Spoiler warning! This section contains plot details of Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. Do not read it if you have not played the game and intend to do so in the future. |
Come forth, my Monstrums! And consume this dark night! ~ Aprilis
Aprilis (アプリリス ) is a hooded woman with determined eyes, an artificial arm, and an artificial leg. Adol crosses paths with her during his escape from Balduq Prison. She transforms Adol into a Monstrum and compels him to battle Lemures in the Grimwald Nox alongside the other Monstrums. Aprilis urges Adol to delve into the enigmas shrouding the prison city of Balduq, offering the chance to unravel the truth behind the Grimwald Nox's curse.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Aprilis appears as a young woman with black hair and aqua blue eyes. Her left arm and leg are prosthetic limbs and her right arm is covered with scars. She wears a black hood, a feathered cloak that covers her right arm, a single fingerless black glove, and a gold colored belt around her waist. She carries a flintlock pistol, a dagger , and the Lantern of Crossing.
As Saint Rosvita, she wore silver plate armor and wielded a great sword.
Personality[]
Aprilis is a cold and dignified woman. Years of witnessing the repeated deaths of her comrades have made her somewhat abrasive. Her primary focus lies in safeguarding Balduq by overseeing Lemures and the Grimwald Nox. She often finds solace in solitude atop the Ruined Belfry in the Central District. However, as she spends more time with Adol and the Monstrums, she develops a growing sense of care for them. She frequently takes it upon herself to defend them, realizing the importance of their presence.
Background[]
At a time when Aprilis was still known as Rosvita, she grew up in a modest village with her doll, Anemona. She lead a peaceful life there until the day she nearly died pulling a drowning child from a river. That's when Rosvita met the King of Gods, who saved her life, and in exchange imparted a mission onto her — expelling Britai's army, the forces of the god Luki. The ongoing war between Gllia and Britai was dominated for the longest time by the latter.
To realize her mission, Rosvita volunteered for the Gllian army, where she met her companions. Rosvita managed to turn the tide into the Gllian army's favor, take back Balduq and lead Gllia to victory. After a hundred years of war, Britai no longer had the morale to continue their losing battle. It was at this time where the gods Grimnir and Luki were both slain upon the other's blade. This war came to be known as the Hundred Years' War, and during the chaos of its aftermath, Rosvita was deceived by the king of Britai, and sentenced to death by burning.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox[]
Aprilis is the historical figure of Balduq known as Saint Rosvita, a valiant warrior who participated in the Hundred Years' War over 500 years ago. Tragically, after the war, she was unjustly accused, framed, and ultimately burned at the stake by the jealous Gllia royal family. In a bid to revive Rosvita, her companion Zola conducted alchemic experiments and successfully created Aprilis, a homunculus clone of Rosvita.
Notably, all the Monstrums, except Doll and Adol, are also homunculus clones of Rosvita's comrades who fought alongside her in the war. Gifted with the power to battle in the Grimwald Nox, they assumed the responsibility left by the fallen gods. However, approximately 8 years ago, Zola vanished in his quest to find a permanent solution to release Aprilis and the Monstrums from their duty.
In Zola's absence, Aprilis faced challenges in raising Credo, Krysha, Yufa, and Jules. To provide them with a semblance of normalcy, she assumed new identities for them and arranged their adoption. As they grew older and reached the age to join the fight in the Grimwald Nox, Aprilis sought them out and activated their dormant powers through alchemicy bullets, transforming them into Monstrums.
Character notes[]
Musical themes[]
Aprilis's musical theme is called "Aprilis", continuing the Ys tradition of featuring a musical track named after the respective game's heroine. In Ys IX, the tracks "Alchemy Lab" and "Anima Ergastulum" contain a motif of Aprilis' theme.
In the Ys IX Super Ultimate album, "Aprilis" received an arrangement by Yukihiro Jindo.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Rosvita is based on Joan of Arc due to similarities in their backstories, and her name is a reference to Hrotsvitha.
- She is one of the few characters to have more than one raid skills in a single game. Even among these characters, she is the only one to have three raid skills.
- The other characters are Tito and Sir Carlan. Though Sir Carlan's second skill replaced his first raid skill.
- Aprilis carries a dagger that she never uses throughout Ys IX.