Jean Jacque Lundi

Jean Jacque Lundi
Biographical information
Faction(s)	People of Elpis, Seekers (leader)
Mount	Lagi
Physical description
Gender	Male
Other information
First appearance	Panzer Dragoon II Zwei (1996)

Jean Jacque Lundi, also known as Jean-Luc Lundi, Lundi (ランディー Randī) for short, was the first dragon rider in the Panzer Dragoon series, setting into motion a chain of events that would one day free the world from the will of the Ancients. He was the protagonist of Panzer Dragoon II Zwei and raised and named the dragon Lagi. The story does not reveal what ultimately became of Lundi after he ended his adventure, other than that he became the leader of the Seekers and adopted the name Skiad Ops Endow (this name is specific to the English translation; in the original Japanese version he is called Skiad Ops Lundi). He shared the same fate as all the dragon riders thus far, since he was never seen again. The knowledge he gained from his journey helped to steer the direction the Seekers chose to go in, in their struggle to set themselves free from the legacy of the Ancients, but further information is not revealed about Lundi’s fate.

Lundi grew up in Elpis, a village located south of the Imperial Capital and just south of what used to be the border separating Meccania and the Empire. His family bred coolias for a living and he naturally lent a hand. His village enforced a brutal code to kill all mutant coolias without exception to prevent the bio-weapons responsible for reducing humanity to a few tribes during the Ancient Age from coming back to haunt them.

Lundi's Role in Panzer Dragoon Zwei

Lundi in Panzer Dragoon Zwei

A female coolia in Lundi’s care died giving birth to a mutant coolia that Lundi couldn’t help but hide from prying eyes, not out of defiance, but rather because his sense of compassion wouldn’t allow him to do anything else. Like other mutant coolias, a patch of translucent blue-white light said to be ominous among his people glowed brightly on its throat, but unlike other mutant coolias, this one also had a pair of wings. Lundi regretted breaking the village’s code, but he couldn’t bring himself to kill the little coolia who was in no position to harm anyone; Lundi couldn’t see how a mere patch of light could be harmful, and he named the winged coolia Lagi to express his growing fondness for the creature. Lagi reminded Lundi of a legendary dragon written in village scripture, and if Lagi was indeed one such dragon, then his dreams of becoming a dragon rider may one day come true.

Lundi was a watchful thinker. He makes his cynicism clear when he questions the true reasons his village kills harmless mutant coolias: because they cannot be tamed or sold. Lundi states that the mutant coolias are believed to be a bad omen. Lundi also has a noticeable conscience; he blamed himself and his foolish desire to become a dragon rider when Shelcoof turned Elpis to ashes about one year after Lagi's birth. His thirst for vengeance, at first, and Lagi’s power was all he had left to fill the empty void inside of him left behind by the destruction of his home.

Lundi discovered the true significance of the blue-white light that the villagers of his former home feared so much when the green patch of blue-white energy on Lagi’s neck began to glow even brighter and a ball of green energy began forming in his mouth by sucking in energy. Lundi was unaware of what was happening and what was going to happen next, but the true meaning behind why the light was considered a bad omen was not lost on him.

The ball soon burst into three separate energy beams, or arrows of light, which blast their way out of the fledgling dragon’s mouth and towards Shelcoof as it hovered over the burning remains of Elpis. The arrows of light faded into the distance, not quite reaching their target.

Shooting down hostile Imperial ships chasing his dragon weighed heavily on Lundi’s conscience; the fact he'd be forced to kill people frightened him more than conflict itself. So much so, he later ran from, rather than fought, Imperial forces refusing to give up in their non-stop pursuit of the dragon-rider pair, by retreating into the forest.

Lundi later wrote of becoming one with Lagi in his journals, and thus acting with a profound sense of duty that pushed his doubts aside. A world-changing mission was at stake, one that would save lives: destroying Shelcoof. Fighting for a greater good was a place in his heart where he no doubt found solace.

Once Lagi left Lundi after Shelcoof no longer posed a threat to the world, Lundi explored the wrecked Shelcoof and during his search found Lagi’s stone cold body. That is according to his journal describing the event found in Panzer Dragoon Saga, although in the finale of Panzer Dragoon Zwei, the players see Lundi discover a dragon crest within Shelcoof which he looked at and said the name "Lagi". Lundi assumed Lagi would regain his strength one day and take to the skies again in a new body.

Lundi literally picked up an Ancient pulse-laser gun from the burning ashes of his village at the start of his adventure, which was convenient for him and his dragon; finding a gun seemingly out of nowhere is a Panzer Dragoon tradition. Players can see the gun more closely when Lundi drops it while separating from Lagi in any of the normal endings. It looks similar to other Ancient hand-held weapons that people have seen throughout the series, and seems familiar in design when compared to other Ancient technology.

During the narration of Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Lundi is recalling parts of his journals during the cut scenes as if Lundi is looking back on the events. But it is not revealed at what future time he was telling the tale.

Lundi's Role After Panzer Dragoon Zwei

Before leaving his first rider, Lagi communicated with Lundi through a telepathic link with a sequence of images that were full of unknown meaning to him. Out of all the riders whom had received such a vision, Lundi was the only one to receive a vision about the Ancient Age, which reflected the bond of friendship they shared. Lundi felt compelled to share the knowledge his friend had entrusted to him, and took it to the Seekers. He felt that Lagi would always be with him as long as he put the knowledge to good use. Lundi became the leader of the Seekers, a group of insidious ruin raiders who love to portray their organization as anything but organized in order to throw the Empire off their scent. He adopted the name Skiad Ops Endow, meaning Shadow Eye Endow, in order to conceal his former identity. Endow, is a verb in English, which can mean to provide something freely, further reflecting the role Lundi played in shaping the fate of entire Seeker organization.

Lundi is in his mid to early late teens when Panzer Dragoon Zwei takes place in the timeline (71 A.F.); Panzer Dragoon Saga is set roughly forty-eight years later. He could, therefore, have still been alive while Edge visited the Seeker stronghold near Zoah. (The Seventh Emperor survived the ravages of time, so could Lundi). The journal of Skiad Ops Endow states that he sent a Seeker to find the new dragon rider and give the journal to him, but it is not revealed how recent that diary entry is; the journal could be very old. It is not revealed how long Lundi had been the leader of the Seekers, but the new leader, namely Skiad Ops Gash, was mentored by Lundi. As Gash was the new leader, it is possible that Lundi died, went missing, or left the Seekers. Nevertheless, Gash did not reveal Lundi's fate, unless it was something only found in the Japanese script.

According to the Drone Record not found in the game but on the game disc, Skiad Ops Endow was researching drones. Gash likely became the leader of the Seekers partly due to the knowledge of the nightmarish creations born in the Ancient Age he inherited from Lundi. As a rule, the person who assumed the mantle of Seeker leadership is someone who their enemies would never even think to suspect. The name Skiad Ops/Shadow Eye which is given to whomever is fit to lead the Seekers reflects a shadowy personality whose potential is always hidden from prying eyes under layers of deceit. When Lundi’s leadership came to an end, it seemed that Gash who is very hard to read as a person was the perfect choice for his replacement; no one in their right mind would suspect that a diminutive, one-armed, one-eyed man was capable of leading anything. Of course, there was no need to ask where the name Gash came from when the question is answered by a man who wears his scars with pride.

In Endow’s journal, it is revealed that he only wrote down a fraction of the secrets Lagi entrusted to him. He mainly provided relevant information regarding the Tower network, such as their purpose and bloody history. Lundi knew much more, yet he kept the knowledge to himself.

Gallery

Offical render of Lundi and Lagi

Official art from the end credits of Panzer Dragoon II Zwei.

External links

• Jean Jacque Lundi on Panzer Dragoon Legacy