Le'garde

Le'garde is a character in Fear and Hunger, serving as the main plot point that leads to the player coming to the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger.

After the events of the first game, Le'garde would reappear in Fear & Hunger 2: Termina, under the moniker of Kaiser.

Lore
"'The chosen entity... Tales, both penned and crooned, flutter around this being even in the throes of his mortality. The genesis of the prophecy remains ensconced in the veils of ambiguity—yet its veracity is doubtlessly disputable. The man, however, remains an enigmatic spectacle. Distinctive and uncanny, his role in the grand tapestry of fate is obscure, but indubitably, he has ignited an expansive conflagration...' - The New Gods, musing upon the enigma of Le'garde." Le'garde, a formidable figure, helmed the mercurial league known as the Knights of the Midnight Sun. Within his fold stood the likes of D'arce Cataliss, a shadow in his luminous aura. Deemed the harbinger of unification, he sought the mysterious Cube of the Depths, venturing to invade the realms of Oldegård. Fate, however, veered him towards the cryptic depths of the dungeon. Yet, the oblivion that Le'garde asserts as his mental state is but an intricate ruse, an artifice crafted to ensnare unsuspecting souls into the abyss of Ma'habre, aiding his ascendancy to divine omnipotence. As Le'garde's mortal coil unravels, Nosramus illuminates the grand narrative: a choreographed confinement aimed at transcendence to a sublime echelon of godhood. Each nascent deity harbors a quintessential soul essence—Chambara with his tormented psyche, Valteil's luminous spirit, Nilvan's perpetual essence, and the commanding aura of Francois. Le'garde's gambit was to amalgamate these essences: agony from the dungeon's tribulations, enlightenment via the cube, perpetuity through dreamy rendezvous with Nilvan, and dominion via his conquests. This positions him to potentially eclipse the splendor of the nascent pantheon. Nosramus ponders upon this trajectory, describing it as "not the quintessential odyssey, yet... a captivating chronicle to unravel...".

Attributes
Le'garde starts with plate mail (Defense +40) and a short sword (+10 Attack). He knows the move Leg Sweep, an attack that costs 20 Mind and requires a light sword, and attacks the legs of every enemy.

He cannot be sacrificed to Gro-goroth or used to form a Marriage. Attempting the former while cause Le'garde to mockingly ask the player why they rescued him only to try and sacrifice him.

Recruitment
Le'garde can be found in the level 7 catacombs in the rightmost area, behind iron bars. Le'garde is the reason that the player's character is visiting the dungeon, and the main characters and the Girl, if present at the scene where he is found, will comment on his condition or speak to him, depending on whether or not he's alive at the time. The conditions that determine whether Le'garde is alive or dead are time-based. Reaching him within 30 minutes of starting a run will result in him being found alive, while taking longer will result in him already being dead.

The best strategy to reach Le'garde on time is to make the protagonist learn the Dash skill, allowing the player to move in and around the levels with ease, as well as run past enemies.

There are 3 ways to reach the level-7 catacombs:
 * 1) The Cave Dweller Village: Going to the left or front entrance from the start, then descending down to Level 3-Prisons and lowering the elevator to Level 2-Blood Pit. Going left is faster because you can use the switch on your way to Level 2-Blood Pit. The switch for this is connected to a room by a small door. This will take one down to the Level 4-Caverns. From there, proceed to the Level 5-Mines and there is an option to either go left and use an explosive vile on a rubble pile (which opens up a shortcut between the entrance of the mines and the southern entrance of the Level 7-Catacombs). This is the fastest and safest way to reach Le'garde. Or go right and continue on to the Cave Dweller Village. Within the village center will be a wooden platform with a hole leading deeper into the mines. Jumping down this hole will lead one to the Wolf Orgy area, from which you can proceed north and eventually reach the southern entrance of the Level 7-Catacombs. This method is not recommended however, as it is likely to take longer than the allotted time to find Le'garde alive unless one is highly practised. It should be noted though, that it is possible to also get the Cube of the Depths simultaneously while taking this route, but doing so will take even more time that Le'garde does not have.


 * 1) The Thicket: After picking up the Mock-up Book in the Level 1-Entrance library area, proceed through the courtyard and into the Level 1-Inner Hall. From there, locate the inner hall's library, and against the back wall will be a hidden exit blocked by a bookcase. Interact with said bookcase to place the mockup-book inside, and the way forward will open to Level 1-Backyard. In the eastern corner there will be a pile of rubble, which can be cleared with an explosive vile, giving access to the Hidden Backyard and the Level 2-Thicket. Proceeding through the thicket (by avoiding the Mumblers, finding hidden doorways by interacting with it's walls, and falling down two holes which appear in the Level 2 area and Level 5 areas) will eventually lead one to fall into the Level 7-Catacombs via a hole in the roof. From there it is as simple as proceeding down and right until one reaches the first iron door (which is unlocked), behind which will be Le'garde.

He will claim to have amnesia if he is alive, although he can remember his name, and will ask to join the party. He will remain in this space until recruited if the player does not recruit him then. D'arce will stay with him until both of them are recruited if she is in the party when the player does not recruit him.
 * 1) The Prisons: Within the Level 3-Prisons area is a locked bird-cage like section with stairs leading down into the Level-7 Catacombs. Proceeding through this door will require the Player to either A: Crit it with a hit (possibly 800+ damage from a Crude Sword or Miasma), or B: Break it down by assembling several characters. Once the door is opened, proceed down the spiral staircase until it eventually ends at the Northern entrance to Level 7-The Catacombs. From there, proceed down and then right all the way until the end of the level, where the unlocked iron door leading to Le'garde's cell is. Iron Shakespear's key no longer opens this door, nor does Lockpicking work on it. It can only be opened with brute force or from the inside, so this strategy is probably the least doable.

Upon recruitment, he will leave some hints at the city's existence, such as stopping in the hall with the door to say he's sensing something, and refusing to leave with the player's party if trying to get the escape ending, giving the player a choice to either part ways or to stay a little more and continue playing.

Trivia

 * Le'garde is heavily inspired by Griffith, the main antagonist of the manga series Berserk by Kentaro Miura.
 * In the game's files are unused animations of Le'garde committing suicide, using a bow, carrying a Demon Kid, being tortured by Trortur, having sex with the Bunnymasks, and being raped by a Guard. This suggests that Le'garde was intended to be a fully playable character at some point in development