Sylvando (shortened to Sylv, born Norberto) is a character from Dragon Quest XI. A flamboyant travelling performer, he puts his talents to use in combat with a variety of different techniques and is capable of equipping whips, knives, and one-handed swords. Upon learning of the world's imminent danger, Sylvando joined the Luminary and his friends in their quest against the forces of evil.
Appearance[]
Sylvando is physically fit with slender yet muscular tones. He has black, shoulder length hair which is slicked back, thin eyebrows, grey eyes, and small silver studs on both ears. Sylvando wears a black and white striped jester's tunic over a red, long-sleeved shirt along with tan tights, purple shoes, and a leather belt worn around the waist. Sylvando also carries a long flute.
Personality[]
Flashy, flamboyant, and at times condescending, Sylvando's dream is to build a theatre of his own and make people all around the world smile. He is described as the mood-maker of the party and refers to the Luminary and others as "darlings". Despite his outward appearance as a performer, Sylvando appears to know quite a bit about knighthood and chivalry. His past is shrouded in mystery and when asked, Sylvando tends to avoid the subject. Despite his humorous nonchalance, he is an upbeat mood-maker through and through, as his primary goal in life is to bring smiles to the people of the world.
Biography[]
Sylvando is first seen as a circus showman in Gallopolis, a desert kingdom situated in the southern regions of the world of Dragon Quest XI, who will go to any length to entertain his audience. He is depicted as a character who knows more than he lets on; even though he is presented as a performer and jester, he is also familiar with the Knight's Code. He later participates in a horse race where he becomes acquainted with the Luminary, who acted as a substitute for Gallopolis' Prince Faris in return for a favor from the prince, and is aware that he is not the prince. He later assists the Luminary's party with taking down the Slayer of the Sands, a monster threatening the peace of the region around Gallopolis, and purposely binds it in such a way that the prince has to reveal himself later in the city where Sylvando lands the killing blow. When Sylvando discovers that the Luminary's goal is to defeat a mighty enemy who threatens the world, he insists on joining the Luminary's party, offering the use of his ship, the Salty Stallion, in the nearby port city of Gondolia and leaves behind his beloved horse Margarita in Gallopolis.
When the party arrives in Puerto Valor, Sylvando would constantly make excuses for his absence from the party, though he is eventually spotted and recognized by Servantes as the Salty Stallion sail through a canal he unlocked for the Luminary's party to access. Sylvando is later separated from the Luminary after Yggdrasil's power is consumed by Mordegon and cast down onto the world; when the Luminary encounters Sylvando next, he is revealed to be the leader of a group of men dressed in colourful outfits which he dubbed the "Soldiers of Smile". Following the conclusion of a story arc where the party rescues the father of a local boy in Phnom Nohn, Sylvando leads the party and his Soldiers of Smile troupe to Puerto Valor, where he reveals that he is Don Rodrigo's son Norberto. Sylvando reveals that he was raised to follow his father's footsteps as a knight, but eventually decided that he wanted to be an entertainer instead after being impressed by a circus troupe who arrived in Puerto Valor one day. Following a heated disagreement with Don Rodrigo, he left Puerto Valor to travel the world in pursuit of his passion as an itinerant performer. Both father and son experience reconciliation following their reunion, though Rodriogo is disappointed that Sylvando has yet to achieve his own goals of bringing a smile to everyone in the world, and beseeched him to carry on with his quest.