What Am I Doing To Myself? Let's Try and Play Fire Emblem: Thracia 776!

[Rising Phoenix]

The lp is really good, and this one is shaping out to be a good ones well. Thracia 776 is basically intsys hates you: the game. And arbitrary bull****: the game.

One that I am thinking of playing as it seems to have the best story and characters in FE history...

[Perkinz]

One that I am thinking of playing as it seems to have the best story and characters in FE history...

The best I can say is may your reset counter be low, the heart attacks be few, and your computer whole.

Overall, looking at this LP, I've been spoiled with the GBA FE games and beyond. The levels in this one look downright depressing compared to, say, Blazing Sword. At the same time it makes every stat you do manage to increase have that much more impact, build especially.

[Deme]

The lp is really good, and this one is shaping out to be a good ones well. Thracia 776 is basically intsys hates you: the game. And arbitrary bull****: the game.

I've been thinking about different sorts of difficulty in games lately, and have determined that Thracia 776 is more than Arbitrary BS: the Game.
It's ALL THE FORMS OF DIFFICULTY ONE CAN ADD TO A TACTICAL RPG: The Game.
But "Intsys Hates You: The Game" is also entirely accurate, too.

One that I am thinking of playing as it seems to have the best story and characters in FE history...

This is the exact road of thinking that led me to this point. I haven't regretted it quite yet, anyway.

The best I can say is may your reset counter be low, the heart attacks be few, and your computer whole.

Overall, looking at this LP, I've been spoiled with the GBA FE games and beyond. The levels in this one look downright depressing compared to, say, Blazing Sword. At the same time it makes every stat you do manage to increase have that much more impact, build especially.

Oh, yes. One of the things that started happening, particularly after Fire Emblem started being released in the US, but I'd call the trend as starting with the GBA, is that growths started going up. The best character in Thracia 776 would be completely rubbish in Awakening. It's sort of one of the things they did to make the series easier, but I'm not sure how much real impact the number creep has had.
After all, the caps are a solid 20 in every non-HP stat across the board. Promoted, unpromoted, it all caps at 20. Which means there's a lot less pressure to get good numbers or get out.Except build, because build growths are so low, and build is so valuable for everyone.
And there's scrolls.

Also, I do have the chapter played, but have been feeling too sick to manage editing screenshots. I brought them with me on my trip on a flashdrive, so maybe this will happen.
It's a dang long chapter, I will tell you what. It's a massively drawn-out brawl.

[Perkinz]

Oh, yes. One of the things that started happening, particularly after Fire Emblem started being released in the US, but I'd call the trend as starting with the GBA, is that growths started going up. The best character in Thracia 776 would be completely rubbish in Awakening. It's sort of one of the things they did to make the series easier, but I'm not sure how much real impact the number creep has had.
After all, the caps are a solid 20 in every non-HP stat across the board. Promoted, unpromoted, it all caps at 20. Which means there's a lot less pressure to get good numbers or get out.Except build, because build growths are so low, and build is so valuable for everyone.
And there's scrolls.

Also, I do have the chapter played, but have been feeling too sick to manage editing screenshots. I brought them with me on my trip on a flashdrive, so maybe this will happen.
It's a dang long chapter, I will tell you what. It's a massively drawn-out brawl.

The scrolls certainly help for bolstering certain growths, that's for certain. That may even be the reason why some units can even be fielded in the first place.

That said... I don't really know how to judge the power creep either. It certainly led to higher numbers, but with the numbers going up (roughly) equally on the enemy side, I might call it a wash.

I may wander over to Serenes Forest to compare the average stats of enemies and allies over the course of the series' lifespan. It'd give me an interesting project to work on while I have nothing to do this weekend, at any rate.

[Rising Phoenix]

Lunatic+ on Awakening will give anyone a run for their money, even with grinding DLC (Ohai counter, miracle, pavise and aegis enemies)

But there is no grinding in Thracia and the game expects you to think as someone who has mastered the system right of the bat. AKA it is not a noob friendly game.

[Deme]

No, no it isn't. In fact, I screwed up in prepping for this chapter, even.

Chapter 4, Part 3: Evil Game Night

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Ok, so: let's get back to business!


Ok, everybody! Single file! No panicking!
I don't want any screaming or fussing.

"There should be a staircase leading outside to the east."

(image)
During their turns, these guys will run towards the East exit. If there's an enemy there, they'll start going insane and running off in random directions until the problem is fixed.
The best solution is to park your units at the end of the hallway, at least for a while.


At long last, Fergus heals.

That round, nothing really happens. Enemies draw nearer, I move Leaf backwards to guard the rear, the civvies slowly go towards their goal, it's all quiet and preparatory.

Fergus moves our main line forward.

And almost crits a guy to death.


So he retreats and heals. I hate that.


Fergus does it right the next time.


Javelin dudes *shakes fist*


Risky, but...Not bad.

It's really amazing what a support bonus and the finest PCC can do.


Now I'm worried. Presenting: the problem with slightly fragile meatgrinders: They kill the enemy in front of them, allowing another enemy to appear and cause them trouble. This repeats until their HP is destroyed. It's not pretty.


Nothing like a level you're not sure you'll get to keep:
+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
Daaang, son!

He also gets a sword rank. Probably.

The next enemy misses him, causing me to praise deities I didn't know existed.

And the enemy bites the dust. That's the last guy who could have hit Fergus this turn, so we made it through!



See, the escaping civilians aren't hindered by our units being on the squares, so that hallway is thief-protected and totally safe. Hooray!


We heal and begin moving towards the next phase of the Great Escape. We've only got one civilian who needs guarding here.


And Fergus lets the enemies come to him.


One room down! Just one more to go!


Fergus can use the fire sword now. He really fears nothing from javelins anymore -- perfect for a fighting retreat.



Oh my. This might be tricky.

Or not.


Javelin dudes!


We begin the process of switching sides. We've basically got to do the same thing on the other side, which makes the map kind of tedius.


After a round or two of Makua getting sniped by javelins, we reach a stable stopping point. Once we've gotten the exit points covered a bit more, we can try unleashing the second wave. This one's a bit tougher, since we really need both a back and a front line.



All that getting turned into a pincushion gets Makua a level.
+1 Spd, +1 Def
Listen, you've been doing good work here, sweetie, but...You might need a liiitle more strength if you're going to be competitive with all the other myrmidons we'll be getting.


Also, Bryton gets a level from getting javelins tossed at him, too.
+1 Hp, +1 Skl, +1 Def
...K. Could be worse.


Fergus gets to Fire Sword one of these javelin punks.


Now...The counter-attack!


All criticals, all the time with these two.



Bryton's not performing ideally right now; his issue is mostly accuracy-based.


Leaf'll have to come by to help for a second.


Oh, why not?

Well, she'd have beat him had she hit the first time, anyway.


Our lines look good. Sort of. Karin's not a great choice to help defend, but she can last a round. Probably.

Now, let's...

Release the kraken civilians!

"There should be a staircase leading outside to the west. Let's go!"


Dangit.




That was just for my own amusement, really. Karin'll fall back in a second.

Fergus heads down and hands Bryton a vulnerary, defending Karin and granting healing at the same time!

So now that's good.


Bryton takes out a guy and Fergus absorbs some attacks.


Fergus doesn't get a kill...

+1 Hp
But he does get a terrible, terrible level. Thanks, RNG. Real swell.


Gets him on the enemy turn, though...I guess.

Full enemy-turn murder for all!


Bryton weakens a guy I'd like to try and feed to Karin...

For a level!
+1 Skl, +1 Spd
...It's better than our last one.


Not low enough to feed it to her, but she can still get some EXP and sword ranks -- she'd be nice with the fire sword if we could manage it (we cannot, most likely).
On the enemy phase...

So close!

The first of the second set of villagers escapes. I have Fergus pass the scrolls to Karin (yes, he got that level *with both scrolls*. I don't even know.)

And she goes to get a level.


+1 Hp, +1 Skl, +1 Luk
...It was probably not worth the bother.



Wooh! We got all of the civilians out!

Now, what's next is...We need to head into the room. Now, how many guys do you think there are in there?
If you didn't say "Oh, way too many, why would you do this, game designer?" You're wrong.
As a result, we need to heal as preperation. Everyone scrunches up and heals and so on.


Here we go!


...Too...many...Dudes...


One of them's Dashin, so let's have a chat with him. Surely he won't let his family being abducted slide!

Yeah. But we saved the day. So...Which side you want to be on, buddy?

Smart guy. Let's go!


We've got a new friend! He's very tanky, and not bad on the offense. He's an Armored Knight sort, which in FE terms means "great defense, poor speed," but may mean other things like "The game hates you and everything you stand for." They've got bad movement, can't really dodge, and certain weapons -- like our hammer -- hurt them something fierce. Whether or not an armored unit is viable almost depends on the game more than the unit: map size, types of objectives, and how often the enemy can be expected to have effective weaponry makes or breaks them.
Thracia hates armor units, maybe even more than it hates you, so his long-term use is slim to none. But for now, he's everything we want.

He has no other remarkable traits.



Let's put him to use.

...Woulda been nice if that had hit.


At least this guy's no more accurate than Dashin.

ooh, and a sword rank!


Ow.




The turn passes with few damages and few counter-attacks. No one was hitting, basically.


Behold: the armor-slayer in action!

It's full of pain and hurt. For the enemy. I love effective damage.


Speaking of which... This is why I brought the Hammer. Dashin uses axes, so...While a large number of my packing decisions were actually terrible, and I wish someone had reminded me to leave some space, this decision? Good.





Light Sword, Hammer...Good times. Good times.

In the enemy phase...

The killing edge's no slouch, either.

No one gets hit for meaningful damage until...
Makua dodging a lightning bolt gets her a level!


+1 Hp, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
Presenting to you: Myrmidon, the level!


Ow. Armor knights + Magic = Ow.



Fergus punches a hole into one of the last armor knights. Through him.
Into pain.


And Makua nearly does the same.

Bryton finished the job.


Lifis steals all the worldly belongings of a mage.


And Dashin finishes off the last armor for a level!


*tumbleweed*
An...empty...level...
*hangs head in despair*
Don't call us, we'll call you.



Karin maims the mage Lara can't steal from.
Yeah, you heard me. She can't lift a book. From a mage.
FOR SHAME.



And he wastes his last action missing Fergus.


Yoink!


Karin finishes for a level!

+1 Hp, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Def
Yaaaay! Defense is really nice, Karin! Thank you!

On the enemy phase, a guy who's been chasing us all around the map finally catches up.

Was it worth it, guy? Was it?


...Lara can't even steal a stave. That's...That's just sad. Sad, Lara.


Lifis shows her how it's done.


She can't even break through the defense of a mage. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET YOU EXP, WOMAN?


Fergus kills a guy for another level.

+1 Hp, +1 Build
An EXTREMELY underwhelming level. But I guess it's build.


The last mage goes down, courtesy of Karin.


I send Dashin up to leave the map.

I dunno, this game could take a while. And you're stuck with me for life, Dashin. Forever.



Can't even damage a priest. I should get you a real sword, but...Why even bother?


Get out.

OUT!


You show her, Lifis. You show.

...Dang. He actually did show her. Nice!


Karin beats up priests. Gives her something to do.


And now Bryton goes home...

It's cool, man. It's cool. I'm telling you to go.


Karin gets a level off of one of the priests...

+1 Luk
I had a level once. It was terrible.



Ah, how soothing.

Lifis starts work on the last enemy in the room.

He finishes a few turns later.


Anyway, you can go now, Makua.

Cool, cool.

Fergus, anything to add before we pretty much end the map?

Good boy.


Lifis, remember: the moment I lose direct control of you, you end up in jail.
Think about it.
See you next map, buddy.


Don't worry, Karin. I was only actively risking your life a few times there. I was sure it'd work out.



We will, we will. Thanks for the good work.

This is the bit where, in a fit of paranoia, I check the map 5-7 times to make sure I didn't leave a chest closed or a unit behind. No, I don't know who I would have left behind. I'm just like that.


Anyway, Leaf. I've made sure everyone got out first, just like you wanted. That was a pretty strenuous one, but I think we had a successful jailbreak over-all.
Today, we saved some people and we got everyone out alive doing so. Even if you're not the most famous or powerful guy...You weren't a bad hero today, Leaf.


He leaves the map without a word.


And the hidden, central room reveals itself.



"If they insist on protesting, don't hesitate to burn them down, city and all. It shall set an example for the other cities."
Oh man. The bad guys were having a secret meeting this whole time!
...Shouldn't they have noticed us? "Oh, what's that sound?" "It's just a heroic jailbreak. Let's go back to playing Evil Monopoly."


Gosh, maybe it's because you're abducting children! They're military leaders, not zealots.



Ishtar's Lord Blume's daughter, of course.
"My brother is also strong against this act. Bishop Manfroy, please stop the child hunting. It is unbearable to seperate young children from their parents. And sacrificing them to Lopto is not something that a human person would do!"
That's being a little naive, isn't it? Manfroy's still human, unfortunately.

I'd say that Ishtar fills an interesting role: being somewhat more heart-felt and sympathetic than everyone else around her, even though she's largely surrounded by these terrible people of her own accord. People like...

This guy. He's the imperial prince, and evil enough to be the villain of FE4. Since I kind of explained stuff before the game did this last time, I'm going to keep this brief: he's the vessel of their dark dragon pseudo-god, the greatest evil ever known to Jugdral reborn.
And he's Ishtar's boyfriend.


"I just want to educate them to be fitting citizens for my empire. Those who withstand the training will earn high posts and rule over the other inferior citizens."

When you look at it from a certain deranged angle, this almost makes sense. You could sell this idea to someone -- not someone with principles, but maybe someone who wanted to not interfere for saftey's sake, but couldn't silence a little conscience. Heck, if things are hard enough on people, I could imagine someone *giving* the Lopto-worshippers their kids with a pitch like this. It's like Hansel and Gretel, but with slightly less certain certain death.
You've got to have stuff like this for your cult of puppykicking sometimes. It really adds a sense of believabilty to it; just a little nuance.

"You'll understand soon enough."

There are a few characters I like to think about, when I'm bored, because I think their choices are interesting. Ishtar's one of them.
She's letting him deflect the subject, even though she's not convinced. She'll turn aside her concerns and instincts, and her circumstances make all sorts of feelings -- love and fear, nostalgia and self-doubt -- possible motives. I never quite feel satisfied with her, but I'm pretty interested all the same.

But enough about her.

Next time: For saving the civilians, we get a side chapter.

I'm so certain I'll have to trim this down that I'm just going to put growths and talking about stuff I missed in the next post.

[Deme]

Holy shoot, I didn't have to trim any of that! I'm surprised. Right. Let's start by saying something: I goofed up when assigning inventories to Leaf and Lifis last chapter.
You see, if they don't have full inventories, some of the chests will contain nifty substitute items. Most of them aren't interesting, but one is: the rapier. It's a sword that's effective against armor and mounted units, as well as offering a small critical chance, making it a really nice weapon. I regret not getting it...But there is another, so I'm Ok with this.

Moving on! New Units!


Bryton

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HP: 70%
Str: 30%
Mag: 5%
Skl: 25%
Spd: 30%
Luk: 15%
Def: 35%
Bld: 20%
Mov: 1%
PCC: 1

Bryton's growths are, well, just...OK. And his base stats are also...Just OK. And he's a mounted class, so he'll take penalties with indoor maps, and have to use his weaker swords as opposed to his stronger axes. But that's not a huge gap, since it's not as if he gets any special weapons. The only thing he has going for him is a not-bad defense growth and wrath, but unlike with Othin, a skill will not make the man.
...In other words, he's...adequate. Just adequate. I wouldn't get attached to him as a long-term option, but for now, we need him desperately.

Makua:

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HP: 60%
Str: 30%
Mag: 10%
Skl: 55%
Spd: 60%
Luk: 35%
Def: 25%
Bld: 10%
Mov: 1%
PCC: 3

Makua's not a bad unit. In isolation, she's a fine unit, whose eventual promotion into a mercenary just miiight save her from her somewhat faulty strength gain. Problem is, we're not going to be hurting for myrmidons, and at least half, if not most, of her rivals are better than her in every way. That's not an exaggeration. They get better growths, more special skills, better PCCs, maybe even a unique weapon or two... I kind of feel bad for her.

Lara

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HP: 45%
Str: 10%
Mag: 10%
Skl: 50%
Spd: 70%
Luk: 60%
Def: 20%
Bld: 5%
Mov: 3%
PCC: 1

Lara isn't for fighting with, if you can't tell. She can at least steal non-weapons from enemies, and do other thief work, but that's about it. She has a few unusual features, and there is *something* she's good for. Actually, there's something only she is good for...But we'll get to that later. She's...Umm...Frustrating. Really frustrating. That's what she is.

Fergus:

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HP: 65%
Str: 35%
Mag: 10%
Skl: 45%
Spd: 35%
Luk: 40%
Def: 25%
Bld: 20%
Mov: 1%
PCC: 5

Oh, man. Fergus is just so radical. His growths may not be WOOOOAAAAHHH impressive, but they are competitive, and well-rounded enough that Fergus can do a lot of things for you. That PCC is to die for, and it works great when Karin's nearby. I should also add, just for kicks, that his class uses the same weapon whether mounted or not, so the weaknesses of mounted units in this game don't reach him as much. He doesn't get any exclusive weapons, but there are a couple of swords that can be used by a limited but not singular amount of people, and he gets to use all of them. He's a mysterious guy like that.

Basically, Fergus is pretty great, and of this group is the clearest and most worthy candidate for long-term use.
Now that he's gotten his first few levels, I really don't feel the need to worry about him at all.

Karin

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HP: 55%
Str: 30%
Mag: 15%
Skl: 35%
Spd: 70%
Luk: 70%
Def: 15%
Bld: 5%
Mov: 2%
PCC: 1

Karin is a Pegasus Knight, and those are so obviously useful for their high movement ranges and ability to overcome any obstacle that, to be honest, she'd be useful and near-mandatory until we got a replacement even if she were a terrible unit.
And she's not. Her strength's very touch-and-go, but if she turns out well, she could be a terror of the skies. She's not a death machine, but she can do her job very well, and supporting Fergus gives her a little extra utility. Her chief competition won't come in for another 10 chapters (not counting side chapters), so she has plenty of time to see where she'll go. She, too, is an excellent candidate for long-term use.

Dashin

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HP: 60%
Str: 50%
Mag: 5%
Skl: 40%
Spd: 25%
Luk: 25%
Def: 20%
Bld: 25%
Mov: 2%
PCC: 1

I've heard people reccomend him for that strength growth -- and it is impressive, let's give him that -- but I'm resoundingly unconvinced. His defense growth isn't great, which is a problem when he's almost as bad at speed as Marty of all people. He's going to get doubled, and in spite of his excellent base defense, it will probably hurt when the going gets tough. I'm not sure being able to use axes and eventually lances indoors is enough to make up for that.
Not to mention... Armor units are something that kind of rely on the game to let them be good. His low movement (5) means he'll get left behind on a lot of outdoor maps, which puts him further from where I need him -- the front line. He's got a weakness, and Thracia 776 will prey on it at any opportunity, I'm willing to bet you. The game won't let him do the things he wants to do, basically. Poor fella. Reviews are mixed on him, and I'm more inclined to side with the people who dislike him than the ones who like him.

Oh, yes! Who should carry the scrolls next map, now that we have some units we know about?

[Illven]

Evil monopoly? There's a good version of the game?

[Javan]

Two lines that really made me smile.
"Release the kraken civilians!"
Thracia hates armor units, maybe even more than it hates you..."

For the next map do we have all of our old chums back as well, or just the people we picked up this map?

@Illven: I don't think so, but perhaps they are playing a monopoly-risk hybrid game, military and monetary domination.
Having played such a combination, I can say it is much more distressing than either by itself.

[Deme]

I could play perfectly civil non-evil versions of Pokémon Monopoly as a kid.

Also, we've just got our crew from this map. And a special guest, but he's not for voting, since I don't want to spoil him. He's not the best choice for these scrolls anyway.

I'll update Leaf and Lifis, and get screenshots of the new guys up tomorrow.

[Rising Phoenix]

I have no suggestion about who gets what. I'll leave that to your judgement Deme :).

As for the new recruits, I think only a madman wouldn't use Fergus.

[Deme]

I was going to think of a reason, but then it turns out free knights only get -1 strength and -1 defense when dismounting, in contrast to the -1 strength, speed, and skill and -2 defense of almost all other horsemen.


Also, it's occured to me that I can't actually fit a table of contents in the first post, and that I'll also need to put aside some posts for benched characters or other stuff over the limit. I'll be thinking of the best way to fix this later.

Characters updated.

[Deme]

I wish I had thought a little further ahead, but here will have to do for my big ol' post of contents, characters, etc.

Index of Chapters

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Chapter 1:
1 (In OP)|2|3

Chapter 2:
Whole Chapter

Chapter 2x:
1|2

Chapter 3:
1|2

Chapter 4:
1|2|3

Chapter 4x
Chapter 15:
1|2

Chapter 16(b):
1|2

Chapter 18
1|2

Index of Active Characters (as of the start of Chapter 15)

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Leaf
Our hero. The prince and heir of the fallen kingdom of Lenster. He's spent his life on the run from the Empire, but it's time for him to start running to something, instead of just from everything. A playable character in the second half of 4, where he has much better growths. Now Featuring the World's Worst Promotion.
Seriously. We've had levels better.
PCC: 2
Recruited in: Chapter 1 (link is to his growths and my talk)
[/url]


Fin
An eternally faithful (former) knight of Lenster. He escaped the fall of the castle with Leaf and his daughter, Nanna, and has protected Leaf all his life.
PCC: 1
Recruited in: Chapter 1



Othin
One of the Fiana militia, hot-headed and foul-mouthed. There's nothing like a Wrath critical in the morning. Between Pugi and Wrath, he's a handy destructive force to have around.
PCC: 3
Recruited In: Chapter 1


Lifis
A pirate and compulsive liar, Lifis is pretty much a prisoner at Leaf's near-infinite mercy, trapped in cooperation by his own web of lies. The universe's whipping boy.
He really deserves no better. He's a good thief, but not really a warrior.
PCC: 0
Recruited in: Chapter 3


Safy
A subordinate and friend (she won't allow it, but come on) of Lady Linoan of Tahra. She went out to find help for Tahra's rebellion, ended up captured by Lifis, and found Leaf. Wielder of the Repair Staff, which fixes weapons.
PCC: 1
First Usable In: Chapter 3



Lara
A member of the Magi Group. Formerly a slave and a dancer, she was rescued by Pahn. When she met him again, she decided to finally become useful by dancing for the rest of the gang, freely this time. While she is a dancer now, she has not forgotten how to work lockpicks or steal. I am very annoyed that she didn't do this from the start.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 4



Fergus
A mercenary whose mysteriousness level seems low, but is actually pretty high. A mellow, chill sort of guy (almost to an extreme of chillness), he decided to help Leaf because it gave him something to do other than napping in a prison. He's got kind of a thing going on with Karin, maybe perhaps.
Everything about him is awesome.
PCC: 5
Recruited In: Chapter 4


Karin
A trainee Pegasus Knight from Silesia, she's off searching for her prince, Sety. She got thrown in jail; Now, she's working with Leaf, unable to stand by and carry out her own goals while people suffer. Will not admit it, but sort of has a thing going on with Fergus.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 4


Asvel
A friend of Leaf's from Tahra, he went looking for Leaf after the latter's departure, but eventually joined up with the Magi group. Now they're reunited and Asvel has the mighty Grafcalibur tome, so it works out well for everyone.
Upon promotion, he has received pants!
PCC 3
Recruited In: Chapter 4x



Nanna
Fin's daughter and Leaf's childhood friend, and as such, is Leaf's designated love interest. She doesn't say much in this role, but is a good person. She has a brother who's out there somewhere, and her mother's fate remains unknown.
As a character, excellent support. And she has a pony.
PCC: 1
First Appeared in: Chapter 5


Shiva
A cool mercenary -- while he has no morals when it comes to what sort of job he takes, he's really a good guy at heart. He's got a thing for Safy something fierce.
PCC: 4
First Recruited in: Chapter 7


Carion
Sometimes "Carrion." A young man taken in by Hannibal, "The Shield of Thracia." However, his family was a line of Lenster knights, and so he's sworn to aid Leaf in the fight to recover his own lost homeland. Had a Grand Transformation.
PCC: 4
First Recruited In: Chapter 8


Marty
Dagda's subordinate.
You wanted a suped-up Marty, smarty? Well, let's party.
...Now I need a new Back to the Future reference to make here.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 1


Robert

Mostly boring but with a bow.

And now with really scrolled-up stats. Now with Robertwatch, and a bow that's probably bigger than, say, Tanya. These are the rewards of a thread's devotion.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 9


Olwen
A knight of Freege, who loves and honors her brother Reinhardt (Spelling may vary). However, the empire's cruelty and brutality has caused her to question her -- and her brother's -- paths and loyalties. Now, she fights with Leaf against her former allies.
Everyone agreed killing her off to get the other guy would be kind of scummy.
PCC: 4
Recruited In: 11X


Marita
Eyvel's adopted daughter, a determined young lady with high aspirations of being a swordmaster worthy of her mother's legacy. Of course, we know better. She will be vastly superior to her mother. She will be a goddess of death, inspiring evil laughter in her allies (and us) and terrified screams in her enemies. All shall fall before the whirling blades of Marita!
PCC: 5
Recruited In: [http://www.giantitp.com/forums/shows...nt=222]Chapter 12[/url]


Seram
A former priest of the Lopto cult who left his position due to "philosophical agreements," which we will have to assume means "their whole 'world domination and child kidnapping' dealio." To be honest, it's not clear how you become a Lopto priest in the first place if you're going to leave over stuff like that. When he was nearly killed for trying to escape, he was aided by Pahn and the Dandelion crew, and then later joined up with Leaf due to a), not having much choice, and b), seeing they had a similar philosophy. Dark magic, ho!
PCC: 1
Recruited In: 12x


Pahn
Leader of the Dandelion gang of bandits (boy, we have a lot of bandit leaders, don't we?), Pahn is half honorable thief, half annoying older brother to everyone he seems to meet. While the Liberation Army shares his philosophy, he also may have joined for the amusement value. Or to torment Lifis. Regardless, he enjoys helping people out of bad spots that this terrible setting throws them into. A combat-capable thief extraordinaire, he's ready for action.
PCC: 5
Recruited In: 12x


Tina
Safy's little sister. Taken "captive" by Pahn when she left Tahra in search of her sister, her captivity seems to have involved some light thievery and some scary pranks. She seems blissfully unaware of what an incredibly stupid idea it was for a child to be wandering around this very grim setting. Has the absolutely miraculous Thievery and Unlock staves, would recommend using for that alone, practically.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: 12x


Trude
Pahn's best friend and right-hand man. While he's an acceptable myrmidon, that hardly compares to his competitors, who all have something rather special to bring to the table, even the one we're not using. Ho-hum.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: 12x


Linoan
Duchess of Tahra, the city that sheltered Leaf when he was young. Linoan's a young woman who, after her father's death, was left to rule the city and try to keep it out of imperial hands. Of course, this relied on relying on us. Soo... Now she's coming with us, to fight for Northern Thracia's freedom. You voted to give her the Elite book.
PCC: 5
Recruited In: Chapter 14



Glade
Fin's best friend, Selphina's husband, and loyal knight of Lenster through and through. He seems to be a nice guy, but I'd like to notice I absolutely forgot about him until just now, and will probably forget about him again.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 13



Eda
Dean's little sister; it's not entirely clear if she herself served for Thracia, but since her brother was assigned to protect Linoan, she seems to have followed him into that task, which she now takes fully seriously.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 13



Dean
A former knight of Thracia, who at the command of Prince Arione left the army to watch over and protect Linoan. His loyalty to Leaf's army largely extends as far as Linoan's continued presence. A man who's somewhat uneasy with other people.
PCC: 3
Recruited In: Chapter 13


Homer
A wandering bard and wastrel, Homer would want nothing more than to spend his life somewhere far away from danger or menial labor, with wine, women, and song. But, the tears of a lady have pulled him into joining the Liberation Army: time to learn fast.
PCC: 5
Recruited In: Chapter 14



Shanam
I will dig out a font for him if there is one, but for now... A con-man using his superficial resemblence to the Isaacian prince Shanan for profit. A sham-Shanan, if you will. He has bargain, though, so that's pretty cool.
PCC: 0
Recruited In: Chapter 16B


Sara
Granddauhter of the head of the Lopto cult, she resolved to join us out of seemingly random, but likely premonition-based reason. Seems to feel someone calling her. She's a powerful but frail magic-user and staff-weilder. Independent, young, and mysterious. Has wrath, but no PCC, which is hecka weird.
PCC: 0
Recruited In: Chapter 16B



Miranda
I almost forgot to rescue Alster's young princess from her prison. Oops.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 16B


Ralph
He's gonna wreck it!
...No he's not. Ralph is, at best, just sort of showing up. A good-hearted mercenary.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: Chapter 15


Xavier
A general of Lenster, forced into acting against his liege for the saftey of his leutenants and their families. But now we've taken great pains to take care of that, so he can serve us with pride.
PCC 0
Recruited In: Chapter 18

Characters Unavailable For Voting (Benched or Otherwise Unavailable, Shown As In Their Last Viable Appearance)

Spoiler

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Havan
Status: Benched
One of the Fiana militia. Has a sister. More level-headed than Othin, though that's not exactly hard to do. Tough, with worse skills and unique weapon than Othin, but with slightly better growths and PCC.
PCC: 4
Compared to Averages: +1 HP, +1 Mag, +2 Skl, +1 Luk, +2 Bld
Recruited In: Chapter 1



Tanya
Status: Benched
Dagda's daughter. Spunky and tomboyish. She and Othin devoted about 80% of their lines to arguing. It must be love. Has good growths, but is hindered by the game's low caps and her own pathetic build. Also, she's an archer.
PCC: 2
Compared to Averages: +2 HP, -1 Str, +1 Mag, +1 Spd, -1 Luk, +2 Def, +1 Mov
Recruited In: Chapter 1


Dagda
Status: Benched
The former leader of the Purple Mountain Bandits, a group Eyvel took down in her general quest for bringing peace to the areas surrounding Fiana. He's reformed since, and now works for Leaf and co. Like Eyvel, he's not very useful. But he's really good at taking captured soldiers, stripping them of their valuables, and freeing them.
PCC: 1
Compared to Averages: No One Cares
Recruited in: Chapter 1


Ronan
Status: Benched
An inexperienced bowman from the village of Ith. Initially coming along to stop pirates from attacking his town, he's somehow now permanently along for the ride.
PCC: 1
Compared to Averages: He hasn't gained any levels.
Recruited In: Chapter 2


Bryton
Status: Benched
A member of the Magi group, Bryton is a competant, though unremarkable, fighter for freedom and justice.
PCC: 1
Compared to Averages: +3 HP, -1 Str, +1 Mag, +2 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk, -1 Bld, +1 Mov
Recruited in: Chapter 4


Makua
Status: Benched
A member of the Magi Group.
Yeah...I got nothing.
PCC: 3
Compared to Averages: -2 Str, +2 Mag, + 3 Skl, +2 Spd, +2 Luk, +1 Def, +1 Bld
Recruited In: Chapter 4



Dashin
A former soldier of Manster. When he learned his brother Yuvel was captured in the Child Hunts and then rescued by Leaf, he deserted and joined Leaf's army.
PCC:1
Compared to Averages: +1 HP, +1 Skl
Recruited In: Chapter 4



Hicks
A former knight of Manster who joined the rebellion (such as it is) after we rescued his son, Mafy, from Manster's dungeons. His lack of distinguishing combat features astounds.
PCC: 2
Compared to Averages: +1 HP, +1 Str, +2 Mag, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk, +2 Def, -1 Bld
First Appeared in: Chapter 6



Selphina
Status: Benched
Count Dorias's daughter and, thus, a noblewoman of the fallen Lenster. She's married to Fin's friend Glade (we haven't met him yet), and is like a sister to Leaf. It'd be great if I could say she's struggling to retake her homeland, but she's probably going to be keeping a seat on the bench.
PCC: 1
Compared to Averages: N/A
Recruited In: Chapter 9


Kein
Status: Benched
*shrug* He works with the Lenster crew.
PCC: 1
Compared to Averages: N/A
Recruited In: Chapter 9


Alba
Status: Benched
He has nothing to say and neither do I (about him).
PCC: 1
Compared to Averages: N/A
Recruited In: Chapter 9



Eyvel
Status: Stoned
The leader of the Fiana militia. Something of a mother figure to Leaf. She's a crutch for the first few chapters, but basically useless elsewhere. She's currently turned to stone, location unknown
PCC: 1
Compared to Averages: Has Gained No Levels
Recruited in: Wait, we care about her growths? oh, very well... Chapter 1



Fred
Status: Benched
Olwen's faithful man. Loves Truth, Honor, and the Freegi way, but is willing to throw away his position for his lady's safety; the spirit of the law and all that.
PCC: 1
Recruited In: 11X

Important Item List

Spoiler

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Consumables
Use of these items will be determined at certain votes, or you can propose their use.
Repair Staff (Safy Only) - Can fully restore any weapon's uses. 5 uses
Stamina Drink x 14
Knight's Proof x 3 (Permission Granted for Marita and Marty)
Life Ring x 2
Magic Ring x 2
Shield Ring
Speed Ring
Skill Ring
Luck Ring
Leg Ring (Grants +2 Movement)
Charge Manual - Teaches the Charge Skill.


Scrolls:
These can be passed around to any unit, and so I'll be asking for your opinions with the team load-out. If not, I'll look over stats and pick things.
Odo - +30% Skill Growth
Baldo - +5% HP, Str, Skill, Speed, Luck, and Def growth
Hezul - +30% HP, +10% Str, -10% Luck growths
Neir - +10% HP, Str, Def, and Build, -10% Skill growths
Fala - +5% Str and Mag, +10% Skill and Speed growths
Sety - +30% Speed, + 10% Mag, -10% HP Growths
Heim - +30 Mag, +10 Luk, -10 Build Growths

[Deme]

Sorry for the delays, everyone! Things got a bit messy for me.

Chapter 4x: But where does he get all those wonderful toys?

Spoiler

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Oh, look, it's our old friend inky blackness!
That's right. This is a fog of war map. A fog of war indoor map. Now if there were only limitless reinforcements and maybe some enemies with status-inflicting devices or some leadership stars, it'd have everything Thracia 776 loves!


But at least Sety is here. We don't get him, but he's there.
We get the guy he's talking to, which...seems to be a thing when he's around. Maybe we should just try and convince him to chat up everyone and we'd have a massive army of people who aren't as good as Sety.


"After you rescue the children, I want you to go search for Prince Leaf with Bryton."
*gasp* S-senpai noticed us!


"What's the matter, Asvel? You look surprised."


It seems like Leaf had a lot of friends in his Tahra days. It's at once kind of lazy and kind of nice. It gives my brain a bit more to chew on, anyway.


Sounds like a plan.

"I plan on getting the Magi members to hide outside the castle as well. We'll be decimated if we don't do something."
Decimated again, you mean. I guess the last leader didn't see it coming, though.



Don't sell yourself short, Sety. Even if you just taught a single spell, it's an amazing spell. You are as radical as a unicorn riding a motorbike over a dramatically waterfalled mountain.

"You can use it to protect Prince Leaf from now on."
Darn skippy he can!


At least someone has a tiny amount of actual faith in us outside of our personal lackeys.
"We'll see each other again, right here in Manster."

"In Manster...Yes! In Manster, Lord Sety!"

We leave these guys (currently green units) and switch to...

The standard array of crying children. As always, they need to all escape. It isn't as hard this time.


It's...really more likely they'll just kill you or use you as a sacrifice or something.



This map is really quite narrow; this is all of it, no horizontal scrolling involved.
There's nothing in the rooms to our left, by the way; I looked.

Anyway, let's look at our special guests!

Asvel will be our first mage, and considering his hefty growing room, he's got solid bases. He's a good little mage, yes he is!
...Especially because of Grafcalibur.

Look a this thing. Look at it. It is FABULOUS, and should be carefully preserved for its boss-killing potential.
By the way... Asvel has a PCC of 3, which is good but not stellar normally... But as you can see, Grafcalibur has that crit of 40. You do the math. The math is wonderful.

One thing to note about tome weights: magical attack speed is not calculated the same way as regular attack speed. It's just straight-up (speed - tome weight). Asvel cares nothing for build, but lighter tomes are just straight-up better.


We see he's got Continue/Double/Adept/Whatever you want to call it, the one that Leaf has. But that's not what I wanted to talk about.
Most of you who have played Fire Emblem here have probably played the GBA games, if nothing else; It's the least common denominator of American Fire Emblem experience. And there, there are three types of magic, light, dark, and anima. They have a triangle, and anima covers wind, fire, and thunder magics.
In this game (well, a lot of Fire Emblem games, actually) those are three seperate ones, with three seperate ranks. This makes the division of weapon exp a little frustrating at times.

Anyway, Wind magic is effective against flying units and is light and has middle-of-the-road power here, which is surprising. Fire is worse than either, basically, being weaker than either and heavier than wind, except I guess that it has a C rank option, as opposed to jumping from D/E to A like the other two. Thunder is the strongest and the heaviest.
They have a triangle, too, arranged: Fire beats Wind, Wind beats Thunder, Thunder beats Fire. All of these are beaten by light and dark magic.

This has been Magic and You.

Now, let's look at *this* guy.

Sety is boss. He's so boss, I can no longer tell when I'm joking about how awesome he is and when I am earnestly describing how awesome he is.
His defense looks meh for a promoted unit, you say? Sety don't need no defense. You see his Speed? You see those shining green numbers next to his speed? Sety doesn't need defense, because no one can hit him.

Those green numbers are from Holsety, the first holy weapon we've gotten to have a look at.

It's ludicriously broken. Holsety was a bit unfair in FE4, where there were lots of broken things running around. In 5? Holsety trivializes the game. It's the best weapon there is, unbreakable and turning Sety into a dodge-tank and magic nuke beyond sanity or mercy.
I can't imagine anyone in Jugdral would ever be able to argue with any sort of Divine Mandate theory of rule by those with holy blood. Not when they can wield stuff like this, capable of chewing up armies forever.

I'll show off the reast of Sety's stuff at a later point, when it's more relevant. I'm just showing you how he'll rip through this stage like wet paper.

We need to get to them before we get any prizes from them, though. Onto fighting!


This map is basically front-loaded (and a bit back-loaded, if you screw it up). There is a literal wall of guys just ahead of us, and I'd like to protect my units from them as much as possible. We'll begin creeping forward next round, once we've weeded them out a bit.


Some fool thinks he can attack Sety and live. Or do damage. Or be effectual in any way.
He's just throwing his life away, and is joined by a buddy.

A mage rushes out of the darkness for Fergus.

I really should have equiped the fire sword. I tried, I just mis-clicked.


Leaf at least manages an exchange.

Eh.


Asvel and Sety practice killing on the guys in front of them.

v
I just take a perverse pleasure in taking the weapons of mages. Asvel needs some back-up, anyway. (No he doesn't. We have how many tomes?)



Well, let's get to the action.


I think I can give this guy to Karin, given a little bit of luck. She's actually our best option for mage-killing. Peg knight magic scores, yay!

My luck pulls through with a stunning crit on her first attack to make it possible.


How bad an idea is sending her forward? I reckon 'pretty bad,' but hey: it's EXP.

And she gets a movement star! Now, I can either keep her there and robbing, or I can send her back to saftey.
...I'll mull it over.

I move everyone forward enough to see that I can make a wall for her, and, in fact, should.

So I steal that vulnerary so I can heal Dashin with it. I'm...actually out, honestly.


My final formation -- Dashin healed, since we needed it. That mage can't run and he can't fight. I snicker at him.


Leaf: not doubling armors. Sad, man. Sad.


Stop!
Hammer time.

...There. Got that out of the way.


I was going to comment on it being useless, but then she critted. There are times I really love myrmidons. There are times I hate them, since I find they tend to have a higher chance at being RNG-screwed than other classes, but. Hey.

OW. Ow. Ow. Ow.


Attacking Asvel is a little less stupid than attacking Sety. Accomplishes more, anyway.




Fergus is the last guy with a free space for killing things, so everyone just funnels right into the murder.


Oh thank merciful dodging.


The mages dash ahead, making it a bit more annoying to talk to them.


Lara pulls her weight by being able to unlock this door in time! I really do appreciate movement stars, even when they fire at inconvenient times and can't be relied on. Because sometimes...They know just what you need.

Now, let's clear this action some space so that we can reach the magic-users. We need to get Karin to talk to her prince and Leaf to talk to Asvel.


MWAAHAHAHAHA!


Good, good...



Bad. Bad. That's... Look, just go in a corner or something. I'll find a real fighter to help.


More yoink!


Lara opens the door, we send Leaf and Karin towards it, and we settle down for the enemy phase.


That's one enemy handled...


In the hallway, Asvel's in trouble!



And Sety just is trouble. For other people.


I get to take in the pleasure of wrath.


Asvel retreats to heal...

And Sety heads towards us with murder on his mind.


Makua heals.


Lifis steals.

And triggers his movement star, allowing him to get some EXP!

And a level!
+1 Hp, +1 Def
A really odd level. Like, the opposite of a thief level.


And we'll have Karin talk to Sety.

"I left to find help. And I found you." Is that how that Lion King quote goes? I do not recall.

Fee is Sety's sister, another green-haired, green-eyed pegasus knight from Silesia.
It is sort of a theme.


Dude, she's trying to find a way to break it to you!


A nice bit of using text-scrolling: there's a long pause between "Mother!?" and "Did she...?". I actually thought that his text box was a single word long.
It changes the flow of the conversation in a way that's difficult for screenshots to convey.


Man, poor Silesia: Sety, Fury (the late queen), the whole load of 'em. What hope they have is battered by loss.
Of course, that can be said of the whole world.


... That's really almost too sad.


"She tries hard to hold back her tears in front of the others, but she cries and cries when she's alone with me... You're so cruel, Lord Sety. You push everything on little Lady Fee and go running off to a place like this..."
When I think about it, Sety's probably more like his dad than he'd ever want to admit. There's a pattern there.

"It's natural to be called a hero when you take after Holsety."
She probably means 'Sety,' like the crusader. The dragon's kind of a noble-intentioned jerk, far as I'm concerned.


"But my father was the only one who could cure my mother's illness. Even if I stayed by her side, there was nothing I could do except watch her fade away...That's why I wanted to find my father no matter what."
Sety's goal for finding his father, after this point, is so he can yell at him. He's your one-stop shop for Heroism and Daddy Issues.


"But after seeing the terrible state of the people here, I just couldn't leave them..."


"It shouldn't take long. I just need another half a year..."
Ha-ha-ha...No he won't. He's not going home until after he's helped take down the whole empire. There's a whole game-and-a-half between him and seeing Silesia again.


Really, he just doesn't want to steal our party members. Thanks, man.

"Yes... I would just be in the way, wouldn't I..."

She is also not going home. Not until we're done with her.
But we will take your trinket, Sety.


Sety just took all the national treasures with him, didn't he? The magic book, the magic scroll...Anything else you're hiding there, buddy? The crown jewels?


"I'm really supposed to give it to my bride, but I'll give it to you for now."

"This is a symbol of my gratitude. Please take it."
"Very well. But I'm only taking it for the time being."

"You too, Lord Sety!"


SETY SCROLL, GET!
The Sety Scroll is a lovely little thing, boosting speed growth by 30% and Magic Growth by 10%, in exchange for a -10% HP Growth penalty.
I'm not entirely sure what to do with it. Maybe I'll let Fergus hold onto it for a bit.
Seriously, people, vote for these things in the future. This is your party I'm messing with for my own giggles.


Anyway, let's move onto our other conversation.



"As soon as I left?! ...Then you've been searching for me for three years...?"
"Yes. Don't you remember our promise? We vowed to reclaim Thracia together."
Dang. When a guy's loyal to you, Leaf, that guy is DANG loyal.

"But you left me and went off on your own, Lord Leaf..."
"I'm sorry... I had no choice. Tahra was surrounded by Imperial troops, and I was sure I was going to die."


Asvel, what are you, a childhood friend-type character? Sorry to tell you, kiddo, but that's sort of Nanna's job.
Maybe someone'll write fanfiction where you get to live the dream.



Well, anyway, Asvel joins the party!


I send Bryton and Fergus up to deliver a thunder tome for him...


And Fergus picks up the Sety Scroll, because someone becoming a god of death is always funny. That, and I really don't want Leaf picking up too many levels, even though he's my second choice.


Dashin gets fed a kill, since the guy'd just run away otherwise. Waste not, want not.

+1 Hp, +1 Str
....Meh.



Suddenly, surprise dude!

it's that guy who was messing with our little mage-buddy. He shall be food for Fergus!


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Def
What, no speed? Oh, well. Maybe I'll pass it to Asvel now that Fergus got a level with it. Speed is particularly valuable to mages.

I decide it's time to unleash the villagers.

"I know, the way out is to the right."
They're basically right next to the exit. Awesome.

And Lara gets the other one.




I send Asvel to open up the door to a room full of treasure.

Of course, I don't have anyone to help him out...oh my.

OH GOD. And he's got a devil axe!

...Oh. Tee-hee.

Well, that was simple.

What happened was that the Devil Axe is an axe that has a luck-based chance of dealing its damage to the user. This guy failed his luck roll and so the axe turned on him. Funny, really.


Bryton ends up not getting hit, goody-goody, and this mage will protect Asvel from further direct attack.



All the kids escape, no problem! For once, something's easy.


I trade Bryton the available scrolls, since he's close to a level. And magey can provide!

It hurts, but it works.


+1 Hp, +1 Luk
FUG. HP/Luck levels are just so....mocking. Particularly when scrolls are involved.


Anyway, Leaf can apply the finisher.


Lifis nabs a life ring from the first chest.


Asvel takes a fire tome and the chest key from Lifis...

And nabs another Iron Blade. I'm still not sure what to do with these. Hey, Fergus, want more toys?



Karin takes the chest key and the Iron Blade, and...

Gets a brave sword! Hot dog! It's the Brave Axe, but a sword.
Makua and Leaf and Fergus will probably...


Well, Leaf and Fergus will probably toss it back and forth between them until we find a better choice...
Actually, Leaf can't use it, either. So, basically, what I'm saying is that Fergus now has too many toys.


I'll maybe pass his weapon as a hand-me-down to Lara, who could use the capacity to deal damage.


I open the door to the last room, and send Fergus to do Fin's job and try and catch a guy.

...That could have gone better.

...OH --
*A long, unbroken string of expletives and pseudo-expletives, including my personal favorite, "fudge-bunnies." I kind of like fake-swearing more than real swearing.*


Ok, first things first. Let's try and ease the load a bit.

For what little good that'll do.

Oh, he got a level!
+1 Magic, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
...Beautiful. Welcome to the team, little buddy, hope guys with hand-axes don't rip you to shreds.


Let's see if Leaf can't help!

Leaf can't help.
He can get a level, though.


+1 MHP, +1 Skl, +1 Luk, +1 Def
...Well...At least you make a good target.


With his bleg defense and his importance, sometimes enemies will go after Leaf when there are really better killing options. Like this. This is good.

Leaf can help reduce Fergus's inventory clutter now!


Of all my plans, "Let Leaf Help" is the one that seems to be alarmingly successful.

Dodge tank, boy! Dodge tank like your life depends on it! (It does)



Not a single enemy went for Fergus or Asvel. Also, no one got hurt. My plan was brillaint and I am not some sort of massive screw-up.


Man alive, I want what this guy has. That's the next level of Fire Tome and a ranged healing staff (it's called 'Physic' everywhere but this patch, so I may slip up). DO WANT. Sadly, Lifis is one build short of disarming him and making the rest trivial. Very sad.
Fergus can't risk it, I don't know who can reach him...Hmmm... I may just have to stall him for a second.


Well, first, let's let Asvel get some more EXP.

Ow. Defending him is now a priority.


...Makua. Makua. Can you capture him for me, honey? Can you pull through?
...I believe. I have faith, sweetie. You can get me prizes and save the day.


Yaaaaaaay! Prizes and day saved! And a level!


+1 Skl
...That is an amazing display of how to make me not like you not five seconds after making me love you.
Stunning.


Man, Armor Slayer, what am I to do without you? (I'm not far from learning).



Yoink!
That's just for giggles, really. I need to clean out some space soon.

Bryton cleans up.

During his phase, Sety decides to run down, using his magic AI senses to find...

The last dude on the map. Like I care.


Physic staff, Physic staff. Doo-Doo-do-do-doo-doo.
...Now all we need is some sort of healer. Again.


Leaf takes some of Fergus's stuff, since he can use them now (I regret letting him have the brave sword instantly, but anyway)...

And Fergus will take Makua's steel sword so he can have a normal weapon to use.


And we start evacuating the map. Standard escape rules apply.


We get to watch the Sety murder show while this goes on.
I won't spoil how it goes, but...It involves a lot of enemies getting cut apart by a sudden death tornado, I'll tell you what.

Also, cheating.
The AI is a cheating sonuvagun.


Our only new escape text.
"Also, don't leave me behind again, causing me to search for you forever!"
He didn't say that, but...He should have.

After some more messing around so everyone has *A* clear inventory space, I send everyone and Leaf out.

Leaf really ought to have his own line.

The map ends abruptly; there were some dicey spots, but we got some good treasure and it wasn't too hard when I wasn't blundering. A fun map.

Growths

Spoiler

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Asvel

HP 55%
Str 10%
Mag 35%
Skl 55%
Spd 75%
Luk 35%
Def 10%
Bld 10%
Mov 2%
PCC 3

Dat speed growth. Far as I can tell, it's the highest speed growth in the game -- which is good, since the only defense against weapon weight he has is raw speed. While he'll never be durable, with Grafcalibur and the really good promotion gains he'll get by going into sage, it'll rarely be a problem. Because everything around him will be dead, first. His other growths are pretty good, no complaints -- he needs neither build nor strength, really, so defense is his only hole. A very good, very usable character: I expect good things from him.

Ok, so, voting: who should get what scrolls? I'll make a handy list of them here, since it might be easier that way. You can group them up or spread them out in whichever combos you wish. I'll be making an effort to get the winners more EXP, so if you want to see a character more, try asking for them to get a scroll.

Scroll List:
Baldo: +5% HP, +5% Str, +5% Skl, +5% Spd, +5% Luk, +5% Def
(Notes: It's not terribly likely to make a huge difference, but is good to give someone a better chance of an all-around boost. Not terribly useful for Asvel, since it doesn't effect his magic, but good for basically anyone else)
Hezul: +30% HP, +10% Str, -10% Luk
(Good for making someone extra-durable, maybe a slight boost to their melee skills. HP is such a general stat that it's hard to say who really needs it most. To plug a hole, maybe someone like Karin or Lara. To make someone specially strong, Maybe someone like Fergus or Bryton.)
Sety: -10% HP, +10% Mag, +30% Spd
(Good for Asvel as a mage, or someone who needs a speed boost. Or just toss it on with some others for MORE SPEED. Leaf can't double armors, so he might not be a bad option for speed, and Dashin's always wanting for speed as an armor knight...A 105% speed growth on Asvel might be neat, too, or you could give it to someone like Lara or Lifis for better thieving, or maybe a melee-er like Fergus for some extra all-round goodness.
Speed's good for everyone, so it's in high demand.)

First Post has been updated to reflect new characters and stats.

[tyckspoon]

Sety scroll for Asvel at least until he gets double-digit speed. Hezul for Karin, because I love pegasus knights but they always come out so fragile. Baldo on whoever you want.

[Rising Phoenix]

Sety scroll for Asvel at least until he gets double-digit speed. Hezul for Karin, because I love pegasus knights but they always come out so fragile. Baldo on whoever you want.

Seconding this.

FE certainly likes the "I've been in love with you since childhood, but don't have the guts to tell you" trope :P.

[Javan]

Sety scroll for Asvel at least until he gets double-digit speed. Hezul for Karin, because I love pegasus knights but they always come out so fragile. Baldo on whoever you want.

I will third the majority of this, except the Baldo scroll to Fergus just for kicks.

[Sheep Overlord]

Everything to Fergus. In my Fire Emblem experience, swordsmen (other than the obligatory Mercenary/Hero who wins at everything) tend to be underwhelming, and I find it amusing that a sword cavalier has the potential to be greatly competent (mentally, I equate them all to Makalov).

[Deme]

I love cavalier-types, honestly, so Fergus being a good unit pleases me. Just puts a smile on my face.

Chapter 5: Fortune Laughed

Spoiler

Show

Well, let's get to the next chapter.

It's certainly nicer than previously: heck, we might even get to see...Outside! *gasp*
Eh, who am I kidding? We'll be locked in indoor maps until we die.


However, the group we pan to isn't our usual one...

Oh, right. You. We were wondering where you'd wandered off to.





"I-I don't know. We were seperated as soon as we arrived here..."


"You said you would let me see my daughter. Did you lie to me?"
Eyvel does not grasp how terrible a position she's in to be making accusations or demands. Does she not get what happens when you remind villains that they promise you things?


"No, of course not. I'll bring you to your daughter. If..."



Only one of those guys looks anything like a swordsman, actually.

See? This is why you never make deals with evil guys! I swear. No common sense.

"What's the matter, Eyvel? The swordsmen are approaching."


That right there?
Good. Advice. Cannot be overstated.


With that, we start the map. Let's take inventory, shall we? The map follows sort of a loop, with us ending juuust a bit of the ways from where we started, with the big useless arena in the center.


We've got a mix of armors and mages first -- that's good, since I want Karin to get some EXP, and she's one of our better options for taking out mages.
We also have a chest that's annoyingly out of the way.


Then we've got some archers, soldiers, and an armor. There's also a bishop who, oddly enough, just has a healing staff. K.

...And Nanna and Eyvel are in a locked room in the middle.


We've got more of the same in the opposite corner (the bishop there has a meteor tome, so we'll be getting sniped at length), except for the couple of dark mages (well, a dark mage and a dark bishop) guarding some treasure.


And finally, by our oddly-sealed escape point... SO MANY MAGES.
And a sniper, for no good reason.

Now, in our middle, we've got some special guest stars.

You remember this guy from the BBEG conference earlier, right? Well, he's...pretty scary. Not unbeatably scary, but even if we could reach him, I don't think we'd want to.
If you can't tell, we'll be seeing more of him later.


...That is an uncomfortably large number of authority stars (this is a theme.)


Redric's stats are less scary, but he's got a sword with the name of a cult, and I don't trust that stuff. There's bound to be a trick somewhere.
(He also has about 4 authority stars.)



We also have a generic midboss-type. He doesn't even get to sit in on the evil tea party, that's how little he matters.


But wait! We do have a new friend for our side, and that merits looking at!

We get Nanna! Nanna's an interesting character, but underleveled, so her stats aren't much. She's a troubadour, which gets access to swords, staves, and a pony!
Yes, we finally get more staves! *clouds part, hallelujah chorus stats*

Her unique Earth sword heals for the damage it deals, which would be great on people we can't give it to. She also has a new skill:

What that means is that it boosts the hit and evasion rates of all allies within 3 squares by 10%. Handy for a support character.

Her stats are a little low for now, particularly her defense. While she can, in theory, fight...She should not be fighting the guys in the room with her. They will rip her to pieces.


So we need to keep them moving. The stairs will protect Nanna well enough.


I get my scrolls in order and advance a line to start baiting out some people.

...And we cut back to our spectators.

And you seem to have trouble deciding if your eyes are closed all the time, or if you just have skin-colored sclera, but you don't see me belittling you.
Oh, wait.

"...And this is not what you said you would be doing."



...Well. That's...ominous.

Anyway, time for the first action of the map!

It goes poorly.

Fergus getting missed goes much better.


The mage army begins to advance. They'll basically rush towards us, so we can't quite control when we'll be fighting.


Hm. needs softening, first.
But to do any softening, we need to clear the way for our softeners.


First, we get Dashin to weaken the armor...




So we can get Asvel a level from him!



+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Mag, +1 Skl, +2 Spd, +1 Def
*spits drink*
GEEZE LOUISE THAT IS A NICE LEVEL!
We see the Sety scroll in action there, too, with that +2 speed. Which brings us to a moment of impasse, actually: see, the terms of the winning vote (at the time of recording this bit) were 'until he gets double-digit speed.'
So. Yeah. By vote, he only has it for a single level.


On to less delight-inducing things.

Look, Lara, you can deal damage!

Had you hit both times, you could have dealt, you know, more damage.

Oh, well.

It's enough for Karin, once I pass Bryton's steel sword her way.

Just give her a good weapon and let 'er loose.


I was so pleased by the whole Asvel thing that I nearly forgot to move Nanna. That'd be bad.
Really bad.

Daaaang! Someone got a crit of Eyvel? *whistles* Well, it gives Nanna something to do, at least.


Makua's first hit made that dissapointing 'ting' of no damage. I'm not normally on the recieving end of that.
Thank goodness for second-hit crits.


Ow.


As payback, I'm turning you into free EXP.


We get Nanna and Eyvel into a safe corner, with the stair forming a choke point...

And Nanna goes to work.


Now, I do a move I find a touch risky and send Fergus ahead, leaving a space for Lara to celebrate her iron sword and its associated ability to deal damage.

Isn't that just magical, sweetie?



And Karin gets a level!


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Bld
Build? Oh, thank you! Good girl, Karin!
It's not a great level otherwise, but a point of build is really such a treat that I am really happy!
...Her speed's not doing great relative to her, though, so I may toss her the Sety Scroll to help out.


Asvel obliterates him,
and everyone else advances, and we end turn.


I'm not used to Eyvel being reliably hit. These guys mean business.


Yoink!
Holy Water, by the way, increases magic by 7, and its effect decreases each turn.
In other words, it's either a great offensive or a great defensive tool, depending on the character you use it on.


Double yoink!


Scrolls, scrolls...

I move Makua forward, but this seems to have crossed an invisible line, because this happens:


"Haha...You! Bring her in here!"


"..."

Oh, don't say that, Nanna! That just makes it worse!





Sounds like she'll be a fine member of this army (I kid).

Or not.


I hope you learned your lesson, Eyvel. Never. Remind. Bad Guys. Of. The Deal. They'll just alter it further!

"Nothing. In fact, she was trying to escape, so I lent her a hand by giving her that sword."

...Did you miss her last dialogue box? He succeeded.


"Hahahaha...!"





Well. That went downhill quickly.


That's a good sword.

She's not very strong, but she's reasonably fast.


More healing. More fighting.

Not a terribly good use of a turn there. That Iron blade is slowing her down.



Eyvel takes out two of the fighters on their turn (That's her in that second screenshot. Being so fast she blurs.)


I'd like to steal from this guy, but I'm worried about time.
So we'll have the thieves double-team him. It's just a door key, we're fine.
(From The Future: Couldn't you have, I dunno, captured him? No? No capturing? Ah, well, you probably wanted the EXP, didn't you? But seriously. You can capture, girl. Remember it next time.)


Course, *someone* still can't kill him.
Someone.
Not naming any names.


Eyvel finishes the last fighter.
Now it's just mother and child.

...Oh, hey. Lookee there. Heh.


Everyone's fairly close together now.


Eyvel and Marita have company now.



...Some Lopto darkbishop jerk (the one on the other side of the map) used a physic staff. Dangit!



A failed exchange of blows.


Dude, chill. She's not even at her mom yet. The sword makes her crazy, it doesn't give her a horse.

What you're saying is, she's better than cursed swords of darkness? Worth noting, should we ever find a way to free her.
If only we could find such a thing.


"Look, can't you see those tears?"
Ah, the old standbys.



I'm glad it worked like this, since I want Karin to...

Yeah, there we go. That.

Oooh, sword rank!


One last swipe...

But I'm calling this guy a lost cause. He'll just get healed if it doesn't work.

Marita finally strikes during the next phase!

We don't have to worry about Eyvel hurting Marita: in a rare display of benevolence, but a typical display of gameplay-meets-story bits, Eyvel will not counter-attack Marita. Which is good: she's an innocent in all this, too. We don't want to hurt her.


Wrath crits, wrath crits, oh how I love some wrath crits...


Fergus wipes a guy out...


Asvel burninates the remains of the armor for a level I forgot to screenshot.
+1 HP, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
Not bad, not bad.


See these numbers? I really should have looked at them harder. But it worked out OK-ish... Right?

Fergus may need to borrow a lighter weapon off of someone. Or that brave sword. Still, if that guy goes for Karin, it'll work out just fine for us.


Lifis gets a movement star that throws my vision of the next few turns into dissaray.



Or it would have, but no one can kill that guy!



Except, to my surprise, Leaf.


Well, anyway. Time to have a jailbreak!
...Again.


Leaf uses the power of [s]love[s] cutscenes to run forward to Nanna.


...Eyvel's fine, Nanna. Everything's fine.




You're only a few feet from her. How does she look to you, buddy?



(Odd thing: I can't find any evidence of this line existing in anyone else's script. It's not in other LPs. It's not on Serenes. It only exists here, in my screenshot.)

Not again!
"N-no, wait, kill them! It will be my responsibility if they get away! Kill them, kill them all!"






He teleports Eyvel to him: I call hax, since he doesn't have the staves for that.
There are staves for that, after all.



And he turns her to stone. He did have the tome for that.
...But we don't have any way to fix it. :(




"Okay, we have nothing to fear now! Kill them all! Don't let them get away alive!"
Same to you.





Everyone leaves. There's nothing there now...

But a statue in an empty room.

We still have a war to fight, so let's get back to that.

...I did not think this through.


...Nope, nope I did not.

Reset Counter: +1
Total: 4 (I think. It's been a while.)

Luckily, my most recent save-state isn't very far away. We can fix this.

I'm going to try that again, except...

I'm going to have Nanna take Eyvel's sword. Sorry, dear, but you can't take it with you.
...You weren't a bad little Jeigan, really (Shh, don't correct me).


Bryton crits our accidental door-guard, making life a bit easier. Or maybe just more odd.

So, surprisingly enough, does Karin. Yay for supports!
It even nets her a level!

+1 HP, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
Eh. I did want to help her with her speed, I guess. She's still pretty behind herself, though...But I guess in a few more levels, given her growths, it won't matter anymore.


I pass the Brave Sword to Fergus. He's gonna need it.



Makua moves into position, takes the door key...
And the events of before unfold again.

Now, I have two things I can do to prevent the previous situation from happening again.
#1:

Move Nanna out of the way. Always move Nanna out of the way.

I'll have her heal Lifis while we're here.

#2:

Apply Fergus to our 'enemies incoming' problem.



Both of these guys are crit-happy and mega-unfriendly.
Luckily, holding onto a scroll negates the chance of enemies crits (I forget if that accounts for skills or not), so that's one part of this nightmare defused.


...Well. That was...simple.


+1 Spd, +1 Luk
...*sigh*


Also, ow. That hurt. A lot.


We've got other enemies to deal with, though.


Hey, someone opened the way out for us! Thanks, incompotent enemies!




Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!



She won't finish these guys, but their accuracy's so bad that I'm not sweating it.



Leaf will finish someone, though. So that's a plus.


...That. That's what Fergus vs. this guy looks like.
Wow. Ow.

...And then I misclick, saying 'yeah, let's do that' instead of 'no, that's insane.'

He crits and takes his enemy out instantly.
If you excuse me, I'll be busy. Picking up my jaw.


+1 HP, +1 Str
A meh level, but I'm still busy being shocked that my absurd gamble didn't get him killed.

And then he gets move up.
That....I.... WOO-HOO!

Dismounted, he's now as mobile as a foot-soldier. On horseback, he's got a range of 9, the largest in our current army.

I'm still deeply stunned, and so I forget to be smart.
Instead, I move Makua to not do things,

and instead give Bryton a healing item...Thus forgetting that someone needs to attack our buddy with the lance.
Oh, well.


Asvel is alarmingly good anti-mage, since he's better with magic than they are.




...Bad things are about to happen, aren't they?

Yes, he dodged!

...No! Don't do that! That guy needed to live to take up space so things didn't kill you!


Why do you show this to me? I'm not gonna get to keep it!
+1 Skl, +1 Bld
Darnit. I'd have liked that build, too. More Build = More Steals.



Drat. Drat. Drat.
Reset Counter: +2
Total: 5

I spend a while contemplating my fate.
It's pretty gloomy.


To my pleasure and surprise, my last save-state is right before Fergus's surprise crit-n-level, in such a way that Fergus gets to keep it. Marvy.



Makua will take this guy out this time, for example.


+1 HP, +1 Mag, +1 Skl
...You're strange, Makua. Strange and dissapointing.


A slightly different healing position.


Nanna's healing staff missed.
UGH.


Asvel takes out an enemy....
And I need to figure out how much help Makua really needs, but I decide the answer is "not a lot."
(From the Future: If my past self were a better LPer, she'd have made a note of why she felt this way for me.)


Yoink! (Anyone got any good stealing sound effects?)




The second round of mages are more accurate than the first.



The now bereft priest tries to hightail it out of here.



Karin attacks a mage, borrowing a sword in the hopes of more damage. It doesn't really pay off, though.



Another miss.
*froths at the mouth*


+1 Skl, +1 Def
Well, maybe the skill will keep her...from missing...so much.
*twitch, twitch*


We lighten Lifis's load.

Now, we need to clear out this place, because a lot of the crew are badly hurt.

Asvel will start us off.


Lifis will help...In his own way.


I was gonna have Makua weaken this mage for Lara...

But nah. Not happening.



Lara will at least try to help. She doesn't succeed, but...
She does get a level.

+1 Skl
A terrible, worthless level. Didn't even have SPEED.


She gets a movement star, but I am angry at her.


So Leaf will finish things with this group.


He even uses his skill and gets a level. Luck's, oddly enough, kind of with me for odd events.

...But not for levels.
This one's empty.
Blank. Meaningless.

...
I'm just going to go take a breather.

This post is running long, so on that note, I'm splitting it up! See you tommorow/when I'm feeling better/when someone's replied, whatever comes first!
Next Time: We get out of this map!

[Illven]

Apparently your luck stat spends half it's time being 30, and the other half being 0

[Deme]

30? Don't be silly. That'd break the stat cap.

Chapter 5, Part 2: FLINTSTO-- I mean -- LAAARRRAAA!

Spoiler

Show

Ok, breather over. Back to business...



Where someone else gets yet another chance to waste my time.


He's bolting, too. I wonder what would happen if he gets to the end of the map.

Anyway, we need a serious rest and recharge after this.

Muuuch better.


Lara opens the door, hopefully not bringing the wrath of the next wave of baddies...

And Bryton scoops her up.


We're actually sending Fergus and his new highest range in the group out to get that chest. It wastes less time that way.


At first I think I should have checked weaponry because longbows? you jerks!
But then I check Serenes, and it turns out that the longbow here doesn't have extra range, like in other Fire Emblems. No, it's just a bit lighter and more accurate for having the same might as a steel bow. Nifty.


Oh, they don't have to get to the end of the map. That's interesting.


He got a ticket to ride.


Anyway, Fergus finally gets his horse back, summoning it from the aether. As you do.


Lara's still not safe -- we need to get someone on that, as well as prevent too many enemies from swarming while we wait.


...Again?
So help me, Nanna. So help me!


Lifis will just have to save the day.


Makua will use a vulnerary, because I'm not trusting *SOMEONE*.


Getting shot gets Bryton a level.

+1 HP, +1 Luk
...My luck is really funky today. Maybe I should take a break.


Ha! (This is both for the miss and my distinct lack of fear in the fact of a pegasus knight getting shot by a bow: normally, something to be terrified of. But dismounting has at least some advantages.)



Makua just barely avoids killing this guy. I'm a little irritated, honestly.


Here! Take your dang heal staves!

Thank you! Was that so hard?



Not enough to kill, but any EXP is good EXP, right?

Likewise, but this is enough to get him a level.


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Mag, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
You're really out to impress me, aren't you, kid?
(Also, you are aware that this isn't Path of Radiance, and strength won't help you, right? You got that memo, didn't you?)


I *HATE* enemies with physic staves. Well, I do if they use them all up before I can reach them.

Most of the enemy phase passes uneventfully; it appears plan "don't bait the archers" just won't work.



We do, however, get to see Asvel take and dish out some hits.


As if to apologize, Nanna actually double-casts, healing Asvel twice instead of once (or, you know. Not at all.)


Karin KOs a mage for a level.


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
A nice level! Good girl, getting strength like that!



Asvel takes down a guy...But not without a worrying amount of damage.


That's enouraging, actually. Less damage on Asvel's head.

As is that. "Bait with Leaf" is never a bad plan. (At least, not until Leaf can't withstand hits. But until that point...)

Never. Thank goodness the AI is so dumb.



...HE MOVED. Dang dang dang dang dang...


...I need a break.

Reset Counter +3
Total Resets: 6

Picking up from after Karin's level, I contemplate my options.

Maybe if I bait with Leaf and pull back?


I don't care what it takes.

I will kill this priest for what he's cost me!



Baiting with Leaf, man. Baiting with Leaf.

Other than Bryton taking some licks, this all worked out perfectly.




Karin takes out a guy.


Oh, just one little indulgence can't hurt, right? (Wrong).



...The earth sword is really trippy.


+1 Spd, +1 Bld
Not that it's ever a bad thing for someone to get build (except, I guess, Asvel), but...
Couldn't you, you know, try gaining magic? Like you were a healer?



Bryton bungles...


So to keep my little indulgence from causing disaster, Asvel brings it home.


I think I've found Leaf's true purpose.


Fergus finally reaches the chest, retrieving a magic ring. I'm trying to decide when we'll pass the first wave of boosters around: maybe after we have our party all back together?
Or when we get a prep screen and/or access to the stuff in storage. Let's wait until then and celebrate.


Karin wounds this guy.


Yoink!

...That was a terrible level.


But at least he gets the movement star he needs to pull out of danger.



Asvel takes out this guy.


*Stifled scream of frustration*
(I did not take that break)


Fergus gets a movement star, speeding up his return.


YES. THAT. DO THAT. IT IS CALLED HEALING. IT IS YOUR JOB.

A turn or so later,

Fergus says farewell to his horse and prepares to come back inside.
His horse needs a name. They all need names (except Hermes, Hermes is a fine name for a pegasus. Good work, Karin...Look, I just really like fictional animals having names.)


I get myself that break and send Dashin out to bait the boss.



My plan does not work.


When you have a heavily-armored boss, before everyone picks up super magic scores... There's a painless solution. It's called Grafcalibur.

But before I do that, I think it's fair to do some EXP-gaining. So I pass all the scrolls to Fergus.

Nanna also double-heals. She seems to have trouble balancing out her healing.


Minimal damage, yes, but no chance of counter-attack.


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Spd
The best two-stat (other than HP) level. I'll take it. ...Man, I need to let everyone else catch up.


Hee hee.


Let's let someone else have some fun with scrolls...

Ow, ow, ow.


+1 HP, +1 Spd, +1 Bld
...Totally not worth it. Asvel can't even *use* build.


Oh, man. Don't screw this up for me, Lara.

Luckily, no disaster occurs, thanks to lara's not-terrible dodging.


Not enough to kill...

But enough to level.
+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
You've been chatting with your not-your-boyfriend about what's important in a level, haven't you?
Good girl.


I love taking things. You know, just for the heck of it.


Makua finishes. Actually, this group is pretty even, excepting Asvel, Miss Useless, and Nanna. Everyone (other than Fergus) is about 7-9.
I can't recall if that's good or not, but it sound right.


By the way...
Whose idea was it to put 'wait' about 'staff' in the menu? ...Because I'll break my nonviolent policies for that person.


Oh hey, more enemies. Forgot about you.


Today, Lifis learns how to dodge meteors being summoned onto his head.


I'm amused by teasing enemies with their low odds of causing my death. This is undoubtably something I should worry more about.


Also, I'm amused by redundant criticals.


+1 HP, +1 Skl, +1 Luk
...We are not amused.

Nanna gets a level healing Asvel:

+1 Hp, +1 Skl
UGH! Magic, woman! All you really need is more magic! (and a bunch of other stuff, but one step at a time!)


...This won't end well.


The good news is, our crew is doing well on their dodging.


Had he hit on the second attack, we'd have gotten this guy! What a pain.


But it is enough for this!
+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
Can I take your strength gains and give them to someone else? Nanna or Makua would like them.
Or anyone, really.

Also, when taking into account the promotion gains from Mage to Sage (which are hilariously broken), we no longer have to worry about speed on him. Ever. All speed is now just getting to the inevitable conclusion faster.



Ah, I love the sound of certainty in the morning. Or evening. Whenever, really.

+1 HP
...Bryton.


He did get move, though! Now we'll have two 9-range cavaliers running about!


...You know, this is just interesting enough that I'll do it.

And regret. Oh, Lara. You're such a screw-up.


In order to get someone healed, we now have to send Leaf to finish the job. Hope you're happy, Lara.


Ooh, yay, a staff rank! (I like the fact that I've now gotten pretty good at remembering which string of gibberish means what).
If you can get those up on someone, DO IT.


I feel like I've been thinking 'this won't end well' too often.


And now we've all had our regularly-scheduled "sidestepping explosions" training.


I need someone to catch this guy, but in the meantime...
Free EXP!


Let's start by softening him up.

...That would have worked so much better had that second attack hit.


Makua with a killing edge should...

Oh. So...Um... A long-range tome doesn't count as 'armed' for catching purposes. Presumably because he can't fight back at this range. (So, wait, what about archers?...I'm sure I've had to fight to capture archers before.)
Valuable lesson learned, everyone!


Ok, forget special toys, I want you to have a sword you can double with.
...Also, we're really running low on normal swords. Everything's either special or down to its last 12 or so uses... That's pretty worrying.







They're really a good pair to have together, Karin and Fergus, ensuring redundantly excellent criticals.


We de-meteor and release our captive.


I want to start thinking about these guys. Ideally, we should capture someone with a physic staff.



Dark tomes are creepy as...Well. I suppose that comparison's rather obvious, isn't it?


...Well. Thank you, Leaf. That makes the coming turns much more simple.

Dangit. He's poisoned. We don't have anything to deal with that. Except applying Nanna to it directly and hoping she doesn't screw it up.


Well, let's have Dashin get him out of here, for now.
Let me think, how to deal... Holy Water Asvel-bomb? Holy Water + Fergus + Lifis to get that staff?
(From the Future: Error #1, not checking this guy's build. I miss having characters on horseback.)


In my distracted haste, I doomed us all. Again.


...Dangit.

Reset Counter: +4
Total: 7

I'll meet you back here...Ish. Except without the death.


LARA!
Reset Counter +5
Total: 8

I return older, wiser, and more annoyed with Lara.


And with physic staves that aren't mine.


Lifis very rarely gets to kill people, but I want him to rush forward and steal the stick at the end of the cooridor. If he can. If not, eh.


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Spd
Not bad. Also, our thief has more strength than our myrmidon. That's sad.
I check, he cannot take a stick. Pity.


So he takes a book. I'm pretty sure he can survive a single arrow from a....

Oh. You're a promoted guy.
Well.


I've decided on my path through those guards. It involves bringing some hurt, but I'm not 100% sure it's an ideal situation.



In other news, we were not met with doom!


Never run from our army. It just means your back is to us.


DANG!


Right. Let's try this.


When you don't know what to do with an enemy...

Grafcalibur. Easy answer.


Hoping I don't regret this...


But before we see that through, a little hope of clearing some plates.

Good girl.

+1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Bld

Build?! Seriously? Goooood girl!
(I hope I keep this level).


And nabbed.


He misses.
Well, that was an excellent waste of his time. Yay!

Sadly, he's bulky enough that the only guys who could catch him are in the other corner. Small oversight in my plan.
From the Future: Not having back up is error #2. Always check your numbers, or all clever schemes are useless.)


Oh, well.

No skin off my nose (I was originally going to give him to Karin, but I forgot about Fergus's PCC. Guy's not good for weakening if he gets a second hit in.)


We get lockpicks from the chest!
...I feel an irony in that, but it might just be fake irony.


And a Skill Ring!
Good haul.
Time to get out of this place.



Our new dialogue reminds us...We have to come back for her one day. Somehow. We can't leave a woman behind, and especially not Eyvel, who was like a mother to Leaf.

But for now, all we can do is keep going forward.

Next Time: Sunlight! Air! Horses!

Of course, since I've fulfilled the conditions allotted for the Sety scroll, we can reconsider its voting (you can suggest new places for others, go ahead), or I can just pass it around willy-nilly. I will say it probably won't go to the characters who had it this map: neither Asvel nor Karin particularly need more speed urgently. I'd need to think about who wants it next.

Character Growths: Nanna

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HP: 50%
Str: 25%
Mag: 10%
Skll: 40%
Spd: 35%
Luk: 55%
Def: 15%
Build: 10%
Mov: 1%
PCC: 1

Ah, well there's our magic problem explained: she's bad at it. While she's a mobile and versatile support character, her healing's not amazing and her fighting's not great either, though the Earth Sword and her promotions help. Her low staff rank, too, means that's she's ultimately worse at a pure healer job than Safy. Still, there's something to be said for Charisma as a skill, and having a healer who can zip in and out of tricky situations on horseback, recovering any damage she might take in the process, isn't a bad option for a secondary (or tertiary) healer-and-supporter. She strikes me as most useful not to replace purer staff-wielders like Safy, but to supplement them.
Of course, for now, it's any port in a storm.

[Illven]

So yeah, this game looks painful... Physically painful. I'm surprised IS didn't make the disk out of razor blades or something

[Deme]

Don't be silly!
...This is an SNES game. It doesn't have a disk.

[Javan]

Though if they made the top of the cartridge a nice razor edge, I would not be surprised. Putting pressure on it every time to get it to click in... Ouch.

[Deme]

Chapter 6, Part 1: Blue Skies and Sunshine Indeed

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Oh my goodness! It's sunlight! We're outside! Out of doors! Not in the building but out of it!


Our now-mostly-escaped party is met by a bishop.


Hey, it's that slightly shady guy!
And by "slightly," I mean "very, but at least his plans are with us, and not against us."
That mitigates things a bit.

”I was making plans to rescue you, but apparently there is no need for that now.”

It's worth remembering: these last few maps have come immediately on the heels of one another.

In the past few, what, hours? Leaf has seen the prisoners of the empire -- he's seen the children separated from their families, the innocent and elderly in chains... And, of course...


He's seen them take what little, precious family he's managed to make after they took that from him, years ago.
It’s been a hard slog for the characters, not just me. I approve of this.



Welp. That's depressing.


Oh, so there is something! It's not totally hopeless after all!

"However, Manfroy, the Lopto Archbishop, has sealed that staff, and it can only be used by those of his heritage."
"What? No..."
Nevermind. Hope withdrawn.
(Possible new title for the thread there)


The Yied Desert: where people go to die or possibly just vanish forever.
"They say that the statues of various warriors are kept there. I have even heard that the statues include the captives of the war in Barhara from a decade ago."

The war in Bahara being the event that ended the first generation of Fire Emblem 4 -- an ordinary battle that turned into a massacre; it's the day the good guys lost, and any hope of resisting the budding empire died... Until now.


I'm not sure I quite get what's impossible about this. I mean, this is a universe where people can be turned to stone by evil cultists to begin with.

""I understand your anger, but those 'impossible' things that you speak of are currently happening, Lord Leaf."
Must…Resist…Urge…To Showtune…Must…Resist...




"They are no match for the imperial army or the Lopto church."
He's got a point: we have trouble fighting these guys, and we're the heroes.

"If they are not killed on the spot, they are taken away to concentration camps where they are mass-executed."


"If one village tries to oppose them, the entire population is burned alive."


...Yes, yes it is, Leaf. I'm too busy imagining masses of people being burned alive to reply sarcastically there.
This really is pretty dark for Fire Emblem: world domination and destruction is one thing, but the brutal erosion of people's will to live and fight, through mass violence until all opposition is literally crushed, is a different ball-game to me. Absolute and over-the-top...But not exactly cartoonish in the same way.

"Northern Thracia used to be a land of blue skies and rich greenery, but now it is covered in an endless cloud of darkness."
I had a comment about Southern Thracia, and how it is a pile of rocks under an endless cloud of being a pile of rocks, but it wasn't terribly relevant. I'm just telling you about it because I liked my joke.


"Lord Leaf, I understand your concern for Lady Eyvel, but you have more important deeds to attend to."

"And you are the perfect example, Lord Leaf. Being the son of the tragic heroes Cuan and Ethlin, you have the right to unite the people.
Do you understand?
If you stand up, the rebel forces will come together..."


I've been treating it as a foregone conclusion that we'll be spending the whole game with the goal of forming a rebellion etc., and while that's true narratively, it hasn't really been Leaf's plan so far. I'm not sure exactly what Leaf was planning, but it was probably more of the same as his life's been as long as he can remember: get his people and himself out of trouble, flee. His life wouldn't really change for this one particular adventure -- they'd continue biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to try and reclaim his homeland.


But the whole point of this stretch of chapters, of getting really up-close and personal with the empire and making it both more personal than ever and completely beyond personal, is to change Leaf's mind. To make this moment, while far from perfect, the moment he acts. To make him decide that not only can he not take this anymore, but no one should.
He's not the greatest hero, but he's the one that's right here, right now. Someone needs to do it, and now.

"Rebuilding Lenster and leading its army to defeat the Empire... That was a dream Fin and I have been talking about for years!"



There! Now we're all on the same page!

"I suggest using the side gate in the east. The problem will be getting through the castle undertown."

What's this? The game is telling us there will be reinforcements, and not just dropping them out of the blue, like the world's least surprising surprise? Man, we should have gotten an advisor ages ago! You're all right, August. (Note: There will not actually be normal reinforcements, at least not for a while.)


Well, there's an idea. It's nice when other characters remind you they exist.

"We can fly over the castle walls, so no one will notice us."
"Okay, then we won't have to fight. But will you be Okay?"


And there's our standard justification for why only girls are Pegasus Knights…I’m not sure I get it, but OK.


"Now, the question is getting through the castle town..."


Our pursuit files out behind us, units popping up one-by-one...
And with that, we start the map!

0
Redric's in this upper-left corner here, for some reason. He can't reach us, we can't reach him.
His friends outside the building? Can. The bishops have meteor tomes, the mages elfire. There are too many of them, and the terrain too open, for us to stand a real chance if we get caught in that...Head-on. We'll probably be forced to deal with them later.


They also have a boss there. Little does he realize his entire life is an elaborate fraud for the amusement of the masses. Everything he's ever done, he's been watched by the bored public.


Then we have us, and a convenient side door we'll be heading to.


This map has stuff! It has a storage, a shop, and a perfectly-timed armory. Hopefully, we'll be able to afford things.


Then we have the bottom, with one of our escape arrows. This map is, naturally, an escape map, as the title would imply. We will eventually stop escaping...
Eventually. I like that we're doing what the plot says we're doing, so I can't complain. I 100% support a variety of map objectives in my Fire Emblems.

Heading back up, we have town, which needs a lot of visiting...



A smattering of central guards and a bit more town.


And we have our other exit points. I should start making proper maps sometime. Or find them.

So let's get this party started!


Step 1: Get everyone mounted up. This will have the side effect of suddenly solving our sword problem, since Karin and Bryton don't use swords while mounted (this is why I've been carrying a javelin around for basically ever), so suddenly, we have swords no longer in use!


...She doesn't have enough lance rank for a javelin. Well, I screwed that one up.
I need to fix that ASAP.


Well, let's do some things...

Like give Nanna the Sety Scroll, at least until I change my mind. Maybe it'll help her magic.
This is not a great idea, but I don’t catch on yet – Future Me.


Anyway, the next turn or two is just managing inventory and moving everyone down through the door.


Also, the little soldiers patrol, pacing back and forth. It's kind of cute. This could be a stealth mission, if we wanted it to be.
Naaaah.

I load Karin up with sellable gear and use Hermes to get her over the next wall...


And take her shopping! Well, selling first. I have too many thunder tomes.


I have Bryton open the door and start moving people on in.

On the enemy phase...

These three figures appear up inside the castle, Marita among them.

…What? This isn't supposed to be here. This is supposed to be a different conversation. Safy isn't even here. Well, I'll have to put the conversation in manually.

When the three figures appear, the first one to speak is the Mercenary, on the bottom:

"Sorry, Bishop, I'm afraid I gave you an extra burden."
This guy could have appeared in the arena last map, but in our playthrough, just happened to not -- we may have moved too fast. He's... Well, we don't want to mess with him, and we'll see why.

"Galzus, was it? Were you not hired by Lord Redric? Why did you save this girl? Do you know her?"


"No...That's not the case."

"...I see. It is a rather large burden for one traveling alone, but I shall take care of her nonetheless. Farewell, Galzus!"


He teleports himself and Marita away -- get used to people teleporting, but the prettyboy Bishop here, unlike last map, probably does have the staves for it with him.
This is where the buggy bit picks back up on the normal flow of history.


Hmm, how foreboding... We can only hope the Bishop meant "take care of her" in a literal, non-euphemism sense.


Dang! These are expensive!
Let me go back and check what the enemies here have.


Yeah, someone can grab one of those for Karin.


Lara deposits excess rings and things into the storage.
(And then I forget to move her, for, like, ever. Dang Manually Ending Turn! – Future Deme)



Fergus goes forth, decides this whole 'stealth mission' thing is for chumps, and grabs a new weapon for his favorite girl.


Swap and release...

Move everyone up and have Leaf visit the first of many, many houses.


So, if you didn't save all the kids in 4x and, gosh, what was it, 3? That was ages ago... Well, anyway, some of these houses would be useless. You'd get nothing, because you were a terrible person.
We saved everyone, so we'll be getting as much loot as we can carry.


But no respect. No respect at all.

"Here, take this Rapier as a sign of my gratitude."
I told you I didn't screw up badly and would get another one! Ha!


Rapiers, like in all Fire Emblem games, are effective against cavalry and armored units. Unlike other Fire Emblems, it's not locked to Leaf. Anyone who can use a sword of its level can use it.
It also has a crit chance.
It'll come in handy pretty fast, in the hands of either Fergus (CRIT ALL THE THINGS!) or Makua (CRIT MOST OF THE THINGS, BUT FERGUS CAN'T GET EVERYTHING!)


Of course, attacking a guard brings down these guys... But we're in a much better defensive position now.

I give the Armorslayer to Fergus send him charging towards the next house.

This one has a special reward.

Well, it's good to know they're not just going to get re-kidnapped. Good work, man.


New Army Members!


Hicks just sort of appears awkwardly next to the entrance of his house.
Like every other house, if you didn't rescue his kid, he'd throw you out with nothing in a fit of rage.


His bases aren't great, though he's actually not much different, number-wise, from the level 10 Bryton we have. He has nothing of any note on the next page (so Bryton may still be better). He has, in fact, nothing worth noting at all, really.
He's there.

I give him the hammer and decide to try him out, putting him ahead of Fergus for this round.
I'm trusting you, man. Do me proud.

Makua goes North with the Rapier in-hand.

I send Bryton south and have Karin get the Short Lance from him.

All that done, here's the formation.




So far, so good, though Hicks took a good chunk of damage.


The moment I think that, he misses.

You watching that, Hicks? This is your competition.
Think about it.


Owwwww!


Even with effective damage, that's sad.

That's not so sad.

Anyway, Brighton moves up to help attract attention away...

That wasn't even a wrath crit. Very nice!


We let Asvel do his job...

+1 Hp, +1 Skl, 1 Spd
That may be the worst level he's gotten for us. It’s still not that bad.


Leaf helps Makua out up there -- that guy would be sure to shoot her otherwise.


Hicks needs healing...
So a real man's got to handle this.


...I will regret this.

+1 Skl, +1 Bld
...I'm trying to decide if I want to regret this right now. On the one hand, no useful combat stats.
On the other hand, can wield heavier swords....Hnnn...


...Why did I even give her the Sety Scroll? She won't need it for ages; what was I thinking?



This house is haunted.
Just plumb full of ghosts.


We're grateful to our ghostly neighbors for all the assistance they render and for keeping the bloodcurdling screams down after 10 PM.


KNIGHT'S PROOF! Or Crest. WHATEVER!
A knight's proof is the promotion item of the game: any unit level 10 or above (except Leaf and one other), it promotes.


...Great work, Makua. Juuuust great.

No one's going to hit today, is that what you're saying?


At least someone can get their stuff together.

Maybe a little too well.


This will be the most agonizing inevitable reset ever.


This goes on for a while...

But we fall at the last hurdle.


Reset Counter: +1
Total: 9

I rejoin my game after picking up Hicks, and I try to figure out different ways to play this.

I try sending more people south, turtling a bit more defensively.


Karin avoids getting hit, even if she misses once...

And Hicks at least takes someone out.

No crit on the Rapier. If Makua could use the armorslayer, maybe its higher damage would suit her better?

I send Asvel to help advance...


But it doesn't go well. *sigh*


+1 Str, +1 Mag, +1 Skl, + 1 Spd
That went pretty well, though!


Karin flies away to visit ghost house.



Makua takes care of that guy.


I've decided I want to take this guy's Long...Lance? Spear? It's not a ranged weapon, so Spear feels inappropriate. I'll never see the second word, so I'm still guessing randomly.
Anyway, I want it for Karin, so Leaf needs to weaken him.



The scheme goes perfectly, except for the part where I'm about to get to Fergus into the same exact mess he was in last time.


Bryton rides forth and Nanna relieves him of his cargo. She's not my ideal choice, but she's there, and her horse gives her the ability to carry any unmounted unit.

I make a new plan. I don't need to send people forward. I only need to get Asvel back into saftey. Hicks, you have a job to do!

Hicks does his job, and I have Lifis take Asvel and set him down.


There. This should keep everyone safe, maybe perhaps.


Not quite enough. Sad.

Meanwhile, Fergus gets hit again. Always worrying, that.


+1 Hp, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Spd
He gets a better level this time...But I might like that build one day.


I might get that chance. IT WAS A CRIT THIS TIME! I didn’t even have to freaking screenshot it.
Let this be a lesson to you, reading audience: crits are only fun when they happen to other people.
You can’t win them all indeed.

Reset Counter: +2
Total: 10

Next Time, I somehow get out of this jam.
These updates tend to take a while not because it takes a while to play (though it does), but because putting the update together once I've played and written commentary is pretty tedious and agonizing, not gonna lie.

[Illven]

Spoiler

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This house is haunted.
Just plumb full of ghosts.


We're grateful to our ghostly neighbors for all the assistance they render and for keeping the bloodcurdling screams down after 10 PM.

Thank our ghost friends!

[CoffeeIncluded]

This game really is dark. Even if it's utterly over the top, such wholesale slaughter actually happened. And it's so horrific it's not cartoonish anymore. I do like Leif's changing motivations and sudden realization that whole he may not be the chosen one, he's all they've got and right now they need anybody.

Also, my head canon for peg knights is that Pegasi have some unicorn in them. Or their herd mentality and social structure makes them feel threatened by men riding on their back. What would be interesting is if you had a male child, or someone transgender, try to ride a Pegasus.

[Deme]

Thank our ghost friends!

Somehow, I like them better as ghosts than the alternative explanation.

This game really is dark. Even if it's utterly over the top, such wholesale slaughter actually happened. And it's so horrific it's not cartoonish anymore. I do like Leif's changing motivations and sudden realization that whole he may not be the chosen one, he's all they've got and right now they need anybody.

Yeah! I have lots of thoughts about this game, and in this chapter alone, I'm not quite done looking at the game's narrative strengths.

Also, my head canon for peg knights is that Pegasi have some unicorn in them. Or their herd mentality and social structure makes them feel threatened by men riding on their back. What would be interesting is if you had a male child, or someone transgender, try to ride a Pegasus.

This theory involves unicorns and explains why Falcoknights get winged and horned mounts, so I approve. I personally figured it was related to the real-world phenomenon of some animals being afraid of men due to abuse/size/roughness, but yours is better.


Chapter 6, part 2: Picking up Our Toys and Leaving

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My save state picks up with Bryton having captured the guy. This time, Nanna takes his things and lets him go, having shifted her supplies onto Bryton.

I repeat some actions, but...


If his problem is that he is too good at killing, killing less may fix things.


I keep forgetting to move Lara from the storage. Oops.
...I can't say I notice the difference.


This time, Bryton misses, making me sad.


But this goes much better...I guess. Look, he won’t die this time, that counts!


That might make things difficult.




Man, everyone's taking damage.
Time to help, Leaf.

...It'd be much better if you had hit.


Asvel helps much more efficiently, at least.



Dashin can't do much, but he'll hold the line for now.


You have one job, Hicks.

ONE JOB.


Bryton takes a healing break and waits, patiently, for more trouble.



Karin does some attacking -- I checked, and she's reasonably safe. I think. Unless that guy was plugging the hole she needs to live. If he was, then this is the problem Fergus was having all over again: killing one guy just lets another guy in to do more damage, and so on, until the unit can’t take it anymore.


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, + 1 Spd, +1 Luk, + 1 Bld
...YOU GO, GIRL! That's a near-perfect level, and certainly, more perfect than a person has any business expecting!



Makua clears the path ahead.

And, wincing in anticipation of woe, send Fergus ahead.


This isn't the woe. The woe might come later.


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Luk
The thing about the numbers coming up, one at a time, with you pausing to document each one... You get strange room for hope. Disappointed hope, leaving you less thrilled about awesome levels than you would normally be, because for a minute, you thought it would all build to something amazing.


Nanna will heal him.


Sometimes, things just hurt.

Sometimes that happens to other people. Those are good times.


+1 Mag, +1 Skl, +1 Spd
...What? Magic? ...Ooookaaaaay.
I'm sorry that Fergus is pulling ahead through all of this. He's just very useful.



If it weren't for Dashin, we could have almost had a great string of enemy misses.



Well, and Fergus. Good thing he got a point of magic, I suppose?



Asvel: pro anti-mage.


Hicks succeeds in doing things! I was skeptical, but he accomplished something!
And he gets a level:

+1 Hp, +1 Mag, +1 Skl, +1 Luk, +1 Def
Well, that is a lot of numbers. Good Work?



That could have gone better. Maybe Leaf could help?


Leaf can help!
I’m never sure if I should be surprised or not.



Karin swoops in to help clear it. I'm impressed at the incredibly low hit rating the enemy has on her. That's great.

http://s810.photobucket.com/user/Let...296f4.png.html

I'll need Makua to finish this side of the map. I'm relieved to be getting out of this.


Like so.
Now, every time she does something useful, she gets a bad level. Please, Makua. For once, pleeeaaaase don't get a dumb level.


+1 Mag, +1 Skl, +1 Spd, +1 Bld
Look, I appreciate the build. Really, it’s great. But. STRENGTH, PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.



...Well. That was a waste of a turn. I try to see if I maybe couldn't take this guy out this round...

But that's a 'no,' right there.

So I heal instead, feeling taunted by fate.


*sigh*
I need someone to handle this.


Karin's job will be dangerous for a bit, so she needs healing the most.


+1 Hp, +1 Skl, +1 Luk, +1 Bld
Ugh. Well, it's got build, so that's something, right?


We send Lara to the last house on this side of the map.



It's not much, but that's OK.


Looking at the range of archer-guy, it seems life would be easier if I just baited him away.
So I will.

Bryton will cover for Dashin, while I'm at it. He can handle it.


I'd send Asvel, but I'll need him more moving forward.


I don't like this, but there's no way to get towards there without facing at least two enemies. So I'm going to be proactive about it.

And that low hit rate helps. Karin's dodgy as all get-out.



Or she could deal with one enemy, because the other one goes for Leaf.
And he gets a level from it!

+1 Hp, +1 Mag, +1 Luk, +1 Build
What is it with you guys and magic this level?
At least build is good.



Yaaaay, lance ranks! Now she can use Javelins!
Can we talk about how mean the last few maps were, in terms of weapon ranks? We get two new units with weapon types not used by the non-optional party members available at the time...In fact, those are the weapons you'll usually want them with...
And they can't use them! So you waste weapons and EXP on sword ranks! Sword ranks for all!
And when you're free, you've got no ranks on their real weapons but what they started with. Which is OK for Bryton, I guess.

But geeze. Man. Rage.



Bryton's turn at mutual no-counter attack plinking begins now!

+1 HP, +1 Skl, +1 Def, +1 Spd
Not bad, not bad.


Karin goes swooping through the other side of town.

You're welcome. At least they're grateful for our heroism.

Really? You're just giving us some junk from your back yard? Honestly?
” It looks like a page torn out of a book or something. I hope it'll be of some use to you!”
...A piece of paper, you say? Well, you didn't say that. I just assumed that it’s paper, and not vellum or something.


Odo Scroll Get! Odo is the crusader whose bloodline breeds myrmidons and swordmaster-types. His descendants are the royal family of Isaac, the kingdom that was at war with Granbell 15 or so years ago, when all this mess began.
His scroll just grants +30 Skill, which, while useful, is difficult to get excited about. Still, it's another scroll! Yay! More voting!

I move Makua down by the gate, and this happens:


Someone decides to open it for us. Because we're good people and rescued children.

If I may take a moment to ramble about the good parts of this game, this is one of them.
Despite living in the darkest and most morally grey story of the bunch, despite being the least fantastic, least destined-for-greatness hero of them all... Leaf is, or at least has the potential to be, the most purely good Fire Emblem Protagonist.
Not because the writing makes him a nicer person than the rest, but because in order to get the most out of this game, you, the player, have to do good in his name. You have to command his army, as you're reasonably sure he would, to do good -- and you get the most opportunities of any game to do so. You need to save kids, reunite families, free people from the oppressive prisons. Your, the player's, motivations may just be selfish or completionist, but I think the story that your actions tell is meant to be Leaf's story, and his motives are not.
And I love that.

I love getting to play hero, to help and watch the forces of good, no matter how small and ragged, emerge with their tiny victories. I love to see the world I'm playing in be better in a way more specific and precise then "saved from great evil." I mean, that's why you enjoy stories or games about heroes at all, right?
For all its agonies, Thracia 776 is better at providing that than any other Fire Emblem, and it does so with its mechanics. By baiting even the most cynical completionist into fulfilling its story, and giving its story power and momentum outside of cutscenes -- power and momentum that you, personally, contribute to. That's so neat, on the level of gaming, storytelling, and just the narrative itself outside of implementation.
All of this is part of why I really do care about this game, Why I am not just playing it out of twisted masochism, and why I wanted to share it with you guys.

Anyway, back to the actual gameplay.

Watching enemies miss Karin is great.


Watching Leaf miss enemies is not great.
That's just the way things go, I suppose.


HA-HA! We have the upper hand now!
...I guess.

Anyway, it looks like things are getting uneventful quickly.


Because they have some spare inventories, and I have a bit of a grocery list, these guys will be going out the other exit.



I send Hicks to capture this guy, for no real reason. Because I enjoy capturing when I can.


And Karin completes her job by going to the last house.

...Your brother's name is Boy?



Players of future Fire Emblems will think this is just a Secret Book, assuming they forgot that all stat-ups in this game come in the form of rings.


No, this is better. Much, much better.
The Elite Book is a one-use item that teaches the Elite Skill.
What does the Elite Skill do?
Well, it doubles EXP gains on that unit. Forever. You gain levels twice as quickly. That is what that does.

It is magical, and may seriously be the best prize of this map.
Thank you, boy named Boy, for surviving and thus allowing us this treasure.

And the only real question is what to do with it. My first instinct is that it's best used on a character who's got great growths, but is under-leveled. An Est sort, maybe. I don’t really think we’ve got the right person in our present party.



I send Lifis shopping, selling a broken staff and picking up a new Iron Sword, probably for Makua, who's running low on normal swords, and an iron axe, for someone like Hicks or Bryton. The axes are cheap.


I decide to let Leaf help Karin maybe get another level for all her hard work.

This goes better than expected, given the goal is not to kill him. Seriously, Leaf. That was too high a hit chance for me not to groan at the first hit missing.


Presented: The moment I felt eternity yawn out around me, where I understood the futility of existence.


Fergus takes the man's belongings and lets him go.

And we begin to say goodbye to this map.


Leaf invites the last uninvolved armor over...

And finishes our other enemy, to my disapointment.


I let Hicks get an attack in, for the EXP...

And he gets a sudden crit, getting an unexpected kill! Good boy!

I consider, honestly, going back up for Truman...
But decide against it. There are still reinforcements somewhere out there, and I'm worn through.


See ya, Fergus!


You know what I forgot about those guys at the top of the map?
They're Physic-wielding cretins and I HATE THEM, that's what.


I send a few squishier people out of the map,

And Dashin to the shop to sell a few things. Shown above is our funds at the end of the map. Could be worse.


I told you there were more reinforcements. There are a *lot* more than my screenshots show, coming from both sides of the top. All mounted. There are about 8 total.

Let's increase the speed of our departure to a healthy hustle, shall we?



For example, at long last, we just send Nanna to end that freaking pain in my backside.


+1 HP, +1 Str, +1 Mag
YESSSSS! I chose wisely!


Our new guy Hicks leaves. We'll be sure to bring him back to you, kid-with-a-silly-name. You know. Eventually. At least he doesn't sound like that's an immediate goal, so that’s a relief.


Back up at the top of the map, Galzus re-appears.


By "one," he means "Like, at least a dozen, counting the children and all." I'm kind of with Galzus here.


Via the power of enemies having unlimited warp staff access, he is teleported to the main map.


Remember how I said we don't want to mess with him?

Yeah. I was not speaking falsely. WE DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH HIM.


NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE.

This man is death come before us, and our sign to RUN FOR THE HEAVENS AS FAST AS YOU CAN.
This is how you do an escape map, folks. You make escape the only option.



Of course, Dashin has to screw that up. He’s just 1 square away… But Leaf can’t leave unless everyone else is out, remember? So Leaf has to stay, and he can’t survive alone.


So we'll heal and make the best defensive position we can -- I gave Bryton the Halberd for just such an occasion as sudden horsey death squads.




These are the only two members of horsey death-squads able to reach us. We are going to be OK!


By the way, Galzus also has about 60 million movement stars*, and so will be sure to reach you in basically half the time you'd expect.
(*not an exact measurement)


Nanna gets a new line here, as we vamoose as fast as a moose might vamoose.


With pursuit directly on his heels, we get to say...
SO LONG, SUCKERS!


He wasn't even on this map, so your guess is as good as mine.


"It will be a pain if Leaf escapes into Thracian Land."
Sety: Savior of the people.
Celice: The Prince of Light (Well, this hasn't happened yet, I'm just looking ahead).
Leaf: A Pain.

Good to know.


This is how at least a dozen prisoners escape on your watch, Redric.



Well, he was going to kill us, so...Maybe you can. Or maybe we're wrapped in complicated schemes and counter-schemes, all above our heads for the time being.



I've already explained about Isaac and Odo -- in this chapter, even. I suddenly feel like the placement of the Odo Scroll was not coincidence at all.

"Yes, he is a part of the Isaac family. He is the prince of the now demolished Kingdom of Libo."
As far as I can figure, a player of both Genealogy and this would not have heard of Libo before, either. I looked around the best I could and could find no mention of it. It's probably a retcon.

"He is in fact the cousin of Prince Shanan of Isaac."
Shanan is a playable character in the second half of 4, and wields the holy sword Balmung.
I'll let this guy explain more.



"The Kingdom of Libo was invaded and destroyed by Isaac's forces, led by Shanan's grandfather. Galzus was put through many hardships as he was just a youth. Do you really think he would help Shanan?"



I'll leave placing these pieces together as an exercise for the reader, and just hope that wherever Marita is, we'll be able to find her in the future.

"However, we can't afford to lose Galzus, so don't do anything to him."


And with those words, we move along.

Next Time: We’re still doing the Brave Sir Robin thing.

Alright, so! We got a new scroll!
The Odo Scroll offers a +30 skill growth boost, like I said. I... can't quite figure out who to pass it to -- maybe Bryton or someone else who could like more accuracy. On the other hand, more skill is more crit chance, and there's no one who does not like crit chance. Except Lifis.
You can vote for this and our other scrolls to get passed around. This is the last map before we get a preparation screen, so if you want characters to have a chance of making it into the party, now's the time to try and put some spit-and-polish on them!

Character Growths

Spoiler

Show

Hicks

HP: 80%
Str: 35%
Mag: 5%
Skill: 40%
Spd: 30%
Luk: 55%
Def: 30%
Bld: 30%
Mov: 1%
PCC: 2

There's nothing particularly bad about Hicks. His growths are pretty average, and solid, without any real weaknesses.
The is also nothing particularly good about Hicks. He'll never get a special weapon, and he has no special skills to recommend him. The best he'll ever be is solid, maybe even good.
In terms of whether we want him or Bryton for mounted axemen, it comes down to Wrath vs. Stats. But then compare either or both of them to other axemen, like Othin and Havan, and other mounted units, like Fergus and Fin, and it's suddenly not looking good for Hicks.

[tyckspoon]

I'd probably put the Skill scroll on one of the healers, so as to try and minimize that whole Missed Heal thing.. although considering the slower and more controlled way they get levels, you could just try to remember to swap it over onto them before you let them level up. Otherwise.. maybe one of the Axe wielders? Those archetypes usually have the most trouble hitting things between being lower-Skill classes and using low-hit-rate weapons to start with. Or maybe just stack all of the scrolls on Leaf until he becomes good less bad.

[Javan]

As it stands, Fergus seems to outclass everyone else. I would be half tempted to give the scroll to him, along with several others, and just make him into a superhuman destroyer. Though I don't know how well Thracia responds to doing something like that.