#Plus I killed Rhea with Thunderbrand cause SoC broke so bonus points

[inkperch]

Every time I remember this, I get more tempted to write a Catherine angst fic that combines it with a specific little factoid we learn in her support with Lysithea-

The chaos of war

One thing I think gets lost in the endless flood of “lol it’s unfinished” comments surrounding Crimson Flower is that the route portrays the chaotic conditions that arise in war far more elegantly than Gronder Field in Azure Moon and Verdant Wind could ever hope to.

AM and VW insists that fog, which totally exists, trust us bro, caused Dimitri and Claude to be unable to recognize the armies of each other despite all three armies wearing color-coded uniforms.

Meanwhile, in Crimson Flower, at Tailltean, the allied Kingdom and Church armies are soundly defeated by the Black Eagle Strike Force in spite of their pride and honor, and their sacred weapons, Crested blood, golems, and Relics. And their ultimate defeat comes not at the hands of the Sword of the Creator, or Aymr, or the Black Eagles themselves but from the weather.

The Kingdom and the Church intend to strike the Imperial army down with a simple by effective pincer attack:

And Hubert concludes on his own that their allied armies would be very difficult for the Imperial army to overcome:

But then just as battle is about to start…

Rain starts, preventing the church forces from finding either their allies or their enemies. This forces Dimitri into an unenviable position when the Empire finds him before his allies do;

And ultimately, Rhea arrives so late that the Black Eagles have had considerable time to maul the isolated Kingdom army;

This is reflected in game that the church forces don’t show up until you’re deep in Kingdom territory. And a good thing too, given some of the golems and falcon knights spawn right on top of where you begin the map. Imagine if they spawned on Enemy Phase 1? That’d certainly make the map more interesting.

So for all the holy force present on both sides of conflict (though more on the allied Kingdom and church’s side), it’s something as simple as rain that lays the groundwork for their defeat.