SD) Alfyn Greengrass (Octopath Traveler)

Art by Jenu the Angel

"Anytime you need help, just

give ol' Alfyn a holler!"

While a few of the characters I've included have kind of skirted the line on the rules I set in place, Alfyn is probably the most blatant case of ignoring the rules for the sake of the narrative. Hailing from 2018's Octopath Traveler, Alfyn i s one of the eight party members that players can choose as their "main character." While I chose Minthara from Baldur's Gate III in part due to her role as one of the few party members the player can't choose to play as, Octopath Traveler doesn't give us this option. Still, I wanted to choose a character to represent the series and Alfyn not only fit with the narrative I wanted to tell, but from surveys I've seen he tends to rank among the bottom in terms of being chosen as the primary character.

Alfyn is an apothecary from the village of Clearbrook. In his youth, Alfyn contracted a lethal disease known as the Great Pestilence. No one in the village knew of a cure, but as fate would have it, a wandering apothecary named Graham was able to save his life by administering a rare elixir. Afterwards, Alfyn asks Graham why he would bother to help someone as dirt poor as himself, to which Graham simply stated, "I saw someone in a bind, and helped him out. Simple as that." These words would go on to shape the man that Alfyn would become.

At the outset of his journey, the sister of Alfyn's best friend is bitten by a blotted viper. Alfyn tracks down the viper, killing it to recover its venom which he uses to concoct an antivenom to save the girl's life. After reflecting on the event, Alfyn decides he wants to travel the world helping others, much like Graham did before him. His personal journey, motivated by altruistic intentions, leads him to join the party, hoping that helping the others in the group will also allow him to do the most good that he can.

As his story progresses, Alfyn's good intentions and naive mindset are challenged by other apothecaries he meets along the way. In the town of Goldshore, he encounters a woman who is intentionally inducing a sickness that she then charges to cure. Disgusted with her evil and greed, he's compelled to fight her and correct her wrongs. Then, in the town of Saintbridge, he encounters a wounded man that he immediately begins to treat. Another apothecary, Ogen, tells him not to bother. Paying no heed, he continues to nurse the wounded man back to health, only for the man to then kidnap a child as he flees into the woods. Tracking him down, the man callously admits to stabbing the child for being annoying. After rescuing the child, Ogen confronts Alfyn as he leaves town, telling him he should be more selective about who he heals.

Alfyn is a man who believes that the world should be simple, and when his beliefs are challenged by reality starts to doubt himself. Without fail, Alfyn tries to believe in the best parts of people, and his desire to help those in need guides much of his actions. His abilities in and out of combat further exemplify this and plays into his natural charisma. Outside of battle, he has the Path Ability to Inquire, in which he chats with locals to gather information. In battle, he has Concoct, allowing him to combine ingredients to harm foes or aid allies. His versatility is further augmented by utilizing the job system, with Warmaster making him the only character able to target all twelve weaknesses in the game.

In Shattered Destinies, he'll obviously be compelled to help restore order to the multiverse. His blunt optimism and cheery disposition , while likely causing some amount of friction with certain characters, will allow him to serve as a sort of moral compass to the group. In addition, his apothecary skills will allow him to craft different potions and serve as one of the primary healers in the group. His versatility allows him to easily fill almost any role in the party, and his personality will allow the player access to resolving certain conflicts peacefully. While his naivety may prove to be a weakness from time to time, that won't stop him from offering aid to those in need.