History Characters / TriangleStrategyGrandDuchyOfAesfrost

* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:Of the Utility Ending. He snaps from the [[TraumaCongaLine combined deaths of his son Dragan, his niece Erika, and his nephews Thalas and Gustadolph]], [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope going off the deep end and attacking Serenoa's party for their role in the deaths of his family]] even though [[TheScapegoat Dragan's death was not their fault]] and [[KickTheSonOfABitch the other three had it coming]].]]

* {{Expy}}: A pretty clear one to [[VideoGame/BahamutLagoon Emperor Sauthar.]] Both are [[VisionaryVillain visionaries]] who believe that if they aren't doing the ''compassionate'' thing, they're at least doing the ''right'' thing. Both successfully conquer nations and end up as popular rulers of the lands they inhabit - Sauthar in Campbell for unifying the world under one flag and ending warfare while being kind and considerate to the citizenry of his new territories, and Gustadolph for promoting serious class upheval as a result of his meritocratic ideals. Their key differences are their philosophies - for all of Sauthar's power, he's eliminated halfway into his story due to delusions of power, while Gustadolph is a realist who plays his cards well even when the advantage turns against him. While Gustadolph is [[spoiler:never the FinalBoss, he always makes it to the last four chapters of the story, and can still be the major threat if Roland's route is chosen - in fact, he comes out unambiguously ahead in Benedict and Frederica's routes largely as a result of his political and military acumen and his capacity to realize when it's best to take his winnings and pull out of a protracted war not going his way and settle with his ideals, if not his nation, taking Glenbrook and Hyzante by storm.]]
* FaceDeathWithDignity: In the Conviction route, [[spoiler:after losing to Roland's party, he accepts his defeat and tells Svarog to go ahead and avenge Dragan]]. Contrast with the Utility one, [[spoiler: where he basically goes through a VillainousBreakdown post-battle after his defeat.]]

** He's a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter, and ''terrible'' at predicting what others will do. Besides the Dragan bit above, [[spoiler:if Roland fakes his death, he readily assumes house Wolffort killed him to rid themselves of him and the pressure on them, which is astoundingly out of character for them. He assumes Hyzante will be cowed when he sends Erika to threaten them, and is completely unprepared when they immediately mobilize to march on Glenbrooke. He utterly fails to account for Cordelia winning Avlora's loyalty. When Orlaea's diary is stolen he assumes it's nothing important despite being told the book was sealed with magic - a clear sign something inside must've been valuable. He generally seems to assume others will remain passive or be cowed by him and tends to falter whenever this turns out to not happen - which is most of the time. His Nepotism is just another aspect of that, he gives Thalas the important role despite Erika and Dragan both being much better suited at the job. This plays into how he sees people as chess pieces and assets to be used, and not people with their own agency and goals.]]

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:She acknowledges that being forgiven would be nigh impossible and doesn't ask for it, so she instead opts to right her wrongs and succeed in helping remove the threats to Norzelia so that the generation of Cordelia could live in peace when she joins Serenoa's party.]]

* EasilyForgiven: Despite killing Prince Frani and Ser Maxwell, [[spoiler:Cordelia]] is able to move past Avlora's past deeds and seeks her aid in helping rebuild Glenbrook. [[spoiler:[[DownplayedTrope Though Serenoa also cordially welcomes her into the fold in the Golden Route's ending]], [[SubvertedTrope he makes it clear that this does not apply to everyone else]], [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech and in a character episode Hughette makes it painstakingly obvious that forgiveness would not find her easily if at all]]—[[ReformedButRejected something Avlora has made peace with]]. The townspeople are quick to corroborate Hughette's words upon seeing Avlora despite the fact that she saved a child's life, though they begrudgingly give her a chance to prove herself seeing her sincerity.]]

* ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler:Aside of Cordelia who managed to earn her trust and loyalty, thus becoming closer to Avlora herself, everyone else is very understandably on edge and not so forgiving, with Hughette in particular voicing her hatred along with her mistrust of her intentions in light of her killing Frani and many others in a character episode. The townspeople very clearly do not want her in Glenbrook save for her helping rebuild Glenbrook and bringing an end to the war, the horrors of the war and her actions burning scars into their minds. It’s zigzagged with Roland though: while they have no dialogue post-recruitment, he indicates that he’s unable to forgive her personally but willing to set his grudge aside for the sake of his people and Norzelia as a whole; the epilogue shows her standing guard in the throne room with him and Cordelia, suggesting that if nothing else he trusts her to have his sister’s protection as her top priority.]]

* EvilNephew: Does he let the fact that Svarog is his paternal uncle prevent him from murdering his son or [[spoiler:ordering his arrest and imprisonment literal seconds after naming him Prime Minister]]? No sir he does not.

* HiddenDepths: Believe it or not, Frederica and Orlea are the very few people he does not openly disparage in any fashion (aside of potentially one line about musing that Orlaea's sealed book could be about her complaining to Frederica about a nation they both despised), he has no battle dialogue towards Frederica himself and takes pointed jabs at Serenoa and Geela if they confront him on the Utility route concerning her leaving them, and bits and pieces indicate that he holds a genuine interest in Orlaea and the Roselle outside of Frederica thanks to Orlaea telling him stories when he was a boy (something that surprised Cordelia). Even in the demos, he seems to hold respect for House Wolffort that he wants them on his side, and seems honestly disappointed if Serenoa refuses.

** He will always be this to [[spoiler:Frederica]] no matter what the route taken. In the [[spoiler:Utility]] route, [[spoiler:she]] has already left the party due to [[spoiler: refusing to give up on the roselles]], while in the [[spoiler:Conviction]] route, [[spoiler:she leaves Aesfrost and the subsequent fight to Roland and instead goes to the Source to liberate the roselles]].

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: [[spoiler:RedemptionDemotion nonwithstanding (and even then she'll still be a one-woman army, even in hard mode if you play intelligently, just not to the extent of her abilities as a boss) ]], the game makes Avlora out to be the [[WorldsStrongestMan realm's mightiest warrior.]] During a first playthrough, the fact you can encounter her as early as chapter 7 may make this seem like a bunch of empty praise, but that's the result of levels ''mattering'' during an initial and secondary playthrough. Once levels are maxed out, and all bosses have the best stats they possibly can, Avlora ''does'' come out ahead as being Norzelia's greatest warrior; only Rufus overcomes her in pure strength, but Avlora still comes out ahead of Rufus in every other category. Only the final bosses typically have better statistics, and with exception to [[spoiler:Gustadolph]] there's typically a narrative reason fpr this having to do with the enemy knowingly fighting to the death, utilizing unheard-of magic, or [[spoiler:being a magical construct.]]

** Despite being courteous to him beforehand, when Serenoa “spat in the face of his demands” (as Benedict puts it) Gustadolph was livid enough that having their heads on pikes was equally appealing to him as having them bend the knee.
** After he’s explained the Deathsknell to her, Avlora angrily demands to know why she as his General wasn’t trusted with this information earlier; he bluntly retorts that as his general, she’s to be used how and when he sees fit.
* DramaticIrony: In the Liberty route, he recognizes that had he granted Dragan the position of prime minister, [[spoiler:he would've had the advantage in the negotiations with Glenbrook due to his cousin's knowledge over the incredible usefulness of salt and possession of the discovered salt crystals from the mines. He would then not be forced to compromise to Benedict's terms for their alliance against Hyzante]].

* TheSociopath: A realistic take on the high-functioning sociopath. Gustadolph’s capable of being charming, generous and persuasive and isn’t incapable of at least feigned warmth; that said he’s also calculating and manipulative, dislikes being challenged on his own beliefs, and only values life so far it pertains to himself and his own desires. His treatment of his family members is particularly telling.

!!!'''Voiced by:''' Yohei Matsuoka (Japanese), Caleb Yen (English)

* EvilIsPetty: Once they set foot in Glenbrook, they're quick to exploit the people of Glenbrook for petty reasons and gossip about and mock them from within the palace walls. For example, Erika immediately has Patriatte deliver some fresh fruit and the fine wine in the kingdom to her quarters. Thalas, in one cutscene, is all but stated to be having trysts with local women of occupied Whiteholm.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. While both of them possess elemental spells to attack at a distance, Erika only has one such spell and her main weapon is a dagger while Thalas uses a weaker magical tome much like Frederica and Corentin and possessing two elemental spells at his disposal.
* HateSink: Whereas Gustadolph could be said to be a VisionaryVillain with some EvilVirtues, even treating Frederica with some courtesy, his full siblings are simply cruel, spiteful people with no regard for anyone or anything outside each other. Their cousin Dragan, whom they disparage as much as their sister, passionately declares that “they have not a shred of compassion between them”, and at every turn he’s proven correct.

* KickTheDog: Both of them, Thalas slightly more aggressively, will offer cruel words and abuse whenever they can get away with it. In particular, in Chapter IV he orders that the miners and assassins be buried…but explicitly has Dragan’s body left alone to rot and/or be consumed by carrion, just to spite him one last time.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: If you choose to go to Aesfrost in Chapter III, Svarog warmly welcomes Avlora and even Erika back from their trip from Glenbrook before greeting Serenoa's party, but noticeably pauses a bit when referring to Thalas, indicating some disdain towards his nephew—most likely due to Thalas's particularly unapologetic hostility towards Svarog's son Dragan.

* {{Socialite}}: Erika herself seems to be a trusted advisor to her older brother Gustadolph but unlike Thalas, who is Prime Minister of Aesfrost, Erika herself lacks a job title and is merely the ''Sister of the Archduke''. When she isn't sent off on an errand, she's shown mostly indulging in lavish things like being delivered Glenbrook's finest wine and fruit.
* SourOutsideSadInside: Frederica surmises that deep down, both of them became cruel bullies to her because of their own insecurities — she was just there as an easy target.

* SleazyPolitician: Thalas lazily enjoys his position as a minister of the Duchy, and he looks down on those who rose to their stations through merit instead of through {{Nepotism}} like he did according to his description. At the end of Chapter III, Gustadolph calls him out on his laziness, saying that he gave Thalas an opportunity to earn his position.
* SpoiledBrat: Milo outright calls Thalas a spoiled brat at a battle confrontation in Chapter XIII, stating her reason for refusing his invitation to join his side that she does not like children, or at least those like Thalas and Erika.

* WomenAreWiser: Normally, Erika is the one to take matters more seriously such as when alerting Gustadolph to the possibility that Dragan was scheming against him and spelling out to Thalas how much of a threat that the Falkes demesne would be with Roland having been surrendered wherein they would need to be dealt with. Despite this, Gustadolph tends to give Thalas the more important tasks when running Glenbrook

** In the Liberty ending, [[spoiler:Benedict convinces Serenoa to ally with Aesfrost to take down Hyzante, resulting in Gustadolph getting everything he wanted: destroying Hyzante, spreading his freedom ideals throughout Norzelia and getting away scott-free with the murders of Dragan, Regna, Frani and the invasion of Glenbrook]].

* ContraltoOfDanger: Has a deep voice among female characters and the physical might to back up the danger such a tone carries.

* ChekhovsGunman: He gets a brief introduction in Chapter III’s Morality path and can be revisited if Chapter IX’s vote leans to Utility, but aside from these most of his role in the game is (often optional) cutscenes and he’s not a major player in the war. Come the endgame and while Morality and Liberty see him [[spoiler:arrested by Sycras on Gustadolph’s orders]], he can come back in a big way, [[spoiler:leading the last of Aesfrost’s forces]] in Utility or [[spoiler:becoming a crucial ally in subduing Aesfrost and defeating Hyzante]].

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:In the Morality and Liberty endings. The former sees his country descend into chaos from Serenoa and Frederica’s SlaveLiberation, but he ends up with Benedict and Rufus as valuable allies. For the latter, he allies with Serenoa to crush Hyzante, ultimately getting his goal of liberating Norzelia and staying in power while the inequities cause the common folk to suffer.]]

* ImpoverishedPatrician: He’s only one generation removed from the ruling Aesfrosts, but because of [[RoyalBastard his father’s illegitimacy]] their branch of the family is disgraced and considered below even lesser nobility.

* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:Of the Utility Ending. He snaps from the [[TraumaCongaLine combined deaths of his son Dragan, his niece Erika, and his nephews Thalas and Gustadolph]], [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope going off the deep end and attacking Serenoa's party for their role in the deaths of his family]] even though [[TheScapegoat Dragan's death was not their fault]] [[KickTheSonOfABitch and the other three had it coming]].]]

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