lili is in love with him despite her telling him otherwise. He then goes on a vigilante killing spree and goes toe-to-toe with the mafias best members. We never see Roberto act like this in any other route. And this applies to almost every bachelor to varying degrees - Yang being the only exception.

As a mafia story, Piofiore was pretty underwhelming. Racketeering, illegal transactions, torture, and other staples of a mafia narrative either weren't present at all or were a light background element. It's like the writers just didn't know what to do with the game's premise. So I was pretty excited when Gilbert's route dove into money counterfeiting, even if it was about him and the other mafia families trying to stop the counterfeiting. It marked the first time I felt like I was playing something vaguely mafia related. I mean, outside of the Lao-Shu, everyone in the Burlone mafia was way too nice, and whenever they did dare to get dark (gang rape or forced drug addition that is cured in only 2 weeks), it was used almost exclusively for the sake of shock value rather than for plot related reasons, and I can't help but feel as though these topics deserved more care and respect than they were given. Oddly enough, the story places a surprisingly large focus on pseudo-religion and mysticism with a take on Christianity that could come off as offensive to some individuals:

Piofiore's lore states that Jesus didn't ascend to heaven. He actually left behind a body, which the Falzone mafia family was entrusted to guard along with a holy relic. Even though the basis for an entire religion is stated to be a lie, the relic still has miraculous healing powers. However, to unlock the relic's powers, the current Falzone boss must pre-maritally bang a girl (the Key Maiden) selected through astrology. There is also some light blood sacrifice stuff involved.

 

 

 

As a visual novel, the bulk of the game is made up of text with periodic choices that will influence the route and ending the player gets. The standard fast-forward feature is present, which allows players to skip text they have already seen, making replays a breeze. A feature unique to Piofiore are short side story notifications that pop up for a limited time. They reveal important events and discussions happening elsewhere; things Lili wouldn't be present for. Viewing or skipping these notices will also impact the ending the player sees.

Piofiore's common route is made up of two prologue chapters that last about 30 minutes each. New scenes and choices are added to the prologue chapters after a single play-through is completed. Starting in chapter 1, the player will be set on a character route. Every character route has a total of eight to nine chapters with a good, best, and tragic ending plus 2 to 6 bad endings that result in an immediate death.

Certain character routes will also be locked until others are cleared. Nicola and Dante are the only two initially available, with Yang and Orlok's being unlocked after a first play-through has been cleared. Gilbert's route stays locked until all previous bachelors have been cleared and completing Gilbert's route opens up the Finale route, which contains a secret bachelor option.

Piofiore uses an usual system to gauge what ending the player will receive. It is decided by "High" or "Low" levels in two attributes: "Affinity" and a trait unique to each bachelor.

My route suggestions are as follows, accompanied by a brief discussion of the love interests and what I liked or disliked about them.

1. Common Route
2. Nicola Francesca - A relatively gentle introduction to the game.
3. Dante Falzone - Reveals the key maiden lore.
4. Orlok - A change of pace; someone not associated with the mafia.
5. Yang - A change of pace; different culture and values.
6. Gilbert Redford - Actually includes Lili in his activities and allies everyone against a common threat.
7. Finale

Feel Free To Skip To Conclusion:

Nicola is cheeky, cunning, and ruthless; a man with an agenda that uses his playful nice guy persona to gain an advantage. I enjoyed the light game of cat and mouse he plays with Lili and it was interesting to discover the outwardly confident guy had such low self-worth.

The Best ending reunited Nicola with his cousin, but I don't think it was beneficial to Nicola to remain with the Falzone family. He is not a traditionalist like Dante and doesn't believe in their sacred mission. His Good ending felt like the best fit for him because it is the only path in which Nicola seemingly finds self acceptance and distances himself from the Falzone family and Burlone. Ironically, he set out to free Dante from his fate but accidentally liberated himself.

I couldn't really bring myself to like him. His fake "nice guy" persona was too obvious. Even Lili seemed suspicious of him, at least initially. She eventually came to see him as a kind person... despite a torture scene, but it felt like she had to keep lying to herself. I also didn't feel much of a connection between Nicola and Lili. Dante is clearly Nicola's favorite and Lili will always be second to Dante. Nicola's initial flirtations (in both his route and Dante's), kidnapping and sacrificing of Lili were all in the name of keeping her away from his precious Dante. I didn't like Nicola's motivation for betraying the family either.

Dante has a strong sense of duty and honor, but is kind of awkward due to his low self-esteem. He tries to put on a "tough guy" persona despite being woefully suited to being a mob boss. He comes off as a man of two extremes: being genuinely sweet and caring, but also exceptionally cruel when his family is messed with or their holy mission is compromised.

The Best and Good endings were unremarkable happy endings. Nicola reunites with the Falzone family and Lili continues a relationship with Dante. The Best ending also marks the first and only time Lili uses a gun (I wouldn't trust her with one) and the only time the relic is unlocked/used.

Dante's route has some pacing issues. Half of the route features Leo (a side character) and the other half is filled with lots of mundane things, like latte drinking. Dante's relationship with Lili was really good, but kinda creepy given the "Key Maiden" thing; Color changing birthmarks after sleeping with someone? Being fated to unite and unlock a relic because the stars say so? Weird. It's also hard to like Dante after seeing Orlok's Tragic end. They use the "he lost everything he cares about" trope as an excuse to throw Dante's character development and humanity out the window in order to horrify readers. It felt contrived. He's certainly established as someone willing to cross moral thresholds to protect his family and the family's sacred mission. However, in this case, Lili is still the Key Maiden, who the Falzone must protect, and she had not lost that status in Orlok's route. So the depravity and malice targeted just at her is ridiculous, especially given Orlok (the target of his rage) wouldn't even be present after the first time.

Orlok is an angel, an assassin and a savior willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. His pureness is endearing - like playing with the church kids, but he is also young and naive.

In the Best ending, Orlok sacrifices his hand and his ability to fight for Lili, who is in his words, his greatest blessing. I like that he gave up something unhealthy but also important to his identity (his fighting skills), in exchange for something more important to his long term happiness and well-being. Orlok's Tragic Ending is infamously cruel. Dante's man of honor character and duty as the chosen protector of the Key Maiden is thrown completely out the window for the sake of shock value. I don't have a problem with Dante being nasty, but the physical and emotional damage he does to Lili and Orlok in this ending is on-par with, or worse, than anything Yang does. Save this ending for last if you don't want your perception of Dante ruined.

Orlok's relationship with Lili is sweet, full of affection and vulnerability, which contrasts quite well with the cruel and unforgiving world in which they live. This path also touched on the effects of religion, power, and poverty on the residents of Burlone. How faith can be perverted and exploited, but is still a good thing worth holding onto. I loved how Lili refuses to die a martyr and Orlok learns to question rather than blindly obey, freeing himself from toxic indoctrination while still holding onto his beliefs. Lili and Orlok felt like a good pair - two wholesome people spurring each other's development. I never felt a romantic connection between the two, which is fine, the close siblings or good friends vibe suited the two of them and where they were emotionally. My biggest complaint with the route is how they gave Orlok a compelling character arc at the expense of everyone else. Aside from Dante's major break from character in the Tragic Ending, we had Gilbert, normally the pragmatic one, suddenly turn dumb enough to believe Yang when he blames Orlok and Lili for exploiting the townsfolk. As the only love interest without a connection to the mafia it would have been a good opportunity to expand on the church, its apostle's training, the creepy Emilio guy, or Joseph Rosenberg's odd relationship with his biological son (Orlok).

Yang is a sociopath that doesn't understand his own emotional state. Most of what he does is purely territorial and instinctual. There is a measure of possessiveness about him; he doesn't care where Lili goes or who she talks to, just that she understands that she is "his" property and subject to his whims and abuse until he decides otherwise.

In the Best ending, love doesn't change or redeem Yang. It doesn't even inspire him to want to be a better person. Instead, Lili understands and accepts him for what he is, and doesn't ask him to change - something Yang seems attached to. He ends up trusting Lili enough to give her his real name and expose his back to her, something he would not do with anyone else. I found it easy to believe that a humanitarian like Lili could fall for a guy like Yang on account of all the stockholm syndrome boxes that got checked. Personally, Yang's Tragic ending blew me away. In it, Lili decides to not see him for who he truly is, and Yang plays along with her fantasy despite not wanting a mindless woman. It is clear from the start how this relationship was going to end given Yang's history with women, but damn, it concluded in a way that was just so perfect for Yang.

Yang was a welcome change of pace after having completed Dante, Nicola, and Orlok's routes. The Lao-Shu were culturally and morally very different from the Falzone and Visconti families, and felt the most dangerous; featuring a lot of really uncomfortable or disgusting activities: gang rape, human trafficking, drugs. There was no attempt at pretending the Lao-Shu weren't a criminal organization. Yang was the only mafia boss to stay consistent in every route, and I really enjoyed the complexity of Yang as an antagonistic love interest that didn't fall into the "he is secretly a good person" trope. I honestly couldn't have agreed more with Lili when she told Dante that at least Yang never faked being nice. This is a "bad guy" written well.

Gilbert is confident, sociable, charismatic, and generally a pretty nice guy with a positive attitude. He tries to do good things through shady means and is considerate of not just his own family, but the general public as well. He's the peacekeeper of Burlone, or at least its mafia leaders by getting the different factions to work together to bring down a common enemy - the only one to pull off such a feat.

All the endings are pretty tame - no heartbreak, no inner turmoil. Gil skips town in the worst ending and Orlok dies to some random civilian(?).

Gilbert's route is a calmer ride, easily the most forgiving to Lili. It marked the only time she was given agency to do what she wanted rather than being locked in a room or ignored. Not only was Lili given a choice, but she was included in the conversations instead of being told to leave the room or to sit quietly. Gilbert showed so much respect to Lili, even when she didn't come off as strong or particularly bright. He let the relationship with Lili evolve naturally, giving her time to come to terms with her emotions rather than forcing it; the two become partners in crime before they become romantic partners. I had the most fun with Gilbert's route. There was mystery and building momentum that was more interesting than any of the main conflict up to that point - mostly Lili's poorly defined church powers. The real downside to Gil is that he has no discernible character flaws. His route was a little too normal, too tame for a mafia story, but I suppose it comes with his route being a respite after the crazy ride of the others, hence it being locked until the end.

Finale: Henri is a surprise bachelor with a serious case of survivors guilt and an insane need of revenge against the mafia. There isn't much to say about the finale and Henri. Half of the route is taken up by Gilbert, which gives Henri very little room to shine. Like Lili, Henri's sister Chloe was a Key Maiden. Unlike Lili, she took the "destiny and chosen by the stars" thing a little too seriously, becoming unhealthily obsessed with Silvio (Dante's dad) despite Silvio having a wife. Chloe was eventually moved out of the Falzone household fortrying to kill Silvio's wife. And I mean... Really? The crazy/obsessed/jealous thing again? Didn't we get enough of that with Dante? Well, Henri tries to find his sister in Lili, but comes to realize he can never bring Chloe back. So the two fake their deaths in a fire and run off together.

 

 

 

The localization/translation teams did a great job of making sure the syntax was spot on, and the UI was very clean with appealing flourish. The textured backgrounds were a bit odd, and the character art, while stylish, were not period accurate: a hoodie (Orlok), strapless dress (Lili), 2000s tribal tattoos (Yang). The plot was pretty good, but not what I would consider a mafia story. It focused too heavily on occult elements with distracting pseudo-Christian aspects sprinkled in. Underneath the pretty surface of Piofiore is an experience that can get disturbing in the best and worst ways, and barring a few hiccups, the writing is consistently good.

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Subnautica: Below Zero Review: Keep on Surviving

Story

The Alterra Corporation (a Trans-Goverment) claims Sam Ayou - one of their employees - perished in an accident caused by "human negligence" on planet 4546B. Suspecting that Alterra may be hiding something and wanting to know more about her sister's death, Robin travels to planet 4546B to investigate the accident site herself. Over the course of her investigation Robin gains an unlikely ally and uncovers buried secrets that could impact the fate of a sentient race.

Below Zero has two (or three, depending on how lookat it) story-lines going on at once. While the Aurora ship, Degasi wreck, and kharaa bacterium were all connected to how Ryley (Subnauntica protagonist) crash landed on 4546B and his fate afterwards, the individual plot threads of Below Zero are disjointed from each other and in some cases never properly get resolved. Too often Sam's story felt like a side mission rather than the main reason why Robin came to 4546B. The player learns about Sam primarily through data pads and Robin's own recollections of her. Fearing Alterra would use the frozen kharaa samples for ill purposes, Sam tried to cure something that already been cured (thanks to Ryley), and intentionally set the explosives that ultimately killed her and a co-worker (as Alterra said). The worst thing about Sam's character is how meaningless her actions are. She could've just secretly injected the antibody like Robin does. There was no need for the destruction. Oddly, the most important of the Sam data pads - the ones revealing her final moments, can be missed. Meaning it is possible to finish the game without ever finding out what happened to Sam.

Even with every data pad collected, Sam's story still took a backseat to Al-An (an alien) who was much more fleshed out. He is also a thematic continuation of Subnautica's story; a cyborg curious about humanity as much as the player probably was about the Architects in Subnautica. Assembling his body is mandatory and comparable to building the rocket in the first Subnautica. Marguerit was a great, if unnecessary addition. I don't know why Robin leaves her behind in the ending though. Marguerit is probably content with where she is. I just would have liked to say farewell or ask if she needed a ride. The Mercury II wreckage is one of the few non-organic points-of-interest underwater, I just wish it had been relevant to Robin's mission the same way the Degasi was to Ryley's. Where are its infected crew anyway? They are said to have been left in a cave somewhere, but where is it?

Gameplay

Subnautica is a survival game with four modes that will effect the difficulty:

• Survival: Health, hunger, thirst and oxygen have to be managed. Certain items are removed from the players inventory upon death.
• Freedom: Identical to Survival, but without hunger and thirst.
• Hardcore: Includes permadeath - save file is deleted.
• Creative: All depleting characteristics are removed, all blueprints are unlocked, and the player can craft without needing resources.

During the normal survival mode the player will need to surface for oxygen, or enter a base or vehicle with an air supply. Like most survival games, food will need to acquired from catching small fish and drinkable water will be obtained with filtration systems. The world size is a fraction of the first game's, but Below Zero makes up for it by having more densely populated and vibrant environments. The downside is that the water is no longer "open". The player is usually going to have an ice wall to either side of them and will be able to see the ocean floor, creating a sense of safety. In addition to being less open, the environments have a good amount of verticallity, with some having upper and lower regions. However, these have a tendency to become needlessly labyrinthine.

Materials are more abundant but ore veins and recipes have been altered, and in some cases have become unbalanced. For example, caves full of large deposits of silver, gold, and kyanite are not uncommon. But lead, which is used in most sea truck modules, advanced base construction (moonpool, modification station, nuclear reactor), and in the new recipe for enameled glass, is difficult to find. Large deposits of lead have also been removed. Mid/late-game recipes often require ingredients from the starting areas, usually in their raw state - not processed into a chemical or electronic.

The base building is where Below Zero excels. Most of the previous game's base modules have been supplemented with a host of new ones: clear roofs, larger rooms, dividing walls, bathroom items, and a jukebox. The added customization options are a welcome addition, even if very few serve a function other than as decoration. Blueprints for new tools, vehicles, and items are acquired by scanning the junk Alterra left behind. Unfortunately, Below Zero is not as dependent on player crafted items as its predecessor was. Many functional craftables, such as the first-aid dispenser, radio, cyclops, stasis rifle, and non-craftable decorative items (beakers, plush toys) have been stripped out. What advanced materials were left-in have pitifully few uses, with some, such as Benzene and Hydraulic Acid, required in only a single recipe.

The new sea truck vehicle takes the best aspects of the cyclops submarine and seamoth and crams them into one. The player can not build inside of the seatruck like you could with the cyclops, so it can not be customized to the same extent, but the player can pick and choose which modules they wish to attach - storage, fabricator, aquarium, bedroom, or vehicle dock, allowing it to serve as a base-on-the-go. The seatruck is small and fast on its own, similar to the seamoth. However, the more modules the player attaches the longer and slower it gets. Although, this can be mitigated with upgrades. The prawn suit returns, but outside of mining ore it is largely irrelevant.

Unlike in Subnautica where the story progression was limited by depth, Below Zero has no such progression barriers, making it possible to proceed out of order or to miss things entirely. The few deep caverns that exist are not interconnected with the rest of the world and do not house anything particularly interesting. Aside from the pretty crystalline formations and kyanite, the player has no reason to visit to this region other than for quest reasons (which easily could have been moved elsewhere). The variety of Subnautica's deeper depths: alkaline brine pools, lava zone, and bioluminescent tree, just aren't here. I wish the developers hadn't bothered with it. It's clear that they either had no passion or resources for the 600 to 1000 meter range habitat and that it was included only because the fans expected it. Below Zero is more about exploring the surface world and life around ice floes rather than the ocean depths.

20% of the game takes place on land, where the new hypothermia mechanic comes into play. To stay warm above water, Robin needs to stand near heat-generating plants or steam vents. The hovering snowfox vehicle also provides protection against the cold and swift transportation around the snowy landscape. However, the snowfox can be finicky over uneven surfaces. Ice Worms, found in only one area the player has to visit for a single story-related scan, feel like they were included arbitrarily to force the player to use the new land vehicle. This was easily my least favorite part of Below Zero, because every time the worm attacks, the player is ejected from the snowfox in the oddest way. For a while I thought I was pressing a wrong button by accident or that the game might be bugged.

Conclusion

Subnautica was about desperation and surviving the unknown; the protagonist was thrust onto an unfamiliar planet unprepared. Below Zero is about exploration and discovery; the protagonist voluntarily arrives well prepared and with some skill/knowledge of what they are getting into. The story wasn't as mysterious or gripping as the first Subnautica, and may have suffered from a change of writers, but it serves its purpose. It should have been longer, more involved and ended more cleanly. There are a lot of dangling pieces left over from various story re-writes, such as Sam's necklace and her room "not being right" that leave the plot feeling unfinished or as if something had been missed.

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The Knights of the Round Table Are Ridiculous

Stories of "King Arthur" span about 1,200 years and have been told by a variety of different people in different batches, and those "batches" were popular with different audiences at different times, leading to a lot of variability in the different versions. I finally got around to reading some Arthurian Legends and they were not at all what I was expecting. The common image of the Knights of the Round Table is usually that of powerful and virtuous knights who earned their place through great deeds, but the reality is that they are more like an eccentric group of morally questionable weirdos with super powers.

The number of knights varies from 12 to 150+. These are just the ones that I came across in my reading.

The Strange Ones

Sir Gawain (Gwalchmei, Knight of Maidens) is an elite and integral member of the Round Table known for having many children with different women and the "beheading game" he played with a fae type entity known as the "Green Knight". Gawain himself has sun powered strength, becoming a nearly invincible swordsman at noon. He has one horse called Gringolet (Grissell, Keincaled) whom he loves dearly and cares for well.

Sir Kay (Kei, Cai, Keie) is King Arthur's foster brother and seneschal, as well as one of the first Knights of the Round Table. In some versions he is an incompetent braggart and troublemaker meant to act as a foil for the more heroic knights. He can hold his breath for nine days and go nine days without sleeping. He can grow to the size of a giant, and radiate supernatural heat from his hands.

Sir Galahad (Gaalad, Galaaus, Galeas, Galath) is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and a late comer to the Knights of the Round Table, best known for being the one chosen by God to discover the Holy Grail. He is said to be the "most perfect of all knights" due to his sexual purity (male virgin, possibly asexual) and ability to overcome all his enemies through prowess and fortune. He essentially has virginity-fueled superpowers granted to him by God for putting holiness before worldly endeavors, and is the only knight to literally be carried away by angels (at his request) to Heaven.

Sir Lancelot du Lac (Lancelot of the Lake) was one of King Arthur's closest allies and a man very sought after by the ladies. He was in a bisexual love polygon with Queen Guinevere (Arthur's wife), the half-giant Galehaut, and the yandere princess Elaine of Corbenic. Galehaut forfeits a guaranteed victory in the battle he is leading against Arthur because he can't stand the thought of something happening to Lancelot's beautiful face. Galehaut later provides refuge to Lancelot and Guinevere, and eventually dies of a broken heart due to having been separated from Lancelot for so long. Elaine was raised by her clairvoyant father to have Lancelot's child, whom she fell in love with after he saved her from a cursed inescapable boiling bathtub. When Elaine finds out that Lancelot is in an affair with Guinevere, she deceives and repeatedly rapes Lancelot. Elaine then blames Guinevere for Lancelot going crazy, leaping out the window naked, and running away. Lancelot goes on to murder some of the Knights of the Round Table while saving Guinevere from execution (due to the affair) which initiates a chain of events that lead to the downfall of Camelot and the death of King Arthur. Lancelot dies a monk. Lancelot rode a number of different unnamed horses - usually other people's warhorses, and often rode them to death.

Sir Ywain (Owain, Ewaine, Ivain, Uwaine,) is one of the earliest characters associated with King Arthur. He kills an otherworldly knight and then marries the widow of said knight. Ywain runs off to go adventuring, promising his new wife to return home after so long. When he doesn't come home (because he forgot about her), the wife tells him not to come back at all. Upset, Ywain decides to live naked in the woods as a "wild man". He starts keeping a lion he rescued from a dragon as a pet, and after a few adventures, the wife decides to take him back.

Sir Percival (Parzival, Parsifal, Peredur) is a renowned vassal of King Arthur and one of the three knights that go in search of the Holy Grail. He is almost roofied and raped by Lucifer disguised as a beautiful woman.

 

 

Sir Balin the Savage (Balyn, Knight with the Two Swords) was locked in Arthur's prison for six months and dies before the Round Table is established. He is initially banished from Arthur's court for chopping off the head of the Lady of the Lake when she comes seeking payment for Excalibur (part of a deal Arthur reneged on). Balin ends up destroying an entire kingdom in a single mighty blow using the Spear of Longinus.

Sir Marrok is a literal werewolf that was betrayed by his wife. Not much else is known about him due to the stories having been lost to time.

Sir Gwrhyr (Interpreter of Languages) is a warrior and chief Councillor of King Arthur's court that can shapeshift and speak every language, including those of the birds and the animals. He plays minor roles in assisting the other knights with their quests.

Sir Menw (Enchanter Knight) is a warrior and chief Councillor of King Arthur's court that can shapeshift and cast spells. As a magician, Menw is able to cast protective wards in savage lands and make himself and his allies invisible.

Sir Sanddef Pryd Angel (Sanddev Proud Angel) is a warrior of King Arthur's court that possesses an inhuman beauty, such that he is one of the "Three Irresistible Knights" no man can refuse. During King Arthur's final battle no one dared to strike Sanddef because they thought he was "an angel helping".

Sir Morfran (Moruran sea crow) is a warrior of King Arthur's court with dark skin and an inhuman hideousness, partially because of the "hair on his face like the hair of a stag". He is one of the "Three Irresistible Knights" no man can refuse because his peculiarities made it "repugnant to anyone to refuse him anything". Morfran was one of the three knights to survive King Arthur's final battle because everyone thought he was "a devil helping" and dared not strike him. His horse Guelwgan Gohoewgein (Silver-White, Proud and Fair) is sometimes associated with the other knights.

Sir Dagonet the Craven of Carlion (Daguenes,) is a cowardly knight of the Round Table and a beloved court jester. He was formerly one of Arthur's best knights, but went insane when a friend abducted his wife. In other versions he was a violently deranged commoner who was given knightly status as a joke, or as an award for his loyalty and comedic talents. In one story he becomes administrator of the royal court and bankrupts the household.

Sir Lanval (Landevale, Launfal, Lambewell) was a knight in King Arthur's court envied for his valor and generosity. The king forgot to invite Lanval to a banquet where gifts were being handed out, so Lanval spent the day by a stream instead and became the lover of a fairy. When he rebuffs advances made by Queen Guinevere, she accuses Lanval of homosexuality and gets Arthur to put Lanval on trial by lying about him making advances on her. Despite breaking a promise not to reveal the identity of his mistress, the fairy comes to Lanval when he calls to her and together they escape to the mythical island of Avalon.

Sir Pelleas pines for a high-born maiden who wants nothing to do with him. Gawain dresses up as Pelleas to woo the maiden for him, but beds her instead and Pelleas is heartbroken to find the two together. Gawain then either convinces the maiden to marry Pelleas, or Nimue (a Lady of the Lake) enchants the maiden to fall for Pelleas. However, Pelleas spurns the maiden and marries Nimue instead.

Sir Bedivere (Bédoier, Bedwyr Bedrydant of the Perfect Sinew) is Arthur's marshal and in some versions is the one to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake after lying about having completed the task twice. He is a one-handed warrior with a magical spear; each thrust of this spear is equal to nine thrusts, allowing him to slay foes faster than three men could. He primarily assists other knights with impossible tasks, rescues them from imprisonment, and fights giants and monstrous boars with Arthur's dog Cavall at his side. In some versions he dies fighting by Arthur's side, and in others he becomes a hermit and meets Lancelot seeking penitence.

The Normal(?) Ones

Sir Lamorak (Lamorac, Lamorat,) is "one of the top five" Knights of the Round Table, having fought off at least thirty knights by himself on more than one occasion. Lamorak is ambushed and beheaded by his fellow knights for bedding the widow of Lot, a man his father slew, thus inflaming a family blood feud. 

Sir Tristan (Tristram, Tristyn, Tristain) is a skilled fighter, musician, falconer and Knight of the Round Table. Like his friend Lancelot, Tristan too loves a queen that is the wife of another. The adulterous affair leads to Tristan's banishment and death.

 

Sir Dinadan is an unusually witty and pragmatic Cornish knight of the Round Table. He is one of the rare few knights that has chosen to have no lady-love to inspire his noble deeds as he views courtly love as a futile pursuit, and tends to avoid fights. Dinadan is the source and target of numerous practical jokes, and the only knight able to recognize his fellow knights regardless of what they are wearing. Dinadan is ambushed and murdered by two other Knights of the Round Table for his association with a rival clan.

Sir Sagramore the Impetous (Saigremort, Sygramor, Sigamor) is a hot tempered knight best known for his epilepsy-like fits, rescuing damsels, and losing jousts to better knights. In some versions he is the brother or foster-brother of Mordred. He dies in King Arthur's final battle, sometimes to Mordred's hand.

 

Sir Agravain of the Hard Hand (Engrevain the Proud) is a Round Table knight that secretly makes attempts on the life of his brother. He also participates in the slayings of Lamorak, Palamedes, and Dinadan. He plays a leading role in exposing Guinevere's affair with Lancelot, which leads to his death at Lancelot's hand. Depending on the version he is described variously as handsome, "somewhat misshapen", among the respectable knights, or "jealous of all other men".

Sir Palamedes is a Knight of the Round Table that engages in a number of duels with Tristan that either get postponed or end without a clear winner. He has unrequited love for Iseult and slays the Questing Beast (a hybrid animal of some kind). He is mentioned at least once riding a white or "light" horse.

Sir Mordred (Medraut ) is a young knight of the Round Table, born of an incestuous relationship between King Arthur and his half-sister Morgause. He aids Agravain in exposing the love affair between Guinevere and Lancelot, and both slays and is slain by his father King Arthur. Older stories portray Mordred in a positive light while newer ones have him as the villain.

 

Sir Griflet the son of Do (Gyffroun, Jaufre) was an early Knight of the Round Table best known for getting abducted a lot. He either dies to Lancelot or survives the final battle and fulfills Arthur's dying request to return the sword Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake.

 

Sir Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr (Brave Grey, Mighty Grasp) is a knight and the chief gatekeeper in Arthur's court. He is one of the "Three Irresistible Knights" no man can refuse on account of his size and ferocity.

Sir Gareth of Orkney (Beaumains) is Arthur's nephew and is best known for disguising himself as a kitchen boy in order to earn his knighthood through deeds rather than through noble lineage. He is sent to save the noblewomen, Lyonesse, from the Red Knight (Sir Ironside). He defeats the Black Knight (Sir Perarde), Green Knight (Sir Pertolope), Puce Knight (Sir Perymones), and Indigo Knight (Sir Persaunte), and gets them to swear loyalty to King Arthur. He tries sleeping with Lyonesse, but is stopped by her sister. Gareth is slain by Lancelot at Guinevere's execution.

Sir Bors the Younger is one of the Round Table's "finest" and "most virtuous" knights, best known for participating in the quest for the Holy Grail. Bors encounters a lady and her maidens who demand sex from him and threaten to commit suicide if he refuses. Bors refuses, but the women turn out to be demons. Bors then chooses to save a kidnapped damsel over his brother Lionel (who is being tortured). Lionel later seeks vengeance on Bors for abandoning him, but is stuck down by God with an immobilizing column of fire. Bors also takes Lancelot's side when Lancelot's affair with Arthur's wife comes to light, and Bors is the one to nearly kill Arthur in the ensuing war.