Judith

Judith (ジュディス Judisu?) is one of the protagonists in Tales of Vesperia. She is a member of the Kritya tribe, a minority race.

Temza, the Great War, and MyorzoEdit
Judith was born and raised in Temza, a Krityan village located on Mt. Temza, where her father Hermes was a genius blastia researcher working for the Empire. As a girl, she befriended Ba'ul, a young Entelexeia that lived at Mt. Temza's peak. Together with Judith's father, the trio traveled often. However, when Judith was nine, she was caught in the crossfire of the Great War as it erupted near Temza, destroying the village and resulting in the deaths of her parents. She was rescued and taken to the Krityan city of Myorzo, but traumatized by the events she had witnessed, she withdrew from others and suffered from insomnia. Exasperating this was the fact that she was not able to adapt to the radically different culture of her new home, and she quickly became restless. Judith was accustomed to fighting, which was unusual for the docile Kritya. She eventually made an oath on her "Brionic" spear that she and Ba'ul would traverse the world together, destroying Hermes blastia, which her father invented, realizing the dangers it caused. She relied on Ba'ul's natural ability as an Entelexeia to sense disturbances in aer and find the destructive Hermes blastia. It was at this point that she left Myorzo and began her journey prior to the events of the story. Due to the armor she donned and creature she rode, Judith became recognized as the "Dragon Rider" to those who witnessed her.

Dragon RiderEdit
Judith first meets the party at Capua Nor in her "Dragon Rider" armor, where she bursts into Ragou's mansion to destroy the Hermes blastia that is controlling the weather of the Nor Harbor region. The second time the party encounters her is at Caer Bocram, where the Hunting Blades are using a Hermes blastia to create a reverse barrier, trapping the Entelexeia Gusios. Judith destroys the blastia and frees Gusios, and the group is forced into the battle with the Entelexeia. She later appears to the group while they are resting in Heliord. However, she does not attack them, instead departing as quickly as she came.

It is later revealed that the disturbance in aer that Ba'ul sensed was caused by Estelle and her abilities as a "Child of the Full Moon". Upon discovering that Estelle is a human and not a blastia, Judith hesitated and decided to monitor her before coming to a conclusion on which course of action she should take. The group's last meeting with Judith as the "Dragon Rider" is at Dahngrest, where she arrives to destroy Barbos' weapon, another Hermes blastia, but the rogue guild leader escapes to his tower fortress in the desert, Ghasfarost. Yuri Lowell hitches a ride with Judith on Ba'ul in their pursuit of Barbos. At Ghasfarost, Judith is forced off Ba'ul and thrown into a prison cell with Yuri. Working in tandem, the two devise a plan to escape the cell and continue pursuing Barbos. Once Barbos is defeated, Judith departs from the group temporarily.

Brave VesperiaEdit
Judith soon rejoins the group at Dahngrest while they are fleeing from the rampaging Entelexeia, Phaeroh. She silently negotiates with him, convincing him to break from his hostilities toward Estelle, whom he was targeting in his assault, naming her an "insipid poison" to the world. In exchange, Judith promised she would observe Estelle herself, and if she judged the girl to be too great a danger, she would kill her. As the group flees the city, Judith joins Karol Capel's newly-formed guild, Brave Vesperia, out of curiosity, as well as to observe Estelle in a safe perspective. Judith proves to be very critical of Estelle initially, accusing her of expecting Brave Vesperia to follow every random whim she conceives. Throughout the group's journey, Judith undertakes several undercover missions, destroying Hermes blastia in areas where the flux in aer is altering the local environment. The group eventually travels to the Desier continent in search of Phaeroh to discover the true meaning behind his words to Estelle. Judith, who knows the location of Phaeroh's home, withholds her knowledge from the rest of the group, dropping hints subtly. Ultimately, the group is unable to find Phaeroh in time before being forced to return to Nordopolica by the new moon and meet the Duce, Belius.

Up until this point, no one other than Yuri is aware of Judith's true identity as the "Dragon Rider". After the death of Belius, the group flees Nordopolica on the Fiertia, which is equipped with a Hermes blastia engine. Judith immediately destroys the blastia without any attempt to conceal her identity, then flees the ship on Ba'ul, claiming this action to be the path she has chosen. Not long afterward in the story, the group searches for Judith at Mt. Temza, where she is defending herself from the Hunting Blades to prevent them from killing Ba'ul as he evolves. There, she reveals to Brave Vesperia her reasons for destroying blastia. The group assists her in fighting Tison and Nan of the Hunting Blades before observing Ba'ul evolve into a mature Entelexeia. Judith later reflects on her decisions and alters her stance on destroying blastia, placing more faith in the humans who utilize it, notably Estelle and Brave Vesperia. She attempts to convince Phaeroh the very same.

Appearance and PersonalityEdit
Judith is one of the more mysterious, mature, and rational members of the group. She is gentle-looking, perceptive, composed, receptive, and often acts without explaining her actions, frequently failing to gain an impression of the current situation. She is also decisive, persistent, witty, somewhat impulsive, and quite bold, preferring to wear revealing outfits. Judith is also very flirtatious and enjoys teasing the male members of the group, often making suggestive comments about "showing a little more" of her already impressive figure. Estelle has humorously shown to be jealous of Judith's physique and power over men she possesses. Judith has stated she is "not a very good liar", and this fact is evident in several conversations. She also enjoys fighting a great deal and becomes excited at the prospect of a battle, almost to an extent that it unnerves other members of the group, and she is disappointed when unable to fight.

Fighting StyleEdit
Judith fights with long weapons, primarily spears and staves, granting her a safe distance from enemies despite conducting artes in a close-ranged style. In addition to this, Judith focuses on aerial-based techniques, often attacking with her legs as well, and she is capable of performing multiple-hit combos on her target while airborne. Being the fastest of all playable characters in the game, Judith is able to swiftly approach and strike enemies numerous times before the enemy is able to properly respond. All Judith's artes are physical-based and possess a lunar theme, frequently containing references to the moon. Despite lacking any magical-based artes, she can use the flexible Moonbeam from anywhere on the field, appearing above her target to attack and vanishing before the target has an opportunity to retaliate.

RelationshipsEdit
Yuri Lowell - Judith and Yuri get along very well, sharing similarities in their personalities and goals, and Yuri calls her Judy, claiming Judith to be too long. The two both enjoy fighting and decide to do what is right regardless of rules or what others think. For this reason, the two understand each other very well. There is plenty of mutual teasing and flirting between them. Yuri is the first one to discover that Judith is the "Dragon Rider" and maintains her secret in order to keep the peace in the group. He does not have any problem with this private identity of Judith's, despite not knowing her intentions, though he is clearly angry after Judith destroys the Fiertia's blastia, and the group is forced to follow her to Mt. Temza. Yuri insists Judith be brought to justice for the secrets she has kept. Once the group hears her reasons, his relationship with Judith becomes friendly and easy-going once more.

Estelle - Judith and Estelle's first true confrontation is in Heliord, when Judith appears, believing a blastia to be the cause of an aer disturbance in the area, when it was merely Estelle. Though Judith agrees to monitor Estelle for Phaeroh and agrees to kill her if she proves a danger, she holds no hostile feelings toward Estelle on a personal level. Initially, she is irritated by Estelle's impulsive behavior and the fact that Brave Vesperia has to follow her around, pandering to her "whims". On one occasion, after she snaps at Estelle for wanting to search for Cumore, Yuri suggests that Judith's "walk" later is an excuse to look for Cumore herself because she feels guilty for hurting Estelle's feelings. The longer the two spend together, the more Judith grows to enjoy Estelle's company, believing her to be a good person. Judith even argues with Phaeroh on Estelle's behalf. As their friendship develops, she offers many kind and supportive comments to Estelle.

Karol Capel - Karol is quick to trust Judith and openly welcomes her into his Brave Vesperia guild once it forms. On her part, Judith is supportive of Karol's ambitions and holds confidence in his abilities. She teases Karol sometimes, though not as much as she does Yuri or Raven. She also shares a heart-to-heart with Karol in Mantaic about Nan. When Judith destroys the Fiertia's blastia, Karol is conflicted about what to do about her because he sees her as a friend, but guild laws require that traitorous members be punished harshly. While Yuri appears to be in favor of judging her harshly, though Karol remains reluctant and forgives her quickly. Judith grows to be protective and caring toward Karol, which is most noticeable during and after the fight with the sea monster in the Blade Drifts of Zopheir.

Rita Mordio - Before Rita discovers that Judith is the "Dragon Rider", she is generally indifferent toward her, showing a certain amount of exasperation over Judith's teasing or odd behavior. Rita despises the anonymous "Dragon Rider", frequently referring to "him" as "Dragon Freak", and expresses a desire to physically hurt "him" for destroying blastia. Once she discovers Judith's hidden identity as the "Dragon Rider", Rita initially seems furious at Judith, as well as uncaring of what happens to her while she is pursued by the Hunting Blades. Estelle sees through this secrecy, however, stating both Rita and Yuri do worry about Judith, despite their anger. Once they reconcile with Judith on the Fiertia, Rita regains her composure, and afterward, her relationship with Judith grows into one of genuine friendship and respect. When the two encounter dangerous blastia after these events, they honor each other's wishes, with Judith being prepared to let Rita work out alternative, safe formulas, and Rita allowing Judith to destroy them.

Raven - When the two first meet, Raven is clearly attracted to Judith and makes this increasingly obvious as he continues to make lewd jokes, compliment her appearance, and frequently flirt with her. Judith humors him and sometimes reciprocate his flirting behavior with teasing notions of her own, but the attraction is not as mutual or defined. Judith eventually comes to care for Raven, which is most notably seen if she is part of the battle party during the boss fight in Baction, where she states that she regrets having to fight him. Raven and Judith display understanding and empathy toward one another's situation, leading double roles. When Judith is revealed to be the "Dragon Rider" and destroys the Fierta's blastia, Raven is one of the few party members who avoids outrage, and he later defends Judith when Rita bickers at her on the Fiertia. In return, Judith displays insight into Raven's motivations at Baction, and later on the Heracles. If Raven uses his mystic arte Blast Heart, Judith shows concern that he might be overworking it and endangering his health.

Ba'ul - When Judith was a child, living in Temza, she befriended Ba'ul and often journeyed with him. When her home was attacked during the Great War, Ba'ul saved her, and since this point, she has traveled the world, destroying blastia with him. Judith's closest relationship is with Ba'ul, and she displays more outward concern toward him than any of the party members. This is most clearly seen when the party finds her on Mt. Temza, where she is guarding him from the Hunting Blades whilst he attempts to evolve. The Hunting Blades insist Judith step aside so they can kill the "monster", but Judith adamantly refuses and is prepared to fight in order to protect him. Determined in protecting him during this time, she fails to rest and collapses from exhaustion afterward on the Fiertia. Judith has the ability to telepathically communicate with Ba'ul and occasionally shares jokes with him. One of the accessories Judith can be equipped with is a tiny, stuffed toy of Ba'ul, and its item description states its purpose is so Judith will "never feel lonely".