Asurahime's "The Essence Of SaGa Frontier" Translation Thread.
All information from "The Essence Of SaGa Frontier", translated and posted by Asurahime.

Please try not to post in this topic because from now on, I will put what I translate here. My original topic was just becoming way too jumbled with the bits and pieces of information being lost among comments. If there are any specific questions, please still ask them in the original topic, but I will answer them here. Sometimes there will be a lot and other times it would only be small facts, but please keep in mind that translation does take quite a bit of time. 

Also, before asking questions, please refer to Aoiseishin's Plot Guide in in the FAQs before asking me. For some characters, there is very little information while there is an abundance of facts with others. I am not making any of this up and if you see what looks like a mistake, please understand that this is taken from the Japanese version of the game and I'd like to stay true to that.

And if you use any of the translations I have for any other written piece of whatever, please cite both Essence for the information and myself for translation.

1. Numerical significance of the Orlouge's Princesses:

- The significant of the meaning of the princesses' numerical position is lost in the English translation, but quite witty in the original Japanese. Although most people already know about Rei Hime (Princess Rei) as being Princess Zero, there is also importance in Shirobara Hime's (White Rose) and Kinjishi Hime's (Golden Lion) numbers. 

Shirobara Hime's number is 46, which is pronounced "Shi-roku," or "shi-ro" (white) in Japanese. Kinjishi Hime's number is 44, which is pronouced "shi-shi" (lion) in Japanese. Due to the adjective "kin" or "gold" attached to the noun, "shi-shi" becomes "ji-shi."

2. Acronyms:

pzkwV - Panzer Kampf Wargen V
DOBBY - Daffodilshaped Optical-sight Balk to Backlash and Yawing
R&R- Revolver & Roller
RB3- Region Buster 3
BJ&K - Black Jack & Dr. K
DSC - Dangerous Suplex Combo
KT - Kurt Tank

3. "Red... I am your FATHER!":

- The book says that Dr. Okonogi is still living in Shuzer's "chest," which could either literally mean that he's physically connected to Shuzer or that his consciousness has been merged with that of Shuzer's -- kind of like a second personality. Although Shuzer's original personality is dominant, Dr. Okonogi acts like a type of conscience--at least when it comes to Red. When Shuzer was about to kill/hurt Red as Alkaiser, Dr. Okonogi's personality yelled at him to stop, which allowed Red to finish Mr. Clawed Man (bawling the whole time when he realizes Shuzer's -at least partly- his father).

4. Santuario: Holy Land of Heroes... no women allowed:

-To become a hero they say are every boy's most precious dream. However, heroes are said to come from a sacred region called "Santuario" (Santoario in katakana, "sanctuary/shrine" in Italian and Spanish translation) where they are born with their powers. Santuario is said to be very similar to Ultraman's M78 galaxy. However, in order to become a "hero," they must leave Santuario and go to other regions to learn and cultivate their power.

Due to the unorthodox method Red becomes a hero, he is considered "irregular." It doesn't say much about their kind power, just that they must become as powerful as they can. 

5. Annie's rich sis:

- The possessed girl in Yorkland during Riki's quest is Annie's sister. If she is in your active party (it doesn't say if her position in necessary), she is supposed to say something once the battle is over. Her sister is also mentioned during Emelia's quest at the Gradius Koorong HQ.

6. Mei-lin and Fei-on... LOVERS? Nah:

- Mei-lin and Fei-on aren't supposed to have a set relationship, even though people think of them as a couple because of their Chinese names. However, it's not necessarily an idea to reject if fans want to think of it as such.

7. Rei: "I want a Kylin for Christmas!":

- There isn't really a defined explanation as to how Rei knows Kylin, but the most accepted theory is that when Rei was reincarnated, she landed in Kylin's Paradise, similar to how Asellus and White Rose would have landed in Mosperiburg if the Kurenai scenario had remained. Also, Rei's body is that of a 10~12 year old child.

8. When Silence isn't so silent:

- Cotton can speak during Red's quest if you get the little tyke in Shrike before heading off to Shingrow. Silence speaks if he is in Red's active party (either in the 2nd or 3rd position) at the Black Cross HQ, just as he's about to go Alkaiser. Another is also in Shingrow if Silence is in the first position during one of those fights in order to get into the door.

9. Rouge: "I'm better than you!"

- The ultimate question of who is more powerful, Blue or Rouge? It was removed for the NA release, but in the Japanese version of Saga Frontier, Rouge is fundamentally more powerful because he can master Mind Magic during the other characters' quests while Blue cannot.

10. T260Girl:

- He, or it, is actually a female. The ancient ship that this mech was based on had a core that was patterned to be female, which was normally the case during those times. Also, the real reason why "G" was added to T260's name was because of a manga that one of the programmers liked during that time.

11. Koorong: Having this much fun should be illegal:

- Koorong is known as a type of hub for anything and everything. Considering that Koorong is the main link for region ships and is rather large (considering the caverns and sewers underground which can run rampant with thugs), this is not too surprising. It's a type of shopping mecca, but it also famous for being a dangerous place. "Illegal Town" would be a good nickname for it. Illegal goods are sold in secret places and is a place where Trinity's darker schemes are formed. However, it is not all bad because those illegal places are good places for mech parts and upgrades.

12. The tiers of the Mystic Court:

- There are three ranks in the Mystic Court (four if you also count Mystic Lords): the highest, middle, and lower levels. 

The highest level is reserved for those mystics with high mystic power. They are also considered the "true vampires" because they are able to suck another mystic's blood in order to get stronger. Because of this particular trait, Orlouge keeps them under close watch in Chateau Aiguille, because he is possessive and to prevent them from doing harm to him and each other. Examples of members in this rank are Ciato (gag), Zozma, White Rose and Golden Lion.

The middle level is for those mystics who have average mystic power but make up for it in some other way to garner entrance into the Castle. Examples of members in this rank are Rastaban and Asellus when she first starts. Ildon was not mentioned to have a rank, but in relation to the others, this would probably the rank he is in.

The lowest level is for those mystics who have low mystic power. This is the level with the most members. And example is Mesarthim. They are not allowed to live in the castle and Orlouge does not consider them a threat, for he usually only has to hold them under either fascination or fear.

Information on Mystic Lords can be found in Aoiseishin's guide. Members of the group are Virgil and Orlouge (and Asellus if you get the full-mystic ending). Rei is also considered because her power equals that of Orlouge (having gained her power from him). Space Lord (Kylin) is not a Mystic Lord because it is not a mystic. Time Lord is not a Mystic Lord because he is an regular mystic who has simply mastered Time Magic (he also does not fulfill the formation of an ichizoku/clan). From the beginning, Rastaban believes that Virgil, Orlouge and Asellus are the three Mystic Lords of the era.

13. Mystics... what are they? (Part I):

- The label the book puts on mystics are "Living beings with human-like forms but have blue blood flowing through their veins." Their existence is more like the materialization of a type of consciousness. They have complicated minds/spirits, beautiful appearances, and have violent hatred towards others/something. Their class distinctions are like humans, but the rules and regulations are quite strictly enforced. If a lower level mystic should anger a higher level mystic (like by acting in a manner not of their rank), then that higher level mystic would make that lower level mystic "disappear."

Asura's note:
- From what I read, all mystics may have been human once, but somewhere along the line, "mystic power" which is created out of anger/hatred/narcissism/greed may have awakened the first Mystic Lords. It does not say that they cannot reproduce, but because of the strict rules and their overly complicated selves, reproduction is not even an idea to consider. Women (mistresses) are subject to Charm Lord's fascination, but Charm Lord is more interested in the power he has over them. (Besides, why bother having children when you can just suck the blood out of the nearest person and have them follow you?)

In a sense, he is a rank above everyone, so he may not choose to even touch them. (Throughout the game, he does not touch anyone, not even when he threw Ciato like a rag doll all over the Throne Room). 

14. The tale of "Ningyohime" (Mermaid Princess):

- A long time ago when the world was still peaceful, there was a water mystic who dreamed of becoming human (heh, sound familiar?). Although she was a full mystic, she discarded her tail to become human-like, ignored the responsibilities and limitations of her rank, and pretended to be human. All of the Mystic Lords of the time grew angry at the indiscretion and banished all the water mystics. Even now, water mystics only dwell in a small territory in Owmi and their only contact with the outside world is to convey their intentions in the language of flowers.

15. Kurenai: The Eternal Flame of Facinaturu:

- Kurenai's job is a type of incinerator to burn and destroy the failures of Rootville (products or whatnot). During the time when Kurenai was still a fire mystic, her true name was "Merope" (Merpe in the Romanized translation) and she was Orlouge's 8th princess. 8, number-wise is pronounced "you" with a long o sound, which translates to either heat/sunshine, or to melt. A character named "Merope" was also one of Helios' (the Sun's) daughters in Greek Mythology. She was 30 years old when Orlouge made her his mistress.

Orlouge's interest in her faded very quickly and her existence was soon forgotten. However, his charm still ruled over her entire being and she became no more than a doll. Like a doll, she has no facial expression despite her beautiful face, but she can still feel emotion.

Fire mystics are famed to be especially charming mystics and their race is considered spectacularly beautiful. In the beginning, Kurenai took pride in her beauty, the loss of Orlouge's favor severely wounded her pride. Her body gradually faded and she came to loathe the world. Even now, none of Chateau Aiguille's knights have seen her true face.

16. Lute's Father's Death:

- Lute's father's name is Ian, and was a close friend of Mondo at the time of the Anti-Trinity movement. During a raid, some troops were about to overtake them as they were escaping and in order to save Mondo, Lute's father sacrificed himself... is what was said.

17. Of Mondo's rise to power:

- Mondo used to be part of the anti-Trinity movement, so why did he turn over? The truth is that after the event of Ian's death, Mondo saw an opportunity. He probably felt the limitations that bound the anti-Trinity movement from really accomplishing anything significant. Because of this, he turned the tables and joined the side of Trinity. He thought that joining the organization would make it easier to demolish it from the inside. However, because of the successes that he met, his true purpose for joining Trinity was forgotten in favor of his new-found sense of ambition.

18. "What is Asellus' true ending?"

- Asellus doesn't have a "true ending" per se because she was really supposed to figure that out for herself with the going through the removed parts of her quest to help her figure out who she really wanted to be. However, with the removal of Orlouge as the Charm Lord, it's really torn between the half-mystic and mystic endings, leading towards a combination of the two. At this point, she believed that both humans and mystics can be equally evil towards each other.

Asellus did not absorb Orlouge (since he was actually defeated by being captured by Fuse in his deleted quest... Fuse also called him a pedophile for going after Rei, who was in her 12-year-old body -snicker-). However, she definitely did not kill herself but she did not turn into an insane tyrant. If it is in the book, then I haven't read it yet, but from my opinion she remained half-mystic but was still established as Facinaturu's new Charm Lord.

19. "Is Virgil invincible or was that just Riki's quest?"

- Virgil is just like any other mystic except that he's a Lord, meaning he's a lot more powerful than "normal" mystics. He's not invincible, but no one really has a reason to harm him since Mosperiburg is a barren wasteland, he does not kidnap underage girls, and only a few people really seek the Rings... which he can give out since they will come back to him sooner or later. Just like any mystic, Virgil loves beautiful things and is not a particularly violent mystic. In Riki's quest, the purpose was not to harm Virgil but to entertain him, since he really, really likes fireworks. In Essence, "Fireworks Lord" is his alternate name. 

20. Furdo:

- Furdo is a low-ranking mystic with the power to turn things to stone. He stays in his Workshop in the Magic Kingdom in an attempt to stay out of trouble and the dealings of the mystic court. Although his scenario in Asellus' quest is cut, he provides her an example of a mystic who is not completely bad or hateful of other races (darn elitist mystics). During battle, he is more curious than anything and prefers to speak with you.