Prince Faris
| Prince Faris | |
| Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age | |
| Japanese name | ファーリス |
| Romaji | Fārisu |
| Race | Human |
| Voice actor | Nobunaga Shimazaki (Japanese) Sacha Dhawan (English) |
Faris is the Prince of Gallopolis in Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, another in the series' long tradition of cowardly, useless or obnoxious princes.
Appearances[edit]
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age[edit]
Faris is a young and good-looking teenage prince, well liked by his subjects and with many female fans in particular. He has a spotless reputation as a swordsman and a horseman, but in truth he has no skill whatsoever in either discipline. Crushed by his parents' expectations, Faris has only been pretending to train, using various tricks and excuses to avoid revealing his actual ability to anyone. When the party first visits Gallopolis, it is the day before the Sand National, the annual horse-racing tournament in which the princes of the kingdom are expected to participate on their sixteenth birthdays. Faris is expected to excel at the event; even Faiz, the winner of the previous year's Sand National, expects Faris to be a formidable opponent.
The party encounters Faris while attempting to borrow the Rainbough from his father, the Sultan of Gallopolis. Just as the Sultan is dismissing the group, Faris enters the room to announce that he has completed his training for the next day's Sand National. After an unconvincing recital of the Knight's Pledge, the prince spots the Hero and summons him to his chambers, promising his assistance in procuring the Rainbough. After looking the hero over again in private, Faris promises the fabled branch in exchange for a favor, but moves the discussion to Sylvando's circus so the noise of the crowd can provide some privacy.
As Sylvando performs, Faris outlines his plan: the Hero, who nearly matches the prince's height and build, will race in the Sand National in his stead. Since the prince is traditionally dressed in full armour including a helmet, the Hero will be able to assume his identity perfectly. Veronica balks at this idea, but Faris refuses to assist with the Rainbough unless the Hero assists him with his deception. After a night at the inn, the Hero reports to the stable and assumes Faris's identity, then participates in the race on his behalf. Whether he takes first place or not, Faris is pleased with the Hero's performance and trades places with him to receive his people's adulation. However, when he returns, Sylvando barges into the room to congratulate the prince personally, catches him and the Hero wearing identical armour, and immediately understands the deception. More amused than outraged, the jester congratulates the Hero instead.
True to his word, Faris does try to ask the Sultan to give the Rainbough to the party, but the audience is interrupted by a soldier's announcement that the notorious Slayer of the Sands has once again returned. The Sultan is incensed that the creature is spoiling the occasion, and demands that knights be dispatched to destroy it once and for all - but remembering his son's reputation as a warrior, he decides that Faris should be sent to do the deed. Faris tries to refuse the quest, but the Sultan mistakes his obvious terror for humility. The prince once again asks the party to join him in his chambers, where he confesses the true depths of his uselessness and begs for their assistance in slaying the Slayer. Since the party never actually received the Rainbough, he holds the promise of the branch to coerce them into joining him.
As the party and Faris's despondent bodyguard unit depart Gallopolis, Sylvando makes a grand entrance and joins them out of concern for the "halfwit prince"'s life. The group make their way to the Celestial Sands, where the Slayer's lair is said to be. Sure enough, the monstrous scorpion turns up, and the prince and his guards prove too frightened to fight it. The party and Sylvando are able to chain up the beast, however, and Faris leads his entourage back to town with the creature lashed to a cart. Sylvando warns Faris that the crushing expectations he suffers under will only get worse the longer he lies, but the prince angrily brushes him off.
The convoy reaches Gallopolis and Faris begins to make a celebratory speech at his father's prompting, but the Slayer awakens and breaks free of its chains in front of the crowd. Faris's people cheer on their beloved prince, but he finds himself frozen in fear and unable to act. Sylvando recites the Knight's Pledge from a high perch, which brings the boy to his senses; Faris attacks the Slayer relentlessly, even after his sword breaks in half. Satisfied, Sylvando leaps down and delivers the final blow.
Finally exposed as a fraud, but having performed an act of real courage in front of his people, Faris confesses everything to his parents, even the Hero's involvement in the Sand National scheme. The Sultan takes the revelation surprisingly well, and promises that Faris will undergo real training as a knight under Sir Hendrik. All's well that ends well for everyone involved but the party, who are disappointed by the news that the Sultan sold the Rainbough in order to pay for the Sand National festivities. The Sultan does at least allow the party to pass through the checkpoint that leads to Gondolia, and Faris gives the Hero the Crackshot Crossbow.
In Act 2, since the fall of Yggdrasil, the red star known as Erdwin's Lantern has begun to fall from the sky. It seems poised to touch down near Gallopolis, causing major alarm among Gallopolitans. Faris, having discovered that the barrier around the star is engraved with runes, has taken it upon himself to investigate the phenomenon and has traveled to the Celestial Sands with an entourage of soldiers and one of the country's greatest scholars. The party encounters the prince on his way to the Celestial Sands, admonishing the scholar for being afraid to go nearer to the expected impact site. Rab volunteers to take over the scholar's duties, pleasing Faris greatly.
When the party reaches the ruins at the center of the Sands, Faris becomes entranced by the Lantern's light. As the star draws closer, Rab manages to read the word "Calasmos" on its barrier, but he has no idea what it means. Just as it seems like the Lantern will collide with the earth, Mordegon flies in and slashes it with the Sword of Shadows, obliterating the star in a single strike. Unruffled by this odd sequence of events, Faris is elated that the star was destroyed and praises the mysterious black figure as the savior of Gallopolis. As the party ponders the nature of the Lantern and the meaning of "Calasmos", Faris dances merrily back to his kingdom to report the miracle.
In the third act, while Faris is not involved in any major story events, he does offer the player the Perfectly Pepped Paladins sidequest. With the threat of malicious monsters putting strain on the knights of Gallopolis, the prince seeks a branch of pep pips in order to help them concentrate in battle.
Etymology[edit]
Faris (فارس) means "knight" in Arabic.
See also[edit]