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Framaus, better known as the Crimson Wizard (Wizard of the Red Lotus in Japanese), is an extremely powerful young wizard and a major villain in the video game Trials of Mana. He is the second-in-command of the Dragon Lord, and the archenemy of Duran and Angela. He is 20 years old, 5 ft. 10 in. tall (178 cm), and weighs 137 lbs (62 kg).

Characteristics[]

Official info describes the Crimson Wizard as a twenty-year-old, 178 cm tall young man weighing 62 kgs. Whether he truly lacked power, owing it all to the Dragon Lord, is never explained. However, in Echoes of Mana his teacher states that he has enormous potential, which his time-displaced future self confirms.

He is estimated equal to Queen Valda, Altena's greatest mage, and is certainly greater as he controlled her without trouble. He rivals the Tainted Soul and Belladonna, but is be the most magic-adept, being the human character with the widest array of attack spells. He masters six elements out of eight (with the latter two lacking attack spells). Still, despite his huge power, he only displays "classical" feats of magic like magical movement, levitation, teleportation, sight and talk where he is not physically present, mind-control, and creature summoning, aside from battle magic.

Personality[]

When beaten, the Crimson Wizard admits that prior to becoming evil he craved acceptance, feeling deep shame at his lack of power. His gratitude for the heroes' sympathy also hints a gentle, humble side. Echoes of Mana confirms that he was kind, polite and congenial, if introverted, insecure, and self-deprecating, believing himself to be hopeless and deserving of his fellow students' scorn.

He kept refusing Angela's offers to address her as an equal, arguing he would drag her down despite her insisting that they were friends. Still, he proved pretty knowledgeable, observant and astute, quoting tales and noticing that the heroes were not from Altena.

The Dragon Lord's evil warped him, making him haughty, taunting, cruel and sadistic. He resents the ostracism he faced, being eager to ruin Altena as revenge. He enjoys being the one who looks down on others and displays an intense contempt for weakness.

The Crimson Wizard acts poised but fierce, calmly albeit vehemently addressing his troops. He revels in toying with and tormenting his victims, kicking them when they are down and mocking what they hold dear. As seen when he plays, cat-and-mouse with Duran while he could have effortlessly crushed him.

He appears to enjoy battles, being seen laughing when fought or playfully teasing his foes in the remake. Yet, he grows increasingly irked by the heroes, dismissing them as hopeless weaklings, before growing exasperated by their persistence.

Still, he is a talented general who trains his troops hard, always fights in the front line and deals personally with missions. Despite his cruelty, he praises his troops in earnest for a job well done, and avoids needlessly risking them when he can send constructs instead.

In his last moments, he realizes how unfulfilling his craving for power really was and loses all will to live. He bitterly muses that he lost too much, probably realising that he was but a pawn. Dying as himself was his only conscious use of the power he wasted his life to get.

Background[]

"When I was younger, I was unable to use magic. Ashamed at my own powerlessness and disgusted with my lot in life, I fled Altena. […] He offered me a deal. In exchange for half of my life-force, I was given control of the Dragon Lord's limitless power! […] I only have half of my life as it is. The dark power given to me can't replace what he took of my life-force. I will never be whole... Is there even a reason to go on?"
—The Crimson Wizard telling his story after his defeat

Framaus was born and raised in Altena, the Kingdom of Sorcery populated by mages. For reasons unknown, he lacked magic potential. His boss dialogue in the remake adds that he worked hard in vain.

Echoes of Mana shows that he trained under the royal magic teacher Master José, but was belittled by every other student for his failures, save from the equally struggling Princess Angela, who defended and encouraged him. José assessed that he had great potential but was wilting under pressure.

Koren scene (ToM)

The Crimson Wizard in the original game

He eventually ran away, after having been marked as an outcast according to Echoes of Mana. He found himself in Dragonsmaw, where the Dragon Lord was felled fifteen years before the story.

His spirit tempted him with the power he craved, offering him access to his incredible magical might in exchange of half his life-force. The soon-to-become Crimson Wizard accepted and partially revived his new liege, but he got corrupted, becoming forever bound to him.

The Crimson Wizard returned to Altena, using his newfound power to quickly rise in rank. He was named prime advisor of the Altenian ruler, Valda the True Queen, and supreme commander of the Altenian army. He brainwashed Valda and started ruling Altena through her, ensuring she would take all blame. He had Altena declare war to other nations, pretexting the danger caused by the waning power of Mana, which prevents Valda from keeping the polar country temperate, aiming to seize the eight Mana Stones and free the Benevodons.

Role in the Game[]

Introduction[]

"Poor boy. What senile old fool would entrust the security of his castle to a child? Oh? My apologies. You work for the king, do you not?"
—The Crimson Wizard taunting Duran

The Crimson Wizard personally led an attack on the royal castle of the Grassland Kingdom of Valsena. There, he effortlessly defeated Duran: the kingdom's best swordsman, the son of the Golden Knight who defeated the Dragon Lord at the cost of his life, and one of the six playable characters. Duran barely survived and swore to become powerful enough to find and kill the Crimson Wizard.

Duran&Koren

Battling Duran

Meanwhile, The Crimson Wizard prepared to use Princess Angela, another playable character also unable to spell-cast, as a sacrifice to lift the seal on the Mana Stone of Water. (Each Stone requiring a different sacrifice.) He made it appear as a decision of Queen Valda herself, whose approval Angela craved. Distraught, Angela fled the palace, using magic for the first time of her life.

War For the Mana Stones[]

The Dragon Lord is warring with his Dark Majesty, and the Masked Mage for control of the Benevodons. The Crimson Wizard sends the witches of Altena everywhere, and they attack the heroes with two magic-powered Machine Golems, destroying the bridge to Valsena.

Searching for the Stones with the Darkshine Knight, the Wizard has Valda sacrifice the soul of fallen mage warriors to break the seal on the Mana Stone of Water. They eventually manage to unseal the eight Mana Stones, while the heroes are battling their armies and gathering the Mana Spirits to reach the Mana Goddess.

Crimson Wizard (remake)

The Crimson Wizard in the remake

The heroes later save the Hero King Richard from hordes of magic constructs, led by the Crimson Wizard who is attacking Valsena again. Duran challenges his archenemy, who merely taunts him and teleports away, unimpressed.

As the heroes use the Spirits' power to access the Mana Sanctuary, the extinct volcano housing the Tree of Mana (incarnation of the Mana Goddess), the Crimson Wizard adds the released Mana Stones power to that of the Elementals', forcing open an access. He now invades the Sanctuary on the Altenian flying battleship the Gigantress and blasts the heroes with its warp cannon, followed by the other evil armies.

In the ensuing battle, the main villain slays his rivals and their servants. If the main hero is not Duran nor Angela, the Wizard is killed with the Dragon Lord. Otherwise, the heroes meet the Mana Goddess and gain the fabled Sword of Mana. Alas, the Crimson Wizard abducts their Faerie guide and demands the Sword in exchange for her life, forcing them to comply.

The Wizard takes the Sword, but is harmed by its Holy Power, until the Darkshine Knight heals him. They bend it to their will and use it to free the Benevodons. The Wizard appears to kill Queen Valda whom he no longer needs, despite his promise. (In fact, he made her vanish but kept her in the Dragon Lord's lair just in case.) He departs and unleashes the Dragon Lord's armies of monsters all over the world of Fa'Diel.

The heroes kill the Benevodons one by one and reach Dragonsmaw, the Dragon Lord's lair in the Glass Desert. The Crimson Wizard sarcastically greets them, sending a group of powerful monsters against them. Later, the heroes defeat the Darkshine Knight. The heroes confront the Crimson Wizard and his fully revived liege. In fact, the Dragon Lord wanted them to kill the Benevodons, which channels their power in the Sword of Mana for him to absorb and surpass the Goddess. However, the Goddess thwarts his scheme with her last strength. Irked, the Dragon Lord teleports to the Mana Sanctuary, intending to destroy the Mana Tree, while the Crimson Wizard stays here to get rid of the heroes.

After a difficult battle, the heroes defeat the Wizard, who comes back to his senses and tells them his story. Disgusted with what he has become, he thanks the hero for talking him out of it and kills himself. After an unexpected moment of grieving, the heroes end the Dragon Lord's threat once and for all.

In the 2020 remake, the party can obtain the Ignition Chain Ability upon defeating the wizard in Duran and/or Angela's storyline.

Boss Battle[]

"Very well. You will soon understand how defenceless you are in the face of the power of darkness. I will show you myself!"
—The Crimson Wizard before fighting


2D Version[]

Earthquake

Land Slide

At level 48 and with 14718 life-points, the Crimson Wizard is a formidable foe, more than a match even for three heroes of a higher level. He masters all level 1 and level 2 spells of the Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Light and Darkness Elements: namely Diamond Shards, Land Slide, Cyclone, Thunder Storm, Fireball, Explode, Ice Smash, Spike Freeze, Holy Bolt, Lucent Beam, Evil Gate and Dark Force, which he can cast on one hero or all three.

Even low-level spells are painful and multi-target spells are mightier than the normal ones. The Crimson Wizard is very fast: he moves quickly forcing the heroes to chase him all over the arena, and spams spell after spell, being able to cast two (if not three) different ones in a row.

Mega Quake

Land Slide (multi-target)

The Crimson Wizard is very, very fast. He moves quickly forcing the heroes to chase him all over the arena, and spams spell after spell, being able to cast two (if not three) different ones in a row. The only way to harm him with magic is to cast a spell of either the same element or opposite of his last attack, otherwise it will heal him.

The only way to harm him with magic is to cast a spell of either the same element or opposite of his last attack, otherwise it will heal him. Using spells against the Wizard is not advised though, except with the three mightiest, as he will likely cast another spell before being hit and will then get healed.

The best way to deal with him is to boost the heroes and to weaken him as much as can be, before harassing him without end with weapons and special techniques. Decreasing his mind stats weakens his attacks. Healing is necessary as soon as life-points drop under at least 200, but too powerful attacks must be avoided lest he retaliates with a devastating spell. When wounded too much, he starts casting Ancient Curse: the deadliest spell available: MANY explosive meteors dealing crippling damages to every hero.

Ancient

Ancient Curse: the mightiest spell

The Moon Saber spell heals the heroes when they strike him with weapons. And with the Counter Magic spell or the Matango Oil item, each spell he casts is reflected back and deals damage, (with the exception of Ancient Curse and the multi-target spells). Those two tricks, make the battle much easier.

3D Version[]

In the remake, the Crimson Wizard is at level 64. His attacks can be dodged, and even telegraphed by red zones appearing where they will strike. He floats and warps quickly, spamming advanced versions of normal spells covering a wide radius, even wider when casting two in a row. He can also strike at close-range with his fire-infused hand, or conjure a fiery tornado around him.

His elemental weakness is told when it changes, but he can escape spells. Beware, Counter Magic can now only reflect one spell per casting. The heroes can destroy the energy spheres around him to prevent him from casting Ancient Curse, which knocks him out and makes him vulnerable. But if he does cast it, the spell is even deadlier.

Attacks[]

  • Type Change : ??? - Change type's elemental strength and weakness

Rise of Mana[]

Three old villains in a new game

The Crimson Wizard, with Belladonna and Goremand, makes cameo appearances in the mobile phone game Rise of Mana. They serve as bosses and allies, even when against them as bosses. They can be faced individually or all together.

Two heroes of warring tribes from the Spirit Realm, the divine Rasta and demonic Daruka, are sent into the Physical Planes sharing a body and forced to cooperate. In fact, it was a plan of the Mana Goddess to bring peace between their tribes.

When fought as a boss, the Crimson Wizard hovers over the ground flanked by two machine monsters. He is fast, resilient, and casts deadly spells. The heroes must dodge his spells and pummel him at close range, but can also use magic.

The two machines are quite tough. They land whirling blows and can turn their head into cannons. The Crimson Wizard uses Fire Magic to conjure two fireballs on each side that blast purple beams, or to conjure from the sky a fireball that causes a huge explosion. He uses Water/Ice Magic to conjure blue circles on the ground, causing huge icicles to erupt from them before they vanish in a circle of blue vapour. He uses Wind/Thunder Magic to conjure many thunderbolts at once.

The three together form a formidable team that unleash long-range and close-range combos. Be very careful and dodge and counterattack rather than rushing blindly.

Circle of Mana[]

The Crimson Wizard appears in this card-based role-playing game. The characters are played as series of cards to save the Mana Tree from monsters, evolving to obtain powers, equipment, and Class Changes. He appears in many series, each with a distinct evolution.

Rank Image Classes Quote
UR UR 0317 UR 0318 UR 0319 UR 0320 Magician
Delver
Rune Master
Magus
「見下すなよ、小僧! ああ、その眼だ。その眼が憎い!」
SUR SUR 0601 SUR 0602 SUR 0603 SUR 0604 Magician
Delver
Rune Master
Magus
「…フフフ、無駄なあがきを……。邪悪な力の前に、自分が如何に無力であるか思い知るがいい!」
SUR SUR 1153 SUR 1154 SUR 1155 SUR 1156 Magician
Delver
Rune Master
Magus
「そしてお前に、ずっと謝りたかった。闇に堕ちた事を詫び、またリリアと三人でアルテナに戻りたいと…」
SUR SUR 1189 SUR 1190 SUR 1191 SUR 1192 Magician
Sorcerer
Grand Divino
Archmage
「人は、より大きな存在の掌の上で遊ばれている存在に過ぎぬ。私はその駒で終わるつもりはない。」
SSUR SSUR 0049 SSUR 0050 SSUR 0051 SSUR 0052 Magician
Delver
Rune Master
Magus
「フフフ…相変わらず口だけは達者だな。まあいい、全ては終わった。ムダなあがきはやめて、そこで世界が滅んで行くのを見物していろ。」
SSUR SSUR 0425 SSUR 0426 SSUR 0427 SSUR 0428 Magician
Delver
Rune Master
Magus
「この私も見くびられたものだな、身の程知らずを思い知るがいい…」
SLGR SLGR 0053 SLGR 0054 SLGR 0055 SLGR 0056 放浪の魔導師
竜帝の右腕
邪竜
世界の王
「理由か。いまだ貴様らは人である。それだけで充分だ。」

Echoes of Mana[]

Framaus

Framaus

The Crimson Wizard is a focal character in Season 2, Chapter 2: "Mistlefig, Reign of Magic", which takes place in a time-shifted Altena that further expands upon his origins. Here, the player learns of a young man named Framaus who develops a kinship with Angela as both struggle with magic.

Framaus is constantly bullied by his peers and also studies with José as the heroes arrive to search for the missing Honeycomb and continue their quest to thwart the False Goddess Dema's plot to erase existence. Unfortunately, Dema's corruption is already creeping in, prompting the heroes to find and neutralize the source of some strange fiery fiends. Although they manage to deal with the threat, the original Crimson Wizard enters the fray, warning the boy of his possible future.

The Crimson Wizard (Flaming Dark Magic) is also an obtainable Ally Echo, and is a 5★ Staff wielder of the Fire element. He can be acquired by exchanging 200 Spell Shards each from Twillwool Tower at the in-game shop.

As a boss, the Crimson Wizard is a very powerful enemy who casts all his spells from the original game. He calls forth powerful knight monsters and flies high gathering power to cast Ancient Curse, lest he is prevented by hitting him enough. He is weak to Water.

When playable, the Crimson Wizard can buffer himself with his Fire Boost and Initial ST Gauge Boost, buffer his mind stats at the cost of defence using his Mystic Torrent skill, and can hit several foes at once with his spell Exploder. His mightiest move is the devastating Ancient Curse.

Lord of Vermilion III[]

The Crimson Wizard, Belladonna and Goremand make cameos in this crossover arcade strategy game. It features collectible cards and battles in open space while controlling several units, consisting in different characters from many Square Enix games. They serve as powerful units who fight with their spells from the game.

Trivia[]

  • Among the several characters known by their titles in the original Japanese version, only the Crimson Wizard and the Darkshine Knight remain nameless in the English version; until Echoes of Mana.
  • For many years, the Crimson Wizard was known as Koren ("Red Lotus" in Japanese) in Occident, his name in the unofficial fan-translation. Contrary to the others characters, it named him but also translated his title.

Gallery[]

v · e · d
Trials of Mana Characters
Heroes
Duran · Angela · Kevin · Charlotte · Hawkeye · Riesz
Tree of Mana
Faerie
Mana Spirits
Mana Spirits
Undine · Gnome · Sylphid · Salamando · Shade · Lumina · Luna · Dryad
Villains
Factions
The Dragon Lord's Faction
Dragon Lord · Crimson Wizard · Darkshine Knight · True Queen Valda
The Masked Mage's Faction
Masked Mage · Goremand · Tainted Soul · King Gauser
The Dark Majesty's Faction
Dark Majesty · Belladonna · Malocchio · Flamekhan
Benevodons
Benevodons
Dangaard · Land Umber · Fiegmund · Mispolm · Xan Bie · Dolan · Lightgazer · Zable Fahr
Non-Player Characters
Non-Player Characters
Alma · Aurora Sisters · Chikeeta · Chirry · Donperi · Eagle · Elfin Elder · Elliot · Flammie · Grand Croix · Heath · Hero King Richard · Jessica · José · Josephine · King Joster · Karl · Leron · Li'l Cactus · Liza · Loki · Matelo · Mik · Niccolo · Ponta · Priest of Light · Shela · Simone · Slave Trader · Stella · Victor · Von Boyage · Vuscav · Wendy
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