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| 2 | %% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them. |
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| 5 | The Watcher and characters who can join the party in both games from ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' and ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternityIIDeadfire''. For other party members and sidekicks, see [[Characters/PillarsOfEternityPartyMembers here]]. For the main index, see [[Characters/PillarsOfEternity here]]. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | !!The Watcher |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[folder:The Watcher]] |
| 12 | !!The Watcher |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ->''"No sleep for the Watcher."'' |
| 15 | |
| 16 | The main protagonist of the story. [[CharacterCustomization Starting with a race, class, and background tailored to the player's choice]], the Watcher is a newcomer to the Dyrwood, traveling with a caravan to Gilded Vale on the promise of cheap land and a place to settle. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the caravan is forced to stop for the night in a dangerous part of the woods, home to hostile natives who don't take kindly to interlopers. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The caravan is soon destroyed, and the PC, along with other survivors, manages to evade the tribesmen and enter the ruins of Cilant Lîs. Thereafter, they get involved in a supernatural event that will thrust them to the forefront of the main conflict, awakening their powers as a Watcher--a person who can see past lives, perceive souls, and manipulate them as they see fit. |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | * AbusiveParents: Sort of. While the Watcher never ''abuses'' Vela per-se Serafen comments on the rather murky way the Watcher ended up 'adopting' her and banter with Konstanten has him lamenting that they need to find her some 'real parents' after commenting that she puts ants in his sleeping bag and her confessing that she shamelessly steals people's things. |
| 21 | * AnAdventurerIsYou: |
| 22 | ** The implementation in-game is especially interesting - while you can be [[FeaturelessProtagonist nearly anyone]] at character creation, your choice of home culture and occupation gives you some identity out of the gate, and are given the opportunity to define just what has brought you to Dyrwood and flesh out your character's backstory a bit during the prologue (which is updated in your quest journal to boot, as it keeps a rolling biography on you). The only options a player ''doesn't'' have are to be from Dyrwood, or its neighbors like Eir Glanfath, Readceras or the Vailian Republics because the set-up of the story requires your character to be a foreigner who is new to the region. [[spoiler:The general arc of the story would be particularly difficult for a Glanfathan or Readceran protagonist, anyway.]] |
| 23 | ** [[spoiler:It goes even further in that you're allowed to define who you were in a ''previous'' life, and why that person joined the Leaden Key.]] |
| 24 | * {{Angrish}}: Upon being sent to Rymrgand's realm by Flaune Elette's experimental teleportation technology, two of the Watcher's descriptions of the experience (out of three total) are "Cold. Weird." and "Really not fun!" |
| 25 | * ArmorPiercingQuestion: The very crux of the matter, the question that caused the Watcher's soul to Awaken after witnessing the Leaden Key ritual in the ruins of Cilant Lîs. [[spoiler:''Are there no gods?'']] Subverted, in that it's [[spoiler:the Watcher's past self asking the question, and their own metaphysical armor which is pierced by the asking of it; you can put the question to Thaos, but he's already made up his mind on the subject and is entirely unshakable. The Watcher's past self, meanwhile, had so much of their personal identity wrapped up in the gods that the truth rent their soul apart. That truth? See the Antagonist folder for details.]] |
| 26 | * AntiHero: If played with Cruel and/or Aggressive reputation. Watcher can be played as a massive jerk who's an asshole to everyone and/or a BloodKnight maniac who enjoys violence. However, no matter how much of a bastard the Watcher is played as, they will still fight in order to stop Thaos from carrying out his plan by any means necessary. |
| 27 | * TheAntiNihilist: It's possible to play the Watcher this way. |
| 28 | * BadassBookworm: By default if you choose the Wizard class, as they get their magic through intense study. Also, if from an intellectually inclined background, such as a Scholar, Scientist, or Philosopher. |
| 29 | * BadassPreacher: As a Priest, and/or if you have the Clergyman background. |
| 30 | * BadassTeacher: If you have the Philosopher background and tell Calisca that you were a teacher. |
| 31 | * BarbarianHero: If you picked that as a class, anyway. |
| 32 | * BareFistedMonk: As a, well, monk. |
| 33 | * TheBeastmaster: As a Ranger, you have your very own animal companion. In ''Deadfire'', the Ranger/Druid multiclass is even called this. |
| 34 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: If you consistently click Clever dialogue options. |
| 35 | * BoldExplorer: With the Explorer background. |
| 36 | * BloodKnight: The aggressive dialogue choices paint the picture of a Watcher who enjoys violence. |
| 37 | * BlessedWithSuck: Being a Watcher carries the risk of being driven to insanity, as past lives are recalled without the ability to separate one from the other. In the Dyrwood in particular, Watchers are regarded with suspicion by the populace. However, the Watcher can potentially see it as CursedWithAwesome instead for the other things that go with it. |
| 38 | * BroughtDownToBadass: The Watcher is brought down to level 1 in the start of the sequel. Understandably, what with Eothas sucking out their soul and everything. |
| 39 | * BrutalHonesty: |
| 40 | ** You can tell [[spoiler:Iovara]] outright that [[spoiler: the reason that you're seeing her again is that you were assigned to spy on her.]] |
| 41 | ** In fact, one can gain an Honest reputation by being brutally honest in various encounters. |
| 42 | * CainAndAbel: [[spoiler: Depending on your choices in your past life, your betrayal of Iovara can be this.]] |
| 43 | * TheCaptain: Becomes this in ''Deadfire''. |
| 44 | * ConflictingLoyalty: [[spoiler: Your dilemma in your past life. It's particularly important, given that the people you betrayed were [[BigGood Iovara]] and [[BigBad Thaos]]. The exact nature of these betrayals is up to you.]] |
| 45 | * CursedWithAwesome: Being a Watcher carries all sorts of perks. You can communicate with the dead, peer into people's souls, and learn a host of unique abilities that can come in handy in a fight. The player is free to decide whether the protagonist's status as a Watcher is a curse or a blessing. |
| 46 | * DeadpanSnarker: Picking the Clever dialogue options generally involves giving witty retorts. And because of the nuances in the Reputation system, the Watcher can be a number of different flavors of this, from [[GentlemanSnarker gentlemanly]] to [[SilentSnarker silent]] to a full-blown [[TheSnarkKnight Snark Knight]]. |
| 47 | * TheDreaded: If the Watcher has a high enough Cruel reputation, many of the enemies, who in a non-Cruel playthrough would itching for a fight and reject or laugh off attempts to find a peaceful solution, will actually start to seriously consider that going up against a person who is known to be highly dangerous and has a reputation of brutally and viciously killing people at the slightest provocation, in addition to occasionally maiming and torturing others just for the fun of it, might be a really, ''really'' terrible idea. Of course, being Cruel, the Watcher often simply won't allow them to act on these doubts. |
| 48 | * DreamingOfThingsToCome: Mostly you dream of the past, but ''The White March, Part I'' ends with a vision of [[spoiler:what the army that will march against the White March, Caed Nua, and eventually the whole Dyrwood]], as set up for the CosmicHorror elements of ''Part II''. |
| 49 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: Averted as appropriate in Deadfire. Important and well connected people of Deadfire know who you are and often ask for your assistance because they realize you are the one who can get it done. Thugs and hired muscle on the other hand tend to have no idea who you are and will often try to bully you around. You can generally show them why that's a big mistake. |
| 50 | * FaintingSeer: In the first game, the Watcher collapses from the pain and stress of remembering their past life. It's about the only sleep they get for much of the game. Often triggered by a MeaningfulEcho, made all the worse if said echo comes from [[spoiler:Thaos himself.]] |
| 51 | * FamedInStory: By the time of Deadfire, the Watcher of Caid Nua has become a widely recognized person and important people will ask for your assistance frequently because of your known exploits. |
| 52 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: [[ArcWords No sleep for the Watcher]]. [[IAmWho That's you.]] |
| 53 | ** During the beginning of the game, the Watcher sees a vision of Thaos, stating that you have a question which he has to know the answer to... |
| 54 | %%* FriendToAllChildren / ChildHater: And anywhere in between, depending on how you respond to kids you encounter and/or hear about. Careful being the latter around Grieving Mother, though. |
| 55 | %% Please write these as separate trope entries. Tropes joined with a slash are not allowed. |
| 56 | * TheFundamentalist: Certain dialogue options allow for this, especially, of course, if you're playing as a priest. |
| 57 | * GameplayAndStoryIntegration: |
| 58 | ** As befits a [[{{Gamebooks}} Choose Your Own Adventure]] CRPG, your character's stats can open the door towards certain outcomes, or lock you out entirely. |
| 59 | ** You can perform a DungeonBypass during "Never Far From The Queen" if you have a Resolve score of 18. |
| 60 | ** One of the biggest examples is in the ExpansionPack. [[spoiler: If the Watcher stays behind to strike Ionni Brathr, it's possible for them to survive with a constitution score of 19. [[GuideDangIt Or a piece of equipment from an obscure side quest.]] Or if you made a certain choice of what to do with the souls bound to the White Forge.]] |
| 61 | ** The game opens with you suddenly taking ill, sweating and shivering. As of patch 3.0, the Watcher starts off with a status effect that reflects their illness. |
| 62 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: Godlike and Orlans are subject to FantasticRacism, and Pale Elves are considered a rare and exotic sight outside their homeland, yet most [=NPC=]'s rarely comment on it, even as they give other [=NPC=]'s and companions of the same race lots of grief and/or attention. |
| 63 | * GentlemanAdventurer: Technically. Can't have your own castle and not be a member of the gentry, after all. Regardless of how you act outside of that castle. |
| 64 | * HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:One of the possible reasons your past self turned on Thaos: they saw exactly what he had become and tried to stop him.]] |
| 65 | * HeroicWillpower: Resolve, which determines your drive, determination, and emotional intensity. It works in combat, as well as dialogue with NPC's. |
| 66 | * IAmWho: You are a Watcher, someone who has the ability to perceive souls and interact with them. [[spoiler:Far more important, however, is who you ''used'' to be...]] |
| 67 | * IHaveManyNames: The Watcher of Caed Nua, the Hound of Eothas, the Herald of Berath, and the captain of the Defiant, among others. |
| 68 | * ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: |
| 69 | ** In the "Bloodlines" quest, you have the option of [[spoiler:taking baby Vela and keeping her]]. When confronted, you can even respond with [[spoiler:"I'm keeping this baby."]] The guy confronting you is not amused. If Grieving Mother is in your party, she will also not be amused. The ending even changes a bit if you do this. [[spoiler:''Deadfire'' shows that you kept your word: a 5 year old Vela appears as an NPC crew member.]] |
| 70 | ** A considerable number of pets are these, actually. Notably, the Black Cat and the White Wurm. |
| 71 | * ISeeDeadPeople: The most basic, entry-level use of your Watcher powers is this. [[spoiler:Part of your problem in the first game is that you're not just seeing real souls, however, but pulling images from your past life into the present and instinctively embodying them through your powers. The problem is that if you can't stop this from happening, you're going to end up like [[UnhappyMedium Maerwald]], unable to tell what's a waking memory and what's actually happening in the present, with the embodied souls giving rise to angry spirits which can actually attack the living.]] |
| 72 | * {{Jerkass}}: Cruel dialogue options generally have you doling out unnecessary pain or just being a dick. |
| 73 | * KnightInSourArmor: A Benevolent, Honest, or Passionate Watcher is free to acknowledge how awful people can be to each other, but that doesn't stop them doing the right thing anyway. [[spoiler: This is especially the case in Sun-In-Shadow, where the Watcher can point out kith's flaws to Iovara and then tell Thaos that the cost of keeping his secret is too high.]] If the Watcher has enough ranks in the Benevolent and Honest dispositions, certain [=NPCs=] will commend them for seeming to rise above their CrapsackWorld surroundings. |
| 74 | * TheLadette: Can be played this way if female, if you choose snarkier and/or uncouth dialogue options. |
| 75 | * LadyOfWar: Potentially if female, if you choose more classy dialogue and/or are from the nobility background. |
| 76 | * LivingEmotionalCrutch: Can become this for quite a few companions, [[spoiler:especially Aloth]]. |
| 77 | * LivingLegend: By the time of ''Deadfire'', the Watcher of Caed Nua has gained quite a bit of renown. There's even a song dedicated to their victory over Gathbin in the Battle of Yenwood. [[spoiler:The ending of ''Deadfire'' in which the Watcher reaches Ukaizo ''without'' relying on any other faction cements this. The feat is so impressive that many people start to see the Watcher as the savior of Eora in the wake of Eothas' breaking of the Wheel.]] |
| 78 | * MadeASlave: With the aptly named Slave background, this happened to the Watcher in the past. |
| 79 | * NatureHero: If you play a Druid or Ranger. |
| 80 | * NayTheist: If you so choose. [[spoiler:Even more of an option in ''Deadfire'']]. |
| 81 | * NiceGuy: If frequently choosing the Benevolent dialogue options, The Watcher is this. |
| 82 | * NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: No Aedyran, Ixamitl, or Vailian voice sets for the Watcher, even if every other character from your homeland has an accent. Also counts as GameplayAndStorySegregation, since many characters will pick up on the Watcher's background based on their accent, and many characters who are no more Dyrwoodan (or Deadfire-an) than you are have no particular accent either. |
| 83 | * NumberTwo: [[spoiler: To Thaos, in the Watcher's past life.]] |
| 84 | * OmnicidalManiac: A possibility Rymrgand suggests in ''Deadfire''. [[spoiler:During their final discussion with Eothas, they can even go so far as to sincerely try and convince him the world should be destroyed... and depending on various circumstances, including whether or not your party can muster a sufficient PatrickStewartSpeech in response, the seed of doubt planted in Eothas' divine soul can be enough to devastate the Wheel beyond repair and doom the world.]] |
| 85 | * ThePaladin: Another class option. |
| 86 | * ParentalSubstitute: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. While the Watcher can adopt (read: kidnap) Vela from Twin Elms and she joins the crew in ''Deadfire'' she never acts as if they're her parent and in banter she refers to them as 'Captain' rather than mother or father. The fact that the player can't have any dialogue with her and Serafen encourages Vela to leave if she ever feels like she wants to also paints a pretty poor picture of the relationship. |
| 87 | * PullTheThread: High Intellect and/or Perception allows you to do this with less-than-honest [=NPCs=]. In ''Deadfire'', Insight also accomplishes this. |
| 88 | * RefugeInAudacity: A high Resolve score allows the Watcher to pull off feats like "borrowing" a cultist's hood, or making someone drink poison. |
| 89 | * SecondHourSuperpower: Fairly early into the game the player character will witness a ritual that will change them forever. Surviving the ritual at the ruins of Cilant Lîs awakens their capabilities as a Watcher, with more powers triggered as the plot advances. |
| 90 | * SelfMadeOrphan: A Watcher with the Drifter background can self-describe as this when explaining their backstory to Calisca. The Watcher says that their parents had it coming; whether this is true or not is left to the player's imagination. |
| 91 | * ShipperOnDeck / ShippingTorpedo: In ''Deadfire'', they can be either one for Konstanten and Fassina, Maia and Xoti, or Edér and Xoti, [[spoiler: though that last one doesn't work out either way.]] |
| 92 | * ShutUpHannibal: The Watcher gets plenty of opportunities to shut down the game's villains. [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath Sometimes they even listen]]. If the Watcher goes with Rymrgand's plan in the second game and tries to [[spoiler:persuade Eothas to [[OmnicidalManiac end all life entirely]], it's possible that your companions will give ''the Watcher'' one of these, each of them pleading with Eothas in turn.]] |
| 93 | * SoleSurvivor: ''Soul'' survivor. A funny thing happened on the way to Gilded Vale... It happens again, on a much larger scale, when Eothas erupts from underneath Caed Nua. In both cases, it's the Watcher's ancient "strong soul" which saves them, resisting the pull of the bîaŵac. |
| 94 | * SoulPower: As a Watcher, your unique abilities allow you to perceive souls, and, with practice, manipulate them. This allows you to see and talk with ghosts, read memories other than your own, and absorb power from others -- all the things that make up your [[AuthorAppeal typical Obsidian protagonist]]. |
| 95 | * SpannerInTheWorks: Being a Watcher allows you to uncover details of other people's best-laid plans that they usually wish you didn't find. Most often by communing with the souls of people they secretly killed. |
| 96 | * TheSpock: A Watcher that frequently chooses Rational and Intellect dialogue options. |
| 97 | * StartingANewLife: No matter what your background, you left it all behind, willingly or otherwise, when you set out for the Dyrwood. Calisca's prying during the prologue of the first game gives you the chance to define some of your reasons in-game, some of which can even come up again later in the game. You get a castle and a potentially life-ruining curse within a few days of your arrival, so it's kind of tough to say exactly how well that's going. |
| 98 | * TheStoic: Picking Stoic and/or Rational options consistently during dialogue tends to lead the character in this direction. |
| 99 | * TalkingInYourDreams: Most of the Watcher's direct communication with the gods in the second game only occurs when they summon you before them in your dreams while sailing the seas. In the lore of the setting, the seas are Ondra's realm and the soul is less tightly tethered to the body while asleep, so it seems possible the Watcher's soul is actually being called out of their body. |
| 100 | * UnhappyMedium: No sleep for the Watcher. Being Awakened would be bad enough, dealing with the psychic baggage of a past life, but being a Watcher gradually blurs the line between dream and reality, past memories and present events, what only you can see versus what your Watcher powers make manifest. Seeing what happened to Maerwald means there's also a definite time factor involved as well. |
| 101 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: As a Druid, during combat you can "spiritshift" into a giant, bipedal animal. |
| 102 | * WorthyOpponent: If you're Aggressive enough and if you greet him by declaring that you're accepting his challenge, [[spoiler:the revived Raedric]] will respond that he knew you would, since you are no coward. |
| 103 | * YouKillItYouBoughtIt: After putting down Maerwald, you become the new lord or lady of Caed Nua. The 3.0 patch added a new questline where your claim is contested by a lord with a more legitimate claim. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, the authorities uphold the claim. But, hilariously, add that because you did all of the actual work in reclaiming and rebuilding Caed Nua, the lord has to ''pay you'' for it. The UpperClassTwit leaves the proceedings in a huff, vowing revenge, and the bemused chancellor who announced the decision says that since the other guy refused to pay compensation, Caed Nua is still yours. The other lord doesn't give up, and his efforts escalate from assassination, to framing you for overtaxing and attacking innocent villagers, and finally to outright warfare. It only ends after you finally slay him on the battlefield.]] |
| 104 | * YourSoulIsMine: It's not generally the "good" option, but you can gain power and absorb knowledge by taking the souls of others. Mostly after they've already died, but still. Inverted in ''Deadfire'', where [[spoiler:you gain a whole host of willing souls walking in your wake (whether ''you'' like it or not), what with Eothas having disrupted the luminous adra and the usual flow of souls through Berath's Wheel.]] |
| 105 | [[/folder]] |
| 106 | |
| 107 | !!Recurring Party Members |
| 108 | |
| 109 | [[folder:Aloth]] |
| 110 | !!Aloth Corfiser |
| 111 | [[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/l5ino51vvl3.png]] |
| 112 | |
| 113 | ->''"It's hard to be comfortable in your own skin when you're sharing it with someone else."'' |
| 114 | -> '''Voiced by:''' Creator/MatthewMercer |
| 115 | |
| 116 | An elven wizard first encountered outside the Black Hound Inn in Gilded Vale. Being a foreign noble, [[FantasticRacism and an elf to boot]], he's had difficulty acclimating to the locals, who now want to kick his teeth in. The Watcher gets involved, and Aloth, grateful for the assistance, invites himself to the party. He returns as a companion in ''Deadfire''. |
| 117 | ---- |
| 118 | * AbusiveParents: Suffered quite a bit of physical abuse from his father as a child, and his mother was rarely present and neglectful. [[spoiler: In fact, it was during one such beating that he Awakened and Iselmyr manifested, [[LaserGuidedKarma breaking his father's arm in the process]].]] |
| 119 | ** In ''Deadfire'', after CharacterDevelopment, he finds it in his heart to forgive one of them, depending on his path after the first game, while still bearing a grudge against the other. [[spoiler:If he becomes grandmaster of the Leaden Key, he forgives his father, [[ForgivenButNotForgotten harshly]], as a "weak man" who just wasn't cut out for a position of authority, but at least tried and was present. If he devotes himself to finishing off the Leaden Key instead, he forgives his mother who, though she was rarely present and did little to help him against his father, was at least kind to him when they were together.]] |
| 120 | * ADegreeInUseless: Played with. Aloth studied to be an Arcane Knight, which is only useful if you're employed by a noble patron. Since he couldn't find a patron (apart from the erl his abusive father served), and none of his offensive magic would be any use at a healer's den or charm-peddler's shop, he left for Dyrwood [[spoiler:to spy for the Leaden Key]], then joined the Watcher. It's part of why he's so DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife. |
| 121 | * AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Narrowly avoided this fate growing up by striving to appear {{beneath notice}}, [[spoiler:due to Aedyran society shunning those with Awakened souls as little better than madmen and criminals]]. Avoiding this is a huge part of what drives him. |
| 122 | * BadassBookworm: Like all wizards. In the sequel, his Arcane Knight training lets him multiclass as a fighter or rogue, and his idle animation has him crack open his grimoire and pore over it for a few moments. |
| 123 | * BadLiar: Which is ironic considering [[spoiler:how long he goes in the first game hiding his SplitPersonality and past with the Leaden Key.]] |
| 124 | ** PlayedForLaughs in ''Deadfire''. His cover story for the animancers he's spying on is so hilariously unoriginal the Watcher can call him out on it. If romanced, his attempts to fend off Eder's and Tekehu's prying questions of how ''close'' he's getting with the captain involve some very flimsy deflections. |
| 125 | * BadPowersGoodPeople: Downplayed. As a wizard, he starts off with a number of ghastly spells that burn, zap, siphon, freeze, poison, impale, and corrode enemies into a grizzly death, but outside combat he's very polite, formal, and averse to conflict. |
| 126 | * BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Aloth doesn't outright say it, but a Watcher who's nice to him is the first person to treat him with kindness and acceptance, [[spoiler:Iselmyr and all]]. If carried over into the next game, their romance progresses along these lines too. |
| 127 | * BeneathNotice: Spent most of his life trying to avoid getting beaten senseless by his abusive father or [[spoiler:discovered as having an Awakened SplitPersonality]] by trying to seem as bland, quiet, and unremarkable as possible. Even after befriending the Watcher, he tries to remain as studiously blank and politely attentive as possible. |
| 128 | * BerserkButton: Really doesn't like animancy. While the arguments he gives against the practice have some valid points, [[spoiler:his animosity may also be due to his past as a member of the Leaden Key.]] |
| 129 | ** He also hates {{Spoiled Brat}}s and/or people with too much {{Pride}} (like how he sees Tekehu), though this ties back to his {{Freudian Excuse}}s. |
| 130 | * BirdsOfAFeather: Regardless of their race or background, Aloth and the Watcher are the only members of the party to [[spoiler:both have an Awakened soul and personal history with the Leaden Key]]. |
| 131 | * BlatantLies: When you first meet him, he'll claim he got into that tussle with the villagers over some simple "misunderstandings and mistranslations," [[spoiler:badly hiding the fact that he has a split personality that did it.]] [[spoiler:That story about being a settler? Also a lie; he was waiting to hear from his contact in the Leaden Key.]] |
| 132 | * BritishStuffiness: Politeness. Decorum. Good diction. Aloth has the right accent, and his personality exemplifies all the ways in which Aedyr is the Britain to the Dyrwood's America. [[spoiler:His [[SplitPersonality other half]]? Not so much.]] |
| 133 | * CharacterClass: Wizard. In ''Deadfire'', his options are Wizard, Wizard/Fighter (Battlemage), or Wizard/Rogue (Spellblade). |
| 134 | * CharacterDevelopment: If the Watcher doesn't reject him outright at a critical moment, Aloth learns to be more confident and assertive. |
| 135 | ** Depending on what your actions, at the end of the first game he will either [[spoiler:take over Thaos's position as lead of the Leaden Key or else dedicate his life to destroying it]]. In ''Deadfire'', this will affect his personality and favored dispositions. If you convince him to go with the former option, he will appreciate actions in favor of order and leadership and if you convince him to go the latter path, he will approve actions that favor freedom and autonomy. His feelings towards his parents will change as well, with him forgiving one parent over the other. |
| 136 | * CharacterTics: Dusting off his robes, not knowing what to do with his hands, and looking at his grimoire, all of which are represented in his idle animations from the second game. In the text of the game, he's also described as having various [[EyeTwitch facial twitches]], which come up whenever he's trying to [[spoiler:suppress his SplitPersonality.]] |
| 137 | * ComesGreatResponsibility: Part of why he hates animancers and the damage they cause. He firmly believes that with the advantage of education comes authority, and responsibility. |
| 138 | * TheComicallySerious: His decidedly uptight personality is part of what makes [[spoiler:Iselmyr's occasional outburst]] even funnier. |
| 139 | * CommanderContrarian: In the second game, it's a lot easier for his RelationshipValues to sink (he has three fairly common pet peeves, irresponsibility, pride, and traditionalism, that can be triggered even by snark, being politely diplomatic to traditionalists, or simply asking to be paid for what you do) than to rise (he likes responsibility, fine, but his other like is one of either "autonomy" or "stewardship" depending on how he handled the Leaden Key, and both very rare). [[spoiler:Calling him out on this behavior is actually a way to start his Romance arc.]] |
| 140 | * CommonalityConnection: [[spoiler:When the sanitarium consultant suggests that Aloth's Awakened personality appears as a result of his liver producing excess black bile, the Watcher can't tell if it's Aloth or Iselmyr looking out his eyes when he responds, "That's utter horseshit." The two get along a little better after that.]] |
| 141 | * ControlFreak: Due to his abuse and [[spoiler:Iselmyr]] sporadically taking over, Aloth grew up trying to control every aspect of his life and surroundings. With the Watcher's help, he can slowly ease out of it. |
| 142 | * CosmicPlaything: If anyone is going to get injured along your party, it'll probably be Aloth. The party scales a cliff and someone falls the rest of the way down? It's Aloth. The party jumps across chasm and someone breaks their ankle on landing? Aloth. They wade through a curtain of sentient vines only for someone to get whacked? Aloth. That's not even getting into his backstory. [[spoiler:Drunken abusive father, Awakened personality, fell in with the Leaden Key, got abandoned by his contact after arriving in Gilded Vale...]] |
| 143 | * CowardlyLion: He never stops being nervous, tetchy, and uptight -- but that never keeps him from being an effective combat presence, whether as a pure wizard or a spellblade. Even in the second game, he still sounds nervous when the Watcher and their other allies start picking fights with dragons, giants, or even just minor underworld figures. |
| 144 | * DeadpanSnarker: Only topped by Eder as the snarkiest companion. His wit is so dry it could be used as kindling. |
| 145 | -->'''Aloth:''' ''[entering the Salty Mast]'' Over-fried cod, watered ale, and prostitution. A bastion of Dyrwoodan culture. |
| 146 | * DeliberateValuesDissonance: As a member of the Aedyran gentry, Aloth has some pretty Paternalistic views of the lower classes, believing it's the [[ComesGreatResponsibility responsibility]] of the educated and wealthy to make choices ''for'' them. This ties back to Aedyran's rigid caste system and colonial expansionism, with the nobility justifying their rule by claiming they're improving the lives of the poor and foreign savages. |
| 147 | * DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: He studied to become an Arcane Knight from an early age like his abusive father wanted. When he failed to find a patron, he had no idea what to do with his life, so he moved to Dyrwood hoping to start a new life, but was turned away same as the Watcher. [[spoiler:He actually came out to spy for the Leaden Key, but was abandoned by his contact.]] By the time the Watcher meets him in Dyrwood, Aloth's been separated from everything he's ever known and is desperate for any kind of direction. By the end of the game, the Watcher can help him find a new purpose: [[spoiler:take over or take down the Leaden Key.]] |
| 148 | * DistinctionWithoutADifference: In the first game, Pallegina says in party banter she's never met an Aedyran so hesitant to speak his mind. Aloth protests that he's not hesitant! He just... likes to consider his words carefully. He gives a similar response when she observes that she's never met a wizard as obsessive as him. |
| 149 | * TheDitherer: |
| 150 | ** During Act 1, Aloth often acts like he wants to tell you something but always fidgets instead, until [[spoiler:one outburst too many from Iselmyr]] forces him to confess that he [[spoiler:also has an Awakened soul and would like help looking into it.]] |
| 151 | ** Aloth's backstory and personal quest reveals he was always indecisive and didn't know what he wanted out of life, so went along with what others wanted of him. [[spoiler:He became an Arcane Knight like his father wanted, hid Iselmyr like his mother insisted, and then followed the Leaden Key when he couldn't find a patron at school]]. A huge part of his CharacterDevelopment is learning to grow out of this. |
| 152 | * DownerEnding: |
| 153 | ** In the first game, [[spoiler: if you turn him away after he reveals himself to be a member of the Leaden Key, he'll sacrifice himself to one of the Engwithian engines.]] |
| 154 | ** In ''Deadfire'', [[spoiler: if you find him at the Engwithian dig site but don't recruit him, he'll try to investigate Leaden Key activity among the Huana and end up killed for his trouble.]] |
| 155 | * {{Elfeminate}}: He also has the mannerisms, which [[DirtyOldMan Durance]] frequently mocks in party banter. [[spoiler:Ironically, he happens to have a second personality who ''is'' a woman... who just so happens to be TheLadette.]] |
| 156 | * EvenTheGuysWantHim: Actually, the guys like Durance and Edér don't necessarily want ''him''. [[spoiler:They're more interested in Iselmyr. Ironically, she's more interested in women. [[AmbiguouslyBi And]] [[BiggerIsBetterInBed Kana]].]] |
| 157 | ** Amusingly, in ''Deadfire'' the Watcher can encounter an old male classmate from his academy days, who openly crushes on Aloth. |
| 158 | * ExperimentedInCollege: His interactions with the courtesan Ymir, an old acquaintance from his college days, suggests such, though [[spoiler:a comment from Iselmyr hints that it was ''her'' doing the experimenting, while Aloth was reluctantly along for the ride]]. |
| 159 | * FantasticRacism: Gets this in the first game for being an Aedyran elf. Aloth also doesn't think very highly of Dyrwoodans' GoodIsDumb, HairTriggerTemper tendencies. |
| 160 | * {{Flanderization}}: Aloth's BritishStuffiness and CowardlyLion tendencies are exaggerated and PlayedForLaughs more in ''Deadfire''... even as the ability to multiclass into rogue or fighter make him even more of a BadassBookworm than before. |
| 161 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Melancholic. Even stated in-universe. [[spoiler:Iselmyr is Choleric.]] |
| 162 | * FreudianExcuse: Aloth's rigid and tight-lipped personality makes sense when it's revealed that [[spoiler:he grew up hiding the abuse he received from his father, and then later his Awakened SplitPersonality Iselmyr. And that's not even getting into his involvement with the Leaden Key--a cult centered around secrets.]] |
| 163 | ** Aloth hates drunken louts with [[HairTriggerTemper Hair-Trigger Tempers]] and is a CowardlyLion when it comes to violence because [[spoiler:his own father was a drunken batterer who beat the snot out of him and his mom when he was a little kid.]] |
| 164 | ** His tie-in short story ''[[file:///C:/Users/heath/AppData/Local/Temp/until-he-started-screaming.pdf "Until He Heard Himself Scream"]]'' elaborates why he hates animancy so much. [[spoiler:When he was still at the Academy, he joined a group of students who illegally obtained and tested a soul-reading machine, which rendered one of his classmates a drooling vegetable. He was then picked up by the Leaden Key, who manipulated his guilt and dislike of animancy into serving their own purposes.]] |
| 165 | * FriendlessBackground: [[spoiler:Due to hiding Iselmyr most of his life.]] |
| 166 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: While other party members don't dislike him, [[spoiler:Iselmyr's just a lot more fun.]] He can lighten up quite a bit in the second game, depending on your choices. |
| 167 | * HappyEndingOverride: At the end of the first game, Aloth dedicates his life to either [[spoiler:taking over or taking down the Leaden Key]]. ''Deadfire'' shows how that goes. [[spoiler:Aloth is frustrated to learn that a vast, secretive, disconnected organization that's been sending uniformed spies to play various [[XanatosGambit gambits]] and [[TheLongGame long games]] all over Eora for over thousand years can't be redirected or dismantled overnight. He feels so discouraged that he's made so little progress in five years.]] |
| 168 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: One of his possible endings suggests that [[spoiler:he will become the new, [[ALighterShadeOfGrey less brutal]] High Inquisitor after Thaos' death.]] |
| 169 | * HeelFaceTurn: In his past. [[spoiler:His very recent past, in fact -- right before he met up with you, he was a member of the Leaden Key. He was on the verge of leaving and didn't actually know anything about their darker side, but even so, there's a reason why he let you think Iselmyr was his only secret.]] |
| 170 | * HiddenDepths: Some easy-to-miss ambient dialogue suggests that Aloth is a closet romantic. In the first game, whenever you pass by the amphitheatre you'll witness a troupe of actors ([[StylisticSuck badly]]) acting out various scenes, yet it's only during a scene where a woman gives a {{Narm}}y AnguishedDeclarationOfLove that Aloth nervously requests that you watch to the end. In the second game, you can read a wizard's grimoire filled with sappy love letters. If in a romance, Aloth awkwardly requests that you burn all his books if he dies. Finally, in a DLC, you can encounter a woman who waxes poetic about how the stars inspire her. Most companions and sidekicks snark at her for being melodramatic, but Aloth alone will agree that one must find inspiration where one can, before [[HoldingHands eagerly grabs the]] Watcher's hand while beaming at you. |
| 171 | * HoldingHands: In the first game, one way to sooth Aloth in his personal quest [[spoiler:when he's reliving the most traumatic memory of his life]] is to hold his hand and assure him he's safe. In the second game, hand-holding comes up a lot in the romance. |
| 172 | * {{Hypocrite}}: In ''Deadfire'', Aloth hates when the Watcher lies to other people, as he feels you should always be honest (even if it's BrutalHonesty), yet he's not only spent most of his life lying about himself to virtually everyone he meets, but he gets very put out if you don't cover for his lie to a group of animancers he infiltrated when you first encounter him in the game. The Watcher can call him out on this. |
| 173 | ** Likewise, Aloth hates traditionalists and loses RelationshipValues if the Watcher is ever polite to local Deadfire traditionalists (even if you're just being diplomatic), yet Aloth expects you to be polite and open-minded toward his own culture. Again, the Watcher can call him out. |
| 174 | * IneffectualLoner: He's by far the most quiet and introverted companion, and has spent most of his life trying to handle his troubles himself (due to his parents' abuse and neglect). It's also gotten him ''nowhere'' in life. In both games, it isn't until he asks the Watcher for help that he starts to make any kind of progress in his goals. |
| 175 | * InTheHood: Descriptions of him early in the first game mention the hood he begins the game wearing. Fittingly, this ends around the time you start finding magical headgear items [[spoiler:by which time he may have started to come out of his shell, revealed his SplitPersonality, and possibly even his previous ties to the Leaden Key.]] He doesn't start with the hood in the second game and it doesn't feature in either of his portraits. |
| 176 | * InsecureLoveInterest: The Watcher has to plant a BigDamnKiss for him to believe you even like him, otherwise he'll assume you're just being friendly or [[JustJokingJustification joking]]. |
| 177 | * IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: Played with. He has trouble fitting in with the other salt-of-the-earth companions due to his refined education and upbringing. However, Kana is also from an educated and well-off background, but Aloth still prefers quiet study to Kana's intellectual debates. |
| 178 | * {{Irony}}: [[spoiler:Hid [[SplitPersonality Iselmyr]] his whole life to avoid being rejected or lynched, only for the new friends he makes to decide they like her better than him.]] ''Ouch''. |
| 179 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's cold and acerbic (not to mention haughty and elitist), but Aloth has a good heart and genuinely cares about other kith. [[spoiler:He joined the Leaden Key because they convinced him they were protecting kith from the dangers of animancy, and becomes dedicated to reforming or dismantling them to protect the world ''from'' the Leaden Key.]] In the second game, being cruel or callous to others is a good way to sink his RelationshipValues. |
| 180 | * JustJokingJustification: If the Watcher comes on strong early in ''Deadfire'', Aloth assumes they're just joking if they have a clever reputation. The Watcher can confirm they're just messing with him (or lie that they're messing with him because they CannotSpitItOut). |
| 181 | * TheLadette: Not Aloth himself, obviously. [[spoiler:Iselmyr is loud, incredibly crude, and mostly interested in violence, cursing, and occasional flirtation.]] |
| 182 | * LikeGoesWithLike: Depending on the Watcher's reputation, early in the romance Aloth can point out that they're very alike; careful, rational, logical, diplomatic, and/or tend to think before deciding. (Though he admires that you always seem to know what to do while he rarely does.) Otherwise, [[OppositesAttract he points out the opposite]]. |
| 183 | * LivingEmotionalCrutch: The Watcher is one for Aloth, even if he doesn't openly admit it. Being rejected at a crucial point leads to the worst ending for him. |
| 184 | -->[[spoiler:"After the Watcher sent him away, Aloth found himself cut off from every authority and ally he had ever known – his family, his homeland, the Leaden Key, and, finally, the Watcher." He wanders away and effectively commits suicide a few days later.]] |
| 185 | * LovedINotHonorMore: One of the reasons he's hesitant to enter a romantic relationship with the Watcher in ''Deadfire'' is because he's still dedicated to the path he took at the end of the first game, and doesn't want to make a commitment he can't honor. [[spoiler:If the Watcher doesn't convince him to give up his new goal of leading or dismantling the Leaden Key, he'll leave at the end of ''Deadfire'', having grown to care for the Watcher but not being willing to abandon his perceived duty.]] |
| 186 | * MagicKnight: He studied to be an Arcane Knight, [[spoiler:[[SplitPersonality Iselmyr]] seems to have been a warrior of some sort in life]], and he starting both games wearing leather armor and wielding a rapier. ''Deadfire'' allows him to make it official by multiclassing as a Wizard/Fighter or Wizard/Rogue. |
| 187 | * MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: |
| 188 | ** With [[spoiler:Iselmyr]]. Aloth is a prim, proper, fussy scholar while [[spoiler:Iselmyr]] is HotBlooded, [[SirSwearsALot foul-mouthed]], [[HairTriggerTemper quick-tempered]], and [[TheLadette loves drinking and brawling in cheap taverns.]] |
| 189 | ** He also shares this dynamic with Pallegina, Sagani and Maneha in party banter, since he's very delicate, effeminate, and appreciates the finer things in life (fancy drinks, literature, etc.), while Pallegina is a stoic warrior, Sagani is a hunter who's spent years on the road, and Maneha is a hard-drinking mercenary-turned-raider. |
| 190 | ** Can potentially enter a romantic relationship like this with a female Watcher, depending on her race, background, and/or personality. |
| 191 | * MasterOfTheMixedMessage: Upon meeting his old acquaintance Ymir, who studied at the same college as him, there is clear chemistry between them, but Aloth is quick to downplay it. He admits that he "confused the poor fellow" in their academy days, and when he tells Ymir that it was "lovely" to see him again, he quickly catches himself and states that "lovely" might be too strong a term and that "pleasant" is a better fit. |
| 192 | * TheMole: [[{{PlayingWithATrope}} In an interesting take on the trope]], he reveals that [[spoiler: he is in fact a member of the Leaden Key, but was not actually tasked to spy on the player per se. In fact, he was about to abandon the organization altogether when he saw you in Gilded Vale.]] |
| 193 | * NeatFreak: Implied in the first game, confirmed in the second -- complete with idle animation of dusting off his pristine robes. If [[spoiler:Iselmyr is not suppressed]], she elaborates that he's always been obsessed with cleanliness and tidiness. He never used to enter a threshold without scrubbing his boots, always kept his robes spotless, is secretly terrified of seagull shit, and once woke his entire dormitory in the Academy [[SeriousBusiness screaming in his sleep about an disorderly library]]. Aloth also hates when [[spoiler:Iselmyr]] dog-ears his grimoire, and there's a minor RunningGag of companions dirtying his grimoire behind his back. |
| 194 | * NervousWreck: Downplayed. While he strives to appear as calm and rational as possible, his constant fidgeting and pained/worried expressions betrays that inside he's always on edge. He's also the most easily startled in party banter, most hesitant to speak his mind to the Watcher, and shrinks pack the hardest whenever the Watcher snaps at him. (Sadly TruthInTelevision for many adults who were abused as children.) |
| 195 | * NobleMaleRoguishMale: [[spoiler: He seems to have a split-personality that's rough around the edges, which is against his normally prim and proper persona. Interestingly enough, Iselmyr's female.]] |
| 196 | * ObliviousToLove: The Watcher can tell him in the second game that they always thought there might have been something between them, which seems to blindside Aloth. |
| 197 | * OlderThanTheyLook: He's at least 65, since he mentions that [[spoiler:Iselmyr Awakened when he was 15, and he's been living with her for 50 years.]] {{Justified}} as Eora elves age slowly and have a lifespan of a few centuries. |
| 198 | * OnlyChildSyndrome: Aloth's difficult childhood was made worse by not having any siblings for his abusive father to focus on, and said father demanded perfection from his only child. |
| 199 | * OppositesAttract: Depending on the Watcher's reputation, Aloth can point out that you two are so different. While Aloth always hesitates and rarely knows what to do, you're brash, bold, and quick to action. [[spoiler:He can also note the irony that you're a lot like Iselmyr, yet he's still falling for you.]] |
| 200 | * OtherMeAnnoysMe: He doesn't like [[spoiler:Iselmyr's HairTriggerTemper]]. |
| 201 | * OutOfTheFryingPan: He left Aedyr because he couldn't find a patron apart from the erl his abusive father served, and he wanted to get as far away from his father as possible. The Watcher then meets him getting harassed and attacked by Dyrwoodans for being Aedyran. [[spoiler:It can get worse if the Watcher chases Aloth away on learning his past with the Leaden Key, wherein Aloth is driven to [[DespairEventHorizon despair]] and [[DrivenToSuicide suicide]].]] |
| 202 | * ThePerfectionist: Very fussy and self-possessed, Aloth always strives to do things the "proper" way, both in how he conducts himself and how he performs magic. [[spoiler:It's revealed that his abusive father used to beat the shit out of him for every little mistake till he was 15, and he spent most of his life trying to be a model student so as not to draw attention to himself or his Awakened SplitPersonality.]] |
| 203 | * PermanentlyMissableContent: His sidequest can be missed if not completed before the end of Act II. |
| 204 | * PerpetualFrowner: Rekke says he always has a "sour lemon face", although given [[WackyGuy what Rekke is like]], it's not surprising that they wouldn't get along. Still, his expressions are often described as studiously blank and politely attentive, and his smiles are described as fleeting, twitching briefly into place and then gone again. Which makes sense given his lonely upbringing. |
| 205 | * PlayingWithFire: Starts off with a few fire spells, and can learn more if the player so chooses. |
| 206 | ** PlayedForLaughs in ''Deadfire'', where the Watcher encounters him undercover with some animancers learns his go-to cover story is that [[spoiler:both his parents died in a fire. Then his "rich old aunt/uncle" (depending on the Watcher's gender) also died. In a fire.]] |
| 207 | * PickyEater: Spends a lot of time complaining about Dyrwoodan food in the first game. (Which is probably why he's so thin.) In Deadfire, he's bulked out quite a bit and approvingly says at one point that the Vailians know how to use spices. |
| 208 | * RelationshipUpgrade: Is the only returning companion who can be romanced in ''Deadfire''. |
| 209 | * RoaringRampageOfRevenge: If you encourage him to be more independent, he'll take it upon himself to take down [[spoiler: the Leaden Key]]. |
| 210 | * SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler:His uncouth, sweary alter-ego? She's a girl.]] |
| 211 | * SarcasticDevotee: Aloth tends to snark and second-guess the Watcher more than any other companion, but he's also one of the most steadfastly loyal in the first game. [[spoiler:Helps that he was TheMole, then they became his OnlyFriend.]] |
| 212 | * ScrewYourself: Both Hiravias and Serafen ask if Aloth ever [[spoiler:tried getting intimate with his SplitPersonality Iselmyr. Aloth firmly shuts them both down.]] |
| 213 | * SinkOrSwimMentor: The Watcher can suggest that [[spoiler:Iselmyr forcing a confrontation whenever Aloth is in trouble could be her way of trying to make him more assertive and confront his problems]]. He doesn't seem too convinced, but promises to think on it. |
| 214 | * SlapSlapKiss: A way to start his romance arc in ''Deadfire'' is actually by [[spoiler:getting his relationship with the Watcher as negative as possible first. When this happen, Aloth is prompted to confront the Watcher with his dislike for them, which the Watcher can throw back in his face by accusing him of only playing a contrarian to them because he ''wants'' someone to fight against, before planting a TakeThatKiss on him. Aloth discovers, much to his confusion, that he actually enjoys the experience of said kiss, and falls in love with the Watcher]]. |
| 215 | * SourOutsideSadInside: He's very serious and uptight (Rekke even describes him as having a "sour lemon face", and his character portraits support this), but deep down he's very scared and alone, dealing with the aftermath of his abusive childhood, [[spoiler:his SplitPersonality Iselmyr, and his past with the Leaden Key]]. |
| 216 | * SleevesAreForWimps: Averted. Aloth's leather armor has no sleeves in both games, but only because that's the style in Aedyr, which is basically the culture of [[FantasyCounterpartCulture 19th Century Britain]] in the climate of the Amazon. In the second game it's revealed that day-to-day wear for most Aedyrans is [[CultureChopSuey Greek-style togas]], and Aloth's armor now includes, in addition to even less coverage above the shoulder, a longer skirt, and a draping blue sash over the shoulder. |
| 217 | * SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:His soul was Awakened and is currently hosting the personality of a previous life he'd lived, Iselmyr. You can choose to help him accept her or suppress her, a choice which carries over into the sequel.]] |
| 218 | * StraightManAndWiseGuy: Aloth generally plays the Straight Man to the more jokey, wacky Wise Guy companions [[spoiler:including Iselmyr]]. |
| 219 | * SugarAndIcePersonality: Normally very cool, tetchy, and aloof, he can show a much warmer and kinder side to a Watcher who gains his trust and friendship [[spoiler:and doesn't outright reject him when he reveals his past with the Leaden Key]], and even love in the second game. |
| 220 | * TakingUpTheMantle: One of his possible endings suggests he takes up [[spoiler: ''[[BigBad Thaos]]''' mantle of High Inquisitor, of all things, if he's convinced that keeping the secret of the gods is worth doing and that Thaos [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope just went too far]]]]. |
| 221 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: With Durance in the first game, Tekehu in the second.[[note]]Though one-sided in the latter's case since it's clear Tekehu really likes Aloth and wants to be his friend, but Aloth can barely stand him[[/note]] In both games, Aloth alone will actually interrupt their one-on-one conversations with the Watcher to snark under his breath. |
| 222 | -->'''Tekehu:''' ''[to the Watcher]'' I... [[SmallNameBigEgo know how I must seem]]. We did not have this word, "conceited," before Aedyrans landed on the aisles.\ |
| 223 | '''Aloth:''' Well, you've certainly made up for lost time. |
| 224 | * ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Both of his endings lead to this. The "authority" ending has him [[spoiler: replacing Thaos as leader of the Leaden Key and working to reforming the group]], whereas the "independence" ending has him [[spoiler: using his knowledge of the Leaden Key in order to ultimately destroy them.]] |
| 225 | * ThrowTheBookAtThem: As a wizard, he can learn [[{{Doorstopper}} Grimoire]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Slam]]. |
| 226 | * {{Troll}}: [[spoiler:Iselmyr can be one towards both Aloth and others. A notable example in ''Deadfire'' is when she takes advantage of Edér's crush on her and coaxes him into kissing her. As Edér leans in for the kiss, she returns control of Aloth's body to him, leaving him horrified at what Edér was about to do. Iselmyr can only laugh at Edér's embarrassment.]] |
| 227 | * UnwantedAssistance: [[invoked]] It's revealed that [[spoiler:his [[SplitPersonality Awakened past life]] tends to come out when he's under pressure or distress]]. Since her methods tend to get him into even more trouble, he wishes she wouldn't. |
| 228 | * UptightLovesWild: His romance can have some shades of this with a Watcher who is more passionate, impulsive, and/or snarky. |
| 229 | * UselessBystanderParent: Aloth's mother, who often left him to deal with his father's abuse alone, and then [[spoiler:left him to hide his Awakened LiteralSplitPersonality Iselmyr]]. The Watcher can accuse her as much in the first game. In the second, Aloth can come to blame her or forgive her for this depending on the path he took at the end of the first game. |
| 230 | * ViolentGlaswegian: [[spoiler:Iselmyr and "her intolerable Hylspeak."]] |
| 231 | * WalkingSpoiler: Aloth is very tight-lipped about himself, which makes every revelation, [[spoiler:including the truth about his split personality and connections with the Leaden Key]], a spoiler. |
| 232 | |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Edér]] |
| 236 | !! Edér Teylecg |
| 237 | [[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e4uzackhmbd.png]] |
| 238 | |
| 239 | ->''"Tough to walk very far without a soul. The Hollowborn, usually you'd have to stack 'em in a wheelbarrow and push 'em around."'' |
| 240 | -> '''Voiced by:''' Creator/MatthewMercer |
| 241 | |
| 242 | A human fighter and veteran of the Saint's War. Edér's not welcome in his hometown of Gilded Vale, [[DarkAndTroubledPast for various reasons]], chief among them being that he is a follower of Eothas. Seeing that his prospects in his hometown are dim, he decides to tag along with the Watcher. He returns as a companion in ''Deadfire''. |
| 243 | ---- |
| 244 | * AllLoveIsUnrequited: All romantic feelings surrounding him in ''Deadfire'' amount to this. [[spoiler:He's still not over a girl he used to date, and if a non-orlan female Watcher flirts with him, he lets them down on these grounds, while male and orlan Watchers are let down because of their gender or race, respectively. If neither are romanced, Xoti flirts with him and he half-heartedly reciprocates for a while. On the other hand, he's still clearly into Iselmyr, who shares a body with Aloth (whom Edér is not into nor vice-versa), and she's not into him either.]] |
| 245 | ** Eder ''can'' finally start [[spoiler: a "[[PlatonicLifePartners lifelong friendship]]") with Xoti, but only if ''Deadfire'' is completed with both characters having maxed relationship values and having come to similar conclusions regarding the nature of the gods, albeit in different games.]] |
| 246 | * BadassBoast: Mellow as he usually is, he gets in a pretty good one on [[spoiler:his god, Eothas, in the second game. Which means it's also a BlasphemousBoast.]] |
| 247 | -->'''Edér:''' Hey! [[spoiler:Eothas]]! We're not done here. You and I, we're not finished. Don't think you can just move me aside like all the rest. Maybe you can't be stopped. But on behalf of everyone you've trampled, betrayed, and ignored, I'll be coming to see you again. |
| 248 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In ''Deadfire'', Eothas finally returns. Unfortunately, Eothas's first act after returning nearly kills Edér's friend the Watcher: |
| 249 | -->'''Edér:''' I used to dream that when my god came back, he would forgive us. That's the trouble with dreams: sooner or later, we all have to wake up. |
| 250 | * BigBrotherWorship: Edér idolized his brother and thought the world of him. It's why he takes the rumor that his brother defected to the other side during the Saint's War so hard. [[spoiler:Especially when the rumor turns out to be true and Edér is left doubting whether he fought for the right side after all.]] |
| 251 | * TheBigGuy: Big, loyal, and, though not stupid, more BookDumb than other companions. |
| 252 | * BrokenPedestal: He heard rumors that his brother actually fought for the other side during the Saint's War, but refuses to believe it. [[spoiler: Doing his quest lets you discover that his brother did join the opposing force, but not the reasons why his brother did it.]] |
| 253 | * CharacterClass: Fighter. In ''Deadfire'', his options are Fighter, Rogue, or Fighter/Rogue (Swashbuckler). |
| 254 | * ChekhovsGunman: He can be seen and spoken to as soon as you enter Gilded Vale, but he won't join you until a certain event happens in the town. |
| 255 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Some of the things he says are... ''out there''. He also has the bright idea of petting Itumaak, and the even more brilliant idea of petting a stelgaer (a fantasy sabre-tooth tiger). Hiravias has to wonder how Dyrwoodans even survive with whims like that. |
| 256 | * CrisisOfFaith: |
| 257 | ** One which is central to his character: his god was seemingly blown up while possessing Waidwen, and followers of Eothas were killed en masse during the purges that followed. He fought against Waidwen's army during the Saint's War, believing Waidwen to be an impostor. Years later, he still wonders if he fought for the right side, and if he didn't in fact betray his god. [[spoiler:Then he discovers that his brother actually defected to Waidwen's side during the war, that Waidwen may have really been Eothas and may be permanently dead, and that in any case the gods were created by kith and aren't true gods after all. Needless to say, he is quite shaken as a result.]] |
| 258 | ** However, depending on your conversations with him, [[spoiler:he can have his faith renewed, even though he knows that the gods are kith-made and that his own god is probably dead. He then joins a secret society of Eothasians and quickly become an important member.]] Alternatively, [[spoiler:he can let go of his faith and move to Dyrford Village, where he becomes a fixture of the community and, eventually, mayor.]] |
| 259 | ** In ''Deadfire'', he can come to struggle with his faith again due to Eothas making his way across the Deadfire Sea, causing much death and destruction in the process. By the end, he comes to despise the gods in general, but your choices decide whether [[spoiler:he extends that hatred to Eothas or not. He will either rebuild his love for Eothas or come to despise Eothas (and in one ending outright refuse to even say his name out of spite anymore).]] |
| 260 | * {{Cuckoosnarker}}: He may be a bit out of it -- and this may or may not be due to to the whiteleaf -- but Edér remains a quick wit in his own, slightly eccentric way, even while trying to pet anything fluffy, or coming up with crazy whims. |
| 261 | * CutenessProximity: If it's cute and fluffy, chances are Edér will want to pet it. He does it to Sagani's fox, Ituumak, despite warnings that he bites, and even asks Hiravias if he can pet him at one point. In the sequel, he's got the same reaction to Maia's bird, Ishiza. |
| 262 | * DeadlyEuphemism: Edér, relating an old joke: |
| 263 | -->'''The Watcher:''' What's a Dyrwoodan Hello?\ |
| 264 | '''Edér:''' ''[smiling]'' We blew him up. |
| 265 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: A war veteran whose whole hometown (those that were left) was about ready to hang him after discovering that his brother (maybe) fought on the wrong side of said war. |
| 266 | * DeadpanSnarker: Edér has a very laidback wit which he shows off at every available opportunity. |
| 267 | -->'''Edér:''' Say what you want about Dyrwoodans... but they haven't met a problem yet that they couldn't solve by killing some scapegoats. |
| 268 | * DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: If Edér is with you while talking to Osrya in Raedric's keep, after she asks you to kill Nedmar Edér may say the following line: |
| 269 | -->'''Edér:''' Hey, let's take the deal and then double-cross her! Sorry, I said that louder than I meant to. Got excited. |
| 270 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Most of Edér's rambling stories are metaphors, intentionally or not, for the events of the games. |
| 271 | ** Early in the first game, he tells the Watcher a story about a one of his neighbors holding out hope his [[UndeadChild wicht]] daughter -- [[MadwomanInTheAttic chained up in the barn]], after having killed and eaten her brother -- is going to wake up one day and recognize her papa. This is a metaphor (as Edér has belatedly recognized) for how how the whole Dyrwood, including Gilded Vale, turned on their own during the Purges. Just like that farmer, Edér has spent years just waiting for [[NeverAcceptedInHisHometown his hometown]] to finally snap out of it. |
| 272 | ** When you ask him how he spent the last five years in ''Deadfire'', all three of his possible endings from the first game end up with him wondering if he could have done anything differently, or if good people getting hurt is just the cost of trying to change things. Which [[{{Foreshadowing}} ends up being]] the [[GoodVersusGood central driving conflict]] of the game. |
| 273 | ** At the very end of ''Deadfire'', [[spoiler:with Eothas on the verge of smashing the Great Wheel to pieces, breaking the cycle of reincarnation, Edér tells the Watcher one last story -- about a misspent afternoon when he was a kid, playing with his mother's spinning wheel and breaking it by accident, then breaking it even worse while trying to fix it. He says he used to think of the gods as being like his disappointed parents in that story -- now, however, he sees the gods as more like that unattended little boy, playing with things that don't belong to them.]] |
| 274 | * DumbMuscle: Downplayed, at least in the first game. He might seem a bit slow, but he's actually quite observant, which is [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration reflected in his above-average Perception stat]]. He's still a big, buff tank, though. |
| 275 | -->'''Hiravias:''' The circumference of his neck exceeds the circumference of my torso at its thickest point... They sure do breed them big and dumb in the Dyrwood, don't they? |
| 276 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: Can be found [[SmokingIsCool casually smoking his pipe]] in Gilded Vale under the hanging tree, and [[GallowsHumor casually jokes]] that he'll likely to be the next hung on that tree. |
| 277 | * EveryoneCanSeeIt: Played with. Several companions can remark in party banter that they thought there might be something more between Eder and the Watcher and it's such wasted potential he's not into them, with Eder agreeing but claiming he can't help how he feels. Doubles as LeaningOnTheFourthWall since the companions are stating what many players ''feel''. |
| 278 | * EvilStoleMyFaith: First it was Waidwen, who surely couldn't be Eothas, right? But between the Saint's War, and the Purges, and Raedric's hangings, Edér is a pretty broken man when you find him, despite his calm and affable exterior. [[spoiler:Depending on your choices in both the first and second game, he either rebuilds his faith in Eothas and His ideals (despite Eder's growing disenchantment with the gods in general) or writes Eothas off as no better than the rest and rejects Him altogether.]] |
| 279 | * FantasticRacism: Admits to it in the second game, if an orlan Watcher tries to romance him. While he's perfectly cordial to every orlan he meets (save a few InnocentlyInsensitive comments), he still explains that growing up in Dyrwood he didn't meet many orlans, but he was always hearing about how much trouble they were, and the few he did encounter were bad news, so he still has that negative association in his head--[[YouAreACreditToYourRace except with you, of course]]. |
| 280 | ** Edér is also the ''only'' companion who approves of [[spoiler:kidnapping baby Vela]]. While the other companions are aware and appalled that you're [[spoiler:taking a baby from her family, and that she'll be a lot of responsibility to raise]], Edér is ''thrilled''. He excitedly declares that he has room in his pack if you let him name [[ItIsDehumanizing it]], seemingly unaware that [[spoiler:''she'' has a name and family already, and isn't just another pet to pick up like a dog or a cat.]] |
| 281 | * FarmBoy: Used to be. Even tried to go back to being one after the war. It didn't stick. |
| 282 | * {{Flanderization}}: The second game tends to play up his DumbMuscle qualities and make less of his clear-eyed, cynical commentary on the world -- though admittedly, he's a long way away from Gilded Vale at this point. He's still a ready source of [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything surprisingly apt]] [[SimpleMindedWisdom anecdotes and life experience]]. (Though it could also be years of [[TheStoner abusing whiteleaf]] catching up with him...) |
| 283 | * FluffyTamer: He ''wants'' to be, but most companions know better. Hiravias even remarks at one point that with him trying to pet every animal he sees, no matter how big and deadly it is (like stelgaers), it's a wonder he's still alive. |
| 284 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Phlegmatic (reserved and easygoing). |
| 285 | * FriendToAllLivingThings: Hiravias points out that Edér is very kind to animals, a sign of his HiddenHeartOfGold buried under the barbs and largeness. He also ''loves'' petting soft animals, often to his detriment. |
| 286 | * GallowsHumor: He regularly makes light about his status as a pariah and the fact that a lot of people in Dyrwood would like to see him dead. One of the first things you'll even see him doing is joking that he'll likely be the 19th person to be hanged in Gilded Vale. |
| 287 | * HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Without a doubt one of the kindest companion you can recruit, and the only one who still worships Eothas (a god known for his kindness and benevolence), despite Eothas being allegedly dead. He also has a very large soft spot for animals. |
| 288 | * TheHeart: Much more so in ''Deadfire''. Helping you defeat [[spoiler:Thaos]] seems to have done a lot to help reclaim his spot in the world. [[spoiler:With Eothas' help, you can, of course, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential break him all over again]].]] |
| 289 | * HeroOfAnotherStory: Edér was a veteran of the Saint's War, which ended the reign of an usurper pretending to be the incarnation of a god. [[spoiler: Or so he thought.]] |
| 290 | * HeroesLoveDogs: Edér [[CutenessProximity loves animals]] in general. He pets Ituumak, and notably has a number of random banters commenting on the various animals the Watcher can put in their pet slot, particularly dogs. |
| 291 | -->'''Edér:''' Hey, you think we could get another dog? Keep this one company? Just a thought. |
| 292 | * HeroicSpirit: Downplayed, but the racial stat bonus for humans is +1 Resolve. The stat bonus for characters from the Dyrwood? Another +1 Resolve. [[spoiler:And if you directed the stolen souls in Sun-in-Shadow back into the souls of all Dyrwoodans, which is the option Edér argues for at the very end of the game, in ''Deadfire'' he has a special trait, Strong-Souled, which gives him +5 HP.]] Presumably this is what lets him keep his sense of humor in the face of all that's happened. |
| 293 | * IfItsYouItsOkay: Even though he's not interested in a male Watcher (see IncompatibleOrientation below), he is attracted to Iselmyr despite the fact that she is stuck in Aloth's male body. However, nothing comes of it as she isn't interested in him that way. |
| 294 | * IllegalReligion: He's a victim of this, as the town is against him for being a follower of Eothas. |
| 295 | * ImTakingHerHomeWithMe: "Can we keep him?" Edér asked the Watcher, [[CutenessProximity not for this first time]]. He even has this reaction to [[TalkingWeapon Modwyr]] in the sequel. |
| 296 | * IncompatibleOrientation: If a male Watcher tries to romance him, this is one of the reasons he turns them down. He does say that if he's ever curious then you'll be the first to know. |
| 297 | * InnocentBigot: Towards Orlans, to the point that he all-but calls Hiravias "[[YouAreACreditToYourRace One of the good ones]]" in the first game. |
| 298 | * InnocentlyInsensitive: Sometimes he says things that rile people up without meaning to. Given where he grew up, it's not surprising that he genuinely doesn't know any better. |
| 299 | ** The Dyrwoodan tendency of FantasticRacism for orlans shows in his banter with Hiravias. He immediately apologizes, meekly stating that he didn't know he was saying something bad. This also comes up in ''Deadfire'' if an orlan Watcher tries to romance him. |
| 300 | ** He's learned his lesson in ''Deadfire'', sort of -- before he even asks the question, he warns [[FishPerson Tekēhu]] that he doesn't mean ill by it. |
| 301 | --->'''Edér:''' All right... Is there any kind of ocean critter I shouldn't be eating in front of you? |
| 302 | ** In both games, Edér openly gushing about [[spoiler:Iselmyr]] and asking to talk to her all the time makes Aloth feel irritated and left out, since [[ImStandingRightHere he's standing right there]]. Edér does eventually apologize in the second game, though he never quite stops openly favoring [[spoiler:Iselmyr's]] company over Aloth's. |
| 303 | * MagicallyIneptFighter: Even in the second game, he chooses from (or combines) the two mostly mundane, physical classes: Fighter and Rogue. |
| 304 | * MellowFellow: Edér is casual and laidback in manner, speaks in a calm, wry tone of voice, and is hard to upset or even annoy. Of course, that's because most of the worst things he could imagine happening to him have already come to pass. |
| 305 | * MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Said almost word for word (depending on party composition of course) during a fairly harrowing vision from a god. |
| 306 | -->''If I'm dying here, at least it was with my friends. And [[{{Jerkass}} Durance]].'' |
| 307 | * NeverAcceptedInHisHometown: Despite fighting for Dyrwood during the Saint's War, he's not accepted in his hometown of Gilded Vale because he and his family were [[IllegalReligion Eothasians]]. |
| 308 | * NayTheist: Starts to show this side as you learn more of [[spoiler:Eothas' ultimate goal in ''Deadfire''.]] |
| 309 | * NiceGuy: Beneath the dry humor and the intimidating stature (at least according to Hiravias), he's a pretty friendly guy. He never raises his voice to the Watcher except during his personal quest, and that was out of desperation, not hate. |
| 310 | * TheNotLoveInterest: Despite the fact that he's a recurring party member who is treated as perhaps the Watcher's closest companion (a role that in other Western [=RPGs=] would mark him as a love interest), Edér cannot be romanced by any player character for various personal reasons and will always politely turn them down. |
| 311 | * ObliviousToLove: Tekēhu is pretty clearly hitting on him in a few banters, but Edér never picks up on it, and Tekēhu eventually lets it drop. |
| 312 | * TheOneThatGotAway: [[spoiler:''Deadfire'' reveals that he was deeply in love with a woman Elafa, and has been unable to move completely past that relationship ever since it ended. It is also the main reason why he rejects the idea of pursuing a romantic relationship with either a non-orlan female Watcher or Xoti.]] |
| 313 | * PluckyComicRelief: Leans toward this in the second game, when he's gotten a little distance on the DarkAndTroubledPast that prevented him from being this in the first game. Not the case in the first game, where the wounds are still raw, and his SadClown tendencies are closer to the surface. |
| 314 | * RestoredMyFaithInHumanity: Defeating [[spoiler:Thaos]], and, more particularly, meeting the Watcher, seem to have done this for Edér: as of ''Deadfire''. |
| 315 | * SadClown: Most of his jokes are a reaction to the insanity all around him, and duly barbed. |
| 316 | * ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: Edér never does find out why his brother joined Waidwen's army.]] |
| 317 | * ShipTease: Offers to buy [[spoiler:Iselmyr]] a drink. Could just be a friendly gesture, but given his open admiration of her and frequent gushing about how funny she is and how awesome she is to be around... |
| 318 | ** The second game plays this dynamic with Xoti for all its worth, but ultimately [[spoiler:the best possible ending for them ends with them becoming PlatonicLifePartners.]] |
| 319 | * SiblingRivalry: Affectionate oneupsmanship, as Edér remembers it now. |
| 320 | -->'''Edér:''' We got along how brothers do. He used to throw water on me to wake me up in the morning. I used to fill his boots with stinging ants. |
| 321 | * SimpleMindedWisdom: The source of a good deal of this, through his quips and anecdotes. |
| 322 | * TheSimpleLifeIsSimple: Yeah, no. But of course we [[DarkAndTroubledPast already knew that.]] |
| 323 | -->'''Maia:''' You ever long for the simple life, soldier?\ |
| 324 | '''Edér:''' Nah, where I'm from, sometimes the simple life comes knocking on your door with nooses and pitchforks. |
| 325 | ** On the other hand... |
| 326 | -->'''Maneha:''' Edér, you were a military man. Ever consider making a career of it?\ |
| 327 | '''Edér:''' I did for a while. Then I heard you could make money shoveling pig shit and thought that sounded better. |
| 328 | * SmokingIsCool: The player first meets him as he's casually smoking a pipe while observing a bunch of corpses hanging from a tree. He is also frequently seen calmly smoking his pipe in much of the promotional material. In the second game, him lighting his pipe and smoking it became his idle animation. |
| 329 | * TheSnarkKnight: Has a quip for almost every occasion. |
| 330 | * TheStoner: Conversations with Hiravias and Zahua suggest he's [[DownplayedTrope a casual user]] of the Dyrwood's milder drugs. He even starts out with a couple sprigs of whiteleaf in the sequel, and the in-game description of the Dyrwood's (weak) beer in both games acknowledges that narcotics are more popular than alcohol throughout the country. TruthInTelevision, since garden-variety mild drugs had a long history of home use before they became illegal, or before they were laboratory-concentrated and ''then'' became illegal. |
| 331 | * SympathyForTheDevil: He's come to see the many ways in which he and Waidwen are [[NotSoDifferentRemark more similar than he'd like]] [[spoiler:with an especially hefty dose if you bring him into Waidwen's DyingDream in Rymrgand's realm during ''The Beast of Winter''.]] |
| 332 | * TheUnFavorite: Ultimately averted, since Edér's parents never thought any less of Edér or tried to change him, but they all thought of his big brother Woden as TheAce. |
| 333 | * VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: If the Watcher gains a negative reputation with him in ''II'', his selection voice set changes, with the normally affable Edér sounding incredibly depressed at having found out that his god and his last real friend in the world are both kind of assholes. |
| 334 | * YouAreACreditToYourRace: He at one point compliments Hiravias like this, saying that he might be a hairy (i.e. Wild) orlan but in his eyes he is as good as one of the hairless ones (i.e. the Hearth orlans, who are viewed as more "civilized"). Hiravias is understandably quite incensed about it, and Edér quickly backtracks, stating that he didn't mean to offend him. Hiravias does end up forgiving him. This comes up again if an orlan Watcher tries to romance him in ''Deadfire''. |
| 335 | [[/folder]] |
| 336 | |
| 337 | [[folder:Pallegina]] |
| 338 | !!Pallegina mes Rèi |
| 339 | [[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qfmtnigajat.png]] |
| 340 | |
| 341 | ->''"The safety of the Republics is being decided here. If I do what needs to be done, there'll be time enough to beg forgiveness when the dust settles."'' |
| 342 | -> '''Voiced by:''' Creator/MelaLee |
| 343 | |
| 344 | An avian godlike paladin from the Vailian Republics, she's first encountered when the Watcher wanders into Ondra's Gift in Defiance Bay, and offers to join the party after the manager at the Vailian import/export warehouse is tended to first. She joins the Watcher in the hopes of serving the larger interests of the Vailian Republics, rather than the relatively short-sighted goals of the Council of Ducs. She returns as a companion in ''Deadfire''. |
| 345 | ---- |
| 346 | * AbusiveParents: Pallegina's father hated her both because she was born godlike, meaning she was sterile, and because her birth caused her mother injuries so severe that she was incapable of bearing any more children, effectively ending his line. Perhaps the nicest thing that could be said about him is that he didn't throttle her at birth like many other parents of godlike children. |
| 347 | * AfroAsskicker: Sports a magnificent mane of hair (and plumage). |
| 348 | * AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Pallegina sympathizes with outcasts, since her unusual appearance as a godlike has forever marked her as different from other people, who tend to shun her as a result. |
| 349 | -->'''Pallegina:''' We all have to protect ourselves, no matter where we are. Being different means always looking over your shoulder, no matter what company you keep. |
| 350 | * AmbiguouslyGay: She becomes flustered when Maneha flirts with her by complimenting her accent, and implies that men paying her similar compliments in the past had not caused the same reaction. This is also evidenced in-game by her hostile reactions to male companions who flirt with her, such as Hiravias, Aloth [[spoiler:(who she is not convinced was really "Iselmyr")]], and Tekehu. Additionally, in the Vailian Trading Company ending of ''Deadfire'', [[spoiler:there is rampant gossip that she is having an affair with the Ducess of Spirento]]. Her devotion to her country supersedes any potential for romance, however, so there has been no proper confirmation. |
| 351 | * AntiNihilist: Out of all companions, she probably takes TheReveal that [[spoiler: the gods aren't real the best, acknowledging Iovara's (rhetorical) point that perhaps science can't provide the same certainty as the gods, that certain things have no inherent meaning without a higher power to assign them one. It helps that Pallegina has a longstanding bone to pick with her "mother" Hylea, of course.]] |
| 352 | -->'''Pallegina:''' I stopped asking those questions long ago. It is enough to care for those we love with the time we have in this life. |
| 353 | * BadassBoast: Tends to make these by making simple (under)statements of fact with absolute conviction. |
| 354 | -->'''Pallegina:''' You will find this meal most difficult to eat, dragon. |
| 355 | * BetterTheDevilYouKnow: While she's not necessarily fond of [[TheMafia House Doemenel]], she favors them over The Dozens since she considers the former [[PragmaticVillainy smart enough]] to at least keep order in Defiance Bay. |
| 356 | * {{BFS}}: Starts out equipped with and proficient in the use of a greatsword in both games. |
| 357 | * ByTheBookCop: Somewhat clouded, probably deliberately. She's introduced alongside the Doemenel crime family, who are also the faction whose influence on Defiance Bay she most supports. However, this is because the Doemenels are businessmen at heart, and the only rules Pallegina is interested in following are those set down by her ducs. |
| 358 | * CallingTheOldManOut: [[spoiler:It's not her biological parents, she's already come to terms with them. No... her beef is with ''Hylea herself'', as the source of her Avian godlike features. She can give Hylea [[RageAgainstTheHeavens a piece of her mind]] if she's in the party when the Watcher meets the goddess.]] |
| 359 | * CharacterClass: Paladin. In ''Deadfire'', her options are Paladin, Paladin/Fighter (Crusader), or Paladin/Chanter (Herald). |
| 360 | * DeadpanSnarker: More so in the first game, when she was much more hotheaded and impetuous. She chooses her words very carefully indeed after [[spoiler:returning from being banished.]] |
| 361 | -->'''Pallegina:''' You want to help? Sure. Go into that warehouse and ask for a man named Verzano. When you find him, throw him in a sack, throw the sack in a crate, and put the crate on a boat headed to Ancenze. Or the bottom of the Pearlwood Gulf. Either's fine with me. |
| 362 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: She is introduced coolly strolling up to a TooDumbToLive merchant who has crossed [[TheMafia the Doemenels]] (and gotten others killed for it in the past) that the Vailian Embassy has withdrawn its protection, so she is no longer obligated to save him from his own stupidity or enable his continued destructive tendencies. She advises the Watcher to leave him to his self-inflicted fate, but does not stop you if you opt to save him, and joins you afterwards no matter what you do. This displays her absolute loyalty and obediance to the Vailain Republics, her unwillingness to suffer fools, and her TranquilFury over those who get innocents hurt. |
| 363 | * TheExile: [[spoiler:If the souls of the Dyrwood aren't strengthened by the souls of the Hollowborn, and Pallegina makes up a new trade agreement instead of the one she was ordered to offer, she ends up banished from the Republics. If she makes up a new deal and the souls of the Dyrwood ''are'' strengthened with the Hollowborn souls, however, the Republics benefit from her trade deal, and her exile is only temporary.]] |
| 364 | ** Can potentially become this in the second game (for the second time, even) [[spoiler:if you side with the Huana without implicating the Vailians to cause a Rauatai/Vailian cold war. The VTC will pull out of the Deadfire and attempt to exile her (potentially for the second time) for supporting you. If Director Castol still holds his position, he'll intervene on her behalf.]] |
| 365 | * {{Expy}}: Of [[Videogame/NeverwinterNights2 Kaelyn the Dove]], a divinely powered warrior with avian features and a celestial heritage, who starts to have doubts over the rightness of her cause, and the wisdom of her elders. [[spoiler: Right down to one possible ending for Pallegina, where she's exiled from the Republics and pledges her sword to a more altruistic order of paladins.]] If you play your cards right, however, [[spoiler: her exile may only be temporary.]] |
| 366 | * FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:In ''Deadfire'', if you side against the Republic in the endgame and she was not exiled back in ''1'', not only will she desert you, but if the Republic is the PostFinalBoss, she will fight against you at Castol's side with no hesitation, bluntly telling you that the time she spent with you means nothing compared to her devotion to the Republic.]] |
| 367 | * FlamingSword: Blue TechnicolorFire, courtesy of the standard paladin ability Flames of Devotion. |
| 368 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: Choleric (strong-willed and task-oriented). |
| 369 | * FriendlessBackground: Driven home in ''Deadfire'' -- not only was she sold to the Brotherhood by her father, but she wasn't close to any of her fellow paladins, either. The ideal of the Republic itself was really the one light in her life, which explains her absolute devotion to her country. The only real friend she had growing up was her brief acquaintance with Giacolo, the animancer who prevented her godlike attributes from manifesting any further, becoming something of a father figure to her. [[spoiler:In a VTC ending, it's also implied that her reasons for favoring the Republic of Spirento above all others may have more to do with the Ducess herself than the country, with the two implied to have embarked on a common knowledge affair which is the talk of the capital.]] |
| 370 | * GameplayAndStoryIntegration: In ''Deadfire'', Pallegina's breastplate changes depending on which of her endings you got in the first game. It's a symbol of her mental state as much as anything. |
| 371 | ** Each version starts with the Defiant trait, reducing all damage by 5%, which increases as the wearer's health drops. |
| 372 | ** If she [[spoiler:followed her orders and put the Republics' interests ahead of the struggling Dyrwood]], she is assigned to the Honor Guard of the Ducess of Spirento and given a new breasplate and bright-red sash as a mark of her position. It can be upgraded to give her a +8 bonus to all defenses (Pride of the Ducs), which drops as she loses health. |
| 373 | ** If she [[spoiler:followed her orders but the Dyrwood later bounced back thanks to the Watcher strengthening their souls, or if she was banished and later reinstated under the same circumstances]], her Five Suns Breastplate is as pristine and shining as it was in the first game, upgradeable to grant a damage-enhancing aura (Bracciao Rugo) to allies. |
| 374 | ** If she was [[spoiler:exiled from the Republics and spent years working as a guard]], her original breastplate, now listed as the Desgraza Breastplate, is now gouged and pitted, with the five suns of the Republics [[InsigniaRipOffRitual painstakingly scratched off]]. It can replace Defiant's damage reduction with an aura (Recompienza) that provides the same protective qualities to Pallegina's allies, while stripping them from Pallegina herself. |
| 375 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: |
| 376 | ** While picking up some fighter training makes sense for a career soldier, her herald (paladin/chanter) multiclass is given no in-game reference or explanation, and Kana actually [[HollywoodToneDeaf asks her to stop singing]] at one point (and she's not even that bad, or at least Mela Lee's voiceover isn't). That being said, given that chanting is as much asking the spirits for their willing help as anything else, it might be the spellcasting class that requires the least background explanation. |
| 377 | ** Even if she [[spoiler:eventually joined the Kind Wayfarers]] in one of her endings from the first game, no mention of this is made in ''Deadfire'' and her subclass doesn't change. [[spoiler:The game seems to treat this as the ending where she became a guard for ships and caravans from the Republics, to be as close to others from her homeland as she could after her banishment.]] |
| 378 | * GiantPoofySleeves: Of the Elizabethan slashed-silks variety. In the second game, her pantaloons are even larger to match. |
| 379 | * GratuitousForeignLanguage: Gratuitous fantasy Italian. She drops enough Vailian into her dialogue to count as PoirotSpeak at times. |
| 380 | * HollywoodToneDeaf: Which is funny, of course, since she's part bird. Kana, who otherwise spends half his time trying to convince others to sing him any snippets of folk songs they can remember, backs off completely when Pallegina volunteers, of her own free will, to sing the various patriotic Republic anthems she knows. |
| 381 | * HotBlooded: She's known for her hot temper in the first game, but seems to have become more reserved (or beaten down) in the second. |
| 382 | * IJustWantToBeNormal: Pallengina hates being treated as special and somehow chosen by the gods, like godlike in the Deadfire. Part of this is simply down to her longtime NayTheism, but it's more than that, since she wouldn't be godlike at all if she had the choice -- most avian godlike are considerably more avian in appearance, but Pallegina's development was stopped short in adolescence thanks to a surgical procedure by the animancer Giacolo, perhaps the closest thing she has to a friend and father figure. Due to this, while she is against racism as a whole, she also doesn't want godlike to be treated any differently either, which puts her at odds against Tekehu. |
| 383 | * InformedFlaw: Her 'horrible' singing voice. In-universe, she's terrible enough for [[NiceGuy Kana]] to beg her not to sing anymore after he listens to her once; out of universe, she's played by the lovely-voiced Creator/MelaLee, who doesn't manage to hit anything that could be considered awful. |
| 384 | * InsigniaRipOffRitual: Depending on the ending you got for her in the first game, [[spoiler:the sunburst symbols may be stricken from her breastplate after she's ejected from the Brotherhood of the Five Suns.]] |
| 385 | * JackOfAllTrades: Has a very balanced spread of stats with no clear favorite. She also belongs to a primarily defensive class (Paladin) while favoring the two-handed sword, a very offensive-minded weapon. |
| 386 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: "Jerk" might be overselling it, but she is a stoic, hot-blooded, ruthlessly pragmatic servant of the ducs who will not suffer fools or unwanted flirting and can make grown men piss themselves just by glaring at them. But she has a very kind heart underneath; she's deeply compassionate to outcasts like herself (including orlans like Hiravias), wants what's best for her beloved Republics, and (if the Watcher encourages it) will defy orders for the ducs for the good of the Dyrwoodan and Vailian Republic people. |
| 387 | * KnightInSourArmor: She'll do what the ducs ask. She might ''complain'' at some length, but she'll do it. [[spoiler: It takes convincing from the Watcher to make her do otherwise.]] |
| 388 | * LadyOfWar: Starts equipped with a great sword and knowing the Soldier weapon mastery, and despite her sharp tongue she's a poised and courteous mediator between her native Vailian Republics and the merchants of the Dyrwood. |
| 389 | * LongGame: She's frustrated that her ducs are only focused on short-term gains to secure footholds of power, rather than long-term stability which would ensure the future of the Vailian Republics. |
| 390 | * LoopholeAbuse: How she gained access to the Brotherhood - only [[StayInTheKitchen women that can bear children are considered "women"]] in the Vailian Republics, so her being infertile (due to her godlike status) was enough for the recruiter to happily agree to take her. |
| 391 | * MagicKnight: As a paladin, she channels soul energy into both powerful attacks and healing. |
| 392 | * MagicMusic: While the chanter's various buffs do synergize nicely with the ones she can choose as a paladin, there's no in-game reference to how or when she picked up the knack. |
| 393 | * MarkOfShame: Her [[spoiler:[[InsigniaRipOffRitual marred]] [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration breastplate]]]] from the second game. [[spoiler:Pallegina being Pallegina, she still wears her shame even after being banished for years, since it's her only remaining connection to [[MyCountryRightOrWrong the country she loves]].]] |
| 394 | * MarriedToTheJob: Maneha finds out the hard way between the first and second games. If the Watcher tries to flirt with her in ''Deadfire'', so will they. [[spoiler:In her Vailian Trading Company ending in ''Deadfire'', there's gossip all over the Republic of Spirento that she's in a relationship with the Ducess, much to the Chagrin of the Ducess's husband. A local playwright even stages a popular farce about it.]] |
| 395 | -->'''Pallegina:''' The Republics are the only love I have ever known. I would give all that I have to them, to our people, to our future.\ |
| 396 | '''Watcher:''' The only love? Have you never been in love with someone?\ |
| 397 | '''Pallegina:''' ''[tilts her feathered head to one side, thinking]'' If love means to feel the way I do about my country, no. What I feel is about more than one person, more than the ducs. |
| 398 | * TheMusketeer: She starts off with a greatsword and a pistol as her weapons. |
| 399 | * MyCountryRightOrWrong: The crux of her conflict. She feels that the mission she's currently doing for the ducs isn't what's best for the Republics overall. [[spoiler:Whether she obeys or disobeys orders, and whether she's rewarded or punished for doing so, depends on the player's actions.]] |
| 400 | * NayTheist: She resents the gods -- particularly Hylea -- for creating godlike like herself and then abandoning them into the world. [[spoiler:She becomes even more contemptuous of them in the sequel, knowing what she now knows about their true nature.]] This ironically leads to her being the one party member [[spoiler:who ''approves'' of Eothas breaking the Wheel.]] |
| 401 | -->'''Pallegina:''' At their best, the gods are powerful children. At their worst, they are little more than mad beasts taking out their anger on our world. |
| 402 | * NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:Making up a new trade deal so as not to take advantage of the Dyrwood's weakened state for the Republics short-term gain can end disastrously for her if the Watcher doesn't end up strengthening the Dyrwood with the stolen Hollowborn souls. With the Dyrwood not in a position to challenge the Republics for trade, Pallegina ends up exiled from her beloved homeland.]] |
| 403 | * TheOrder: The Frermàs mes Canc Suolias ("Brotherhood of the Five Suns," in Vailian) are a paladin order loyal to the ducs bels, the five rulers of the Vailian Republics. Not the will of any one duc, mind you, but the collective will of the ducs as a whole. |
| 404 | * ThePaladin: Paladins in this setting serve ideals, and don't necessarily directly commune with the gods. Pallegina, for example, is a Paladin of the Brotherhood of the Five Suns (the Frermàs mes Canc Suolias), an order loyal to the Vailian Republics' legislature. All of her multiclass options in ''Deadfire'' retain paladin as her first class. She's somewhat single-minded, to put it lightly, since her powers are basically drawn from her patriotism -- yet not mindlessly so, since her love of country often clashes with the orders of her ducs, which she frequently sees as shortsighted. |
| 405 | * PlayingWithFire: Paladins project soul-fire, and paladins of Pallegina's sun-themed Vailian order all the more so, hurling motes of fire, summoning blinding columns of light, and wreathing her weapon in flames. |
| 406 | * PrestigeClass: Her unique Paladin subclass, Frermàs mes Canc Suolias, grants Sworn Enemy as a bonus ability, and upgrades it to Wrath of the Five Suns, which launches five motes of flame when it's used, dealing Burn damage to the target. In the first game, she could also take Vielo Vidòrio ("Swift Victory"), which granted allies a buff to Attack Speed when she used [[FlamingSword Flames of Devotion]]. |
| 407 | * ProperlyParanoid: She's worried that the Republics usurping the Dyrwood's trade deals during the latter's weakened state could cause a long-term conflict with the Dyrwood if they recover. [[spoiler:If the Watcher empowers Dyrwood with thousands of stolen souls, this proves exactly the case as the Dyrwood fights back against the Republics. If Pallegina had amended the trade agreement to something more fair, she ends up temporarily exiled for her insubordination but eventually pardoned for her foresight.]] |
| 408 | * PurpleIsPowerful: Puffy, frilly purple sleeves, and an unswerving agent of the Republics, whether they appreciate it or not. |
| 409 | * {{Realpolitik}}: All of the actions that Pallegina is favorable to are those that she feels will benefit her nation the most. To this end, she sees maintaining the stability of the Dyrwood as vital to the Vailian Republics, as it serves as a buffer between them and Aedyr, and is a reliable trading partner for Animancy research. |
| 410 | * ReassignedToAntarctica: At the end of ''Deadfire'', if she remains with the party and the Vailian Trading Company isn't a powerful faction, most of her endings amount to this. [[spoiler: If the Principi under Aeldys control Ukaizo, Pallegina [[KilledOffForReal goes down with a Vailian trading ship.]]]] |
| 411 | * RegalRuff: As a representative of the ducs bels, she has a (relatively understated) frilled collar and cuffs, as well as Elizabethan GiantPoofySleeves. |
| 412 | * RelationshipValues: In the second game, unlike your other companions, Pallegina's relationship with the Watcher isn't based on your opinions or actions, but purely based on your relationship with the Vailian Trading Company. Which, given that she's a paladin devoted to the ideal of the Republics themselves, does make a kind of sense. |
| 413 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: If she decides not to make a sweetheart deal with Eir Glanfath to take advantage of the Dyrwood's weakness in the wake of the Saint's War and Hollowborn Crisis. [[spoiler:[[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished This can come back to bite her if the Watcher doesn't strengthen the souls of the Dyrwood with the Hollowborn souls]].]] |
| 414 | * SemiDivine: Technically, as the name godlike implies, although in the Vailian Republics she's treated as more of a mutant freak than any kind of demigoddess. |
| 415 | * SheIsTheKing: She's a brother, not a sister, of the Canc Suolias. Because only women who can bear children are considered women in the Republics, and all godlike are sterile. |
| 416 | * ShipTease: With Maneha, who openly crushes on her. In ''Deadfire'', though, it turns out it didn't go anywhere because Pallegina is MarriedToTheJob. Though her slightly wistful behavior when she explains that their relationship ended up not really going anywhere, indicates that she is a bit disappointed that it didn't work out. |
| 417 | * ShoutOut: To [[Music/WolfgangAmadeusMozart Mozart's]] ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute''. Unlike her counterpart Papagena in the opera, a woman dressed in a feathered costume, Pallegina is an Avian godlike who ''has'' feathers. Furthermore, rather than finding her perfect mate, Pallegina has resigned herself to a life of celibacy without children -- not without bitterness. |
| 418 | * SupernaturalGoldEyes: Yellow eyes are yet another birdlike feature given to her by her Avian godlike status. |
| 419 | * ToBeLawfulOrGood: To [[MyCountryRightOrWrong obey orders]], or to [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight do what she believes is right]], not just for the Dyrwood but the Republics as well. |
| 420 | * TouchedByVorlons: As one of the godlike, she's the result of prenatal tampering by one of the gods -- Hylea, in her case. Pallegina is deeply resentful of this -- since she couldn't bear children and her mother died in childbirth, she effectively ended her family line, meaning she was sold to the Brotherhood to be raised as a paladin. |
| 421 | * TheUnfavorite: She's quite open about the fact that her father sold her to the Brotherhood, [[spoiler:despising her for effectively ending the bloodline by being born godlike, and thus sterile]]. |
| 422 | * WhatTheHellHero: If you [[spoiler:convince her to disobey her orders in the first game and then she gets exiled, when you meet her in Deadfire, she clearly resents you for talking her into it, though she tries to hide it. If you are sympathetic/apologetic about what happened, she will let bygones be bygones. However, if you are flippant or uncaring about what happened, she will ''unload'' on you with a huge profanity-laced tirade where she calls you the worst thing to happen to her.]] |
| 423 | * YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: Rekke says she is like "suhel shul aki has" -- horse in small house. Very grumpy. |
| 424 | [[/folder]] |
| 425 |
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