- "What is going on in your head that you think that would be an acceptable answer? "
- — Rufus, Atelier Meruru
Rufus Falken is one of the main supporting characters in Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland. He is the advisor and butler to the King of Arls, and assists Meruru in performing her royal duties.
Rufus came to Arls with his younger brother Lias to assist the kingdom. He rose quickly in the few years that he's been in the employ of the King, and he alone now handles all political issues in Arls, as well as acting as the personal mentor and instructor to Princess Meruru. He's shown high levels of intelligence his entire life, and is sensible and strict. He is in a constant state of worry over Meruru and her actions, which causes him to ruthlessly scold her. He harshly criticizes his younger brother, leading to a great deal of tension between the two.
Rufus seems callous and indifferent, but deep down, he cares deeply for Arls Kingdom and its people. His actions are consistently in the best interests of the citizens. Like Sterk, Rufus has a soft spot for his pet pigeon. He also enjoys sweets.
Rufus spends all of his time in the castle's Study, where he deals with all of the issues and development for Arls. Lias mentions that Rufus is "stronger than anybody he knows," and is apparently a seasoned fighter. In the original version of Atelier Meruru, he is available for purchase as a DLC character, while in the Plus and DX versions, the DLC is included as part of the base game.
Role[]
In the game's prologue, Rufus is able to recognize the struggle that both Lord Dessier and Meruru are having. While he believes that the young princess' behaviours are unacceptable, he sees that she is serious about her wish to become an alchemist. Knowing that the King fears for his daughter's well being, he devises a plan that will suit both of their needs. With Rufus' aide, Lord Dessier allows Meruru to begin practicing alchemy. After this, the prologue will end, and Meruru will have three years to develop the kingdom.
Rufus will continue to play a key role as the game progresses. The player must visit Rufus to make progression in the main story and to do crucial kingdom development. Rufus will write all of the tasks that Meruru must complete. At certain milestones, visiting Rufus will also raise the kingdom's rank, which will grow the population, and present the player with new tasks and new buildings.
Rufus appears in many character events in addition to events of his own, particularly prominent in Sterk and Lias' character events. His events with Lias revolve around their complicated relationship, where both siblings clearly admire each other but neither is capable of expressing it openly, leading to Rufus to overly criticize Lias and Lias often exploding at him. Meanwhile, while it seems at first the Rufus and Sterk will get along due to their similar personalities, certain key differences between them cause them to often break out into long shouting matches that Meruru tries and fails to end. Sterk's obstinate personality and obsession with trying to create a new knighthood creates further tension with the straight-laced Rufus who dislikes disruptions in the order he's created for the kingdom.
Weapons[]
- Main article: Weapons (Atelier Meruru)
| Name | Level | HP | MP | LP | ATK | DEF | SPD | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher's Whip | 4 | 22 |
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| Judgment Lash | 7 | 37 | 15 |
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| Punishment Lash | 9 | 30 | 55 | 10 | 10 |
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Skills[]
- Main article: Skills (Atelier Meruru)
| Skill | Level Learned | MP Usage | Skill Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scolding Whip | 22 | Non-elemental damage to a target. | |
| Butler's Trial | 44 | Non-elemental damage to all enemies. | |
| Iron Fist Mandate | 30 | Non-elemental damage to a target. Lowers WT. | |
| Butler's Ability | 50 | Raises all allies' SPD and reduces skill cost. | |
| Iron Will | N/A | Lowers status ailment chances. Chance of KO recovery. Passive ability. | |
| Godspeed | N/A | A standard consecutive attack. May raise WT. Passive ability. | |
| Butler's Dance | N/A | Super move. Huge damage to a target. Gauge required. |
Events/Endings[]
Trivia=[]
- Rufus' voice actor has voiced many characters over the Atelier franchise. These characters include Kreis Kuhl, Schwalbe Satz and Bredolf Schigsal within the Salburg series, Ealie Mitter in the DS release Atelier Lise, and Roger Malen from Atelier Lydie & Suelle.
Gallery[]
.jpg "A13 Concept Rufus (Face).jpg (228 KB)")
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