—Merlinus in a support conversation with Vaida in Rekka no Ken.
Merlinus (マリナス, Marinasu?) is a playable character that appears frequently in Fire Emblem: Binding Blade and Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken. He resides in either a tent, carriage, or wagon, with only the latter two being able to move. He must be protected, as he has no means of fighting. As a merchant, Merlinus holds the player's armory optionally during each battle. He is one of the few non-main characters that cannot die along with others such as: Marcus, Nils, Ninian, Oswin, Karel, Karla, Rath, Pent, Louise, Bartre, Nino and Athos, however, unlike the others who do not die, Merlinus will return to help in the next level if he dies. In both games, he manages the player's Supply Convoy.
Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken
As he levels up each chapter he is kept alive, he can eventually upgrade to a moving unit. He cannot fight, consequently, so his tent or vehicle must be protected.
He first appears in Chapter 13 in a village that the player must visit in order to unlock Chapter 13 Gaiden, in which he must be protected to have him join the party in the next chapter. If this Gaiden chapter is not unlocked and cleared, he will join automatically a few chapters later.
As a person, Merlinus is rather shy, cowardly and quirky, but also very kind and ultimately loyal, as revealed by his telling support conversations.
Fire Emblem: Binding Blade
Merlinus also appears in Binding Blade, but with a greater age and an altered appearance. He is now the personal advisor of Roy, instead of a frail merchant. He isn't as timid and fearful as he is in Rekka no Ken; instead, he's very outspoken in his opinions, distrusts many people and behaves a bit harsh, fearing that people might be trying to use Roy's plea for their own purposes.
The only way for this unit the level up is to survive 100 hits, since he is a non-combat unit.
In Game
Fire Emblem: Binding Blade
Base Stats
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Transporter
|
 Dark
| ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str/Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Move |
| 1 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 5 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||
Growth Rates
| HP | S/M | Skl | Spd | Luk | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | 0% | 50% | 50% | 100% | 20% | 5% |
Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken
Description: A traveling merchant. Timid and easily frightened.
Base Stats
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Transporter
|
Dark
| ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str/Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Move |
| 5 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 5* |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| -- | -- | ||||||||
* Wagon only. Tent has no movement.
Growth Rates
| HP | S/M | Skl | Spd | Luk | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120% | 0% | 90% | 90% | 100% | 30% | 15% |
Supports
- See also: Merlinus/Supports
Use In Battle
Rekka no Ken
In battle, the player's forces can Merch when they're standing next to Merlinus, so they can withdraw and deposit their belongings. When a unit's inventory is full (maximum of 5 items), the player can send an item to Merlinus in the case that he/she should obtain an item from someone or something. The maximum amount of items allowed in storage is 100.
If Merlinus is not deployed in battle, or if he is defeated during the chapter, units with extra items will have to drop one instead of being able to send one to Merlinus, and units cannot Merch from him. However, if his HP reaches zero in one chapter Merching and transferring items will be available in the next chapter, making him a unique unit in that he can be used again even after his HP decreases to 0. The maximum number of level ups he can get is 25, so he can't get to level 20 as a wagon.
Binding Blade
Merlinus appears as a carriage, his promoted form from Rekka no Ken, in this game. Unlike the next installment, Merlinus is a unit that takes up a unit space and he is not needed in order to transfer items to storage, unlike in the previous game. In order to level up, Merlinus needs to survive 100 hits from an enemy unit.
Quote
Death Quote
—Merlinus' death quote in Binding Blade.
Possible Endings
Rekka no Ken
Merlinus - Cheery Merchant
Merlinus opened a shop in Ostia, but it was forced to close. He plans on re-opening with some aid from Lord Eliwood himself.
Marcus and Merlinus
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.
Etymology
Merlinus is another name for Myrddin Wyllt, a prophet from Welsh legend who is considered the most important prototype for the modern composite image of Merlin. He shares this etymology with Elphin's true name.
Trivia
- According to a Japanese gaming news website, Merlinus landed 50th place out of 80 in the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Binding Blade.
- His official art for Rekka no Ken shows him with a sword at his belt despite being a non-combatant in the game.
Gallery
