Astotheles

**Astotheles** is the leader of the bandits, and serves as a mid-boss in Chapter 4. He leads the Desert Bandits to attack Team Snakemouth. First met as a hooded stranger in Defiant Root's well during the team's search for the Earth Key required to reveal the Sand Castle, he sells them the key to the Bandit Hideout for 30 berries, luring them into an ambush. When the team manages to escape captivity they eventually confront Astotheles, who tells them the truth behind their capture before challenging them when he rejects attempts at diplomacy.

Following Astotheles' defeat, his diary can be found in the area of the hideout where he was encountered.

## Appearance

Physically, Astotheles' most notable feature is his one arm. He has baby blue eyes, a bluish grey mouthpart, and a tan body with brown aspects. His chest is in brown, while his legs are in a light and darker brown from the top to bottom respectively. His abdomen is shown to be brown and dark brown as it appears in a conical pattern. Aesthetically, he wears a blue cloak that hides his lost arm. The cloak has a hood with the Bandit's insignia and what appears to be a bandana, though only appears in his sitting sprites. His belt is yellow and also bears the bandits' insignia on it. He makes use of a wooden "sword" with a blue hilt in battle.

In Bug Fables: The Art of Bugaria, his cloak is shown to have some tatter and his arm elbow is in a three pointed shape, with the center being the longest. He also is seen wearing goggles.

## Personality

A marauder with a serious disposition, his thieving ways are done to create a good home for the bandits and fugitives who follow him. Astotheles is characterized primarily by his sense of honor, disparaging the wasps for their duplicity in their arrangement with the bandits for Team Snakemouth's capture and insisting upon a fair fight with his enemies. He willingly allows the group to leave the Hideout unmolested despite the arrival of his underlings and entrusts them with the Earth Key to repay them for sparing his life.

He demonstrates a curious animosity for Queen Elizant II (whom he refers to as the "Ant Witch") and any who serve her. This might explain why the Bandit insignia is represented as an upside-down variant of the Ant Kingdom's symbol.

Though unwilling to publicly admit it or show himself, he also attends the celebration after the defeat of the wasp king, hiding atop the Flower Key House and asking them to keep his presence a secret, showing how he has developed a soft spot he wishes to celebrate their victory.

## Diary

**"Day XXX. An unprepared moth was spotted near the sandpits. He carried quite a few berries." "Although I truly pitied him, the funds will let us get through this month smoothly."**

**"Day YYZ. The flowers bloomed in our garden. Our hideout comes closer to becoming a home."**

**"Day ZZZ. I was shown mercy today. Mercy I have not shown others..." "I need to think. I've left the hideout in charge of my trusted advisor. But I'll return."**

## Battle Information

Astotheles will attack with a single strong strike or, if his eye flashes before attacking, multiple weaker strikes.

After taking enough damage, he will begin to attack twice every turn. He may also follow up his strong strike with multiple weak strikes in the same attack.

After being damaged, he has a chance to put his guard up, raising his defense by 1. Being hit by a flipping move will cancel this guard.

Items cannot be used while fighting Astotheles, even if he is frozen or asleep, and attempts at using them will result in wasted turns. However, Vi's Secret Stash is unaffected.

## Trivia

* Astotheles was created by Fuutes.
* According to Fuutes, Astotheles' personality was inspired by Jonathan Jones from *Super Mario RPG*.
	+ He is also similar to Moustafa from Paper Mario 64 in that they are both disguised honorable thieves from a desert town and give the main characters an item needed to raise a desert temple from the sand.
* Astotheles was announced during the v0.6 roundup, where his ability of disabling the item is shown.
* According to Genow, the name was intended to sound Greek to hint of his more educated character compared to "one would expect from a random bandit.
* Astotheles appears on the main menu along with a Burglar after Chapter 4 is complete.
* Astotheles lost an arm protecting the Bandit Hideout from the Dune Scorpion's attack.
* Astotheles' animosity towards Queen Elizant II stems from her rejecting his bandits' many attempts to establish the Bandit Hideout as their own independent city.

## References

1. ↑ Youtube interview
2. ↑ Discord messages
3. ↑ Discord messages regarding his name origin
4. ↑ Reddit AMA comment regarding Astotheles' arm.
5. ↑ Reddit AMA comment regarding Astotheles' hatred towards Elizant II.