Elmoo
| Elmoo | |
| Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake | |
| |
| Japanese name | モーくん 黒いモーモン |
| Romaji | Mo-kun Kuroimomon |
| Race | Teeny sanguini |
| Voice actor | Clare Corbett Makoto Koichi |
Elmoo is a sanguini with an unusual black and pink fur pattern that befriends the Scions of Erdrick and the people of Burrowell. Formerly referred to simply as the black sanguini, he is christened Elmoo by the people of Burrowell after earning their trust.
Appearance and Personality[edit]
Elmoo is identical to his kind outside of his atypical colouration―where he differs is his temperament, being a kind little soul too timid to bring harm to humans unlike the vast majority of monsters. His cowardice is on full display when he pleads for his life when first meeting the Scions of Erdrick, but once sparred and given a second chance he begins to develop a back bone in the service of aiding his new friends. Elmoo is notably cheery to all he encounters after this, quickly making friends with every human he meets.
Elmoo speaks with a noticeable verbal tic where he stretches his "o" sounds into "oo". This peculiarity does not reflect his intelligence, however, as the Burrowell sentries note that his a remarkably quick learner after they taught him how to read in a very brief period.
Appearances[edit]
Dragon Quest II HD-2D Remake[edit]
Elmoo a member of the Children of Hargon and is first encountered when the Scions of Erdrick are in the middle of a heavy debate with the Town Guard Captain of Burrowell and its Chief, with the family taking different sides in the dispute. The debate is interrupted when a Burrowell scout announces that monsters have been seen on the surface of the underground town, being Elmoo and the succubeast.
The she-bat appears to be the sanguini's rank superior as it orders him to attack the group of humans when rush to confront them. The fuzzball hesitates and tries to talk his way out of it, but the succubeast will hear none of it and scolds him harshly―these contrasting attitudes unwittingly compliment the arguments that the Captain and Chief were making below, that some monsters can be reasoned with while others can only be met with steel. In any case the succubeast attacks the Scions after ridiculing the Prince of Cannock for trying to settle the encounter without violence, and her companion is left trembling when she is killed.
Left with no other recourse, the sanguini begs for his life and swears he has no desire to fight humans but the Princess of Moonbrooke accuses him of lying to save his skin while the Princess of Cannock presses him on whether is a member of the Children of Hargon. The sanguini admits that he does belong to the cult and servers Hargon, but states that he is the sorriest of the madman's servants as he cannot raise a claw against humans. The Princess of Moonbrooke refuses to believe the little monster, accusing him of being present at the siege of Moonbrooke and venomously asking if he pleaded for Hargon to spare the lives of the kingdom's people as he now pleads for his own; overwhelmed by emotion, the Princess sobs openly and leaves the sanguini dumbstruck. He admits that he did naught by stand by while his fellow beasts bragged of killing humans and, now being close to death himself, realizes the terror monsters ceaselessly inflict upon humanity.
He resigns himself to the Princess' wrath by stating he does not deserve to be spared when he did nothing to stop his fellow monsters in the past, but the Princess of Cannock attempts to reason with her cousin and leaps in front of the sanguini to shield him. The Prince points out that the four carry the blood of heroes in them, and questions his cousin whether it is heroic to strike down a foe who repents and begs for mercy. He further points out this is not in her nature but she feels obliged to do so for the slain people of Moonbrooke despite the pain it will bring her, and begs her to stay her hand. When the Princess asks if her subjects would despise her for not enacting revenge on a monster, the Prince counters by asking her what her father would say; the Princess falls to her knees and cries openly while her family comforts her, as the sanguini looks on silently.
The sanguini willingly enters the spacious jail in Burrowell while the Scions reconvene with the Captain and Chief, who both now realize the folly of their differing stances on how to defend their home. Should the player return to Burrowell before collecting the five sigils and speak to him, a cutscene will play explaining what the floating pom pom has been up to. He happily explains that he has been informing the people of Burrowell of the movement patterns of the Children of Hargon in the region and given them much greater security now that they are no longer scouting blind. He has been accepted by the people and given the name Elmoo to signify this; he is allowed to roam freely through the town and even play with children, with the cell becoming his home and the first one he has ever had. This news delights the Prince of Cannock and Elmoo states it is all thanks to them, dubbing the group his saviours, but this causes feelings of guilt to well up in the Princess of Moonbrooke.
When the Princess of Cannock asks Elmoo if he knows of a way for humans to penetrate the unassailable mountain chain that encircles the land of Rendarak where Hargon dwells, Elmoo sheepishly states that he has never thought of such a thing before and comically breaks the fourth wall by facing the player when saying such. Noticing the Princess of Moonbrooke is awfully silent, the Prince of Cannock asks what the matter is; the Princess explains that she was moments away from taking Elmoo's life not long before, and the contrast of him being chummy with the group is too much for her. Elmoo assures her that he harbours no grudge against her and has even come to understand her point of view: explaining that while he has only dwelt in Burrowell for a short time, if anything were to happen to it and the people he would be beyond devastated and cannot imagine the survivor's guilt the Princess endures after the fall of Moonbrooke. The conversation takes an awkward tone where the two attempt to be friendly with one another despite their checkered past, but Elmoo proposes that her serve as a confidant first so that he can earn her trust properly. To this end he departs his cell home to search for a means to find passage into Rendarak, asking for his new friends to speak with his "roommate" to find what troubles him first. This man is Roge Fastfinger of the town of Slewse, who sets the group off on availing the disaster that has afflicted his homeland.
Elmoo is next encountered when the Scions return to Burrowell after amassing all five sigils, where he will report that the entrance is a trans-mountain tunnel that can be accessed from a teleportal hidden in a shrine nestled among the crags. Upon flying in to see where this teleportal leads, Elmoo found the other side was blocked off and could not discern its location. Nevertheless this information is a tremendous boon for the young heroes and the Princess of Moonbrooke congratulates Elmoo on his successful mission. The group also reports that they have saved the people of Slewse, which turns the conversation to the where abouts of Hargon's henchman Pazuzu who was responsible for the chaos. Elmoo explains the awful ape dwells in the Volcanic Grotto in the open seas, revealing that he was once scheduled to be assigned to Pazuzu's command, and further says the moonshard will be necessary to approach the grotto. The Scions and Elmoo then part ways to locate the matching teleportal, but not before Elmoo remembers that gaining entry to the trans-mountain tunnel will require proof of one's unwavering faith in Hargon: the False Idol.
He believes this is in Pazuzu's possession and departs ahead of the Scions for the barren shrine but not before the Princess of Moonbrooke asks him to be careful, worrying that his association with humans will not go unnoticed by the monsters in league with Hargon. Elmoo merely scoffs and affirms he is ready to play his role and earn a place in their story before sheepishly realizing he's overstepped his bounds by saying so. The Prince of Cannock disagrees, plainly saying he is one of them now.
The final encounter with Elmoo is outside the Shrine South of Rendarak, where he waited for the arrival of the Scions by standing guard so that they would not be ambushed by Hargon's forces after teleporting in. During this time he made quick friends with the elderly Mage who lived on the second storey. Unfortunately the Princess of Moonbrooke's fears would come to pass: at some point during his stay Elmoo was discovered and attacked by an infanticore that was furious with his betrayal of the Children of Hargon, leading to a fight to the death. The sanguini proved far mightier than the beast expected and vanquished his foe, but began to succumb to his wounds and exhaustion just as the Scions arrive. The Princess of Moonbrooke casts a healing spell on Elmoo, with the Cannock siblings joining in as the Prince of Midenhall watches in bitter silence at being unable to help. The little one is simply too far gone for their magic to take affect, however, and should the player have held on to the remains of the Yggdrasil leaf it will only be able to ease his suffering.
Elmoo speaks of how he thought of them and the people of Burrowell during his battle and through found the strength to triumph. He states how he wishes he could spend more time with his friends and have been more useful, but the sobbing Princess of Moonbrooke interjects by saying that they are at fault for asking so much of him. Elmoo thanks her, but says he did this all of his own volition and asks her if she thought of him as a friend at the last. Hearing his answer, Elmoo wishes his friends good luck and passes with a smile on his face.
The four children take the time to make a simple grave for Elmoo, with the Princess of Cannock realizing why the Goddess Rubiss made them promise Her that they would all survive their quest: the loss of loved ones is too much to bear. Should the player speak to the elderly Mage in the shrine, he will lament that the good are taken from the world too young. During the game's ending sequence the sentries of Burrowell have discovered Elmoo's fate and kept it hidden from the people so as to not ruin their celebration of being able to return to the surface, with the Chief stating without shame that he will inform the folk only once his tears have ceased. During the game's true ending credits roll, a proper grave will has been built for Elmoo on the town's surface.
Trivia[edit]
- Elmoo is based on the friendly gremlin that appeared in the Shrine South of Rendarak in past versions of the game. This fellow was the second friendly monster in the entire series, after the Dragonlord's great-grandson, and informed the player that the water sigil could be found below Moonahan village.
- Monsters that are defeated in battle vanish in a red flash of light, but Elmoo disappears in a golden flash that further distinguishes him from his feral kin.