Son is just about to meet with his father, although he is just as concerned about this unfortunate accident as he was when we started.
Sylvando gives him an encouraging push.
Aren't you proud of your Son, Da?
...And he is not.
Son actually flinches. Part of me wonders if they're laying on the reveal a little too thickly here...
Because Son has read this situation all wrong. The fact the game has been perfectly willing to set up the alternate reading of Da being actually abusive kinda works against the reveal, but to an extent, the game is prepared for that.
Da lied about the necklace being his most treasured possession.
And perhaps the part of Da's actions that lead to the less favourable conclusion are further deceits on his part, making sure Avarith doesn't susepct Da has not been entirely truthful about what he treasures.
Still exceptionally rude on his part.
With all that said, with the threat of Avarith no longer upon them, they can put all this behind them and focus on a bond of friendship again.
Hendrik makes the pertinent observation that this whole mess could have been averted had one of them told the other what they believed and what their plans were.
And Sylvando takes his exit.
While Erdward and Hendrik are looking around in confusion about that point, Son ropes them into his reconciliation with Da.
I can understand doing it around other people, especially outside the village, but to Son himself?
Son wonders what's made Sylvando run off so soon. It's not like him.
Perhaps we should be worried about the same thing...
Hendrik: It seems Son had taken the lie his father told Avarith at face value. Still, he showed courage in returning home to face his father. Once again, it seems there are few misunderstandings that cannot be resolved through honest discussion. Incidentally, I am concerned about Sylvando. We should be able to find him in the village. Let us check that all is well.
Rab: I knew it, laddie! I knew Da would never do something so cruel to his boy! It was just a big misunderstanding all along! I'm sure they're going to be just fine from now on- better than ever, most likely! I'm not so sure about Sylvando, though. He was looking a wee bit glum back there. I wonder what's the matter with him...?
Sylvando has wandered to the top of the "mountain" separating Phnom Nonh and Nhou Wat (where we found Dora back in Act 1), and is musing about the bond between father and son.
How long have you?
...Gets less and less subtle the further it gets along.
...Yes? Sylv, you've never been the kind to ask foolish questions.
One of the weird things about Sylvando's Side Story is that Sylvando learns not to worry about Mordegon and focus on putting a smile on the peoples' faces there, while he makes the exact opposite realisation here, when the time comes for him to rejoin the party. It's not unreasonable, by any means, that Sylvando changes his mind with Erdward's presence, but it is somewhat dissonant.
Sylvando is prepared to rejoin the party, despite his commitments.
With that said, the Soldiers of Smile? They can fight off little monsters, but the fights we'll be getting into are out of their weight class. Sylvando knows better than to bring them along.
And now the time has come to connect Sylvando's two thoughts here. Sylvando is going to overcome a great burden in his past in order to do the right thing for his present.
I reckon it's a good idea to lend a hand here.
Hendrik: Sylvando is informing his parade troupe of his decision to join us. I wonder what will become of them. Does he intend to ask someone to look after them while he is away? That would be a heavy responsibility indeed.
Rab: Ach, I'm over the moon to have auld Sylvando back on board. We're looking like a pretty impressive team now- the Lord of Shadows should be quaking in his boots! I think our pal's gone and left the village already. I reckon we should follow suit.
Of course, Sylvando makes his announcement from atop his parade float.
The Soldiers of Smile are quite taken aback by that outcome. It's quite the sudden turn, and without Sylvando, this group doesn't really have much to work with to keep going.
With that said, Sylvando's hoping to pick up where he left off once Mordegon is defeated.
The Soldiers of Smile understand where Sylvando is coming from. It'll certainly make their jobs a lot easier, too, once there's no more impending threat of several different kinds of doom.
Sylvando's planning to send them to Puerto Valor- a place Act 1 showed Sylvando took great pains to avoid.
Hendrik, his familiarity with Sylvando having rested on the tip of his tongue for so long, starts to connect the dots.
Sylvando's father is none other than Don Rodrigo.
And Hendrik had known him when he himself was apprenticed to the man, before Sylvando had parted ways with him.
Don't worry, Hendrik, Sylv's reinvented himself twice since then.
Sylvando will wander off to Puerto Valor, but unlike beforehand, this time he'll actually go into the video game state of "in transit"- he'll turn up in Puerto Valor when we do, and we won't have to worry about escorting him there.
Whatever Hendrik knew about Don Rodrigo and Sylvando's relationship, this has given him cause to drastically shift his understanding.
Hendrik is happy to exposit about who Sylvando is as he remembers the story. While it's probably Sylvando's story to tell, it'll help if we have an understanding to start with, and we're going to have to come out of this whole scene with such an understanding.
A note about his earlier line that I thought he mentioned here but didn't: Sylvando was not born with that name. When he ran away from home, he chose a new name for his new identity. Whether or not this is intended as a trans metaphor is up to interpretation, but it is worth mentioning that in the Japanese version, the name "Sylvando" is instead "Sylvia". Sylv himself isn't trans, though- he was born a male and still identifies as male today.
Hendrik is unfamiliar with what happened to separate Don Rodrigo and Sylvando, other than it was "a terrible argument". I don't think we actually know how severe the argument was, but we can assume Rodrigo, at least, raised his voice.
Today, Sylvando returns home to repair his bridges with his father.
Hendrik reasons it's as good a time as any to have his own talks with the man.
Hendrik: Have I already told you about the years I spent in training in Puerto Valor?
[Yes]: I have? Very well. Then I shall not repeat myself. Instead, we should make haste and head for the town itself. It is located on the Costa Valor, which lies north-east of here. The enormous bridge makes it easy to identify.
[No]: I see... Then perhaps I should inform you that during my time there I was a student of Don Rodrigo's. He taught me the art of swordsmanship. I studied alongside his son, Norberto. The training was hard, but I believe we offered each other invaluable support. Norberto had a bright future ahead of him- he was destined to become a knight of great renown, though that is not quite how things turned out... But enough idle chatter. We should make haste for Puerto Valor. It is located on the Costa Valor, which lies north-east of here. The enormous bridge makes it easy to identify.
Rab: I knew that Don Rodrigo had a son, and that he'd run off ages ago, but never in a million years would I have guessed it was our Sylvando! Hendrik says he had a big auld barney with his auld man, and that's why he upped and left. What did they fight about, I wonder...
Ah, that's where Sylvando's old name Norberto comes from. It does come up elsewhere in the story, at least. But yeah, this Party Chat line is one of the few lines, if not the only one, to have a Yes/No prompt and different dialogue as a result.
(To my understanding, the name "Norberto" in JP is "Goliath".)
And yeah, we can Zoom over to Puerto Valor, and Sylv will just zip up right behind us.
How did they get past that rockslide in Costa Valor? The main path is blocked, but you can get to Puerto Valor through a narrow tunnel in the water.
That float would never fit in there.
You could've come back sooner, you know. Although I suspect you might be a bit too distinctive to hide.
...You can't run forever, buddy.
Hendrik: Puerto Valor means a great deal to me. I have so many fond memories of this place- now it is incumbent upon us to return it to its former glory. Norber- I mean, Sylvando, asked us to go ahead to Don Rodrigo's villa. We should not tarry any longer.
Rab: It seems the good folk of Puerto Valor don't quite know what to make of the lads in the parade. Ach, I don't blame them. I was a wee bit taken aback when I first clapped eyes on that lot too! Anyway, never mind all that. I've heard that Don Rodrigo got himself injured saving some wee bairn from a monster. I just hope he's going to be alright...
To an extent. I think this is just the brightest it gets in Act 2, though. It was certainly a lot brighter back in Act 1.
The people of Puerto Valor have been confronted with the Soldiers of Smile. And they are... well, seeing the same thing most people do.
OK, this one's great. I couldn't have delivered a better punchline myself.
This woman, of course, remembers them- and it seems she remembers them better than she expected to.
...Wait, I think that is the martial artist. A few of the Soldiers of Smile weren't exactly combat trained, but a few of them could be confused for such.
...I completely and wholeheartedly agree on that one.
...Trick question.
Ironically, Erdward might be the person Rodrigo is least interested in meeting.
...As a matter of fact, I don't know if Rodrigo ever actually talks to Erdward. From what I remember, he mostly talks to Sylvando and Hendrik.
Well, that's going to be a story to tell him later.
Don Rodrigo got a hit to the head while he was gone doing... something. He was at Heliodor when he was missing from Act 1, and since he got injured helping "a wee bairn", I can't help but wonder if it's the girl from the Nautica vision.
Hendrik is quick to step forward and introduce himself.
Yeah, from what I can gather from Sylvando's remarks and some mentions in the artbook, Hendrik when he first came to Puerto Valor was a pretty... slow start.
Hendrik's formality is good as a character straight, but he likes to get straight to the point on such matters.
And he also decides to get us to prepare for the real reason we're here while he's going over the boring specifics. Nice timesaver, that.
Rab: Don Rodrigo was in fine fettle! That's a relief! Ach, I don't know why I was ever worried. It'd take more than a bump on the head to beat that grizzled auld fighter! Now, I'd love to have a proper chinwag with the Don, but we should leave him and Hendrik to have a wee catch-up first. In the meantime, let's see if we can find Sylvando. He must be in town somewhere...
Rab not being in the party as far as the game's concerned means he doesn't get taken out of the party when the game kinda wants us to be on our own. Not that Sylvando does anything that personal, but he does kinda feel tacked on with this Party Chat.
...Don Rodrigo, you live in paradise. This is the place people wish they had the money to go to but head to Gondolia instead. Now, granted, that may not be the case right now, but Puerto Valor has been surprisingly untouched by Mordegon- it's not the focus of a Town Story here.
Hendrik is here, reiterating the same points he made earlier.
You go, Hendrik. Hopefully that good mood will persist after we move on.
This is good for Platinum Headgear, which is mostly Defence and Charm, and Platinum Mail, a bulky armour giving Defence, Charm, and 12% Elemental resistance, to round out the Platinum set. Erdward, Hendrik and Sylvando can wear both.
Kinda cool how Don Rodrigo has a good armour set for Sylvando on his shelf.
..."Don" is a Valorian honorific? I wonder if that comes from the Spanish or is original to the game. I'm probably gonna stick to calling the former "Don Rodrigo", though- he's not the first "Rodrigo" in DQ history. I'd be tempted to drop it, but the earlier Rodrigo is actually in Tickington later.
We won't find Sylvando where we left him. Although Dave doesn't seem to point us his way.
He's down here, on the beach.
Fear is never rational. Mordegon is a madman with a stolen sword. Don Rodrigo actually earned his reputation.
It was one thing to think it was possible. Another thing to actually buckle down and do it.
Not a question, Erdward answers this one on his own.
...Wait, before you could... walk? Don Rodrigo...?
Sylvando was good at knighthood, but he knew he belonged in a circus.
The root of Don Rodrigo's ire, I'm not so sure. Especially since the Side Story says that Don Rodrigo's wife was exactly the person Sylvando wanted to be. He is a disapproving father nonetheless.
Sylvando decided that no words would convince his father, and decided to prove himself with actions. Note the fact that at no point did Don Rodrigo ever actually tell Sylvando to leave and never return- Sylvando's exile from Puerto Valor is entirely self-inflicted, founded on the basis that it was probably going to happen if he stayed any longer.
Sylvando feels more motivated and I wasn't even the one speaking. At least Sylv knows where he should make his arguments come from.
It's time for Sylvando to meet his maker.
Sylvando: The thought of seeing Papi makes my blood run cold... But no one ever got anywhere by running away from their fears! Thanks for talking me around, darling. I feel a whole lot braver after that little chat we had. Papi's villa is over on the eastern side of town. It's huge, so you really can't miss it. Come on- let's stop delaying the inevitable!
Rab: I understand why Don Rodrigo got upset about Sylvando's choice of career. If ye come from a long line of knights, having your boy tell you he'd rather run away with the circus must be a shock, eh? Mind you, I don't blame Sylvando for staying away, either. I've seen Don Rodrigo lose his rag a fair few times. If I was on the receiving end, I might make myself scarce for a couple of decades too! Still, it's a sad story. No matter how bad their row was, it should never have taken them this long to bury the hatchet...
...Well, that's going to put a damper on proceedings. Wonder what happened in Puerto Valor's past that makes treating parade-goers as suspicious individuals. Clearly someone tried the trapped parade idea.
This moment, in particular, reminds me of DQV. When Prince Harry reappeared after a ten year absence, he also made his identity known to a guard by reminding him of his own fears.
In both cases, it worked out.
Also in both cases, we were preparing for a confrontation with the current head of the estate. I trust we won't have to fight Don Rodrigo like we had to fight the faux dowager.
Although with a glare like that, I'm not surprised Sylvando's prepared for one.
Sylvando, you are a massive eyesore of bright red. You are not fooling anyone hiding behind me.
It takes Don Rodrigo a few seconds to comprehend who it is that's trying to make himself scarce in his presence. With a donk to the head to worry about, it's no wonder.
"You have come to tell me something." That's probably not the response Sylvando was expecting to hear, although it's probably a good one to give considering his extended absence wasn't enforced. Sylvando is well within his rights to return- he just probably needs a very good reason.
Sylvando, on being spoken to in a loud, stern voice, immediately breaks down into apologies.
And Don Rodrigo, correctly, asks what exactly he is apologising for. I'm not entirely sure Sylvando is clear either.
Don Rodrigo wants to hear if Sylvando has succeeded at the mission he has tasked himself with.
Sylvando, by this point, probably subconsciously knows Don Rodrigo accepts his desires, but the fact that his answer is in the negative means he's going to get a scolding anyway.
Don Rodrigo scolds Sylvando, not for his choice in careers, but for not doing what he promised to do within that career.
Although right now, perhaps it wasn't the greatest idea to do any scolding at all.
And now it has occurred to Sylvando's conscious mind that Don Rodrigo has no hard feelings on the topic of having a son who rides to battle in smiling armour. No hard feelings at all? We'll get to that later. Considering the reputation given to the name "the Great Sylvando", perhaps he might be able to say he had fulfilled his oath in Act 1.
Here in Act 2, though, Sylvando has no chance whatsoever of accomplishing his goal.
And so, he must set out to defeat Mordegon, to reopen the path to accomplish his goal of bringing laughter and joy to all the peoples of the world.
Don Rodrigo is sure to tell Sylvando that he expects him to back up his words with action, a promise that Sylvando is perfectly happy to return.
Sylvando gets to the reason he came back at all- he needs a home for the Soldiers of Smile, and he hopes Don Rodrigo may be able to provide it.
And Don Rodrigo accepts without asking for further details. Like a good father figure ought, although perhaps not like a man of his physical state should.
...This is about the point I would start asking further questions about what I had just promised.
"Tio" meaning "Uncle".
There's a bit of a thundering, and everyone except Erdward and Sylvando starts to get puzzled.
Even Hendrik.
Yeah, uh, probably should've mentioned that part. Even Erdward's not entirely sure what's about to happen.
That was honestly going to be a scary part too- whether the Soldiers of Smile would warm up to Don Rodrigo. Then again, they haven't met him, or possibly even heard much about how he carries himself.
Yes, that is the correct order of lines. Not mentioning just who I was being tasked with looking after, I can live with. But the sudden costume change jumps the line right into sheer audacity.
This costume would actually look exactly like Sylvando's in the vanilla version. Sylvando's custom colours from the Definitive release make the scene look somewhat less significant, but I think you can see where the inspiration is.
And while he's still recovering from a head wound, he's within his rights to balk at any requests that require physical activity. Or a form-fitting helmet.
...That's a huge stretch...
But when it comes to looking after the Soldiers at all, the Pledge is going to be a weapon for Sylv as it is for the Don.
(Don't think I don't see you giggling back there, Servantes.)
Sylvando: You know, honey, when I ran away from home I was just thinking about myself. It never crossed my mind to wonder how Papi would deal with it all. And then all those years went by... Still, I feel like I finally understand him now. Thank you, Erdward. If it weren't for you, Papi and I might never have spoken to each other again! Right, I'm heading outside to have a word with my little Soldiers of Smile.
Hendrik: I suspect that Don Rodrigo made his peace with Sylvando's choice of career a long time ago. Even so, they may never have seen each other again had circumstances not intervened. The paternal bond is powerful indeed. Don Rodrigo recognised his son immediately, while it took me some time to see that Sylvando was Norberto. Nothing can disguise one's own flesh and blood, it seems.
Rab: Thank heavens that Don Rodrigo and Sylvando managed to resolve their differences! And who'd have thought the Don would look so good in one of those outfits, eh? Ach, I know he tried his best not to show it, but you could tell how happy he was to see his boy again after all these years. I mean, they are family, after all. There are bonds that are never going to break, no matter what kind of barney ye have. We saw it over in Phnom Nonh with Da and Son, didn't we?
Don Rodrigo happily goes over the agreement if you talk to him after the fact.
And reminds Sylvando that he better damn well kill Mordegon.
The Soldiers of Smile seem happy to meet Don Rodrigo, too. And also to learn more about Sylvando's childhood life.
Well, as long as he's happy, I'm sure the rest of this mess can be smoothed over with effort.
Unfortunately, we'll have to get on that "killing Mordegon" thing, but I trust between the lot of you, you'll figure something out?
I may just have to hold you to that. A knight's word is his bond, remember?
And a reminder to our friend outside the door Gonzales.
He'll be fine with that.
Depends on who paid that pretty penny, and perhaps when, too.
...Yeah, I suppose we'd better...
Say goodbye.
Sylv gives a pretty stern goodbye when he wants to.
But he knows this goodbye was always going to be hard.
...It turns out they actually mean this rather literally.
Sylvando has a new trick! Hit Parade is a two-person Pep Power that requires both Erdward and Sylvando to have a charge, and while it isn't mechanically impressive, it certainly feels right to throw out a few uses of it.
And with that, Sylvando has formally become our fourth party member for Act 2. Note the lack of new Skill Panels mentioned.
The real prize for recruiting Sylvando is regaining access to the Salty Stallion, allowing us once again to depart Puerto Valor and access new ports. You might think that's a lot of freedom, but the scope of the story allowed the game to keep a leash on how much that really is. Still plenty of it, and I'll get to how much next time.
Oh yeah, we also get our horse hailer back. This was a Definitive edition addition, so it's tacked on in a non-cutscene here, too.
...Huh, so he didn't have it on his person during the Side Story? I guess he just did to make it easier on the programmers.
Sylvando recommends going to... Hotto? SYLV NO! (That won't be where we're going next, by the way.)
Hendrik: Having Norberto- forgive me, Sylvando- accompany us on our journey will not be without its disadvantages, I fear, but there is no doubt that he is a most capable warrior. Now, I believe he said his ship was anchored to the east of Puerto Valor. Let us set sail and see what we can discover.
Rab: Now we've got a ship at our disposal again, the world really is our oyster. We'd do well to try and follow in the footsteps of Erdwin, laddie. After all, we're probably going to need to use that flying contraption of his to get to the Lord of Shadows' fortress. Now, if ye ask me, a wee trip to Arboria wouldnae be a bad next move. And let's see if we can't find a few of our auld friends while we're at it, eh?
Sylvando: I'll be sad to say goodbye to my little Soldiers of Smile, but they're going to be just fine, I'm sure of it. They'll soon put a spring back in Papi's step, and a grin on the face of everyone in Puerto Valor! Now, I'm sure the Lord of Shadows has a few more mean tricks up his sleeve, but it's up to us to make sure he doesn't have his wicked way with the world! Honey, the future of Erdrea is in our hands! Let's make sure we don't disappoint our public!
If the name change from Norberto to Sylvando is supposed to be a trans metaphor, Hendrik consciously switching to Sylvando is significant. He usually keeps to calling him Sylvando from here on out, although I reserve the right to have forgotten a "Norberto" somewhere.
Sylvando has no new Skill Panels, but the transition from Act 1 to Act 2 does hand out a few auto-levels behind the scenes, and any SP you might have gained from those levels is waiting for you to use. Since Sylvando requires relatively little investment, I do not recommend giving him Seeds of Skill until after the duplication trick pays off.
The Parade outfits, now that we have the freedom to show off each outfit in turn. Much like the Wolf Wear for Erik, I'll be considering "The Parade Master" to be Sylvando's default for Act 2. A few Pep Powers, including Hit Parade, seem to be of the same mind, giving him his (vanilla) helmet during the animations, if not necessarily the feathers.
Here's the effect of the Peerless Parade Costume. You can't reforge it, as a Definitive addition, and the passive 5 HP is pretty passe as bonus effects go. The Charm bonus is nothing to sneeze at, though.
The Town Story of Phnom Nonh is clearly meant somewhat as filler, but on its own merits, it does remarkably well at filling in the gaps. While the question of why the people of Phnom Nonh trusted Avarith at all exists, "shock" is a good enough answer to allow the story to function. Although sometimes Da's efforts to set up the subversion leant too close to actually being what he was pretending, the moral of the story- that Da should've let Son in on his plans- shines because of it.
The intersection of Town Story and character arc has been something DQ has struggled with, but this is an excellent example of the devs managing to connect the outcome of a Town Story with the experiences of a party member. In watching a father reconcile with his son, Sylvando questioned his own rocky relationship with his father, and on realising his father could provide him with valuable resources, resolved to mend his bridges in turn. This direct cause and effect is rare, and while I don't expect DQ to make a habit of it- after all, it often necessitates backtracking to another area, and Act 2 making Puerto Valor "new again" helps it somewhat here- I certainly hope more examples can be added to the series.
Sylvando's conflict with his father itself, meanwhile, may or may not have trans coding, but it without question has queer coding in general. While I haven't personally experienced the equivalent to Sylvando and Rodrigo's experiences, I have heard many LGBTQ+ fans echo his experiences in regards to their own lives. Sylvando is, without question, queer-coded, and I don't imagine wandering around with what some might describe as a male harem invites much room for debate on the topic- although some of his later quotes open the question of whether he's supposed to be gay or bi. While I have a personal dislike for some of his quirks (I will never fully recover from "you don't want to wind up that pocket rocket"), I agree that as a queer character, Sylvando does the job of playing representative just fine. It helps he's not the only character pulling queer duty, even if he is the main one.
And as one last note, there is some effort on the game's part, both mechanically (with Pep Powers) and narratively, to pair each of the eight party members up to form a duo of sorts. Erdward/Erik, Veronica/Serena and Rab/Jade were made obvious and up-front by the game in Act 1, which left Sylvando feeling perhaps a little tacked-on. The game is fully prepared to treat Sylvando/Hendrik as the last of these pairs, although with the party shuffle going on, they may not be as pronounced as the other three in the player's experiences. First impressions, and all that.
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