#Former Pope Maximus Ariels

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Regarding the Universal Will/Ariels, since her personality reverted after Happy Chaos was extracted from her, doesn't that make her a powerful asset to Illyria/Sanctus? Even if she's still a criminal, she can still work for them like the Assassins and PWAB did, right?

She was also created by Happy Chaos himself, so that bit of information may or may not be something the Sanctus and Illyria are aware of.

Even if she's technically human, she has the superhuman specs of a Valentine like both Ramlethal and Elphelt are physically capable of (if not more so, since she even gave Sol, Ky, and Sin a bit of trouble when they fought her all at once).

It's also possible for Happy Chaos to manipulate her again (like he did with Nagoriyuki), so that may or may not be a risk they are willing to take just yet.

We also do not know how much of her power from within the Backyard remains a part of her, so that is a mystery as well (since she was the one who fused half of I-No's power in to Chaos to create him).

I would say she is a powerful but also potentially dangerous asset that they would need to play very cautiously, even if she has technically reformed herself.

She likely also has many things she wants to express to her former creator as well, and to make up for her mistakes against Humans.

The future is still uncertain, involving her, but we can at least expect she will probably play an important role in the future of Humankind's history to come (as well as the History of Gearkind as well).

Side Note: And let's not forget the nameless individual who claims to have sworn loyalty to her as well (a former Phalanx member). Depending on whom this individual is, we may see them impact the future as well!

[gear-project]

Vialattea and other Assorted Notes

Just some brief notes on the "Kingdom" of Vialattea that Dizzy (and Ky have recently established):

---It's a Kingdom in "name only" and functions as a small Republic.

---Apparently mostly Gears live there, but humans travel in and out of the place (and apparently because of Gear Innovations in the region due to Dr. Paradigm and others, the Property values in neighboring regions have skyrocketed).

---It is technically not yet Officially Fully recognized as a nation, but Dizzy and Ky are still acknowledged as its leaders (though the "Federation" of Illyria appears to acknowledge it regardless).

Regarding the Federation of Illyria, they are what is left of the United Kingdoms of Illyria after Ky officially abdicated as High King (most likely Leo and Daryl still purview their own respective regions, which is still most of Europe, Russia, and parts of the Middle East and Northern Africa).

Connected with this, apparently the Phalanx Nine of the Conclave were completely restructured (with exception to one unnamed individual who has sworn absolute loyalty to Ariels despite her status as a Criminal), the current members of Phalanx currently take up residence within Ramlethal's Mobile Brigade, though assuming that a new Pope Maximus takes leadership within the Sanctus Populi, the Phalanx may return to working under that organization at a later time.) It's not said how Sin's connection to the Phalanx will fare at this time, but Dual Rulers may shed some light on that in the future.

With the most recent info, it's confirmed that Ariels' personality has reverted back in to a Kind-hearted individual who wishes to support Humanity's future (though it's vague how the Federation of Illyria will treat her moving forwards).

Goldlewis Dickinson was apparently "assigned" to protect Queen Dizzy as part of her security detail (despite having more prominent connections to America), also apparently Goldlewis thinks of Dizzy less as a Gear and more an individual who "controls UMAs" (though that in and of itself may be a misunderstanding on his part).

Needless to say, but Bedman (Romeo) is still technically "M.I.A." (assumed dead, but may not actually be), and Happy Chaos (the former Original Sage) is still on the loose.

We also do not know Nagoriyuki's current whereabouts, though he appears more closely affiliated with Slayer, who has global connections and may have gone in to hiding.

We also have yet to learn more about Unika's involvement in the future as well...

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Annon-Guy: Sin - Why was Sin drafted into the Phalanx Unix along with the other knight during 'Another Story'? He does mention that he doesn't like to wear armor after all. Was it Ky or Ramlethal's idea?

The Phalanx Nine are an extension of the Pope's Elite forces within the Sanctus Populi.

This essentially means that, up to this point in the story, any Phalanx member was a soldier fighting on behalf of the Sanctus Maximus, the supreme LEADER/RULER of the Sanctus Populi organization.

Prior to being deposed, that position was held by Ariels… and prior to her, the previous Pope Hapinus the 27th (XXVII).

After the deposition, Ky and the other two Kings of Illyria essentially reformed the Sanctus Populi from the INSIDE out as an organization (this also includes the Former Assassins' Guild AND the Postwar Administration Bureau AND the Conclaves' elite members a.k.a. the Senato).

It's currently not publically announced whom will take on the role of the next "pope", but the Phalanx themselves are intended to act on the Pope's behalf and execute their orders and tasks.

Depending on what those orders are, it could be anything from assisting mobile forces (like Ramlethal's) to acting as bodyguards to rescuing and relieving people… or simply acting in a bureaucratic position (maintaining information for the organization, basically).

Anyway, Sin's promotion likely was Ky's idea, since Sin needs more experience "helping people" (and it wouldn't hurt to give him some worldly experience too), that's part of the reason behind the position.

[gear-project]

So does Ramlethal have the entire Phalanx Nine unit under her command and is it possible for them to gain sentience at all, assuming the Second Guard is an original character and a Gear? Also, their armor is wearable now?

First, you have to understand that the Phalanx Nine are based off of the original Pontifical Swiss Guard.

Originally, the Swiss Guard had to be Catholic, Single Males of Swiss Citizenship who completed Basic Training with the Swiss Armed Forces and obtained certificates of Good Conduct, along with a reasonable education.

Most who accepted to serve do so for a minimum of two years, and at maximum four years, most primarily as bodyguards of the Pope.

They were most commonly known to wield a halberd spear or partisan polearm, depending on their rank, though in modern times they use pepper spray, small pistols, rifles, and a submachine gun, if circumstances require.

This was all before the Catholic Church was disassembled due to the chaos that was the Dawn of Revival of 1999.

Compared to them, the Phalanx Nine are an even smaller squad of "Swiss" (implied) elite soldiers (though we do not know their total size, even if the name implies there are "nine" of them) that serve the Pope Maximus or whomever the Sanctus Populi assign them to for various tasks.

So far, we've only seen them wield what appears to be a magic sword, but given that Sin summoned his other weapon upon shedding the armor, they probably have other weapons as needed.

Based on implications, the Phalanx might also be GEARS, or at least derived from O.P.U.S. Gear technology, since they were easily manipulated by Former-Pope Ariels to fight against any and all her enemies (though it is possible that Happy Chaos had a hand in their manipulation, even as humans).

Of course, that was before Sol defeated Ariels, so since then, most likely Ky put together a completely new group of Phalanx, who are likely former members of the Illyrian Military, if not trusted men selected from Ky, Leo, or Daryl's men.

Since Sin was selected as a member, he probably had to earn his stripes a bit before being accepted. Ky probably assigned him the role so that he would obtain more worldly experience, not simply acting as a bounty hunter like he did with Sol.

It is also likely that the two Phalanx are meant to assist Ramlethal's Rapid Deployment Brigade in terms of rank and authority, so she doesn't always have to "pull rank" in emergencies. This is because the Sanctus Populi is an International Organization.

While Ramlethal has command of the two Phalanx, I don't think they are all Phalanx members, for varying reasons, nor do I think Ramlethal has as much authority over them (depending on how far away she travels from Illyria, depending on her missions).

In all probability Ramlethal still answers to the High King, First and Second Kings of Illyria, as well as the newly-established Conclave, and acts as their representative.

The public still classifies Ramlethal as a GEAR, even though she's closer to a Human (a Valentine)... at least that seems to be the case for the time being (though this was before Gears could obtain citizenship...).

This is all the limited info we have so far.

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Hey I've been trying to get up to date on the lore in preparation of watching through Strive's story mode with my friends. When researching the Pre GG1 lore I saw that there are five Apostles who brought magic to the world but only four of them went on to create the conclave. The Wiki says the fifth one is Ariels but I can't find any more info on what happens to her between then and Xrd or how she got possessed or anything. Do you know where that claim came from and if it's accurate? Thanks!

To be more specific, Ariels has an "indirect" connection with the Original Sage.

Her history is that she was originally one of many members who joined the Sanctus Populi.

Now, to further explain, the Sanctus Populi is actually a HUGE organization, and they are also responsible for sub organizations like the United Nations, Illyria Kingdom, and even the Bounty Hunter organization known to most as the Postwar Administration Bureau, aka the P.W.A.B.

Back on topic, Ariels was just one of many members of the Sanctus Populi but made her way through the ranks of the organization using her power and influence (and most likely an ability to manipulate others).

Her superior (for some amount of time, the story never explains how long) was Pope Hapinus XXVII (the 27th). Pope Hapinus was the "former Sanctus Populous Maximus" or "Pope Leader" of the Sanctus Populi at the time... and just like the rest of the Conclave, he was also a follower of the Original Sage's teachings.

Rather, to describe the Conclave themselves... rather than say they are the "only Disciples", it's more accurate to say they are the "most prominent Disciples" of the Original Sage, since the Sanctus Populi is such a huge organization.

The Conclave were "selected" among the elite members of the organization to guide the populace around the world... however they also had to choose a "leader" among themselves that would manage the Sanctus Populi itself... that is the job of the Pope Sanctus Maximus (formerly, Hapinus' job when he was still alive).

If I had to break it down in simpler terms:

Pope (has the most authority) > Conclave (the bishops) > Sanctus Populi (the main body organization).

Even so, the Sanctus Populi isn't a "religious organization" so much as it is a Humanitarian group, which is why it could get involved in Government and Politics, which is also why the Conclave "established" the United Kingdoms of Illyria in the wake of the destruction of several nations in Europe.

While it's implied that Ariels murdered Pope Hapinus the 27th, we don't know the full details, only that the public assumed he had merely passed away with the words "Universal Will" as his dying message.

In TRUTH however, Ariels was in fact the physical "human" incarnation of the Universal Will, and chose to do so to further understand Humans because of her encounters with her creator "The Original Sage".

So, in a sense, she is a "lost disciple" but I wouldn't consider her as an actual "follower" of the Original Sage's teachings like what you might expect from members of the Conclave, even if she was a former member of the Sanctus Populi group.

Even Asuka R. Kreutz was never a Member of the Conclave or declared a Disciple... and even went against their beliefs based on his own actions. Despite this, he still respectfully considered the Original Sage his teacher and was entrusted the Divine Seeds because of his beliefs.

It would be even more tragic to reveal to current members of the organization what has happened to their founding "teacher", becoming a being of pure chaos and all...

Ariels was also responsible for locking said "teacher" away for nearly 100 years inside her body...

But, I hope that explains everything~

[gear-project]

How much information of the events in the story does public know about?

Most people assumed Sol along with the Sacred Order were responsible for killing Justice back in 2180 after she broke out of her Seal (nobody knew Testament was part of the cause, or that Human Gears even existed).

The incident that happened in former London, England was kept private by the International Police Force, and Sheevus’ Blackard Company was shut down without much external questioning about it.  Most assumed the dormant Gear Hydra just stirred and caused trouble, and the former Sacred Order members dealt with it.

After that, the Data Disc Ky found was destroyed and kept under wraps... only Zepp’s higher ups knew about the incident, though the Jellyfish Pirates kept fragments of their data disc as a memento. 

A lot of rumors circulated about what happened to the Gear Dizzy back in 2181, but nothing factual was leaked to the public, at least where Ky is concerned.  It was officially stated that Jam Kuradoberi collected the bounty.

Most of what happened between 2181-83 was kept under wraps by the Postwar Administration Bureau, trying to cover their own tracks and fall in line with the Conclave’s rulings.  The public would learn about the PWAB’s darker underbelly sometime later, however.

As of 2184-85, people were just getting used to the United Kingdoms of Illyria being founded as a new nation, with Ky Kiske being the High King, Leo Whitefang as Second King, and King Daryl as the Third King of the nation.

Most knew the Conclave and Sanctus Populi (along with the United Nations) were behind the founding of Illyria, but not the inner plannings or conspiracy involved regarding it, nor its connection to the PWAB.

Ariels became Pope Maximus sometime before this, taking the place of Pope Hapinus prior to his “untimely death”.  People knew about it, but they didn’t talk about it much, that is until Valentine and the Vizuel Army invaded Illyria’s Capital.

Valentine not only invaded Illyria, but she destroyed several dormant Gears there while she was at it, hence the name of the event being called “Baptisma 13 incident”.  13 Gears that were kept under Illyrian watch disappeared, basically... or so the public knew at least.

After that incident, Ky made a public announcement as High King that he would be giving sanctuary to Sentient Gears within Illyria’s borders... and that REALLY got people talking.  It was a controversial subject... and also something people could hardly believe was real.

This also painted a huge target on Ky’s back for anti-Gear protests, calling him a Gear sympathizer, among other things.  A lot of politicians considered disassociating with Ky after this as well.  This was also around the time the Conclave decided to use the PWAB to put a bounty on Sol’s head.

Sol getting a bounty on his head raised a few eyebrows within the Bounty Hunting community... since he was pretty infamous among them.  But Ky later exposed this fake bounty as a sham and part of a conspiracy (and this wasn’t the first time fake bounties were posted, either).

In 2187, around this time Pope Ariels began circulating Anti-Valentine Opus detachments around the globe, as a means of “protecting the people against the Valentine threat”, (but was actually part of her scheme to use Gears to dominate the world.)  Most people thought Opus were some man-made robot, it never occurred to most that they were actually Gears.

At this point, nobody really knew what the Conclave were doing, that is until Ramlethal Valentine made a global War Declaration (Elphelt’s warning to Ky was kept a government secret by the way, only the U.S. President Vernon seemed to be given intel about her via Leo).

This, of course, was a ruse, and in fact the Conclave were hovering over the city of Babylon, about to completely destroy its Population (why they chose Babylon as their first target, isn’t exactly clear... but it might have some symbolic value internally).

By the time Sol and Ky finally caught on, Babylon’s people were gone...  It was as tragic as might imagine all over the globe, people mourning for lost friends and family who had once lived there.  A great catastrophe.  I’m sure many blamed Ramlethal for the incident as well, even if she was only indirectly involved.

The public also caught wind of the Illyrian Knights pursuing what they were calling “The Cradle” to the Black Sea... and there was a huge dustup about all the military presence there.  Nobody knew the Cradle had anything to do with Justice, however.

Around November 1st, 2187 Justice reappeared (according to reporters) right next to Illyria’s Central Organ Tower... though nobody really knew how that was even possible, and even considered the idea that Justice was supposed to be dead for years.  Local residents of the capital were temporarily evacuated, and that was about the size of what happened at that time.

Shortly after this incident, Pope Ariels made a public announcement that everything was connected with the “Universal Will” who had declared war on Humankind.  She used this speech as a way of giving hope back to the people, to encourage them to keep fighting on despite who their enemy was... nobody even knowing the truth of the matter.  She also used this as an opportunity to let the Japanese people be released from their quarantine, as a show of good faith (again, another ruse).

Not long after, several earthquake-like explosions in the form of Information Flares occurred around the globe... and nobody really knew the cause, or that they were even connected with Ariels and the Japanese.  Even one of Illyria’s major cities was destroyed, thankfully most people were evacuated (this was when Ramlethal was caught in Ariels’ trap).

Then, during the Feast of Victory (the anniversary of the End of the Crusades), Ariels publicly shot one of her own staff, and went on to reveal that she herself was the Universal Will.  At the same time, several cities in Illyria were invaded by Anti-Matter Gears and a contingent of Ariels’ Swiss Guard, the Phalanx Nine.

Several people were killed in the incidents, but due to everyone involved, no major destruction occurred.  In particular it was revealed a certain Winged-woman was seen protecting the people of Illyria above the city (which was reported in the local newspaper, and speculated upon).

At this point in time, two major bites of News Information have been revealed: Pope Ariels is now in Illyrian Military custody, while the International Criminal known as “That Man” or “The Gearmaker” is now in U.S. Military custody.  Both are pending a Tribunal, which is being discussed in an upcoming G4 Summit.

No one has publicly stated or speculated connections between any of these chains of incidents, other than the fact Gears were involved.  It was, however stated that the PWAB would be reformed and the Assassins Organization officially dismantled.

So far, the public discussion in Illyria seems to be embracing the idea of working alongside Sentient Gears (thanks to open comments about them from the Illyrian Military), though that seems to only apply to certain regions within the nation... no other outstanding opinions in other countries have been stated.

[gear-project]

A friend of mine wondered if nanotechnology exists in Guilty Gear. They believe Nagoriyuki's mask is an exmaple of such since it manifests out of nowhere around his head.

While there haven’t been any glaring examples of Nanotech, I’m sure the technology has at least been experimented with in terms of what the Conclave and the Postwar Administration Bureau have done in times past.

With Robo-Ky in particular, not only was a substance (ultra large) unit built (the secret boss of GG Isuka’s Boost Mode)... but smaller Mini Robo-Ky reconnaissance units were also created to work in conjunction with the main units themselves.

And while at first glance you might not consider them to have Nanomachines, Robo Ky units were built to record battle data and preserve it from a wide variety of situations, even if the main unit is fully incapacitated or destroyed.

But that’s not all... Gear Biotechnology is another form of Nanotechnology... more specifically in the form of Gear Micro-Parasites. 

A good example of this is the Hydra Megadeth Class Gear... whose body housed several hundreds if not thousands of smaller parasite Gears that protected the main body and supported it in combat.

There’s other examples of smaller Gear types too, like the Fairies that assist Dr. Paradigm on Ganymede Island (like Bonnie).

Last, but not least... the Universal Will utilized Gear DNA as a “virus” and incorporated it in to the entire Japanese Populace in the year 2074.  Such a power (to even manifest in biotechnology) goes above and beyond what human knowledge is capable of at the moment.

Since the Universal Will itself is a being that can manifest itself in any form of physical or biological technology, in that regard the Will itself is the ultimate form of nano-machine tech... at least in theory.  As of right now the Will has taken the form of a Human: former Pope Maximus Ariels... and is in custody... at least for now.

At least for now, that’s all that can be determined, though it’s unclear if such has any connection with Nagoriyuki’s Mask or powers.