Horten is the Prime Minister of Halcyonia and the holder of the Monk Asterisk. He hires Dag and Selene to take the Wind Crystal from Princess Gloria. However, when they fail to do so, he confronts the party himself in the Vale of Sighs.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Horten has light grey hair that is swept back from his forehead. He wears spectacles with round frames and has a groomed moustache. When not using the Asterisk, Horten wears a white collared shirt and a bow tie underneath a black coat with a red lining. The coat is trimmed in gold and has branch-like decorations on the front. At the back, the coattails split into two points at his knees. The cuffs of the coat are trimmed in gold, with gold slanted lines for decorations. A red sash crosses his chest diagonally, held in place by the epaulette on his right shoulder. He wears light grey pants that end mid-calf over top white tights and black shoes. His gloves are white and there is a white cloth hanging from his left hip.
When he uses the Monk Asterisk, he loses his glasses and gains blue markings that extend from the bridge of his nose to his temples, like exaggerated eye shadow, and extend downwards from his forehead. He wears something akin to a changshan, a traditional tunic/robe worn by Chinese men. Horten's changshan is white with blue trim. It has a diagonal collar held in place by gold frog fasteners. Blue hydrangea patterns decorate the front of the changshan. The cuffs are black, with gold hems. The changshan splits at the waist, terminating in one tail in the front and two in the back. A bundle of blue hydrangeas sit atop his left shoulder and extend partway down his chest. His pants are black and baggy, but cinch tight at the ankles. A blue scarf hangs from his left hip. He wears white socks and black shoes.
Personality[]
An arrogant and ambitious man, Horten used his Asterisk to kill his brother in order to take his brother's position as Prime Minister. He seeks to become the king of Halcyonia himself and wants Gloria out of the way so that he can achieve his goal. He tries to arrange a marriage for Gloria, but when that fails, he confronts the party himself. However, he dies before the player gets to see more of his personality.
Story[]
Before the start of the game, Horten had made a deal with Adam: Horten would retrieve the Wind Crystal in return for Adam's help in taking Halcyonia's throne. Horten speaks with Gloria and Sir Sloan when they go to speak to King Vernon. He plots to arrange a marriage for Gloria in an attempt to get her out of the way. When that fails, he hires Dag and Selene to take the Crystal by force. When that plan falls through, Horten tracks down the party to the Vale of Sighs himself. He uses the Monk Asterisk to fight the party, but ultimately loses. Adam appears and kills Horten for his failure. Afterwards, if the player returns to the Halcyonian Inn, they can find Horten's diary, detailing his plans and greed.
Boss Encounters[]
Horten is encountered as a boss twice, once being in the Halls of Tribulation. As an Asterisk holder, Horten employs many of its skills, specifically the Monk's abilities.
First Encounter[]
Horten is battled as the final obstacle at the end of the Prologue. Unlike Dag and Selene, Horten can heal himself AND dish out large portions of damage, likely knocking out any low-leveled and/or underequipped characters in one blow. He will typically Default until he has enough BP to Brave multiple times and unleashing a myriad of blows. When his second cutscene plays, he becomes more aggressive, sometimes Braving into deficit. He also has access to a counter ability. Specifically, he will Counter Physical Attacks with one of his own.
Strategy[]
To make this fight easier, have a dedicated Vanguard and White Mage. Black Mages have no elemental weaknesses to exploit when facing him, so you MAY not want to use one. If you do use a Black Mage, they will not need to worry about being countered by Horten, but may be defeated in a few hits due to the nature of the Black Mage. Horten is weak to Bows and Swords, so hitting him with those should help. Your White Mage(s) should have access to Solar-/Lunar-Powered (ideally Solar-Powered) and the Freelancer's Treat ability. Your Vanguard(s) should use Defang and Aggravate to minimize Horten's damage output while your White Mage(s) cast Protect, Treat, or Default. If you have a Black Mage, cast any offensive spell when Horten's turn is not coming up, otherwise, Default. If you want to use a Freelancer for this fight, they should support the other roles with what they can (ie. using Treat, Attacking with a sword, etc.). Sir Sloan is present for this battle and can make it a breeze if you keep the debuffs going and deal good healing and damage throughout the fight.
Gallery[]
