Black Alberich (黒のアルベリヒ), also known as Alberich of the Black Demise, is the chief of the Gnomes.
Profile[]
Introduction[]
The leader of the Gnomes, long thought to have disappeared from the annals of Erebonia's history. He is accompanied by a strange and imposing combat shell called "Zoa Balor." After the Gnomes vanished some centuries ago, not even the Hexen Clan were certain where they had gone. However, they have now reappeared as the Black Workshop--one of the Thirteen Factories allied with Ouroboros. As the Black Workshop, they have involved themselves with manufacturing combat shells, homunculi, and countless other weapons... In pursuit of his goal to bring the calamity hanging over Erebonia to its bloody conclusion, Alberich revealed himself at long last and pledged absolute loyalty to Osborne. It seems his true identity may be Franz Reinford--Alisa's father and Irina's late husband. How he returned to life and why he seems completely different from the man they knew remains a mystery, however.[2]
Appearance[]
As an inherited personality, Alberich's appearance depends on the host's body. When controlling Franz Reinford, Alberich is a tall man with silver hair and red eyes. He wears a black long coat with suit lapels over a number of grey and black shirts, sweaters and an open belt. He wears grey trousers, white gloves and black shoes.
Personality[]
Alberich is a dominant personality that takes over the superior descendants of the Gnomes.
He is a cold-blooded and uncaring man who is willing go to any lengths to achieve his goals, including unquestionable ones. This is shown when he revealed himself to be alive and claimed that he married the Reinford family just to obtain their technology and knowledge as part of his plan to reform the Great One.
Alberich is utterly devoted to his master, Ishmelga and seeks a world where technology can supplant the Septian Church as a seat of power. He cares little for life and his own compatriots, casting them aside easily. He gets enraged easily when his plans are threatened.
Trivia[]
- Alberich is modelled after the Alberich of Germanic mythology. The Trails character is a gnome whereas the mythological Alberich is a dwarf, which is described as a human-shaped entity that dwells in mountains and is associated with wisdom and crafting. Dwarves are also said to dwell in the earth, which ties in with the Gnomes' Japanese name (literally 'earth spirits') and affiliation with the Sept-Terrion of Earth. Furthermore, inspiration for the character Alberich seems to be drawn from Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, in which Alberich is the chief of the Nibelungen race of dwarfs and the main antagonist driving events. Siegfried and Rossweisse are also characters in Wagner's opera.
- He isn't an Awakener but is an Immortal. This is because he's the vessel for Ishmelga's consciousness itself, despite Osborne being Ishmelga's actual Awakener.
- Some aspects of Alberich's character appear to be derived from Irish mythology.
- The name 'Lughman' is a reference to the god Lugh.
- The Combat Shells he created, including Airgetlam and Claiomh Solais, refer to the first king Nuada Airgetlám of Tuatha Dé Danann and his weapon, Claíomh Solais ("the sword of light").
- The floating fortress of the Gnomes he summoned, Tuatha Dé Danann, is a supernatural race in Irish mythology.
- Alberich's combat shell, Zoa Balor, owes its name to the leader of the Fomorians, Balor, who was killed by his own grandson, the aforementioned Lugh. Balor's description as a giant "with a large eye that wreaks destruction when opened" also fits Alberich's S-Craft.
References[]
Sources[]
- ↑ Armen Taylor Twitter (accessed: October 23, 2019) at @ArmenTaylor
- ↑ Trails of Cold Steel IV, Official Website Page (EN-JP)
