Knoll

"In this darkness, I will find peace."

- Knoll's death quote

Knoll（ノール Nōru）is one of Grado's royal mages, who aided Lyon in his research into the Dark Stone. After this, he objected openly to Lyon's goals and was marked for execution, but Ephraim's group saves him after killing Vigarde, so Knoll joins the army and provides them with information about Lyon's fall to darkness.

Personality
Knoll is kindhearted and very intellectual, but is secretive and rather elusive because of the troubling knowledge he holds. He rarely talks and keeps to himself mostly, possibly being secure or private-minded. In his support conversation with Lute, she attacks him, as she believes that he threatens her "natural superiority," and that since he uses Dark Magic, he is the enemy of light. In addition, in his supports with Natasha, he points out the differences in Dark Magic and Light Magic, dark being based in knowledge and light being based in faith.

He also seems to know most of the characters from Grado, such as Duessel and Natasha. Despite his aloof and taciturn personality, he is very passionate toward his country, and in his A support with Natasha, he promises her that he will join her in rebuilding Grado.

Initial Stats
|Shaman |Dark |10 |21 |12 |9 |8 |0 |2 |10 |7 |5 |Dark - C |Flux Nosferatu Vulnerary

Promotion Gain
Shaman to Druid
 * HP +4
 * Spd +3
 * Def +2
 * Res +2


 * Staff Rank E
 * Anima Rank D

Shaman to Summoner
 * HP +3
 * Skill +1
 * Spd +3
 * Def +1
 * Res +3


 * Staff Rank E
 * Can Summon Phantom Fighters (Fighter Strength goes up as Knoll levels up but they will always have 0 def, 0 res and 1 hp)

Growth Rates
|70% |50% |40% |35% |20% |10% |45%

Overall
Knoll is known for being the magical version of a "glass cannon": a great magical wall, but having extremely low durability against armies of physical units. His growth rates aren't very good in terms of Defense or Luck, but are adequate in Resistance, and fairly good in HP and Magic. Knoll is most useful against magical units, who are few and far between.

- If you go with a Druid, he will attack once or twice against monsters, and he'll be not that bad when dealing with other enemies. There is also the big advantage of him being able to use both Anima and Dark Magic.

- If you go with Summoner, Summon a Phantom for protection and stay in the back lines for healing (in which he should be pretty good, his high Magic bypassing his E Staff Rank) or attacking from two squares, or use the Phantom as a distraction, which does come in handy since monsters will be likely to attack the Phantom instead of Knoll. When compared to Ewan, also, Knoll has more powerful summoned phantoms, and while they won't stand a hit they'll be able to deal damage to the monsters attacking them.

It's highly reccomended to train up a promoted Knoll in the use of staves, no matter what class you promote him into. Due to his high Magic, he'll be able to replenish a large quantity of HP to whoever he's healing even with a mere Heal, and once he reaches level B and can use Physic, he'll be able to cover a large area.

Endings
Knoll returns to Grado, where he dedicates himself to rebuilding it and fulfilling Lyon's vision. When the country is restored to its former glory, he disappears without a trace, never to be seen again.
 * Knoll, Watcher of Darkness (闇からの予見 Yami kara no yoken)

Other Supports

 * Lute
 * Duessel
 * Natasha

Etymology
'Knoll' is a possible romanization of the name 'Noel' (coincidentally an anagram of Leon, how Lyon was initially translated). A 'knoll' is a small hill. To "knoll" is to ring someone's "knell", a bell played to acknowledge death. Also, the word 'knolle' in German is an insult for a clumsy person, meaning 'clod.'