Halim Ondore IV



Marquis Halim Ondore IV (ハルム・オンドール4世 Harumu Ondōru Yonsei) is one of the characters of Final Fantasy XII. Ruler of Bhujerba, he tries his best to keep his city neutral. Ondore follows the orders of the Archadian Empire, while secretly allying himself with resistance forces. He commands an airship, the Garland.

Ondore is voiced by Tom Kane and speaks with a British-Indian accent. He narrates during the storybook sections of the game, which is written in his book ''Memoirs of Mqs. Halim Ondore 4''.

Relation to Ashe
Given his high position, it is not surprising that Ondore has known Ashe since she was a child. Ashe even used to refer to him as uncle, although it is never revealed if he is actually Ashe's uncle. It is unlikely however, since he refers to King Raminas as just a friend, and not a brother, although he can be an uncle on Ashe's mother's side. Also, the ruling families of real-life Middle-Age nations were often strongly related, in order to forge alliances and prevent war, so it is indeed possible that they might be related, either closely or distantly. ("Ojisan", in Japanese, means uncle, but is also commonly used as an honorific towards middle-aged men). Despite this, Ondore does not treat Ashe like a child, giving her no special treatment and respecting her views. Because of this, they tend to clash on some of their ideals.

Bhujerba's Leader
Marquis Ondore is known as the leader of Bhujerba, a skycity that is the only small nation during the game of Final Fantasy XII that has managed to keep its independence from Archadia. Due to Bhujerba's neutrality, Ondore worked as an ambassador in Dalmasca's peace negotiations. It was Marquis Ondore who announced the deaths of Princess Ashe and Basch fon Ronsenburg, due to a request from Vayne. Though he couldn't tell Vayne's motive at the time, he later realized Vayne was trying to make Ashe doubt the marquis, preventing her from seeking his aid.

Ondore entered a secret collaboration with Vayne, in which he would provide Vayne and the Draklor Laboratory with magicite. This was to be done behind the Emperor's back. It is hinted through the dialogue between Judge Ghis and Ondore that he was forced into the deal, though Ondore retains his stance of not being the Empire's puppet.

Ondore and the Player Party
Ondore is directly met twice during Final Fantasy XII by the player party. After escaping from Nalbina Dungeons and having discovered that the Rabanastran Resistance faction will not help him, Basch decides to seek Marquis Ondore's help in order to save Princess Ashe, who is being held captive by the Empire. Once in Bhujerba, the party spread rumours that Basch is still alive in order to catch the marquis's attention, for if it became known that Ondore had made a lie, it would cripple people's trust in him.

Once the party meets Ondore, he wants to help Basch in his plight, but doesn't want to compromise his position. Instead of direct aid, he sends the player party off to Dreadnought Leviathan, so they may have a chance to save the Princess. The party manages to save her, and make their way back to Bhujerba. Ondore, however, is not willing to support Ashe in her quest to claim Dalmasca's throne, for she has no proof of her lineage. Ashe gets the sky pirates to kidnap her, and so manages to escape Bhujerba.

The Resistance
Ondore secretly begins funding a local Bhujerban resistance faction and eventually emerges as the leader of the Resistance. He even commands their flagship, the Garland. While he holds talks with the Archadian Judges, and even acts as mediator for Archadia and other nations, he secretly wants to bring down the oppressive Empire and he even considered using Nethicite to force Archadia to sign a peace treaty.

After the Dreadnought Leviathan has been destroyed, Ondore seizes the opportunity and leaves Bhujerba citing sudden illness. His true motive, however, is to gather all the loose Resistance factions together to form an army strong enough to oppose the Empire. He seeks Reddas's help in Balfonheim and recruits him to steal nethicite from the Draklor Laboratory, however, this plan fails. He then seeks aid from Rozarria.

War between the Empire and the Resistance breaks as Battle above Rabanastre, with Marquis Ondore leading the Resistance, and Vayne Solidor leading the Imperial Forces. The war ends in Vayne's defeat. After his goal has been fulfilled, the Resistance disbands and Ondore goes back to Bhujerba.

Etymology
His first name, Halim (Arabic: "حليم"), is Arabic for "gentle".