2018’s Octopath Traveler features eight playable characters, each with their own stories. The game was developed and published by Square Enix, which has an office in Los Angeles, California. Therion, a talented thief voiced by Chris Niosi, is one of those characters. He’s a sarcastic cynic, with difficulty trusting other people thanks to a past betrayal. This article will contain spoilers for the plot of Octopath Traveler.
Therion’s Abilities
Each character in Octopath Traveler has a unique ability and what’s known as a “Path Action.” Path Actions are additional ways of interacting with the NPCs scattered across Orsterra. Therion’s Path Action is stealing items from NPCs. He’s given a percent chance of succeeding at stealing a given item, with 100% meaning he’s guaranteed to steal it while 50% means there’s a 50% chance that he’ll fail to steal it and his reputation in the town will suffer. As he levels up, his chances of successfully stealing items increase. Some NPCs will also unlock increased chances of stealing in a specific town. He is also the only party member who can open the otherwise locked purple chests.
A Rocky Start
Therion’s story starts in a bar in the town of Bolderfall, with two other thieves gossiping about his exploits. He has a strong reputation as a skilled thief, but his reputation doesn’t include information about his appearance. Hearing the gossiping thieves call themselves business partners causes him to reminisce about meeting his former business partner, Darius. The two met in a jail when they were both children. It’s never outright stated, but it’s heavily implied that they both were jailed for thievery. They break out quickly, in part thanks to Therion’s already impressive skills with thievery. From there, the two became partners in crime.
When Therion comes back to the present, the barkeep tells him about the rumors of vast wealth in the Ravus Manor and of how many thieves have tried and failed to steal it. The barkeep tries to warn him against going after the manor’s treasure, but Therion pursues it anyway. Upon sneaking into the manor, he’s discovered by Heathcote, the manor’s butler, who reveals that the stories of the manor’s riches were in fact part of a test to find a worthy thief. Therion attempts to fight his way out of the manor, but Heathcote slips what’s known as a fool’s bangle onto him during the fight. Heathcote describes it as being proof of a thief’s “humiliating blunder.”
The lady of the manor, a woman named Cordelia, reveals that Therion’s task is to find and return the Ravus family’s heirloom treasures. They are known as dragonstones, though their importance is not revealed until much later. While Heathcote had been able to recover one of the stolen stones, three are still missing. If Therion finds and returns the other three stones, the fool’s bangle will be removed from his wrist. He accepts the task, albeit reluctantly, and leaves Bolderfall.
A Thief in Noblecourt
Chapter 2 of Therion’s story sees him arrive in Noblecourt, where a scholar is rumored to be studying one of the stolen dragonstones. It doesn’t take long for him to hear rumors about a scholar named Orlick, who lives in a suspiciously well-guarded house on the outskirts of Noblecourt. As part of gathering information about Orlick, he learns about the scholar’s former research partner, Barham. Barham agrees to give Therion the password that will allow him into Orlick’s manor, in return for Therion stealing research materials for him. These materials end up being what creates the key to Orlick’s laboratory.
As expected, the ruby dragonstone is inside Orlick’s laboratory. However, as Therion goes to retrieve it, Orlick appears and confronts him. Orlick believes himself to be the only one deserving of keeping the stone, as well as the only one worthy of researching its secrets. In the ensuing fight, he’s knocked unconscious, allowing Therion to steal the ruby dragonstone and bring it back to Cordelia and Heathcote.
Cordelia attempts to have Heathcote remove the fool’s bangle as thanks for him returning the ruby dragonstone, but Therion refuses. He warns her that trusting someone leads to betrayal and that removing the bangle now means she wouldn’t have any guarantee of him keeping up his half of the agreement. Heathcote agrees and tells him that the emerald dragonstone is said to be at the black market of Wellspring. His knowledge of the black market makes Therion suspicious – only thieves are supposed to know about it, after all.
The Desert Black Market
After learning where the black market in Wellspring is, Therion has two choices for how to enter. He can either steal the black market inventory from the tavern keeper, which has a higher chance of being successful, or he can steal a mask from one of the attendants or staff of the market, which has a lower chance of success. Stealing the inventory from the tavern keeper triggers a scene where bandits attack the man bringing the emerald dragonstone and Therion is able to chase after them while stealing a mask lets Therion walk in through the entrance and the bandits attack the man inside the market. Either way, the bandits flee to the back of the cave.
When Therion catches up with the bandits, it’s revealed that their boss is his former partner in crime, Darius. Darius mocks him for the fool’s bangle before leaving to let his underlings attack. Though Therion defeats them, he also finds himself remembering the day Darius betrayed him. A rival group of thieves had offered him a place in their ranks if he got rid of Therion, which he was happy to do. In addition to the group’s offer, Darius resented him for becoming skeptical and for being so skilled at thievery. The two argued, and Darius sent him falling from a cliff.
He catches up with Darius, who again mocks him for still being hurt by the betrayal. Darius’ new right-hand man, Gareth, attacks Therion while Darius escapes with the emerald dragonstone. Therion defeats Darius’ underlings and returns to Bolderfall empty-handed, promising Heathcote and Cordelia that he will get it back. When Cordelia asks about the “loose ends” he intends to tie up and he brushes her off, she reveals that she’s also dealt with betrayal in her past. After her parents had died, people had come to surround her and comfort her. However, their interest was not in her wellbeing but in the money she’d been left by her parents. She saw her past pain reflected in Therion’s.
It’s then that Heathcote reveals that he knows where Darius’ band is from. They effectively own the city of Northreach, and now they have both the emerald and gold dragonstones. He leaves for Northreach ahead of Therion to gather information. Cordelia, meanwhile, offers some words of comfort and wisdom. She assures Therion that putting trust in other people isn’t a weakness but rather a strength. Therion isn’t ready yet to believe her, but for the first time, he doesn’t brush off her wish for him to stay safe.
Frigid Closure
Cordelia’s willingness to place her trust in Therion despite her own past of betrayal sticks with him. He enters Northreach to see a traveler being robbed by some of Darius’ thieves, and one of the villagers telling them that even the guards of Northreach won’t go after them. It’s a thief’s paradise, as he remarks. The tavern patrons recognize him, and the bartender refuses to serve him – Darius has put up wanted posters around the town, stating that any involvement with him “will be considered direct opposition to Lord Darius.”
Several of Darius’ thieves ambush him as he searches the town for information. Though he defeats them, they call for reinforcements. Just as he’s starting to lose hope, Heathcote arrives to help him escape. As the two take shelter in an abandoned house, Therion finally pieces together that Heathcote was once a thief. Heathcote talks about when he was younger, revealing that he sees his younger self in Therion. When he’d been younger, he’d also snuck into the manor only to be caught. Cordelia’s father offered him a deal, where Heathcote wouldn’t be turned over to the guards if he agreed to serve as Cordelia’s butler.
The two talk about Heathcote’s past and learning to put trust in other people, before Heathcote brings the topic back to Darius and the dragonstones. Despite the thief-turned-butler’s skills, he doesn’t have the energy or the strength to accompany Therion. Heathcote makes a point of putting his faith in Therion, who promises to return with the stolen dragonstones. He even wishes for Heathcote to stay safe, much like Cordelia has done for him.
Therion follows one of Darius’ higher-ranking thieves in the hopes of finding the man’s hideout. This brings him to an abandoned church, with a suspicious staircase leading below. Before entering, he resolves to find a disguise. Like the previous chapter, he has a couple of different options for who to steal the disguise from. If he steals the lower-ranked thief’s garb, the lookouts will accuse him of slacking off and tell him to go back outside. This will lead him to steal from the higher-ranked thief’s garb, which can be done from the start to save a little time. This allows him to intimidate the lookouts into letting him through.
He catches up to Darius, who has the dragonstones displayed in the hideout. Darius believes the dragonstones will grant him power. Seeing Therion’s eyes full of hope enrages him, and the two fight. During the fight, Darius continues to taunt and belittle Therion, who sees through him to realize that Darius’ habit of betraying people stems from his own fear of being betrayed. Therion defeats Darius, who flees after saying he’s willing to step on whoever he has to in order to be “at the top.” In a fitting twist of fate, he’s betrayed and killed by his own underlings.
The chapter closes with Therion and Heathcote returning to Bolderfall, with the emerald and gold dragonstones in hand. As Cordelia asks Heathcote for the key to the fool’s bangle, he reveals that the lock is already undone. Heathcote had unlocked the bangle back in Chapter 2 without Therion or Cordelia noticing. He also reveals that the dragonstones are the keys to unlocking a mysterious gate known as the Gate of Finis. The Ravus family had protected the dragonstones for generations, With them returned and the fool’s bangle removed, Therion leaves Bolderfall to wander Orsterra as a free man.
Final Thoughts
Though his character arc is relatively basic, Therion is still a fun character in Octopath Traveler. It’s left ambiguous as to whether he continues to be a thief after the end of his story, or whether he instead chooses to leave that life behind. For as much as he bristled at Cordelia’s faith in him, both she and Heathcote were able to see through the act as well as see their past selves reflected in him. Their willingness to place and keep their faith in Therion allows him to grow as a person and finally heal from Darius’ betrayal.
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