Part 40: Fool's Gold
Music: Forbidding Corridors 
Mansions are a surprisingly common dungeon type in this game. At least it's a nice change of pace from caves (5/8 dungeons so far have been caves, the other two being catacombs and a forest), and has some nice music to boot.
These dungeons generally play with having two floors, making you find the way forward or going into rooms to search for treasure.
You can even find the entrance, though you can't enter/exit from here.
In addition to Ice Sentinels, there's a normal kind that is weak to most weapon types but no elements.
As a thief, Therion can steal items from foes. He also starts with a basic fire attack.
Therion's main weapon type is the dagger like Primrose, but he can also use regular swords. His stats are built around speed and evasion, with both defenses being poor.
Probably the one bad part about making Cyrus your main is, since your main will always be overleveled, Cyrus will end encounters way too quickly because, well, he's freaking Cyrus.
And now, time to dive into Therion's skill set!
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Steal (2SP) - Steal an item from a single foe.
Has the same success rate/formula/BP boosts as Collect. There's maybe one or two enemies in the entire game that have equipment, generally you'll be getting consumables and Concoct ingredients. That said, bosses will generally have more useful consumables, and Steal is a great way to get those more annoying Concoct ingredients, so it's still pretty useful.
Wildfire (7SP) - Deal heavy fire damage to a single foe.
You know the deal by now. Therion's ElemAtk is as average as Alfyn's and H'aanit's, so it's not really one of the more valuable skills in his tool set.
HP Thief (6SP) - Attack a single foe twice with a dagger, and steal HP equivalent to half of the damage dealt.
40% more damage with a small defense piercing component and 80% extra damage per BP spent. It only steals HP up to whatever current HP the foe has left, but the two dagger hits is still solid. The only issue is it being outclassed in most situations by a similar ability we'll see shortly.
Shackle Foe (4SP) - Reduce a single foe's physical attack strength for two turns.
A flat 1/3 PhysAtk reduction buff, with the usual extra two turns per BP spent. Really handy for certain bosses, as it's a lot easier most of the time to put this single debuff on a foe than to buff your entire party (even though Tressa makes PhysDef buffs trivial) or rely on Sidestep, plus it stacks with PhysDef buffs anyway. Very handy skill.
Armor Corrosive (4SP) - Reduce a single foe's defense for two turns.
Physical attacks deal 50% more damage. Good when paired with someone like Olberic or H'aanit, but Therion alone can make use of that.
Steal SP (6SP) - Attack a single foe twice with a dagger, and steal SP equivalent to 5% of the damage dealt.
Probably Therion's best skill. Same formula as HP Thief, except it drains 5% of a foe's SP instead (again, not surpassing that foe's current HP). The nice thing is that from Chapter 2 on, the skill will pay for itself, becoming essentially a free two-hit dagger attack at minimum. It's rare that you'd pick Therion's physicals over this skill.
Share SP (0SP) - Bestow SP equivalent to 50% of one's current SP to a single ally.
Unboosted, it's decent support but nothing special, though at least Therion can quickly recover SP with SP Steal. However, each boost point adds 50% more SP to the target, to a max of 200% of Therion's SP, and more importantly, this can "overheal" SP for that battle, giving the target SP above their maximum. This does take Therion down to 0SP however, so he'd still need to recover his SP himself, but this allows characters like Cyrus who rely on SP-costly abilities to take less breaks recovering SP while laying on the hurt. It's an odd ability but still has its uses over simply throwing a plum at someone.
Aeber's Reckoning (30SP) - [Divine Skill] Attack all foes with a dagger, dealing damage proportional to your speed.
770% the power of a regular attack, and also ignores 1/3 of target PhysDef. The Speed multiplier is (1 + Speed/400), leading to a max of roughly 3.5 times more damage (at least I assume, the natural stat maximum of non-HP is 999 and I don't think these formulas factor stats boosted beyond that). Considering Therion has the second-highest speed in the game after Primrose and how much gear there is that boosts speed, this can be a solid attack to put the hit on enemies, even if it doesn't really stack up to H'aanit's Divine damage-wise.
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Support Skills
Incidental Attack - When using a non-damaging skill on a foe, there is a 50% chance you will attack as well.
Works well with some abilities to chip away at a foe's shields, though again, it could also trigger a break when you least want it. Something you'll have to remember you're using.
Fleetfoot - Increases the equipping character's speed by 50.
Solid filler if nothing else. Makes Therion a nice item bot for panic situations.
Snatch - The equipping character will receive double the loot when using steal or collect skills.
Nice for grinding for Concoct components or getting a big payday from bosses, but otherwise it's more of a novelty than anything. But it's still a fun one to play with. And in case you're wondering the obvious, all in due time.
Insult to Injury - Status ailments and attribute penalties inflicted by the equipping character will last for one additional turn.
Another situational one. Not something you'd generally be relying on, but could be key for certain strategies.
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As for the other foes in this manor, there are of course guards and guard dogs.
Stealing Drugs From Dogs
I pick up Empoison for Alfyn, and Reflective Veil for Ophilia.
This dungeon is large enough to get a second room!
This is still only two floors, the bottom one is just decoration.
Since this is Therion's Chapter 1, there are a couple purple chests here. Thankfully, his is the only Chapter 1 with purple chests.
Every single dungeon in Chapter 2 on has at least one Purple Chest, as do all but three of the optional dungeons.
My first two skills with Therion are Steal SP, since it's clearly the most useful immediately, and Share SP, because early-game SP management is still very important, and we're getting to the point where 40SP Plums may not be enough in the heat of battle.
Could we have your letter of recommendation too?
This will also be the last dungeon peddler we'll meet, as Chapter 2 takes off the training wheels and does away with dungeon vendors.
Before I get to the end of the dungeon, Cyrus manages to hit a whopping 1000SP. I pick up Blizzard, meaning all he lacks now is the two-hit Fire Storm and his Divine Skill.
And now here's the end of the dungeon.
Video: Heathcote Music: Forbidding Corridors 
It looks like an ordinary gemstone to me. Can't imagine it's worth all that much. SILENCE 
It seems we have company.
Music: Creeping Dread 
Who are hell are you? Not just anyone can sneak up on me like that.
Not just anyone could have made it this far into the manor, after all. You won't get answers by stroking my ego. I meant it as nothing but genuine praise.
You say it as if you wanted this to happen. Just so. We tightened security for that very purpose. We figured no thief worth his salt would be able to turn down such a challenge. ...Go on. To this end, we even asked the barkeep for help.
In other words, you tricked thieves into trying to rob this place. Think of it more as appealing to their inner nature.
What thief could pass up such glory, such riches? We had such high hopes, but were constantly met with disappointment. But finally, one has proven himself worthy.
And yet you did not, and I find myself most grateful for your lack of foresight.
I need not explain that to you. ... Music: For Freedom 
I am a butler in the service of House Ravus. You expect me to believe an ordinary butler snuck up on me?
Now if you'll excuse me.
Video: Boss: Heathcote Music: Decisive Battle II 
It's time for today's boss fight, a butler.
Heathcote starts off with a mediocre attack, only hitting for low 100s. His cohort can hit several times randomly though, and adds are always first priority so...
Steal SP in action. No dagger weakness here, sadly.
Here's Heathcote's weaknesses. Ophilia can't exploit this, but everyone else can!
We may be pretty overleveled at this point, but Heathcote is no pushover. He has a rather nasty attack that hits the entire party twice. Fortunately we have Ophilia and Alfyn so it's really hard for us to actually die.
Anyway, I break 'em...
...and bury 'em.
1% of ~6000HP is not a lot. Empoison's not really hitting its niche for this fight.
Heathcote does have a fun little gimmick that boosts his physical evasion, though elemental attacks ignore it and landing an attack in general will end the phase.
Heathcote's big move. This does some serious damage and could be scary if I weren't so overleveled and didn't have two healers.
But I am and I do so it's not.
And that takes care of the butler.
Video: The Fool's Bangle SILENCE 
It seems I underestimated you. That makes two of us. Was that a part of your "butler" training? I see you still have some reservations about my true profession.
Your victory?
Music: On a Knife’s Edge 
The mark of a convict. The fool's bangle, as some call it.
I do not take my orders from you. I've attached it to your arm for a reason. If anyone is to see it, they shall know of your failure here today. Why, you--!
Negotiations?
Oh, great. More company. SILENCE 
Regards to your decorator. They sure have a way with traps.
Allow me to explain.
...You don't say. The dragonstones have been in my family for generations.
Yes. Once, there were more. But the stones were stolen during the chaos following my parents' passing.
Perhaps, once you understand your place in this story.
So this was your plan all along. Yes. But please understand, I had no choice. Well, aren't you two clever. Setting a thief to catch a thief.
For a butler, you sure know a lot about thieves, old man. I dare not bore you with my story when there are more pressing matters at hand.
Therion has immense pride in his skill as a thief, so being caught and coerced into doing someone else's dirty work is humiliating, to say the least.
...But he does have his profession to think about, which that bangle certainly hurts, and there may be a bit of grudging respect hidden within that grumpiness.
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Video: A Tale for the Tavern Music: A Settlement in the Red Bluffs 
With a tale to tell, too. I'll trade it for a drink.
'Fraid I don't deal in that currency.
All that and more, and now I'm awfully thirsty. I might need two drinks to get this bad taste out of my mouth.
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Cyrus has found Therion's career so intriguing that he wants to learn more and intends to follow the thief around now, to the annoyance of said thief. Now we just need to head out of town to finish the chapter off.
Video: It Takes a Thief Music: Therion, the Thief 
What now?
As it is at my behest that you're setting out. Look, I'm just fulfilling my half of a bargain. Nothing more, nothing less. I understand that, but...
...Exactly.
As you saw, I recovered a blue stone. It is known as the sapphire dragonstone. The remaining three are the dragonstones of ruby, emerald, and gold--each named for its sheen.
Your word? Well, that sounds legitimate. Any idea where I should start looking? Rumor has it that a scholar in Noblecourt is researching the ruby dragonstone. Noblecourt? Great. I'll fit right in.
What is it this time?
...Did I say something amiss? Never thought a man of my talents would be working for someone like...
And with that, we've finally completed the
But we're almost done with Chapter 1! Soon we'll explore new areas, encounter much more dangerous foes, find amazing treasures, and finally unlock that pesky last slot in the menu... But all in due time. You'll know once I hit Chapter 2, and when I do, that will be when I do a vote for our first Chapter 2 to do.
Until next time!