Count Nouvellune
Count Nouvellune is a mysterious supporting character that appears in Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2.
Biography
A mysterious man in a well dressed plague doctor uniform who takes on the appearance of Count Nouvellune from The Adventures of Sucre, little is known about the identity of this individual.
He appears to be a human, with the exposed portion of his face from under his mask showing no fur, a human ear with several earrings, and a thin white mustache. Whether or not he is a human survivor of the Old World, a Hybrid, or something else is currently unknown (as of Fuga 2's true ending, he confirms that he is aware of the Old World and behaves as though he was once part of it).
It is heavily implied via the Count's own occasional slip of tongue (which he has a very poor habit of controlling) that his true identity is Lunet, the mysterious, never publicly seen author of The Adventures of Sucre. This is also very apparent when Malt is given the option to confront him about his true identity through multiple interactions with him, and how he notices that Count Nouvellune coincidentally happens to always have the latest issue of the Sucre comics on hand to gift out to children.
Despite his secretive appearance, his only motivation is to seemingly make children happy with his works, always handing his comics out for free to children without charging for them (even as money returns as a trading medium to Gasco in the second game).
History
Fuga: Melodies of Steel 2
A man dressed as a plague doctor appears at the first port of the game just as Malt Marzipan is getting ready to load the Tarascus onto an airship. Malt recognizes his attire as being similar to the appearance of Count Nouvellune from the famous The Adventures of Sucre comics, catching the man's attention. When Malt exchanges his name with the stranger, the man only refers to himself as Count Nouvellune. The Count gifts Malt the first issue of a new series of The Adventures of Sucre and takes his leave.
The Count continues to cross paths with Malt throughout the game whenever he arrives at a new port and is about to travel via airship to a new region of Gasco. He always gifts a new issue of the latest chapter of the comic series to Malt, and will occasionally offer kind words of advice in order to raise Malt's spirits when he is depressed over Hanna Fondant's death.
He eventually meets Malt and Vanilla Muscat arguing with one another and misinterprets it to be a lover's spat. The Count learns Vanilla's name and continues to meet the two at several ports.
After the Belenos is fully completed and takes off to revive the Vanargand, it attacks the local port of Valinco, destroying all the the airships to stall Malt's party. Count Nouvellune, who was nearby handing out comics to children, takes action and safely leads an evacuation just before Malt arrives. He later remarks that these terrible weapons should have never have been created, hinting that he is aware of the sins of the Old World. Malt notices his similarities to "Maestro", with the Count intrigued that Malt might recognize him from somewhere (but never confirming if he is Maestro). He hands the young man the second to last issue of the comic and then takes his leave, hoping that Malt will be around long enough to see the final issue.
The Count's last appearance largely depends on which specific ending of the game is reached. The true ending sees him deliver a letter and the last issue of his comic to Malt, congratulating him on his journey. He commends Malt for doing thevright thing by giving up the Taranis, as it is a destructive power many would covet and wish to control for themselves. He ends the letter stating that the people of this new world are all worthy successors to the those of the oast, signing off as "A meddlesome old man".
Gallery
Trivia
- Count Nouvellune can be considered a foil to the "Maestro". His color palette is mainly white and gold with a soft indigo for his suit, and he has a more barrel-chested appearance. Maestro's suit is red and he has a more upright and slender body shape. Additionally, while Maestro restricts himself to the Deep Depths and is heavily cryptic in how he interacts with Malt, Count Nouvellune appears in the real world and frequently comes close to blurting out how he's actually Lunet, and interacts with Malt and Vanilla in a more friendly and down-to-earth manner.
- The Adventures of Sucre comics in the first and second game features advanced technology that does not exist in Gasco (such as rocket ships that can take you to the moon). This is pointed out in the first game by a few village children throughout Gasco, who question Lunet's knowledge of certain if he is from the future due to his knowledge of such advanced technology presented in the comic. They also make a point of the moon being a large theme.
This is not the only time the moon is mentioned in Fuga, as Jeanne had wondered if humans were able to inhabit the moon within her archives.
- Count Novuellune's name is a portmanteau of "Nouvelle" and "Lune", French for "short story" and "moon" respectively. He's a comic strip writer who puts elements of the moon in his work. It doubles as a pun on "nouvelle lune", which means "new moon".
- It is revealed in Fuga 2 through a slip of tongue that Count Nouvellune is basing the events of the -Fly to the Moon Arc- off of Malt's current adventures. This might explain why he continues to appear at each port across Gasco that Malt visits, as he is following Malt and the children.
- Because of this, Lunet's work may eventually foreshadow events that may take place in Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3.
