Villaire, also known as Villaire the Betrayer and sometimes spelled as Valeir, was a member of the Red Sky Legion. He is the final enemy in the now-removed Brusthonin Campaign.
Encounter[]
Shortly after arriving in Brusthonin the player is dispatched to investigate a report which mentions a desecrated grave at the shrine of the Red Sky Legion. The ensuing investigation reveals that the grave lies in shambles, and apparently has been in this state for a long period of time. Since the body inside is missing the nearby ghosts are unable to recall anything about this person (with the body gone the 'catalyst' or tie needed for the ghosts to access their memories of this person is gone too). The only thing that the player ultimately learns is that the grave belonged to a man named Villaire.
A while later unsettling reports begin to flood in. A mysterious young boy has been seen loitering around Adma Stronghold, which concerns the local Brigade General as Adma Stronghold is a place that has apparently been off-limits ever since the outbreak started. The player is advised to check up with the guards at the site and see if they know anything about this young boy, but upon arrival the player learns that the inhabitants of the castle have long since succumbed to the plague and are now but wandering undead. After battling their way through hordes of the castle's former residents he/she finally encounters and confronts the child in the sewers of the castle.
Although the boy immediately attacks, the player can hold their ground and seemingly defeats him, but the child changes form and is revealed to be none other than Villaire himself, the missing member from the gravesite of the Red Sky Legion. In the ensuing fight his ephemeral form turns out to be too much of a handful for the player, who is saved in the nick of time by the spirit pets of Erna, the former spiritmaster of the Red Sky Legion. The spirits manage to stall Villaire long enough for Erna's Tempest Spirit to come forth and overpower him at last.
With Villaire finally put to rest, the members of the Red Sky Legion thank the player as they, too, can finally return to the flow of aether. Once the player reports back in with these findings the full history behind Brusthonin's fate is revealed.
Beritra's Contamination[]
As the invading Balaur were being pushed back by the various legions defending the land, Dragon Lord Beritra conjured up a devious plan. As he pretended to retreat he planted an evil seed -- a tiny fragment bearing a fraction of his malice -- inside a member of the Red Sky Legion, the man who is later revealed to have been Villaire. The seed slowly chipped away at Villaire, corrupting his being, until he eventually succumbed to its influence. Now an instrument of the Dragon Lord's revenge, the seed transformed Villaire into a child, allowing him to easily slip past the defenses around Adma Stronghold and spread Beritra's contamination behind the heavily fortified walls, turning all of its inhabitants into undead. With the last layer of defense gone, the contamination now spread practically unchecked through Brusthonin, corrupting everything it came in touch with and reducing the land to its present, lifeless state. Beritra had lost the fight, but exacted a cruel revenge in return.
After defeating Villaire Beritra´s seed is seen attaching itself to the player´s body unnoticed. This is the same dark energy that ends up overpowering Hellion later on and is extracted by Lephar/Israphel moments before it completely takes over the player.
Trivia[]
- Villaire was described by his Brigade General to be an "honest and open man", but also mentions that this perhaps "made him more vulnerable to Beritra's contamination". The player fulfills a similar role during the 4.0 Campaign, as he/she is also chosen by Beritra as an instrument for his plot.
- In Aion 3.0 a souvenir named Valeir the Thinker was introduced in honor of him, although it is worth to note that the description of said statue reads "A statue of the Betrayer Villaire. Villaire was once a member of the Red Sky Legion, but abandoned his comrades after being tempted by material things". This suggests that the truth behind Brusthonin's contamination was, ultimately, never revealed to the public -- possibly because tales of a Daeva being corrupted by a Dragon Lord would install fear into the Humans and disrupt their faith in/obedience to the Daevas and the Empyrean Lords.