Merlinus

Merlinus Artwork of Merlinus from The Binding Blade. A servant of Pherae in charge of the army's inventory.

Gender Male Race Human Age 40s (in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade) 60s (in The Binding Blade) Starting class Transporter Voiced by Brad Venable (English, Heroes) Bin Shimada (Japanese, Heroes) Appearance(s) The Binding Blade The Blazing Blade Heroes

“	Quite sure, my lord. To be honest, I've dreamt of working for a noble house. To have my fondest wish granted in such a way... I cannot stem these tears of joy!	”	— Merlinus to Eliwood and Hector when they hire him as their merchant.

Merlinus (Japanese: マリナス Merlinus) is a character in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. In the first game, he is a vassal of Lord Eliwood who joins Roy's army in Chapter 2, while in the latter, he is a merchant who is rescued and then contracted by Eliwood and Hector in Chapter 13x or Chapter 16 (17 Hector).

Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

Role

Merlinus is one of Eliwood's most trusted vassals, and he is sent to accompany Roy as an adviser during the war. Merlinus appears in most of the conversations between chapters, doing his best to direct his young liege towards the right path.

Merlinus does not have a specific ending; from his words, though, it can be deduced that he returns to Pherae and spends the rest of his life working for Roy.

Starting stats and growth rates

Transporter
Level	1
Affinity

Recruitment: Chapter 2, automatically on Turn 2

Stats Growth Rates

Max HP	15	Luck	10
Strength	0	Defense	3
Skill	3	Resistance	0
Speed	3	Constitution	25
Movement	5	Aid	0

Max HP	100%	Luck	100%
Strength	0%	Defense	20%
Skill	50%	Resistance	5%
Speed	50%

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Inventory
--
Weapon Levels -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Analysis

This character analysis section may not be accurate to every player's experience.

Merlinus's unique class, Transporter, functions like a convoy; he or a unit standing next to him can move items between their inventory and the convoy by spending a turn. However, he is the only convoy available, and if Merlinus is not deployed, units cannot access the convoy though items can still be sent to it regardless. Unlike other units, Merlinus is not subject to permanent death; if Merlinus dies, he can be deployed in successive chapters. Because of this, Merlinus can be useful for baiting enemies; his terrible defensive stats and inability to counter-attack make it so that enemies will almost always prioritize him when he is in range, which can be used to prevent the deaths of other units.

However, Merlinus does not contribute much overall. His convoy utility, while situationally useful, can be diminished with well-managed inventories. All acquired items will be automatically deposited in the convoy whether or not he is deployed, so he is only useful for taking items out of the convoy. He also suffers from a lack of mobility; while 5 movement is the same as many other unmounted units, it is more detrimental for Merlinus, as his high constitution of 25 means he cannot be rescued. He also cannot attack at all or use any weapon type, further decreasing his usefulness. Additionally, while his ability to bait enemies without risk of permanent death is useful, it can usually only be used once per map, as his HP and defense are so low almost any enemy will one-shot him. While in theory level-ups can help mitigate this problem, this is practically impossible; the only way for Merlinus to gain experience is to get attacked and not die, which provides 1 point of experience for each round of combat. Combined with the fact he is one-shot by most enemies, Merlinus's stats will likely stay at their abysmal bases.

While Merlinus is overall a fairly underwhelming unit, he still has some niche utility. He is force-deployed on Chapters 2 through 5, so his strengths can be utilized without using a deployment slot. Additionally, in Chapter 21, he is the best way to buy the infinite supply of Boots available in the secret shop by moving items from the convoy, selling them, buying the boots, and repeating that process.

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade

Role

Merlinus is a quite nervous merchant who is traveling through Lycia. When he is passing by a small village in the march of Caelin, bandits attack him. Fortunately, Eliwood and Hector are nearby, and they rescue him. Merlinus offers them a small reward, but Eliwood refuses it, saying it was nothing. Hector nods, and carelessly adds that they do not need a peddler's junk. Offended, Merlinus presents himself, and after the lords give him their names, the merchant looks excited to have met such important people.

Hector then changes his opinion and asks him to become their merchant and supply manager; Merlinus happily assents. He then accompanies the army until the last travel to Dread Isle. There, he vows to work for both lords forever, and sadly returns to Fargus's ship to wait for their return.

After the crisis is averted, he opens a shop in Ostia, but it does not do well and ends up closed. However, Merlinus does not give up; he plans on reopening it with Eliwood's aid. Should he have an A support with the knight Marcus, Merlinus directly goes to Pherae to work for Eliwood, focusing in the financial matters.

Starting stats and growth rates

NPC, Chapter 13x Playable

Civilian
Level	1
Affinity

Stats
Max HP	13	Luck	12
Strength	0	Defense	2
Skill	1	Resistance	2
Speed	2	Constitution	7
Movement	5	Aid	6

Inventory
--
Weapon Levels -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Transporter
Level	5
Affinity

Recruitment: Chapter 13x, end of the chapter
Chapter 16E/17H, start of the chapter if 13x was not played

Stats Growth Rates

Max HP	18	Luck	12
Strength	0	Defense	5
Skill	4	Resistance	2
Speed	5	Constitution	25
Movement	0	Aid	0

Max HP	120%	Luck	100%
Strength	0%	Defense	30%
Skill	90%	Resistance	15%
Speed	90%

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Inventory
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Weapon Levels -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

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Fire Emblem Heroes

Main article: Merlinus/Heroes

There is one variation of Merlinus available in Heroes.

Personality

In Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, Merlinus is quite shy and easily scared, almost acting as a comic relief. He shows time and time again that he is not really suited to be in a battlefield; Marcus calls him out on the several occasions in which Merlinus lets down his guard. However, Merlinus is quite good at managing the army's supplies and at cooking – his dishes are praised by Marcus and Vaida.

In The Binding Blade, Merlinus seems to have a somewhat important position in House Pherae. He has lost most of his shyness by then, and tends to be a little more direct if not downright verbally aggressive when dealing with most people. Usually, he gives sound advice to Roy, but this is not always taken into account, which makes him disgruntled. It could be said that the only time Roy does really heed his advice is at the end – after the young lord says the war is over, Merlinus reminds him that is not true.

Supports

Main article: Merlinus/Supports

The Binding Blade

Merlinus cannot support with any character in this game.

The Blazing Blade

Merlinus Transporter Marcus Paladin Initial: 0 Per turn:+2 Vaida Wyvern Lord Initial: 0 Per turn:+1 [[{{{support5}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin5}}}affin.png|link={{{affin5}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints5}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support7}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin7}}}affin.png|link={{{affin7}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints7}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support9}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin9}}}affin.png|link={{{affin9}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints9}}} Per turn:+ Nino Mage Initial: 0 Per turn:+2 [[{{{support4}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin4}}}affin.png|link={{{affin4}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints4}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support6}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin6}}}affin.png|link={{{affin6}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints6}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support8}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin8}}}affin.png|link={{{affin8}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints8}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support10}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin10}}}affin.png|link={{{affin10}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints10}}} Per turn:+

See Support § GBA games for more details on supports.

Endings

The Blazing Blade

Merlinus, Cheery Merchant
Merlinus opened a shop in Ostia, but it was forced to close. He plans on reopening with some aid from Lord Eliwood himself.

Merlinus and Marcus
The merchant Merlinus began working for Eliwood. He and Marcus were fast friends, and when Marcus became the head of military training, Merlinus used his business acumen to deal with all matters financial.

Quotes

Death quotes

“	Oh no! I'm getting out of here before I lose my important goods!	”	— Merlinus, in The Binding Blade.

“	This can't be happening! I only... wanted to sell...	”	— Merlinus, as an NPC in Chapter 13x of The Blazing Blade.

“	That does it! I'm leaving before all of my finest goods get stolen!	”	— Merlinus, in The Blazing Blade.

Heroes quotes

Main article: Merlinus/Quotes (Heroes)

Other appearances

Fire Emblem Characters: The Binding Blade & The Blazing Blade

Merlinus' artwork from The Binding Blade as well as The Blazing Blade is featured in the Fire Emblem Characters book, alongside details regarding himself and his role in the games' stories. He is the 54th character listed for his appearance in The Binding Blade, and the 108th character listed for his appearance in The Blazing Blade. Merlinus scored 50th place in the online The Binding Blade popularity poll and 40th place in the The Blazing Blade poll whose results were included in the book.

Fire Emblem Character File 054: Merlinus
	Gender: Male	Estimated Age: 60s	Title: None	Origin: Lycia
Status: Pherae's Clerk	Weapon: None
The master of miscellaneous matters in the Lycian Army. An official who has served Pherae for a long time. He still advises the young Roy, and at the same time handles the army's goods and merchandise, traveling with Roy to the front lines. He is very well informed in world affairs, being very helpful to the group. He is a little timid but fiercely loyal to Roy, and is busy helping him every day. Before Merlinus served House Pherae, he was a merchant who traveled the world. He gives useful advice to Roy who is ignorant to the ways of the world. As expected, he is well-versed in everything regarding dragons, legendary weapons, and the history of the various locales they visit. He also has a knack for gathering information via gossip and talk about the changing state of the world that comes to him. It seems he has a peculiar way of gathering information.
Profile translation by Kantopia

Fire Emblem Character File 108: Merlinus
	Gender: Male	Estimated Age: 40s	Title: Lovable Merchant	Origin: Lycia
Status: Traveling Merchant	Weapon: None
The merchant who has an abundance of knowledge and business ability. A traveling merchant who peddles goods from all over the continent. He was attacked by bandits near Caelin territory and was rescued by Eliwood's group who were passing by. Because he had always dreamed of serving nobles for a long time, he pleaded Hector to leave supply management to him. This sudden request was met with just as quick approval, and he joined the group. As expected as someone with great business skills, he has a very sociable personality. He is at his core a very timid person. In a support conversation with Vaida, one can catch a glimpse of his cowardice as he tries to curry favor with her out of fear. In conversations with Marcus, who is of the same generation, the two repeatedly make reference to their loyalty to Eliwood. Also, talking to Nino allows one to feel Merlinus' kinder side. After the war, he set up a shop in Ostia that was quickly shut down, and went back to staying with Eliwood.
Profile translation by Kantopia

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

Merlinus's official artwork from both The Binding Blade and The Blazing Blade can be viewed in Path of Radiance's extras menu if a copy of The Binding Blade or The Blazing Blade is connected to a copy of Path of Radiance respectively. Merlinus's The Binding Blade illustration, along with all other The Binding Blade-related artwork, is inaccessible in the international versions of the game, owing to the fact that The Binding Blade was not released in those regions.

Fire Emblem Cipher

Merlinus is featured on one card in Fire Emblem Cipher. This card depicts his older self from The Binding Blade; he has no cards depicting his younger The Blazing Blade version.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Merlinus
	Pherae Official, Merlinus
	"Oh no! I'm getting out of here before I lose all my goods!"
Attack: 10	Support: 10	Range: -	Deploy Cost: 2
Class: Transporter	Tier: Base	Class Change Cost: --
Noncombatant: [Always] This unit cannot evade. "Tch, time to withdraw!": [Always] When this unit is destroyed by an attack, you may return this card back to your hand.
Card #P05-003PR • Artist: Akihiro Mibuta
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, see their TCG wiki article on Merlinus .

Flavor text

Game	Text (English)	Text (Japanese)
The Binding Blade	A servant of Pherae in charge of the army's inventory.*	フェレ家の官吏 輸送隊をひきいる
The Blazing Blade	A traveling merchant. Timid and easily frightened.	大陸を旅していた行商人 気の弱い小心者

Trivia

• It is possible for Merlinus to visit villages. However, in The Blazing Blade, Merlinus cannot use the trade or supply functions, which means that once he has an item from a village, it is stuck in his inventory until the next chapter's preparations.

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language	Name	Definition, etymology, and notes
English	Merlinus	Merlinus is the Latin version of Myrddin, a Welsh name that means "sea fortress." The name was transliterated to the English language as Merlin. It is also the common name of a small falcon that is native to the Northern hemisphere. Merlin is one of the most famous characters in Welsh mythology and the Arthurian legends. He was a mage and adviser to several kings of the British Isles, under countless disguises and wielding arcane powers.
Japanese	マリナス	Romanized as Merlinus in the Fire Emblem Museum website.
Spanish	Merlinus	--
French	Merlinus	--
German	Merlinus	--
Italian	Merlinus	--
Portuguese (Brazil)	Merlinus	--
Traditional Chinese	馬利納斯	Merlinus

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
The Binding Blade Transporter
The Blazing Blade Transporter None*

Official artwork

• 
  Artwork of Merlinus from The Binding Blade.
• 
  Artwork of Merlinus from The Blazing Blade.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.
• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.
• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.
• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.
• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.
• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.
• 
  Artwork of Merlinus: Pherae's Clerk.
• 
  Merlinus in artwork of Roy: Young Lion.

Cipher artwork

• 
  Artwork of Merlinus.

References

This article is part of Project Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in the Fire Emblem series.