Argento Ferrucio

## Ijotrian Guildmaster

**Argento Ferrucio**, is a posthumous Rider that is alluded to in *Monster Hunter Stories Ultimate*. The younger brother and enabler of The Steel Baron, who made the Contaminated Wasteland what it is today, he plays a major role within the lore of the Ijotria region.

## Description

Argento Ferrucio was a lean man of above-average height with beige skin, short, blonde hair, blue-green eyes, and a face full of stubble; in addition, some photographs of him depict him with large scars across his body, which were caused by a Twistertamer Hyujikiki that attacked a small village in Ijotria long ago. As a Rider, he was known to don a white-hued set of Akura Jebia gear, and while he was proficient with all manner of Gunner weapons and Gunlances, his prized possession was an Akura Jebia Bow. Like all Wyverians, he has pointed ears, digitigrade feet, and four fingers.

## Personality

Unlike his older brother, Argento was a genuinely courteous and polite man who was driven by a sense of unity and was invested in the natural world and the hunters who maintain it alike, wanting to help the Ijotrian people protect their natural wonders from anyone who would exploit them for their own nefarious ends; he was also known to be very charismatic, charming others into joining his cause with his charm, hospitality, and honesty. Unfortunately, he also possessed flaws deep within that threatened to tear apart everything he worked for and were exploited by his older brother to bend him to his whim; these flaws included, but were not limited to, imposter syndrome brought on by the belief that everything he ever accomplished in his life could be attributed to someone else, paranoia that an outside influence would tear down everything he wanted to save and drove him to implement drastic measures to try and combat it, a belief in the sunk cost fallacy that caused him to go further down and make sacrifices that amounted to nothing, and undying loyalty to his family that resulted in him becoming an enabler for his older brother's schemes, giving him the means to carry out his nefarious goals out of simple nepotism allowing him to receive no further punishment beyond having to shut down the nightmarish superweapons project that caused untold damage to the Ijotria region; despite this, he carried immense guilt for going against his beliefs and allowing a guilty man to run free out of misplaced loyalties and killed himself because he believed it was the only way he could atone for his complicity.

## Background

Born into a middle-class family of tradesmen who fell into hard times, Argento Ferrucio and his older brother Aurelius sought to make it big within the world of Ijotria and make a name for themselves within the largest city of the continent, a prosperous land known as Zavitokim City that was notable for being the primary location of the Hunter's Guild in Ijotria. The two brothers were very curious about the world around them and wanted to learn more about it, doing extensive reading on the land of Ijotria and the continents outside of it, but took different career paths to accomplish this goal; while Argento, who was driven by a sense of unity and took strong interest in the environment, worked to become a Rider, being invested in the natural world and the hunters who maintain it alike and wanting to help the Ijotrian populace keep the land from being exploited by poachers and others who would undermine it for their own gain, Aurelius, who was much more self-serving and took a strong interest in technology, decided to go for a simpler path in life and signed up for work as a writer and blacksmith and sought to create his own big company within Ijotria and gain influence over the the continent through his work, believing that there was more potential in industrialization than unity with nature and teaching himself how to write proficiently; in addition, he had a great deal of admiration for the Ancient Civilization of old, seeing them as the peak of civilization and longing to create a world similar to the one from back when they were alive. Skilled with all manner of Gunner weapons and a proficient hunter, Argento proved his mettle by building up a solid team of Monsties consisting of an Akura Jebia, a Gemstone Dirudon, a Desert Lagiacrus, a Niradamaz, and a Zefalak and using them to take down a wide variety of dangerous monsters that menaced Zavitokim and many other parts of Ijotria, with his most harrowing fight at the time being a Twistertamer Hyujikiki that had slaughtered dozens and threatened to destroy a small village he was visiting, working in tandem to repel the Deviant and lead the villagers to safety despite knowing that they were sorely outmatched; despite suffering serious injuries that nearly killed him and left him with lifelong scars, the Deviant was repelled without a single casualty falling upon the village, and he vowed to finish the job once he recovered and was able to do so.

Viewed as a hero by the people of Zavitokim City and the village for his courage and determination, Argento became a celebrity overnight, with many wanting to meet the brave man who won the battle against the dreaded Deviant against all odds, and he proved to possess the natural charm and charisma that his older brother sorely lacked outside of this event, making fast friends with nearly everyone within the Ijotrian Hunter's Guild, with even the higher-ups considering him one of their own, inviting him to their most prestigious events and even commenting that he would surely be a viable candidate for the new Guildmaster in an upcoming election of he put in the effort to do so, with some wondering why he hadn't considered running in the election. Everything seemed to come so naturally for him that even he couldn't believe his own eyes, and noticing this, Aurelius hatched a plan: knowing that Argento was very popular with the residents of Zavitokim City, Aurelius decided that the best way to obtain the power he desired would be to encourage his little brother to become the new Guildmaster of Ijotria and use him as a puppet king of sorts, and to accomplish this, he needed to appeal to the emotional side of Argento to persuade him to become the Guildmaster. Aurelius, knowing that a political campaign like the kind he wished to prop up could be expensive and that he had no funding from outside parties, continued publishing books and crafting equipment to build up the funds needed to fund one, and slowly, but surely groomed his younger brother into becoming the next Guildmaster, repeatedly insisting that Ijotria and the rest of the world needed him to step up and take the helm in order to maintain the natural order and protect civilization from anything that would threaten it and that he was the only one who was capable of making it work, using his accomplishments as a Rider, his knowledge and expertise of the Guild's teachings, and the love the people of Zavitokim City and the Ijotrian Guild's leadership alike had for him as examples of why he should take the helm.

Argento continued to have doubts over his desire to lead the Guild and maintain his faith in the current leadership, stating that his acts of heroism didn't automatically qualify him as Guildmaster and that he just wasn't experienced enough to take charge, and also feeling that trying to take the helm from the people he befriended and thought highly of would reflect badly on him and make him come off as treacherous, so to try and give him the initiative needed to step forward and take part in the election, Aurelius told him that in order to do what's right for everyone, one would have to make necessary sacrifices and break their vows, and that they cannot rely on the current leadership to make that decision for them, accusing them of being too corrupt and inept to make the right choices; to prove his point, he pointed out that the Guild's research within the New World was similar to what they condemned poachers for, as hunters on the Guild's payroll would invade this foreign land and wantonly slaughter monsters that were of no threat to settlements or even beneficial to the health of the land for the simple sake of research, cited the Guild's refusal to inform the public of the presence of dangerous monsters like Elder Dragons as a key factor as to why monster attacks were so prevalent and destructive and implied that their inaction was simply a means of keeping the populace weak so they would always be dependent on the Guild instead of taking action for themselves like they should, and asked if he had ever seen what the Guild does with captured monsters, pondering just how exactly they were able to get the extra materials needed to reward hunters and keep them fresh and citing vivisection as the only likely option, and tearfully implored him to make things right, once again stating that he was the only one who had the potential to make things right, using his successful hunt of the Twistertamer Hyujikiki despite being blindsided and outmatched as an example of this. Finally beginning to doubt his faith in the Guild's leadership, Argento reluctantly agreed to campaign for a position as the new Guildmaster, leading to the second stage of Aurelius' grand plan.

With Argento convinced to run for the position of the new Guildmaster, Aurelius decided that it was now time to truly win the hearts of the people of Zavitokim City, deducing that a populist approach would be key to overthrowing the current leadership. Using Argento and the Ancient Civilization alike as his muse, he published a book about a dystopia that enriched itself by violently confiscating the hard-earned wealth and tools of successful Hunters, Riders, inventors, and researchers, created an economic depression, and forced its citizens into a welfare state under the guise of promoting harmony with nature and later crumbled to pieces after the most productive members of this nation rebelled and retreated to a distant land, rebuilding their economy and society from the ground up by pursuing their own self-interest and innovating instead of allowing "scroungers" and "parasites" to exploit them; in addition, the hero of this piece of propaganda was intentionally modeled after Argento so viewers would then correlate him with this character and think of him as their idol. Through extensive word of mouth and Aurelius' aggressive campaigning, this book became a smash hit in Ijotria, particularly within Zavitokim City, where it received a successful theatre production and created a small, but vocal cult of personality that revolved around the two brothers. While the story was greatly disliked by many, most notably intellectuals within the Guild, for its absurd, overly wordy, and hateful content, it was ultimately the key to getting Argento signed on as the Guildmaster, as it greatly reinforced the love the populace of Zavitokim City had for him to the point where he was revered by them, with anyone who saw him as anything less than an ideal candidate facing excessive pushback from Aurelius and fans alike. Unimpressed by what happened, but not wanting to risk inciting any riots, the Ijotrian Guild reluctantly signed Argento on as the Guildmaster.

Aurelius and Argento became a sensation among the populace of Zavitokim City and the rest of Ijotria in mere moments after the latter was signed on as the Guildmaster, being asked to go on tours around Ijotria to learn more about its history and layout, and through these tours, Argento was invested in everything and everyone he had seen and wanting to learn more about the continent and its people, and managed to befriend royalty from a distant part of the continent who owned mines that contained large quantities of uranium and plutonium and contemplated using them as a new source of energy; Aurelius, meanwhile, took a very strong liking to the mines, whose radioactive ore could be harnessed for himself and weaponize to destroy anyone who would oppose him or his brother after learning about the effects of radiation from the Research Commission, and the rock formations around the Olivine Archipelago, wanting to set up oil rigs that could be used to harness petroleum and natural gas so he could mass produce gas-heated and electric supplies that he could sell to the populace at an inflated price. However, because he lacked the necessary funds to set up the factories needed to extract and process these materials, even with his bestselling book, he made plans to marry into royalty like the kind Argento befriended and become an official member of the Guild so he could use the funds to form his company from scratch. To accomplish this, he played on Argento's emotions and sense of loyalty to his family, repeatedly imploring him to make him a Guild associate due to his hand in helping him get the position of Guildmaster and insisting that family should always stick together and pay their debts to each other. While Argento was reluctant at first due to his older brother's aggressive nature and open contempt for anyone he disliked, he eventually gave in and granted him the position of high-ranking Guild associate; with this new position, Aurelius would move on to the next step of his plan as his brother carried on with his duties as Guildmaster, eventually tracking down and finishing off the Twistertamer Hyujikiki that nearly killed him long ago, putting years of fear throughout the land to rest once and for all.

While Aurelius was cozying up to the royalty that Argento had befriended and gaining vast fortunes from them that he could use to build the business empire of his dreams, the young Guildmaster was stuck between a rock and a hard place, having to face both the highly stressful situation of having to deal with an economic depression that suddenly left most, if not all of Ijotria in financial straits and years of self-doubt that were bottled up giving way to a persistent, nagging feeling that something far greater than Twistertamer Hyujikiki was looming over the land and threatening to destroy it at any moment, with Argento himself being plagued with depression and anxiety from not being able to handle the pressure and demeaning himself as weak and a failure for not being the ideal man he thought everyone wanted him to be, and his attempts to numb these feelings, such as taking to alcohol, only made them worse, as his thoughts and dreams were plagued with visions of a demon with a hole for a face which rode upon a golden dragon with a thousand eyes. Knowing that he was looking for a quick solution because he feared that none of the plans he could come up with would provide results fast enough to make a difference, no matter how concise and effective they would be in the long run, his fellow Guild members convinced him to do direct business with Aurelius's superweapons project, noting just how successful the factories were despite the economic hardships everyone was facing, and feeling like he had nothing to lose at this point, Argento paid top dollar for the superweapons produced and granted permission for the factories to expand, seeing them as the perfect choice to alleviate his stress regarding the "looming threat", as sheer might that would intimidate any foe would provide the Guild with the power and the profit needed to get anything and everything done; in addition, despite knowing that this short-term solution could lead to trouble and would violate his morals, Argento, harkening back to the days where he took up the job as Guildmaster to do whatever it took to lead Ijotria to prosperity, determined that sacrifices were necessary for the greater good and that they could rebuild any collateral damage to the populace and environment alike with time, and chose to overlook Aurelius' misdeeds despite being disgusted with them deep down because he couldn't bring himself to turn against his brother and benefactor after all the things he did for him over the years. Unfortunately, his ideals were misplaced, and long-term consequences far beyond what he anticipated took place before his own eyes.

As a direct result of Aurelius' greed and egomania, the groundwater of the forest the factories were built within was contaminated, toxic, radioactive smog and acid rain were very abundant, and the soil was deprived of vital nutrients needed to keep the plant life alive, leading to the creation of the Contaminated Wasteland, and hundreds of people died or became permanently disfigured and sterilized as a result of his intentional negligence, with workers unintentionally getting their families sick as well when they returned home as well. These acts led to Aurelius and his factories becoming widely despised all throughout Ijotria, and many called for the Guild to take action against him and shut down the factories due to the egregious crimes committed there; unfortunately, their calls went unanswered, as Aurelius was a benefactor of the Guild and was granted diplomatic immunity by Argento as thanks for his work as a private contractor, something that filled the older brother with immense glee and resulted in him flaunting his inability to be punished, and he would openly taunt the workers and their families and supporters as well, proclaiming that they deserved all the hardship they faced because they were poor, and thus, had "inferior genes" or simply "didn't work hard enough" to try and provoke them. Enraged, citizens of Ijotria continued to campaign against Aurelius, and were soon met with the wrath of the Guild, whose Guild Knights were sent in to forcibly silence the protestors through violent and often deadly means. In addition, Aurelius, in direct response to the Research Commission being his most vocal detractors, openly declared that he would be bulldozing the entire Olivine Archipelago and Raidamachi with nuclear hellfire to make room for oil rigs and vacation spots, called the researchers "filthy, dribbling savages" for objecting to his idea, and bragged that, because they were both "uncivilized" and subservient to the Guild, which his younger brother controlled, he could do whatever he wanted to them without punishment, and Argento, loyal to his older brother, did nothing to dissuade him. These actions led to damages the Guild could never truly repair.

Knowing that their pleas to punish Aurelius for his crimes and shut down the factories were falling on deaf ears, the Research Commission cut off all ties with the Guild, calling them out for abandoning their ideals in favour of power and profits, and became an independent force that would uphold the ideals the Guild once promoted, depriving the organization of a much-needed branch, and vigilantes, angry that they couldn't directly target Aurelius for his crimes or Argento for his complicity, decided that they would instead kidnap Petra and her son Piers and hold them ransom as retribution, storming Zavitokim City and threatening to execute the two if the factories were allowed to continue functioning. Shocked by what had happened and coming back to his senses, Argento finally caved in to public pressure and directly ordered Aurelius to shut down every last one of his factories, telling him to think of the safety of his wife and son, but did not enact further punishment, leaving many within Ijotira disappointed and feeling further betrayed. Shortly after the closure, Aurelius mysteriously disappeared without an explanation, leaving the populace of Ijotria to wonder just what happened to him; some believed that he killed himself to avoid vigilante justice, while others believed that he simply went into hiding; in truth, he faked his death and fled to the Old World to avoid further punishment from anyone, leaving a forged suicide note to Argento that solemnly thanked him for being the best younger brother he could ever ask for and expressed beaming pride in him. Argento, finally free from his older brother's toxic influence and ashamed of himself for betraying the entire continent and allowing a guilty man to run free over simple nepotism, drowned himself in the Contaminated Wasteland's waters after leaving a note imploring the Ijotrian Guild to make changes to their leadership to ensure that such a scenario would never happen again, wishing to find atonement. At last, Aurelius had finally achieved his goal of making the Ijotrian people turn against the Guild, but his greed and egomania would never truly be satisfied, and he would once again try to enact deadly industrialization.

As the years went by following Argento's demise, the Hunter's Guild became a pariah to the vast majority of Ijotria, with many its citizens becoming distrustful of the organization as a whole and seeking full independence from them out of disdain for the crimes against nature and humanity they allowed to happen under their watch, with one of the few, if any places that maintained Guild authority being Zavitokim City, where the Ijotrian Guild was first founded; in addition, the decision to maintain the Guild's presence there along with the citizens choosing to remember Argento for his past heroism despite knowing that his enablement brought ruination to much of the continent also led to most seeing them as out-of-touch apologists. Despite working to repair their image within the continent to prove that they changed for the better, few within Ijotria were willing to give them a second chance, with the ones that did continuing to be wary of anyone within the organization and showing a clear preference for the Research Commission due to them holding onto the values the Guild abandoned during their time under Argento's leadership; the Guild taking efforts to prevent survivors of the factories and the superweapons project from leaving the Contaminated Wasteland, ostensibly to protect everyone else from exposure to ionizing radiation, was seen as proof that they never truly changed. The ramifications of the superweapons project additionally had effects worldwide, as the Guild outlets outside of Ijotria were believed to have known about it, but kept silent on it because they themselves were benefitting from the sales of the superweapons, and this combined with the Guild as a whole hiding important information from the public and even its individual sects cast further doubts on their level of competence and morality. Still, one can't deny that despite this level of depravity, bringing them back would probably be better for everyone than the newest alternatives that lied ahead...

## Abilities

Argento Ferrucio specialized in utilizing Paralysis, using it through his Akura Jebia Bow, and as a Gunner, he excels at ranged combat, evading attacks and keeping his distance while filling his targets with all manner of projectiles. His known Monsties were an Akura Jebia, a Zerureusu, a Gemstone Dirudon, a Desert Lagiacrus, a Niradamaz, and a Zefalak. An exceptional archer and gunman alike, his shots were noted to be so accurate and precise that some legends among the Ijotrian populace proclaimed that he never missed a single shot he made and could hit the tiniest of targets from the other side of the map while blindfolded and under the pressure of heavy winds.

## Tropes that Apply to Them

* Accomplice by Inaction: Although he did not directly take part in the superweapons project that led to creation of the Contaminated Wasteland and hundreds getting permanently disfigured or killed from the effects of radiation poisoning, he was aware of the ramifications it had and enabled Aurelius to carry on with the project, being unwilling to punish his own brother due to a combination of undying loyalty to his family as well as Aurelius being a benefactor for the Hunter's Guild, did nothing to dissuade him from making more grandiose and inflammatory statements that only added to the civil unrest, and gave him no real punishment beyond forcing him to shut down his factories and the superweapons project. He was deeply ashamed of himself for being this trope, however, choosing to take all the blame for it because he could have done more to prevent it and killing himself as a form of atonement.
* A Hero to His Hometown: Downplayed; the residents of Zavitokim City don't deny that he was complicit in the superweapons project that created the Contaminated Wasteland and disfigured and killed hundreds of innocent people, but choose to remember him for the good deeds he's done and argue that he was a victim as well, pointing out that he had his flaws and insecurities exploited by Aurelius in order to force him into compliance. This is different from the rest of Ijotria, who consider him to be just as bad as his brother (if not worse) because he had the power to shut down the project and hold his older brother accountable, but didn't until it was too late to make amends, and state that his struggles don't excuse anything he's done.
* The Alcoholic: He drank heavily when stressed out, especially during the economic crisis and his paranoia that something beyond his control was going to lay waste to Ijotria. It's strongly implied that excessive drinking is part of what brought out his darker qualities.
* Became Their Own Antithesis: He started out as a kind, charming working man who wanted to help people in need and protect the environment from the whims of evil people who wanted to destroy it for their own ends, only to become a sketchy leader who allowed his evil brother to harm people in need and destroy whole biomes for his own ends.
* Broken Ace: He was charming, charismatic, handsome, hospitable, socially and academically skilled and talented, an exceptional marksman and Rider alike, and won an election by one of the biggest landslides the Ijotria region had ever seen. He also struggled with depression, anxiety, and paranoia, was weighed down by a serious case of imposter syndrome that caused him to doubt every single accomplishment he ever made and was reluctant to take charge as a leader because he felt his position was undeserved, and was an enabler for Aurelius, allowing him to face no punishment for his crimes against the Ijotrian people due to him being both a benefactor and his brother.
* Commonality Connection: He served as one between Aurelius and Petra Ferrucio, with the two bonding over their shared admiration for him.
* Debt Detestor: He despised being in any sort of debt and was proactive in paying them off as soon as he could in any way necessary. Aurelius used this trope against him by drilling it into his head that he owed him a favour for getting him the position of Guildmaster and that family should stick together and pay their debts off to each other at any cost.
* Driven to Suicide: He drowned himself in the waters of the Contaminated Wasteland over the guilt he felt from betraying the Ijotrian people and allowing a guilty man to run free out of simple nepotism and misplaced loyalties.
* Everyone Has Standards: He was against the idea of making Aurelius a Guild associate due to his aggressive nature and open contempt for anyone he disliked running the risk of giving the Guild a sullied image that would only serve to drag it down, only relenting when Aurelius pointed out that he's the primary reason he got the Guildmaster position in the first place and that family should repay their debts to one another. One of notes he left behind following his demise has him lamenting that he didn't stand his ground on that matter as much as he should have and wishing he didn't allow his imposter syndrome and desire to pay off debts to get the better of him.
* Fatal Flaw: Misguided loyalty: Above all else, Argento was loyal to his family and would do anything to earn approval from the people closest to him, and was dedicated to paying off any debts he gets saddled with as soon as possible and at any cost. Aurelius gained his position as a Guild associate by pointing out that his campaigning was the reason he became the Guildmaster and told him that family should always repay their debts and stick close to one another, and Argento allowed him to go relatively unpunished in the grand scheme of things, leading to the fall of the Ijotrian Guild.
* Foreshadowing: His memoirs portray him as being plagued with paranoid thoughts and dreams pertaining to a demon with a hole for a face that rode upon a golden dragon with a thousand eyes, a description that alludes to Angra Hylel, the main cause of *Stories Ultimate'*s main plot.
* Gemstone Assault: His prized gear is comprised of Akura Jebia parts and nearly all of his Monsties had a crystal motif going for them, with all of them being able to utilize the Crystallization status through either their natural abilities or implanted Genes.
* Heroic Self-Deprecation: Despite his wide range of accomplishments and all the praise he received from the adoring public, he never once let them get to his head, simply stating that he was just doing his duties as a Rider and a Guildmaster, and would often get flustered in the presence of his fans. Although this would appear to be a simple case of him being a Humble Hero, his humility stems from crippling self-doubt and imposter syndrome, as he believed that none of his accomplishments were truly his own, but could instead be attributed to someone else, Aurelius in particular, and this line of thinking made it easier for Aurelius to exploit him. Even things he accomplished without influences from anyone else and initially took pride in, such as him saving a small village from a Twistertamer Hyujikiki with no casualties, were written off as mere acts of dumb luck instead of proof that he was the expert hunter and philanthropist everyone knew him as.
* Hypocrisy Nod: Despite him championing the causes of helping people in need and protecting the environment, he enabled his brother to exploit and harm those same people and bring an entire region to ruination, leading to the formation of the Contaminated Wasteland and hundreds becoming deathly ill from radiation poisoning, and admitted that he was going against his own beliefs in doing so, but carried on with it because he initially believed it was necessary to make sacrifices to protect Ijotria as a whole. He was deeply ashamed of himself for it, however, and condemned himself for not living up to his own standards in his memoirs.
* My Greatest Failure: He considered him allowing Aurelius to receive no further punishment beyond making him shut down his factories and the superweapons project, as he defiled his morals by allowing nepotism and misplaced loyalties to get in the way of actual justice.
* Improbable Aiming Skills: He was noted to be such an adept marksman that he could clear the shooting ranges without missing a single shot, even with handicaps present, and a legend among the Ijotrian people claimed that he was so adept and archer that he could shoot a bullseye on a miniscule target from the other side of the Ijotrian map while blindfolded.
* It's All My Fault: He blamed himself for all of Aurelius' crimes against Ijotria as a whole, stating that he had the power to stop him, but never acted on it before it was too late due to his misplaced loyalties and him giving in to a sunk cost getting in the way.
* Moral Event Horizon: In-universe, he crossed it by ordering Guild Knights to initiate deadly attacks against peaceful protestors in a desperate effort to dissuade public outrage over Aurelius' actions and allowing Aurelius to receive no further punishment beyond having to shut down his factories and the superweapons project that ruined and ended the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians, and he himself agreed with this assessment, believing that his betrayal of the Ijotrian people could never be forgiven and that the only way he could atone was through death.
* Nepotism: He himself isn't an example of this, but he employed Aurelius as a Guild associate through this trope, giving his brother his position after being goaded into doing so.
* Never Live It Down: In-universe example; outside of Zavtokim City, where he is remembered for both the good and bad he did, all anyone in the Ijotria region remembers him for is his complicity in Aurelius' superweapons project, him ordering Guild Knights to violently suppress peaceful protests, and giving Aurelius no further punishment beyond forcing him to shut down his factories and the superweapons project.
* Posthumous Character: He died before the events of *Stories Ultimate*, drowning himself in the waters of the Contaminated Wasteland out of guilt for his complicity in its creation and the hundreds of disfigurements and deaths that were caused because of it.
* Puppet King: He was one of sorts, with Aurelius pressuring him into becoming the Ijotrian Guildmaster so he could use him as a means of implementing his twisted desires for the Ijotria region.
* Reluctant Ruler: He was against the idea of becoming the Ijotrian Guildmaster due to his initial faith in the previous government and him believing that he wasn't qualified to become the new Guildmaster, only giving in because he wanted to make Aurelius and the Ijotrian populace happy, and even after becoming the Guildmaster, he was dragged down by things like imposter syndrome and expressed desires to quit.
* Stepford Smiler: Type A. Despite what his outwardly charming appearance and personality might suggest, he struggled with years of self-doubt and imposter syndrome that ate away at him for years and went untreated, causing him to snap when faced with problems he wasn't prepared to face and resort to desperate measures to combat them.
* Sanity Slippage: Facing both an economic crisis that he wasn't prepared to combat and persistent thoughts about an unseen threat as a result of stress and alcohol abuse led to him becoming increasingly unhinged, only regaining his senses when the Research Commission gives up on him for enabling Aurelius' schemes and angry vigilantes threaten to lynch his sister-in-law and nephew as payback for not holding his brother accountable.
* Sunk Cost Fallacy: Despite knowing how destructive and unethical the superweapons project Aurelius introduced was and that it would only serve to stain the Guild's standing with the Ijotrian people, he allowed it to keep going due to how much he became invested in it as a result of his persistent belief that a looming threat could strike at any moment and that extreme force was the only way to repel it. He only relents when the Research Commission cuts off all ties with the Guild and the enraged Ijotrian public threaten to lynch his sister-in-law and nephew.
* Tragic Villain: Or Tragic Hero, depending on how one views him. He started out as a well-meaning hero who sought to help the innocent and needy and protect the environment from anyone who would bring devastation upon it, but after becoming consumed by depression, anxiety, and paranoia, isolated from anyone who wasn't a yes man, and having his flaws and goodwill exploited by his older brother in order to make him his puppet, he's reduced to an ineffectual ruler who enabled one of the greatest tragedies within the entire Ijotrian continent and allowed the instigator to get away over misplaced loyalties and nepotism, a fact that ate away at him until he took his own life.
* Well-Intentioned Extremist: After giving in to feelings of desperation and paranoia that ate away at him following an economic crisis and the Guild being too short-staffed and undersupplied to effectively combat the uprising of criminals and monster invasions alike, he became an accomplice to his older brother and enabled him to carry on with his misdeeds because he convinced himself that the superweapons project was the only solution he had.

## Notes and Trivia

* Argento's birthday is the same day John Balliol's reign as the King of Scots began. This date was chosen because, similar to how Argento was goaded into becoming a Guildmaster by Aurelius and used to implement his reviled desires for the Ijotria region, John was appointed as a puppet king by King Edward I of England, who openly bragged about it, and was hated by the Scots for being Edward's puppet, to the point where he was, and still is, derisively referred to as Toom Tabard ("empty suit") by them. However, unlike John, who receives more scorn from his own people than from anyone else, the majority of the hatred Argento receives in-universe comes from outside of his home.