Barthandelus

"Without our help, death is all of which you're capable. You saw the fools. A mindness mob drunk on fear of a few l'Cie."

- Dysley to the party. "I am fal'Cie. My name is Barthandelus; voice of the Sanctum, and Lord-Sovereign of the Cocoon fal'Cie. Your kind feared the darkness, so we gave you light. You begged us for the Purge, and did it not come to pass? Now you spurn our counsel? You must learn your place!"

- Barthandelus looking down on the l'Cie while transforming. Barthandelus is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy XIII. He is a powerful fal'Cie and can change into a human form, which allows him to control Cocoon. His goal, like all fal'Cie, is find Etro's Gate. To that end, he plans to destroy Cocoon in order to sacrifice the residents so their souls can force Etro's Gate to fully manifest and reunite his kind with the Maker who created them.

History


Barthandelus was a fal'Cie created by Lindzei, one of three god-like fal'Cie created by the god Bhunivelze as part of his intent to become immortal by finding the Unseen Realm Valhalla. Lindzei was given the focus to protect Bhunivelze as he entered a deep sleep and the fal'Cie it created to portray themselves as benefactors to mankind while creating and maintaining Cocoon. Acting their his fellow fal'Cies' desire to be reunited with their creator, believing Lindzei somehow found Etro's Gate and passed through it, Barthandelus orchestrates a scheme to sacrifice the millions of lives on Cocoon to force the gate open. But as he and those branded by Lindzei cannot act against Cocoon, Barthandelus uses the people of Oreba and wages the War of Transgression to have their Pulse l'Cie, Oreba Yuna Fang and Oreba Dia Vanille, become Raganrok to destroy Cocoon's life support Orphan.

But when Etro's intervention forces Barthandelus to bring crystallized Vanille and Fang to Cocoon to await for their eventually revival. Until then, the fal'Cie assumes various identities with his most recent being that of Primarch Galenth. It was only after the Pulse l'Cie are active that Dysley begins to discard his kind facade and orchestrate their meeting with him alongside those on Cocoon who were branded Pulse l'Cie.

Lightning and the party first confront him onboard the Palamecia, trying to bring an end to the Sanctums rule. Jihl Nabaat go's to defend him, not knowing the truth, when he kills her and the rest of the Palamecia crew, Lightning thinks he is just another l'Cie, but he laughs off this remark and reveals his true form. After a long battle with him, he reveals their focus to destroy Cocoon by killing the fal'Cie that gives it power, Orphan, and leaves them an airship as he fades from their sight.

In Oerba village he take the form of Lightning's sister, Serah, and taunts her before turning back to his human form, here he tells them thats he will use the Cavarly to kill Orphan by fooling them into thinking that their leader, Cid Raines, is just another puppet of them. He battles them again in his true form and gives them another airship to return to Cocoon before leaving.

Lightning confronts him for the final time in Orphan's cradle saying that they will protect Coccon. He decides that they are no longer reliable and he will get new l'Cie to kill Orphan and trys to kill them all. Lightning and the party defeat him and sinks into the cradle to become Orphan's shell and cease to be an a independent entity.

Trivia

 * Barthandelus's name is a latinized version of his name in the Japanese version, Baldanders.