welcome!

Welcome to Lucky Clover, Juniper's super vintage shrine to Esmeralda of Legend of Mana. This is one of my old websites that I've decided to revive. This is a bite-sized little shrine. I hope you enjoy! I loved making it the first time around and I love it even more now that it's alive again. I have added new content - more thoughts and opinions, but I have also kept the vintage content from 2003 that I created back then, as I want to archive those thoughts and creativity. Scroll down for both new and old content.<

Stats

Personality

Esmeralda lets everyone believe she's a 'mudstone' and not in posession of a valuable core because she's scared. She lets Nunuzac call her names because in the end it's easier than having her core stolen and dying like everyone else she's known. She quiets Elazul when he tries to defend her, in part not to call attention to herself and because for all that Nunuzac belittles her, she knows he won't actually murder her. For all it's bright colors and cute sprites there's a lot of darkness in these storylines, all throughout the game, and Esmeralda's is no exception. She lost all of her sisters to the jewel thief and she needs to live in hiding. While she there's she's ok with being debased.

Something I took away from Esmeralda's quest on this playthrough is how much She can't see herself having value. The Jumi, her people have been forced into hiding. They're viewed as either mythical people hunted for their cores or as, like Nunuzac says, clods and useless. They're vulnerable without Florina and her healing magic. It's clear that Esmeralda has developed a thick skin in order to combat this.

Quest

There is one main quest that focuses on Esmeralda. That is The Lucky Clover quest, and you can activate the quest after you've played 'The Looking Glass Tower' and 'Gilbert : School Amour' Here is a brief walkthrough on what to do during the quest.

Go to Domina without anyone in your party. Elazul will be in the pub where he always stands. Speak to Elzaul and make sure he joins your party. As you are trying to leave the pub Pearl will bump into you. Let Pearl stay at your place then go to Geo with Elzaul on a Gnome day.

You will see Esmeralda on the map of the city with her mentor/teacher Professor Nunuzac. Stay overnight in the Cafe after this scene, then go to see Esmeralda in class. (they say to wait for a Jinn day, but I think it works on any day that isn't Gnone or Undine.) When you talk to her you will find out she is a Jumi. She will ask you to come to the library on a Gnome or Undine day. To pass the time between days, either enter and exit the city or stay overnight in the Cafe.

On a Gnome or Undine day, go down into the library, and talk to Esmeralda and Nunuzac. She well tell you a good deal about her past and then will make a request of your main character. During the war Esmeralda's sisters were killed, and now nothing remains of them but their cores. Esmeralda believes that her sisters core's are somewhere in the city of Geo. She asks you to be her knight, and to defend her as she searches for her sisters cores. You agree and now must search through Geo for them.

The cores are located in the following places -

Core 1 - On a Dryad day go to the Principal's office. One of the emeralds will be in there.

Core 2 - In the Palace of the Arts, talk to Christy and Sotherbee. They will tell you they have seen a gemstone like the one Esmeralda is looking for. Go into the basement and talk to Diana. She will give you the second emerald.

Core 3 - Go to the inn. The Teapot there will deny having a core, so leave the inn. Esmeralda will then ask you to return to the inn. Do so and you will find the third core. The Teapot will not be to happy about it, so Esmeralda will tell her the story. You then get the core.

After leaving the inn a note will come for Esmeralda. She will leave you no matter what option you pick, so choose either. Go find Elazul, he will insist on findiing her. Go to the Palacw of the Arts, in the basement. You will be sent to the battle arena. After defeating the Jewel Beast, Esmeraldas core will be taken and she will die. You will get some kind of metal from Diana, (though it may change based on where you dropped your AF's not sure) then you will be sent back home, where Elazul will angst over Pearl.

And you've finished the Lucky Clover!

Other Appearances

You can actually see Esmeralda before you begin her quest. She is a student in Geo and will greet you the classroom where she is located. Her location changes on different days. Post Lucky Clover quest you can see her in the underworld. She's in one of the rooms that the Jumi wait in post murder by the jewel thief. After you complete the Jumi arc and revive all of the Jumi Esmeralda lives in the Bejewelled City. She is reunited with her sisters and the rest of her people. After all of the hardship the Jumi have endured Esmeralda is given a happy ending alongside the rest, living safely and no longer hunted.

Jumi

There are different races in the world of Legend of Mana, and one of my personal favorites (as well as many other peoples) is the Jumi. The Jumi are an ancient and long lived race, who are characterized by the sparkling jewels (or cores) that are imbedded in there chests. A Jumi's life force is said to live within these cores, and if a Jumi's core is hurt or damaged the Jumi will become wounded as well. If a Jumis core is removed from his or her body the Jumi will die. :(

Another major attribute of the Jumi race is the healing property of their tears. Because of this the Jumi were hunted by other races. They were hunted so badly that it's the reason Esmeralda was in hiding in Geo. Any living Jumi is in danger because of the value of their cores.

The Jumi story is a really tragic one. They're a people that have to be in hiding because of the value of their cores. One of the things that really struck me in game was how sad it was to watch such a beautiful race of people being slowly snuffed out. I was really heartbroken as they died one by one, and Esmeralda being the last of her sisters to go really struck a chord with me. The Jumi arc is my favorite quest in The Legend of Mana and on my playthroughs I always leave it for last. I love the depth and the characters. There's something so sad about trying so hard to save the Jumi and failing every time, with every one of them.

Geo

The first place you encounter Esmeralda is in the city of Geo. It's obvious she had spent a lot of time there under Nunuzacs tutelage. Esmeralda says she is in Geo because she wants to become a magic warrior.

Geo is home to a well known prestigous school of magic. Many of the characters you see have attended or will attend this school, like Rachel, Bud, and Lisa.

In order to get the Geo artifact, The Ancient Tome, you must first have the Junkyard in place. Then you have to complete The Infernal Doll subquest. This is one of my least favorite quests because I always get really confused on it. ^^; After you've complete the quest, drop Geo where ever you want.

You often see school children, in different colored wandering around Geo. In fact on Quest involves you sending them all back to class. (fyi, Esmeralda is the only student still in class when everyone else chooses to cut) It is said that the different colored robes denote the different types of studies the students engage in. I still haven't figured out how to tell which robe is which, or if there's even a way.

One of the more interesting things about Geo in the game is that there are different days for the different teachers to be teaching in the main classroom.

Core

Just some background information on emeralds, aka Esmeralda's core gemstone.

The name Emerald was derived from French "esmeraude” which in turn goes back via Latin to the Greek root "smaragdos”, meaning simply "green gemstone”. There are uncountable adventure stories involving this splendid gemstone. Even the ancient Incas and Aztecs in South America, where the best Emeralds are still being found today, worshipped it as a holy stone. However, probably the most ancient occurrences which were known are located near the Red Sea. These gemstone mines were already exploited by Egyptian Pharaohs between 3000 and 1500 B.C., gained fame under he name of "Cleopatra’s Mines”, but had already run out when they were rediscovered.

Emerald green is the colour of life and of eternally returning spring. For centuries, however, it has also been the colour of beauty and of eternal love. Even in ancient Rome green was the colour dedicated to Venus, goddess of love and beauty. Today there are still many cultures and religions where green holds a special position. For example, green is the holy colour of Islam. All states of the Arabian league sport green banners symbolising the unity of their religion. But also within the Catholic church green holds an important status, as among the liturgy colours green is considered the most natural and elementary one.

Splendid Emerald green is a colour communicating harmony, love of nature and a primeval joy of life. You cannot ever get too much of this unique colour, as Pliny already pointed out "Green is pleasant to the eye without tiring it.”. Green is characterised as fresh and full of life, never as monotonous. And as this colour keeps on changing gradually between bright daylight and artificial lamplight, Emerald green in all its hues and shades will preserve its vivid energy.

Gallery

Quest

Other in Game Images

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