Wait, Zephiel's the bad guy? Let's Play Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals!

Well, it's more in line with the official Nintendo translations, for one. Most highborn characters tend to use archaic insults like "dastard", "blackheart", and "cur" in lieu of real swears.

Hey now, I like Fir too! It's just that she's overshadowed by the others, is all. Though if she develops well, be sure to report back here with pictures of her development for us to see.

...Anyway, welcome back. Last time, we had made port at one of the Western Isles and driven off the bandit forces lying there.



...on the Western Isles, Roy and company moved west along the coastline. Along the way, they came across a small village caught in a constant conflict beween the resistance group and the landowner trying to get rid of them.

Join us now as the Lycia Alliance Army is...

Chapter 10: Caught in the Middle





At the northern gate...

Soldier: We are still searching for him, my lord.

Zinc: And?

Soldier: It appears he has hidden himself in a village on the outskirts of the castle...

Zinc: The resistance group is just another band without that Elphin supporting them with his brains. I don't care what happens to the village, just find him!

Soldier: Yes, my lord.

Hmm...



Hey, it's Miledy again. Funny how she always *just* misses catching up to Guinevere.

Miledy: You seemed... busy.

Zinc: Oh no, we prioritize allying with Bern above all things. So if you need anything...

Miledy: Then, as I asked earlier...

Zinc: Ah, the whereabouts of Princess Guinevere.

Miledy: Do you have any information, Lord Zinc?

Zinc: I regret to say that I do not. You have already visited the capitol at Djuto?

"Perhaps you might've met my brothers there, Lord Copper and Lord Iron..."

Miledy: Yes.

Zinc: Then I suggest you pay a visit to Bishop Oro. He resides in the castle overlooking Mt. Ebrakhm to the north. He knows this region better than any of us, so I would believe he'd have some ideas. However, if even he does not know where Princess Guinevere is, then I would think she is not on these islands.

Miledy: I see. I will talk with Bishop Oro. Thank you for your time.

Oro? Anyway, back to camp!



Merlinus: Yes, according to our sources. But I also understand that earlier this week, the resistance group was hunted down by Etruria's military. I heard that they were devastated.

Roy: ...The Etrurian government lets the bandits go and opresses the resistance group who are trying to help the people. It doesn't look good...

Looks like we've got a mystery on our hands, gang.

Merlinus: No, it does not.

Roy: Could we do anything to help?

Merlinus: That would be difficult. We would be going against Etruria's nobility. I don't think that would be a good idea when we are working under Etruria's orders.

Roy: I'll send a messenger to General Cecilia and see what she has to say. We probably shouldn't do anything too risky right now, but...

Soldier: Master Roy! Duke Zinc who controls this area is sending out troops to attack the villages to find a member of the resistance force!

Merlinus: What! ...Should we?

Roy: We don't have tim to wait for General Cecilia's reply... But I want to help the people. ...Even if it means going against Etruria's orders.

Merlinus: Master Roy...

Roy: Let's fight! So we can be proud when we return to Lycia!



Toughest map in the game? Maybe not, but it sure as hell's up there.

This map is pure evil if you're trying to get everything. We've got to visit all of the villages, recruit enemies actively aggressive against us, make sure the NPCs they bring with them survive long enough to escape and clear out the enemies in the stage.

You'll notice a few retirees rejoining our squad for this mission. In order to get everything, we're gonna need to bring Clarine, Thany and Lilina to recruit, or at least delay, the characters on this stage, as well as Lot and Ward to visit the two northwestern most villages to get the unique items there (visiting them with anyone else will result in far less impressive goods). With Roy taking the roll as leader, that leaves us with only six members of our choice to bring along, so choose wisely.

With that in mind, you'll want to divide your forces from the start - mounted units, the two Fighters and Lilina head north to clear out the villages and recruit one unit, Roy, Clarine and the rest head down the center and wait for the other two recruits to show up. Note that you don't have to keep the NPCs alive if you don't want to, but the items we get from keeping them alive are extremely valuable, and it's in your best interests to do so.

This stage took me roughly a dozen tries to nail down finally, and is bastardly hard if you're trying to get everything. Trust me, try and avoid this route for yourself when you're playing through this game for the first time.



First things first, Lance and Shin begin chipping away at the Broken Wall here, which is... surprisingly sturdy.



Thany, meanwhile, heads for the armory to replace her nearly-broken Javelin.



This is how our group looks at the end of the round. Next turn, Thany and the other mounted units will smash through the wall and clear a path for the Fighters and Lilina, while Roy and the others move for the center.



Meet Gale. Despite his fearsome exterior, he's a perfectly honourable, trustworthy enemy. We won't be running into him for a long, long while yet, but remember his face.

Oh, and this chapter is hella chatty. Just thought I'd let you know.

Miledy: No. But I heard a bishop named Oro in charge of the mines in the north might know.

Gale: All right, then let's head north.

Miledy: Gale... I'm sorry. King Zephiel wanted to keep the case on Guinevere in secrecy, so he only assigned my group to look for her. I'm sorry I got you mixed up into this...

Gale: You shouldn't worry yourself over things like that.

Miledy: But you're one of the captains working directly under General Murdock.

Gale: General Murdock has agreed to my helping you out. In fact, he wants me to find out the location of the Princess and the Fire Emblem.

Miledy: ...Do you think that Princess Guinevere has the Fire Emblem?

Gale: Well, that's the what the royalty thinks. And I think they're correct, looking at the situation.

Miledy: ......

Gale: Come on, don't look like that... Probably Princess Guinevere has a plan of some sort. Come, let's go.

Miledy: Yes...



The two Fighters in the middle take wind of Oujay's presence and attack.

Hmm?

Elphin: ...Where...am I...?



Elphin: ...What...happened... to me...

Mary: We found you lying at the entrance of the village, all bruised and blood-splattered. So we brought you home and treated your wounds.

Elphin: And you are...?

Mary: I'm Mary. I live here.

Elphin: ...Live here...No! This village will be endangered if I stay here... ...Or maybe it's too late if it's already been one day...

Mary: ?

Elphin: I am Elphin... One of the resistance group. The landowner is sure to send troops here to capture me.

This is our spoony bard, by the way. More later when he joins.

Mary: The resistance group...

Elphin: Miss Mary, you should run from here. This village is in danger.

Mary: ...No. I will stay.

Elphin: ...Why?

Mary: I have a younger brother. Right now he's gone out to look for work with his friend from next door. His friend asked me to take care of his younger sister while they was gone.

The two are Ward and Lot respectively, in case you were wondering.

Elphin: I see... Then all I can do to protect the village is leave. Thank you very much for healing my wounds. Please take care.

Mary: Yes, you take care too.



Anyway, Wolt takes on the remaining Fighter in the center, doubling it down to nothing for a horrid level up.



Wendy follows up with a kill, netting her a significantly better level.



Combining their strength, our mounted units bust down the wall here, clearing a path to the villages inside. A few turns from now, a group of bandits will spawn in the north, so it's imperitive to make your way in here if you want to claim the goods.



Oujay lures the mercenary to the east, netting him a pathetic level up.

He also comes under fire from a Fighter and Shaman. The latter connects; the former does not.



Roy, Wendy and Wolt finish off the enemies harrassing Oujay, clearing his path north.



Clarine heals up Oujay, while Thany takes out a Fighter to the north...



And Oujay rearranges Thany's stock so that her new Javelin's at the top. This is because, at the moment, she's in the range of an enemy shaman, and will be able to kill it during the next phase with the Javelin equipped.



A friend of Mary's is worried and hands Shin a Barrier staff for his time.



There are a pair of archers near the start that will make things difficult if they're still alive, so Wolt and Roy team up once more to take them out.



Back with the mounted units, Shin and Alan conspire to take out another.

Lance, his hands freed, takes out a nearby Fighter, earning... more speed.



Uh oh, looks like Cobalt found out we're here.

Zinc: Why is taking so long to find one resistance group member?!

Soldier: The Lycia Alliance Army! They are fighting to protect the villagers...

Zinc: The Alliance Army? They would go against Etruria?!

Soldier: We have gotten a message from Djuto. It says, "The Lycia Alliance Army is suspected to be working with the bandits. Capture them, or kill them, if necessary."

Zinc: Oh? Tied in with the bandits? How ironic! So they want to kill them to save their own skins...

Soldier: What, sir?

Zinc: This is not the mainland. Might makes right here.

Soldier: I'm not quite sure I understand...

Zinc: Don't worry about it then. Is that all they said from Djuto?

Soldier: No. Lord Arcard has provided us with reinforcements.

Zinc: What!

Soldier: They should be arriving soon.

Zinc: Damn! Even if we defeat the Lycia Alliance Army, we will not get all the credit if we are aided by reinforcements! We need to do this quickly... Ah, of course! Get Scollan!

Soldier: Yes, sir.



Scollan: What can I do for you, Master Zinc?

Zinc: I want you to burn down all the villages in this area. Kill the villagers as well.

Scollan: ...What if there's treasure?

Zinc: Do with it as you wish. Just hurry.

Scollan: Got it, Master Zinc. Hehehe...



Well, anyway...



During the enemy's turn, Wolt and Shin come under fire from a few enemies...



I need Wolt to take out the archers in the north though, so Thany takes over for the kill here.



Shin, however, has no such obligations and takes out the offending archer. His level up leaves a little to be desired, but meh. He's still got time.



With most of the enemies in the region dealt with, Lance and Alan pick up the two Fighters so they'll reach the north villages faster.

You'll notice that we left the middle village untouched. This is so we can lure the bandit group down there without having to skip the north villages.

Oujay, Wendy and Wolt head north so they can pick away at the wall there.



Alan and Lance drop off their charges...



...and here comes reinforcement group #1.

Scollan: There's a village to the south. You got that?

Gonzales: Get it.

Scollan: That might be a hidden base for the resistance forces. Master Zinc says to burn it down, village and all.

Gonzales: Village and all...

Scollan: Right. Now git! A stupid hulk like you only comes in use at times like this. You better not screw up.

Hey now, that's uncalled for!

Gonzales: I... I...

Scollan: You got a problem?

If he does, he could probably rip your arms off if you push him, Scollan.

Gonzales: N-No...

[Gonzales leaves.]

Scollan: Heh, he looks like hell, but has that damn kind heart. He shouldn't be scared of busting up one tiny village. You guys, you got that too?

Bandit: Sure thing, boss!



Meanwhile, Wolt comes into contact with a shaman wielding a new kind of tome. The Nosferatu tome restores HP equal to the damage dealt, so it's a real pain to deal with if the enemy's wielding it. The best way around it is for them to attack first so the damage you deal is after the heal.



The remaining fighter near the village attacks Shin at close-range...



...however, he leaves himself wide open for Shin and Lilina to counterattack on our turn.



Booya. Magic's a given for Lilina, but seeing speed is nice since that's what she normally lacks.



Lot visits the left village for a little reunion with his sister...

Lot: Myu! Have you been good?

Myu: Yes! I was good! I didn't even wet my bed!

D'awwwww...

Lot: Good girl.

Myu: Lott... While you were away, Mom...

Lot: Yeah, I know... She went to a faraway place...

Myu: Here... Mom left it for you. She said you'll find a use for it.

Lot: ......

Myu: Big brother... You won't leave me, right? You won't go to a faraway place without me like Mom...

Lot: Of course not! I'll come back here with lots of presents for you. So listen to what Mary says and be a good girl, all right?

Myu: Okay!

Lot: Anyway, hide in the hills with Mary. It's dangerous here.

Myu: Yes sir... Lott?

Lot: ?

Myu: You promised! You won't go to a faraway place, right?

Lot: Yeah... I hope I can keep that promise...



And with that, we leave behind Lot's home with a pair of Speedwings (raises speed). Note that, if we had visited the village with someone other than Lot or Ward, we would've gotten a less-useful Elixer instead.

And by the other village, Ward reunites with his sister as well...

Ward: Sis! It's good to see you.

Mary: You've returned?

Ward: Well not really... We just came here on a mission.

Mary: ...You're not going to come back anymore?

Ward: No! That's not the case! ...But I'm not ready to return yet. Just wait, I'll come back with lots of money so we can live an easier life.

Mary: I don't care about that... I just want you to be safe.

Ward: Sis...

Mary: I know it's pointless to tell you to be careful with that personality of yours... but just remember that there are people worried for you. Okay?

Ward: ......

Mary: Here, take this.

Ward: What's this?

Mary: It's a special weapon. I treated the wounds of a traveler a while back, and he left it in return. You can use it, can't you?

Ward: Thanks, sis! I'll be going.

Mary: Be careful...



And with that, we leave with a Swordreaver, a special weapon which reverses the normal weapons triangle. We would've gotten a Door Key if we brought someone else, so yeah.



With the villages visited, Alan and Lance pick up the two and double back behind Lilina and Shin. Reinforcement group #3 charges from the north, so we'll want to leave a large enough gap away from there as we fight.



Wolt starts picking away at the wall to the north...



Roy, meanwhile, lures a Mercenary to him and doubles him down to almost nothing.



Next turn, Wolt heals up with a spare Vulnerary while Oujay and Wendy take over hitting the wall.



With the bandits approaching, Alan and Lance move at the very edge of the front bandit's range and dump the Fighters off behind them. Next turn, the Bandits will charge us, giving us the opening to finish them off and recruit the first character on this stage...

Back in the southeast...

Klein: So that's the Lycia Alliance Army...



Meet Tate and Klein, Thany's sister and Clarine's brother respectively. And you thought Thany looked like Sailor Mercury...

Klein: I know. But Lord Arcard says that they are fighting with the bandits to attack the villagers. Why are they doing the opposite of what they were told to do...

Tate: ......

Klein: Tate, can you take your troops and attack from the north? I'll start attacking from here.

Tate: Yes, sir.

Klein: Tate! wait.

Tate: Yes?

Klein: I see that you have some siblings.

...How?

Tate: Yes. I have two sisters: one older, one younger.

Klein: Are they all Pegasus Knights like yourself?

Tate: Yes. Why do you ask?

Klein: Well, actually, I have a younger sister myself...

Tate: She must be very beautiful if she is your sister.

Klein: Thank you. And yes, she is pretty. But I've heard she got tangled up in some mess and I don't know where she is now.

Chapter 4, Eric being a lecherous prick.

Tate: What? Oh my...

Klein: I've sent out some people to look but they haven't found her yet. If only I wasn't on this mission, I could go look myself.

Tate: ......

Klein: Tate, take care of yourself. For your family's sake.

Tate: Yes, thank you.

[Tate leaves.]



Soldier: Sir, are you sure?

Klein: About what?

Soldier: Lord Arcard said to leave most of the fighting up to Ilia's Pegasus Knights so that we the Etrurian army, suffer the least casualties.

Klein: Don't be ridiculous, they are trustworthy companions. We will attack at the same time... or even before then. Understood?

Soldier: Yes, sir.

Klein: ...Still, Lord Arcard's story is strange... The army from Lycia just got here. ...Would they get tied in with the bandits so quickly...?

Well, anyway. The mercenary from earlier takes another run at Roy and dies (though I don't have a shot of the battle - you'll have to take my word for it).



Two of the bandits from Scollan's group attack Alan, but miss! Luck's always nice to have, especially with how tight things are in this battle.



Just checking Klein's range right here... next turn, he'll move just outside of Roy's range, giving us the opportunity for him and his sister to chat.



Oujay, Wendy and Wolt, ignoring the other scuffles, break down the wall here, which will come into play later...



But for now, it's time to recruit!

Gonzales: W-What are you! I'm an enemy!

Lilina: I'm sorry... But you had such a sad look in your eyes...

Wait, THAT'S your excuse for walking up to Gonzales and starting a chat? Oy, we're just lucky he really is a nice guy.

Gonzales: ...There is village near mountain. You know?

Lilina: Yes, I know.

Gonzales: Let the people escape. I take order, I destroy village. So...

Lilina: What? Don't! The people living in the village are innocent...

Gonzales: No. I can't disobey order.

Lilina: Can't you leave the people who give you ordersl ike that?

Gonzales: Leave?

Lilina: I know! You should fight alongside us! We're protecting the villagers.

Gonzales: ...No...I'm a monster... I can't be with other people... They say 'go away' to me... I'm a monster... Not human...

Lilina: No! Of course you're a human! You're also a kind hearted human. I can tell. Come with us. Don't be afraid.

Gonzales: Me afraid? I'm not afraid! Everyone afraid of me. I'm not afraid!

Lilina: No. You are afraid. You're scared that people will throw stones at you, and they'll tell you to go away again.

Gonzales: ......

Lilina: It's okay. The people in our army are nice people. They won't be mean to you. Come on... be brave. That out that first step to live positively...



And with that, Gonzales is on our team. Let's take a look at him, shall we?



The first and only recruitable bandit in the GBA games, and he is, far and away, one of the best characters in the game. With obscene growth in strength and speed coupled with the critical boost after promotion, Gonzales is a killing machine bordering on unstoppable. From what I've been told, there are a few maps later on that Gonzales can solo on hard mode if you raise him up. The only problem is his Skill and the horrid accuracy of axes, but a few Secret Books should fix that up.



Gonzales has a great selection of supports as well. The only usable characters he pairs with are Lilina and Treck, but all in all they're all pretty well-written, and vary from amusing (his pairing with Bartre is a thing of beauty) to tragic (same, except with Lilina). We'll be using him, period. Not even the RNG can stop him.

Anyway, the next turn Ward takes a swing with a hand axe, but misses...



More importantly, however, he gets into position for Gonzales to grab a few axes from him and take over for the kill.



Interestingly enough, the music that normally plays during a boss battle plays here, but he has no dialogue, character-specific or otherwise. He's not even that tough, either - Alan tears him to pieces with no effort.



Lastly, the final bandit falls to the others.



Uh-oh, Zinc's none too happy.

Zinc: Damn! We're having enough trouble as it is... I don't need any reinforcements to take all the credit!

Reinforcements?



What reinforcements?

Klein: Clarine? You were safe? Thank goodness...

Clarine: I'm sorry I left without telling you... But I wanted to see you so badly!

Klein: The things you would do... Well, you're safe, and that's what matters. ...And what brings you out here? Did you find someone trustworthy to hire?

Clarine: No, I joined the Lycia Alliance Army and am fighting alongside them/

Klein: The Lycia Alliance Army?!

Clarine: Yes! My healing staves have been very useful.

Klein: ...I see. I thought your eyes looked... sharper.

Clarine: I'm now a lady, I am.

Klein: ...Let me ask you this. What kind of individual is General Roy?

Clarine: Hmm... He lacks a little finesse for a noble. I especially think he has to take care of his hair a little more.

Heh.

Klein: ...Let me rephrase the question. Is General Roy working with the bandits and attacking the people here?

Clarine: No, of course not! we are here to defeat the bandits!

Klein: I see...

Clarine: The Etrurians here are evil and malicious people... It is so embarassing. Klein... Are you working for them?

Klein: No. At least not now after I heard your story.

Clarine: What?

Klein: I was sent here to protect the villagers. To fulfill my mission, I hereby join the Lycia Alliance army.

Clarine: Klein!

Klein: Then let's go, shall we? Will you introduce me to General Roy?

Clarine: Of course! I love you, Klein.



Squicky. Nevertheless, we've recruited another ally! Note that the reinforcements that joined Klein have turned neutral - with the wall busted open to the north, they'll run up past the castle to flee from the battlefield. But first, let's get to know Klein a bit more, shall we?

Our first non-sucky prepromoted unit, Klein's... average, I guess. His strength's iffy, but he gains good speed and luck, so he's usable if Wolt and Dorothy disappoint. However, Wolt's doing fine, so Klein's riding the bench.



Let's see... he supports with his sister, Clarine, and he and her take the role of the incest couple of the game. He also pairs with Dieck in one of the best supports in the game, and can also pair with a later prepromote and Tate as well. A pretty good haul, overall.



With him now on our team, Klein heads immediately north so he can convert Tate and the others when they show up again.



Roy, meanwhile, heads south to inflict horrific wounds on the cavaliers that have just spawned to the southwest...



And here's Tate now. Jesus, are all of the Pegasus Knights in Ilia's army little children? Something's not right here.

Peg Knight: Captain... Are you sure we'll be all right?

Tate: Why?

Peg Knight: Perhaps the Etrurian army means to use us up front as disposables...

Tate: Who says that?

Peg Knight: One of our group members heard rumors like that in the Etrurian army.

Tate: If you take rumors seriously all the time, you won't be able to do anything.

Peg Knight: But...

Tate: Besides, if that were true, General Klein wouldn't approve of it.

Peg Knight: Do you really think so?

Tate: General Klein's not like that. I trust him.

Peg Knight: ...Alright. Then we'll trust him as well, for we trust you, Captain.

Tate: Thanks. Let's go!



Here come the cavaliers, unaware of the dangers Roy has planned.



Gonzales stops by the village we left open to pick up a Dragonshield (raises defense).



And Roy gets to work on the horsemen.

Ridiculous? You betcha. Even with the weapons triangle working against him, Roy dodges and counterattacks to death every cavalier, save for the Javelin wielding one.



Tate's... Tate's start picking away at our team. At this point, I've arranged our formations so that our archers and the like are protected by a wall of meat - we'll want Tate's troopers alive to get a little something extra, so we don't want them to get killed off, now do we?



Meanwhile, an archer sneaks up on Klein's... Klein's from behind, but eats arrow.



And Roy takes out the last social knight.



At this point, our goal is to clear the path of all dangerous units near the north, so that the NPCs can escape unhindered. This means all magic users, archers and nearby bandits must go. Probably 90% of my restarts happened at this point - it's a very delicate process.




Tate's troop, thankfully, fights smart and avoids any counterattacks here.

And Klein's commando gets a free hit here, too. Everything's coming up daisies.



Our team takes a few big hits here...



However, Shin proves his worth and offs the remaining archer for a fantastic level up.




This is probably the luckiest hit streak I've had yet - six attacks, and not a single decisive miss. And with that, all of the dangerous enemies near the north have been dealt with...



...Clearing the path to recruit Tate and her troop.

Tate: General Klein! What is the matter?

Klein: I've made up my mind. We are going to fight alongside General Roy in the Lycia Alliance Army.

Tate: Understood sir. Then we will, as well.

Klein: Aren't you going to ask why?

Tate: We are mercenaries. We follow our employer's every order. Besides...

Klein: Besides?

Tate: I trust that you would not make the wrong judgements.

Klein: Thank you, Tate.

Tate is the second Pegasus Knight we'll be recruiting, and the best of the three, in my opinion. She's got Thany's amazing speed but actually has strength worth a damn, so she'll grow much more well-rounded than her sister. She's also sturdier too, and can take hits a fair bit better, so she can take a more active role in combat as a result.

Thany's been growing well though, but I can't guarantee that it can continue due to her mediocre strength growth. As it is, I'd rather use her sister if I can since she's more reliable in that regard. So I'll compromise: if I raise Tate to Thany's level and she doesn't have the same or more strength, then she's gone. If she does, she's on the team. Sound fair?



Let's see... Klein, her sisters, the male Illians and Alan. Yep, nothing to see here.



With the two recruited, Tate's and Klein's soldiers will now make for the exit, hopefully unhindered by the remaining enemies.



To make sure it stays that way, Thany helps clear out the remaining bandits.



Klein and Lance join in to help out. You'll forgive me for using Klein to finish off the bandit here, but it's been a long day and I'd rather not have to retry this chapter for the upteenth time.



Alan's nearby, so he heads northwest to join up with Lance and wall off the rest of the area.



Over the course of the next while, Tate's troops fly north and out of sight. That's one condition down.

Klein takes out one of the last bandits...



And Lance finishes off the last for more strength. Yum.



Be careful when visiting the other villages, as this Fighter here wields a Killer Axe. The last thing you want at this point is an ill-timed critical, so try and take him out at range if you can.



Tate sneaks into this village here to grab an Orion Bolt, the promotion item for Archers and Nomads...



...Then sneaks back out of range so that Mr. Killer Axe won't attack her.



There goes Klein's Archers. We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.



Thany pulls the same stunt as her sister here and picks up a Sleep staff.

Oujay gets started on clearing out the rest of the enemies on the stage by luring the nearby Fighter to his death.



Tate visits the last village to pick up a message for Gonzales, as well as a Swordreaver. And that's the last of it!



As mentioned, ranged attacks are the best way for dealing with this guy, so send Klein or Wolt up against him.



Lilina starts picking off the Priests now...



And Oujay offs the last of the Fighters.



As disconcerting as Lilina's lack of magic has been, she's been gaining speed quite nicely.



Wolt finishes off the Priest for the team...



Oh, and the boss. Zinc's pretty weak, to be honest - great defense aside, he's too slow to double our guys and characters with armor-piercing equipment like Roy and Oujay can slaughter him. Just attack, attack, attack.

The Priests here are pretty easy experience for characters like Lilina, since their high Res and inability to counterattack make for easy targets.



Once you're done, just shoot 'em full of holes, heal up your champion...



...And take on Lord Tin.

Zinc: What is it to me? Their purpose is to die in my service. I couldn't care less about the wails of those worthless animals.



Ooh, now you've made Roy mad.



Wolt snatches Klein's Silver Bow and continues to perplex me with a great level up.

Lilina sees an opening and finishes him off.





Too late! We just did. Man, you guys have no idea how happy I am that that's finally over with. The things I do for you people...

Merlinus: Master Roy, there is a young man here to see you. He says he is a member of the resistance force.

Roy: Let him pass.



Elphin: Please to meet you, my name is Elphin. I am a member of the resistance forces here.

Roy: I am Roy of the Lycia Alliance Army.

Elphin: My thanks for saving our village here.

Roy: No, we simply did what we thought was right.

Elphin: But now you have rebelled against Etruria. Certainly you had thought of that before you took action?

Roy: Even so, we did what we felt was right. Although this is a sign of rebellion against Etruria, if the truth about these islands is made public, they will understand. I have sent a letter to a trustworthy member of the Etrurian Nobility. If she takes the appropriate measures, I think we can tip the tables in our favour.

Elphin: I would not be so sure of that...

Roy: What do you mean?

Elphin: Did you ever think it strange that Etruria sent you in to rid of the bandits?

Roy: Actually yes... of course.

Elphin: This is merely my theory... But I believe that the ones who requested your help are Advisor Roartz and Lord Arcard.

Roy: ...How do you know that?

How indeed?

Elphin: Why did those two have to get your army off the mainland? Could there be some kind of problem if you had stayed in Lycia?

Roy: Oh... I never thought of it from that perspective...

Elphin: There are rumors... That Roartz and Arcard are actually tied in with Bern.

Roy: What!? Then Lycia would be in danger!

Merlinus: M-Master Roy!

Elphin: Your country could be in peril. Are you sure you want to be wasting your time on a little island like this?

Merlinus: He's right! If Bern wanted us to get away from Lycia so they could invade, then we must go back at once...

Roy: ...I'm not going back.

Merlinus: What!? Why!?

Elphin: ......

Roy: Right now, it's very difficult to judge what information is true and what is false. In times like this, the worse thing to do is to jump to information presented in front of you and taking action based on it. Sure, I'm worried about Lycia but my father is there, and General Cecilia is also watching over Lycia. But only our army is on these islands.

Merlinus: That's true, but...

Roy: If we just leave without fully clearing out the bandits, then what we did so far would all be a lie...

Huh. I can't honestly say I caught onto that. Good thinking, Roy.

Elphin: ...I see you are blessed with a wise leader.

Roy: What?

Elphin: Master Roy, I am so sorry I tried you so.

Merlinus: Tried us!? So what you said was a lie!/

Elphin: I have not lied. But I did present the rumor in such a way that you would easily jump onto it. But Master Roy kept his head. I feel that I would like to join an individual like you. Master Roy, please count me among your ranks.

Roy: I don't like the idea that you were testing us, but if you're willing to help, then we'll welcome you.

Elphin: Then...

We got ourselves a bard?

Roy: Yes, please fight alongside us. Well then, back to business. What can we do to help the people on these isles?

Elphin: Head south... towards Caledonia.

That's the southernmost island on the map - Roy et al are still on the large, middle one.

Roy: Why?

Elphin: Castle Idina is located there, where the people being sent to Mt. Ebrakhm are kept.

Roy: All right, then let's save those people first!

Elphin: Master Roy, please take this sword.

Roy: What is this?

Elphin: It is a sword called the Dragon Killer. I hear it was created during the Scouring to use against Dragons.

Roy: Dragon Killer? This isn't a Divine Weapon?

Elphin: No. The Divine Weapons can only be used by those who have skill equal to the Eight Heroes. But this weapon should be useable by people of this army as well.



You get the Wyrmslayer automatically for completing the map.



Roy: Yes.

Mary: I wanted to thank you for protecting our village.

Roy: No... I just did what I thought was right.

Mary: Please take this as a token of our gratitude.



Visiting all the villages in the chapter nets us a Hero Crest courtesy of Mary...



Soldier: ... we will stay here and reconstruct the area, as you directed us.

Klein: Good.

Soldier: We wish we could fight alongside you. Oh, and here is the arrow you had us keep. I will give it back to you. Farewell and good luck, General Klein.

Klein: Thank you.



...while saving all of Klein's troops nets us an Orion Bolt...



Peg Knight: We will return to Ilia to make our report.

Tate: Thanks.

Peg Knight: Oh, and this... Your sister gave it to me before we left. Please be careful.

Tate: Thank you. You be careful too.



...and saving all of Tate's team nets us an Elysian Whip. So with that...



Next time: "Leave those mountain weaklings to me! I'm Bartre the Brave!"

Silence, eh? o_O


Tate has six levels to gain at least three strength? Mercury Power... MAKE UP!

Elphin is purty. <3 But if anybody's playing alongside this LP, I'd love to see some screenshots of the dancer side of things...

I'm playing along with this... first run-through.
I'm not being hyper-anal about completion though, and have let a few characters die when I didn't feel like restarting. I'm on chapter 18.

My core army so far has been Roy, Alan, Dieck, Thany, Lugh, Rutger, Saul, Sue, Lilina, Fir, Astol (for thiefing purposes only), Elphin, Ray, Miledy, and Percival. Of those that can be promoted, only the mages haven't been (damned lack of guiding rings!) Noah has been filling an empty spot in my roster, but his growth has been horrid (as have the other cavaliers and armor knights)... he gets nixed once I figure out a decent prepromote to fill his space.

Notable casualties:
Wolt - killed by Rutger (thank you cheapass reinforcement spawning )
Dorothy - killed by my incompetence in Ch. 7
Bors - killed by cheapassspawning in Ch. 9
Ward - died... somewhere. Until the most recent chapter in this LP I didn't miss him.
Oujay - killed by the most horrid string of RNG screwing, on a map I did not want to replay a 5th or 6th time.
Gonzales
Sophia

Sue has been pwnage so far, maxing both speed and skill pre-promotion and having strength up there with my better swordsman (Fir, in this case). Said swordswoman has outperformed Rutger after arena abuse - is it normal for her to have 4-5 points of strength on him, but remain slower by a couple points? Aside from that, the RNG has been kind to me with levelups... even Roy can pwn most normal enemies.

And for those who ask why I'm taking the spoony bard along... he has his uses, at least more than filling the slot with cruddy benchwarmers.

I already went bardside in my game, but this is the dancer.

god yes

I hate reinforcement spawns in this game. I haven't lost anyone, thanks to me being super anal about keeping these guys alive, but I hate that you pretty much have to know the map and all of its events beforehand to make sure you aren't standing too close to an enemy's spawnpoint. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if they didn't spawn in and move on the same turn.

Ah, I see. Typical shoujo heroine. ^_^

This game has more female characters than the Tanto-Fire Emblem, doesn't it? That girl looks like someone out of a harem anime (if not a magical girl) so it just occured to me it might be plausible to do a harem run of the game. ;p

All right guys, it's time to clean out our roster a bit. We've gotten to the point where we've got more good characters than we can use, so we'll have to narrow our team down a bit first and select the units we'll be using for the rest of the game.

The RNG has been pretty forgiving this run, blessing mediocre characters with much-needed gains and allowing greater characters to develop into their potential. However, most battles later on only have room for 12-16 units, so it would be unfeasable to field them all all the time. With limited experience and increasing difficulty, the odds of us making it through the game using everyone is slim to none.

Personally, I like to plan around the maximum number of units you can field at one time, so that we'll have all the units needed for more complex and larger-scale battles. As such, we'll be planning around that number as we par down our units. My style of playing is also more class-specific than stat as well, as a good variety of units will make it easier to plan around changing battle conditions, but I won't be fielding sub-par or crappy units just to fill up space either, so rest assured on that front.

So far, we've recruited 29 unpromoted units, with seven more on the way. However, I believe at this point we're more than adequate to make a decision on our final teams, so without further ado, let's get on with it.



Lords

Gotta use Roy. Even if he wasn't forced onto our team for every battle in the game, his growths and development are good enough that he'll be dominating well into the end-game. So, yeah.




Mounted

We've got all of the mounted units we'll need, and so far quite a few of them have developed well. A good number of mounted units to work around is three, as it'll give you enough mobility for more time-constrained maps without screwing you over on maps with difficult terrain.

First off, Treck's pretty terrible, all told - his strength and speed haven't grown much, and he pales in comparison to the other Cavaliers so out he goes.

Sue and Clarine also seem like easy drops. It's not that they're terrible, but their development in strength/magic has been haphazard at best, and their growths are low enough that they most likely won't be able to catch up. They've been doing fine up until this point, but we can do better.

That leaves us with Alan, Lance, Noah and Shin. They've all been developing well and have served us over the past ten or so chapters, but we'll need to drop one so we don't overload our team with one type. Alan's pretty much a given since he's been dominating since the beginning, and Shin's one of the better characters in the game, so they're staying. That leaves Lance and Noah.

...I think I'll drop Noah. Lance's strength is pretty low, but he's got a fair number of support options to balance it out (most notably with Alan) while Noah's got no one to partner with. Also, Lance's growth percentages are a fair sight better than Noah's, so we can be assured of his continued development. So Alan, Lance and Shin it is.



Flying

We've only got two flying units so far, but in a few chapters Miledy will be joining as our first Dragon Knight, with her sibling Zeiss joining a few chapters after that. In my experience, you only really need one of each type of flying unit, with Pegasus Knights acting as anti-magic units and messengers and Dragon Knights as tanks. As such, we'll be picking one of each for our team.

I've already told you of the compromise regarding Thany and Tate, so yeah.

As for Miledy and Zeiss, they're both unbelievably good so it's a really tough call to make. Miledy joins early enough that she's easy to raise, but Zeiss will be able to support with one of the characters on our team so far. I'll probably pull the same compromise with the Pegasus Knights as with these two - I'll raise Miledy and Zeiss to the same level and pick the stronger one based on that.



Swords

We'll want at least one of each melee unit here so we'll have full weapon triangle coverage as we fight. However, some weapons have more than one character that's too good to use, so we'll set the number here at 6.

Regardless, who our sword users will be is an easy enough decision. All of the characters here are useful, but we only really need one of each class to make it through the game. With Oujay and Rutger already better stats-wise than the others, they'll be joining us on our team.

Lances

Another easy decision. Bors is underleveled and Barth is s l o w, while Wendy's been developing fine enough. Her only weakness is that she's underleveled, but a few turns at an arena later should solve that.



Axes

Ward and Lot are underleveled and ineffective, so they're out altogether. That leaves us with Gonzales and Geese (who joins next chapter), who are both too good not to use. Normally I don't like doubling up on classes, but I'll make an exception here.



Bows

Wolt's been developing fine and will be quite dangerous after promotion, and the Sniper class has always been a personal favourite of mine. Also: Ballista animations. Thus, on our team he goes.



Magic

Lastly, in order to balance out the rest of our team, we'll want four magic users, with at least one of each type. With Lilina turning into a beast and Saul already promoted, they've already have a spot left on our team. Lugh and Ellen would've been more useful under other circumstances, but their low magic forces me to leave them out.

That leaves us with two more mages to choose from Hugh (Anima), Ray (Dark), and Sophia (Dark), all three of whom we don't have yet. They're all pretty good in their own right - Ray's one of the better shamans in the series, Hugh fits in nicely as an intermediary between Lugh and Lilina and Sophia is a bit of a mighty magic glacier. Ray will probably make a spot on our team regardless, but that leaves Hugh and Sophia who are... quirky, since Hugh requires a king's ransom in gold to start out effectively and Sophia starts out severely underleveled. I'll leave the decision up in the air for now until we recruit them, but if any of you want to see either Hugh or Sophia on our team, start campaigning now.



Misc.

These guys won't count as part of the official 16, but we might need their services nonetheless. Since thieves basically become non-combatants, it becomes more of a matter of who you like most than who's the best. As such, Cath will be our thief because what's there not to like about her?

Merlinus is only really good for pulling things out of storage, and you can do that on the preparations screen so he's out.

Lastly, there's our Bard, Elphin, who'll join in the next chapter or so. Bard's are mostly a take-it-or-leave-it class, but I've used some to good effect in the past (Tethys made shooting down Pegasus Knights a snap in her introductory stage, and Ninian made Battle Before Dawn on Hector's Tale a breeze) so Elphin will get some time to shine. He's also necessary for beating the Final Chapter in the first turn, though that won't come into play until the very end.

(Oh, and we also recruit a Mamkute later on, Fa, but she's only useful if we exploit a particular glitch.)


And with that, all our spots accounted for. Our team is looking like this:
-Roy
-Alan
-Lance
-Shin
-Thany/Tate
-Miledy/Zeiss
-Rutger
-Oujay
-Wendy
-Gonzales
-Geese
-Wolt
-Lilina
-Saul
-Ray
-Hugh/Sophia
-Cath
-Elphin/Fa

After promotion, we'll have 9 sword users, 5 lance users, 5 axe users, 2 bow users, 4 staff users and at least one of each type of magic. A fairly nice balance overall, which should carry use into the end-game. Hopefully our characters will continue their development as they are now, but if someone falls behind I might be able to fit in one or two of the better prepromotes.

Supports

With our final team all but set up, it's time to think about supports. As it is, the following options are available to us:

Roy
-Alan
-Lance
-Wolt
-Thany (Dual-Ending)
-Lilina (Dual-Ending)
-Sophia (Dual-Ending)

Alan
-Roy
-Lance
-Tate
-Wolt

Lance
-Roy
-Alan
-Wolt

Shin
-Zeiss

Thany
-Roy
-Tate

Tate
-Alan
-Thany

Miledy
-Zeiss

Zeiss
-Shin
-Miledy

Rutger
-n/a

Oujay
-Wendy
-Lilina

Wendy
-Oujay
-Lilina

Gonzales
-Lilina

Geese
-Cath

Wolt
-Roy
-Alan
-Lance

Lilina
-Roy
-Oujay
-Wendy
-Gonzales

Hugh
-Cath
-Ray

Saul
-n/a

Ray
-Hugh
-Sophia

Sophia
-Roy
-Ray
-Fa

Cath
-Geese
-Hugh

Elphin
-Fa

Fa
-Sophia
-Elphin


As you can see, the supports list is a little lopsided, so I'll be flexible and allow for one or two pairings not on this list. However, we've only got a limited number of supports we can do per chapter, so choose wisely!

I think that's everything. If you need me, I'll be lurking nearby.

Alan is must-have. I want to make PR come up with more ways to say "Alan kills stuff". After that, I'm fond of nomads so I prefer Sue and Shin. Unfortunately they're both archers.

Mercury Twins Go Go Go!! I'd use them both.

Fiiiir ;_;

Gonzales scares me!!

Dorothy has a face like a plow. No loss there.


I like Lilina/Roy but other than that dunno for supports.

I don't think I really have any preferences for supports, since so far none of the characters aside from Cath and Clarine seem to have distinctive personalities. I think this translation is a prime example of why localization is important.

For characters though, I say use Hugh instead of Sophia, and then do the Hugh/Cath support. Hm... maybe Wendy/Oujay as well...

I much prefer to just pick the strongest characters rather than trying to have a balance of classes. As the game progresses, the weapon triangle becomes increasingly irrelevant, so just being good on your own merits is more important than having an advantageous class or weapon selection. If, for example, both Miledy and Zeiss are working out well, I don't see any reason to not use both. I've also been known to use three or four Cavaliers on occasion.

Other notes... Hugh is Canas's son, and Ray is Nino's.

I dunno, I tend to lean more towards class versatility to be honest. Even though I could technically get away with using mounted units like, say, Noah and Clarine, there are certain stages where having more variety is helpful (desert stages, for example, are a pain in the rear if you're using mostly mounted units, while having flying units and mages makes them a snap). Having a selection of classes all-around makes it easier to negotiate terrain and enemy formations, leaving more room for trial and error.

But hey, different strokes and all that. There's not much difference between the two approaches, since picking the strongest units usually results in a varied team and vice-versa, so either way works really. I just prefer it this way.

Oh you'll be using Fir.

I don't care ifr she's about a dozen levels behind everyone else, Fir is getting some screen time!

Aww, I was hoping Lugh had secretly turned out really well since you were using a promoted version of him as your avatar. I liked him and Chad.

Other than that, I have no real objections.

And I demand the most homo-erotic supports possible! This LP needs a Raven/Lucius equivalent!

SPOILERS: That's not Lugh. It's his twin brother, Ray.