#also my b seliphs his only kid

[asteraws]

sigurd is so funny in the new game i had to learn more abt him so i watched a retrospective vid and i suddenly am so intrigued by fe4 *doesn’t draw him*

these two got cute hairstyles tho

[handfuloftime]

And the last chapter

“The twelve enigmatic Deadlords” sounds... concerning.

Wow, part two has only been a year? Considering that part one took five years I as going to guess something more like three.

I’m glad Seliph pointed out Lewyn’s tendency to just dole out exposition when it’s convenient. Especially when he waited an entire year to tell Seliph that Julia is his sister.

It’s not a Fire Emblem game without a noble antagonist you feel really bad about having to kill, but gosh, I really love Ishtar. She deserved better than a literal demon for a fiancé and one of the worst people in the entire game for a mother. I’d already defeated her twice without it being permanent, wish she could have escaped a third time.

Arion falls into a very similar category, and I’m so, so glad he’s recruitable (or at least ally-able). (Though I didn’t realize that initially and fought him a few times by accident, and got my heart broken by how he apologizes as he attacks).

The pegasus knights with Ishtar were so fucking annoying.

I cannot imagine what playing this without being able to save whenever I want would be like. This is already the worst slog imaginable.

Mmm, love that the holy bloodlines started with drinking actual blood.

Delmud is once again the MVP--I could not crack the fight with Manfroy until I brought him along with Seliph and Ares. He immediately got hit with a sleep staff, but that didn’t do anything to his charisma bonus.

As fitting as it would have been to kill Manfroy with Seliph, it ended up being Ares just for expediency’s sake. Though really every unit in the army has some claim on him for revenge.

Having some feelings about Arvis ensuring Julia got Deirdre’s circlet because it was the only way she could get her holy weapon. Knowing that one of his kids would have to kill the other, but also that it was the only way to save the world... Ooof.

The fight with Julius was a lot easier than I was expecting? (Sure, this chapter was an endless slog, but I feel like the actual difficulty peaked with chapter 9). Despite the intimidating name, the Deadlords weren’t particularly difficult--it helped that Arion’s squadron got in the fight as well--and Julia took out Julius (with a very minor assist from Seliph) in a turn and a half.

Julius’s reaction to seeing Julia was upsetting. Behind the demonic possession, there’s a scared teenager.

His battle theme was almost as much fun as his dad’s.

I usually feel that the happily-ever-after distributions of kingdoms are far too neat after the messy politics of the games, and this one was no exception. I guess I can tolerate Seliph being the ruler of Grannvale instead of Julia, since he is the older of Deirdre’s surviving children, but Leif ending up as king of a united Thracian peninsula when a.) Altena is older than him and b.) Arion is still alive, is bullshit. I want the AU where Altena and Arion have to work together to finally bring peace to the peninsula.

And after the first half of the game being all about the consequences of Grannvale imperialism, the fact that Verdane stayed annexed to Grannvale left a bad taste in my mouth. Though I guess this is technically my fault for not pairing up Jamke with anyone.

Seliph and Ares’s friendship continues to be the most adorable relationship.

I feel for Arthur--Seliph is right that “the new duke of Velthomer” isn’t going to be an easy title to step into. And though Seliph is certainly a very forgiving person, calling Arvis just a victim of fate seems a bit off. Sure, the Loptyr blood doomed him, but it didn’t force him to slaughter Sigurd’s army, either.

[sara-scribbles]

Sigurd Summoner Support

C Support

Sigurd: You wanted to speak with me, Summoner?

Summoner: Please, take a seat. How are your wounds healing?

Sigurd: Ethlyn took care of them; she said I should be fine in a few days. Is there a reason you called me? Have I done something wrong?

Summoner: It’s not that you’ve done anything wrong, just...reckless. The last battle, you ran headlong into the enemy without listening.. If it weren’t for the others, you would be worse off.

Sigurd: I apologize for causing confusion, however the people in that village were in danger. If I waited any longer a child would have died. My life is of little consequence if we can save the people.

Summoner: I realize how you feel, but you still need to follow orders. You’re part of the Order of Heroes in Askr, and we work together. So, please, be more conscious of your actions.

Sigurd: I will bear your words in mind. However I will not apologize for my actions as we managed to save everyone in the village. Without action many would have been slain.

Summoner: Just remember that you’re of no use to anyone dead.

Sigurd: …

B Support

Summoner: Sigurd, can I talk to you?

Sigurd: Of course. What can I help you with?

Summoner: I wanted to apologize for what I said last time we spoke. I realized that it was insensitive of me.

Sigurd: It’s fine. I know you were just trying to look out for me. You must understand something. I am a knight first and foremost. I cannot stand back and watch innocent people suffer. My first instinct is to charge forward with my sword.

Summoner: And I understand this now. I talked with Ethlyn, I hope you don’t mind, and she told me a little about when you were younger.

Sigurd: Ah, yes… I wasn’t the best when I was younger. Ethlyn would always cover for me back then. Please do not think I am the same as I was then.

Summoner: Of course not. She also told me how you truly care about people. That you do everything in your power to protect them. Even if it means risking your life and image for the sake of strangers, you’ll willingly go head first. You are a good man, Sigurd. Just…be more careful. I’ll try my best to look at situations from your perspective, and protect people as I am able.

Sigurd: Thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in this matter. I will try to be more aware in regards to my own actions.

Summoner: Good. Oh, Ethlyn told me I should ask you about the “magic flag” incident?

Sigurd: She…of course she did… I should get back to training, Summoner. Good day.

Summoner: Hey! You can’t run away from me! I’ll get you to tell me!

A Support

Summoner: A-and you…really? Hanging upside d-down? I’m not laughing, I just…hahahaha!

Sigurd: I’ll admit I was a handful in my earlier years. I’m glad you find my humiliating story enjoyable.

Summoner: I-I…heh! I swear I’m not laughing at you! It’s just…ha!

Sigurd: Please try catching your breath before speaking. I don’t want to explain why you passed out from laughter.

Summoner: O-okay! It’s just you seem so serious! I never expected you to be such a troublemaker.

Sigurd: I was lazy and sloppy back then. I left a lot of my duties to Ethlyn. Eventually the world decided to knock sense into me. I’m glad Seliph is better than I was at his age.

Summoner: Well I think it’s refreshing to know you’re not perfect. I mean you’re very princely but you’re also just like everyone else. You make dumb mistakes and play dumb tricks. It’s all part of being a kid.

Sigurd: Perhaps you’re right. Tell me, did you get into trouble?

Summoner: Well I do have a few stories I can tell you, but they might be a little boring compared to yours.

Sigurd: I would like to hear them if you don’t mind. You’re an enigma to me sometimes.

Summoner: Me? Mysterious? You’re joking.

Sigurd: It’s true. I only know that you are from another world like me. I would like to know more about you.

Summoner: I guess I can tell a few stories. Let’s see…

S Support

Sigurd: Are you alright!

Summoner: I’m fine, Sigurd. Please calm down. You don’t need to keep asking every five seconds. I can move my arm. See!

Sigurd: You nearly got beheaded! How can I be calm when you almost died? It is my job to protect you, and yet I failed.

Summoner: Stop beating yourself up. I’m as much to blame. I should’ve been paying closer attention to my surroundings. But everything turned out well, no one else was hurt.

Sigurd: You should be more worried for your own safety! Did you not tell me that a while ago? I cannot lose you!

Summoner: What has gotten into you? You’re panicking over a small mistake. Just breathe with me for a second. Here give me your hands; they’re shaking.

Sigurd: …

Summoner: Better?

Sigurd: ...yes. I’m sorry for that.

Summoner: It’s okay. You were just worried. I’m safe. You're safe. This mission was a success. Everything is fine.

Sigurd: You must understand, I have lost many people I love. Despite coming to Askr, their deaths are still real and permanent in my world. I cannot bear the thought of losing you too.

Summoner: I…you love me?

Sigurd: Yes. Does that surprise you? The time we've been spending together, I’ve been falling in love with you more and more. You are a remarkable, kind, and strong person. You’re a bright light in my life. I would use every ounce of my strength to protect you from harm.

Summoner: Sigurd, I-

Sigurd: Please, do not think you’re obligated to return my feelings. I am content with protecting you.

Summoner: I’m not content with that.

Sigurd: Pardon?

Summoner: I can’t be content with you protecting me. Instead I want us to watch out for each other. After all, I can’t let my love do all the work.

Sigurd: You mean you?

Summoner: Yes! So are you going to kiss me now?

Sigurd: Gladly.

[kurosaki]

10 Characters Tag

Tagged by: @dialovers-translations Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! 💜

Rules: make a new post, name 10 of your favorite characters from 10 different fandoms that you like, and then tag 10 people.

1. Ruki Mukami — Diabolik Lovers

I will say this now, I love Ruki, Subaru, Shu, Carla and Yuma equally. I genuinely cannot chose between them because I love them so dearly and bring me so much comfort during a lot of stressful situations. I decided Ruki since we both share a similar tragic backstory of being abandoned by their parents and I feel he would understand me the most. I'm also attached to Ruki because of our shared passion for literature. I also really love the way Ruki presents and carries himself, he's so... regal? elegant? The Mukami brothers have such an emphasis on found family and strong bond, I'm a sucker for that as well especially for all the advice Ruki gives his brothers not only in his own, but all his brothers' routes.

2. Shin — Amnesia

Admittedly when I first played Amnesia, I picked Shin because I'm a sucker for goths. After playing his route I fell absolutely in love, I actually cried multiple times during his route. The only other time that happens is when I play DL. *sobs* I didn't expect Shin to have such real struggles and such love for the player (despite him being so grumpy, but honestly it's adorable). I cannot stress how well written his character is. I love him so much, it's late at night and I shouldn't get emotional over otome games, but Shin just gets me.

3. Mitsuri Kanroji — Kimetsu no Yaiba

MITSURI IS MY BI GIRLFRIEND I ADORE HER SO MUCH. Thank you KNY for allowing my love to have a boyfriend AND girlfriend who love her so very much. (Shoutout Shinobu and Obanai) Mitsuri's design is what immediately drew me to her. She is so bright and warm and personally I think braids are the absolute cutest (ESPECIALLY WITH DUAL TONED HAIR)

4. Ishtar — Fate/GO

There are a lot of FGO ladies (and Merlin) that I adore, but Ishtar will always be my favorite. I first got introduced to her through FGO's summer event years ago and I absolutely adored the chaotic energy she had in the story. After that I decided I would continue playing FGO and I've been stuck here ever since :•) The FGO Babylonia anime also portrayed her so well, I loved seeing how animated and vibrant she is!

5. Ares — Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Mutuals know I am a big FE4/5 elitist, I'm sorry for my hubris, but Ares Hezul Nordion Fire Emblem, please sir... your hand in marriage. I absolutely loved this man in my FE4 play throughs. He is a killing machine, when he got into FEH I was so happy, his new art? Stunning. I hate the app and what it did to the Jugdral series, but the Nordion Family art is superb. I loved his story in FE4 and the growth and healing he goes through after meeting Seliph, the narrative genuinely touched my heart. I want to put the entire FE4/5 cast on this list.

6. Asbel — Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

I. Love. My. Son. So. Much. Just like Ares, Asbel is an absolute killing machine. He genuinely saved my life in FE5 so many times, even after many sleepless nights and strategizing. I genuinely feel like I owe my B ranking in Thracia to Asbel. His love for Leif makes me want to cry, I'll never forget “We swore to each other that we would live and die together, Lord Leif ... Let's reclaim Thracia. I'm willing to go through anything for that cause!”

7. Lillie — Pokemon Sun/Moon

Lillie is the best daughter I swear! I adore her and the entire Sun/Moon anime and cast! Although Hoenn is my favorite because of nostalgia, Alola is a close second and I will genuinely say it was the best anipoke. It featured so much growth, not only for Ash, but for Lillie and the rest of the Alola gang as well. I relate to Lillie's relationship with her mother as well, you have no idea how happy it made me seeing the “I hate you mother!” scene animated. I'm Lillie's mom now. That's final.

8. Pripara — Sophie Hojo

If I had to recommend an anime to anyone, it would be Pripara. It's the most silliest idol anime I've ever watched and definitely directed to children, but I love how inspirational it is to kids. It's the kind of show I wish was there for me as a child, but I'm so happy younger kids get to have these positive messages and life lessons. Sophie is very dear to me, she showcases that self growth can be taken at a steady pace and there's absolutely no rush to growing and being able to learn how to take care of yourself.

9. Rem — Re:Zero

It has honestly been years since I've read Re:Zero and couldn't tell you anything besides the basic plot, but I absolutely adore Rem. I was drawn to both Rem and Ram based on their designs, but the more I watched the show, the more I got attached to Rem. Her smile is such a blessing, every time I see it, just an immediate dose of serotonin.

10. Cloud Strife — Final Fantasy VII

This guy... this guy right here... I just think he's really neat! Admittedly, all my FFVII lore information comes from my girlfriend. I want to play FFVIIR once I'm able to visit my little brothers and borrow their PlayStation (they got the PlayStation, I got the Switch) SO HOPEFULLY I GET TO MEET HIM SOON! I've heard a lot about him from friends and mutuals I just got attached. He's pretty cool :)

Tagging: I physically cannot tag other people because of anxiety, but if you want an excuse to talk about your favorite characters please feel free to say I tagged you :3

[crystalelemental]

The blood thing kinda makes sense with how traits get passed down. It’s kinda like, okay one parent has A blood and one parent has B blood, shouldn’t the kid have AB blood? And sure that’s a possibility, but the kid could also have A or B alone, or even O depending on the specific makeup!

It does, kinda, if we account for real world systems.  Forgive me if I’m wrong, I don’t remember my Genealogy lore as well as I probably should, but it doesn’t work exactly like Crests in Three Houses, does it?  Like, Crests can skip people and only manifest sometimes, but that wasn’t the case for Holy Blood in Genealogy.  After all, the entire premise is that the main bloodline that carried Loptous had a successor with minor blood, and that this would be passed down for a certainty.  If there was a chance it couldn’t be passed, then the entirety of Manfroy’s plan fell apart.  After all, they don’t have blood tests, or visible representations of that blood’s presence like with Crests.  There was no way to actually tell for certain if both Deirdre and Arvis carried Loptous blood, so getting them to have kids would be random chance in multiple directions.  Maybe both parents don’t have minor blood.  Maybe the resulting child wouldn’t have major blood.  There would be so many variables that make his plan not only unlikely to succeed, but outright impossible to account for.  His own actions would be blindly flailing around in the dark trying to hit a moving target.  But he never seems unsure or treats it like this is a desperation play.  He’s certain it will work, which implies that the blood is guaranteed to be passed on, and that mixing two of the same Minor blood would make Major blood.  Hell, this is also how your own Gen 2 units work, and is part of crafting the perfect units for that half of the game.

So yeah, by real world rules, something like this could’ve happened.  But by Genealogy rules, it seems like Crusader and Loptous blood is guaranteed to be transmitted, either as major or minor blood, with the additional stipulation that two minor bloods of the same type mixing will create a Major blood, and that based on Deirdre and I think some others, you can and will inherit multiple types of blood at the same time.  Therefore, Julia and Julius should’ve both inherited the same major blood of both Naga and Loptous, and refusing to acknowledge that based on the rules they created is cowardice to create a more boring, stock-standard good-vs-evil conflict.

And that’s not even how it gets into the entire theme of Julia’s character, which is the whole destiny vs. personal choice thing.  If she’d had both Loptous and Naga blood within her, then it’s easy to understand that she or her brother could easily have been the scion of Naga or Loptous, and it was random chance (or more likely, Manfroy insisting a son would be stronger) that spared her.  We’d have more to go on with the whole dichotomy of being able to bring both ruin or salvation to the continent, but not both at the same time; she’d have to choose, and the potential for both is within her in a very concrete way.  It would emphasize both that some things are determined by blood, but personal agency and choice, and a bit of luck, shapes how you choose to be, and could’ve been further emphasized with literally any conclusion to her arc other than making her a boring plot device enemy for Seliph to save.  Instead, they opted to go with her just having the good blood.  Because she’s the good one.  And the good one does the good thing, which is beat the bad one, who only has the bad.  It’s boring, it’s stupid, and it’s completely antithetical to the whole point of Gen 1, which was largely around how well-intentioned, good-natured people can make horrific mistakes that cause awful results.  Genealogy is just such a mishandled mess of a story that wants so hard to believe it’s this deep and complex narrative, but it can’t even handle its own characters right.

[rainbowdonkee]

I’m going to do this for everyday so time will pass faster, I’m going to do Days 1-10 underneath since I’ve been really busy the past few weeks w/work (and my hand is recovering from my cat) so now I can type! 

1. Favorite Game: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia! The game is close to a masterpiece and I still am so dissapointed many FE fans brushed it aside due to not ‘being able to s-support certain units (IGN trying to ship Celica and Saber made me gag) or making an Avatar/OC’. The game did had it’s fault of staying too true to the original (still crying we couldn’t get more supports b/w characters) but the OST and the art, made the game memorable a top 5 for me. Bless you Hidari!

2. Favorite World: I would say Fodlan, and this is hard to go into detail but because it’s the newest continent in the FE series, I’ll be looking forward to discovering the land! Glad we have names of cities and regions and since it’s still a mystery it’ll be full of surprises. Jugdral will be there too because we actually get to see the political connections and tension across the continent, not only in a few countries like other games. 

3. Favorite Protag: It would have to be Sigurd (aka Jonathan Joestar is FE). He was a true gentleman and was guided by honor and chivalry, and he stayed true to himself despite the political tension. Sigurd helped Ayra and Shannan be under his safety and despite the fact that his action was later used against him, he never once regretted his decision. He never got the chance to be a father to Seliph but his final action of sending Oifey and Shannan away with baby Seliph and the rest of the kids was a true action any loving parent would have done.

4. Favorite Antagonist: Arvis, literally one of the most realistic villains we’ve gotten in FE. As a player he’s painted as a bad guy to us since we see the story through Sigurd’s POV but for the people of Jugdral...Sigurd truly was the traitor and Arvis’ judgement was just, and I really like that for the first time in a FE game it wasn’t black and white. (S/o to Michalis being my fav minor villain)

5. Favorite Ability: Astra, it’s always hype when a unit triggers the skill and then you can see them demolish the enemy!

6.  Favorite Spell: Invoke spell from fe2/15. It was fun seeing the different soldiers Silque, Tatiana, Genny could summon and it was nice having extra units in the battlefield. It was fun seeing them survive through the chapter and a little sad when they get taken out.

7. Favorite Item: Oranges, Valentian Oranges. In all seriousness it’s Mila’s Turnwheel since it became a game changer for both casual and classic players. And I’m glad the mechanic is coming back to FE3H.

8. Favorite Class: Dracoknight, Wyvern Riders/Lords! I love pegasi but if given the opportunity to go into battle on a pagasus or a dragon/wyvern....there is no competition on which looks cooler! Also I love characters from that class so much; Michalis, Minerva, Altena, Heath, Cherche.

9. Favorite Weapon: If we’re not counting a specific plot-relevant weapon it would be Brave weapons, because it feels good giving it to someone with a high skill and always getting a guaranteed crit! But if we’re going for an actual lore important weapon, it would be Valflame from Arvis in FEH! Literally he summons a sun and burns the enemy while looking fab. 

10. Favorite Battle: Hands down the Battle of Belhalla. Everything about Ch5 was just nerve-wrecking and the end results for the first time were not in favor to the player. From Byron passing down Tyrfing at his final moments to the Yied Desert with Quan and Ethlyn...everything was just so heartbreaking. If they ever remake FE4 I”m hoping they’ll put all that FEH money to make one of the most memorable cut-scenes. 

[moczothe1st]

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 21: Thracial Tensions

Part 20

Welcome back to FEIV! You may recall last week I spent about an hour freaking out in terror over a teenage girl killing me, just like I do every week in real life (Go home, Jessica!).  This week, however, we have no enemies left on the map and get to enjoy a nice normal time of things as we go to save everyone from the broken and fleeing Imperials, and surely Travant won’t fuck it up.  

Before anything else, though, I use the newly-acquired castle to run Faval through the Arena, since he joined up after everyone else was already done.  

Faval: Seven wins, gained two levels:  +3 HP, +2 Skill, +1 Strength, +1 Speed, +2 Luck, +1 Defense

Not bad at all! End turn, and let’s get the story rocking along.

(Kinky.)

Travant, Ugh: Now’s our chance to help ourselves to the north, starting with Manster! Altena! I leave the capture of Manster to you. I’ll send General Coulter with you. If anyone stands in your way, suppress them without a second thought. I don’t care if it’s a little kid with a wooden stick. Cut them down!

(You may remember the name Altena from part one, if you think back; yup, it’s Quan and Ethlyn’s kidnapped daughter, raised by the enemy. And yes, just in case you thought he might have gone fully sympathetic anti-villain last week, this whole conversation is good proof he’s still a dick.)  

Altena: Hold on a moment, Father! I’m as eager to challenge the Empire as you are, but killing innocents makes no sense at all! We’d be better served forging an alliance with the liberators. We’re already surrounded by enemies. Why make more?

Travant: Altena, I have no interest in one of your little lectures. Keep your mouth shut and do as you’re told!  

Altena: But, father…

Arion: Please, Altena, just listen to him. Father and I must return to the capital.  We’ve some further preparations to make. Best of luck holding the border, Altena.

Altena: Arion… very well. I’ll do it.

Travant: Then don’t waste your time dawdling! Do it!

(What a dick!)

Travant: I haven’t seen a woman so brash since her mother… quite the family resemblance there!

Arion: Father, you surely must realize that Altena means you no ill will. You needn’t be so harsh on her.

Travant: Yes, that much is obvious, thank you!  

(I have to point out that this means he realizes he doesn’t need to be harsh on Altena, but does it anyway. What a dick!)

Travant: … Let’s head back to the capital, Arion. We need to ready the army to claim this peninsula as ours, once and for all!

Ced: I suppose it was only a matter of time before Travant showed his true colors…                        

Needy McNeedypants: The liberation army’s sure to want to aid us, but they still haven’t crossed the river! What do we do?

Ced: Everyone! Get out of here and run for Connaught! I’ll stay here and fend off the dracoknights for as long as I can!

Waaaaaah: B-but that’s impossible, Sir Ced! Not even you could survive a dracoknight assault by yourself!  

(*snerk* Yeah, Ced’s in mortal danger.)

Ced: I know, but I can’t risk any lives but my own.  Don’t worry. I won’t go down without bringing a few Thracians down with me! Please, we’ve no time to waste!

Poor Listener: Sir Ced…

Now. We do need to hurry here, but it’s most definitely not out of any worry for Ced’s life. Bluntly speaking, he could kill the entire Thracian army by himself, provided his weapon doesn’t break from hitting  them all too hard.  But the thing is, he’s currently a neutral unit, not part of our army, so if he wipes out the Thracians right now he won’t get a drop of EXP from it.  Furthermore, just like way back in Silesse, every one of those civilians we can successfully rescue will give a free level to the unit that talks to them! That alone is worth going to war with Thracia, frankly.    

Oh, and there’s some villages off to the east across a small mountain range, being burned by bandits. Because screw you and screw your happiness.  Time to start running, kids.  First, though, Nanna and Ares can have a chat; Cousin Fun Time!

Nanna: I’ve been hearing you’re the son of Lord Eldigan. Is there any truth to that?

Eldigan: There is. Of what concern is it to you?

Nanna: Oh, I knew it was true! I’m the daughter of Raquesis Lachesis, Lord Eldigan’s sister!

Ares: C-can this be?! Are you truly my aunt’s child?

(Why won’t anyone in this army say the word ‘cousin’?  Leif and Seliph are cousins, and they said ‘aunt’s child’ too.  There’s a word that means ‘aunt or uncle’s child’, writers!)

Nanna: Of course I am! You know, my mother was really worried about what happened to you. It must have been her search for you that brought us to Leonster all those years ago…

Ares: My father knew well that the stormclouds of a brutal civil war lurked across Agustria.  

(“He could have stopped it and saved thousands of lives, but that would have required admitting the evil king was evil, and he psychologically couldn’t do that.”)  

Ares: I was a mere infant and my mother was in poor health, so he bade her to seek refuge with her parents in Leonster. Alas, Leonster too fell afoul of a war of its own, and my mother lost her life to the Empire’s invasion.

Nanna: That’s where Jabarro comes in, right?

Ares: Indeed. Jabarro found me and took me in as his own, and with his mercenary corps I traveled the world and learned the art of war.

(“And then, he left my friend to get raped and mocked me for getting angry about it. That was awkward.”)

Nanna: SO that’s why I’ve never found you before…. Listen, Ares. My mother left me something to give you if we ever met.

Ares: Oh? What is this… is this… is this Father’s?!

(Ooooooooh, what is it?! A sword? Spear? Kickass magic ring? Go on!)

Nanna: It is! A letter from Lord Eldigan, and it’s address to you, Ares.

(… Lame.)

Ares: I can’t believe it…

Nanna: This should sort everything out! It says your father and Lord Sigurd were the closest of friends and held each other’s deepest trust.

(“It also says other plot-convenient things, like a detailed explanation of how you ended up getting your dad’s sword after he died in another country!  Also he stops to specify that he never touched my mother seven different times, which I felt was a bit odd.”)

Ares: So it says… wow, I… I’ve been so, so wrong for all this time…

Nanna: Please look after Lord Seliph, Ares. He really is depending on you!

Ares: I will, I promise you… say, Nanna. How would you like a quick lesson in swordplay. Here, pay close attention…

Nanna gains +2 to her defense from this conversation, and I enjoy that because if she’s going to be a melee fighter, she might as well go all out.  

Now then. There are six civilians to collect, and obviously we have more than six units, so let’s see who’s currently the lowest. Tinni is level 10, Faval, Patty, and Fee are 12, Arthur, Larcei, Dermott, and Lester are 13. We’re about to fight a shit-ton of wyverns, so Lester and Faval are gonna be just fine, and obviously Arthur is invincible; I’ll give two to Tinni, one each to Patty, Dermott, Fee, and Larcei. Thankfully, like actual people they do have the politeness to run toward us, so I can get most of them right away.  

Tinni: +2 HP, +2 Skill, +2 Speed, +1 Luck, +1 Defense, +1 Resistance

Dermott: +1 HP, +1 Defense

Patty:  +1HP, +1 Strength, +1 Skill, +1 Speed, +1 Luck

Dermott, what the Hell man? Though I guess Defense is what you need most of all, so… okay, I’ll allow it.  Way to rock out Patty, though.  Anyhow, my other two civilian rescuers don’t get to reach them this turn, but enough people do get there that no wyverns will be reaching them. End turn!

….

Yeah, the wyverns take awhile to get to you, nothing happens on the enemy phase.  Time to get the remaining civilians.  

Fee: +1 HP, +1 Strength, +1 Skill

Larcei: +2 HP, +1 Speed, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Not bad! And off to the east, the team sent to clear out the two villages reaches the first one and removes a bandit with extreme prejudice…

And Seliph, taking advantage of his new horse, runs down to recruit Ced.

(“At last”.  You might notice that I actually arrived before those enemies you were planning to make a dramatic last stand against, bro.)  

Ced: Sire, I implore you! Save this world! Too many of us have already given into despair.  The city of Manster has been robbed by the Empire of countless young children. All were sent to dark shrines in Miletos… I… I couldn’t save even a single child. Me, brave? Ha! I hardly deserve such a lofty label. I’m just another coward…

Seliph: That isn’t true, Ced! If I were to fight alone as you have, I know there’d be precious little I could do. It was uniting the strength of my friends, a team effort, which brought us this far. And I believe that your strength could be a valuable part of our cause. Please, Ced the Brave. Grant us your power!

Ced: Thank you, sire… you’ll have my loyalty, no matter what!

So here’s Ced, Erin and Azel’s other child and Fee’s brother.  He’s… he’s really awesome. Ced is one of those kids who is impossible to fuck up, he’s going to turn out kind of overpowered no matter what; he can use both staves and any kind of magic other than Dark, so he has tons of offensive options. In addition his base stats are absurd, with magic and speed already within sight of the cap at level 14. Those are really all he needs, but he still also has decently above-average values in everything other than strength, seemingly just to taunt the enemy. If you pair Lewyn/Erin like the game clearly wants you to do, he’ll end up stupidly overpowered thanks to starting with Forseti and being unquestionably the best person to use it, but that does also mean you don’t get it back until now.  Ishtar says ‘hello’.

From here, there’s not much else to do; just run everyone up to the castle, and get ready for the wyvern rush. End turn!

Maykov: Men! Bolster our defensive line! Until His Majesty returns, we must protect the border at all costs!

(Bring it on, bitch. I beat Ishtar, you and your mooks are nothing but free EXP to me.)  

(… Why do you guys hate Johan so much? I mean, other than all the obvious reasons to hate Johan?)

Altena: Wait here with the squad. I’ll see if I can negotiate a surrender.

Coulter: You know I can’t do that. My orders come from over your head. You can spout all the lovey nonsense you wish, but the king forbids me to stay my hand.

Altena: Are you questioning a direct order from your commander and your princess, General?!

Coulter: These are my men, princess! If you don’t wish to partake yourself, then stand aside! Make yourself useful and watch our backs! Now then… is everyone ready? Prepare to strike Manster! Leave no survivors!

(You know, it would be easier to sympathize with the plight of the Thracian People if 95% of them weren’t total douchebags.)

Altena: Coulter! Get back here at once!

Why do they hate Leif so much?  … It’s the hair, isn’t it? Dammit, guys, he can’t help it. Bad Hair is genetic in this land.

All right, time to slaughter, I think.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Okay, only a handful of them are left, but Lene is in range of a few so she might die and force a reset here. Try to not do that, Lene. End turn!

… Seriously, though? That was… I mean, that one who died on Shanan could have stabbed my weak sissy little dancer. Why…? Oh, who cares. Let’s just finish them off.

That was fun. Oh, and we can run Ced through the Arena while we’re here. Gee I wonder how that will go.

Ced: 7 Wins, gained levels: +1 HP, +1 Strength, +1 Speed, +1 Magic, +1 Luck, +1 Resistance

Nobody even hit him. *sniff* Welcome to the team, Ced.  

And with that, we have crushed the original Thracian assault. Altena is still chilling over the mountains, she can’t fight us, so we start moving past her toward the last castle.  End turn!

Where did he come from?! Yeesh, that actually got me, I totally missed that one of the wyverns had run off to the side and was hiding over the water for some reason. What the what, guys.  And to the other side, one of the bandits actually moves to go after Ares! That’s also weird!

Not a threat, but weird!

Our turn starts, and Tinni claims my vengeance on the Surprise!Wyvern, Lana gains a level from healing, and Fee is clearly enjoying her work clearing out the last village.

Beautiful, Fee. For that level, you also get the village money.

Creepy Old Lady: Either way, I want to thank you for coming all this way for such a small and remote town. This here trinket’s a thief’s band. She’s an odd little thing: slip her on and you’ll soon find yourself stealing like you’ve done it all your life. Hoo hoo hoo! Take care of yourself dearie!

Hoo hoo hoo indeed. She does need some money, so this will be helpful for her. In the meantime, though, Tinni of all people already has the money to purchase the Paragon Band, so I have her drop by the shop to grab it, then shove her to the front of the army.  Oh, and Faval has been waiting to chat with Seliph for all this time, that’s nice.  

Seliph: Relax, I understand why you did what you did. You’ve nothing to worry about.  

Faval: I don’t think so, sir. Letting myself work for the very same Empire I’ve supposedly been opposing? That was shamefully half-witted of me…

(I mean, you said it, not me.)

Faval: Sir, I swear I’ll make up for my bad choices. I’ll do everything I can to aid you!

Seliph: Thank you, Seliph. We’re glad to have you.

The army runs forward, being harried by ballistae as we go, and that’s okay. Because it means there’s some healing to do on the way, and from this healing…

It is time.  

You know, on the next turn. Because on this turn, I kind of moved into wyvern range too. It’s okay, the wyverns are losers, we can-

…. Really, dude? Wyverns and ballistae? That is what breaks you?! I have never before wanted to leave you dead before, Ulster, but this did it. *sigh* Reset.  I do the last few turns roughly as before; they were mostly just random moving around anyhoo; this time, I have everyone stop right on the edge of the evil damn wyverns, so only the ballistae can attack us. We probably won’t die from just them.  And then, when we KILL THEM, we can stop in a nice defensive formation to protect Ulster from getting nasty booboos.  I also have Lana end her turn by zapping Julia back to home base after she gets herself the exact same pretty good level.

Let’s try this again.

Much less interesting; much more better.  Now, before anything else:

Uweeheeheeheeheeheeheehee. Look at that delicious +8 to speed. Speed is one of Julia’s most important stats, because her growth in it is only average; if she’s gonna get screwed at anything that she really needs, it will be Speed. That did not happen here.  UWEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE.

Now, time to remove some siege engines.

…. Erm… let’s remove… one. Siege engine. There’s a lot of mountains in this area, and it was hard to get enough units down there to… to actually help.

This may go badly.

… Or the enemy may totally forget that whole laser-focus death attack that ruined everything last time, and just randomly throw themselves against anything nearby, achieving absolutely nothing.  I mean, works for me, but…

Oh, let’s just finish this off.

Now see, this is the kind of turn I like, kids.  Ares and Nanna are still running home and won’t make it in time for the battle, but that’s okay; there’s only one enemy left, the boss. I stop to give Ares a village because he’s worth it.  

Info Master: With his heavenly lance, Gungnir, he dared to challenge the king of demons himself! Rumor has it that Nova of the Crusaders, ancestor of the lords of House Leonster, was in fact the sister of Lord Dain…

Oh boy, more Thracian political history. End turn!

,.. Oh right, there’s no more enemies.  Well, let’s just close up. I spend a few turns moving everyone up, only stopping to let Fee talk to her brother.

Fee: I’ve been looking for you, of course! I mean, you’ve been gone from Silesse for so long, and we had no idea where you were!

Cedsy: I know, Fee, and I’m sorry…. See, what happened was I was passing through Manster in my search for Father. I would have moved on, but the people’s plight was nothing short of heartbreaking. I couldn’t just leave them to waste away…

Fee: I should’ve known. That is so like you, Cedsy! And here I was, almost starting to forget why you’re so incredible.

(Oh God, they’re not gonna be another incest couple, are they? I’m sensitive whenever siblings act too nice to each other in this game.)

Cedsykins: You’ve joined the liberation army, then?

Fee: Yep! I just knew I had to help Lord Seliph.

Cedsy-poo: Is that so… you’re even more like Mother than I thought! Not once in her life did she ever turn her back on someone in need.

Fee: You’re just like her too, Cedsy…. Poor mom, though. Just thinking about how Dad left her… it makes me so mad!

Cedsy Wedsy Pudding and Pie: I still can’t make sense of his actions. What could he have possibly been thinking…

Their dad was Azel, and I’m pretty sure he died at Belhalla.  See, the game sort of assumes their dad is Lewyn, because… well, because the game does everything short of have Lewyn and Erin already be married when they join, mostly. Anyway, this conversation gives Ced a point of Luck, because he really needed it.  

Now for the boss!  This guy is not particularly dangerous, not gonna lie to you here; however, you should not fight him at range if you can avoid it. Whyyyy?

E-yup, Jamke’s old Killer Bow!  Neither of our archers really need it, so there’s no need for them to get fighty over it; in fact, I think I’m going to try to get it to Leif, since he can use bows after he promotes. Besides, you really do not want to fight this fucker at range, have him activate Pavise to survive it, and then crit you with that thing.  Melee units, to the front!

*sniff* I love it when a plan comes together. Seliph, bring us home.

(… You mean they’re a level lower, right?)

Seliph: It almost feels as if each blow is fueled by pure desperation…

Lewyn: Thracia’s always had a bad lot in life… much of its land is consumed by mouintains, farming its own food is a near impossible task, so they struggle to keep themselves fed. Thracia’s men seek mercenary work to find the money to stay alive, while its women are stuck in whatever dreary jobs they can dig up.  Don’t get me wrong, King Travant is an awful man, but there’s far more than his own petty gain at stake in his schemes.  

(Protip for writers: If you want people to find your anti-villain sympathetic, be sure to keep his smug cackling, kidnapping babies, and ordering the mass slaughter of civilians to a minimum.)

Lewyn: The Thracian army is as loyal to Travant as they come. They ardently believe it’s him who will guide Thracia out of its endless famine.

(“I mean, yes, he’s been trying for almost two decades with no results and has now led them to another crushing defeat the instant he chose to become involved with international affairs again… but… look, they’re loyal, not smart.”)  

Seliph: I see… that does make sense…

Lewyn: The thing is, no amount of poverty can justify Thracia’s aggression.  Travant’s brand of nobility and justice would never be accepted anywhere else in the world. All other nations can see are rowdy aggressors who threaten their peaceful lives. As harsh as it may seem, Seliph, I trust you know you can’t afford to stay your hand here. The Thracian royal family is the enemy, and a grave threat to the north’s peace. Stripping them of power is the only choice. That task falls to us, and we can’t fail now.

(Dammit, game, stop making me agree with Lewyn!)

And with that, Altena flies away, and the battle ends. Be sure to sign in next week when we… *sigh*… spend another map worth of Thracian peninsula politics.  Good times, good times. At least we finally get a wyvern knight in the army! And I don’t consider that a spoiler because neither does the game, bluntly.  Laters!  

Resets: 25. Way to drop the ball in the 9th inning there, Ulster.

Part 22

[moczothe1st]

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 17: Leif and Let Leif

Part 16

Welcome back to Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Goddammit it’s another desert map. We just beat one of those, dammit! *sob* Damn you, game. Damn you to Hell. Tell me your story, you bastard.

And wide, inspiring courage anew in the Empire’s victims. Still more uprisings erupt across Jugdral, but once again, precious few are properly organized and are easily crushed, and the death toll climbs ever higher…

Leonster, a kingdom in the Thracian Peninsula…

(FIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN!)

But they have suffered a devasating loss before King Blume’s vast hordes and are stranded in hostile ground.

The oasis city of Darna,

(Guess which one of these faces will be recruitable.)

In Rivough, Seliph and the warriors of his liberation army now prepare themselves to embark on a journey and come to the aid of their allies in far-away Leonster. Each warrior sets aside their worries as, under Seliph’s leadership, they prepare for the new battle on their horizon.

(Well. Finn is back, but he’s not exactly a bundle of sunshine, huh.)

Finn: This is a crippling blow to our army. We’ve lost most of our might in one fell swoop.

Leif: This can’t be happening… I thought this was our chance… was all of this useless all along? Damn it all! I’ll kill Blume with my bare hands!

(Damn, Leif is way less chill than his dad was.)

Finn: Please calm yourself, milord! This isn’t the end quite yet. I’ve just had a word with King Lewyn. He’s sending Prince Seliph’s liberation army to back us up. Until then, no matter what, we must endure the siege milord.

Leif: Prince Seliph, you say… He’s the son of my father’s old friend Sigurd and Empress Deirdre, right?

Hair Wings are the Best: I think we should abandon the castle for now, and seek refuge in that western church.  

Leif: Hm, you’re right. I suppose we don’t have much choice now.  Very well. Our priority is to play this out defensively for the time being. Until Prince Seliph gets here, we must endure…

Blume: Buffoons, all of you! Do you really think I want to hear excuses? I want Leonster seized! No more delays! If you waste any more time on this, then we’ll have to contend with those Isaachian mongrels as well!

(So blume takes after his dad, then. Good to know.)

Moustache: Y-yes milord! We will strike immediately, milord!

(Dammit all, I let Dew die childless specifically to avoid a character like you.)

Girl!Dew: But I can’t afford to dawdle now. Still gotta get out of here, and quick…

Do the Dew: Do you have any idea how tough it was to get my hands on this sword? If you want it, come get it, nincompoop!

Shanan: W-wait!

Priest Whose Name I have Already Forgotten: And they absconded with Balmung?! You fools! Go seize them! Now!

Mook: Y-yes, your grace! But, er, your grace… surely a master of dark magics of your caliber could crush common thieves such as these with a single blow, even from here?

I think it was Cthfuzorc or something: I’ve misplaced my book of Fenrir.  My men are scouring the shrine to find it, but so far it has yet to emerge…

Trying Not to Laugh: Understood, your grace. In that case, my clan and I will take a few mercenaries and pursue them. We swear to you, your grace, that we will have the treasure back where it belongs post-haste!

Lewyn: the order’s fell mages infest the desert, mercilessly assaulting anyone they find in it. People’ve taken to calling the region the Desert of Death… a fitting name, really.

Seliph: I can only imagine how awfully travelers struggle here! I wonder… perhaps it’d be possible to seize the shrine from the Order?

Lewyn: Heh, I thought you’d never ask. There’s always a way, but this one won’t be easy. We may need to make sacrifices.  

Seliph: So be it. At this point we’ve little choice. Not to mention, Shanan is likely still in the desert… for now, let’s focus on taking control of Yied! All else will begin there!

And here we go, the first REAL chapter of generation two. And what I mean by real, of course…

THERE’S AN ARENA! SCREW LEIF AND SHANAN, IT’S TIME TO SPEND FIVE HOURS DOING GLADIATOR COMBAT, BITCHES.

Seliph: Seven wins, gained four levels: +8 HP, +3 Skl, +3 Str, +1 Mag, +2 Luck, +2 Def, +1 Res

Julia: Three wins, gained one level: +1 HP, +1 Speed, +1 Magic, +1 Luck

Oifey: Seven wins, gained one level: +1 HP, +1 Skill, +1 Luck

Ulster: Seven wins, gained two levels: +3 HP, +1 Skill, +1 Strength, +2 Speed, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Larcei: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +3 Strength, +2 Speed, +2 Magic, +1 Luck

Lester: Seven wins, gained two levels: +2 HP, +2 Strength, +1 Magic, +1 Speed, +1 Defense

Dermott:  Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +1 Skill, +3 Strength, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Fee: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill, +1 Strength, +3 Magic, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Arthur: Seven wins, gained three levels: +5 HP, +2 Skill, +4 Speed, +1 Magic, +3 Luck, +1 Defense, +1 Res

Johan: Six wins, gained one level: +1 HP, +1 Speed, +1 Defense

Dammit, Julia.  She’s unfortunately too slow to deal with the Myrmidon hanging out at Rank Four; he doubles her and she can’t hit him with any sort of accuracy. We’ll try this again at the end of the map. And speaking of the map…

So here’s what we’ve got. To the west of us is Yied Shrine, which is full of Loptyrites, and the desert between us and them is just silly with Dark Mages. Shanan himself is to the west of the Shrine; and directly south of it are two additional castles that we’re going to have to conquer eventually because of course we will. However, they don’t go hostile until we take Yied, and we can’t get the rest of the army to Lief’s rescue until we take them, so we’ve got a war ahead of us.  Lief himself is directly south of our starting point, at the neutral castle Leonster, and directly south of him is the end-of-chapter boss. He has two units to protect him, and despite being told to run away, the three of them can often hold out on their own.  But there’s a lot of villages down there and we want those bad. So we’re gonna abandon the castle… AND CHARGE.  

Now. Before we get rolling, I do believe we have five new people to look at.

First off, Shanan. Like Oifey he’s a pre-promote, joining as a Swordmaster despite being level 12.  However, he has some factors that make him more useful than Oifey in the long run:.First of all, his growths in everything other than HP and Skill are very much on the low side, but his base stats are so high it hardly matters; he’s not really going to get significantly stronger, but who cares when he’s already strong enough to fight 90% of the game’s enemies right now? Even if every level he gets is mediocre at best, he’ll probably still be fine for the endgame.  Second, his abilities are great, joining up with Pursuit, Adept, and Astra ready to rock.  Third…

Dewlette: Wait… give it back? Is it yours?

Shanan: Yes, it is! That’s my family’s ancestral blade, Balmung. I’m the only person capable of using it. You’ve nothing at all to gain from keeping it.

DewTwo: Wait, so how’d this thing end up in Yied, anyway?

Shanan: It belonged to my father, who died in Grannvale’s war with Isaach. Someone must’ve stolen it from him after he died.  I only recently learned that it was being kept at Yied, so I came to retrieve it.

Dewlightful: Hang on, hang on, hang on! Could it be… are you Isaach’s Prince Shanan?!

Shanan: I am….

One, Dew, Three times a Lady: Really?! It’s really, really you?! Wow! Oh my gosh! This is incredible!

Shanan: Er…

Dew it To Me One More Time: No, really, I’ve heard all the stories about you! All of them! I’ve been a huge fan of yours for so long, but I never thought I’d actually meet you!

Shanan: …

Don’t Dew Drugs: But you’re here! You’re really talking to me right now! It’s like all my dreams’ve come true!                                                                        

Shanan: … Yeah, I think I get the idea. My sword, please?

COULD YOU JUST INTRODUCE YOURSELF ALREADY: Oh, right, sorry! Here ya go.

Shanan: Balmung… my holy sword… It’s finally mine… hm? Ahh! What is this power…?!

Screw it, her name is Patty: Woooow! This is incredible…

And there we go. Balmung is pretty excellent, enough to push Shanan into a tier higher than his growths would otherwise allow; it gives the same broken stat boosts as Forseti, falling behind it only by virtue of not being able to attack from a distance. Since he’s currently alone against an army of dark mages and mercenaries, he’s gonna need it.  

Well, okay, he’s not alone, but he might as well be because Patty is, unfortunately, a level one thief. She’s, as you see from the Minor Odo and Minor Ullur blood, the daughter of Bridget and Holyn, and one of the pairs of kids in the game who inherits the gear of her opposite gendered parent; she gets Holyn’s gear and swords. Unfortunately, even with her Odo blood, she can only use swords up to B-rank, and I was a dimwit and didn’t leave Holyn with one of those for her to inherit.  So she only has her default weapon, a Sleep Edge, which is unfortunately kind of too heavy for a fragile speedster to really put to its best use. Like Dew before her she will eventually turn out pretty good; better than Dew himself by a good margin due to having Holy Blood growth boosts and inheriting Holyn’s Luna skill, but she’s… gonna take some babying.

And now a member of the other pair of kids who take after the opposite parents. Prince Leif, son of Quan and Ethlyn, and heir to his mother’s swords (unfortunately not her staves because… well, because Fire Emblem hates the players, and despite being the same class as Lachesis, who could use staves, he can’t until he promotes). As a Prince, he starts off on the weak side and becomes a demon god when he promotes to Master Knight; he’s a little easier to get there than good ol’ Lachesis was, though, on account of having much better growths and inheriting Adept and Critical from his parents. However, he’s also going to need some babying to achieve his full power.    

All grown up and ready to kick ass, Finn is unchanged from his appearance in the first generation stat-wise, and still has all his kick-ass old spears. Our Finn turned out really well, you may recall, and so he’s going to be doing a lot of the legwork in keeping Leif alive.  He’s also only 32 EXP away from promoting, so he should be improving himself even more by the end of the map.  I’m frankly amazed; I’ve never gotten a Finn that was able to hold up in the endgame of the second gen, but this one may actually pull it off.  He’s already slightly better than Oifey without even getting his promotion stat boosts.

And last but not least, Nanna.  She’s Beowulf and Lachesis’s daughter, and Dermott’s sister, and a fairly solid unit. If nothing else, she’s a Troubador like good old Ethlyn was, meaning she has staves and a horse. Her growths are pretty below-average for a second generation unit, but she’ll never be useless simply by virtue of being a healer with a huge range of movement. And with Pursuit and Accost from dear old dad, she should turn out to be a pretty solid combat unit as well if she gets lucky.  

… Don’t be like Ethlyn, Nanna. She isn’t even your mom, you just share her class. Please.

*whew*

All right, that’s it for new units, so let’s rock.  The main army begins moving west towards the desert; there’s a small army of dark mages in their way, but too far away from us to reach on this turn.  Dark Magic is a pain in the ass as you may recall; it’s outside the weapon triangles, which means nothing has an advantage against it.  Even Light magic only manages ‘neutral’ and all other magic is inferior.  So…. I’m not in a huge hurry to fight them, but Julia will be pulling her weight here, I tell you that. Leif, Finn, and Nanna, on the other hand, begin moving south toward the many villages in their section of the map. There are, of course, tons of bandits, so we’ll need to rush if we want to kill them before Blume’s army reaches us.  

End turn.                                                                                

You… you guys can stay out in the desert if you want…

But my cartoonish terror aside, only one enemy can actually reach us this turn, a mercenary who takes a shot at Shanan.

It coulda gone better for him.

On our turn, I move most of the army to the north; I want Julia to bear the brunt of the mage assault, backed up by Arthur with his book of invincibility. I also take this opportunity to have Oifey have a chat with Dermott.

Oifey: Sir Finn, you say… you’re eager to have the chance to see her again, aren’t you?

Dermott: Yes sir! I can hardly wait!

Oifey: Heh. You’ll have to give this battle your all first, then! How about a quick lesson?

Dermott: Yes, sir! I’d appreciate that!

Normally I would say that during a battle isn’t the right time to be exercising, but it gives Dermott a permanent +1 boost to his Strength, Skill, and Defense, so I’m not gonna complain.

Now, Patty and Shanan.  The thing about this situation is that Patty really cannot fight anything here, so Shanan is gonna have to carry this situation while she hides.  But while the enemy is coming from the east, there’s also two enemies south of them coming along the ridge.  

And guess what, of course Patty can’t fight them either. So this is gonna be a dance.  First, the mages are the biggest threat. They have very little chance of hitting Shanan while he’s got his ubersword in hand, but if they hit he’s fucked. So let’s deal with that first.

One down, a small army to go.  

And Patty is safe for the moment. The two swordsmen should both die on Shanan this turn, so she can move in again around the time the southern wing starts getting close. Neat.  And now for Leif’s team;

Leif and Nanna use mad teamwork to barely defeat a single enemy. I’m so… proooud?  Nanna follows up by liberating the village, stopping them from ever touching it.

Passive Aggressive: Lord Quan… Lady Ethlyn… I pray you’re both proud of your son… please, kind knight, accept this Speed Ring. I’d like you to wear it proudly to your battles.  

… I wish I’d let Leif have that instead of Nanna, but I forgot it was there. Eh, I’ll cope.  I have Finn make a run for the farthest village he can reach, the goal being to kill the bandits more than loot anything. He’s actually got funds left from his own army days, so he doesn’t really need the money. I just want to stop these jerks from torching the money which will be divvied up later amongst my noble men. End turn! The dark mages move in and one takes a swing at our girl Julia.

“SECRET PRINCESS… BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAM!”

And over near Yied…

Shanan you are the man. Forget prince, my man, you’re KING.  

…. Fuck, story is happening. What now? Do we really need more enemies? Really?

(Celice and Serlis were common fan translations for Seliph’s name before Intelligent Systems confirmed an official one. Someone’s in the writer’s booth is being snippy~)

Bramsel: The Empire’s put a hefty price on that boy’s head. Let’s make sure we’re the ones to rake in the bounty, shall we? Keep our border locked down for the time being. The best option is to let them run themselves ragged, leaving them wide open to our strike! Instruct commander Jabarro to put his squad on standby. His services will be needed in short order!

(Okay, game, that’s literally just Eldigan with a different colored shirt. You could at least try to keep these things a mystery.)

Ribbons: Oh, that’s good. I guess I’m a bit worried about how you’re gonna have to go and fight too, Ares…

Ares: What sorry excuse for a mercenary would I be if I refused to join a battle, Lene? Never mind one which, rumor has it, will oppose Sigurd’s son… never would I deny a chance to personally slay the spawn of my father’s mortal foe.  

Lene: Hee hee! You’re still going on about that, are you? Oh, you dolt.

(Lene Burn!)

Lene: I mean, think about it. Both your father and that Sigurd man were knights, weren’t they? And isn’t killing part of a knight’s job? It’s like my job. Sometimes I have to dance for foul, leering men! I hate it, but it’s part of the work. I have to just deal with it. We’ve all gotta do what we’ve gotta do to get by in life. I dunno… I just don’t think it’s right to hate someone for doing their job.

Ares: Lene… I understand. I’ll have to think it over for a time, but I do understand…

And with that (and a very off-putting few seconds of movement while the other enemy faction down in Leif’s area moves around aimlessly) we have our turn back. Julia strikes down her foes with the power of a queen.

And Arthur powers up the Invinci-cannon.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm that’s the stuff. I discretely move Lana back toward the castle because I realize I forgot to repair all her staves, while everyone else moves to the west, getting ready to intercept one slow mage coming up through the desert.  Julia is our queen and she shall slay the bulk of these filthy peasants, but she’s kind enough to leave her leftovers for the other, lesser souls.

Oh, and Shanan is here too.

Actually not bad! Like I said, his growths are actually not great, and Defense is one of his less impressive stats at the moment, so I’ll take it.  And finally, the Leif team.  

… I missed you so much, Finn. Leif and Nanna need to team up and use the power of friendship and proclaim the power of Sailor Moon just to kill a bandit, while Finn is just BAM, BRAVE LANCE, DONE.  Weapon Triangle? For bitches.  

End turn!

You are nothing to her, worms.  

And that’s the only combat for this turn, barring someone taking a shot at Shanan and missing.  Which, speaking of, I think it’s time for Shanan to start moving on. See, the boss in Yied Castle actually does find that tome he was talking about in the opening cutscene if you wait to long, and then he starts blasting you.  So the guy who missed him last turn gets to live, because he’s moving in to slaughter the castle defenders and assassinate the boss.  And we add one more kill to the Daughter of the World-ender.

Estuans interius

Ira vehementi

Estuans interius

Ira vehementi

Julia

Julia

 But there’s a lot of them, and if I let her kill them all, the game will last forever. So I have some peons take a shot.  

… I hate dark mages.

Lester if you wanted to make me happy, gaining a point in damn magic wasn’t the way to do it.  I have Fee start running across the desert to join Shanan, since she has enough resistance to be trustworthy around these jerks, and have Seliph move onto a forest in the range of one mage. My hope is that he’ll dodge this one while Julia crushes the others, then everyone can gang up on the sole survivor.

See, Lester? This is what being reliable looks like. Finn has weapon triangle disadvantage and he’s still wrecking these jerks.  Just for that, he gets some money that he doesn’t need.

Apparently Not Sure What ‘Terrifying’ Means: Then there’s Tinni, a young mage… Blume’s niece she may be, but that girl’s still got a kind heart on her. She’s come to our aid and the aid of our neighbor villages time and again… she’s nothing like her family.

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORESHADOWING. Let’s wrap things up with the Friendship Team.

Not bad. I would normally complain about the lack of offensive growth of any kind, but Speed and Defense in the same level really makes up for it.  End turn!

… And luckily, the AI is kind of dumb, and prioritizes Julia because it can’t miss her. Thing is, it also can’t kill her. She doubles the dark mages, and Nosferatu heals her when she hits them. So they hit her once, and she hits them back twice and eats their health to get back to full power.

…. Oops. Did I leave Leif in enemy range? Well, he’s doing well so far, no biggie. Our turn begins on a fairly strong position with one exception: A dark mage is close enough to Patty he might attack her. If that goes wrong, I’m screwed! I messed this up badly. Patty, run. Run, Patty. Run.

…. Fuck. She can’t run. I… ugh. Okay, well. Patty has one shot at this and it’s very, very unlikely she’ll pull it off.

… Nope, didn’t do it. If he’d fallen asleep from getting hit by her Sleep Edge, she could have maybe held out until Shanan got back to her, but he didn’t and as a result she’s dead on the enemy phase regardless of what I do. Reset.

All right. Looking ahead on things with the foresight of someone paying attention to where units are actually standing, I do a few things differently.  First, Shanan kills the last enemy in his area so Patty can’t get caught in a pincer.

That done, Patty runs over to hide under his skirt.

Two, remembering well that Lester got creamed, I hand it to Johan, who also can’t miss but hits somewhat harder.

Good job, Johan. You’re not gonna be marrying Larcei, because something about you worries me. But good job. Team Leif, meanwhile, does exactly what they did before and it goes about as well, only Leif actually gets a somewhat better level!

No magic, of course. He takes after his mother, after all. Okay! End Turn, and let’s try this again.  

And hey, Julia remembers she has Adept and kills two of the mages she only wounded last time! Her dark power grows.  She also gained a slightly different level, but I lost the screenshot: +1HP, +1 Magic, +1 Speed. I’ll take it gleefully.  

… Less Gleeful, but Nanna will fix that right up.

Right then. Our turn starts, and the main army has only two mages left to kill. Arthur wipes out the one Julia crippled earlier…

While Julia moves herself to intercept the final one. In fact, this is mostly a turn of moving, because few people make any real attacks. Shanan moves toward the boss, Patty moves to hide behind him, the army moves toward Yied, and Leif… moves back toward the castle he was told to abandon.

Yeah. Yeah. We’re not giving up. Fuck that. Nanna patches him, and he makes a run toward Leonster! He is going to defend his home. And hopefully gain some needed levels.  

… This might end badly.

End turn!

Well, Julia’s back to not killing things. That’s nice. Well, it’s our turn again, and she’ll fix that.

Yum.  Shanan finally starts the attack on Yied proper…

And Leif takes up position to wait out the siege.

This is a risk. I’m very much not sure it will work. But the enemy army is almost entirely armor, which means only one of them can attack Leif at a time, and with the castle he gets a bonus to evasion and heals every turn. If he manages to kill all these fuckers and gets mostly decent levels, he will be pretty much set for the rest of the game.  Don’t be like your mother, Leif.

End turn.

…. Nothing happens on the enemy phase, so.  At this point, Shanan could just walk up and shank the boss, but if he does that Patty will die to the other units in the area. So instead he runs up to hit this guy…

And Patty once more hides under his skirt. Fee, who has finally arrived after a million years, takes up position to intercept the incoming swordsman that’s behind them.  I forgot to repair her spear after her arena runs, but she should be able to hold out.

I’m… not doing well on this map.  

Now, Seliph is needed to liberate Yied and Larcei has a conversation with Shanan, so I send the two of them into the desert while the rest of the army starts moving south.  As soon as we take the shrine the rest of the map opens up, and I want soldiers in position.  Similarly, Nanna and Finn move into position to support Leif if he needs it; hopefully he will not, between his bitchin’ sword and strong defensive position. End turn…

FEE! DODGE!

LEIF! DON’T EMULATE HER!

Hoo boy. This may have been a mistake. Um… okay, guys. Take your shots. Don’t fuck this up.

Light Bright, on! It doesn’t kill the armor, unfortunately, but Leif is technically hitting him from a distance here and can’t be countered, so it works out. Shanan, can you please shank the boss?

Damn, you sure can. Um… end turn. Patty will die if she attacks anyone. This is bad. This is super bad.  Unless for some reason the enemy all go for someone else, we’re a bit screwed. In fact we might be screwed anyway if the swordsman can double her.

OH THANK YOU JESUS. The remaining mage attacked Shanan, and when the sword guy hit Patty her Sleep Edge worked for once and caught him, so he’s immobilized for a few turns.  Oh. Oh, man. Thank you.  We live another turn, though this is still gonna be wonky to get out of unless the enemy AI futzes up again and keeps trying to zap Shanan. Leif, as well, gives a good showing…

One down, way too many to go.  On our turn, I have Shanan clear out one of the two remaining mages:

And move Patty behind him, and…

And win. The battle for Yied Shrine is over, and despite fucking up like seven times, we came out on top. The sole remaining mage can only attack Shanan, who he cannot one-shot and who definitely can one-shot him in return. The swordsman down in the corner there is asleep for five more turns, so Patty can plink him to death and get some much-needed Experience.  

Leif kills another armor, meanwhile, and continues his long but sure ascent to godhood.  It’s never 100% safe to assume in FE, but with two levels in a row that good, I’m reasonably sure that Leif will hold the castle against all comers.  Once we get him to an Arena he should be well on his way to outright amazing before the end of the chapter. End turn.

*sniff* Everything is coming together for the end, I swear.  What follows is going to be very boring, as barring a few more armors spawning in Leif’s area, there’s no threats left. So it’s going to be nothing but Seliph wandering the desert like Moses while we plink away at enemies.  So here’s the highlights.

Shanan: You went and took back Isaach behind my back, did you, Seliph? I can’t thank you enough!

Seliph: No, we’d still be in Tirnanog if not for you. You inspired us. You gave us your courage. If not for you, we could never have taken to the field!

Shanan: Heh, you’re starting to put on a bit of muscle there, aren’t you? You’re finally starting to…

Seliph: Shanan…?

Shanan: Hm? Oh, it’s nothing. Pay me no mind, Seliph.  

Seliph: Anyway,we’re finally starting to challenge the empire! Not bad, wouldn’t you say?

Shanan: Heh, not bad at all. I’ve waited so long for this day… we all have, really.

Seliph: Thank you, Shanan!

(Seliph gains +1 Skill from this, because… um… it was… a very… skillful discussion?)

Larcei: Don’t worry about it! The important part is you’re safe. I, er…

Shanan: How’s your sword arm doing? Any stronger?

Larcei: Yes, but still far below your prowess, sir.

Shanan: How about a quick lesson to patch that up. See, raw power isn’t quite enough here. Try putting a bit more spirit into it… and swing!

Larcei: Nnnn-yah!  Like this, sir?

(Must be, because she gets +2 strength from that. Hell of a workout, apparently.)

(Nanna, I swear to God if you don’t get some magic growth I will shave your ridiculous 80′s hair.)

(Fucking finally. I realize that was quick for you, but for me it was like twelve turns of sand and non-threatening combat that wasn’t even worth showing.)

Lewyn: They had no choice. Trying to build new lives on the surface would have led to their mass persecution, or even being burned at the stake. I suspect that at first they weren’t really bad or unusual people, but before long, their life here twisted them into what we know them as today.

(Not to question your wisdom, Lewyn, but they probably could have built a life on the surface if they didn’t insist on worshipping a god that eats children.)

Seliph: I can hardly believe it… It’s as if they were being tortured for the sins of their long-dead ancestors…

(Well, I mean, dude, they did keep worshipping Loptyr. Who, again, eats children.)

Seliph: All my life, these people have been branded as ‘the dark cult’ or ‘devil’s kin’. I can hardly imagine their pain… hold a moment. This scribble on the wall… is that a child’s penmanship? It’s a prayer. And it begs for the return of the dark god… was loptyr the only hope these people had?

(No, forgetting Loptyr and moving on to the worship of… I dunno, Fluffingor, god of soft things. That would have been a good hope. I’m all for freedom of religion, I know people like to keep to their faith, but when your god eats children you really need to reconsider.)

Lewyn: Yeah… Consider this a lesson, Seliph. Good and evil can’t be easily reduced to simple, black-and-white ideals. If you must hate, hate the evil that lurks in us all, not the individual.  Never forget this.

Welp. As much as I’d love to sit around and debate morality with Lewyn (Again, my counter-argument would be ‘don’t worship a child-eating demon’, but you’d be shocked how applicable that is), we’ve taken the castle and I’m very tired. You guys take a nice week off while I sleep. I should wake up by the time the next update is due. Maybe.

Resets: 21. Level One Thief syndrome is a terrible thing. 

Part 18