Rolf

"When the Master triumphs, I will be the ruler of the East, as is my birthright. Capra will rise again, and the vile strangers in my land will be dust and ashes beneath my feet."

- Rolf's last words before dying

Rolf was a Capricon and the Guardian of the Sister of the East. He protected the Sister of the East for the Shadow Lord in exchange for the promise of rulership of eastern Deltora. He claimed to be the eldest son of the clan of Doywn and the heir to the lordship of Capra.

Early life
Rolf was the eldest son born into the Dowyn clan and was the heir to the lordship of Capra. He lived in the mountains surrounding Broome with the rest of his people. One night, while he gazed at a vision of Capra, the Shadow Lord spoke to Rolf. The Shadow Lord offered to restore Capra, grant Rolf powerful magic, and would allow him to rule the east of Deltora in return for becoming the guardian of the Sister of the East.

Dragon's Nest
Rolf allowed himself to be captured by Granous in the Os-Mine Hills, knowing that King Lief and his companions would be travelling nearby. He failed one of the Granous' games, costing him a finger. Lief, Barda, and Jasmine heard Rolf's screams and moved to rescue him, though Jasmine and Barda were reluctant to take the risk. Lief answered the Granous' next question for Rolf, but when the Granous told the Capricon to solve a difficult puzzle box, Rolf cried for Lief to save him, exposing his hiding place to the Granous. Lief and Rolf were rescued by Barda, Jasmine, and the recently-awoken Topaz dragon.

As Jasmine tended to Rolf's hand, he claimed that Capra was destroyed by dragons out of envy. He claimed to have been travelling to Del to meet the king and request help for the Capricons. He introduced himself to the group before Barda hauled him away, to keep him from seeing the Topaz dragon.

Rolf remained with Lief's group, slowing their travel to a crawl because of his supposed weakness. The people in the villages that the group passed through were fascinated by the sight of a Capricon, but Lief avoided leaving Rolf with any of them because he knew that they barely had enough food for themselves.

Barda intended to lead the group to Ringle, but was led astray by a road sign that had been sabotaged; the group instead found themselves at End Wood Gap. Rolf insisted that they cross at the first bridge they came to, as the alternative was crossing through the Forests of Silence. Lief, Barda and Jasmine, however, immediately recognised that the sign near the bridge had been sabotaged as well; the bridge was weak and too dangerous to cross. Lief, Barda and Jasmine decided to split the group to make it harder for their attacker to try and lead them astray. They would cross through End Wood, while Brid, Rolf, and the guards would go directly to Ringle and then meet them at Broome. Rolf briefly moaned in protest, but quickly silenced himself.

The following night, while the guards made a camp outside of Ringle, Rolf transformed into a monstrous, red dragon and slaughtered all of them. Brid managed to survive long enough to write a message in his own blood on a nearby tree, warning Lindal that Lief was in End Wood. Lief, Barda and Jasmine heard the guards’ screams, but did not realise them for what they were until after Lindal told them about what had happened. Lief assumed that Rolf had been killed as well, and felt guilty for sending him away.

Lief spotted Rolf at Dragon's Nest, lying prone at the centre of the basin. Lindal suggested that the "dragon" had kept him for a later meal, while Barda suggested that he was bait. Rolf had hoped that the entire group would come into the basin, making them an easier target, but only Lief dropped down. When Rolf noticed that Lindal was pulling him out of the basin, he insulted her and the people of Broome, nearly making Barda attack him. Barda demanded that he leave, and Rolf hurried away.

Rolf returned, once again in his dragon form, and attacked the group ferociously. Lindal managed to injure him with a spear, but Rolf set her ablaze and knocked her aside. Shortly afterwards, however, the true dragon of the Ruby arrived and mortally wounded Rolf in a matter of moments. Rolf's disguise melted away, and he revealed that he was responsible for all of the group's numerous setbacks on the way to Dragon's Nest. He told Lief about why he had chosen to follow the Shadow Lord and that there were other guardians throughout the rest of Deltora. Barda buried Rolf, but not before Jasmine searched his body. She found the second fragment of Doran's map stitched within the hem of his cloak, giving the group the location of the Sister of the North.

The Sister of the South
Rolf's story of why Capra was destroyed was revealed to have been a lie, though Rolf believed it himself. Joyeu explained to Lindal that Ruby dragons destroyed Capra because the Capricons refused to stop stealing their eggs to make lanterns, and not out of simple envy as Rolf had said.

Physical appearance
Rolf, as a Capricon, had the upper body of a man with a mop of curly, brown hair that partially concealed two horns. From the waist down, Rolf was covered in thick, brown fur and had pointed, black hooves instead of feet. As a result of his encounter with the Granous, he lost the little finger on one of his hands. Rolf had large, deep violet-blue eyes and wore a brown cloak with a piece of Doran's map stitched into the hem. He had a slender, delicate body.

Rolf was able to take on a draconian form that resembled a deformed Ruby dragon. In this form, Rolf had spiked wings and small, piercing red eyes. His body was covered in lumps and spines. He had a stunted, spiked tail, curved, black talons, and a long, swollen neck. Rolf's underside in this form is a mottled, discoloured yellow rather than the pale, colour-changing underbellies of real dragons.

Personality
Rolf often behaved like a coward, typically wailing and despairing without making any effort to help himself. He was often so wrapped up in self-pity that he would make situations more difficult. He often simpered and whined, selfishly drawing attention to himself. These traits were greatly exaggerated as part of an act; Rolf behaved in such a way to avoid suspicion.

In actuality, Rolf was profoundly arrogant and one of the most racist characters in the series, being disgusted by any non-Capricon. He particularly hated the people of Broome, calling them "demons". He was willing to sacrifice a finger and risk death to kill Lief, though he despised having to compromise his pride by interacting with humans. Rolf accused Lief of being ignorant to the suffering of the Capricons, but ignored Lief when the king pointed out that the Capricons never sought help, preferring to stay away from people. Rolf often lied to himself, feeding his hatred and ego to the point that he could not be reasoned with. The Shadow Lord promised Rolf dominion over the entire east of Deltora, and Rolf followed him loyally because of that promise.

Abilities
Rolf was relatively clever, able to successfully trick Lief, Barda and Jasmine into thinking that he was harmless for quite some time. Though Lief and his friends frequently saw through the traps that Rolf set, they never suspected that he was responsible for them. He managed to frame Joyeu for most of his crimes, though the Ruby dragon's name was cleared after Rolf's death. Rolf, like other Capricons, could see a vision of Capra at sunset. As a member of the clan Dowyn, Rolf was the heir to Capra’s ruling family.

The Shadow Lord granted Rolf the abilities of a powerful sorcerer. He was able to shape-shift, though he only displayed the ability to transform into a dragon. Rolf used his dragon form to slaughter an entire platoon of Del's strongest guards with ease. He could tear humans to shreds and burn them alive with searing flame. Rolf's abilities were strengthened the closer he was to the Sister of the East, but his powers paled in comparison to an actual Ruby dragon, and Joyeu made short work of him. As a servant of the Shadow Lord, Rolf was weakened by being near the Belt of Deltora.

Deltora Quest 3

 * Dragon's Nest
 * The Sister of the South (mentioned)