Therion's storyline begins in a tavern, listening to the banter of a pair of thieves. After a bit of reminiscing on his own life you'll gain control of Therion, in Bolderfall of the Cliftlands. Pop out of the tavern and have a look around town.
Down the stairs to the right of the tavern is the Armorer. You can outfit Therion with some better equipment right off the bat by going here. Focus on getting him some armor, as there's a weapon and a helmet coming up that you can get for free.
East of the tavern you'll find the stairs to the midsection of Bolderfall, home of the middle class. Just north of the top of the stairs you'll find the chapter's first save point, as well as the Provisioner. Therion can't heal himself, so buying a few Healing Grapes isn't a terrible idea. Further north of here is the path out of Bolderfall, though you can't go this way yet.
In the south of Bolderfall is the Inn. Look to the right of the Inn and you'll see a purple chest. Therion is blessed in that he can open purple chests, a talent every other character in the game lacks. You'll want him in the party quite a bit for this reason alone. This particular chest contains a Stinging Dagger. Equip it on Therion for an easy, free, early-game attack boost.
To the east of the Inn is your destination. Go north first and you'll find a large house. Inside you'll find a chest containing 1,000 leaves. Backtrack south and go up the stairs.
Ravus Manor Gate
Outside the gates to Ravus Manor you'll find a save point, and, just behind a tree near the save point, a purple chest containing... well, you don't get to see, as a cut scene will trigger once you get too close to the gates. Looks like a certain Merchant might be Therion's path to entering the manor. Watch the scene play out, then check the purple chest for an Iron Helm.
Trek back into Bolderfall and you'll see another cut scene involving the Merchant. He says you need a Letter of Introduction to enter Ravus Manor. This brings in one of Therion's other talents: Pickpocketing.
Steal
Hit the indicated button beside one of the townsfolk who can speak and you'll gain the option to use Steal, Therion's Path Action. Steal allows Therion to snag the belongings of another, with a specific rate of success. The chances that Therion will succeed depends on his level comparative to that of the item being stolen - the better the item, the higher Therion's level must be. If you get caught stealing from someone your Fame in that town will drop.
Later in Octopath Traveler you'll come across marks that are very risky to target, especially if Therion is at a lower level. Bolderfall, fortunately, is teeming with easy gains, and you're free to Steal whatever you like from the townsfolks. Run around and rob everyone you see blind to prepare yourself for the local dungeon. Some of the more notable items include:
- The woman near the entrance of Bolderfall has a Nourishing Nut. Good for boosting Therion's HP right off the bat if he's by himself.
- The Merchant in red has an Enlightening Earring.
- The Guard Captain outside Ravus Manor has a Wakeful Stone.
Back to it. Head to the west side of Bolderfall and you'll get caught in a cut scene with the two thieves from the tavern. Therion will drive them off, and then it's back to business as usual. Head back towards the tavern and you'll see one of the two Merchants talking to a Wealthy Merchant. Steal from the Wealthy Merchant to snag his Letter of Introduction. This will let you get past the guards and onto the grounds of Ravus Manor.
Ravus Manor
You'll start off outside the manor. Check along the balcony on the west side of the manor for a Broadsword, then go through the open on the east side of the manor. You'll find yourself in the main hall. You'll start running into enemies in Ravus Manor:
- Ravus Guard I - Weak to Swords, Daggers, and Axes. Will break easily to whatever Therion has equipped. Piece of cake.
- Ravus Guard II - Weak to Fire and Ice. More annoying than Ravus Guard I, Ravus Guard II only has one available vulnerability - Fire - and uses Poison Blade, which will poison Therion. Don't drain too much of your SP with Wildfire, at least not unless Therion has been poisoned and you need the battle to end quickly.
- Ice Sentinel - Weak to Swords, Polearms, Axes, Staves, and Fire. Likely the most dangerous of the 'normal' enemies in the manor, thanks to its Ice Grenade attack. Alternate between Therion's sword and dagger strikes to bring it down with a minimum of fuss.
Go up the first set of stairs, near the entrance. They'll take you to a dead-end room on the second floor that contains a Healing Grape. Go back to the ground floor and head west to the front door and you'll find a save point. The enemies around here aren't exactly difficult, but it can't hurt to save. Keep heading west on the ground floor to find a small library with a chest that contains an Inspiriting Plum.
Head back to the save point and go up the main stairs. There are several rooms up here, though the only one of interest is the furthest to the left. Before entering, check the end of the balcony walkway to find a purple chest containing 800 leaves. Then enter the door flanked by the two statues.
(By this point you'll likely have earned enough JP to unlock more of Therion's Skills. You can choose whichever one you like, though if you didn't bring many Healing Grapes you should probably go for HP Thief. It will easily keep you alive through this chapter if Therion is by himself.)
Through the door you'll wind up in another two-floor hallway. Ignore the stairs upward for a moment and trek east. In the last room on the right is a purple chest containing a Wind Attire, likely the best armor available for Therion. Throw it on, then head back west and go up the stairs.
The third floor of the manor has nothing of interest in its rooms, though if you look beside the eastern bedroom you'll find a chest containing a Healing Grape. Continue along the pathway to the east and you'll see a doorway ahead and some stairs to the southeast. Go through the doorway and all the way east to find a purple chest containing an Invigorating Nut. You might as well use it now to boost Therion's SP a bit.
Backtrack west and use the stairs. Look under the stairs to find a chest containing a Bottle of Befuddling Dust, then head over to the save point in the middle of the room. There's a Traveling Peddler here who will sell you Healing Grapes, Inspiriting Plums, and Olives of Life. Might be a sign that what's waiting in the next room over won't go down without a fight. Buy whatever you think you need.
Head into the final room of Ravus Manor. There's a blue gemstone sitting on a pedestal in this room. Approach it to trigger a cut scene that will pit you against your first boss of the chapter, and he's a very polite boss at that.
Heathcote
Weakness: Dagger, Bow, Fire, Ice, Lightning
Accompanied by a single Ravus Guard, Heathcote is your first major challenge as Therion. The butler spends the battle slashing at Therion with varying degrees of intensity. Most of his attacks should only chip away at Therion's health, though they add up after a while. After you do enough damage Heathcote will begin to 'hop lightly', allowing him to completely evade your next two physical attacks. He can also heighten his senses, allowing him to use Stunning Strike on his next move to do significantly more damage to Therion. The Ravus Guard will use Steel Defenses on himself and Heathcote, and otherwise just prove himself a nuisance.
It's tempting to kill off the Ravus Guard and then focus all your energy on Heathcote, but he'll summon in a replacement so quickly that this usually isn't worth your time. Devote your attacks to slicing up Heathcote, using HP Thief to cut through his health bit by bit. He's weak to daggers so the move will be especially effective against the butler. HP Thief will also dispel Heathcote's evasive state. The only time you really need to stop using HP Thief is if you run out of SP - an Inspiriting Plum or Steal SP will bring you back up to full for another volley - or if Heathcote is heightening his senses. Defend and you'll prevent Stunning Strike from doing too much damage.
You'll receive an Energizing Pomegranate (M) for defeating Heathcote and his helper.
In the aftermath of the battle Therion will be ensnared into doing a job for Cordelia Ravus, the lady of the manor, and it will keep him busy for a long, long time. Once you're ejected from the manor, head to the western gate out of Bolderfall. You'll see a cut scene as you leave, and Cordelia and Heathcote will point you towards Noblecourt to see a scholar as the first step on Therion's journey.