What's the harm in a little reckless besieging? Let's Play FE: The Sacred Stones

I'm pretty sure Paladin is considered a worse choice for every character except for Amelia, and even then it's not much of a choice to send her towards Great Knight. Those lower caps really hurt!

It will become clear that I base too many of my class choices on how much I like the attack animations. Also, on normal mode it doesn't really matter; the caps for either class is good enough. You are right though, Great Knight is clearly statistically superior.

Well, good point about normal mode, Sacred Stones is great about letting you do whatever you want, which honestly should be the way all Fire Emblems should be on its normal difficulty.

It is time for the 2nd part of our trip to the Tower of Valni



We are on to Floor 4 of the tower. Things start to get a little more complicated from here on out.



This is my team for this, with each character teamed with a pair. The only reason I have to use Tethys is for supports.



Unfortunately, the map makes me divide my team into a group of three and a group of five, so one of my pairs mush be split. I decided to split Amelia and Franz, since she will definitely be used for the rest of the tower.



Getting started, Franz and Artur take out the first skeleton and everybody else moves to the left.



A few enemies can attack, but Ephraim and Franz deal with them.



Amelia gets a Level Up! moving up this corridor. Not that good a Level Up, though.



Lute and Artur go back to the right, taking out the spider in their path.



Things continue, with my team making short work of the enemies in their path.

Om my next turn, this happens:



Lute: Oh! I was just observing this chemida beetle.
Artur: You haven’t changed at all, have you, Lute?
Lute: What do you mean?
Artur: You spent most of your time sequestered in your room, studying your books. On the rare occasion you went outside, you were paralyzed with fascination.
Lute: Of course! There are so many fascinating things to be learned from nature! There are a great many books out there, and I have read most of them, of course. But I’ve found that what is written can differ greatly from how things truly are. Take this chemida beetle, for example. I’ve been reading from “The Glossary of Falibrian Entomology” lately. According to the glossary, their wings fall off once they reach maturity. However, I have just found an adult beetle whose wings still work perfectly! Exceptions do exist to the rules my books outline. This is a rare specimen. I wonder, should we take it back with us?
Artur: Sigh… I hope this isn’t another of your pranks.
Lute: My…pranks?
Artur: Do you remember when I loaned you my copy of “Lux Aeterna”? You replaced my bookmark with the tail of a sedgel lizard. You scared ten years off my life, I swear it!
Lute: Did I do that?
Artur: And! Knowing full well that I have a…mild…fear of spiders, you caught a small army of them and unleashed them in my room!
Lute: I thought that if I immersed you in the thing you feared, maybe you might be able to overcome your fear entirely! And I went to a lot of trouble trying to catch those spiders!
Artur: …Why would you do that?
Lute: Well, I did get a bit of a kick out of the experience myself. Why? Did it bother you?



Lute is not a normal girl.



Gerik blocks the hall and Tethys dances to help him clear the enemies faster.

Gerik hits level 20 with this decent Level Up. He’s turned out pretty well.



The enemies have their turn, but they take more damage than they dish out.



Gerik uses the class change item he’s been holding on to for a while. The Ranger class is much like the Nomad class from the previous games, using swords and bows. It also has an ugly attack animation. I’m instead going with Hero, who gets axes and has a totally sweet attack animation.



Tethys: Um… I wandered about with little Ewan in tow. He had no idea what was happening. I was a child myself with no job. We went to bed hungry every night, and our clothes were rags…
Gerik: …
Tethys: Then one day I said to myself, “We cannot go on like this!” I watched a dancer on a street corner and memorized all of her moves. I wasn’t a very coordinated child and it was so difficult. I didn’t have real shoes, so my feet were a mess of blisters, and I fell so many times I was covered in cuts and bruises. It was painful. And miserable. And very, very difficult. But I never cried. Because if were to cry, he would cry. And I loved seeing Ewan’s smiling face. I wanted him to smile all the time, so I worked hard so he could.
Gerik: Tethys…
Tethys: Tee hee hee. What a sad and miserable tale. I’m sorry. I was reminded of it all just recently, and I was overcome with emotion… But that’s how I earned the dancing skills and physique I have now! All of the hard work I did back then has made me the woman I am today. What do you say to that?
Gerik: I’m not sure what to say. So before you met up with us, the two of you had a rough time of it, did you?
Tethys: OK, that’s enough. The past is the past! You mustn’t tell anyone about this. I don’t share this story with others. I only told you because you’re the chief. A story of toil and hardship doesn’t quite fit my mysterious image, does it? You know what I’d like? For you to tell me more about you.
Gerik: Sure. Another time, though, OK?
Tethys: All right. Let’s see this thing through to the end.



Tethys' dancing is a euphemism for prostitution, right?



And now Lute has hit level 20 with an excellent Level Up!



On the next turn, she uses a guiding ring to change class. Mage Knight is a mage on a horse. It has better mobility but worse stat caps than the Sage. I’m going with Sage, because other than being all around more useful it also, much like Hero, looks great.



A Level Up! for Tethys means little, but it still helps.

Franz takes out the boss and gets his first Paladin Level Up! It is not a good one.



And that clears the map. Time to move on.



It is time for floor 5 of the tower.



This map has a lot of low level Zombies and Skeletons. Nothing worth worrying about, but there are a lot of them. It is mostly just going in a circle and clearing the vermin.



Good bye to Ephraim and Franz, and despite what this screenshot shows Gerik and Tethys. I added in Tana and Cormag, as well as Neimi and Colm to get those chests.



Neimi draws first blood and gets a sad Level Up!



A couple of uneventful turns later Tana hits level 20 with an awesome Level Up! She’s at 20 now too, so she should be changing class soon.



There is also a Level Up! for Amelia, who is turning out pretty well.



I now realize that I am a complete fool, having handed Tana a Hero Crest instead of an Elysian Whip, so she will not be changing classes during this battle.



A good Level Up! for L’Arachel brings her to 16.



And one for Cormag maxes his strength with three levels still to gain before changing classes.

Colm gets a Level Up! that helps him out a whole lot.



I’ve cleared the top half of the map by now, with all the enemies rushing into the middle. Time to lead them on a merry chase while I clean out those chests.



Artur does his part, but his Level Up! is not so good. The man could use some more strength.



I beef it again trying to get the Level Up screenshot, but Neimi’s level is not a bad one.



Tana, using a chest key she got from the boss, gets a killer axe out of the chest. Amelia gets a dismal level up, though I screwed up the picture for the second straight time.



Lute does some clearing out of her own, and Colm gets a Luna tome out of the chest.



Neimi: Oh… Sniff… Colm…
Colm: What’s wrong? Did someone attack you? Are you hurt?
Neimi: No…
Colm: Did someone say something mean to you? Did someone steal your mirror again?
Neimi: That’s not it…
Colm: Then what is it?
Neimi: I j-just…have something in my eye…
Colm: What?!
Neimi: Whew! It’s gone now.
Colm: I thought you were hurt!
Neimi: Colm…
Colm: What’s the matter now?!
Neimi: Uh… I’m sorry for alarming you… But… I’m happy that– I mean– Thank you for caring for me…
Colm: No need to get all mushy about it. You shouldn’t cry so much.
Neimi: I know. The other day, when I was in battle, I was remembering all the times you helped me when we were little.
Colm: Oh?
Neimi: Like that time I fell into the river and you came and rescued me. Or the time I broke Grandpa’s bow. You helped me fix it. And all the times bullies picked on me, you defended me.
Colm: Seriously, Neimi. You’ve always been such a crybaby.
Neimi: Yes, but… Because you were there with me, I was never sad… When Grandpa died, you were by my side the whole time, holding my hand…
Colm: Neimi…
Neimi: Thank you, Colm. For then and now… I like you a lot…
Colm: Oh… If anything is troubling you, come see me first, all right? I’ll take care of anyone who makes you cry.
Neimi: I will…
Colm: I think your haplessness is permanent. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.
Neimi: Oh! Sniff… Colm… Sniff…
Colm: Oh, no. I made you cry again, didn’t I.
Neimi: Sniff… Yes… But for different reasons this time.
Colm: That’s better.
Neimi: Sniff…



A happy ending for these two, I guess.



Colm gets to Level 19 and it is another good one. His strength is pretty solid for him, and he maxed speed. Maybe he will actually be useful in battle and not just for stealing.



That level up was him clearing the map.

Time for floor 6 out of 8



Before the battle, I have Tana use an Elysian Whip, which is the correct item for her class change. I go with the Falcoknight, which doesn’t have quite as good of stat caps, but it is much better looking than that flying snake. Yes, I do base most of my class changes on looks in this game.



Floor 6 is tedious. Lots of walls to break down, but not a lot of enemies and they still aren’t very strong.



Amelia gets back on the good side of the Level Up! luck Gods.



L’Arachel is also looking really good.



Even Artur is getting in on the good Level Ups.



Artur: How could you tell, Lute? I was trying my best not to show it.
Lute: Oh, come on! There’s no one better than me at spotting things like this! I can tell, you’re mentally exhausted.
Artur: I don’t know what I expected, but… I had no idea war would be like this. One battle after another, overwhelming odds…and monsters!? In this day and age, we’re fighting monsters from the legends and epics? I know how much is at stake, but sometimes…I get so tired.
Lute: When you’re tired, there’s nothing better than a good meal and a long sleep. And if you look at page 990 of “De Floris Mysticis,” there’s a special herb that, once decocted into a potion, will help relax your muscles. Look for the parfina flower, and reduce it into a thick syrup before drinking. Oh, and I hear music helps you sleep. If you like, I can hum something for you.
Artur: Thank you. However, I think I’ll pass on your offer, delightful though your humming must be. You must be tired as well. Take care of yourself, and rest when you can.
Lute: I will. In fact, maybe I’ll just hum to myself instead. Will you be all right?
Artur: I’m fine. I feel quite refreshed, in fact.
Lute: Refreshed? How so? Was it some new kind of magic?



Yeah, she is totally not a normal girl.



Boo on you, Neimi. That is not how you get back in the team.

This, however, is. That is a really good Level Up! for Marisa. Maybe she should replace Joshua on the team.



Yet another solid Level Up! for Amelia. She is doing most of the heavy lifting on this map.



Colm gets the goodies out of the chests, though it isn’t that much help. Steel bows are easy to find and black magic is all but useless in this game, if only because I’d have to use Knoll to use it.



Make that Level 19 for Amelia, and she is looking really good.



This is probably the last we’ll see of Neimi. Not without a little more strength.



Near the end of the map she gets another Level Up that does nothing to change my perception.



And finally, level 20 for Amelia. This is not the best she’s ever been, but she should start hitting stat caps before too long.



That clears floor 6. Only two more to go.



Time for floor 7. This one is actually interesting.



Each of these little platforms are unconnected, at least until you beat the enemies on the platform. Once you do a path will appear to the next platform. This map does have an interesting progression of enemies, going from zombies to skeletons to spiders and so on. It doesn’t make it all that complex to fight, but it is an interesting set up.

Marisa leads the charge against the zombies on the first platform, netting a Level Up.



Joshua follows for an absolutely terrible Level Up! Marisa is on the verge of surpassing him.



Little Ewan is along for the ride, mostly just to see if he is something I am missing in my party.



Here I’ve cleared the first platform, and the squares to the next have appeared.



L’Arachel gets another pretty good Level Up!



The Skeletons when down with no trouble, and Cormag move to the giant spider, getting a Level Up that is just icing on the cake.



He gets yet another one for taking out the dogs on the forth platform. There are simply not a lot of enemies on this map.



Marisa: Oof…
Joshua: Whew… Looks like I won this time.
Marisa: …… I made a mistake.
Joshua: No, you’re just having a bad day. And it’s not like I had a decisive victory this time. I’d say we’re still just about even.
Marisa: All that matters is that I didn’t win. You won the bet. What do you want me to do?
Joshua: Oh, you remembered our last bet! That makes me happy. All right, here goes…
Marisa: ……
Joshua: I want you to be my partner for a while… How’s that sound?
Marisa: What? Your partner?
Joshua: Don’t get the wrong idea. I just meant for training. And gambling.
Marisa: So, nothing would change…
Joshua: Well, I suppose, but there’s still a point to it all.
Marisa: What’s that?
Joshua: If I train with you, I’m going to become a better swordsman. And if we train together, maybe we’ll each learn something.
Marisa: I could ask nothing better.
Joshua: And there’s something that I want to do soon when the war is over. It’s something that can’t be done in a single day or overnight. You could probably call this the biggest gamble of my entire life. I’m going to have to hone my skills, and I’ll need someone to help me. What do you say, Marisa? Won’t you lend me a hand?
Marisa: I’m good for fighting, and not much else.
Joshua: You think? I doubt that’s true. Well, think about it.
Marisa: …I’ll do it.
Joshua: I know this is a gamble, but… gambling is my hobby.
Marisa: I see that.
Joshua: Well, don’t let me down.
Marisa: I won’t. But try to keep it interesting, all right?
Joshua: Heh. Then I’ll do my best to keep you entertained. And remember what I said… Life is a gamble. You never know what’ll happen. But don’t worry. I’m sure you won’t be bored. Besides, how often do you meet someone you can spar with?



Nothing brings a couple together like a mutual love of swords.

Marisa might actually be the better Myrmidon at this point. Maybe I should just use both.



L’Arachel has been healing all the way, getting to level 19.



Tana’s first Falcoknight level is nothing great.



Yet another Level Up! for Marisa, who gets another point of Strength, pushing her ahead of Joshua.



Joshua hits the level cap with this Level Up!, but is slightly worse than Marisa.



Artur gets the final kill and a really good Level Up! However, he is still not looking all that great.


And that is it for floor 7. Now on to the big finale on Floor 8.

Time for the last part of our excursion to the Tower of Valni



Finally, we have reached the top of the tower. This is floor 8:



I think this is the first we’ve seen of the Cyclopses (Cyclopsi?) and I think in the middle of the map is the first Gorgon. When a character passes the first stairway, lightning bolts streak down the outsides of the map, first on the left then the right. They are easy to avoid if you can make it up the little hallway along the side in two turns. I’ve changed up the team yet again for this battle. I’ve dumped the myrmidons for Ross and Colm. Ross just because and Colm to unlock the one chest near the top.



Lute: Oh. No. I was just thinking about monsters.
Artur: Monsters?
Lute: Yes. All these monsters are our enemies, I know, but…they’re not all bad, are they?
Artur: What are you talking about?
Lute: They’re kind of cute, don’t you think? I mean, like those revenants, for example.
Artur: It’s fair to say I will never understand your tastes. Besides, I thought you enjoyed using them as, well, magic practice.
Lute: Oh, I do. I do indeed. I use my magic to rip them to shreds…with love, of course.
Artur: Your way of expressing love is somewhat frightening…
Lute: Do you think so? Thank you.
Artur: No… That wasn’t a compliment. … Should I, ah, expect you to attack me with magic, too?
Lute: Hm? Why would I attack you with my magic?
Artur: You don’t get it?
Lute: No. Your strange logic baffles even my brilliant, brilliant mind. That’s why I’m curious.
Artur: Really? You don’t get it?
Lute: No, I don’t!
Artur: You really don’t?
Lute: Stop that!
Artur: I’m just giving you a hard time, Lute. All right. I’ll just come straight out and say it.
Lute: Finally!
Artur: It’s because I like you.
Lute: What!?
Artur: In fact, I love you, and I’m hoping perhaps that you love me.
Lute: Oh! Oh!!!
Artur: Now, do you understand?
Lute: Er… Um… A-according to “A Young Girl’s Primer to Nazonian Magic,” that most ancient tome long sought by, er, the terrible Demon King himself… it’s not uncommon for a party to assign feelings of…er, love to the reanimated hordes they confront on the battlefield, and considering my incredible brain and the remarkable skills I–
Artur: Lute?
Lute: Well, that is… What I mean is…
Artur: What’s wrong with you? I don’t often see you lose your cool.
Lute: Th-that’s because…
Artur: Yes?
Lute: Well… My books don’t tell me anything about how to deal with love! So…
Artur: Heh… Heh heh heh… Ha ha ha ha!!!
Lute: I’m sorry. I’m a little out of my depth when it comes to love.
Artur: No, you’re not. Love needs no textbooks. Just be yourself, and listen to your feelings.
Lute: Is…that all I need to do?
Artur: I promise.
Lute: … Er, excuse me…
Artur: Yes?
Lute: Well, er…



A happy ending for the weirdo love birds.



Lute blows away a skeleton to get a Level Up!



On the other side, Cormag gets a Level Up that pushes him to the cap.



Even Ross, armed only with an Iron Axe, can’t take down a Cyclops in one turn. He does get a Level Up! out of the deal.



Colm downs a skeleton and hits level 20. He actually turned out okay.



Lute continues to move along the left side of the map, getting a great Level Up!

Ewan can’t do much against the big guys, but anything he does pretty much guarantees him a Level Up!



Ross and Artur take out a pair of Cyclops. And Colm puts one of my Ocean Seals, the class change item that both he and Ross need, to use. Normally you only get one, but one of these Cyclops dropped one for me.



Colm can become either an Assassin or a Rogue. The Assassin is a slightly more effective fighter, especially if its Silencer skill, an instant kill, activates. However, an Assassin loses its thieving skills. The Rogue gets to keep the thieving skills. Colm is going Rogue, because his purpose is to steal and open chests.



Ross hits level 20 right behind Colm, and now can use my other Ocean Seal.



Tana gets a none too great Level Up! but she is already near a few of her caps.



Another Level Up! for Artur, who isn’t quite a disaster, but he is definitely not in the top tier of units.



Ewan keeps doing his part and gets a decent Level Up!



Colm finishes off that Cyclops that Ewan fought and he gets a Level Up! as well.

That last Cyclops, in a screenshot that I failed to get, dropped a second Ocean Seal, so Ross can change class. His choices are Warrior and Berserker. Warrior gets bows and Berserker gets a critical boost. Berserkers are much cooler than Warriors, so Ross goes Berserker.



Cormag: I mean, he started shrieking out to you before I even saw that bowman.
Tana: Really? That’s amazing… In that case… Thank you.
Cormag: The bond between a wyvern and rider is close, and this guy’s a smart one. I’m sure you and your pegasus are the same, wouldn’t you say?
Tana: Oh, yes. It’s the same with every knight and her pegasus. It’s so sad to see how war has changed the way we relate to our animal allies. It’s taking such a tremendous toll on these beautiful creatures.
Cormag: I agree. This whole war is ludicrous. War itself is madness, even more so if it’s for greed or the fantasy of power.
Tana: I hope our efforts end this war quickly. I don’t want to see anyone else die.
Cormag: Nor do I. But you cannot race headlong into battle. We’ll need you to help rebuild our shattered nations, after all. We soldiers are expendable, but you regal types aren’t.
Tana: Cormag, don’t say that!
Cormag: But it’s true.
Tana: No! No life is expendable!
Cormag: Your Highness…



These two take a long time to get their Support on.



Lute has basically cleared the left side of the map on her own. She gets a rather dismal Level Up!



L’Arachel finally hits level 20. Her HP is a little lacking, but otherwise she is pretty great.



We’ve made our way to the top of the map, with only a handful of Skeletons and Cyclops left, with that one Gorgon guarding the chest.



Tana is rushed by the skeletons and takes them out, getting a solid Level Up!



And she gets another Level Up! after taking out the Gorgon.

Lute moved a step too far forward and one of the Cyclops comes after her, but she deals with him handily and gets a Level Up!



Out of the chest Colm gets a Blue Gem, which is worth 5000G



Tana, the map MVP by far, takes out the boss and gets a Level Up! and a Goddess Icon.



And that is the Tower of Valni.



After you clear it, the game gives you a summary of how you did. I’ve only ever cleared Valni twice, so I don’t know if this is good or not. When you clear it in the post-game, you unlock bonus characters. But not during the main game, so nothing for me.



Cormag changes class into a Wyvern Lord, which is generally superior to the Wyvern Knight.



L’Arachel has the choice of Mage Knight and Valkyrie. Valkyrie gets Light magic, which is strong against monsters, so it is largely the better class.



A Myrmidon gets the choice of Swordmaster or Assassin. The Swordmaster has better caps and a critical hit bonus, so that is my choice for Joshua.



It is Great Knight or Paladin for Amelia. You can point to the better caps and ability to use axes for why Great Knight is the better choice, but I can point to the Paladin Amelia’s ponytail for why Paladin is better.



And that is it for the digression to the Tower of Valni. Next time we get back to the story.

Assassin has better animations than Swordmaster or Rogue, though.

It’s been a long time, but this is an effective sum up. We’ve already defeated the country that was trying to conquer the continent. Ephraim took an army straight to the capitol and did his thing, while Eirika toured the other countries to drum up unneeded support. Now, only a fraction of the bad guy army remained, and they were still eager to crush the two remaining stones. Luckily, one of those is already in our possession, so there is absolutely no chance we hand it right to them to be crushed.



With Renais safe, we are taking our army to Rausten to secure the other remaining Sacred Stone. But first, flashback time:



Lyon: Mm… My research isn’t complete yet, but there’s no mistaking the power the Sacred Stones contain. And the Stone of Grado seems especially responsive to my dark magic. I suppose it’s because it contains both sacred and demonic properties. Regardless, if I can just press my studies a little harder… Well, I think I might be able to use it to heal my father’s illness. If that works, there’s no telling how many other people I can help as well.
Eirika: Do you think this is wise? The power contained within the stones is beyond our understanding… My father tells me that the stones possess a power not to be trifled with.
Lyon: Uh-huh… Father MacGregor is also against it. That’s why they still won’t give me direct access to the Stone of Grado. For the time being, I’ve made do with the radiant energies surrounding it. They’re nothing compared to the raw power of the stone itself, but… If I can show Father MacGregor some real progress, perhaps one day…
Ephraim: Using the Sacred Stones to study magic…
Lyon: Ephraim, Eirika, what do you two think?



Ephraim: …It’s just that I know nothing at all of magic. I would that there were some way I could help you, but I simply can’t. But, Lyon, I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked to help others. I know how much you want the power to make others happy. I know these things, and because I know you, I trust your intentions.
Lyon: Ephraim…
Ephraim: If you hope to use the power of the Sacred Stone for good, I trust you can. I’m behind you all the way.
Eirika: I agree with Ephraim entirely. You spend every night in the library, studying cures for your father’s illness. The power of the Sacred Stones is too powerful to be used for personal gain. But you, Lyon… I think you’ll be fine. You’re the kindest person I know.”
Lyon: Thanks, both of you. Hearing those words from you means a lot to me. Actually–and this hasn’t been made public yet–but… I’ve already saved someone using the knowledge I’ve gleaned so far.
Ephraim: You have?
Lyon: Uh-huh… A while back, a fire ravaged Serafew, and a little girl got trapped in the flames. Her burns were terrible not even healing staves were able to cure her injuries. But just a sliver of the stone’s power restored her life and healed her wounds. We saved that girl’s life, Ephraim! Oh, if you could have seen the tears of joy in her mother’s eyes!
Ephraim: You really did it, huh? You are special, Lyon. Congratulations!
Lyon: Well… thanks. But there’s still so much more to be done. I am happy, though. To be honest, I just want to be able to help people. I want to put the ancient magics to use for the common good… That’s how I feel.
Eirika: Lyon…
Lyon: And as my research moves forward, I’ll be able to do much more, too. We have only the barest understanding of how dark magic operates. Maybe we can use it not only to heal wounds, but also to stop diseases… What if we can read the future, predict disasters, move mountains!?
Eirika: Hold on, Lyon. You can’t take too much on yourself all at once. What good is helping people if you sacrifice yourself to do it?
Lyon: Oh… Yes, of course. Sorry. I got carried away.
Ephraim: You have a soft heart, Lyon. I bet you haven’t taken any real time off at all. So this is what we’re going to do. Today, we’re going into the city. And you’re going with us, Lyon.
Lyon: What? But, Ephraim, you’ve got a history report due.
Ephraim: We’re taking today off. C’mon, let’s go.
Lyon: Bu-but, Ephraim…
Eirika: It’s just one day, and I won’t tell anyone.



Here is another scene with the slightly younger wonder twins and their friend. I like that it lets the player get to see the pre-game Lyon, letting the whole thing take on a greater air of tragedy.
Meanwhile, in the present:



L’Arachel: The palace reliquary currently houses our Sacred Stone. Follow me, and I’ll take you there.
Innes: I sent the Frelian army ahead before us. They should be en route to Rausten. If we hurry, we can join up with them at the banks of the Narube River.



Such a mighty force, this Frelian Army. I am so glad they were around to help.



Syrene: Grado’s been defeated, and still they fight on? And they’re tough.
Old Man: You Frelian fools have been wiped out by those guys… Oh, no… Now we’re finished as well.
Syrene: Everyone, please remain calm. If you panic and flee, the enemy will simply surround you.



At least they have one competent soldier. I bet you can’t guess who this green haired Pegasus rider is related to.

Innes: What’s going on? We must go to her aid.
L’Arachel: Everyone, hold! Something evil is afoot?



Eirika: Lyon? Where have you been all this time?
Ephraim: Eirika, stop!
Eirika: Brother?
Ephraim: Lyon? We met recently in Grado Keep, right? Do you remember what you told me then? You told me this was all your doing, that you had started this war.
Lyon: What? Ephraim?Why are you so angry? We haven’t seen each other in so long? What’s happened?
Eirika: Lyon?
Ephraim: Wait, Eirika! You said it yourself. Lyon must be under the control of someone or something else.
Eirika: Don’t be ridiculous! There must be something wrong with you, Ephraim! Lyon is one of our dearest and closest friends, remember? He told me that, no matter what happened, he was still on our side. Isn’t that right, Lyon?
Lyon: Yes, Eirika. Of course it is. So please, come here? Closer? Ah! Gah? ahh? Uuuuhhaaah? ga?
Eirika: Lyon?!



Lyon: Get away…from me…quickly..If you…don’t…he will surely…Destroy you.
Eirika: What? Lyon?
Lyon: Flee...qui-quickly..GO! Gah...Aaaaaaarrrrggggghhh!
Eirika: Ly-Lyon. Hold on! What is it? What’s happening?!
Lyon: ???
Evil Lyon: Hi. It’s been a while since I saw you two last, hasn’t it?
Eirika: Lyon? Is that really you speaking, Lyon?
Ephraim: Stay back, Eirika. Keep your guard up. That’s not Lyon.
Eirika: Uh?
Evil Lyon: I’m not Lyon? That’s rich. A masterpiece. You always thought Lyon was kind, gentle, and weak, didn’t you? Admit it.
Ephraim: No! Lyon, Eirika, and I were friends. There were things we kept to ourselves, of course, but we shared so much. And no matter what happened, no matter how much time passed… We’re still friends. Lyon would never betray us. Not in a million years.



Eirika: What?!
Evil Lyon: I’ve had my fun pretending to be human, but the need for charades has passed. You are correct. This body no longer belongs to your young Lyon. I devoured his pathetic heart ages ago.
Ephraim: You monster! Who are you?!
Evil Lyon: Do you really not know me? What a poorly educated prince. Think about it. Remember the legends of your pitiful kind… What was sealed within the Stone of Grado? What is the name of terror?
Eirika: No… It can’t be!”
L’Arachel: It’s as we feared after all. That can only be…
Ephraim: The great adversary of antiquity… The Demon King…
Evil Lyon: Heh heh? ha hahahahah! Lyon? Lyon? O prince of misery? Come out. Be not shy? This body is lost to you? It is mine to compel?
Eirika: What’s going?
Evil Lyon: Your dreams, Lyon?I am about to make them come true for you. I am about to crush Prince Ephraim and take Princess Eirika for my own. Isn’t this all that you’ve ever prayed for, young fool of a prince?
Ephraim: Ah!
Evil Lyon: Rejoice, Lyon.



So tinkering with a magical relic that holds the spirit of a great evil can have terrible consequences? I am shocked! Shocked! Well, not that shocked. The pacing on this main plot of this game is kind of off, especially if you take Eirika’s route, since it barely lets the player know what is going on in Grado for most of the game.



Here’s the map. It is rather small for a late game map. There really isn’t a lot to this one. You want to try to protect the green units, as always, and you can knock down the grey logs to to cross the rivers, but otherwise it is pretty straighforward. As far as reinforcements go, Wyvern Knight and Cavaliers will continually spawn from the upper left, Druids keep popping out of the castle and a bunch of Warriors come from the bottom right. This map is mostly ungraded units to fight, so if your army hasn’t changed class yet, it will get the experience it rather quick.



First off, I send Innes to knock down the log on the other side of the river. Then Eirika moves up next to him for a Support conversation.



Eirika: Right.
Innes: And yet, whenever an enemy shows himself, you rush in and attack! …Everyone’s going to think you’re the one protecting me.
Eirika: Well, I can’t help you with your image problems, Innes. You’re an archer, while I have to fight up close.
Innes: That is unacceptable. I said that I would protect you, and I was being quite sincere.
Eirika: And I appreciate that. It’s nice to know that, when I cross swords with the enemy, you’re never far from me, with your bow close at hand.
Innes: Eirika… You are so kind… You’re so different from that… brother of yours.
Eirika: No, not as much as you think. Maybe you only see him as a warrior, as competition, but he is a fine and gentle man, capable of great compassion.
Innes: …If you say so. I suppose I cannot doubt it if it comes from your lips.
Eirika: Prince Innes, please, try to befriend my brother. I know he would want this as well. I don’t know why you dislike him. When I am alone with him, he is so kind.
Innes: Forgive me, but I can bear no more of this talk. When I see you look that way, I feel only jealousy for this Ephraim.
Eirika: What–?



I’m not sure that Innes isn't more interested in Ephraim than in his sister.

Now the other twin puts the moves on his lady love.



L’Arachel: You won’t go ripping the armor from your…well-toned body, will you?
Ephraim: L’Arachel… That was all just a simple misunderstanding. But I apologize if I offended your sensibilities in removing my armor.
L’Arachel: Well, I suppose I can forgive you for this one indiscretion. I wasn’t prepared. I’ve never seen a man’s naked body before…
Ephraim: Naked… I was only showing you the scar on my shoulder, like you asked!
L’Arachel: A naked shoulder is a big deal! I was so shocked. Why, I could hardly sleep at all that night! …
Ephraim: …? What’s wrong, L’Arachel? You seem different somehow.
L’Arachel: N-no. Everything is fine… Please don’t look at me in such a vulgar, leering way. I find it very inappropriate.
Ephraim: Oh, I’m sorry. I had no idea. I certainly would never–
L’Arachel: What!? Are you saying that you do not find me attractive?
Ephraim: No! I… What do you want me to say?
L’Arachel: How can you be so calm at a time like this? Don’t you see what you’ve done!?



L’Arachel has no idea with emotions that aren’t about vanquishing evil or justice. Ephraim is at least able to have a conversation without gushing over his sister.



Most of the group moves to the bridge to the middle of the map with the civilians. Tana and Cormag fly right over the water and take the fight to the enemy.



The Fighters go after Tana, to their detriment. The Valkyrie tries for Cormag, but can’t do enough damage to cause a problem.



Back on my turn, I send Colm up after that Valkyrie. He takes her out and gets an outstanding Level Up!



Innes nails the other Valkyrie while Tana and Cormag go after Wyvern Riders.



The others cross that bridge and snatch up civilians. The enemies try to ford the river, but it is slow going. On the top side, the remaining Wyvern Rider delivers a blow to Innes and Syrene is hassled by a Druid.



Syrene gets her revenge on her turn.



On my turn again, Innes downs one and Colm takes a stab at another. Kyle deals with one of the Druids at near the middle of the map.

Ross uses his seafaring pirate shoes to take out one of these Heroes and Joshua gets another, while taking a enough of a hit that L’Arachel needs to get in on the healing.



Cormag and Tana fly into the mountains to deal a pair of Wyvern Riders.



On the enemy’s turn, one of the few remaining Wyvern Riders goes after Cormag, and gets dealt with, netting a damn good Level Up for my Wyvern Lord. He is also getting desperately close to death.



Luckily, Cormag survives this last blow. Meanwhile, Lute takes down a Mage attacking her over the log.



One Hero goes after Joshua, who levitates away, while Lute downs another Mage.



Ross casually deals with another Hero and gets a Level Up!



Another Hero meets his end on the blade of Ross’s axe. Their berserker takes an ineffectual hack at Innes and Colm does some damage to a Cavalier.



Back on my turn, Colm snatches a Dragonshield from that Berserker.
I finally realized that I sent the two people who could recruit Syrene, Tana and Innes, to the opposite side of the map. Luckily Tana can fly right to Syrene and get this done.



Syrene: You must stay back. This place is dangerous!
Tana: No! I won’t let you die! Hold on, I’m coming to help you at once!
Syrene: Princess Tana… You’ve grown so much.



And the last member of our army joins up.

Syrene is the mandatory late joining pre-promote that no one would ever have a reason to use. She’s not especially terrible other than her late recruitment, something that Sacred Stones offsets by allowing players to do a little grinding. She has some decent supports and not terrible growths. But she does join too late to really be anything more than a character thrown in during the bloated last couple of maps.



L’Arachel and Innes take down some guys. Also, Druids keep spawning from the castle and Wyvern Riders from the top left of the screen.



Cormag and Syrene team up to take down that Berserker.



Level Up for Kyle, and a pretty good one. His speed is starting to catch up and he just maxed strength.



Ephraim gets a typically excellent Level Up as well.



Cormag and Ephraim avoid harm when the enemies counter attack.



Innes takes down an enemy, while Syrene and Cormag tag team the other one.



Lute deals with one of the reinforcement Druids.



The other two go after Ephraim, but since Black Magic sucks, they can’t hit.



On my turn, Innes and Tana take down the two Cavaliers on one side of the river.

L’Arachel takes out a Druid and gets a flatly spectacular Level Up!



Ephraim gets the other one, and gets a bad, by his standards, Level Up!



The Wyvern Riders are still coming down out of the mountains; this time Colm takes the brunt of their attack.



Luckily, Innes and Tana are there to deal with them. On the far side of the map, Ross shows his dominance with an axe.



Joshua and L’Arachel take out some more Druids.



Lute downs one of those Warriors charging up the map and gets a mighty fine Level Up!



Ross does the same, but his Level Up! is somewhat less impressive.



The enemies remaining miss with their attacks.



At this point, anything Tana adds to her stat total is unnecessary. This is about as good as I’ve ever seen her turn out.

These three take out the last of the enemies on the map, there is only Lyon left.



L’Arachel is the first to attack Lyon, but she can’t take him out. Despite his pontificating, Lyon isn’t all that threatening.



Ephraim has finally had enough of whatever is inside Lyon.



Ephraim gilds the lily as he takes out the remains of his friend.



Eirika: Hold, Lyon!
Evil Lyon: Now, I know your strength. It is time to leave. I sacrifice this flesh and return to my body of old. This does not end. The world will drown again in darkness.
Ephraim: We will not let you flee! After him, Eirika! We have to find where he’s gone. Search everywhere!



It is kind of hard to stop a guy that is able to teleport wherever he wants.



Innes: No need to panic. My soldiers pursue Prince Lyon’s trail. Our trackers are excellent. They’ll have him soon.
Eirika: Good…
Innes: There’s something I need to speak with you about. The messenger I sent to Frelia returned not long ago. She brought a package I’d requested: Frelia’s Sacred Twins.
Innes: You have the Sacred Twins?
Innes: Yes. Frelia may have lost her Sacred Stone… However, it seems the Sacred Twin relics remained undisturbed. I had them brought here. Behold!
Eirika: These…
Innes: Frelia’s Sacred Twins. Nidhogg, the Serpent Bow, and Vidofnir, the Winged Lance. I want you to take them.
Eirika: These are for you, aren’t they? They’re for the rulers of Frelia.
Innes: No, I entrust them to your care. You’re the leader of this army. Use them as you see fit.
Eirika: Thank you, Prince Innes… I appreciate your sacrifice.
Innes: It is no sacrifice, and I require no thanks.



So here are two more Legendary weapons, which coincidently are the same weapons that the Innes and his sister use. I’ll likely just let them stay in the family, since I don’t have a better spear user than Tana and no other bow users.



Young Lady: We all owe you our gratitude…
Syrene: No, it wasn’t my doing. We prevailed because of superior leadership.
Eirika: Oh, please…
Old Man: We owe you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. It’s not much, but please accept this staff as a small token.
Young Lady: And our appreciation, too. Thank you!



This is my reward for rescuing all of the villagers.



Next time: We catch up to Lyon(?) and try to save/stop him. Will we be successful?

Does that include Ephraim? Or are you excluding him because he already has Reginleif?

Ephraim's already got Reginleif and Siegmund. He's got two such weapons. So yes, he was excluded. Still, Tana is better right now, though she's almost hit her low strength max and Ephraim still has a few points to gain.

For some reason I never bothered to do the L’Arachel/Ephraim support and now I'm very sad I missed out.

Yeah, my original plan was to do Ephraim/Eirika, but that one isn't very ... interesting past the first conversation, so I looked to see what other supports were available.

And L'Arachel's supports with anybody are great. Because L'Arachel is great.

After playing FE 7 I was for some reason dissappointed with most of the characters in 8. The main exceptions were L'arachel and Lute.

Also: Great LP, keep up the good work.

Last time the forces of good clashed with the corrupted Prince Lyon, but he escaped. So we’ve tracked him to the Darkling Woods, a generally happy place that does not hide unspeakable horror.



We are coming up on the end game here, with only three chapters left after this one.



Eirika: It’s about Lyon. My brother was right. Lyon’s been possessed by the Demon King. He … He’s no longer the Lyon I once knew. But I can’t help feeling … there must be some way to bring him back.
L’Arachel: ...
Eirika: Please help me, L’Arachel. I want to save him. Rausten is the spiritual heart of Magvel. They keep the ancient lore. You’re their princess. You must know something about the demons of legend. Is there anything that can save Lyon?
L’Arachel: I’m so sorry, Eirika. To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to aid him.
Eirika: That can’t be! There must be something! Any clue, no matter how slight?
L’Arachel: Our oldest legends tell us just this ...



L’Arachel: If one possesses a strength of will beyond that of normal men... Only then can one throw off the shackles of the Demon King. But you saw it yourself, Eirika, with your own two eyes. Your friend Lyon’s body has already been claimed by the Demon King. Once it’s gone that far, there’s nothing that can be done. When the Demon King takes over someone, he devours his spirit, his very soul. Even if his hold on Lyon’s body could be released, that body would have no soul. There is no power in Rausten ... not even the Sacred Stone... that can perform so great a miracle as to restore a shattered soul.
Eirika: But... Lyon...
L’Arachel: Eirika... I understand how you feel, but the prince is gone. The Lyon you knew no longer exists. It’s more important now that you care for yourself. If we pursue the Demon King, we’re likely to suffer for it. I want you to return to Rausten Palace and rest yourself.
Eirika: Thank you, L’Arachel. However, I must stay with the company. I have to believe there’s something I can do to help him. Lyon was always so kind. He wanted nothing more than to help people.



This is the tragic core of Sacred Stones’ story. It is easy to sympathize with Eirika here, seeing one of her closest friends possessed by some sort of monster has got to be hard to stomach. Plus, seeing him still walking around it leaves her sure that she can save him, though the team’s spiritual expert (I know L’Arachel is from Magvel’s Popeland, but as informed as she seems here I’m not sure I’d turn to her for spiritual advice) lays it out pretty clearly that that is not an option.

After that conversation, another poor green guy shows up to help lead our mighty army through the volcano pass, which I guess is the best route.



Soldier: The enemy went into the recesses of this valley.
Eirika: Brother. Do you smell something?
Ephraim: Smell?
Eirika: Yes. An unpleasant odor, like sulphur. It’s emanating from this valley.
Ephraim: Are those… eggs?



Ephraim: Watch out! Everyone, steer clear of those eggs!

That green dude Ackbar’d us! Now we have to fight in a volcano.



Chapter 18 is another small map and likely the easiest one in the second half of the game. The red craggly looking areas are lava that hurt any character left standing on them at the end of a turn, making it kind of hard to navigate through this map. Those eggs start with little HP, but gain some every turn until they fill up and hatch in Medusa. Only when they become active, though, until then they just sit there doing nothing. It is in the player’s best interest to not let that happen. There aren’t enough other monsters on this map to make spreading your forces out to reach all of them a very dangerous strategy.



To start, my mob moves through the first little pathway.



Here is one of the eggs coming alive. The closest egg hatches immediately, just to illustrate how these eggs work.



One of the live Medusas takes a startlingly accurate shot at Joshua.



Cormag pokes an inactive egg and gets a Level Up! for smashing it. The good thing about these eggs is that they give a hefty chunk of experience.



Innes takes down the hatched Medusa and gets himself an outstanding Level Up!

Kyle gets in on the action and finally hits level 20 as a Cavalier. That is not a bad turn out for Sir Green Hair.



Everyone else does there thing, with Gerik taking out an egg and L’Arachel and Lute doing some healing.



Tana, though, does the heavy lifting, fighting an enemy that can actually fight back.



Kyle dodges a long shot from a Medusa. That 42 percent hit percentage is too good when combined with the 24 damage it would do.



Lute gets the hard to reach egg and Cormag nails a newly hatched one.



Kyle had a Knight Crest stored away for this moment. He is going with the smart choice of Great Knight, a class with superior stat caps and the ability to use every weapon.



We’ve made to the clearing in the middle of the map and are ready to split up to get to the rest of those eggs.



Joshua draws the attacks of every enemy that can actually attack.



Another egg down for Cormag and another Level Up! as well. He is just getting stupid good.



Tana goes for the egg instead of the living enemy, because I’d rather deal with him than let a Medusa hatch. Innes proves your mom right and puts an eye out with his bow and arrow.



L’Arachel takes down a newly hatched Medusa and gets a truly outstanding Level Up!



I sent a trio of horsemen to the south and everyone else heads to the northeast.