Let's Play Fire Emblem The Blazing Sword

[Mustavus]

Scrapping the weird if/then thing to agree with the Florina idea.

[Chirality]

I totally forgot about Florina. Yes, better choice.

And the if/else thing is just headache inducing for the average person.

[Dais]

Well, geez, now if I change my vote I'm just going to look silly.
But hell, I somehow forgot about Florina, so change my vote too. Probably much more likely to need it, not that it does any good against the one thing really likely to kill her. By which I do mean bows. Because axes don't matter so much after her promotion you see.

[ArmsAreLoud]

I'm not sure if I've ever gotten it myself, though. I can't tolerate looking at Serra's bubblegum hair.

<--Has been seriously considering nabbing a Serra avatar at some point

Also yeah Florina for Angelic Robe she's cool

[Red709]

Always florina for Angelic robe because 20/20 Florina with Angelic robe averages around 58 HP

Which essentially results in her being a bigger flying tank than Heath

[g1nf1zz]

8) Mysterious Waifs


Yeah that guy was a prick alright.


Racing against time, with her grandfather’s life the prize. Harried and impatient, Lyn presses onward.






Kid: Somebody… Somebody, please help!



Kid: But, sir…Why? You were so kind yesterday…

Adult: I thought you were just two kids, a couple of traveling performers…If those men are chasing you, you must be up to no good! Now get up and get out! You’re a plague to decent folk!

Kid: But…

Exit stage right, little brat!






Meanwhile, as Lyn and her groupies arrive…



Kent: This is Kathelet. If we head due south, we’ll pass into Caelin.

Sain: From here, I’d say we’re about ten days’ ride to Castle Caelin. Assuming we don’t run into any delays, of course.

Dammit, Sain! What did I say about jinxing us?

Lyn: Ten days…


The kid exits out of the northern house. Looks like he wants a chat with Lyn.



Lyn: Yes? Can I help you?

Kid: You and your friends…are you mercenaries?

Nay. We are a legion. We battle for blood and experience.

Lyn: And if we are?

Kid: I need your help!

Kent: Milady Lyndis, you mustn’t let your guard down. Not even for a child.

Lyn: I know. Forgive me, but we’re in a hurry. Is there someone else you can ask?

Kid: There’s no time! Ninian’s been…It’s my sister! Some men have taken her away!

Sain: Your sister? Did you say your sister’s been accosted?

Ever so predictable, Sain.

Kent: Sain…

Kid: That’s right! By some crude, awful men. I don’t know what I’ll do without Ninian.

Sain: Milady Lyndis! We must help him!

Kent: Nonsense! We haven’t the time! If the marquess is as ill as we’ve heard, we must proceed!

Lyn: Kent, I…I want to help this child.


You heard her, Kent. She wants to murder. But for the sake of a young child! Isn’t that grand?

Lyn: I’m worried about my grandfather, of course. But this! I cannot stand by and let a child be taken from her home!

Kent: I see…

Lyn: I’m sorry, Kent.

Kent: I am your loyal retainer. You owe me no apologies. You must do as your heart dictates, milady. I will follow you, no matter where that may lead.

Lyn: Thank you.


Sain: Ah, well. You’re in luck, laddie! Let’s go get your sister!



Kid: Uh huh. They’re really tough, so be careful.

Kid, we’re still in tutorial mode.

Lyn: Leave them to us. We’re pretty tough ourselves. Right, Gin?

As long as the RNG remains kind. As long as it remains kind…


Oh look they found us. That saves us the trouble of finding them. Good.




Masked Pedo: C’mon, it’s back to Nergal with you. Quiet now.

Kid: No! Let Ninian go!

Masked Pedo: We ain’t supposed to kill you, but we sure can rough you up! Get ‘em!


We hear the sounds of swords clanging on one another…


And Lyn’s just about to murder him.

Masked Pedo: Who do you think you are?

Kid: Lyn!

Little inconsistency there. The kid should have only heard “Lyndis”.

Lyn: Let the boy’s sister go.

Masked Pedo: Ah…so you want to help the kid, huh? What a shame. You’re going to die for something that doesn’t concern you.

Lyn: You think so, do you? Do we look so meek to you? I think you’re in for a terrible shock!

Masked Pedo: Stupid girl…You’ll regret those words. Take ‘em down, boys!

And we head to the preparations screen.


The preparations screen allows us to, well, prepare for the upcoming battle. We’ll be visiting this screen quite a number of times, as we continue on with the game.


The “Pick Units” command sends us to the unit selection screen. We have a limit of 8 units to send out into the field. We’ll be leaving out Erk and Rath for this, since we’ll be getting another magic user later. You’ll notice that Lyn is highlighted green. That means she’s required to be on the field regardless.


The “Trade” command allows us to swap inventory items from one unit to the other. Like I said before, each unit only has a maximum of 5 inventory spaces, so you’ll be visiting this screen a lot.

But first we have a special gift for Florina from the readers!


And she is now tougher than everybody except Dorcas.

“Fortune” is a special command that we’ll get later. All you need to know is that it’s not important and it’s not very useful.


The “Check Map” command sends us here. This is where we can view the entirety of the map, swap our units’ formations, change our options, and save.

Let’s take a quick look at the map and battle plan first.


The map is straightforward enough. We take out everything that’s colored red and finish this chapter before 15 turns. We’ll also visit the village and the home at the southwest. I’ll tell you why later.

Alright, let’s get the slaughtering started.




Lyn: I’ve heard that practitioners of the dark arts are fearsome foes. We’ll have to be careful…What!? Who are you?



Lyn: Your robes… They look like religious vestiary. Are you an Elimine bishop?

Lucius: Yes…Well, no. I’m only an acolyte, an Elimine monk, to be specific. My name’s Lucius.

Lyn: Do you have business with us?

Lucius: I was at the inn when this child came seeking help. The innkeeper was afraid to get involved. He was…unpleasant.



Lyn: That’s awful.

Lucius: May I please lend you my services? I truly wish to help the boy. If only a little.

Lyn: Of course.

Lucius: Thank you very much. The blessings of St. Elimine be upon you.

Let’s check him out! Yes. Him.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Growth Rates:
HP: 55%
Magic: 60%
Skill: 50%
Speed: 40%
Luck: 20%
Defense: 10%
Resistance: 60%

Lucius is essentially the Bridget of Fire Emblem, but that doesn’t matter. Lucius here is our first and only monk. Monks are mages that use fast and accurate, but weak light magic. But Lucius here has, bar none, the highest Magic growth, as well as the second highest Resistance growth! And his Speed isn’t half-bad either! Yeah, his Luck and Defense are crap, so he’s a glass cannon against physical units. Nevertheless, you should use Lucius as he has the potential to absolutely wreck someone’s shit.

Lucius deals with the Shaman below the party, putting him down to 2 HP.

The game here introduces us to another Weapon Triangle, called the Trinity of Magic. Same deal with the Weapon Triangle, Light beats Dark, Dark beats Anima, and Anima beats Light. As always, it grants a bonus of +/- 1 Mt and +/- 15% Hit. You’ll notice that the types of magic mirror the weapons being used. Light magic is accurate, but weak just like swords. Dark magic is inaccurate, but hits hard just like axes. Anima is balanced, just like lances.

But enough talk, let’s see what the kid has to offer to us.



Lyn: Nils! Can you fight?

Finally they tell us his name. Should have introduced yourself first, kid.

Nils: No…But I’m a bard, and bards are useful to have around!

Lyn: A bard? Do you mean you’re a minstrel? This is no time for a ballad or a saltarello.

Yeah, Nils. You spoony bard!

sorry

Nils: C’mon, trust me! I’m all yours, Gin.

We got ourselves a guy for our sixth party member for our campaign- I mean, a new unit.

show spoiler

hide spoiler

Growth Rates:
HP: 85%
Strength: 5%
Skill: 5%
Speed: 70%
Luck: 80%
Defense: 30%
Resistance: 70%

Nils is strictly a non-combat unit, as you can tell by his growths. Bards are units with the ability to grant other units the ability to move and act again. And that’s actually pretty handy. Nils’ growths in Speed, Luck and Resistance are the best in the game, so he’ll be a damned good evader. Still, keep him the hell away from the frontlines.

We send Nils to play for Lucius. By the way, Nils looks silly while he does his little dance. Maybe that’s just me.



Lyn: That was lovely…Invigorating, even. You ought to play for me sometimes. I could use the boost!

Nils: Everyone could! My music can refresh you all!

That just sounded like a commercial. ANYWAY. We have Lucius move up and finish off the shaman. Florina and Matthew take care of the archer near the mountains. Everybody else begins to move east.

On the enemy’s turn, some brigands move up.

Our turn now. We have Matthew attack the brigand from the fort and have Florina finish him off. Her newfound HP makes her a powerhouse right now.


Strength for Florina. God, she’s turning into a powerhouse. She also gets an Iron Lance out of his death.

Dorcas and Serra pick up some Vulneraries, a Heal Staff, and a Fire tome. And we’ll end our turn there.

Enemy’s turn now. More enemies move up. Mercenary attacks Sain for 0 damage. Pretty uneventful.


Our turn now! We have Matthew take out the mercenary.


I should be saying “at least Strength”, but I’m a bit disappointed.

Kent visits the nearby village.


Man: Magical attacks are special. You can’t avoid them like a sword or an axe. Not even if you’re wearing armor. Who’s tough against magic? Let me think…Well, anyone who uses magic or staves. Pegasus knights, too. Hm? You got others who need to battle magic users? I got something for ‘em. It’s a special kind of water. “Pure water,” it’s called. Just sprinkle a bit on you. It’ll protect you and lessen the damage you take a bit. Go on, take it. Don’t be shy. It’s not like I’m givin’ you gold or anything. This stuff’s strongest when you first put it on. It gets weaker as time passes, so be careful.


Magic tutorial bluh. Pure water increases a character’s resistance by 7, but decreases its effect by 1 every turn. To tell you the truth, I’ve never used pure water mostly because magic enemies are fragile and end up taking a single round to finish.

We move everybody up and end our turn.

Enemy’s turn now. Brigand moves up and misses Sain. Man, these enemy turns are pretty boring.

Our turn now! Lyn finishes the brigand off!


She gets a satisfactory level out of it.

We move everyone closer to the isle, ending our turn there.

Enemies move up and misses or deals zero damage.

Back to killin’ time!

We have Wil take care of the mercenary and Lucius the brigand. That’s our turn as everyone moves up.

Enemies do nothing.


Back to our turn. We’ll start visiting this home. It’s pretty important story-wise to visit here.


Badass: I wonder what’s keeping him…Starting to think my axe’ll rust over before he finds his way here.

Next we have Matthew visit.


Matthew: What brings you here?

Badass: Ah, Matthew. Eliwood and I are here for our monthly bout.

Matthew: You’re still testing one another’s fighting prowess, eh? It’s a solid friendship you share, that you can practice so faithfully.

Badass: If you don’t sharpen your blade, you lose your edge. So tell me, what are you doing here?

Matthew: Milord Uther was curious about the succession issue here.

Badass: Oh, the long-lost granddaughter thing, right? So which way does my brother lean?

Matthew: By my assessment, he will back the granddaughter’s claim. The marquess’s brother, Lundgren, is too ambitious by far. Left alone, we might wake to find him at Ostia’s door before long.

Badass: Sound advice, I think.

Matthew: My return to Ostia is going to be delayed a bit. Would you mind letting Lord Uther know?

Badass: What? So the marquess’s brother is now your personal messenger?

Matthew: You always did have a good sense of humor, milord. Don’t forget my message!



Alright, Matthew is definitely more than just a common thief. Moving everyone else to end the turn.

Alright enemy turn. Shaman moves up and attacks Matthew. He misses.


Our turn, Matthew hits the shaman twice. We let Lucius finish the job. At this point, there are two shamans left. So we’ll let Lucius take care of them.

Let’s have Serra visit the house now.


Serra: An empty house…How dull!

…


Badass: She’s been working for my brother in Bern. And now she’s returned…Ahh…

Looks like Erk’s reluctance towards Serra is mutual.

[g1nf1zz]

Enemy’s turn, nothing happens. At this point, we’re letting Lucius carry the rest of the battle.

Lucius takes the first shaman down.



And Lucius gets a meh level out of it.

Let’s take a look at the boss.


Heintz here is our first Shaman. Shamans hit hard, but they’re also inaccurate and slow. Heintz here is just fast enough not to get doubled by our people. Nevertheless, he’s still getting his ass kicked.

Lucius is first up to deal with Heintz.


Heintz: Playing the heroes in some foolish knightly romance? You may think you’re helping the children, but you’re only rushing to your doom!

Lucius hits him for 8 damage, but gets hit back for 3.


We send in Wil to hit him for 8 more damage.

Then we heal up Lucius with Serra and end our turn.


Heintz attacks Lucius, but he quickly ends him.


Heintz: You are…too late. The girl is already-

And that’s the chapter, folks!




Nils: She’s not here. Why? Where could she be?

Kent: My lady Lyndis! A village spotted a group of men riding south.

Sain: The boy’s dear sister…They must have her!

Lyn: Come! We must give chase!

Nils: But…But…We won’t make it! What if they’ve already…







NotRoy: She’ll be fine. She’s just lost consciousness.

Lyn: Who are you?



Lyn: The marquess’s son…

Eliwood: She was with a band of ruffians. She seemed upset. She looked in need of rescuing…Was I wrong to involve myself?

Lyn: No, you saved her life. Thank you. My name is Lyn. I’m from Sacae…I’m Marquess Caelin’s granddaughter.

Eliwood: Marquess Caelin?


We fade to black…


Why does that always happen in every fiction story ever?

Lyn: It’s not an easy tale to believe, I know…

Eliwood: No. I do believe you.

Lyn: What?

Eliwood: At first glance, all I saw was a daughter of the plainsfolk. Now I can see it, though. You have your grandfather’s eyes.

Lyn: Did you know my grandfather?

Eliwood: The marquess, Lord Hausen, is my father’s good friend. I also know that the proud people of Sacae tell no lies. It’s true, isn’t it?

Lyn: Yes...Thank you. I would not have expected any Lycian noble to be so courteous to a Sacaean nomad.

Eliwood: You seemed to be in trouble. May I be of assistance?

Lyn: Thank you for your kind offer. This is my problem, though, and I’ll deal with it.

Eliwood: I see. I’ll be in the area for a few days longer. If you need anything, please let me know. Lyndis, I’m on your side.

Lyn: Eliwood…Thank you.



Ninian: Nils? Is it really you? Oh, you’re safe!



Ninian: Who are they?

Nils: Uh…

Lyn: I’m Lyn. I’m glad you’re feeling better.

Ninian: Milady Lyn…Thank you. I’m called Ninian. My brother and I are traveling performers.

Lyn: Both of you? Your brother’s a musician. How about you, Ninian?

Ninian: I…I dance.


goddammit, Sain

Lyn: Sain…Later, please.

see even Lyn agrees

Sain: Um, yeah. Of course.

geez



Nils: Ninian dances to honor life. It’s special…Sacred.

Lyn: A sacred dance? What does that mean?

Obviously, a dance that allows other to move again! Game mechanics-wise of course. Pay attention, Lyn. Sheesh.

Ninian: I…The dance I perform when we travel is just a normal dance. My other dance, though…When they caught me, I twisted my ankle. I cannot dance to aid you…I’m sorry.

And that’s why we can’t use both.

Lyn: Please don’t worry. We’re just happy to see that you’re out of harm’s way.

Ninian: Thank you.

Lyn: But I am concerned about your leg. You can’t travel on it…

Nils: I’ve an idea. Would it be too much to ask that we can travel with you?

Lyn: I can’t allow that! It’s far too dangerous. We’re being hunted. We never know when we’re going to be attacked.

Nils: We wouldn’t be a hindrance. We could even help you. Right, Ninian?

Ninian: Yes. We might be able to repay our debt using our…special talents.

Lyn: Special abilities?

METAL GEAR?

Ninian: When something poses a threat to us, we can sense its approach.

Lyn: Truly? That’s amazing!

Nils: We can feel it coming, but we can’t do anything to stop it. You’re warriors, though, so you don’t have that worry.



Kent: I think leaving them here would cause Lady Lyndis more worry than having them travel with us.

Lyn: Sain? Oh, never mind, I know what your answer is.

I love this line.



Nils: Of course!

Ninian: You have our gratitude, milady.

And what happens when we finish the chapter in less than 15 turns?

This!



Nils: What’s wrong, Ninian?

Ninian: I’ve lost my ring.

Lyn: Your ring?

Lyn has a really really bad habit with metal gearing here.

Nils: Not Ninis’s Grace?

Ninian: The very one.

Nils: They stole it? Those curs!!!

Lyn: Was it valuable?

Ninian: It was a keepsake from our departed mother.

Nils: It was blessed by the spirit of Ninis…There’s no other like it in the world. And now we have lost it to those villains. There’s nothing we can do.

Ninian: You’re right.

Lyn: …..


What’s up, Lyn?

Lyn: You heard all of that, right? What do you think? I’d really love to retrieve Ninian’s ring for her. But if Nils is right, those thieves might prove to be too strong for us. What should we do?

I think we should go where we can spill the blood of our enemies.

At this point we can choose whether or not to go on a sidequest. Sidequests are essentially bonus missions, and we’ll be going through. Every. Single. One.

For better or for worse. For me.


So yeah. We go and slaughter a bit more now.


Lyn: I was hoping you’d say that, Gin. Kent! Sain! Those men were headed south. We must give pursuit!

Sain: On your word, milady!



Together we ride!

--

Next up: We murder everyone for a ring. And it is glorious.

[Mustavus]

you should use Lucius as he has the potential to absolutely wreck someone’s shit.

Truth.

[Red709]

Truth.

especially since anything that's not a mage generally has HORRIFIC Res. Which means Lucius with his quick-maxing Mag stat averages ~30 damage a hit as a bishop

with an E-rank Lightning tome

[g1nf1zz]

9) The following antagonists we’re about to fight have no relation to the main plot whatsoever.






The Black Fang have made a stronghold of an abandoned castle in Khathelet.








Blue-haired Woman: and the sister was rescued by a band of strangers. Do I understand you?

Beard Guy: Yes…They ambushed us, and…

Blue-haired Woman: Hold your excuses. The end is all that matters.

Beard Guy: Yes, ma’am.

Blue-haired Woman: And your plan for recovering the siblings is?

Beard Guy: We’ve word that the entire group is headed this way, with the brats in tow.

Blue-haired Woman: They’re coming here? Why would they do that?

Obviously, to murder each and every one of you. For the experience.

Beard Guy: They may well be after this ring…It’s a rare piece. We took it from the girl. It was a stroke of luck that we did, especially if it brings them to us now. I’ll grab the whole lot of ‘em with this to bait the trap.

Yeah…stroke of luck alright.

Blue-haired Woman: I see…Very well, I’ll give you another chance. I’ve business elsewhere, but I shall return once it’s finished. You have until sunrise tomorrow. Do you understand?

Beard Guy: Yes.

Blue-haired Woman: If you do not have the children when I return…my hand will deal you the fang’s punishment. Remember that. Bear it closely in your mind.

Kinky.

Beard Guy: …..

No? Oh. Sorry.


So she goes away.


And they go into a room…and lock themselves in. Wait, what?


Alright, we’re here.



Nils: Milady, are you really going in there to get the ring back?

Lyn: Yes, we are.

Nils: But this is their stronghold! They’re bound to be well-defended, not to mention well-armed!

You say like that’s a problem.

Ninian: Please forget about the ring. It’s OK…


Lyn: I wouldn’t be here if not for that. Gin believes we can do this. I’m sure that decision was not made lightly. With Gin at my side, I’m confident we can win. Let’s get your ring back, Ninian.

“Decision not made lightly”? More like “Decision completely forced by my obsessive need to complete every side thing”. But glad to see you got our backs, Lyn.

Nils: Milady…

Ninian: …..


Sain: There are more of the foe inside than we thought.

Lyn: This is their stronghold. It’s imperative that we move carefully.

Kent: Exactly, milady. This narrow corridor can be used to our advantage. If we draw the enemy through here, we can engage them in small numbers and remain relatively safe. If time is a concern, we can always rush them…If we do that, we’d better be sure we can win.


Lyn: How we move forward is completely up to you.

Thanks, Lyn. No pressure or anything.


Alright, so our objective is to kill every living enemy in sight.


We’ll be dumping Rath and Dorcas for Nils and Lucius. Yeah, we're replacing two experienced soldiers for a kid and a girly monk. Fire Emblem, folks.


Basic strategy is that we work our way up, killing everything we see. That thief is going to gun for that chest, so we’re sending Matthew to deal with that. Some enemies here will be holding vulneraries, so we’ll try to steal them with Matthew.

Alrighty, let’s begin.


Our move. Kent takes care of the brigand in between the corridors. Sain takes out the soldier and gets his vulnerary.


Then we just move everyone up and end our turn there.


Enemy’s turn, Kent takes a beating, but he’ll be fine. Cavalier comes charging to his inevitable death, where Florina will be waiting. Thief unlocks the door. See? Why did they lock that door anyway? Makes my job easier though.

Our turn now, we’ll let Kent continue to be hit by the archer. Sain begins to take care of the cracked wall. Lucius takes care of the cavalier.


Nice level, Lucius!

We send Erk to take out that mage.


Good level there, Erk!

We move Lyn a space down, so Nils can revitalize Serra.


What. A perfect level for Nils. I would have found it hilarious if he had also gotten Strength and Skill.

Serra heals Kent and gains a level. Lots of leveling from the second turn here.


A satisfactory level. I guess.

We move everybody up a bit and end the turn there.

Enemy reinforcements arrive and enemies move down. Thief opens door to the treasure room. Boring turn.


Beard Guy: This can’t be…They should be dead! Everyone! Get in there and finish them! This is our final chance!

Our turn is more exciting!


Erk takes care of the soldier reinforcement that just appeared.

I decide not to steal the vulnerary because it’s too much hassle. Wil pokes the archer for damage and Kent finishes him off.


Welp.

We move everyone else up. I have Matthew body block the chest while Sain takes cover behind him. The thief is programmed to take the contents of the chest, so if we have a unit stand on the chest area, the thief will go to the chest area, but not do anything. If we take the contents too early, the thief will run back and disappear.

Brigand attacks Lyn and surprisingly hits. Ouch. Lyn kills him retaliation. Good thing Serra’s just right behind. Soldier attacks Matthew, but misses. The enemy thief follows right behind him. Mage reinforcements also come in from the boss’s sides.


Alright, we take the lockpicks from the thief.


Yoink.

Then we have Sain one-shot the thief.


Damn. Resistance, I guess.

Wil drops the soldier.


Straight 7’s right there I see.

We move everyone else and park Lyn and Florina to kill off the Mercenaries. Kent rescues Erk so he can bring him forward more quickly.

Enemy’s turn. Mercenaries take the bait and attack. Lyn takes care of one…


While Florina takes out the other with a critical. Jesus. The mages start going south.

The treasure group begin to haul ass from the hall and rejoin the main group.


Lucius takes out the remaining mercenary.


Kent drops Erk on the chokepoint to bait the mages.

Enemy’s turn. The mage attacks Kent, but dodges the second javelin attack. The shaman tries to take out Erk, but Erk kills him in his counter.


Erk takes out the injured mage.

We start homing in on the boss now…and before I forget, Matthew pops open the chest.


Hammer time! Hammers are like Armorslayers, except they're Axes.

Alright, let’s take a look at the boss.


Beyard here is yet another unremarkably average mercenary. Again, he doesn’t actually move from his spot, so we can attack him from range with impunity.



We send Lyn in.


She…takes him out in one hit, much to my surprise.




Lyn always levels in style.



Lyn: Give us the ring! And swear us this oath…You must promise to leave these two alone. If I have your vow, I’ll spare your life…

Beyard: Failure…means death…


Lyn: Poison? He took his own life…

At least he was a man of his word.

Kent: These are no common bandits we’re dealing with. This man was trained by a well-organized group.

Lyn: What do they want with Nils and Ninian?

Hey that's a good question. What the hell is up with these two anyway?


Lyn, care to ask them?

Lyn: Nils, Ninian. Everything’s going to be fine. As long as you’re with us, you’ll be safe.

Alright, not going to even brush on the subject. Cool.

Nils: But…

Lyn: You witnessed our victory, right? With Gin’s planning and my sword, you’ve no worries. If we all work together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome. I don’t care who comes after you; I’ll not let you be taken.

Nils: Really?


*sigh* Right, Lyn.

Ninian: Milady…

Lyn: Oh, yes…This is yours.

Ninian: Ah…It’s…

Lyn: You called it Ninis’s Grace, did you not? That lout had it.

Nils: Milady Lyndis! Thank you so much!


Yeah, yeah, glad to help. Let’s go kill something now.

Next up: We actually start to fight the true antagonists.

[Red709]

the true antagonists...
...of the tutorial.

[g1nf1zz]

Shhh...you're not supposed to know that.

[snoomanwaff]

Shhh...you're not supposed to know that.

...too late...5 gold says the evil uncle did it.

[Mustavus]

That is becoming the best Lyn ever.

[g1nf1zz]

10) In which not much strategy was used.












Note: This chapter has no vortex of strategy required.


Lyn: We’ve come such a long way…

Sain: Milady Lyndis! Gin! We can’t be very far from the castle now!

Kent: By my reckoning, we can reach Castle Caelin in two days if we hurry.

Lyn: Two more days…Hold on, Grandfather. Please…


Florina: If they see you looking so sad, the entire company will lose heart.

Lyn: Florina…You’re right. There’s nothing to be gained by worrying. We just have to press onward.

Florina: That’s the spirit!


Music senses tingling!

Lyn: What did you say?

Sain: I don’t see anything. Are you sure?

Ninian: I feel it, too. I’m sure of it.


Lyn: Hm?


Well, son of a bitch.





Sain: Lord Lundgren is getting serious. Deploying siege engines is no mean feat.

Deploying ONE siege engine means serious business!

Lyn: What is a ballista?

Kent: It’s a weapon designed for long-distance attacks. Only archers can use them, but they can be devastating.

Sain: Florina! You must stay aground! Do not take to the air! The ballista would target you in an instant.

Lyn: Is there a way to combat it?

Kent: The safest course is to use someone with good defense as bait, so the enemy wastes arrows.

Is Kent meta-gaming here? I think he is!

Sain: Then you can walk up and knock the fool on the head.



Wil: I never tried, but…It’s just a really big bow, right? I should be able to figure it out.

Lyn: All we can ask is that you try…


Alright! Preparations time-



What the- Matthew? What the hell are you doing here?

Matthew: I have some minor…business…to attend to. I’m unable to join you. If you need any of my possessions, please take them now.


So our objective today is a familiar kill everything.


We’ll be taking the same group as always. As you can see, Matthew isn’t lying, so we can’t bring him into today’s chapter. I’m never going to use Dorcas anyway and Rath’s still high-leveled. Despite the presence of a ballista, Florina’s too awesome to bench even with a ballista out on the field.


Very straightforward map. We go to the village to grab the goodies. We rush for the ballista as soon as we can and have Wil poke at the boss if he can.

[g1nf1zz]

Alright, let’s get started.


Lucius, with a bit of aid from Nils, gets to the shaman and kills him.


We move everybody down and end our turn there.

Enemy turn. The ballista tries to hit Nils, but misses. Mage tries to hit Lucius, but does zero damage. Mercenary and two cavaliers move up into our attack range.


Our turn now. Lucius visits the village.


Eeyup.

Old Man: Axes over lances and whatnot? This is important, so pay attention. There are some weapons that don’t follow the normal rules. This here lancereaver is one of those. It’s a sword that reverses the triangle. So if you wield this blade, you can best a lance with it. Of course, there’s a downside…Axes can best this sword. Take this as a gift. It’s your reward for listening to an old man’s ramble. Don’t be shy. It’s not like I can use this thing. Not everyone can wield a sword of this caliber. I’m sure you know someone who can use it, though.


Cool, free sword. The lancereaver is a special sword that has the “reaver” effect, which reverses the weapon triangle, for better or for worst. It’s a decent blade worth using though.




Wil and Lyn take out the mercenary.


Erk takes out a cavalier and gets a level for it.


Good Erk.

We move everybody else down and end our turn there.


Moustache Dude: Call up reinforcements, and rush ‘em!

They do and they die for their efforts. Ballista guy doesn’t even hit too.


Our turn now. Florina takes out the ballista. We also move everyone down and have Lucius begin making his way over the mountain.

Enemy’s turn. Archer chips a bit of Lyn’s health off.

Our turn!


Erk takes revenge for Lyn.


We move everyone else down and body-block the bridge for the weaker units with Sain, Kent, and Lyn.

Enemy’s turn. They charge recklessly and die for it.

Our turn. Serra heals up Lyn and we take care of the rest of the reinforcements.








Well done, chaps! I’m so proud of you!

Now we’re ready to take on the boss.

“Yogi”? Really? Yogi here is yet another slow-ass Knight with high defense. He doesn’t move and he’s surrounded by forts. He’s not even standing on one of them.


The only thing interesting is that he has an axereaver. But we aren’t using any axes right now, so swords should go right through him.


Let’s have Wil go on a ride for the ballista!


I suppose I should go into the ballista a little more. As you can see, ballistas have an insane range of 3-10, and they’re still considered bows, meaning they’re extremely effective against fliers. But the problem is you can’t move and shoot at the same time with a ballista. They’re essentially artillery units from Advance Wars. Ballistas are also heavy as fuck with a Weight of 20, so you’ll never EVER double.


Now then. Let’s start poking him.


Yogi: What’s going on here!? Somebody, get that girl!


Wil hits him for a piddling 3 damage.

Florina takes care of the swordreaver-wielding brigand.


While playing, Nils gets this unremarkable level.

Enemy turn, the brigand hits Lyn.


Erk immediately steps in on our turn.


In the process of healing Lyn, Serra gets some much needed magic.


Wil hits Yogi once more.


Florina chucks a javelin at Yogi.


Even more Strength for Florina!


Lyn hits him twice with her Iron Sword…


And we have Erk deal the finishing blow.


Yogi: I pray you hurry…with those reinforcements…you promised.

Ha ha ha ha, no.


And Erk gets a serviceable level.

That’s a wrap!

[g1nf1zz]

Kent: Yes. I see no more enemy soldiers. However, something is bothering me.

Lyn: What is it?

Kent: I noticed it during the fighting. Our opponents…They were soldiers of Caelin. I even recognized some of those we fought. I trained with many of them…And yet they attacked us without hesitation.

Sain: They’re black-hearted traitors who’ve joined Lord Lundgren. Good riddance, I say. It also means less resistance at the castle.

See, Kent? Sometimes Sain gets the right idea.

Kent: I hope you’re right…


Lyn: If that first shot had hit me, I might not have survived.

What? You dodged it just fine. Even if it did hit you, you would have just taken 10 damage and Serra was just right behind you.

Ninian: We are honored to have served you well.

Nils: We won’t let you down!

Lyn: I know. I’m relying on you.

Note: The siblings’ spider sense will never ever be mentioned again.


Matthew: Nicely done!

Suddenly, Matthew out of nowhere!

Lyn: Matthew, where were you during all this?

Matthew: I went to the village to sniff about for information. I got some interesting news for my trouble, too.

Lyn: Let’s hear it!


Matthew: He really is unwell. He’s been abed for nigh on three months.

Lyn: Oh, no…Grandfather…

Matthew: I heard an interesting rumor about his condition, though. The people believe that someone’s been poisoning the marquess…

Lyn: He’s being poisoned!?

Matthew: And this someone…Well, everyone’s too afraid to mention a name. However, they say that, as soon as the marquess took ill, a certain noble took control of the castle as though it were his own. I fed a hungry innkeeper some coin, and he fed me a name.


Oh my gosh. What a shocking revelation. Truly, no one ever saw this coming. Hold me.

Lyn: How can this be? How can they allow him to get away with this? The villagers know he’s the one poisoning my grandfather, and yet no one raises a hand against him? Why?

Kent: They are afraid, and they lack proof. The whisperings of the common people means nothing.

Matthew: That’s the truth of it. And of the marquess’s loyal retainers who might have lent credence to these rumors, there is no sign.

Lyn: Are you saying they’ve been silenced?

Matthew: That’s a fair assumption.

Kent: This is beyond believing.



Sain: What? There’s more?


Matthew: At least, that’s the story Lundgren’s telling to all who’ll listen.

Lyn: What does that mean?

Matthew: It means that people are waiting for two traitorous knights and a baseborn child to appear and lay claim to Castle Caelin.

Sain: But…But that…It can’t be!

Kent: Traitors? Us? Ridiculous!!!

Lyn: He says…I’m an imposter?

Matthew: Don’t you have anything that proves your lineage?

Lyn: When my mother joined the Lorca, she brought nothing of Lycia with her.

Of course.

Sain: Milady, Marquess Araphen himself remarked at your resemblance to Lady Madelyn! Your face is your proof!

Kent: They’ll say we found a look-alike somewhere…We’re seen as betrayers of our knightly vows. Our word means nothing. No, our only hope is to see Marquess Caelin himself.

Lyn: We must hurry. If not, my grandfather…I must see him! With my last breath if need be.

Matthew: But we must formulate some manner of plan! Even if we set out for the castle, the troops patrolling the area will cause no end of problems. You have been branded as oathbreakers, after all.


Lyn: He seemed sympathetic to our plight. He should still be in Kathelet. If we can talk to him, he might help us!

Kent: Of course! A sound idea!

Very good, my dear Watson!

Sain: Let’s hurry!



Next up: The most awesome person we’ll never use

[Red709]

holy SHEET. Level 7 Florina with 10 Str. WOW IS SHE RNG BLESSED.

[Dais]

Not that it isn't really good for Florina, and good that the same thing is kinda happening for Lyn, but they both have 40% Str growths, which really aren't that bad especially for units of their types. Pegasi and Myrms tend to have much lower Str growths normally. I believe Florina is nevertheless about 2.6 Str above her average though so that's awesome.

I may just be pointing this out because I'm getting screwed for Str/Mgc while playing a different Fire Emblem but I dunno.

[Red709]

Not that it isn't really good for Florina, and good that the same thing is kinda happening for Lyn, but they both have 40% Str growths, which really aren't that bad especially for units of their types. Pegasi and Myrms tend to have much lower Str growths normally. I believe Florina is nevertheless about 2.6 Str above her average though so that's awesome.

I may just be pointing this out because I'm getting screwed for Str/Mgc while playing a different Fire Emblem but I dunno.

that's why I'm saying WOW

because I mean my Florinas generally aren't strength cursed or blessed that much, they average about 10 strength by level 12 maybe? So yeaaaah

[ArmsAreLoud]

The closer a growth rate is to fifty the less reliable averages are. Just ask Eliwood.

[Chirality]

that's why I'm saying WOW

because I mean my Florinas generally aren't strength cursed or blessed that much, they average about 10 strength by level 12 maybe? So yeaaaah

All my pegs turn to weaklings. Maybe Marcia will be the exception.

[Dais]

The closer a growth rate is to fifty the less reliable averages are. Just ask Eliwood.

Shouldn't it be that the farther growth rates are from 50 the less reliable they are? I get your point about Eliwood but.... pretty sure that's not how the math works.

[PumpkinMan]

Shouldn't it be that the farther growth rates are from 50 the less reliable they are? I get your point about Eliwood but.... pretty sure that's not how the math works.

I think they mean that since the rng decides whether a stat increases or not, having close to 50 in growth chance means they have about the same chance of getting or not getting that stat, making them equally likely to end up with good or bad stats in that area. Basically a coin toss as to that stat's usefulness. Could go either way.

[Dais]

I think they mean that since the rng decides whether a stat increases or not, having close to 50 in growth chance means they have about the same chance of getting or not getting that stat, making them equally likely to end up with good or bad stats in that area. Basically a coin toss as to that stat's usefulness. Could go either way.

Yeah, as opposed to a 60~70 growth or a 30~40 which is much less likely to be near what it's average is. A 50/50 shot is the most predictable thing for averages while higher and lower numbers take more complex math to figure out accurate predictions for. Either that or I've completely forgotten high school statistics.

Example (although this is the wrong game): my Clarine on a current run through of the ... 'sequel' to this game, who has gained Mgc 1 time in all 9 of her level ups with a 30% growth in it. Meanwhile her luck has a 65% growth and is roughly 1.5 above the average.