Fire Emblem: Dreams in the Dark

[Corrobin]

Q1: Will the opposition of the team in Book 1 be mostly "Bandits!", the classic fall-back for if a chapter needs a villain?

Q2: Will Forging and other assorted things from the My Castle (Mess Hall, Arena, Prison, etc) be in?

Q3: Book 2 is the classic FE2: Rebellion vs. Evil Empire plot with a bit of PoR's "Racism against furries is bad" thrown in?

Q4: How will new Soulstones be gotten in Book 2? Enemies shouldn't have them, they can't use them, and you can't just buy them all from the basic shop and Naoya's Atelier (yes, I'm calling it that.). Chests? Awakening-style event tiles?

Q5: For the purposes of Dascallian foes, Beastslayers are effective against mounted units, Deepslayers are effective against armored enemies, bows are effective against Pegasi and Dragonslayers, Wyverns. Correct?

Camp Convorsations:

Drunk Dead: Keisuke and Connor have a drink together, get hammered, fight each other in a drunken stupor and gain +2 Strength and Defense while Noel and Kaido watch. After Keisuke and Connor pass out, Noel and Kaido bring them to their beds, after this shirt exchange:

Kaido: I will never drink. Ever.

Noel: Master (Naoya) says he never drinks, but I've seen him do it when he gets frustrated on a project. You'll probably end up doing it at least once in your life.

Kaido:...(Why are all the Genbu here heavy drinkers?)

A Man of Passion: See "Ruby and Haseo tail Leon" above.

The Dere Curse: Barash complains about all the bad luck he has with women to Dorgo. He complains about Ruby being a yandere, then Gwen being a kuudere, then finally about Veronica being a tsundere. Dorgo replies...

Dorgo... What the hell are you talking about?

Barash: Godsdamnit.

[Omegaprism]

Okay, one more round of answers.

1: The enemies will predominantly be other Vilcoorians of various types. There are several chapters where Frey's group has to fight for the privilege of even entering an enclave to talk to somebody. There are a fair few bandits, yes, but there are also nightmare creatures wandering the land in the form of hostile spirits that look like giant flying jellyfish, freaky monsters straight out of Sacred Stones, undead Vilcoorian corpses, and big, bad demons with hooves, ram's horns, batlike wings, and tentacles.

2: Some of it, yes. I mentioned forging in my edits on the first page, and there will also be a mess hall, an accessory shop, a training grounds (A little bit like the arena in FE4), an armory, a command tent where you can customize your base and receive random items found by your army, a school wagon, a barracks, a mobile theater, and maybe some other stuff if I think of more later.

3: Sadly, I never played FE2, and know very little about its plot. So maybe. Racism is going to be a little bit of a thing. I suppose I'll have to roll out some more story so you can find out.

4: Let's just say that Frey's expedition is hardly the first to use the Cosmic Gate. Saying more might ruin the story's mystique, though.

5: Right on all counts. I would like to add that they don't all have to be named, "---slayer," though. For example I was thinking of a Deepstriker axe, or a Dragon Lance.

The base conversations look pretty fun, and I especially like the title for A Man of Passion, but about this Dere Curse... Is there a non-Vilcoorian teaching these words to Barash, or something? There needs to be a justification for someone to be using Japanese words, and any comedic effect could be gotten across just as easily by using English words and phrases that parallel them. For example, yandere= crazy and jealous, kuudere= ice queen, and tsundere= bossy, or a ball-buster. In a theoretical Japanese version of DitD (is that double-theoretical? Theory-ception?) The localization team could easily take those phrases and use their slang for them. The humor in this scene should come from Barash talking like he's in a high school manga, not the words themselves. Here's how I would write it:

Barash: Man, I don't know, Dorgo (maybe he says 'bro' instead?). What am I gonna do?

Dorgo: Hm?

Barash: Well, it's like this. Ruby's really possessive and kinda crazy, so you know somebody's gonna get cut.

Dorgo: What are-

Barash: Then there's Gwen, who is super cute, but she's so uptight you make ice cubes with the way she looks at people. I mean, maybe she's real sweet once you get to know her, but I dunno if it's worth the trouble.

Dorgo: ...

Barash: And then there's Veronica. *Holds up hand and pantomimes it talking* "This isn't a vacation! Stop slacking off! If you have time to pick fights, you have time to clean the latrines!" All she does is boss me around! Who would go for such a difficult woman?

Dorgo: ...What the hell are you going on about?

Barash: Dammit, just forget it.

This way the ideas that the deredere terms represent are made clear to the player, without relying on knowledge of Japanese slang terms. Just some food for thought.

Edited August 15, 2016 by Omegaprism

[Corrobin]

Good point on the Dere Curse (new name! The Trouble With Women). Thanks for the questions and your opinion on the base scenes.

Also, just realized: If all fire tomes are effective against Byakkyo from the start, it deprives me of a pun I was going to make (A beast-effective fire tome called.. Wait for it... Furblaze.). Darn.

Also for The Problems With Women, Barash should also go:

Barash: (talking about Ruby) and she's also my cousin, which is just... No.

Story Suggestions:

Have one or two non-racist Dascallians that align with the Vilcoor Evacuation Brigade (is that a good name?).

Have a base conversation for people related to the sacrificed unit having them mourn (Like Klaus and Celia mourning Slade).

Have other people come up in plot conversations often. Fire Emblem games have a problem of letting side characters get a few conversations when they join and then are forgotten in the main plot. Have Naoya bring up things in meeting he learned. Have Keisuke say "I told ya that the people here would treat us like monsters! I knew it!". Stuff like that.

How do Dascallians treat Vilcoorians specifically? An annoyance? Fear? Hatred? Anger? Jealousy? Contempt?

[CT075]

It ignores enemy Resistance, but it has less Might to compensate.

oh good

it is literally luna, but strictly better

[Corrobin]

oh goodit is literally luna, but strictly better

Less might.

[CT075]

gba luna has 0 might

[Corrobin]

gba luna has 0 might

Fine! S-Rank required! 0 Might!

[circleseverywhere]

Now it's strictly worse. The problem here is "literally Luna".

[Corrobin]

I just wanted a weapon that got stronger the tougher the enemy! What happened?

Here's the math:

Let's say Frey's wielding the Jormangandr. She has 25 Magic and the enemy has 20 Resistance. 20+25=55 Damage.

Now let's say she's wielding Luna under the same circumstances, in which case she'll deal 25 damage. See? Jormangandr is better!

[Tequila]

Problem is, you never specified that it negated resistance in your original post. Also, in its current form, it sounds pretty OP. Perhaps it has some non-zero might and negates half of the enemy's def/res?

[Corrobin]

The balance comes from an S-Rank requirement.

[Eliwan]

The balance comes from an S-Rank requirement.

This is about as strong, possibly even stronger than a proper FE4 Holy Weapon.

I just wanted a weapon that got stronger the tougher the enemy! What happened?

You made it scale on the stat that it hits.

As I said last time you brought up this same concept, making it not scale off of target's res works well.

The problems with making it scale off of the target's RES:

A: It makes it easily interpretable as Luna because the damage formula is (might + bonuses) - (target res).

B: It scales off of and ignores the target's defensive statistic; which means that it wrecks everything that does not simply have a huge bucket of HP.

Now, on the other hand, let's say you scaled it off of the target's Def, but left it still a tome, and made it not pierce Res.

Now it has a counter (low def high res), it's still really powerful (it has more damage output than just might+mag-targ res), it still gets stronger the stronger the target is.

Or maybe the target's Speed! Now it wrecks myrmidons and swordmasters.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Bedimal Eliwan

[CT075]

let's see...

Theoretical sage has 25 MAG, not an unreasonable amount.

FE6's strongest enemy, Idoun, has 21 res and 80 HP. 46x2 damage, dead.

Nergal has 77HP/30res. 55x2, dead.

The FE7 Fire Dragon has 120 HP/30 res for 55x2, live with 10 HP. Random +5 damage from any other sources (supports, filla's might) for 60x2, dead.

Lyon has 75 HP/30 res, 55x2. Dead.

Formortiis has 120 HP/26 res, 51x2, live with 19 hp. Need +9 damage (skills, filla's might, support) to kill. Still severely crippled.

Let's go a step further?

FE13 Lunatic Grima has 99 HP/50 res (i'm ignoring dragonskin and pavise here because i'm also ignoring offensive skills the player may have). 75 damage, live with 15 HP. If you double, that's 150 damage to the face. Even if you don't, Filla's Might and +9 attack from other sources kills him.

My first thought was "wow that's broken on the levels of the FE4 Holy Weapons" but after looking at these numbers i'm thinking that might be giving the holy weapons too much credit; narga only ORKOs julius because of his own charge proc'ing

Edited August 16, 2016 by CT075

[Corrobin]

This is about as strong, possibly even stronger than a proper FE4 Holy Weapon. You made it scale on the stat that it hits.As I said last time you brought up this same concept, making it not scale off of target's res works well.The problems with making it scale off of the target's RES:A: It makes it easily interpretable as Luna because the damage formula is (might + bonuses) - (target res).B: It scales off of and ignores the target's defensive statistic; which means that it wrecks everything that does not simply have a huge bucket of HP.Now, on the other hand, let's say you scaled it off of the target's Def, but left it still a tome, and made it not pierce Res.Now it has a counter (low def high res), it's still really powerful (it has more damage output than just might+mag-targ res), it still gets stronger the stronger the target is.Or maybe the target's Speed! Now it wrecks myrmidons and swordmasters.

All good points! Thank you for the ideas!

Jormangandr: Deals damage based on (Wielder Magic+Enemy Defense)-Enemy Resistance.

And you just gave me some new ideas as well!

Hresvelgr: Uses (Wielder Resistance - Enemy Magic).

Baldr: Uses (Wielder Magic - Enemy Defense).

[Omegaprism]

If I may weigh in on this whole Jormungandr issue: Bedimal Eliwan's suggestion was basically what I was going to say, and so the new permutation works just fine. It becomes an armor-crusher, essentially. Also, don't forget I said I was just going to steal most of the dark tomes from Awakening. Once again, no need to reinvent the wheel here, save to rename some of them (Like Aversa's Night).

Now, a little plot, since I've kept you all waiting:

Chapter 6: Action and Reaction

After the inner circle each share the events of their days, it is decided that the ruins of the temple of the Cosmic Gateway are not safe. The Vilcoorians then pack up and strike out to explore their new home. The natural resources are plentiful, a strange thing to a people who have grown accustomed to never having enough to eat or drink. The great forest that surrounds the temple brims with life and color. The sun that shines through the canopy is warm, but not harsh. After an initial period of suspicion, everyone begins to relax just a little bit. An indescribable tension that clung to the air at all times slowly dissipates, like alcohol on a hot day. Progress through the forest is slow, but spirits are high.

Little do they realize that Thorden has informed Ilarand, King of Palmiria, of the arrival of a dragon who slaughtered and entire brigade of soldiers and killed Weil, one of Palmiria's generals. In the capital city of Tirsan a massive army is gathering to find this dangerous invader and her people, and expunge them from Ilarand's kingdom by force. The remaining four generals, Tomlin the Sniper, Melora the Paladin, Grokken the Berserker, and Sylvester the Tactician, are deployed to the far corners of the land. Ilarand's wife, Ivy the Falcoknight, guards the capital alongside Ilarand himself. Thorden sends a disciple of his with each of the generals, so that they can communicate with each other over long distances, and informs the king that he will use every last bit of his powers to speed up their search. He then warps away to parts unknown.

As soon as the Vilcoorian army leaves the forest, they walk into an ambush. The first general they encounter is determined by who the main lord is. Frey will face Tomlin the Sniper, Veronica will face Grokken the Berserker, Ruganel will meet Sylvester the Tactician, and Woden will go against Melora the Paladin. The general will proclaim that the Vilcoorians are a foreign army invading the kingdom of Palmiria, the sovereign domain of King Ilarand, and for the crime of spilling Palmirian blood, they are sentenced to death. The opposing force will remain largely the same regardless of who is in command, but each general will have three bodyguards who have classes similar to their own:
-Tomlin is accompanied by a bow knight, a warrior, and another sniper.
-Grokken is guarded by a warrior, a hero, and a general
-Sylvester has a sage, a druid, and a bishop at his side
-Melora is in the company of a great knight, a falcoknight, and a wyvern lord

Among the enemy units will also be a Dascillian who can be recruited if spoken to by your main lord, or Frey (who might be the main lord anyway): Seeker the Spear Fighter, a young man from a tiny village who was conscripted into the army without much input on whether he wanted to be a soldier. Whoever talks to him gives him a superficial wound across his chest and tells him to run. He knows that it would have been easier to kill him, and asks why he should be spared. He is ignored, and he leaves the map saying, "I don't get it!"

After the battle is over, Woden comments that these people have one thing in common with Vilccorians: They don't take kindly to unwelcome guests. Veronica suggests they find this "King Ilarand," so that they might broker a peace treaty. Ruganel says the fact that the enemy general didn't even bother trying to parlay, and that is not a good sign. Frey agrees that, at the very least, they need to find Ilarand. Whether peace can had will be determined by how the king treats them upon arrival.

Also after the battle, a base conversation unlocks where Seeker will approach the caravan, unarmed and bandaged, with medical supplies and produce on the back of a mule. The soldiers on guard (Barash and Dorgo, if they are alive) try to scare him off with bared teeth and raised weapons. He flinches, but he doesn't run. He says that his hometown is nearby, and his family wanted to thank the Vilcoorians for sparing him, and that the nice guy/lady who he met seemed scared and tired, so maybe they would like some stuff from his family farm. He also asks them not to change their minds about killing him. He is brought before the inner circle, and whoever spared him in the battle will recognize him. He asks why they didn't kill him, and they say, "Because you walk like a farmer, not a soldier. The way you handled your weapon was no threat. We do not kill young babes in their cradles, and you are little more than that." Offended, Seeker says he never got the benefit of training or experience. Men in armor just showed up in his village, took all the men and some of the boys, and told them they were fighting for king and country now. He adds that he was so sure he would never get to see his ma and pa again, and starts blubbering right in front of the Vilcoorians. One of the inner circle says, in thanks for the supplies and the offer of friendship, they will train him to fight, so that the next time someone presses him into service, he will have a fighting chance. In exchange they ask him to be a liaison to the other Dascillians. The young man agrees through his tears. One of the Byakko (Nein if he lives) then leads him out of the command tent and says his training begins in the morning, and that it will be like nothing he has ever experienced. Seeker will say he's not afraid of a little hard work, and Nein will say, "You will be."

[Corrobin]

Hello, Omega.

Now then, let's talk.

Gameplay items:

Seeker obviously can't use Soulstones or other Vilcoorian beast-related items, so should he have higher growths to compensate?

Thank you for the input on Jormangandr, and I understand about copying Awakening (Although we could use Jormangandr as the new name for Aversa's Night)

Plot things:

I'm liking the boss squadron, very Awakening's second arc (Like Pheros, Excellus, Yen'fay and that fourth one). "Action and Reaction" is a good title for the "Enemy faction that mirrors the heroes", but my previous "A Dark Reflection" could also work....

Tomlin, Sylvester, Melora and Grokken are supposed to compare and contrast our four lords, right?

Edited August 16, 2016 by Corrobin

[Omegaprism]

Morning (err, evening I guess) Corrobin.

Gameplay:

Seeker has good growths, but nothing that overshadows the rest of your army. They are nice and balanced, with some nice HP, RES, and LUCK at the top, and below-average SKL and MAG. His bases are kind of terrible, because he joins at level 1, unpromoted. To account for this, he will have Paragon as his default skill. His promotion options are also (obviously) a little bit different from the rest of your army's. He has three paths he can take: Master of Arms, Paladin, and new class called Primal Fury that grants him a Strike rank starting at C and allows him to equip soulstones (but no transformation gauge), and gives him a buff, bare-chested model akin to a much younger Fuuga from Fates. He has 5 possible support chains; each of the lords, and Nein. Maxing out any of his supports will unlock a base conversation that grants a special promotion item called a Raging Bandanna. This item can be used to change someone else into a Primal Fury. Their strike rank will instead be given a nice big bump in weapon experience.

Plot:

I'm glad you like the generals, but I just thought, "Lots of Fire Emblem games have a boss squad, why not mine?" On the other hand, if they make decent evil counterparts, huzzah! Happy accident! It beats the hell out of four chapters of, "Here's another above-average grunt to lead these poor saps to their deaths." I'm still working on personalities, but it's been a few days, so here we are.

More soon!

[Corrobin]

Some things you might want to address:

If any artist are reading, feel free to make GBA portraits of the party (Omega can give tips on what they look like).

You sort of forgot about Kline and Marks somewhere down the line.

How do most of the Dascallians react to Vilcoorians? Is it general "They're not like us, we must kill them" stuff? Salem Witch Trials-esque paranoia? Racism? Fear? Envy?

[Omegaprism]

You are correct, I did forget about Kline and Marks, because the thread has been moving along so fast. Sorry. I'll go back and have a look later.

The typical Dascillian's demeanor towards the Vilcoorians is fear, and in some cases anger. If you're a mud-covered turnip farmer your information is going to come in the form of rumor and the town crier saying, "Monsters have appeared out of nowhere and are wandering the countryside." Hell, that's actually pretty tame compared to what a rumor mill will come up with. When you hear that these monsters can change their shape, and some have wings, and others have skin that no weapon can pierce, you would probably immediately weigh your chances against these things as slim. Hell, these aren't the first Vilcoorians to come to Dascillia. There are probably bogeyman-type stories that people tell to their children about Vilcoorians, though they wouldn't know them by that name. It'd be like hearing that, yes, Krampus is real, he's already eaten five or six kids, and he is definitely coming to your town.

[Corrobin]

Ah, makes sense. Fear, with touches of anger, hatred and paranoia. Got it.

Paralogue idea: The Price of Kindness (Warning, I'm using Paralogues as an excuse to focus on certain groups of characters)

So the team is on break and Kaido, Ruby, Noel, Celia, Atsuro and Kline are on scouting and patrol duty, when they see a group of bandits raiding a town. Naturally they try to stop it, and they do. It's a very scattered defence/rout mission with the objective being "Rout the enemy while keeping Villagers alive". Notable enemies include a Spear Fighter with a Sky Lance, effective against flyers, and a Lv. 1 Berserker with a Swordreaver.

After the fight, the villagers immediately turn on the group, throwing random items at the group whilst calling them "Monsters, Demons, Freaks of nature, inhuman beasts" and other things. Kaido shields Ruby and Noel in Turtle form while Celia, Atsuro and Kline fly out. Cue conversation:

Kaido: Why did they do that? We had nothing to gain from protecting them, we helped them, we did nothing wrong and they treat us like monsters?

Atsuro: Fear. Hatred. Confusion. Paranoia. Take your pick.

Noel: Wow. So no matter what we do, everyone will hate us?

Celia: No way! We'll just keep helping and helping until they understand that we're nice people!

Kline: That's a nice thought, but what if it doesn't happen? Maybe they'll think we're just waiting to conquer them.

Ruby: So that's the price of kindness, huh...

Kaido: ...I'm gonna pick some flowers to get my mind off it.

[Corrobin]

Good evening (err, morning) Omega.

Character notes:

Kaido has four portraits: Dorky smile (Aww, thanks. That's a very nice thing for you to do.), Confused squint (What did you just say? Can you repeat that?), Embarrassed blush (No need to thank me, I was just doing my job.) and sad/embarrassed blush (I'm really not good at fighting. I like to pick flowers and talk to animals and hug.). Ruby describes him as "The world's biggest teddy bear".

Marks should be integrated into the tutorials to introduce things like:

Frey: (Fire Orb displayed with cursor) What's that strange pedestal?

Marks: A Fire Orb, ma'am. It allows the magically inclined to to amplify their power for a long-ranged area attack. It can't kill an enemy, but it can be used as a primer before allowing a less experienced ally to finish it off for safe practice.

Frey: Mages use it, use it first, then let others finish them off. Got it.

Marks: Pleasure to be of service.

Paralouge: The Difference Between Stone and Flesh

Requirement: In Dascallia, Naoya and Noel are both alive, Naoya and Noel have a combined level of 40+

Summary: Naoya is ready to try a deadly experiment that could change the world! But he and Noel need time!

Plot: Naoya is about to attempt something incredible. After years of studying monster and demon corpses, he will attempt to bring a stone statue to life, under his control! His Gargoyle creation needs an entire night to complete and he and Noel can't be disturbed. If the experiment succeeds, then the Gargoyle Coldstone will join the team!

Gameplay: It's a defense chapter, Noel and Naoya are in the center chamber of the fort the chapter takes place in, unequipped. If they survive for 15 turns, the chapter's over and Coldstone joins the team. Infinite reinforcements.

Coldstone: A Gargoyle brought to life by Naoya, Coldstone is basically a very robotic Jakob. His supports (And a Paralogue entitled The Pinnochio Effect) focus on Naoya (Out of scientific curiosity) and Noel (Out of kindness) trying to get Coldstone to "become human". Leveling-wise, he has no promotion but a natural 40 level ceiling cap. He excels in defensive tactics as he has high HP and Defense growths, but magic crumbles him like paper. He has good Strength and Skill, but Resistance and Luck are his weakest assets (Speed being nothing special).

[Omegaprism]

Hey Corrobin,

I looked back over the thread, and it turns out I did already talk about Kline and Marks. They are solid, though that skill that grants +2 move for moving through other units' spaces is bananas. Good old classic recipe Pass will have to do. I will think about Marks being the tutorial voice. Finally, a gargoyle named Coldstone is such an on-the-nose reference I think I hear Disney's lawyers getting ready to call you. I have no place in this game for a gargoyle. Let's stick to shapechanging aliens and medieval fantasy warriors for now.

Today I'm going to be spotty in checking the forums again, because tomorrow the students come back to school, and this week has been spent doing all sorts of preparations and (in my opinion) useless meetings. In my spare moments I will continue writing the next part of Book 2. Stay tuned!

[Ace Pelleas]

I looked back over the thread, and it turns out I did already talk about Kline and Marks. They are solid, though that skill that grants +2 move for moving through other units' spaces is bananas. Good old classic recipe Pass will have to do.

This was a bit confusing. In Radiant Dawn there was Pass(ability to pass through enemy ocuped spaces) and Celerity(2 Extra movement). If combined they will probably unbalance the entire game

[Corrobin]

Phooey. Ah, well, it's okay. I still wish Coldstone would get in, but it's okay. We could move our discussions from my evening/your morning to your evening/my morning. Although my school is starting soon as well...

Oh well. Character overload commence!

Giselle: A very social and friendly falcon who has a bit of a problem with bugs: she hates them but they constantly bother her. She's a very good (non-magical) singer and very flirty. She also likes teasing people. The smallest eater. Stat-wise, she's more Peg-Knight-y than the balanced Kaine, having the edge in Speed, Resistance and Luck but losing in Defense, HP and Strength. Use her for getting rid of mages.

Dante: Keisuke's toad 1st mate, Dante is a energetic, upbeat and optimistic (He and Fargus have this sort of Dart-and-Fargus thing). He joins the group earlier in the same chapter as Keisuke (Dante joins pre-fight, Keisuke post-fight). The biggest smiler. Stat-wise he's a very contrary Pirate. His best growth is his HP, followed by Skill, then Strength. He has low Speed and Luck, and his Defense is above-average.

Re-integration of ideas:

Coldstone is now a tome that has a unique effect: It grants +10 Effective Speed and Crit on odd turns (in which the animations is ice-based) and +10 Crit Evade and Dodge on even turns (in which the animation is earth-based).

(And good eye for spotting the Gargoyles reference!)

[Omegaprism]

Ace Pelleas, you are correct. That is what I was trying to say. Radiant Dawn/3DS style Pass is powerful enough already.

Corrobin, I need some actual stats on that tome other than its unique effect if you want me to judge it. Also, the name doesn't seem to match its property. You would think a name like Coldstone would imply a DEF bonus or something. Giselle and Dante seem fine, though I am now having to start doing unit counts to see how lopsided different unit types are.

In the meantime, plot!

In the next few chapters, titled Counter-Offensive, Fearful Encounters, and A Warrior's Stand, The Vilcoorian army encounters each of the generals' forces one by one, and each time they learn a little more about Dascillia, and more specifically, Palmiria and its king. Ilarand became king after defeating a powerful warlord who sought to revive an ancient evil that his ancestors had fought centuries ago. He wields a legendary holy sword with the power to cut through magical protection called Gwilhir. His wife is also his chief bodyguard, and has a magical lance that chills the air. Frey is already familiar with Thorden, and her face darkens at his mention, but they also learn that he is rumored to be over two hundred years old, a seemingly impossible age for a human, and is believed to have secret knowledge from the far corners of Dascillia, which the Vilcoorians finally learn is the name of this new world.

Once the last general has been defeated in the field, if Frey managed to save the critically injured man several chapters ago, a base conversation unlocks where a messenger tells Frey that he has regained consciousness and has requested to meet his savior. Veronica insists on coming too, and when they arrive they see that Kin is already there by the burly Vilcoorian man's bedside, talking to him. His features are much more dragonlike than Frey's, and his body is covered in scars, but she can sense him in the same way she could sense the other Seiryu on Vilcoor, and his face bears a dragonmark, though the symbol is unfamiliar. Upon seeing her he stands, easily dwarfing everyone in the tent, and says, "Are you the one they call Frey, Dragon Queen of Vilcoor?"

"I am," Frey replies. "Who are you?"

He kneels and bows his head. "Valedon, last of the Thrym Dragon Knights, humbly offers his gratitude for your hospitality and your mercy, your Majesty."

Frey looks shocked. "Thrym?! The Thrym Dragon Knights? The crusaders beyond the stars? They can't be real, that was a fairy tale told to me when I was just a wyrmling. You would have to be over two thousand years old to be a real Thrym Dragon Knight."

From seemingly out of nowhere, Naoya interjects. "Actually, your Majesty, the nature of the Cosmic Gateway has always been a subject of fascination among the academic circles. It is theorized that, in order to travel between worlds, not just a spatial but also a temporal vortex would be necessary, otherwise the distance traveled would result in the travelers dying of old age before they ever reached their destination."

After a moment, Frey says, "You mean to say that our trip was not as simple as walking through a door, but more like a long tunnel, and time does not simply stand still outside this tunnel."

Naoya rolls his eyes. "To put it in such crude terms seems a crime, but yes. The Thrym Dragon Knights were known to travel across more than one world, and so it stands to reason that they would experience a great deal of skipped time."

Frey turns back to Valedon. "How long have you been on this world, dragon knight?"

"By the local calendar, I have been stranded here for roughly four hundred years," he says.

There is a moment of silence, and then Frey places her hand on his shoulder. "Valedon, I have some bad news. The house you once served has fallen. Indeed, we few who walked through the gate are all that is left of our world. I entreat you as a Seiryu and a Vilcoorian, join us. Your knowledge of this world would be invaluable."

"My queen," Valedon replies. "I am yours to command."

"Rise," Frey says.

He does so, and says, "It will be good to be among my countrymen again after so long."

Once the scene is concluded, Valedon the Red Dragon Knight joins the Vilcoorian army. In humanoid form he has a MOVE of 6, can wield axes, lances, and swords, and in dragonform he has a MOVE of 8 and can move over mountains at 1/2 MOVE. His default skill is Vengeance.

If someone gets a support with him to A while still on Dascillia, a paralogue opens up on the map where a group of angry spirits akin to the enemies fought in the Book 1 finale guard two items: An Azure Dragon Soul (S-rank soulstone for Seiryu) and a Thrym Emblem accessory (+1 STR, MAG, SKL, SPD, LUCK, DEF, RES). If the support rank reaches A after Book 2 is over, the paralogue does not appear. This will be tricky, since there are not many chapters left in Book 2 by the time you can recruit him, but should be more than possible if the player makes even a small effort

Also, Ruganel has a base conversation with Valedon where he finds out that the blood-crazed red dragon was, in fact, Valedon, and that he and Thorden have been enemies for over a century. The dragon knight tells the lion lord to think nothing of it, since there was no way he could have known, but Ruganel can't help but feel a little awkward afterward.