Rief

Rief (クラウン Kuraun) is a playable character in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. He is a Mercury Adept who is the son of Mia and whose sister is Nowell. He travels abroad with his mentor Kraden and is himself a knowledgeable researcher.

As a playable character
Rief is initially introduced as an NPC traveling with Kraden. After the completion of Konpa Cave and its relevant cutscenes, Rief joins Matthew's party as its first Mercury Adept, becoming the main wielder of Mercury Psynergy until Amiti joins later on.

Rief's role is similar to that of Mia's in Golden Sun. He is a member of Mia's Mercury-oriented base class, the Water Seer class series, and thus inherits the role of the designated healer. The most notable difference is that Rief's version of the class possesses the Douse Psynergy series, which replaces the Frost Psynergy series of Mia's version. Unlike Mia, he will retain the Douse Psynergy regardless of class. As a mage-styled Adept, he can equip Maces, Staffs, and Ankhs, and is the only male playable character in the series so far to possess this weapons setup. He can also equip the standard defensive equipment for a mage, such as Robes, Circlets, and Armlets.

Like Mia, Rief does not possess high Attack in any available class, meaning that his physical attacks fall short of the power exhibited by Matthew, Tyrell, Amiti, and Eoleo. Adding to his weakness in physical strikes, is his weapons setup. Rief is incapable of equipping weapons with strong damage multipliers, which are more commonly seen on the bladed weapons unavailable to him. Thus Rief is more of a supporter in battle. His base class, the Water Seer class is somewhat lacking in terms of offensive Psynergy, but possesses invaluable Healing Psynergy. He starts out with the potent single-target Ply Psynergy series, and when he has at least four Mercury Djinn set onto him, he gains the Wish Psynergy series, which is excellent in restoring large amounts of HP to all current battling Adepts at once.

Rief joins the party at Level 10 and is initially equipped with a Wooden Stick, Travel Vest, Padded Gloves and Circlet; he also comes with an herb, antidote, and Elixir in his inventory. Rief has one Mercury Djinn Set onto him: (Sleet).

Statistical comparison
Statistically, Rief is a clone of his mother Mia, sharing her Mercury-influenced base class. Like Mia, Rief has low statistics overall, but is slightly more durable than Karis and Himi. However, he makes up for it with high PP and a Luck stat of five points, a number shared only with Mia, Sheba and Himi. Weapons that are available to Rief before the final boss is notably weaker than Mia's weapon equipment, which does not boost his overall attack power very much. However, the additional unleashes allow him to toy around with the different weaponry, even if he is more of a mage-type unit.

Compared to fellow Mercury Adept Amiti, he has much less HP, Defense, slightly less agility, and somewhat less Attack, but a lot more PP and one more Luck point. Also, Amiti's psynergy pool is more offensive, while Rief has access to the Wish Psynergy series in his base class.

Classes
The following classes are available to Rief:


 * Mono-Elemental: Water Seer class series
 * Dual-Elemental (Full): Hermit class series, Pilgrim (Mercury) class series, Seer (Mercury) class series
 * Dual-Elemental (Partial): Swordsman (Mars) class series, Swordsman (Venus) class series
 * Tri-Elemental (Full): Ranger class series, White Mage class series, Medium class series
 * Tri-Elemental (Partial): Dragoon class series

Appearance
Rief seems to resemble Mia in terms of hair colour, eye colour, and outfit. Rief seems to have neck-length hair with a straight back. It is interesting to note that Rief is the only playable character that wears (round) glasses.

Personality
Rief is a well-traveled youth, and according to Tyrell, a bookworm, so he is often deferred to in intellectual matters. For example, he possesses a bit of knowledge of southern Angara, having traveled the region with Kraden recently. He is shown to be a consummate gentleman throughout the adventure, often putting a high priority on the needs of others. Rief shows a great willingness to assist others, even criminals such as Eoleo and strangers like Kaba's father. In spite of this, he holds a deep grudge against Alex, referring to him as Mia's betrayer. Upon learning that the mysterious Arcanus was the alias of Alex, Rief explodes into a deep rage and points out Alex's past as a manipulator.

Biography
Rief is the second youngest of the playable cast and is the youngest of the children of the Warriors of Vale. It is assumed that he was born and raised in Mia's hometown of Imil to Mia and an unknown father. He has an older sister named Nowell; both siblings inherited Mia's Mercury Adept powers. At some point, he and his sister left Imil to become Kraden's apprentices, and began traveling the world in search of mysteries to solve.

Konpa Cave
Rief is first introduced as part of Kraden's traveling party. When Kraden receives a letter from Isaac asking Kraden to assist Matthew's quest for a Mountain Roc feather, they travel to Carver's Camp, the designated meeting point. Finding the bridge out, Rief travels with Kraden and Nowell to the nearby Konpa Ruins, which hold another passage to Bilibin, through which lies the most direct route to the Mountain Roc. Thanks to Nowell's powers, they are able to bypass the ruins and descend directly into the cave.

While the group is awaiting the arrival of Matthew's party,Rief is sent to scout the northern tunnel they intend to take to Bilibin. When he returns, he discovers Kraden and Nowell investigating a Psynergy Vortex that has suddenly appeared. In his curiosity, Rief gets too close and is nearly drawn in by the vortex. Nowell and Kraden successfully alert him, but Rief is left in a weakened state, as the vortex absorbs much of his Psynergy. While he is recovering, he is captured by Blados and a mysterious masked man. During this time, Matthew's party arrives and defeats a group of Stealthy Scouts, who attempt to attack Kraden. After the battle, Blados and the masked man reveal their intentions to leave Rief at one of the two exits, though they refuse to say which. Kraden and Nowell are forced to separate from Matthew's group, so that Rief can be recovered before he is injured. While Kraden and Nowell take the Northern tunnel, Matthew's group is forced to take the southern route which leads to the Ei-Jei region. However, it is a trap and Blados's men seal off the exit, preventing Matthew's group from backtracking.

Upon exiting the cave, they discover Rief, who was trapped in a crate. Realizing that they are now trapped in the Ei-Jei region, the group works to find a way out of the area, so that they can meet up with Kraden at Belinsk. Rief points out that Blados mentioned a way over the Khiren Mountains, and suggests that the group get their bearings at the nearby city of Harapa. At Harapa, Rief reveals that he has previously traveled through Ei-Jei with Kraden, and thus has some knowledge of the region. After resting, Rief points the group in the direction of Passaj, the town which Kraden believed to be the location of the passageway to Morgal.

Activating the cloud passageway
Upon reaching the city, Rief leads the group to a platform located above Passaj, and explains the legend around the area. Kraden believed that the ancestors of Adepts, the Jenei were able to use their powers to travel between Passaj and Craggy Peak, a tall mountain in the Khiren range. According to Rief, the key is the city's dormant Alchemy Forge. When Kraden and Rief visited before, they could not start the machine because they didn't have the proper Psynergy, Rief and Nowell both being Mercury Adepts. However, since the group now covers all four elements, they are able to restart the Forge using Tyrell's Mars-based Psynergy. Unfortunately, the machine cannot be used without the Sol Mask, which is hidden in the Ouroboros, a labyrinth underneath Kaocho.

The Adepts travel to Kaocho, but find that they cannot properly enter the labyrinth yet. Thus, they travel to Ayuthay, home of the descendants of the people who built the labyrinth. Guided by Amiti, the prince of Ayuthay, Rief and the others are able to find the Insight Glass, which will allow the Adepts to enter the labyrinth. When the Insight Glass chooses Amiti as its wielder, Amiti joins the party as a second Mercury Adept, which Rief cites as a sign of good things to come.

The group manages to sneak int Kaocho, obtain the Sol Mask, and install it in Passaj. However, the clouds made are too insubstantial to be of use, so Rief and the others travel back to Harapa to find the Ice Queen Stone, which will reverse the Alchemy Forge to make substantial clouds. After finding the stone, the Adepts use it to create the cloud passageway, passing into the Khiren Highlands, which lead to Morgal.

Discoveries
Rief is present during the group's travels in Morgal, where they attempt to meet with Kraden. In the process, they are eventually manipulated by Blados and Chalis into activating Belinsk's Luna Tower, which starts the Grave Eclipse, causing monsters to roam throughout the region. However, the Adepts are able reunite with Kraden, and escape onto the open sea.

At their first stop, Harun Village, Rief and the group encounter a fisherman and his son, who had been fishing when the eclipse hit. The pair are trapped in Harun Channel, as the fisherman injured his leg during their escape. However, Rief uses his Mercury Psynergy, and is able to successfully repair the injury. However, this leads to the interesting discovery that the boy, Kaba, can see the use of Psynergy, as he is able to see Rief's Psynergy enter his father.

While traveling to stop the Eclipse, Rief realizes in Tonfon that his sister was no longer with Kraden, and regrets not noticing sooner. After asking Kraden, he learns that Nowell fell in love with Piers, who ferried Kraden and Nowell to Belinsk, and chose to remain on Piers's ship. Rief notes that she will have a fine tutor, as Piers is a powerful Mercury Adept, and is happy that she was not caught up in the events of the eclipse.

Rief and the group later come to the Apollo Lens, said to be the only weapon that can halt the eclipse. There, they are confronted by Arcanus, who admits to being familiar with the Adepts and their famous parents. When the group learns of Arcanus's true identity as Alex, Rief becomes outraged, but is interrupted by the arrival of the Tuaparang, who overhear the conversation. Rief quickly corrects Blados and Chalis's assumption that Alex was a Warrior of Vale. He points out that Alex betrayed his mother, and claims that Alex will betray the Tuaparang as well.

In the epilogue, Rief stays to see Matthew, Tyrell, and Karis home. When Rief asks Kraden about their destination, Kraden tells Rief that he may direct their travels from now on.

Trivia

 * Rief's French name, Robin, is the same as Isaac's name in the Japanese version.
 * Rief is the first male Adept who has Psynergy in his base class that can heal the entire party.
 * Rief is also the first male adept to lack the ability to equip bladed weapons.
 * He is also the only mage-style Adept that can equip Maces in Dark Dawn.
 * Rief is the only child of a playable character from the original Golden Sun to have a sibling.
 * Rief is also the only party member from the first half of the group to have an unidentified father. Tyrell and Karis have unidentified mothers.
 * The hair colour of Rief's sprite is the same shade as Alex's while Nowell and Amiti have the same hair colour as sprites.
 * There is a striking resemblance between Amiti and Rief, not only in the color of their hair and eyes, but their hair style as well. A small lock of hair on top of both of their heads stand up in a very similar way. Both Mia and Alex have similar hair styles, further implying a somewhat close genetic relation. Whether this was intentional or not is unknown.
 * Rief is the first and only male playable character to possess a default luck of 5 points.
 * Before Rief's official reveal as part of the game, one particular screenshot released on the day of the E3 2010 trailer and floor demo indicated the existence of a party member named "Crown," his Japanese name. Then he was first shown in playable form in a trailer released on the Japanese Wii Trailer Channel on August 18th, 2010. His North American name was revealed on an Amazon.com product page.
 * Rief's gender was not clear to fans even after later trailers were posted because, in addition to an androgynous appearance and masculine name, Rief's Golden Sun-style "squeak-voice" in cut scenes is a high-pitched one normally reserved for female characters and NPCs, including Dark Dawn's own Chalis. Nonetheless, a similar voice was used for certain young boy NPCs, such as Justin.
 * Coincidentally, Rief joins Matthew's party at the same level as Mia did Isaac's party. In addition, they each joined with one Mercury Djinn (Sleet/Fizz respectively), and carried an Herb, Antidote, and Elixir. The main difference is that Rief joins with weaker equipment than Mia did.
 * Rief is the only playable character, in all games, that wears glasses.

Name origins
Rief is a German surname, but in this case is most likely to be a pun on the word Reef.

Quotes

 * In Konpa Cave:
 * Kraden: "Now, what ARE you doing up there, Rief?"
 * Rief: "Nowell made me scout out the route to the north tunnel. I know better than to disagree with her!"


 * Rief: (To Blados) "You again?! Stop this nonsense! Why are you tormenting us?"


 * Rief: (To Matthew's group) "So, may I take it that you're all right with me traveling with you? I would suggest that we head to that town!"


 * At Harapa:
 * Karis: "Well, if this is the City of Ruins, there must be something old around here somewhere..."
 * Rief: "I...guess so."
 * Matthew: "???"
 * Tyrell: "You don't sound like such a know-it-all, all of a sudden."


 * Rief: "Kraden has taught us that it's crucial to never misuse our powers. Psynergy is a gift. But if you were the sort of people who abuse that gift... Well, I hate to say it, but we'd have to part ways."
 * Karis: "You don't need to worry about that, Rief. We've got discipline...mostly. It's natural to want to show off Psynergy. But controlling Psynergy means controlling our minds. We've got to maintain discipline."
 * Tyrell: "Yeah, and by 'we,' you mean me, right?! But I'm NOT weak, Karis!"
 * Rief: "You, weak? Of course not! Any son of the Warriors of Vale can surely become a true master!"


 * In Kaocho Palace:
 * Rief: (To one of the Tuaparang soldiers) "Get away from us, villain!"


 * In Ayuthay:
 * Rief: (About Amiti's mother and mysterious father) "A secret romance! It sounds like something from a fairy tale!"


 * Rief: "A member of the royal family, joining our party? That is quite a surprising development."


 * Rief: "But it's rather fun, isn't it? Having new members? Good things keep coming to us!"


 * At Passaj (second visit):
 * Rief: "Princes, queens, gemstones... What a royal mystery!"


 * At Harapa Ruins:
 * Rief: "This stone is... Eeeeep!"
 * Tyrell: "Eep?! This stone is eep? What kind of talk is that for a brainy kid like you, Rief?"


 * In Teppe Ruins:
 * Tyrell: (In response to Sveta admitting she followed them through the ruins) "I knew it! She's a... a spy or something!"
 * Rief: "Yes, Tyrell. This is where she just volunteers that she's a spy."


 * Rief: "That Sveta cuts an intriguing figure, eh?"


 * Rief: "It will be good to see Kraden again."
 * Tyrell: "Yeah, IF the geezer actually made it there."
 * Karis: "Tyrell, there's no need to be rude!"
 * Rief: "Ahem. If Kraden said he will meet us, he WILL find a way to meet us."
 * Sveta: "Where was this geezer person coming from to reach Belinsk?"
 * Rief: "What, you too, Sveta?"


 * Rief: "It IS an exciting opportunity to learn, isn't it? I'm practically tingling with anticipation!"


 * In Phantasmal Bog:
 * Rief: "Where did this insane maze and its horrible lizard-monster come from?!"


 * Rief: "I hate lizards..."


 * In Kolima Forest:
 * Rief: "Astonishing... To meet a holy tree in the...flesh?"


 * Rief: "Shall we sally forth, then?"


 * At Kolima Junction:
 * Rief: (To Ryu Kou and Hou Zan) "Not exactly an equal partnership: you two and a glove with the five of us and our Psynergy."


 * At Talon Peak:
 * Ryu Kou: "If I were to smash this orb, the release of energy would be the end of us all."
 * Rief: "You wouldn't dare. If you did, your sister's life would be forfeit."


 * Ryu Kou: "I hope none of you takes this personally. It really is just about saving my sister, you know."
 * Rief: "I'm going to make you regret this."


 * In Belinsk Ruins:
 * Rief: "It would appear we're at the cusp of reaching the tower's core."


 * Rief: "Don't do it, Ryu Kou. We made a promise to Laurel. We can't break our word and activate this machine."
 * Ryu Kou: "Correction: YOU made a promise to Laurel. I didn't promise anything to anyone."
 * Rief: "But we have to take her warning seriously. And doesn't this place feel...different than the other ruins?" (If Matthew responds with cheer) "We can't just rush into this. Think about the defenses and Laurel's warning. Danger is afoot."


 * Rief: (To the Tuaparang commanders, after they express that they considered helping Matthew's party down to the Alchemy Dynamo) "I wouldn't trust you to lace my shoes."


 * Karis: "If Arcanus needed to hurry out of here, we should be escaping too."
 * Rief: "Agreed. If the all-powerful Arcanus is worried, we should get out of here posthaste."


 * In Belinsk:
 * Rief: "Leave it to Kraden to develop an explanation while running from hordes of monsters..."


 * Rief: (Upon seeing Briggs' death) "If we hadn't kept him waiting... If we'd gotten here sooner, he might have lived to grow old."


 * Tyrell: (Sometime after Briggs' death) "Brrr! It just keeps getting colder! How is it this cold in the summer? I can't wait to get back in the cabin."
 * Rief: "Quit complaining. It's disrespectful."


 * In Yamata:
 * Rief: (After Kraden compares Tyrell to his carrier pigeon) "With all due respect, sir, we have more important things to do than listen to you bait Tyrell."


 * In Tonfon:
 * Rief: "Sorry to bother you, Kraden, but something has been troubling me."
 * Kraden: "Oh? What is that?"
 * Rief: "Why didn't Nowell come with you to Belinsk?"
 * Kraden: "I was wondering when you'd get around to asking me that."
 * Rief: "With everything that's happened, and all the peril and whatnot..."
 * Kraden: "Of course. She slipped your mind."
 * Rief: "I am ashamed though. She IS my sister..."
 * Kraden: "Well, I suspect she's a touch distracted herself...but by love rather than peril."
 * Rief: "Nowell is in love?! With whom?"
 * Kraden: "Captain Piers."


 * Rief: "Piers is a powerful Adept, so she'll have a fine tutor...but... they just sailed off together?"
 * Kraden: "Piers is one of the most capable sailors in the world. I'm sure no harm will befall her."
 * Rief: "I had no idea... But I'm glad she didn't get tangled up in all this. She was always the lucky one."
 * Kraden: "Hmm... I wonder if you won't eventually think the opposite..."
 * Rief: "Why? Where are they sailing to?"


 * At Iceberg Outpost:
 * Rief: "While the Umbra Gear is certainly important, shouldn't we get our guests back to Sana first?"
 * Kraden: "Ever the gentleman, Rief! Yes, let's get them back to Tonfon immediately."


 * At Tonfon (second visit):
 * Rief: (Based on Kraden's unwillingness for the time being to tell the adepts who Arcanus probably really is) "Ah... If he is kin to one of us, it might prove painful to one or all if we have to fight him..."


 * At the Apollo Lens:
 * Kraden: (Steps forward to address Arcanus) "Hello, Alex."
 * Rief: "Alex?! The Mercury Clan's traitor? My mother's betrayer? THAT Alex?!"


 * Blados: (To Alex) "You traveled with the old man? Does that make you one of the "Warriors of Vale"?"
 * Rief: "No! Alex was NOT one of the Warriors of Vale. He was a power-mongering schemer. He'll probably betray you lot as well. I don't think he's ever honored a vow or promise."


 * Rief: (To Sveta, who has decided to put herself on the line to activate the Apollo Lens) "I wish I could go in your place. I don't like making you take the risk-it feels ungentlemanly."


 * Rief: (Thinking) "If this is beyond Matthew, it's certainly beyond me. I've never felt so hopeless."

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn's encyclopedia entry for Rief:

This Water Adept has traveled the world with his teacher, Kraden, studying Alchemy and other traces of the ancient world. Rief is the son of Mia, a Water Adept who traveled with the Warriors of Vale.

In Fan Circles
Rief is usually paired with either Karis (Tiarashipping), Sveta (Blizzardshipping), or Himi (Seveneyeshipping).