- "There are those in this world with sins far greater than my own..." —Captain Kaldena, prior to battle
Captain Kaldena is a character in Octopath Traveler II. She is the captain of the Sacred Guard and serves as the main antagonist and final boss of Temenos's story.
Profile[]
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(I don't think this is where I should be going at the moment...) The following section contains potential story spoilers! |
Appearance[]
Kaldena has dark skin and long white hair that covers one of her eyes. On her forehead is a tattoo, representing the Sacred Flame of the Kal. She wears the elite Sacred Guard uniform, adorned with tyrian purple highlights instead of the usual royal blue, as well as a flowing black and purple cape and a mulberry-colored sash around her waist. She wields an immense sword in battle.
Personality[]
At first glance, Kaldena is a tightly wound and dutiful captain who commands her knights with great efficiency. She appears to be honored and respected by everyone in the Sacred Guard, including her deputy Cubaryi and her bodyguard Ort.
In truth, however, Kaldena does not believe in the Sacred Flame and despises the gods. The genocide of her people has filled her with seething resentment toward the world and humanity at large, and she expresses great vitriol toward the gods for creating humankind. Her hatred is founded on deep-seated hypocrisy, as she claims to hate all humans (despite being one) and ridicules humans' need to cling to power (despite her own ravenous lust for power).
Consumed by her rage, Kaldena is willing to do anything it takes to achieve revenge on the Kal's killers. She seeks power no matter the cost, and does not hesitate to slaughter her own soldiers or break the law of the Kal in order to harness the Shadow. Her all-consuming rage blinds her to the bitter irony of her quest, transforming her into a pawn of Arcanette's manipulation; in her ignorance, she ends up collaborating with the very foe she sought to destroy, ultimately dooming herself by channeling more power than she can control.
Story[]
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(I don't think this is where I should be going at the moment...) The following section contains potential story spoilers! |
History[]
Kaldena, originally named Dena, was born as one of the Kal, the Keepers of the Flame. She grew up near Crackridge, in the Kal sanctuary now known as the Fellsun Ruins. 30 years ago, when she was still a child, all of her tribe's members were brutally slaughtered by the Moonshade Order. Her father, too, was killed during the massacre, sacrificing himself to allow her to escape.
As she aged, Dena changed her name to Kaldena in memory of her lost ancestors and swore to fulfill her father’s dying wish — to avenge her people. In order to enact her plan, she infiltrated the Sacred Guard, becoming one of its knights and eventually rising to the rank of captain. She never believed in the teachings of the Order of the Sacred Flame, but rather plotted to exploit her position to gain power.
At an unknown time, Kaldena met Arcanette, who (unbeknownst to her) was the secret leader of the Moonshade Order. Arcanette told Kaldena about the rite to summon the Shadow using the Book of Night, introducing her to Vados, who was tasked with gathering the remaining pages of the Book of Night in an effort to restore the manuscript.
As captain of the Sacred Guard, Kaldena oversaw the training of Crick and Ort, two promising cadets with talent. She eventually knighted them herself, appointing Ort as her personal bodyguard.
Story[]
After receiving word of a series of murders after the pontiff's death in Flamechurch, Kaldena arrives in Canalbrine to oversee the investigation in the deaths of a local apothecary and Lucian, a renowned theologian. Later that night, she returns to the Sacred Guard Ship with a group of knights, including her second-in-command Cubaryi.
Onboard, Kaldena and her soldiers find Temenos, the church's inquisitor, along with Crick, one of her own knights. The pair have already subdued Vados, the culprit behind the attacks. After placing Vados under arrest, Kaldena assigns Crick to escort him back to Stormhail, and she agrees to his request to let Temenos interrogate Vados upon his arrival at the Sacred Guard Headquarters.
However, Temenos never receives a chance to carry out this interrogation, as Kaldena discreetly has Vados murdered and all records of him erased. Before she departs for the Nameless Village and its ruins, Kaldena personally murders Crick, who has discovered her hidden library and plans to warn Temenos of it. Kaldena leaves instructions for Cubaryi to "put the hound to heel," intending to stop the inquisitor from interfering with her plans.
Kaldena makes her way into the Rifted Rock with a squadron of knights, led by Ort. She orders him and a small group to follow her, while the rest stand watch for Temenos. Upon arriving at an old altar, Ort confronts Kaldena about the suspicious circumstances surrounding Crick's death. Laughing at the accusation, Kaldena turns on her followers, striking them down with her sword and critically wounding Ort.
After sacrificing her soldiers, Kaldena uses an incantation from the Book of Night to corrupt most of her remaining guards with the Shadow. The possessed soldiers turn on each other, cutting each other down in a frenzy of rage. While Kaldena revels in her achievement, however, she is confronted by Temenos, who has successfully tracked her down to the cave.
When Temenos reveals his knowledge of her plans, Kaldena offers to let him join her, but the cleric refuses. Kaldena engages him in battle, during which she attempts to gain more power from the Shadow to overwhelm Temenos. The power consumes her against her will, transforming her into a monstrous demon of darkness.
Temenos defeats Kaldena's monstrous form, watching her body disintegrate as she passes away. After Kaldena's death, the Sacred Guard loses its authority within the church due to the corruption within its ranks.
During the final chapter, Ori's journal reveals that the reason Kaldena lost control of the Shadow's power was because Arcanette had deliberately taught her a flawed rite, intending for Kaldena to die once she was no longer useful to the Moonshade Order. Following Kaldena's defeat, the Book of Night was stolen by Ori and fused with Harvey’s Book of Demons, creating the Darkblood Grimoire.
Abilities[]
Captain Kaldena[]
- Attack: Physical attack
, single target. - Hollow Sword: Physical attack , single target. Reduces target's BP by 1.
- Elemental Bane: Physical attack , single target. Inflicts Decreased Elemental Attack and Decreased Elemental Defense debuffs for 3 turns.
- Waves of Darkness: Elemental damage, , targets entire party. Chance to inflict Blindness for 1–3 turns.
- Dark Tomb: Incapacitates a single target afflicted with Blindness.
- Kaldena concentrates the waves...: Kaldena enters boost mode for 1 turn. Uses Blinding Shock if not broken before Kaldena's next action.
- Blinding Shock:
Kaldena of Night[]
- Darkness descends upon the area... // Healing will be less potent.: Automatically activates after Kaldena transforms into her second form. Cuts all healing effectiveness in half and gains permanent Increased Physical Attack and Increased Elemental Attack, as well as Increased Physical Defense and Increased Elemental Defense.
- The darkness has momentarily lifted!:Breaking Kaldena will temporarily dispel the effect.
- Darkness descends once more...: Automatically activates when Kaldena of Night recovers from a break.
- Thrash: Heavy Physical attack , targets entire party. Chance to inflict Blindness for 2 turns.
- Pulverize: Physical attack , single target. Removes all of the target's BP.
- Depths of Hell: Physical attack , single target. Inflicts Blindness for 3 turns and Terror for 2 turns.
- Deadly Frenzy: Physical attack , targets entire party.
- Invigoration: Increase Kaldena's actions to 3 per turn.
- Seething Bloodlust:
- The darkness pulses with life...: Kaldena enters boost mode for 1 turn. Uses Abyssal Wave if not broken before Kaldena's next action.
- Abyssal Wave: Heavy Elemental damage, , targets entire party. Chance to inflict Blindness for 3 turns.
- Abyssal Wave: Heavy Elemental damage,
Quotes[]
- "No matter the cost, power will be mine." —During a flashback
- "And if there are such things as gods in this world, they are my enemy." —During a flashback
- "Haha... Naught but darkness ahead. That is far more comforting than any flame." —Upon entering the Rifted Rock
- "They say only death can teach a fool." —When engaging Temenos in battle
- "I will make the Shadow mine and avenge the Kal people! I will kill as many as it takes! I will become whatever I must to see my will done!" —Prior to battle
- "On your knees!" —Using Hollow Sword
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
The Kal- prefix of her name was added to honor her fallen people, and Dena was likely derived from the Hebrew name Dina, meaning "judgment", "vindication" or “avenged."
Trivia[]
- Kaldena's second form resembles Lucia's demonic boss sprite from the original Octopath Traveler.
- For unknown reasons, the skin color of Kaldena's adult overworld sprite is significantly lighter than the one seen on any of her other appearances, including the official concept art.
- Kaldena professes to have worshiped "two different flames in as many lands," which leaves room for interpretation regarding which two flames she means. She may be contrasting the Sacred Flame (the azure flame of the Kal) with the Accurst Flame (associated with dark power). However, since the Accurst Flame does not make an official appearance in Octopath Traveler II, Kaldena may alternately be referring to the azure flame of her people and the Sacred Flame as two separate flames.
- Kaldena drops a sword called the "Eclipse Edge" when defeated, implying that this is the name of her blade.
- According to popular hearsay, the power of a god is contained within Kaldena's sword.
- Kaldena's character draws signficant inspiration from Mattias from the original Octopath Traveler, as both are the main antagonists of their games' clerics who seek to summon unholy power; infiltrate the Church; perform a forbidden ritual involving human sacrifice; and blame the Sacred Flame for failing to protect their loved ones. Both Mattias's and Kaldena's bodies disintegrate into smoke upon death, and both receive sympathetic words of lament after battle ("What a sad man you were" for Mattias; "You poor wretch" for Kaldena).