View source for Rydia

{{Infobox Character
|name=Rydia
|image=[[File:Rydia.jpg|350px]]
|aka=Summoner
|age=24
|japaneseva=Noriko Shitaya
|relatives=None
|series=Final Fantasy
|player=Cinnie aka [[Gubaba]]
}}
*Name: Rydia
*Character Tier: 2
*Age: 24
*Sex: Female
**Place of Birth: Mist Village
**Nationality: Summoner
**Specialty: Summoner/Black Magic
**Hobbies: Reading, Studying

*Physical Stats
**Height: --
**Weight: --
**Eyes: Purple
**Hair: Green
**Special: Hair Ornaments

== Appearance ==
Following her return as a young woman from the Feymarch, Rydia wears a green outfit with knee-high golden heeled boots and draperies adorned in stars. During ''The After Years'', Rydia's attire is a single-piece green outfit that rises from her thighs to her collar, baring her hips and upper torso. Rydia's hair is green and is often complemented by a hair ornament which has varied in design.

== Personality ==
At first, Rydia is devastated by her mother's death at the hands of Cecil and Kain, and unleashes her rage on them, despite their attempts to help her. It is only after Cecil comes to her defense on one occasion that Rydia chooses to bond with him as a new ally. As the story progresses, she matures, telling Edward to stop crying as she has chosen not to cry. Rydia also overcomes her fear of fire brought on by Mist's destruction after melting a blockade of ice at Mt. Hobs with the Fire spell. This act of strength is met with praise by the rest of the party.

After growing up in the Feymarch, Rydia apparently puts her past behind her in favor of stopping Golbez; Cecil questions why Rydia came to his aid in spite of what he did, but she tells him that Leviathan and Asura warned her there is a greater threat at hand. Rydia considers Asura and Leviathan her family, and even introduces them as her parents to Cuore. Rydia also feels rejected and saddened when the two refuse to let her live in the Feymarch with them.

Rydia's deep bond with the villagers of Mist and also her Eidolons is demonstrated throughout ''The After Years'', where she pleads with the party to not hurt the Eidolons when the Mysterious Girl takes control of them, and she is ultimately able to reach out to each of them and bring them to their senses.

== Background ==
Rydia was born to one of the few remaining pure-blood Summoner families in Mist. Her mother was known to protect the remote village with the Eidolon Mist Dragon, isolated from the outside world but for the Mist Cave. However, one day, the Dark Knight Cecil Harvey and his best friend, Kain Highwind, are ordered by the King of Baron to deliver a ring to the Mist Village and slay the Mist Dragon barring their way. As a rule, whenever an Eidolon dies, its respective Summoner dies as well and thus, Rydia's mother dies.

The Carnelian Signet Cecil and Kain are to deliver releases Bombs all over the village, setting it on fire. Cecil and Kain find out the bad news about Rydia's mother and offer to take her to safety. However, Rydia overhears Cecil and Kain killed the Mist Dragon, and would not accept help. Instead, she summons Titan to cause a massive earthquake which causes a landslide in the eastern mountains, separating herself and Cecil from Kain.

Rydia is wounded in the earthquake, and Cecil takes her to the desert oasis of Kaipo to let her rest. Cecil tries to ask her for her name, but Rydia refuses to speak to him. That night, soldiers from Baron come to Kaipo in search of Cecil, and Cecil learns the King of Baron wants all Summoners eliminated, saying they are too dangerous to be left alive. Cecil fights off the soldiers and earns Rydia's trust, after which she introduces herself to him.

The next day, the two discover Cecil's childhood friend, Rosa Joanna Farrell, resting in Kaipo with Desert Fever, which can only be cured with a Sand Pearl. Along the way, Cecil and Rydia meet the Sage Tellah, who leads them to Damcyan. However, before their arrival, the Red Wings attacked Damcyan Castle and stole their Fire Crystal, the only survivor of the attack being Prince Edward Chris von Muir. After Tellah departs, Rydia and Cecil convince Edward to help find a Sand Pearl, for only members of Damcyan's royalty can enter the Antlion's Cave. Notably, Rydia boldly orders the cowardly prince to stop crying, for she has done the same. After Rosa recovers, she joins the party for their next destination, Fabul.

In order to reach the castle, the party must first climb Mt. Hobs, which is guarded by a wall of ice. Only Rydia would be able to melt it with Fire , but due to the trauma of witnessing fire burn down Mist, she refuses. It takes Rosa and Edward's encouragement, and the realization that more lives would be lost if they do not act fast, that Rydia is able to overcome her fear. At the summit, they help Yang Fang Leiden, a monk from Fabul, fight off incoming monsters, and the party manages to reach Fabul Castle and warn the King that Golbez and the Red Wings will come for the Wind Crystal.

During the Siege of Fabul, Rydia and Rosa assist the healers, until Cecil, Edward, and Yang are finally cornered in the Crystal Chamber by Kain. The women rush to the scene, but Golbez promptly arrives, injuring the men, kidnapping Rosa, and ordering Kain to take the Wind Crystal with them. Rydia comes out of hiding to heal her allies, and the party plans their next course of action.

The party boards a ship provided by the King of Fabul and set sail towards Baron. But en route, the ship is attacked by Leviathan, the Lord of All Waters and the King of the Eidolons. Rydia is blown off the ship and falls into the ocean, and Yang dives in to save her. The attack separates the four, and the fates of Rydia, Edward, and Yang remain unknown. When Cecil reunites with Yang, Yang says Rydia was swallowed by Leviathan, and the group assumes she perished.

As it would turn out, Leviathan took Rydia to the Feymarch, the home of all Eidolons. Time moves faster in the Feymarch, so while Cecil and his allies were separated from Rydia for only a short period of time, years went past in the Feymarch, and, under Leviathan's watchful eye, Rydia grows into a young woman at an accelerated rate. She hones her skills as a Summoner and develops her powers with Black Magic, although at the cost of no longer casting White Magic. The Queen of the Eidolons, Asura, tells Rydia about the danger Golbez is placing the world in, and eventually Rydia decides to leave the Feymarch and return to Cecil to help him.

At this point, Cecil's party has traveled down to the Underworld in search of the Dark Crystals. When one is kept in the Dwarven Castle, Golbez arrives and proves to be much stronger than the party, especially when he summons a Shadow Dragon to defeat them. But before Cecil can be attacked, a Mist Dragon is summoned and defeats the Shadow Dragon. Rydia heals Cecil and rejoins the party in battle. After Golbez is seemingly defeated, Rydia explains her history and changed appearance, much to the relief of her friends. When Cecil questions why Rydia would still want to help him after his actions at Mist, she is quick not to dwell on the past, for as Asura told her, the danger put on the world is slowly rising, and that everyone must stand against it together.

However, as they leave, Golbez had just feigned his defeat to steal the Dwarves' Dark Crystal. King Giott then decides for the party to infiltrate the Tower of Babil and reclaim the seven Crystals in Golbez's possession. The plan is interrupted by constant enemy attacks, and Cecil, Kain, Rosa, and Rydia escape the Underworld through the sacrifices of Yang and Cid Pollendina.

Back on the Overworld, the ''Enterprise'' is upgraded by Cid's assistants, which allows the party to explore Cave of Eblan, where the refugees of the land currently remain. However, further into the passage, the party encounters Edge Geraldine, Eblan's prince, attempting to battle Rubicante. Edge fails miserably, and after the Archfiend departs, meets with the party. Edge is asked to fight alongside them, but the ninja stubbornly refuses, insisting he can work alone. Rydia then cries, frustrated that Tellah, Yang, and Cid have all fallen and does not want to lose another ally. Due to not wanting to see such a pretty girl cry, and after Rosa heals him, Edge quickly declares that they are all fast friends and joins the party.

They find their way back into the Tower of Babil beyond Cave of Eblan's end, but though they reach the Chamber holding the seven Crystals, they fall through a trapdoor and escape when a second airship, the ''Falcon'', is discovered. Arriving back in the Underworld, the party reports to King Giott, who allows them to secure the last Dark Crystal in the Sealed Cave before Golbez can have a chance. While in the Underworld again, the party can choose to visit the Feymarch and challenge Asura and Leviathan to gain their help as Eidolons for Rydia.

The eighth Crystal is obtained, but Kain slips back under Golbez's mind control and steals the Crystal and runs off. After an upgrade to the Falcon, the party is able to return to the Overworld and to Mysidia, where the Elder of Mysidia prays for something to help the party. Help comes in the form of the Lunar Whale, a magical ship providing transport between Earth and the Red Moon. Cecil, Rosa, Rydia, and Edge travel to the Moon and obtain the assistance of Fusoya, a Lunarian, when it is realized that the eight Crystals have summoned the Giant of Babil back on Earth. The Lair of the Father is also on the Moon, and there, the party may challenge Bahamut, the Hallowed Father of the Eidolons, and gain his power. 

Following the attack and destruction of the Giant of Babil, Fusoya reveals Cecil and Golbez's history, and that the true mastermind of this conflict is Zemus, a wicked Lunarian desiring Earth's destruction. Fusoya and Golbez depart to the Moon, and Kain returns to the party. Regrouped onboard the Lunar Whale, Cecil, Kain, and Edge resolve to defeat Zemus, but Cecil orders Rosa and Rydia to stay behind, for their own safety. Edge especially tells Rydia, "This is work for grown-ups", to which she storms off, offended. However, when the Lunar Whale arrives at the Moon, the women reveal that they managed to stay onboard, stating that they are just as important in battle. Rydia believes they are all fighting for a common cause, and that she is the only Summoner left. The party travels through the Lunar Subterrane and fight the final battle, resulting in the defeat of Zeromus.

After peace is brought to the world, Rydia returns to the Feymarch, where she is more comfortable as her home, and is one of many who attended Cecil and Rosa's wedding and coronation. When an Eidolon asks her why they differ in appearance from humans, she states what she had learned from Cecil, that it is one's inner character that matters the most.

== Skills ==
''(These include all learned skills, as well as a relative rating from Abyssmal to Amazing. The character's level of mastery in something that can be taught or at least rated by other people follows the scale: Abyssmal, Novice, Good, Very Good, Incredible, Amazing)''

'''YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PUT A RANK FOR -EVERY- SKILL. Just fill out the stuff you think your character would have! Feel free to add other skills that you think your character should be noted for. (Ex: Speaking French)'''

'''Physical Skills''':
*Alertness - Good +2
*Athletics - Good +2
*Stealth - Good +2

'''Social Skills''':
*Subterfuge 
*Streetwise 
*Intimidation 
*Leadership 
*Expression - Very Good +3
*Etiquette - Good +2
*Performance - Good +2

'''Mental Skills''':
*Computers 
*Investigation - Novice +1
*Medicine
*Law
*Occult - (Eidolon Lore) Incredible +4
*Politics
*Science
*Technology  

'''Other Skills''':
*Driving 
*Survival 
*Empathy - Very Good +3
*Animal Ken - Good +2

== Special Abilities ==
''(These are skills, things that can be learned or trained, like martial arts techniques, Jutsu or magic spells. Abilities that are outside the norm of regular humans, but only because they have not had access to them.)''<br>
===Black Magic===
*Blizzard, Blizzara, Blizzaga
*Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga
*Sleep 
*Poison 
*Warp 
*Toad 
*Fire, Fira, Firaga
*Stop 
*Pig 
*Bio 
*Osmose 	
*Drain
*Quake
*Break 
*Tornado 
*Death 	
*Flare 	
*Meteor 

===Summons===
*Chocobo 
*Whyt 	
*Goblin 
*Cockatrice 
*Bomb 	
*Mindflayer 	
*Mist Dragon
*Ifrit 
*Shiva
*Ramuh
*Titan
*Asura 	
*Leviathan 
*Sylph 	
*Odin 	
*Bahamut 

== Powers & Merits ==
''(Unique, or hereditary, in-born powers, whether due to genetics or magic, things that can't be taught to others or simply gifted to this person from an outside force. Powers based on weapons should go in the Items. Merits can also go here.)''<br>
Text goes here

== Unique Items ==
''(Madougu, magical weapons or other unique or special weapons, as well as all techniques related to them, as without it technically the character is NOT able to use these abilities.)''<br>
Text goes here

== Items Of Note ==
Whip

== Weaknesses & Flaws ==
''Flaws can go here. Balance is key!''<br>
Weaker constitution than the fighters. Only knows black magic and once her magic power is drained, she's reduced to fighting with her whip.

== NPC(s) to go with char ==
'''Whyt''' - her little companion dude. He has a bowtie. It is totally sweet.

[[Category:Roster]]