- "Welcome to my manor, Partitio. I am none other than Alrond himself. Don't think ill of me, Partitio. I had my reasons to disguise myself as the everyman. As one of the wealthiest people on the continent, I find that most put on a false mask when speaking to me. It's much easier to judge someone's true character by how they treat you when they think you're nothing special." —Alrond, revealing his true identity
Lord Alrond Rondwell is a character in Octopath Traveler II. As the lord that presides over Wellgrove, he is considered one of the richest nobles in Solistia and the richest individual on the western continent.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Alrond wears a large, regal red coat adorned with jewelry, and has silver hair in a combover drooping over one side of his face.
While disguised in town, he wears an unimpressive merchant's outfit as well as a cheap hat.
Personality[]
Alrond is a lively and amiable young man with a good eye for judging character. Despite his vast wealth, he is quite generous and open to the demands of the commonfolk, and is willing to invest in Partitio due to his unfailing honesty and drive to help others. He also has a penchant for theatrics, as shown by his dramatic entrance at Roque Island. He is a self-proclaimed connoisseur of the arts, though he lacks skill in practical matters such as laundering his own clothing.
Because many seek to make a good impression in order to win Alrond's wealth, he has taken to disguising himself and mingling with the commoners to see how people treat him without financial motives. He enjoys "treasure hunting," and Misha claims that he's always picking strange things up off the street.
Story[]
During Alrond's early life, he witnessed the growing economics of Wellgrove, where it was once considered one of the most prosperous trading towns in Solistia. However, one day the market began to crash and in an attempt to solve the problem, Alrond's father gave the townsfolk a good deal of money, but it only made the problem worse as with enough coin, the townspeople either moved away or simply did not care about working anymore. Eventually, the town's commerce was reduced to a few demotivated or shady merchants. At some point after his parents' passing, Alrond became the new lord, inheriting the manor and riches.
One night, while strolling through town under the guise of a normal townsperson which he uses to judge certain characters, Alrond met Misha, who was picking up trash around town to support his family. After hearing his story and ideals, he revealed his identity to the young man and offered him a job in his manor as his butler.
One day, in his disguise, he came across a merchant in town who tried to coerce him into buying a pure Oresrush silver statue, but was suddenly interrupted by a visiting traveler named Partitio, who debunked the product's quality and showed what real silver looked like, forcing the merchant to retreat from the area. As thanks, he treated Partitio to some spirits before the young merchant revealed that he was looking for Alrond himself, in which he agreed to introduce him after Partitio revealed his accomplishments in the world of commerce. Alrond then left the tavern and went back to his manor to await Partitio there.
After Partitio arrived in his study, Alrond revealed his true identity to him, stunning the young merchant. He then listened to Partitio's proposal on buying the rights to the steam engine as well as the eighty billion price tag before he agreed to the proposal, but only after putting Partitio through one last test of character: returning Wellgrove to its glory days by revitalizing the markets.
Alrond checked up on Partitio while the latter was renovating an old building and was impressed with his idea of creating a "department store". However, while Partitio was out for supplies to stock the shelves with, Alrond was suddenly attacked and taken hostage by Thurston, a disgruntled ex-employee of Roque's who wanted to stop Partitio's goals as revenge for his dismissal. Fortunately, Partitio managed to defeat Thurston and break his steam engine before bringing Alrond to the newly-opened department store, where he was happy to see his town's commerce and its people finally revived. As he promised, he gave Partitio a promissory note for eighty billion leaves as well as a warning not to trust Roque.
Believing Roque would not hand over the steam engine willingly, Alrond packed the funds onto a ship and made his way to Roque Island, where he arrived in the nick of time before Roque had Partitio cornered with lack of currency. He then witnessed Roque attempting to cancel the transaction in violation of his own contract, which caused the scriveners present to turn on him as well as his last attempt to fight Partitio with Steam Tank Obsidian before its destruction.
Alrond then proceeded to resume his previous patterns, sneaking out in disguise to help pick up trash in Wellgrove.
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
The name "Alrond" may be inspired by the character of Elrond from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Elrond is an elf lord who rules the city of Rivendell, known for his skill in healing and lore; his name means "star-dome" or "vault of heaven." Alrond's name may therefore parallel Elrond's status as an esteemed lord, symbolizing his esteem and wealth.
Alrond's surname, "Rondwell," is likely a variant of the English habitational name "Rodwell," which denoted someone who lived by a spring near the road. Given his lordship over the verdant city of Wellgrove, Alrond's surname reflects his ties to the town.
Trivia[]
- After completing Misha's Next Chapter, Alrond can be recruited by your characters to use as a battle summon, where he acts as a non-risky Bewildering Grace for EXP and JP. However, he is considered one of the hardest and most expensive to recruit with high level requirements and hefty price tags.