To Become an Elitist [Playlogs FE1-5] [currently playing: Thracia 776]

[Saint Rubenio]

15 hours ago, Jotari said:

Words cannot describe how much I love this. Solid A+ editing job.

Thanks. I did it in like five minutes actually, just stole Hannibal's beard from FE5 and touched it up a bit.

15 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

In timelines where Ced exists, Hawke sometimes gets angsty that this other pretty boy sage dude is stealing the attention, discovers the dark magic within, and wanders off to serve a metallic dictator.😛

He took a habit of sunbathing while on the ship to another continent, gaining a mean tan. On the other hand, the stress of living in Ced's shadow made his hair white out early.

15 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And my thoughts on her have always been "if she didn't die, we could've had the triangle attack". And a prepromoted flier in a game not exactly friendly to having prepromotes.

That would've been cool too, and I genuinely don't get why they didn't do that. It's not even like her death does anything for the plot (it doesn't) or achieves any kind of dramatic note (nobody ever mentions her again and she's immediately overshadowed by Emmeryn's own demise).

15 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

In some regards, like Magic (base of 22) and Resistance (base of 17), Hawke outshines most variants of Ced. Oh, and he has a chapter 9 secret event that buffs each of these by 3 more points. Plus, very solid HP, Skill, and Speed, alongside Pursuit. Inheritance on Ced is great, but the number of generics who survive a round against Hawke's Light tome, I could count on both hands.

And he does all that without stinky holy blood. He's a real man, you see. A chad, you could even say.

15 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

"Should I repair this blade for my son, or keep it at 30 weight to carry around with my dying breaths?"

Byron is poor lmao

14 hours ago, Jotari said:

Took me way longer than it should have to pull off.

This is why Sharlow >>>> Cairpre.

8 hours ago, ping said:

Grmph. The next time I ßee a ẞpaniard type out their laughter, I shall parße it at "yayayaya" aß retribution.

It's all retribution for Jeorge. America is to blame.

8 hours ago, ping said:

Very nice I appreciate the commitment to beardmanliness. Possibly the second-best edit of that sort you ever did.

Thanks. I'm actually sitting on a whole array of beard edits for the entire cast of Berwick Saga. I'm waiting for the right moment to unleash them.

8 hours ago, ping said:

(Sorry, Hawke, I have to give the nod to Mr Shannar still)

Yeah, figures. Oh well.

 

[BrightBow]

 

17 hours ago, ping said:

Project Naga renames Jamke's class back to Archer, actually. I think it tries to be a bit more consistent with the rest of the series with its class names - the "Forrest" class (according to the wiki) is simply "Hero", too.

Wouldn't exactly call it more consistent with the rest of the series.

Archers are the slow and durable type. With a very militaristic appearance.
Bow Fighters are clearly on the "fast but frail" side, which if anything would make it a counterpart to the Hunter class. In fact, they have identical stats to Sword Fighters.
Not to mention they lack the proper soldier aesthetic of the class. Nor are they ever used as "soldiers". Lamia's squad in chapter 4 are the only time Bow Fighters are ever used as part of a squadron. And they are explicitly mercenaries, not proper soldiers.

And calling Forresters "Hero" is also rather questionable. It sorta matches in terms of statistics, at least. But calling them "Mercenary" would make more sense, since that's what advanced Swordfighters are called in Thracia.

It's kinda funny. With the way the word "forrest" is used for both advanced Swordfighters and advanced Free Knights, it makes me think the entire reason IS used it in the first place is because they assumed the word was connected to the concept of mercenaries somehow.
 

8 hours ago, ping said:

Oh, that's funny. The one time the Shitty Earlygame Archer (if we can even call Jamke that, he's the 14th unit to join out of 24) has really good combat, it's because he's technically not an Archer archer.

There is a whole series of Soldier-type classes that are unfinished and went unused. Spear Soldier. Axe Soldier. Sword Soldier. Archer probably would have been the equivalent of the Bow Soldier. At least they share the same stats.

Fortunately the Archer and the Spear Soldier made it into Thracia.

[ping]

5 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

If he sells the Paragon Band, then that's 20K. Exactly enough to re-purchase the Power Ring. Even if having to sell it, then buy it back, feels sub-optimal.

Yeah, I just did most of the arena runs (Lewyn is holding out a bit so that Bridget can grab extra XP in the fight vs. Lübeck), and money as a whole just wasn't that much of an issue anymore. I can probably just let Sigurd grab all the villages on this map and either buy the Renewal Ring for Seliph or fully repair Tyrfing, since nobody else is really lacking. Well, Midir had to do a no-Paragon run through the arena so that Aideen can afford all the staves that she and Lana will need, but he started the map at Lv.27. He should still cap easily.

4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Byron is poor lmao

That is the problem with his generation. They spent all their money for avocado toast, so now they can't afford to gift their sons swords at a value of 50000 gold pieces.

3 hours ago, BrightBow said:

Archers are the slow and durable type. With a very militaristic appearance.
Bow Fighters are clearly on the "fast but frail" side, which if anything would make it a counterpart to the Hunter class. In fact, they have identical stats to Sword Fighters.
Not to mention they lack the proper soldier aesthetic of the class. Nor are they ever used as "soldiers". Lamia's squad in chapter 4 are the only time Bow Fighters are ever used as part of a squadron. And they are explicitly mercenaries, not proper soldiers.

Probably thanks to the removal of the Hunter class, those association with Archers aren't as present in the post-Kaga series anymore. Wolt is still a soldier by trade, I suppose, but he does not have a bulky stat line (nor less movement than other unpromoted foot units). The other GBA archers are either mercenaries (Dorothy, Wil, Rolf if we count PoR as an honorary GBA title) or even civilians (Rebecca, Neimi).

Not saying that you're wrong, since within Kaga Emblem, what you say certainly is correct, but I don't mind too much that Project Naga decided to call "The Class That Promotes Into Sniper" Archer, since that's what people coming to Genealogy from the newer games will expect. Similar-ish with the Forrest / Hero class - Merc=>Hero is well-established in most games since BinBla, so people will expect Mercenary to be an unpromoted class... although I also have to say that I associate Heroes with immoral moneygrabbing access to axes.

Edited March 20 by ping

[BrightBow]

1 hour ago, ping said:

Probably thanks to the removal of the Hunter class, those association with Archers aren't as present in the post-Kaga series anymore. Wolt is still a soldier by trade, I suppose, but he does not have a bulky stat line (nor less movement than other unpromoted foot units). The other GBA archers are either mercenaries (Dorothy, Wil, Rolf if we count PoR as an honorary GBA title) or even civilians (Rebecca, Neimi).

Not saying that you're wrong, since within Kaga Emblem, what you say certainly is correct, but I don't mind too much that Project Naga decided to call "The Class That Promotes Into Sniper" Archer, since that's what people coming to Genealogy from the newer games will expect. Similar-ish with the Forrest / Hero class - Merc=>Hero is well-established in most games since BinBla, so people will expect Mercenary to be an unpromoted class... although I also have to say that I associate Heroes with immoral moneygrabbing access to axes.

It's just absurd to me that terminology from an arbitrary entry in the series should be retroactively forced into places it was never intended for. Like a square peck into a round hole. Referring to different things with the same name or to the same thing with different names can only ever cause confusion, never mitigate it.

It would be like if you go back to the pre-7 Final Fantasy games and replace "spells" with "Materia", just because the 7th game happened to be the first time the series was released in most of the world.

Or if you decide to translate Elfire as Elfenlicht and translate Light as Blitz until the end of time, because that's what you did the first time, so now you have to stick with it.

Edited March 20 by BrightBow

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

11 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

And he does all that without stinky holy blood. He's a real man, you see. A chad, you could even say.

If Hawke is the Chad, and Ced is the Vergil, then what is Amid? The Cath? And who the hell is Belf, anyway?

10 hours ago, BrightBow said:

Wouldn't exactly call it more consistent with the rest of the series.

Okay but like.

Bow Fighter promotes into Sniper.

In every other game outside of Jugdral, the class that promotes into Sniper is named "Archer".

But hey, it's not as though Jugdral would also give us Sages that don't come from Mages, right?

...Right?

10 hours ago, BrightBow said:

And calling Forresters "Hero" is also rather questionable. It sorta matches in terms of statistics, at least. But calling them "Mercenary" would make more sense, since that's what advanced Swordfighters are called in Thracia.

But calling the promoted Sword infantry class in Thracia 776 "Mercenary" was an exceedingly silly choice to begin with. The Archanea-Valentia games established "Mercenary" as a first-tier class that would promote into something stronger. "Hero" in Archanea, or "Myrmidon", and later "Dread Fighter", in Valentia. But now, Mercenary is a promoted class? After taking a title off for something called "Forrest"? It feels like Jugdral being different, not in an interesting way, but in a way that is just prone to breed confusion.

On the flip side, I do have to give these titles their due for inventing the Swordmaster class. And taking the first steps toward the GBA-onward "Mercenary/Myrmidon" split. Even though they were technically all "Sword Fighters" in these games.

7 hours ago, ping said:

That is the problem with his generation. They spent all their money for avocado toast, so now they can't afford to gift their sons swords at a value of 50000 gold pieces

So we've got Boomer Arvis and Millenial Byron?

...Maybe the planet Jugdral is on just rotates in the opposite direction.

7 hours ago, ping said:

I can probably just let Sigurd grab all the villages on this map and either buy the Renewal Ring for Seliph or fully repair Tyrfing, since nobody else is really lacking.

*starts slamming desk*

THIEF SWORD SIGURD! THIEF SWORD SIGURD!

Not to keep, just to make some cash money if he so chooses.

11 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

That would've been cool too, and I genuinely don't get why they didn't do that. It's not even like her death does anything for the plot (it doesn't) or achieves any kind of dramatic note (nobody ever mentions her again and she's immediately overshadowed by Emmeryn's own demise).

Hey now. Phila feels just as relevant as that one generic Pegasus Knight lady who shows up once on Ephraim's route to deliver a single piece of news.

....Or was it Eirika's route?

[Saint Rubenio]

6 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Hey now. Phila feels just as relevant as that one generic Pegasus Knight lady who shows up once on Ephraim's route to deliver a single piece of news.

....Or was it Eirika's route?

Both, actually. And don't diss my girl FE8 Messenger. She's a cool gal. I like her design better than most peggy sues. She's at least different. I'd take her over Vanessa.

Edited March 21 by Saint Rubenio

[ping]

13 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

*starts slamming desk*

THIEF SWORD SIGURD! THIEF SWORD SIGURD!

FE4 Chapter 5: Threshold of Fate

Sachsen --> Lübeck

okok, Zaxon --> Lubeck. *grumble*

Spoiler

Step one: Arenaing, almost to completion. Which, in hindsight, is a slight mistake, but I accidentally overwrote the start-of-chapter save, so tough luck.

Specifically, I should've left Taillte's run for Lübeck Castle. That way, she could've carried the Paragon Ring from there to Phinora, helping her close in on Lv.30.

As a result, only Bridget and Lewyn can get that kind of treatment - Bridget right now, and since she'll hit Lv.30 right before seizing Lübeck, Lewyn from there until the end of the chapter, and of other things.

But back to the start of the map. The majority of the gang goes east, of course, while a smaller group (Raquesis, Beowulf, Ayra, Sniper!Jamke, Azel) goes west to deal with that group of enemies and save the villages in that direction.

Right away, I get the conversation between Aideen and Bridget out of the way:

: "Is something wrong, Bridget?"
: "Oh, Aideen. You heard about what André's been up to lately, right?"
: "I did. I've heard of how he murdered our father, and later Mahnya in Silesse as well... I can barely imagine the evil which would have possessed him to do such monstrous things."
: "...I'm going to kill André. There's no other way. Whatever the evil is, he has to be stopped. Right here, right now. You get what I'm saying, right, Aideen?"
: "Bridget..."
: "André's crimes are House Jungby's crimes. They're our crimes, too. They reflect badly on us, even though they really shouldn't. I know I'll have his blood on my hands for the rest of my life, but... Aideen, I want you to understand."
: "Of course I do, Bridget..."

Langbalt (evil): "Murder is a-ok, but I draw the line at kinslaying."
Bridget (good): "Kinslaying is okay, as long as I'm the one doing it."

(no, I don't mean that seriously at all)

__

The Axe Armour group to the east doesn't pose much of a threat, or even much of a slowdown, although before the player phase clean-up, there's another cutscene playing in Belhalla:

: "Lord Arvis... Are Sigurd and his party truly on the march to our holy capital?"
: "Indeed, but we've no cause for alarm. Duke Langbalt and his army stands ready at Lubeck. It is only a matter of time before their insurrection is suppressed."
: "Even so... Even now, it is almost beyond belief, is it not? That Lord Byron would slay Kurth... Or that Sigurd would incite a rebellion..."
: "Your Majesty, if I may explain once more... Lord Byron was plotting against the crown in concert with the later Lord Ring of Jungby. His Highness fell afoul of their assault, an act to which our very own Dukes Reptor and Langbalt bore witness. His Highness learned of their schemes to seize the throne from the royal family too late, and paid for it with his life. Naturally, Lord Sigurd had a hand in his father's revolt. What clearer proof is there than how he still harbors an enemy, the Isaachian prince? There is no question. Their treason against the state is grave. I, too, feel this pain as my own, having lost not only a prince but a father-in-law... And in the name of my beloved wife, Princess Deirdre, I will never allow Sigurd's traitorous rampage to stand! Even if Duke Langbalt fails to defeat him, that is not the end! The elite fire mages of House Velthomer, the Rotenritter, stand ready to suppress this rebellion, once and for all!"
: "I see... If you say it is so, then perhaps... Perhaps this could never have been avoided..."

Gasp!

: "Ah... Deirdre. Bless you... You truly are a sweet child. Even if I have little time left, you give me hope for Grannvale's future... I can scarcely imagine when Kurth would have had as fine a daughter as you... But there is no doubt in my mind. None outside the royal House Belhalla possess the same Brand that graces your brow. Whence did you come, my dear? Where in the world have you been all along..."
: "I'm so sorry, Grandfather... I simply don't remember. Try as I may, I cannot recall even a single thing..."
: "Ah, forgive me, my dear... I know you have suffered more and longer than any of us."
: "From the moment I found her lost in the castle grounds, it was clear she had no memory of her past. All she knew was her own name. The rest of her past is lost to her. At first I sought only to aid her out of sympathy, as any decent man would do, but before long love took root within me... With all due respect, Deirdre, not once did I suspect that you could possibly be the daughter of our late Prince Kurth."
: "I remember well the day you introduced her as the woman you wished to marry... I simply could not believe what I saw! At first sight... I knew, perhaps as only family can. Precisely as I thought, beneath your circlet lies the Brand of Naga. Lord Arvis, I trust you understand. Only a full-blooded heir to Saint Heim can rightfully wield the Book of Naga and release its true holy power. And the power of Naga is the only power able to oppose the dark lord, Loptyr."
: "I am well aware of the legend, sire."
: "The holy lineage of our lord Naga and Saint Heim must never perish! Deirdre... You must bear a son with all due haste! And should your son be so fortunate as to inherit Naga's power... He shall be the Prince of Grannvale, and shall claim the throne once I am no more. Lord Arvis... until your son has grown into a man, you shall be his regent. Guide him well to adulthood. I trust you understand... Cough! Cough..."

Oh no! It's a mild cough! Fiction's most lethal disease!

I don't have a lot to say about the scene itself - it's a bit long, but that's more of a result of the narrative not managing to give Arvis any presence between the prologue and now, so that his conversation with the king has to reestablish just about everything, from the details of the false accusations against Chalphy to his happy relationship with his kagaed wife.

(oh, and I can't help but laugh at the "start fucking already" demand by Byron, and who later will share that sentiment with him)

Back to the map... I'm not terribly aggressive about fighting this second Axe Armour group - I still intend for Sigurd to backtrack and grab some of the villages, but maybe not all the way to the west, where the only Brigand that is shielded by this group torches away.

Important are the following two things: Azel takes a little damage against this Mage...

...and Jamke accidentally kills the boss. If I recall, Commander Brave Axe even got two Pavise procs, which means that Jamke got a total of six shots in.

Eventually, Beowulf grabs the westmost village:

: "Heard the news? Grannvale's army just swept in and seized Lubeck Castle! Oh... I fear for Silesse's future..."

[3000 gold -> Beowulf]

What kind of dastard would just swoop in and seize land from a soverain state?!

____

Back with the main group, Sigurd takes the commanders money, and Bridget takes his life. Excellent work sharing between the two.

And Dew also grabs some dough. He actually manages to get out of this segment with a nice +14000 surplus - more on that later.

____

But as I said, not much of a roadblock, this initial group. Cleaned up in a single player phase.

And as you can see, this puts Sigurd into Byron's range:

: "It can't be... F-father?! Thank the gods! You're alive!"
: "Sigurd... What a splendid young man you've become... Cough! C-cough..."
: "Father! Come on, you mustn't give in now!"
: "No... There's no hope left for me now... Listen well, my son. Langbalt was Prince Kurth's true killer. And Reptor is the one holding his leash... His Majesty must know the truth! I... Death holds no fear for me. But I cannot die in peace not knowing if our honor shall be cleansed from these lies."
: "It's just as I thought all along... Rest assured, Father. Our good name will be cleared. I promise."
: "Sigurd, I... I beg your forgiveness... 'Tis my negligence which condemned you to these torments... Sigurd... Take this. It is Tyrfing... Our exalted blade..."
: "Tyrfing... But, Father! Surely you'll still need this..."
: "Take it, Sigurd. Use it to... restore our... honor..."

: "Why... Why in the world did he have to... Gah... Reptor! Langbalt! Mark my words! You will pay dearly for all you've done!"

And then Sigurd equips the Broken Sword. Bit of a mean trap if there's still enemies around, since Byron moves at the end of Sigurd's phase, but Slayder and his men are still at a safe distance (and André hasn't even started moving).

: "That Langbalt's got his thugs going around and clearing out every village they find! Good thing we somehow kept a little bit of gold hidden away from these brutes! Go on, take it. We know you need it more than us."

[4000 gold -> Dew]

____

After that, Slayder's group approaches.

I have to say, this map is still wearing its kid's gloves in the Lübeck segment. Because André doesn't move immediately, the enemy squads are neatly separated from each other, which makes them pretty easy to deal with. Like, I can have Bridget face-tank one enemy (and waste a counterattack that way), have Dew enemy-phase a handful of scrubs, and swap Sigurd to the much weaker Thief Sword, and still cleave through fairly easily.

: "What's this? You rebels have already come this far? How could you have breached our front lines so quickly?"

: "Unnh... We've been breached, too...?"

Sigurd and Bridget continue their work sharing agreement. Easy, risk-free boss kill.

And André just watched from afar, only waking up after Slayder is slayed:

: "I suppose it's our turn... Move out! Carve the terror of the Beigenritter into the traitors' hearts!"

__

Today's protagonist: Bridget.

: "What? Could it be... Bridget?! So, not only do I hear that you sunk as low as piracy, but now you are party to treasonous deeds... No matter what it takes, you - the shame of my house - must be put to a timely death."
: "Enough! You murdered your own father! You, André, are the disgrace to Jungby's honor, and to the good name of the Crusader Ullur!"

Good ol' No You defense. Not that Bridget is in the wrong here, mind.

And of course she comes with the authority that is founded on having 67 Atk.

I wonder if the character named "Scorpius" will turn out to defy his father's evilness and turn out to be a good guy.

Meanwhile, Sigurd just ignored the whole commotion and went straight to the two villages behind Lübeck Castle.

: "'S been a while since Grannvale beat Isaach in the war, but they're strugglin' to put down resistance out in its farthest corners. But the people of Isaach ain't givin' up hope. Prince Shanan's still out there, an' they know someday he'll lead 'em to freedom!"

This isn't entirely for the benefit of Sigurd's purse, either. This way, he can kill the Ballistitians before the main group arrives - he needs a crit to do so, which the 50+-kill Silver Sword graciously provides for both of the Ballistitians.

: "It's terrifying just how far Grannvale has fallen from the peaceful nation it used to be! All they ever do these days is set their army on every country they can get their hands on. Prince Kurth'd be utterly ashamed to know what's become of his beloved Grannvale... You have to do something! I'm begging you... Go to Grannvale! Take the country back from the wicked folk who are perverting all it holds dear!"

I'm sure all dirty invaders shall be dead by the start of the next chapter.

The Beigenritter manage to put up a fight roughly as well as Slayde's axe guys did.

____

Now, on to Langbalt. The Generals surrounding him are quite strong and bulky, but since they're stationary, they still aren't too threatening. The main challenge is to bring Langbalt himself to an appropriately low HP to continue the kinslaying train we've been riding. But first, his convo with Sigurd - not canonical, because I'd rather have Sigurd seize right this turn. Just to be sure that Sylvia doesn't have the time to accidentally fall in love or anything.

: "Bwahaha... Would you look at that. The little brat's made it, as well! How perfect! I'll reunite you with your dearly departed father. He ought to be lonely by now!"
: "Langbalt... LANGBALT!! You will pay for what you did to my father!"

Now, what really happens...:

: "Bwahahaha! It matters not how many of you worms confront me. So long as I wield the great axe, Helswath, the same fate awaits every last one of you! Stay clear, if you still value your lives!"

Two hits with Yewfelle...

...and then two Pavise procs to counter Taillte's Adept proc. But no fear, Azel's he--

--oh right, he took damage earlier. Welp, +1 to the death count.

__

There we go.

__

: "I-impossible... how could I fall like this...? Dannan... Don't fail me..."

__

And that's part one done, in eight turns. As I said - not very difficult at all. You have plenty of firepower to cut through Lübeck's defending squads individually - they really would've had to team up to create a challenge.

: "That was quite the fierce bout, sire."
: "Mm. And to think, none of them were Grannvale's elite! Listen, Oifey, I need to ask something of you."
: "Of course, sire. What is it?"
: "As I recall, the territory of Isaach should be very close to the north-east of Lubeck. From what I've heard, ever since Grannvale won the war, Isaach has been governed by Dannan, Langbalt's eldest son. But I'd wager his influence has yet to reach much of the country's span, so..."
: "I beg your pardon, sire?! Are you seriously asking me to abandon you for safety, now of all times? No! I refuse! I will not leave you, sire! I'm here for you no matter what, till I draw my last breath!"
: "Oifey, listen... I know this is a huge imposition, but please. Just hear me out. I... I don't want to lose Seliph. he isn't even two years old yet! I can hardly fight with an infant in tow. Please, Oifey. Take care of Seliph. Take him and find refuge from this blasted war. I know I can trust you, Oifey. You are my only hope."
: "Sire... I... Very well. I'll take Lord Seliph. I'll protect him, no matter what happens. That said, you have to promise me. Promise me that you'll come for us as soon as this war is over. I won't leave you if you can't promise that."
: "Of course. I swear I'll come for the two of you."
: "Thank you..."
: "Hold it! I promised Deirdre that I'll look after Seliph no matter what! I won't hand him over to anyone, not even Oifey, until Deirdre says I can!"
: "Calm down, Shanan... I know you're still hurt about losing Deirdre, but this isn't helping. It's okay. He'll be fine with Oifey."
: "No! I need to protect Seliph! And you're forgetting that the people of Isaach won't exactly be happy to see more Grannvaleans! Oifey alone won't last a minute there, but if I'm there, it'll be okay. Who better to protect Seliph in Isaach than the prince of Isaach? Please... I promised her..."
: "Now that he mentions it, sire, I would be a tad more at ease if Shanan was there as well. I know you're reluctant to involve one as young as Shanan in something so dangerous. But I think we can agree he's become a talented warrior. Not to mention, I'll need Shanan to secure the people's support."
: "Hm... I'm sorry to burden you more, Shanan, but please... Take care of Seliph for me."
: "Okay! Leave it to me! I'm gonna keep getting stronger, and nobody'll ever hurt Seliph! I'll teach him all about Deirdre, but... I wonder how he'll take what happened..."
: "I suppose we should be going, then. Farewell, sire. Take care of yourself. I pray victory and clemency will find you as soon as possible."
: "Thank you, Oifey. Be careful out there."
: "Yes, sir!"

: "Seliph... I'm so sorry. Please, grow up safe and strong..."

Good scene, and I appreciate the custom map sprite for Oifey carrying Seliph there at the end.

Shanan's the star of the scene for me - how he still carries the guilt over Deirdre's disappearance and, because of it, is utterly committed to her request to look after Seliph even at the initial protest from Sigurd. It helps that what he is demanding here also happens to be the most reasonable decision for Sigurd, too. If you think that, right now, Isaach is more safe for Seliph than Grannvale is... wouldn't it follow that it's especially more safe for the prince of Isaach? Sigurd doesn't indicate that he comes around to this particular thought, but I'd like to pretend that it still contributed to his quick acquiescence.

Of course, it's also nice that Oifey has a bit more to say here than he usually has. Most of the time, his role seems to be limited to opening a cutscene by announcing that, "Sire, this person who is actually relevant to the plot has arrived!" - something that I hope (and honestly assume) will be better in the second generation.

Seizing Lübeck unlocks a handful of new conversations, which I hope I will remember to trigger next time I play.

After ending my turn...:

: "Gentlemen, we've not much further to go. Keep giving it your best. Rumor has it that Sigurd's army should be moving south through the Yied Desert. If we keep this pace north, we should be able to rendezvous with them sooner or later."
: "Quan, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this. You and your father were too generous sparing so many soldiers to help my brother, even though your father is presently so ill... But are you sure you're both willing to risk crossing a nation as all-powerful as Grannvale? The very thought is terrifying..."
: "Ethlyn, you know as well as I that Leonster, a nation built on the legacy of the Crusader Nova, is far stronger than its size suggests. No matter what happens, I could never regret giving my all for a cause as just as Sigurd's. My father feels precisely the same way. There's nothing to worry about, Ethlyn. After all, I'm wielding none other than Gáe Bolg! I'll never fail with it at my side! Sigurd could certainly stand to have my aid."

Deathflag (1) - Type: "overconfidence" - slow, insidious. Status: RAISED.

: "I suppose you're right. He'd appreciate any help at this point..."
: "Ethlyn, we'll be entering hostile territory very shortly. The enemy could ambush us at any moment, so..."
: "Actually, Quan... I've been thinking this over quite a bit, and I'm coming with you after all. I'd like to see my brother again, and I simply can't abandon you now."
: "I can't allow that! I let you come with me solely because you promised to return home partway. To say nothing of Altena's presence! Look at her, a mere babe of three years curled up aslumber in her mother's lap. Should we be attacked, what then?"
: "Why, I'd fight my hardest to protect her. Nobody could possibly seize her from me!"

Deathflag (2) - Type: "hybris" - inducing downward movement. Status: RAISED.

: "I certainly never intended at first to take her with us. But she simply wouldn't stop crying when I tried to leave her behind. You're right, though... You're right. I'll take her home."
: "Ethlyn, I'm sorry. I assure you I do know precisely how you feel, but Leif is barely born and waiting for you at home. Our children need their mother. Please, Ethlyn. Return home. I left Finn to defend the capital. You'll be safe with him."
: "Very well, but... I'd like just a little more time. I want to stay by your side a little longer. Please, Quan..."
: "Ethlyn... Very well. We've a litte more time to spare."

And they very slowly start trudging across the desert - on the path with the maximum number of desert tiles, I might add - when suddenly...

: "Hehehe... Ah, Quan! The poor sod still has no clue we're tailing him. And there's a woman with him? What a clumsy mistake. Why, I daresay this is the long-awaited end of Leonster's famous Lanzenritter! Those hooves'll be sinking clean into the sand. They can't so much as flail at us. Men, close in! This is it! Thracia's destiny lies before us, ripe for the grasping!"

: "What? Thracian dracoknights?! No... You cannot be serious! Travant has been at our heels all along! Ethlyn, run! We've no hope of victory in this blasted desert!"
: "But... what will you do?"
: "They're like wild hyenas, Ethlyn! Children are little more than easy targets for them! Thracia has sought to reconquer our territory for centuries. I thought my absense would be taken as an invitation, so I left Finn behind with half the army in case they made the obvious move. Not once... Not even once did I ever suspect they would pursue US instead! I... This was all a mistake..."
: "You can't give up now, Quan! It'll be okay. We're together, aren't we? At the very least, together we'll not go down easily!"
: "Ethlyn... Forgive me, please..."

Honestly, I had remembered this scene, and particularly Ethlyn in it, to be... dumber. Quan obviously still made a huge mistake not considering the target on his own bag, and Ethlyn allows herself a moment of stupidity when she insists on bringing Altena into a war zone... but all of this seems very human. Ethlyn's wish not to part from Quan is understandable, and she quickly listens to reason. Quan fucked up by not considering this scenario as possible, and immediately realised it when Trabant appeared in the rear mirror.

: "It was you who insisted that, even if we left the bulk of our armies on conquests with our sons, Sigurd would pose no threat to me at all! The situation before us is not the outcome you promised me!"
: "Reptor, your overreaction is baseless. The deck is still stacked in our favor. The Velthomer army is already lying in wait for the rebels in the Yied Desert's depths. Furthermore, Thracian sellswords should be arriving to reinforce us at any moment. The enemy will assuredly be exhausted. So long as my army and yours cooperate, Sigurd and his rebels ought to fall with ease."
: "I'm holding you to your word this time, Arvis. Remember, I've no objection to you alone claiming the throne once Azmur finally dies. But don't you dare forget your allies..."
: "Of course. Must I remind you? The instant the dust of this war settles, House Freege will be granted the Agustrian throne to govern. House Dozel, meanwhile, will be entrusted with the rule of Isaach. Rest assured, Reptor. I will honor your rights to these territories."
: "Hrm... Very well. Then I, too, will fight with all I have..."

: "Manfroy... If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times... You must not show your face here. Until the Grannvale throne is mine, I cannot allow you or your brethren to appear in public. Do you not understand?"
: "Oh, we understand. We understand how you indulge the greed of men as vile as Reptor and Langbalt. We understand how even then, you will still not concede the very fact of our existence. The plan was to use those two buffoons until they could be used no further, then cast them aside and use their sons in their stead... Was it not?"
: "Mm, but... Hear me well, Manfroy. I refuse to have any part in the revival of your Loptyr Empire. I've no desire to oppress your cult, but I've even less of a desire to consign the world to your dark lord's rule. Remember this well. Yes, the blood of Loptyr's scions flows in my veins, but there is so much more to me than that. My Loptyrian heritage is that of Saint Maira, a man who fought for the rights of the people. And more importantly, I am the one true heir of the Crusader Vala, Loptyr's sworn enemy. I will change this world for the better. Under my rule, humanity shall be free from the pain of prejudice, tyranny and oppression! What a pity it is, that Sigurd must die, but alas, all things require sacrifice."
: "Ohohoho... A sacrifice for the sake of the Lady Deirdre, you mean. You are terrified, Lord Arvis. You fear her memory may someday return..."
: "Don't you dare bring her into this! Need I remind you? We. Are. In. LOVE! Nothing will ever come between us!"
: "Heh heh heh... I suppose you two need to hasten and make proof of this love of yours. Proof that will one day grow up and rise to be a most magnificent king! Heh heh heh..."

It's good that Arvis has an opportunity to voice his ideology here, but man, the Young Men's Loptyrian Association really don't make for good "villains behind the anti-villain". I believe that it's a common criticism of Genealogy's plot that making the oppressed society into a bunch of crazy lunatics that were oppressed for good reasons (like Gamers, actually) might not have been the greatest idea, and I tend to agree with that thus far.

In this scene specifically, Manfroy's reaction to Arvis's speech seems very openly addressed to the player, not Arvis himself. He nudges the player towards the "incest creates Major Loptyr Blood" part of his plan... but really, he must sound really sus to Arvis, too. "Wait, why do you retort to me not going along with your schemes by mentioning my offspring? Should I look into that? ...nah, let's watch the new Netflix series instead."

: "This desert will gladly claim their bodies!"

I hesitated for a second if I wanted to make a portrait for Vaha for just the one line, but I guess she'll have a combat and a death quote in the next update.

__

I think this is the first time that ambush spawns in this game can actually attack somebody immediately? Nobody is particularly wounded at this point in time, so there wasn't any danger, but still.

__

The Meteor swarm very much looks like a job for Pegasuswoman, so I'm glad that Erin is still carrying the Res band with her. With it, she has 20 Res, so she'll be able to fight them pretty easily with maybe Aideen or Claude healing her from afar...

...and she won't have to fear the Sleep Priests flanking Vaha, although she didn't even need any help for that.

Vaha herself hits hardly any harder than the generic Fire Mages, but she is stronger defensively, with the better Def stat and Miracle sword. If Erin ends up fighting her, too, she'll have to mindful about the latter.

Oh, and as a War Mage, Vaha has Adept as a class skill. Assuming that she can proc it with Meteor, that has an 8% chance to proc - not the highest, especially with the low accuracy on top, but potentially very lethal.

__

Quan and Ethlyn retain their stats, but not their inventory. Bad for Ethlyn, fine for Quan - not that it'll matter...

...because the Dracoknights all have this fine weapon to murder them with.

And Trabant, of course, hits even harder than his underlings even considering the auto-crit. If I recall, he won't stick around to fight Sigurd, too...

...so he brought the... I think third incarnation of this constipated warrior as a sub-boss.

Honestly, Erin will clown on these scrubs just as hard as she did on... I think it was Papillon and his murder of wyverns? The only problem is that the Def band makes her so tanky that the generics probably won't attack her. Woe is her.

The Team:

	  Lv.	  HP Str Mag Skl Spd Lck Def Res  Funds  XP    Arn
Sigurd	  29.72	  60  25   0  22  22  16  20   4  48500  +225  [*]
Lex	  30.00	  58  27   2  18  14  12  25   4  35340  +154  [*]
Azel	  30.00	  47   7  25  14  22   8  14  13  42500  +320  [*]
Midir	  29.66	  49  23   1  16  23   9  15   4  5750   +214  [*]

Raquesis  29.87	  43  27   9  23  20  13  24  10  11690  +263  [*]
Beowulf	  30.00	  55  23   0  30  19   4  19   3  28270  +415  [*]
Erin	  30.00	  46  17   9  19  30  12  20  15  41230  +372  [*]
Ayra	  30.00	  53  24   2  30  30  10  14   5  50000  +144  [*]

Bridget	  30.00	  55  27   4  25  22  19  18  10  4380   +630  [*]
Dew	  11.48	  32   8   0  10  18  14   4   1  17000  +135  [1]
Lewyn	  25.77	  51   3  29  25  30   8   9  15  45440  +74   [1]
Taillte	  27.47	  51   4  22  24  24  22   6  18  20990  +545  [*]

Aideen	  30.00	  48   9  26  17  19  28   9  11  7080   +13   [*]
Claude	  30.00	  41   2  24  19  17  14   5  23  10670  --    [4]
Sylvia	  11.90	  34   4   3   4  14  10   1   9  25500  +80   [1]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arden	  8.41	  39  16   0   6   5   3  15   0  48690  --    [1]
Noish	  7.68	  35  12   0  10  10   4   9   0  13360	 --    [1]
Alec	  9.21	  37  12   0  12  11   6  12   0  22640  --    [1]
Holyn	  22.48	  51  21   3  27  21   7  16   4  34480  +608  [*]
Jamke	  24.09	  52  22   0  19  22  13  17   4  38895  +588  [*]

Quan [17.05] | Ethlyn [30.00] | Finn [23.80] | Deirdre [7.82]

 

 

7 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

peggy sues

You're using this term to denigrate Pegasus Knights, but you fail to consider the musical implications:

I feel increasingly encouraged to add Karin to the permanent roster (well, as permanent as the stamina system will allow) for Thracia.

Spoiler

Well, I do feel obliged to, honestly. I've been using Sheeda consistently, so I feel like I have to use the earlygame winged pony that, as far as I know, does not have good combat stats at all.

 

[Saint Rubenio]

9 minutes ago, ping said:

feel increasingly encouraged to add Karin to the permanent roster (well, as permanent as the stamina system will allow) for Thracia.

Okay, listen. We are both proud members of capitalist society. Let us cut a deal: you kill Erin before the end of gen 1, and I stop using the letter ß as a B. How 'bout it?

Edited March 21 by Saint Rubenio

[ping]

2 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Okay, listen. We are both proud members of capitalist society. Let us cut a deal: you kill Erin before the end of gen 1, and I stop using the letter ß as a B.

[Saint Rubenio]

22 minutes ago, ping said:

Fuck. Uh...

Oh I got it. We are both proud communists. That means your playlog is our playlog. So clearly... Eh? Eh?

[BrightBow]

57 minutes ago, ping said:

For the record, if you don't have the money for a full repair, you can still partially repair a weapon.
 

57 minutes ago, ping said:

Deathflag (1) - Type: "overconfidence" - slow, insidious. Status: RAISED.

Also green. That is not a healthy color.
 

57 minutes ago, ping said:

: "Oh, we understand. We understand how you indulge the greed of men as vile as Reptor and Langbalt. We understand how even then, you will still not concede the very fact of our existence. The plan was to use those two buffoons until they could be used no further, then cast them aside and use their sons in their stead... Was it not?"

Well, one of them is dead already. Not sure what you are so worried about.
 

57 minutes ago, ping said:

Yes, the blood of Loptyr's scions flows in my veins, but there is so much more to me than that.

Can you see all of me? Walk into my mystery
Step inside and hold on for dear life
Do you remember me? Capture you or set you free?
I am all, I am all of me

Edited March 21 by BrightBow

[Jotari]

1 hour ago, ping said:

I wonder if the character named "Scorpius" will turn out to defy his father's evilness and turn out to be a good guy.

[ping]

26 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Oh I got it. We are both proud communists. That means your playlog is our playlog. So clearly... Eh? Eh?

Silly Ruben. It is impossible for lefties to agree on anything - you know what they say, "lock five leftists into a room, and they will come up with seven mutually exclusive theories". It seems you have forced my hand to go against every suggestion you make.

17 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Also green. That is not a healthy color.

Indeed. The only thing more lethal would be a red shirt (a scientific law that even extends outside of Fire Emblem and into Star Trek!).

19 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Can you see all of me? Walk into my mystery
Step inside and hold on for dear life
Do you remember me? Capture you or set you free?
I am all, I am all of me

That is a musical reference I wouldn't have gotten without Google

19 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

For the record, if you don't have the money for a full repair, you can still partially repair a weapon.

Yeah, I made use of that with Aideen earlier, and maybe other characters as well, although I don't remember. But between repairing Tyrfing, repairing the Silver Sword (which I believe is at single-digit uses, too), and maybe buying the Renewal Band, overloading Sigurd with cash shouldn't hurt, especially because other characters aren't really wanting for money.

That said, I might give Dew's haul to Taillte so that she can waste 20k and use Paragon during the next part. She and Lewyn (who hasn't done the arena yet) are the only parents that aren't at least Lv.29 already.

[ping]

9 minutes ago, Jotari said:

(between 0:40 and 1:00, in case the timestamp doesn't work)

[Saint Rubenio]

Anyway, now that I have successfully convinced Ping to genocide the peggy sues, it's time for a proper response.

1 hour ago, ping said:

Langbalt (evil): "Murder is a-ok, but I draw the line at kinslaying."
Bridget (good): "Kinslaying is okay, as long as I'm the one doing it."

(no, I don't mean that seriously at all)

I think I liked her better when she was an inconsistent amnesiac Robin Hood type.

1 hour ago, ping said:

: "Lord Arvis... Are Sigurd and his party truly on the march to our holy capital?"

I always forget the King of Grannvale is not only still alive, but also makes an appearance in the game.

1 hour ago, ping said:

: "Your Majesty, if I may explain once more... Lord Byron was plotting against the crown in concert with the later Lord Ring of Jungby. His Highness fell afoul of their assault, an act to which our very own Dukes Reptor and Langbalt bore witness. His Highness learned of their schemes to seize the throne from the royal family too late, and paid for it with his life. Naturally, Lord Sigurd had a hand in his father's revolt. What clearer proof is there than how he still harbors an enemy, the Isaachian prince? There is no question. Their treason against the state is grave. I, too, feel this pain as my own, having lost not only a prince but a father-in-law... And in the name of my beloved wife, Princess Deirdre, I will never allow Sigurd's traitorous rampage to stand! Even if Duke Langbalt fails to defeat him, that is not the end! The elite fire mages of House Velthomer, the Rotenritter, stand ready to suppress this rebellion, once and for all!"

This shit is what happens when you refuse to give your main antagonist any screentime for half the game.

1 hour ago, ping said:

: "Take it, Sigurd. Use it to... restore our... honor..."

It's really convenient that he endured his grievous, mortal wounds for 400~ days until he reached Sigurd, then immediately kicked the bucket.

I know we've been over this but... Sheesh, it's just so dumb. All they had to do was not establish him as mortally injured in chapter 3!

1 hour ago, ping said:

And of course she comes with the authority that is founded on having 67 Atk.

I wonder if the character named "Scorpius" will turn out to defy his father's evilness and turn out to be a good guy.

I sure hope he's not a dickhead with the exact same portrait and role in the story.

1 hour ago, ping said:

: "I-impossible... how could I fall like this...? Dannan... Don't fail me..."

Thus falls Langbalt. A man whose beard power is inversely proportional to how interesting he was as a character. Not to worry, though - Dannan can still carry the family legacy to greatness and be the awesome, multi-layered antagonist his father could not be.

1 hour ago, ping said:

: "Sire... I... Very well. I'll take Lord Seliph. I'll protect him, no matter what happens. That said, you have to promise me. Promise me that you'll come for us as soon as this war is over. I won't leave you if you can't promise that."

'Notha happy landing.

- Oifey upon reaching Isaach

Wait a minute, how did this happen? We're smarter than this!

- Oifey upon getting news of chapter 5's ending (5 minutes after arriving in Isaach)

1 hour ago, ping said:

: "Seliph... I'm so sorry. Please, grow up safe and strong..."

Good scene, and I appreciate the custom map sprite for Oifey carrying Seliph there at the end.

Awww I never noticed that. That's so cute.

1 hour ago, ping said:

something that I hope (and honestly assume) will be better in the second generation.

Uhhhhhhhhh

Well. Yes and no?

1 hour ago, ping said:

Deathflag (2) - Type: "hybris" - inducing downward movement. Status: RAISED.

Ethlyn is a hybrid? Of what?

Sorry

1 hour ago, ping said:

Quan obviously still made a huge mistake not considering the target on his own bag

This other typo's also fun. Turns out Travant was only after Quan's money all along.

1 hour ago, ping said:

: "Heh heh heh... I suppose you two need to hasten and make proof of this love of yours. Proof that will one day grow up and rise to be a most magnificent king! Heh heh heh..."

Get your own evil laugh, Manny, that one's taken. By someone who came after you, sure, but on the other hand, he's way fucking cooler than you are.

1 hour ago, ping said:

 

I hesitated for a second if I wanted to make a portrait for Vaha for just the one line, but I guess she'll have a combat and a death quote in the next update.

If I recall the portrait is reused without changes in gen 2, so you'll get some milleage out of it yet.

1 hour ago, ping said:

Vaha herself hits hardly any harder than the generic Fire Mages, but she is stronger defensively, with the better Def stat and Miracle sword. If Erin ends up fighting her, too, she'll have to mindful about the latter.

Fun fact: In my FE4 run, I put her and her squad in charge of decimating Sigurd's army for substitutes. It was a fun time. I even made a meme about it. It feels weird because it contains a huge spoiler, but you know, it's the spoiler, so it spoils basically no one thanks to the FE fanbase having zero regard for keeping this a secret.

It was back when I still had that avatar. Good times.

1 hour ago, ping said:

I never knew he was a car. Huh.

Also him being spelt with a B in this translation always throws me for a loop. Hey hey, I got a brilliant idea: Traßant

42 minutes ago, ping said:

Silly Ruben. It is impossible for lefties to agree on anything - you know what they say, "lock five leftists into a room, and they will come up with seven mutually exclusive theories". It seems you have forced my hand to go against every suggestion you make.

Shucks...

[Jotari]

26 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I think I liked her better when she was an inconsistent amnesiac Robin Hood type.

She does seem to be taking the honour of the family and father she's only just remembered exists very personally.

26 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

If I recall the portrait is reused without changes in gen 2, so you'll get some milleage out of it yet.

Almost. Vaja has blue eyes, while Eriu and Folta have green and red eyes.

[BrightBow]

2 hours ago, ping said:

Langbalt (evil): "Murder is a-ok, but I draw the line at kinslaying."
Bridget (good): "Kinslaying is okay, as long as I'm the one doing it."

(no, I don't mean that seriously at all)

It's probably more patricide specifically that Langbalt has a problem with. Considering he clearly has no problem with filicide.

Which makes sense, since patricide it's a sin that he has no chance of ever committing, but has a very real chance to fall victim to.

The best principles are the ones you can leverage, while never having to worry about them expecting anything from you.
 

Edited March 21 by BrightBow

[Interdimensional Observer]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:37 AM, ping said:

Right... It feels odd to consider all these kids as already born when they aren't acknowledged at all, with the exception of Seliph, Leaf, and Altenna (i.e. the kids without variable dads). But it's not like any of the pairings will retire to a lovely country mansion after ch.5.

Supposedly, Kaga had plans for Azelle to get placed under house arrest (which being the brother of the most powerful man in Jugdral, could very well be a small mansion), where I think he might go insane/suicidal? It's been years since I heard the claim. Yes it would've cheated the massacre, but at least in a kinda-interesting way? Leaves one to wonder what'd be going through his mind in the aftermath of everything.

On 3/20/2024 at 3:37 AM, ping said:

but the Literally Everything Except the Knight Ring would appreciate a wearer with a horse...)

Fixed?

3 hours ago, ping said:

And then Sigurd equips the Broken Sword.

I like the idea that Byron swung the Tyrfing desperately to survive until it broke. -But there really should've been an unexplained magical flash of blinding light that full repairs it the holy sword as it passes from father to son.

3 hours ago, ping said:

I feel increasingly encouraged to add Karin to the permanent roster (well, as permanent as the stamina system will allow) for Thracia.

On my only playthrough of Thracia, I don't have the files or a screenshot left, but I do remember she turned out quite well for me, likely blessed. Fliers aren't OP in Thracia, but I think Karin still stands a chance of being good.

 

1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said:

This shit is what happens when you refuse to give your main antagonist any screentime for half the game.

1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Thus falls Langbalt. A man whose beard power is inversely proportional to how interesting he was as a character. Not to worry, though - Dannan can still carry the family legacy to greatness and be the awesome, multi-layered antagonist his father could not be.

The obvious solution is Genealogy of the Anime. I'm sure both of them can get some improved development somewhere within the 24 episodes of Season 1 spent on Gen 1. However, if it's only 12 episodes per season, then Rangovart remains entirely underbaked.😛

-Though as I thought about it before. Tell me- which of the six ducal and one royal houses of Grannvale are actually "developed"?

1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I never knew he was a car. Huh.

I've heard of the Trabant before, an East German manufactured automobile popular by the People's Totally Free Demand in the communist bloc. I think I read of an expression once that amounted to "you can drive a golf ball further than a Trabant", so not of the highest quality. Yet even after the fall of the Union of Southern Thracian Socialist Republics, the car has had its quirky fans.

[Saint Rubenio]

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

The obvious solution is Genealogy of the Anime. I'm sure both of them can get some improved development somewhere within the 24 episodes of Season 1 spent on Gen 1. However, if it's only 12 episodes per season, then Rangovart remains entirely underbaked.😛

Hey, animated beard though. That's amazing.

3 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

-Though as I thought about it before. Tell me- which of the six ducal and one royal houses of Grannvale are actually "developed"?

...Yeaaah... It's funny how Agustria gets two chapters of development all to itself while Grannvale is just... sort of supposed to be taken seriously by default, somehow?

Luckily gen 2 is coming to the rescue. Gen 2 will be the one to develop Grannvale, surely.

9 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

I've heard of the Trabant before, an East German manufactured automobile popular by the People's Totally Free Demand in the communist bloc. I think I read of an expression once that amounted to "you can drive a golf ball further than a Trabant", so not of the highest quality. Yet even after the fall of the Union of Southern Thracian Socialist Republics, the car has had its quirky fans.

Ohhhhh. Interesting.

According to wikipedia it was so difficult to get a Trabant that the ones who did manage became so careful with their new treasure that the average lifespan of the thing ended up being around 28 years. Holy shit.

...And of course IntSys officialized the Travant spelling that means nothing. Though in this case I kind of feel it's probably for the best. The reference has nothing to do with anything (especially with Thracia being meant to reference Spain in some way that makes sense only in Kaga's brain) and it doesn't do many favors to Travant to be named after a crappy car from soviet-occupied Germany lol

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

4 hours ago, ping said:

The holy lineage of our lord Naga and Saint Heim must never perish! Deirdre... You must bear a son with all due haste! And should your son be so fortunate as to inherit Naga's power... He shall be the Prince of Grannvale, and shall claim the throne once I am no more. Lord Arvis... until your son has grown into a man, you shall be his regent. Guide him well to adulthood. I trust you understand... Cough! Cough..."

This seems like a losing bet. Only one of their children will be born with Major Naga blood, and there's a 50% chance of that child being a girl. I wonder what's more important to Azmur - having the right kind of magical blood, or having a dick?

4 hours ago, ping said:

Heard the news? Grannvale's army just swept in and seized Lubeck Castle! Oh... I fear for Silesse's future..."

[3000 gold -> Beowulf]

What kind of dastard would just swoop in and seize land from a soverain state?!

I always forget that Lübeck is supposed to be in Silesse. At this point, everything just looks like Grannvale. Who plowed all the snow, anyway?

4 hours ago, ping said:

I wonder if the character named "Scorpius" will turn out to defy his father's evilness and turn out to be a good guy.

Wait, isn't that the plot of Harry Potter and the Cursèd Child?

4 hours ago, ping said:

If you think that, right now, Isaach is more safe for Seliph than Grannvale is... wouldn't it follow that it's especially more safe for the prince of Isaach?

Erm, isn't Isaach under occupation by Grannvale right now, since they lost the war? Shannan will be in danger either way. Returning home would offer him more civilian support, but in turn, he'd be at a greater risk of being targeted by the authorities.

4 hours ago, ping said:

Good scene, and I appreciate the custom map sprite for Oifey carrying Seliph there at the end.

Not pictured: babby Larcei, Scathach, Diarmuid, Lester, and Lana toddling after Shannan.

Would've been neat if Sigurd gave them a horse to ride to Tirnanog, rather than expecting them to hoof it. Would help explain Oifey becoming a Paladin. And c'mon, we just killed all those knights. You can't tell me there aren't any spare horsies to go around!

4 hours ago, ping said:

I believe that it's a common criticism of Genealogy's plot that making the oppressed society into a bunch of crazy lunatics that were oppressed for good reasons (like Gamers, actually) might not have been the greatest idea, and I tend to agree with that thus far.

They targeted Loptyrians.

Loptyrians.

4 hours ago, ping said:

The Meteor swarm very much looks like a job for Pegasuswoman, so I'm glad that Erin is still carrying the Res band with her. With it, she has 20 Res, so she'll be able to fight them pretty easily with maybe Aideen or Claude healing her from afar...

In my first playthrough, I let Erinys (then Ferry) die on Eldigan's blade. I didn't know Lachesis could talk to him, haha. I went the rest of the game without her... until this phase. This was my "time to use the Valyrie Staff" moment. Because in a game without Longbows, or playable Siege Tomes, Erinys is literally the only means of handling these jerkwads.

4 hours ago, ping said:

Honestly, Erin will clown on these scrubs just as hard as she did on... I think it was Papillon and his murder of wyverns? The only problem is that the Def band makes her so tanky that the generics probably won't attack her. Woe is her.

Suffering_from_success.jpg

I know you didn't use him much, but this is also Alec's time to shine. Nihil means he need not fear any Horseslayer.

4 hours ago, ping said:

You're using this term to denigrate Pegasus Knights, but you fail to consider the musical implications:

Holy shit, it's Weezer!

3 hours ago, BrightBow said:

For the record, if you don't have the money for a full repair, you can still partially repair a weapon.

And should, when it comes to Tyrfing! It doesn't matter how many uses Sigurd ends the chapter with, so long as it's not broken.

3 hours ago, Jotari said:

"If you wouldn't mind killing a couple people on the way out, I'd really appreciate it."

2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Get your own evil laugh, Manny, that one's taken. By someone who came after you, sure, but on the other hand, he's way fucking cooler than you are.

A shame we didn't get the classic Pokemon translators on Project Naga, or we could've gotten a "fufufu" or two from Manfroy.

3 hours ago, ping said:

Silly Ruben. It is impossible for lefties to agree on anything - you know what they say, "lock five leftists into a room, and they will come up with seven mutually exclusive theories". It seems you have forced my hand to go against every suggestion you make.

Leftists and capitalists are natural enemies! Like leftists and monarchists! Or leftists and conservatives! Or leftists and liberals! Or leftists and other leftists!

Damn leftists... they ruined leftism!

2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said:

I know we've been over this but... Sheesh, it's just so dumb. All they had to do was not establish him as mortally injured in chapter 3!

Actually, Byron got better offscreen. This grievous injury is entirely unrelated to the first one.

Source: dude trust me.

[BrightBow]

6 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

I always forget that Lübeck is supposed to be in Silesse. At this point, everything just looks like Grannvale. Who plowed all the snow, anyway?

The chapter intro did say that it was "early spring".
 

10 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

I know you didn't use him much, but this is also Alec's time to shine. Nihil means he need not fear any Horseslayer.

Sure. But it's also the desert, so it's not like he is doing that much better than anyone on foot.
 

11 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Actually, Byron got better offscreen. This grievous injury is entirely unrelated to the first one.

Oh, like in Beyond: Two Souls.
After Jodie does her political assassination, she gets shot by the mob and you can have Aiden heal her. But if you do that, maybe about 2 minutes later she will just get shot in the exact spot anyway while she is evacuated.

[Saint Rubenio]

25 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

I always forget that Lübeck is supposed to be in Silesse. At this point, everything just looks like Grannvale.

Yeah, that was my reaction as well. Pretty sure the plowed snow is due to palette limitations and if not for that the upper bit of the map would be snowy, but I always thought everything east of Zaxsachsenson was just Grannvale territory.

28 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

A shame we didn't get the classic Pokemon translators on Project Naga, or we could've gotten a "fufufu" or two from Manfroy.

I'm fairly certain that was the case in the old translation before Project Naga.

28 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Actually, Byron got better offscreen. This grievous injury is entirely unrelated to the first one.

Source: dude trust me.

The real deep lore of FE4: Reptor and Langbalt cared for Byron and ensured he made a full recovery. A year later, he tripped and fell down the stairs, hitting his head. This gave him a sad case of dementia, making him think Reptor and Langbalt were his enemies, despite the fact that they'd become the greatest friends in the year prior (a really clever parallel to Zigludo, Quando and Eltosian). Out of guilt for not making their castles more elderly-friendly, Reptor and Langbalt decided to pretend to be evil dudes to commit suicide by Sigurd.

Source: My uncle works at Nintendo.

15 minutes ago, BrightBow said:

Oh, like in Beyond: Two Souls.
After Jodie does her political assassination, she gets shot by the mob and you can have Aiden heal her. But if you do that, maybe about 2 minutes later she will just get shot in the exact spot anyway while she is evacuated.

David Cage. A true pioneer. You can tell he's a true pioneer because the only good parts of his widely-regarded best game are only good because the actors adlibbed the shit out of them, but people still attribute it to Cagey Davey.

The fact that he's a household name of the industry fills me with sadness.

[RPGuy96]

5 hours ago, ping said:

Honestly, I had remembered this scene, and particularly Ethlyn in it, to be... dumber. Quan obviously still made a huge mistake not considering the target on his own bag, and Ethlyn allows herself a moment of stupidity when she insists on bringing Altena into a war zone... but all of this seems very human. Ethlyn's wish not to part from Quan is understandable, and she quickly listens to reason. Quan fucked up by not considering this scenario as possible, and immediately realised it when Trabant appeared in the rear mirror.

Yeah, I remember Ethlyn being dumber, too.  It's Quan who comes off worse here, for taking his horsies into the desert, a classic Fire Emblem mistake.  And for not realizing that Travant can use effective weaponry against his single-class squad.  Ethlyn probably shouldn't have entered the desert (or at least she could have let Altenna cry it out at home), but it seems likely that Travant wouldn't let her get away anyway.

[Jotari]

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Supposedly, Kaga had plans for Azelle to get placed under house arrest (which being the brother of the most powerful man in Jugdral, could very well be a small mansion), where I think he might go insane/suicidal? It's been years since I heard the claim. Yes it would've cheated the massacre, but at least in a kinda-interesting way? Leaves one to wonder what'd be going through his mind in the aftermath of everything.

I don't feel like that cheapens the massacre. The survivals that cheapens the massacre cheapen it because, Lewyn aside, absolutely nothing is done with them and, especially for Briggid, depends on some major contrivance. House Arrest Azelle makes sense given Alvis's character, and in fact, is warranted in some form compared to what we got, which is Alvis never expressing any opinion at all about even he possibility of killing his own brother.

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

On my only playthrough of Thracia, I don't have the files or a screenshot left, but I do remember she turned out quite well for me, likely blessed. Fliers aren't OP in Thracia, but I think Karin still stands a chance of being good.

I find Karin very powerful in Thracia. Don't let the ballista spam fool you, fliers are very useful.

2 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

-Though as I thought about it before. Tell me- which of the six ducal and one royal houses of Grannvale are actually "developed"?

It's a real how long is a piece of string question. None of them are particularly developed in know what trade and industry or folk songs they have. But, that goes for almost every Fire Emblem country. Despite (probably) being the spiritually important place, I'm on record saying that Edda is the least developed of them, but that's because Claude is literally the only character from there we can point to (Sylvia doesn't count and Rodan isn't a character), and that's how far most Fire Emblem countries are developed. It's the "Oh the place that guy is from" factor. We don't really know what the people of Dozel want or do, but we do know Langbolt, Lex, Dannan, Brian, Johan and Johalva are from there any how it relates to the outer Duchies politically. For the scope of Genealogy's story, that's decently developed. Of them all I'd say Friege is the most developed though. Especially since we have more exposure to it's more minor nobility in Thracia.

1 hour ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

This seems like a losing bet. Only one of their children will be born with Major Naga blood, and there's a 50% chance of that child being a girl. I wonder what's more important to Azmur - having the right kind of magical blood, or having a dick?

Holy blood only counts if it can sustain an erection.

1 hour ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

I always forget that Lübeck is supposed to be in Silesse. At this point, everything just looks like Grannvale. Who plowed all the snow, anyway?

Looking at my Sigurd choose your own adventure story (which I promise I'll post when we get to the end of Gen 1) it seems I was under the impression it was part of Isaach. Which would have been kind of nice. Sort of finishing things off where they started. It's a bit weird the Grannvale even grabbed it. Like, was that part of Daccar's deal with them? "Help me win this civil war and I'll give you part of the country (please don't use it to invade the rest)". Or did Grannvale only seize it after Lahna came out as the victor of the Silesse conflict? Or did they just grab it against Daccar's wishes and were like "STFU, you want our help or not?"

1 hour ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

Actually, Byron got better offscreen. This grievous injury is entirely unrelated to the first one.

Source: dude trust me.

It's not what the game wants us to believe, but it is the only rationale explanation.

55 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said:

Yeah, that was my reaction as well. Pretty sure the plowed snow is due to palette limitations and if not for that the upper bit of the map would be snowy, but I always thought everything east of Zaxsachsenson was just Grannvale territory.

I headcannon Silesse is actually super green and people in the low regions even get to complain about how humid the climate is. We just have a mistaken view of the whole place because the singular time we see it it's covered in snow.

 

 

Edited March 22 by Jotari

[Jotari]

 

4 hours ago, ping said:

 crazy lunatics that were oppressed for good reasons (like Gamers, actually) might not have been the greatest idea, and I tend to agree with that thus far.