Merchant (Harmony of Dissonance)

:This article is about the Harmony of Dissonance character. For other trading characters, see Merchants.
The is a mysterious shopkeeper who appears in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance.
He mentions that, being a wandering merchant, during one of his travels he suddenly got swallowed by a dense fog and somehow ended inside the castle. After spending some time looking for an exit –and not being able to find one– he decided to open business. He will sell Juste many armor types, as well as consumables and accessories, for varying prices. Unlike other merchants found in other games, he has a variety of shops scattered throughout the castle, selling different wares in each one, which in some cases can be unique. However, most of these shops require that certain conditions are met in order for him to appear.
==Shop locations==
The Merchant has a variety of shops located throughout the castle, which usually offer a determined stock of items that differ from each other. He isn't always at a given location, though. To ensure he is there, the player should make sure the required conditions for that particular shop are met when applicable.
:Note: Shops are listed in the order they are most likely encountered in a normal playthrough.
;Castle Treasury (Castle B)
:The first shop encountered is trapped behind a mass of rubble in the Castle Treasury of Castle B. Juste can remove it by knocking off the nearby Gate Guarder from the platform above, who will then roll down the hill and crash through the rubble, clearing the path. The Merchant will introduce himself to Juste and sell him some basic goods. The Castle Map 2 can be purchased here, which is the only map the Merchant will sell in the game. A small health boosting Potion is available for 80G, as well as status remedying potions, such as the Anti-venom and Uncurse Potion, which are each a mere 20G each. It is possible for Juste to have up to 99 of any of these consumable items, and they are available in any of the later shops. If the player prefers an INT over a DEF boost, the Casual Wear can be purchased here for 98G. The Rubber Armor is more expensive and will give the player a modest DEF boost of +6 for 250G. If the player has a lot of money, the Plate Coat will give double the DEF bonus (+12) for 800G. A Cloth Helmet is available for some modest head protection, while the Shin Guards give token protection for the player's legs.
;Luminous Cavern (Castle B)
:The Merchant is only found at the shop in the Luminous Cavern when Juste has an odd number Level (that is, the last digit of the player's current Level should end in either 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9). This shop is similar to the Castle Treasury B shop, except it also has a slightly better INT-boosting body armor (a T-Shirt, +5 INT and +3 DEF for 199G) and a better head protection item (a Sallet, +7 DEF, 340G).
;Clock Tower
:The shop in the Clock Tower has a variety of useful items in it, but it is only available if the player is lucky enough to have found the Noon Star, which is dropped by the Specter (which can also be found in the Clock Tower or dropped by the Simon Wraiths in The Wailing Way and Shrine of the Apostates). It is the only shop that sells an item which replenishes MP until the player reaches Level 50 and are able to use the Castle Entrance shop (the Mana Prism for 250G). A better health recovery item, the High Potion, is also available for 200G. The exceptional Ramail Coat is first available in this shop, which gives a decent INT boost of +7 in addition to a high DEF boost of +29 for 1,005G. Pass up on the Cuirass Armor, though, since it is more expensive (1,200G) than the Ramail Armor and gives a smaller DEF boost (+22) with no other benefits. The defensive quality of headgear increases significantly with this shop, where the Greek Helm (+9 for 750G), Piros Helm (+11 for 1,050G) and Armet (+15 for 1,800G) are all available. DEF boosting goods are now available in this shop, including a Bangle (+3 for 550) and the rip off Velvet Cloak, which gives the same +3 DEF boost for a whopping 1,350G (it'd be better just to equip two Bangles).
;Castle Top Floor (Castle B)
:The Top Floor shop requires an even number of Hearts to be open (that is, the last digit of the current Hearts amount should end in either 2, 4, 6, 8 or 0). In case the player doesn't possess a Noon Star, they have a chance to get some of the nicer items that were in the Clock Tower shop as they're are also available here, such as the Ramail Coat, Greek Helm, Piros Helm and Bangle. The exclusive item to this shop is the Nova Ring, which increases the speed of the player's Cross subweapon for 8 Hearts instead of the normal 5.
;Castle Top Floor (Castle A)
:The Top Floor shop on the other side of the castle also requires an even number of Hearts to be open (that is, the last digit of the current Hearts amount should end in either 2, 4, 6, 8 or 0). It also has an exclusive subweapon altering item, the Aurora Ring, which increases the width and power of the Sacred Fist subweapon for 10 Hearts instead of the normal 5. The High Potion from the Clock Tower shop is also available here and will be in all the later shops. The stronger body armor Heavy Armor (+48 DEF for 2000G), headgear Morion (+19 DEF for 3,000G) and leg protector Greaves (+12 DEF for 1,700G) are first available in this shop, in addition to the first available arm guard Bloody Glove (+25 DEF for 2,100G).
;Castle Treasury (Castle A)
:The shop in the other Treasury is not blocked by anything like the one in Castle B was. A better headgear item, the Cabacete (+23 DEF for 3,800G), and better leg guards, the Silver Boots (+20 for 2,800G), are first available here. A Magic Necklace is also exclusively available here for a modest INT boost of +5 for 5,000G.
;Luminous Cavern (Castle A)
:The second Luminous Cavern shop is also found only when Juste has an odd number Level (that is, the last digit of the player's current Level should end in either 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9). It contains the most expensive item and strongest armor in the game, the Ceramic Mail, for 15,000G for a +90 DEF boost. It also has the Pot Helm, which is only slightly better than the Cabacete at 4,400G for +24 DEF. The rest of the items are available in earlier accessible shops.
;Entrance
:The shops at the Entrance are only available if the player is at Level 50 or greater. They are the most accessible shops, being placed next to a Save Room, Warp Zone, and portal. Here, the player can find all of the consumable items, as well as many strong ones not found elsewhere, including an Elixir which replenishes all the player's life (800G), Big Mana Prism which replenishes a lot of MP (250) and the Medicine Jar from the original Castlevania, which makes the player invisible (and invincible) to enemies for a short period of time (10,000G). The strongest headgear (Platinum Crown, +30 DEF, 9,999G) and the strongest leggings (Platinum Shoes, +25 DEF, 5,000G) in the game can only be found in this shop. The Red Silk Hat is perhaps even better than the Platinum Crown in that it gives an INT boost of 5 in addition to its +25 DEF for 9,800G. The Infinite Boots allow Juste to jump as many times as he'd like in the air for 12,000G.
==Wares==
==Jewels==
Like with the Master Librarian from Symphony of the Night, jewels are the only items salable to the Merchant, which he will trade for Gold. The jewels are worth the following:
==Quotes==
*When pointing to the "Buy" menu option, the merchant says: "Please purchase something from me. You do have money, don't you?"
*When pointing to the "Sell" menu option, the merchant says: "If you show me something of value, I may trade a bit of coin for it."
*When pointing to the "Exit" menu option, the merchant says: "So, you are done with your business with me?"
*If the player exits the Merchant's menu screen and then returns to talk to him, he says: "Oh? Did you forget something?"
*Every time the player first enters the Merchant's room (after the first time), he will say: "So we meet again. I'm glad to see you're all right. What can I do for you?", and then the Merchant menu will appear.
==Gallery==
HoD Merchant Welcome.JPG|Merchant from Harmony of Dissonance.
Merchant.gif|In-game sprite
==Trivia==
*His fate after the destruction of the castle is unknown.
*He is the only merchant in the Castlevania series who appears in more than one place, rather than having a stationary shop the player needs to go every time.
*He is the only merchant in the entire series without a name, simply going by "Merchant".
*The last digit numbers of Hearts and Level the player needs, as well as the Noon Star conditions to unlock the shops, are graphically hinted in the background of each shop room, on the lower right. The only exception is the "Level 50 or greater" condition, which is instead hinted as a series of question marks.
==See also==
*Master Librarian
es:Comerciante
Category:Humans
Category:Male Characters
Category:Merchants
Category:NPC
Category:Supporting Cast
Category:Harmony of Dissonance Characters