Vandham

"Of course, Vandham is just a nickname. His real name is Aquila Paronet Sol Esteriole."

- Zox

Vandham is one of the characters of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. He is the leader of the Urayan Garfont Mercenaries. He is a Driver and is accompanied by his special Blade, Roc. He is a robust and beefy man who is a formidable Driver and wise mercenary leader. He acts as a mentor to Rex and the party.

Story
Before he became a mercenary, he was a scion of the noble Paronet family. The name "Vandham" was a nickname he chose inspired by someone he looked up to as a child. He was a freelancer before he joined the Garfont Mercenaries, and he fought with Cole.

Rex first meets Vandham in the Kingdom of Uraya He and his assistants, Yew and Zuo, challenge Rex and party a fight, seemingly after the Aegis. Vandham tricks Rex into exhausting Pyra's power. Just as Vandham is about to deliver a lethal blow to Rex, he stops. He reveals that he never meant them any harm and just wanted to test the capabilities of the Driver of the Aegis.

Vandham leads them back to Garfont Village, the home of his mercenary group. Over a meal, Vandham tells Rex that wars involve everybody, one way or another, and that everyone needs a reason to fight. He then joins the party to investigate a large ether energy buildup near the blowhole. Along the way, Vandham teaches Rex how to inflict Topple with Anchor Shot. They find a decaying Titan near the blowhole, but they are interrupted by an Arachno that managed to bond with the Blade Wulfric. Vandham then tells Rex the Blade life-cycle: Core Crystals are formed from dying Titans, and every time a Blade's dies, they revert to their Cores with their memories wiped.

Upon making it back to Garfont, Vandham learns that Rex and Pyra share a special bond, resulting in both Rex and Pyra sustaining similar injuries. Akhos interrupts their conversation, and Vandham tells them that Torna had killed many Drivers, including some of his friends. After Vandham and Roc help drive off Akhos, Nia tells Vandham about her past with Torna before Vandham dismisses her, telling her to focus on the present.

He then leads the party to Fonsa Myma to meet Cole, who knows how to get to Elysium. Along the way, they encounter Zeke and Pandoria. Upon reaching the Capital, they notice a large number of Warships. They later fight a Soldier who stole a little girl's rations; the girl turns out to be Iona, Cole's granddaughter. They watch one of Cole's plays on the Aegis War; Cole later speaks to Vandham and the others and agrees to help them reach Elysium.

After Pyra and Iona are lured out to Olethro Playhouse, Vandham helps Rex and the others fight back against Akhos and Malos. When Obrona uses her power to disrupt the ether flow in the air, Vandham impales Roc's scythes in himself to continue fighting. He begs Rex to escape, though Rex refuses to leave Vandham. He tells Rex to fight his own war before being killed by Malos. Rex tries to avenge Vandham, leading to Mythra's awakening.

After the battle, Vandham is buried in Olethro Playhouse, as it is a mercenary custom to be buried where they fell in battle. Yew and Zuo reveal that Vandham wanted Rex to take charge of the Garfont Mercenaries.