Marcel Nielsen (マルセル・ニールセン) is a renowned freelance journalist.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Marcel Nielsen is an adult man with an undetermined eye colour and medium length brown hair, in a slightly unkempt style. He is blind and requires the use of an ornate wooden cane with a metal handle to walk. Nielsen wears a long, khaki trench coat with an upturned collar and several open belts. He wears a white collared shirt and red tie, pinned with a clip and with a navy waistcoat worn above. He also wears brown trousers and matching loafers.
Personality[]
Nielsen is an extremely patient and perceptive individual, who is able to sense persuasive qualities of a person just by standing in their presence and intuitively deducing facts about them. He is driven by his research, travelling the continent to find answers and speak to the individuals most central to the events happening around the world.
Nielsen claims that the loss of his sight enhanced his other senses. He also has a very analytical and logical way of organising his thought, and extends this to helping others organise their ways of thinking as well, helping them to reach a key point in their perspectives or fit together their own information.
Background[]
Before going freelance, he was working for the Crossbell News Service. Marcel won the Fulitzer prize for his coverage of the Hundred Days War between Erebonia and Liberl. Due to an incident during the war, he lost his eyesight.
Apart from his keen perception, Nielsen is armed with an extensive network of connections, including the fellow journalist editor-in-chief of the Liberl News Service, inspector Guy Bannings of the Crossbell Police Department, librarian Miles Neues from Crossbell's public library and elder Quint, the grave keeper of the Crossbell Cathedral.
Three years prior to the events in Crossbell, Nielsen had agreed to meet with Guy Bannings to exchange information, an event that never transpired due to the latter's death.
Trails in the Sky the 3rd[]
Chronologically, Nielsen is first seen inside the Grancel Cathedral where he claims to be 'waiting for someone'. Scherazard Harvey and Aina Holden, who are on the run from jaegars in the city, encounter Nielsen and he remarks that one of them is a bracer, just from perceiving the quality around them. He is present in Liberl to find out more about the nation that managed to repel the forces of Erebonia and is eager to find out where that strength came from.
On another occasion, Marcel is present onboard the Lusitania where he is gazing out a window. He comments that the engine's sound is unfamiliar to him, possibly being a new model. Kevin Graham leaves him be and continues on his operation.
Trails to Azure[]
Nielsen is in Crossbell, dropping in and out of the Crossbell News Service as a special consultant.
Nielsen meets with Lloyd Bannings several times over the events of the game, conducting interviews about several topics including the nature of the Sept-Terrion of Mirage and the oath of the Holy Beasts, but most notably the murder of Guy Bannings, Lloyd's elder brother who he had been scheduled to meet with only moments before his death. Nielsen helps Lloyd come to the conclusion that neither Revache or the D∴G cult could have been responsible for the murder, and another party must have been involved. On another occasion he interviews Lloyd on the cult activities and extermination operation led by Cassius Bright, mentioning the various lodges and organisations including the Septian Church and One other mysterious organisation that helped to take them out.
Nielsen also asks the SSS to investigate the Stargazer's Tower, after being delivered an ancient grimoire dating back to the alchemists of Crossbell. He is extremely interested in this text and muses about their history and accomplishments. He can also be found in Mainz, intending to interview the people there about the history of Septium mining in the area.
Nielsen is of the opinion that the presidents actions are those of one who is cornered, and the troubles in Crossbell are normal and temporary. Nielsen is interested in the manifestation of the Azure Tree, likening it to the Liber Ark. He remarks the city is strangely calm during the time.
Trails of Cold Steel IV[]
He appears along with reporter Grace Lynn and Dominion Thomas Lysander, where he conducts an interview with Rean Schwarzer discussing the prophecy spoken of in the Black Records, before giving Rean the final volume. Nielsen once again deduces the nature of Rean's group as students of a military academy and repeats his line about other senses becoming stronger when one is lost. Nielsen remarks that the nature of the Black Records is that anyone can read them, even he as a blind man.
During the interview, Nielsen brings up the topics of the history of the Empire, including the rivalries between the Gnomes and Hexen Clan, the War of the Lions and the seven Divine Knights. Other events affecting the empire from outside were also broached, namely the Salt Pale and 'effect from the east' with Calvard's revolution and conflict over Crossbell. Nielsen thanks Rean for confirming his hypotheses and organizing his thoughts, before leaving him the last volume of the Black Records and heading to a mining town where he can catch a train for Milsante.
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