Lans Tartare

Lans Tartare, known in Japan as Lancelot Tartare (ランスロット・タルタロス), is a fictional character from the video game, Tactics Ogre, as well as its prequel, Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis.


Early Years


Formerly known as "Alphonse Tartare", he changed his name to "Alphonse Loeher" due to changes in his familial situation. He is a soldier under the command of Rictor Lasanti, his old friend, who is on a campaign to the island of Ovis. The island has been in a state of revolution. Because of a storm, Rictor, Alphonse, and their company are forced to land elsewhere. While resting, they are attacked by mercenaries hired by someone to stop them. Eventually they win the battle, but afterwards an assassin hiding on the side aims and fires an arrow at Rictor.

Alphonse takes the arrow, and is thrown off a cliff. He drifts onto a shore near the home of Eleanor, a young woman. She takes care of him. Alphonse goes back on his mission, with the help of Ivanna, a soldier from one of the countries of Ovis. Eventually he gets tied into the Hand of the Pope, his country's religious leader's secret organization.

The Pope is planning a coup d'etat on Lodis, and Rictor, knowing this, opposes him. Alphonse, nevertheless, sides with the Hand of the Pope. Eventually, it becomes known that one of the countries perpetuating the war on Ovis wants to revive Shaher, the fallen angel, with the lance of Longicolnis. Alphonse tries to stop the resurrection, but it happens anyway. He then battles Shaher, and when he is about to lose, Eleanor sacrifices her life to make Shaher be forgiven by God. Since Alphonse had fallen in love with Eleanor, he enters a depression, having lost his best friend, Rictor, in a battle against him, and his one love.

Further Story


Alphonse returns to Lodis, where the Pope nominates him as "Lans Tartare", an official knight of the "Roslolian Knights". He eventually becomes a templar, and soon, a "Death Templar", leading the Roslolians. He steals the Holy Sword, "Brunhild", from the Kingdom of Zenobia. He is then assigned to work for Bishop Branta on the island of Valeria, which is also in a state of civil war. The treaty with the Bishop is merely a mask to hide the Roslolian's true intention, which is to find the treasure of the former King of Valeria.

For some unknown reason, Alphonse refuses to use the Brunhild to open the seal on the tomb, where King Dolgare's treasure is. Instead, he seeks to find a young revolutionary's "sister", who is actually the daughter of the king, to open the seal. He persuades her to join him, and she does. Before opening the seal, however, Tartare does several other things, which cause him to lose the Princess of Valeria to her "brother".

Lans decides to abandon his mission, and goes to the Bishop to inform him of his departure. He is then betrayed by some of his knights and imprisoned, and the Brunhild is stolen from him. The knights also desire the King's treasure. Somehow, Alphonse and his two faithful lieutenants escape imprisonment, and seek passage back to Lodis.

Trivia

* He lost his right eye in a fight against the Zenobian paladin Lans Hamilton, this probably happened when Lodis went Zenobia to steal Brunhild.

* He commands 1 of the 12 divisions of the army of Lodis. He works directly for Pope Saldian with the honorable title of ¨Death Templar¨, and is also leader of the Roslolian Dark Knights, the aforementioned division.

* His Element is earth, and his alignment is Lawful according to Tactics Ogre : Let Us Cling Together.

* His title (Lans Tartare) is likely an homage to the soldiers of Tatar (or Tartar), many of whom carried oversized lances, which gave way to the now outdated phrase "Heavy as a Tartar's lance." His connection with the lance of Longicolnis furthers this allusion.
 
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