Interdimensional Observer Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: ...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. Grannvale does get three, sorta four chapters. And it is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. It is the axis mundi, around which almost all events on the continent revolve. Story would've been a heckuva lot different if Cigyun had fled the Spirit Forest for the Thracian Peninsula or Silesse. Grannvale is not lacking for importance in the least ...but that doesn't prevent it from being developed than it perhaps should/could be. 3 hours 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 narration does say it's early spring now. Which given Silesse's northern position shouldn't be snow-free just yet. But it is the southern portion of the country we're talking about here, maybe it's warm enough that the snow melted enough for it to not be worth showing. 3 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: 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. In the premodern day, how thorough could Grannvale's control be? -Okay, it has been in power there for like three years, but Grannvale is also occupying Agustria, and they're both big countries. So it wouldn't be infeasible if Grannvalian occupation forces/garrisons stuck to the major towns and fortresses, leaving the countryside rather unpunished. 2 hours ago, RPGuy96 said: It's Quan who comes off worse here, for taking his horsies into the desert, a classic Fire Emblem mistake. IRL, I don't think horses actually fair that badly in desert. For long hauls, like that of merchant caravans, camels are superior, yes. But brief military campaigns? Horses do just fine in desert warfare. -And I've doubts there has been very much combat over vast undulating dunes when it comes to desert warfare, as FE would like us to think would be the case. 2 hours ago, Jotari said: 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?" The world map shows Lubeck as being easternmost Silesse territorially. As for when Grannvale took it, I do remember reading that following the Protestant Reformation, France was able to benefit from the internal strife within the Holy Roman Empire and take a few border towns for itself. Maybe that was the intent -although, Grannvale's Gen 1 intent is world domination. 2 hours ago, Jotari said: 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. Fair point. I'll concur on Edda. And I'll take note of its curious location. If Edda is particularly spiritual, its location does place it the closest to Darna, presumably the holiest location on the continent internationally. Yet, Edda also finds itself bordering eastern Miletos, western Manster, not far from northernmost Thracia, and just across the seemingly-tolerable southern fringe of the Yied Desert is Issach. Edda should for all intents and purposes be raking in the money from customs duties. On Dozel, Neir blood is +Def, Helswath is +20 Def and +10 Res. Why not headcanon the idea that Neir wanted to be roughly equidistant from all his Grannvalian equals? By doing so, if an attack struck any border, Neir and his descendants could readily send reinforcements to that periphery. (And Belhalla I'll assume was built on the site of the former Loptyrian Empire capital, or if that site was deemed cursed, not far from it and initially build using materials salvaged from the now-abandoned cursed capital.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said: Story would've been a heckuva lot different if Cigyun had fled the Spirit Forest for the Thracian Peninsula or Silesse. A Tavant x Cigyun alternate history is one I had no idea I wanted so much until now. Hypothetical Cigyun!Arione would probably be completely on board with the incest. :0 45 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said: The world map shows Lubeck as being easternmost Silesse territorially. Oh it's absolutely Silesse, even map aside, Lahna outright refers to it as a Silessian castle that has just been seized. But I guess fans get a bit confused because no snow and snow=Silesse, despite half the country being seen snow free in Chapter 5. 45 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said: I'll concur on Edda. And I'll take note of its curious location. If Edda is particularly spiritual, its location does place it the closest to Darna, presumably the holiest location on the continent internationally. Yet, Edda also finds itself bordering eastern Miletos, western Manster, not far from northernmost Thracia, and just across the seemingly-tolerable southern fringe of the Yied Desert is Issach. Edda should for all intents and purposes be raking in the money from customs duties. Unfortunately Edda have to spend all the money they gain on Valkyrie repairs. Turns out they didn't lose it at all, Claud's mother and/or father buried in some clutter at the Tower of Bragi so they could actually save the money they were earning. The most consistent cultural traits of a Fire Emblem nation is what class they primarily field. And Dozla is mostly axe fighters. So perhaps they have a big lumber industry. Especially if those tickets west of Dozla and south of Friege belongs to them. Edited March 22 by Jotari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 12 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: This shit is what happens when you refuse to give your main antagonist any screentime for half the game. You know it's "good" when a villain starts his speech with a variation of "As you already know". 12 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: '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) 12 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: Also him being spelt with a B in this translation always throws me for a loop. My irony detector's readings are inconclusive, so just for clarity's sake - he's Travant in the patch. I just slapped a "b" (well, a mirrored "d", I didn't find anybody with a b in their name or class) for the sake of the joke. 12 hours ago, Jotari said: Almost. Vaja has blue eyes, while Eriu and Folta have green and red eyes. Good to know. Considering that I didn't notice that Ava/Eva/Alva (or whatever their names were in this patch) technically have individual portraits, I doubt I would've noticed this. 11 hours ago, BrightBow said: 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. *tips forehead* Can't be accused of double-standards if your definitions are sufficiently precise. 11 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. Depressed (not necessarily insane) old Azel sounds like a pretty good concept, honestly. Not only was he not able to save Sigurd, it was his own brother who killed him, and now Azel is entirely at the mercy of said brother, his wife (substitute with "his old crush Aideen" if he's unmarried) is dead or missing, he probably doesn't know anything about his own childrens' fate (if they exist)... Could make for a very bitter, jaded character, but ultimately sympathetic towards Seliph (so he might try to help from behind the scenes somehow), who could potentially be re-recruited as playable by one of his children. I don't expect that last part would've worked in the original FE4 (the conditional aspect of it), but it's still an interesting scenario to ponder. 11 hours 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. How do you double a Trabi's value? - You fill 'er up. 9 hours 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? The Agustrian succession seems to have set the precedent "ding-dong", or maybe seniority before Major Hezul blood. Hezul was the first king of Agustria, so presumably, Chagall is a distant cousin of Eldigan's, from a branch of the family where the Hezul blood has been "watered down". And that's what happens when you don't incest, kids 9 hours 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? Seasonal progression aside, I don't mind that Silesse isn't entirely a one-climate country. It would make sense that there is some arable in Silessia. What I find more odd is the proximity of the Yied desert to Silesse. I know that the Sahara isn't representive of all desert in the world, but I still associate the sandy terrain with a heat desert, which would be awfully close to the seemingly more arctic Silesse. 9 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: 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. With how little information we have at this moment, you could probably argue either way if fleeing to Isaach or staying with Sigurd is more safe. But I would assume that whatever risk assessment Sigurd has made for Seliph, that should more or less apply for Shanan, too. Sure, Grannvale would likely not want to have a claimant to Isaach's throne running around, but if Sigurd fails (fat chance, amiright?), chances are that the Powers That Be also wouldn't want a Chalphian heir to survive. 9 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: They targeted Loptyrians. Loptyrians. It's about ethics in government, really. 8 hours ago, RPGuy96 said: 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. And Quan's mistake still comes across as believable, I find. He tunnel-visioned on the dangers posed to Leonster while he is away and his father is sick, so he left behind his most trusted knight, probably had all ballistae maintained and manned and Wingslayers distributed to the Sword Fighters... but he completely blanked on the fact that, if you split your army in two, both halves are going to be vulnerable. It's a huge mistake, for sure, but one I can sympathise with (minus the "getting yourself, your family, and half an army slaughtered as a result" part, of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 1 hour ago, ping said: Good to know. Considering that I didn't notice that Ava/Eva/Alva (or whatever their names were in this patch) technically have individual portraits, I doubt I would've noticed this. I'll be honest, I wouldn't have noticed if you posted the wrong portrait. I just know that these portraits have differences because I've categorized all the portrait reuse in the NES and SNES games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interdimensional Observer Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 (edited) 4 hours ago, ping said: What I find more odd is the proximity of the Yied desert to Silesse. I know that the Sahara isn't representive of all desert in the world, but I still associate the sandy terrain with a heat desert, which would be awfully close to the seemingly more arctic Silesse. The Gobi, though it's not like this all the time. It can break 40C in the summer. High elevation is a reason apparently (thinned air is colder than denser stuff), and the only thing separating the Gobi from frigid Siberia, is Mongolia. Although, who at IS decided to throw in the Yied? Why did Jugdral need a largely-uninhabited desert?🤔🏜️ (What Phinora is supposed to be is never explained, but I presume it and Darna are both tiny independent oasis polities, utterly powerless in world affairs and deemed not worth a single moment of discussion by IS.) All I feel like the Yied does is make Issach more distant from other places, and to a lesser extent the Thracian Peninsula perhaps. Which I guess serves to "bubble" most of Gen 2, by keeping it nominally far away from Grannvale until it's time. Edited March 22 by Interdimensional Observer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 36 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said: The Gobi, though it's not like this all the time. It can break 40C in the summer. High elevation is a reason apparently (thinned air is colder than denser stuff), and the only thing separating the Gobi from frigid Siberia, is Mongolia. Although, who at IS decided to throw in the Yied? Why did Jugdral need a largely-uninhabited desert?🤔🏜️ (What Phinora is supposed to be is never explained, but I presume it and Darna are both tiny independent oasis polities, utterly powerless in world affairs and deemed not worth a single moment of discussion by IS.) All I feel like the Yied does is make Issach more distant from other places, and to a lesser extent the Thracian Peninsula perhaps. Which I guess serves to "bubble" most of Gen 2, by keeping it nominally far away from Grannvale until it's time. It might exist purely for this Trvant scene too. There would be less of an *ouch* factor if Travant ambushed them in a meadow. The desert also serves as an explanation as to where the Lopt Sect came from. I mean, obviously they came from the Lopt Empire, but how they survived the intervening century of witch hunts. A secret shrine dead centre in the middle of the desert that no one would ever have any reason to stumble upon is a pretty decent place to put a sizeable secret hideout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 10 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said: Grannvale does get three, sorta four chapters. And it is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. It is the axis mundi, around which almost all events on the continent revolve. Story would've been a heckuva lot different if Cigyun had fled the Spirit Forest for the Thracian Peninsula or Silesse. Grannvale is not lacking for importance in the least ...but that doesn't prevent it from being developed than it perhaps should/could be. That's all true, but it's not quite what I meant. It's a little hard to explain, but it doesn't feel like Grannvale itself is the focus of its chapters, so to speak. Chapter 2 is entirely dedicated to explaining the situation in Agustria, showcasing its political strife and corruption, before devoting another chapter to its order of finest knights and their dumbass king that led them all to ruin. Meanwhile, it feels like the Grannvale chapters are more focused on specific characters and the overarching plot of Manfroy's Fun Incest Times. You don't get as much of a feel on the country of Grannvale as a whole, and then in gen 2 it's basically just "Loptyr's puppet state." Though maybe I'm just rambling here. I don't know, maybe it's just because I find chapters 2 and 3 (before Orgahill) to be the height of this game's narrative, The Funny notwithstanding. 4 hours ago, ping said: You know it's "good" when a villain starts his speech with a variation of "As you already know". As you already know, Genealogy of the Holy War is a flawed game. 5 hours ago, ping said: Why did you have to do this? 5 hours ago, ping said: My irony detector's readings are inconclusive, so just for clarity's sake - he's Travant in the patch. I just slapped a "b" (well, a mirrored "d", I didn't find anybody with a b in their name or class) for the sake of the joke. Oh. ...I forgor lmao I do know there is a version of FE4 that calls him Trabant. Possibly the one before this. Or maybe older versions of this, heck if I know. 1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said: Although, who at IS decided to throw in the Yied? Why did Jugdral need a largely-uninhabited desert?🤔🏜️ (What Phinora is supposed to be is never explained, but I presume it and Darna are both tiny independent oasis polities, utterly powerless in world affairs and deemed not worth a single moment of discussion by IS.) All I feel like the Yied does is make Issach more distant from other places, and to a lesser extent the Thracian Peninsula perhaps. Which I guess serves to "bubble" most of Gen 2, by keeping it nominally far away from Grannvale until it's time. Conventions? A lot of stuff we take for granted now can be attributed to Thracia and later FE6 but desert maps is something Kaga decidedly loves. He puts at least one in all of his games, all of them, even the ones after he left. And also, yeah, like Jotari says, it helps the Quan setpiece. Though it comes at the cost of it having to come back later in gen 2 as a bad map you have ot play through... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interdimensional Observer Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 1 hour ago, Jotari said: The desert also serves as an explanation as to where the Lopt Sect came from. I mean, obviously they came from the Lopt Empire, but how they survived the intervening century of witch hunts. A secret shrine dead centre in the middle of the desert that no one would ever have any reason to stumble upon is a pretty decent place to put a sizeable secret hideout. Hypothetically speaking, could you turn the Yied into a vast inland sea, rimmed by land, with a "Damned Island" thrown in the middle, and it'd affect relatively little? Maybe? -Just a thought. 1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said: That's all true, but it's not quite what I meant. It's a little hard to explain, but it doesn't feel like Grannvale itself is the focus of its chapters, so to speak. Chapter 2 is entirely dedicated to explaining the situation in Agustria, showcasing its political strife and corruption, before devoting another chapter to its order of finest knights and their dumbass king that led them all to ruin. Meanwhile, it feels like the Grannvale chapters are more focused on specific characters and the overarching plot of Manfroy's Fun Incest Times. You don't get as much of a feel on the country of Grannvale as a whole, and then in gen 2 it's basically just "Loptyr's puppet state." Though maybe I'm just rambling here. I don't know, maybe it's just because I find chapters 2 and 3 (before Orgahill) to be the height of this game's narrative, The Funny notwithstanding. No, I think I can see what you mean. And the final chapter is just the grandiose finale (which Kaga thought of as more of as a conclusion than a climax for the story). 1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said: Conventions? A lot of stuff we take for granted now can be attributed to Thracia and later FE6 but desert maps is something Kaga decidedly loves. He puts at least one in all of his games, all of them, even the ones after he left. Reminds me of this.: “In terms of how the player feels when they encounter this area that is a different story,” says Miyazaki. “But when making the game I rediscovered my love for making poison swamps. I know how people feel about them, but you know, suddenly I realize I'm in the middle of making one and I just can't help myself. It just happens.” https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/01/28/hidetaka-miyazaki-rediscovered-his-love-of-creating-poison-swamps-in-elden-ring -The creator of the four famed Souls games + Elden Ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanty Pete's 1st Mate Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 13 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said: The narration does say it's early spring now. Which given Silesse's northern position shouldn't be snow-free just yet. But it is the southern portion of the country we're talking about here, maybe it's warm enough that the snow melted enough for it to not be worth showing. It's plausible, but that would depend on how much time there is between the end of chapter 4, and the beginnimg of chapter 5. I didn't think it was a very long break. 13 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said: So it wouldn't be infeasible if Grannvalian occupation forces/garrisons stuck to the major towns and fortresses, leaving the countryside rather unpunished. True again, but... they don't settle in a small rural area, but at Castle Tirnanog instead. Perhaps it was abandoned when Isaach was defeated, and never retaken by House Dozel? Regardless, it seems like a rather conspicuous base-of-operations for an underground resistance. 13 hours ago, Jotari said: A Tavant x Cigyun alternate history is one I had no idea I wanted so much until now. Hypothetical Cigyun!Arione would probably be completely on board with the incest. :0 Cigyun!Arione x Arvis? I'm, uh, not sure how "fruitful" such a union would prove to be. 8 hours ago, ping said: The Agustrian succession seems to have set the precedent "ding-dong", or maybe seniority before Major Hezul blood. Hezul was the first king of Agustria, so presumably, Chagall is a distant cousin of Eldigan's, from a branch of the family where the Hezul blood has been "watered down". And that's what happens when you don't incest, kids I do wonder whether Chagall would be given minor Hezul blood in a potential remake. Seems like that's something he'd be expected to have. In theory, the blood could be "watered down" to undectability, but in gameplay, that never really happens. Only when a child would have two other blood types, does one of them get "suppressed". 8 hours ago, ping said: And Quan's mistake still comes across as believable, I find. He tunnel-visioned on the dangers posed to Leonster while he is away and his father is sick, so he left behind his most trusted knight, probably had all ballistae maintained and manned and Wingslayers distributed to the Sword Fighters... but he completely blanked on the fact that, if you split your army in two, both halves are going to be vulnerable. It's a huge mistake, for sure, but one I can sympathise with (minus the "getting yourself, your family, and half an army slaughtered as a result" part, of course). I was gonna complain about Ethlyn saying she would leave back to Leonster, and then just... not... doing so. But thinking on it, even if she had tried to return, the Thracian Dracoknights were showing up, like, right away. Even discounting the whole "backtracking through the desert", they probably would've caught up to her on her return home. Thinking more on it, perhaps the Thracian Dracoknights should've debuted in this chapter? It does establish them as a fearsome threat. Versus their appearance in chapter 3, which is marginal and largely irrelevant. And with Gen II, it's not as though there's any shortage of Wyvern enemies. 2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: Meanwhile, it feels like the Grannvale chapters are more focused on specific characters and the overarching plot of Manfroy's Fun Incest Times. You don't get as much of a feel on the country of Grannvale as a whole, and then in gen 2 it's basically just "Loptyr's puppet state." Yeah, Grannvale itself doesn't have much of a discernible "culture", or "flavor", in the way that polities like Verdane and the Kingdom of Thracia do. You could argue that it's due to each House having its own domain. But then again, each House territory is too small to really feel like its own country. We learn a decent amount about House Friege, sure, but almost none of it happens in Friege territory. "Every Soul has its Dark." 1 hour ago, Interdimensional Observer said: - The creator of the four famed Souls games + Elden Ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 6 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: I do wonder whether Chagall would be given minor Hezul blood in a potential remake. Seems like that's something he'd be expected to have. In theory, the blood could be "watered down" to undectability, but in gameplay, that never really happens. Only when a child would have two other blood types, does one of them get "suppressed". My head canon, supported by Kaga's notes, is that Hezul already had children and a designated heir before the Darna event, and said heir didn't inherit Holy Blood because there simply was no holy blood to inherit at the time, only his youngest child had that opportunity. With the heir then being made king after Hezul's death, establishing Chagall's family while the youngest child who had holy blood established Eldigan's line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 FE4 Chapter 5: Threshold of Fate Lübeck --> Phinora Spoiler To start, Sigurd grabs the Renewal Band (mostly to give Seliph that sweet 20k from pawning it) and uses the rest of his cash to repari the Silver Sword and, marginally, Tyrfing. While the fighting is going on, Dew falls back and visits two more villages so that he can gift Sigurd more repair money (and Aideen will warp him over to Phinora to accelerate the process). : "It seems that strengths and abilities are passed down from parents to children. You'll often find that boys'll take up their father's traits more dominantly, while girls'll be more strongly influenced by their mother's. [4000 gold -> Dew] : "To think, Silesse remained such a peaceful place for generations and generations! Argh, how did this world turn into such a savage place..." [4500 gold -> Dew] With that, Dew sits at 25500 gold - 25 or 26 additional Tyrfing charges, which should be plenty, so Aideen grabs the last remaining village just for completion's sake: : "Did ya know? The famous Lord Eldigan of Nordion and his wife had themselves a little son before he died a while back. His name's, er... Ares? Something' [sic] like that. I feel pretty bad for the poor boy... He's gotta be just three or four years old..." [4000 gold -> Aideen] A wife and son that Eldigan didn't bother to mention even just a single time in all the screentime he had gotten. Even his last thoughts are only of Raquesis, which I'm sure the more degenerate parts of the fanbase read a lot into. Before he went off grabbing the villages, Dew also had a little talk with Jamke: : "Hey... Jamke?" : "Dew? Still here, are you? Look, didn't you hear us the first time? You're just in the way now. Go on, get outta here!" : "Ugh, why's everyone sayin' that?! What is WITH you lot lately? We're so close to winnin' this thing, but you wouldn't know it from how you're all actin'! What's goin' on here?" : "Oh, er, sorry... You're right. I guess I am a bit tense at the moment. Not sure why, though..." : "...Look, Jamke. You're a neat guy and I like you. I know I've kinda been a pain in the neck right from the start and... Er, sorry." : "Huh? Why're you so sappy all of a sudden? If anyone's being weird now, it's you!" : "Never mind. I guess I'll see ya later." : "Huh... Even Dew can tell something's not right here..." The timing of this feels a little bit off - there's still one major backstabbing event pending before Sigurd's imminent success will become apparent, and I believe the current in-story status is still "desperately facing the overwhelming power of the Grannvale military". This conversation feels like it should happen after the odds suddenly seem in Sigurd's favour. And while all this happens, the Thracians make short work of Quan and Ethlyn's entourage, even though the Lanzenritter barely manage to survive a single hit. : "Away, Thracian beasts! So long as I hold Gáe Bolg, only one of us will live the day!" Nice dodge, Quan. Unfortunately... : "Hold tight, Altena! I'll protect you no matter what!" : "Ahh! Altena... Quan... I'm so sorry..." : "What's this? The woman was fool enough to have a child with her? Ah, I see... Quan's daughter. Interesting... You there! Tell Quan this: if he doesn't surrender Gáe Bolg, his daughter will meet an untimely end. Heh heh heh... Your move, Quan. Your move." : "N-no! Altena... Ethlyn... So this is where it ends... Travant! You can have Gáe Bolg, but don't you DARE so much as scratch Altena!" : "Oh, Ethlyn... Forgive me... Finn... I entrust Leif... to you..." : "Let none of them escape. There's a fine bounty on each traitorous head, after all." : "Yes, sir! Er, that said, what are we supposed to do with this child? She's just crying and crying. We don't know how to handle this. Shall I put her out of her misery, sir?" : "Certainly not. Hand her over to me. She and Gáe Bolg are coming with me back to Thracia." : "Can't say I expected this, sir. If I may, why exactly are you taking her home with you?" : "Moron! You've no need to know! Keep that mouth of yours out of business that isn't yours." : "Y-yes, sir. I beg your forgiveness, sir. By your leave, sir, we will pursue Sigurd's rebels." : "Good. Don't fail me." A rather dark take on the "men don't know how to handle toddlers" trope. I believe that covers pretty much all that happens outside of the main force. So - as the last participent, Lewyn takes his turn in the arena. Until Nazarre, he gets by with using Elfire as a cheaper option, but as you can see, that was not enough against Nazarre. With the Paragon in hand (where it'll remain until the end of the chapter), he reaches Lv. 29.53, with both his Mag and his Spd capped at 30. __ The next part of the map is somewhat annoying trudging through the desert - the number of actual desert tiles you have to cross isn't too high at the western edge of the trail, but characters will still prevent each other from using their full movement all the time . Meanwhile, Erin flies around, stabbing Meteor Mages... ...and one of the Sleep priests, too. Aideen isn't following along, but she would be able to Restore sleeping characters from across the cliffs. But between Erin killing one priest and Sigurd equipping Tyrfing before getting in range of the other, she doesn't even need to do that. : "Take this! Feel the fiery wrath of the heavens!" Vaha does get a single hit off against Lex (and Aideen can thus make herself useful with Physic)... ...but Sigurd then makes quick work of her the turn afterwards. Turns out there's a crucial blind spot between the ranges of Meteor and the Miracle Sword. : "Urgh... Oh, Lord Arvis... Forgive my failure..." So, next turn, Sigurd seizes: : "Good. We've finally claimed Phinora. The fatherland is finally within our reach. Oifey and Shanan... I pray they and Seliph are faring well..." : "Lord Sigurd, I presume? Welcome to Phinora." : "Ah, you must be the local elder. My apologies for dragging even an oasis town like Phinora into this godforsaken war." : "Mm, at this point it was unavoidable. Actually, we've just received word of yet another skirmish in the desert's southern depths. Alas, we find outselves in dangerous times..." : "In the south, you say... What happened there?" : "As we understand it, the lance knights of Leonster were on a march north. They were savaged by Thracian dracoknights en route. There were no survivors, it seems." : "W-what?! You can't be serious!" : "I'm sorry to say I am. By the sound of it, there was a young girl in the Leonster party. Our hearts all break for the poor dear..." : "That's that was Ethlyn and Quan... Forgive... forgive me..." Overall, this was a better executed version of Mahnya's death in the previous chapter. Instead of an allied mage and invisible barriers preventing you from coming to your allies' help, it's just the distance (and terrain, but Quan and Ethlyn would have to be really lucky for even Erin to reach them in time to... still not be able to kill the Dracoknights fast enough, most likely) hindering Sigurd. And despite the lack of artificial barriers, there is absolutely no fake glimmer of hope that you might be able to save the Leonster troops - like the Beigenritter shredding Mahnya's squad, Travant's Dracoknights just murder them way too fast to give that impression. With Phinora seized, new troops arrive on the battlefield: __ : "Perhaps... Perhaps we are nothing more than sacrifices to him." : "Lord Arvis is hard at work making the final adjustments to the Velthomer battle plan. You've no need to worry, sire." : "Very well. I'll take you at your word, then." : "Now, if you'll excuse me, sire. I must return to the helm of the Velthomer barricades." : "This is it. Until Arvis is ready to move out, this battle is ours and ours alone. Hold to your positions until the enemy stumbles into our range. Do not move otherwise!" Knowing what is going to happen here, Aida's "final adjustments" comment is just delightfully devilish. But before we can get to that, there's still a group of flying lizards to be dealt with. In a previous attempt, this worked... poorly - the problem with Erin's excellent Def stat is that she can't enemy-phase any of the Dracoknights except for Magorn, who she doesn't do that much damage to in return. So, too many Dracoknights swarmed Sigurd's group, much to Midir's chagrin. So let's try to do better. Erin can at least do some work on player phase, one-rounding the generic enemies despite her Str being rather underwhelming at this point. __ And not everybody is equally threatened by the Horseslayers, which allows Lex to safely grab two kills on enemy phase. __ And don't tell me I never do nice things for you, Ruben. ...to bad that Erin didn't co-operate and dodged the Meteor spell. But an attempt was made! (and by "attempt", I mean "mistake while counting tiles", of course) Lex repeats the two-kill enemy phase from before... : "Gah... Glory be to Thracia!" ...and between his and Erin's kills, that is enough to clean up the rest of the Dracoknights. I stopped playing here, reasoning that this is where Phinora is properly secured and not just seized, and because there will probably be a lot to cover for the last gen 1 update. I'm kinda curious how big the impact of training the parents on the children's base stats will actually be, so I'll probably do a bit of maths, too. But for now, I'll just show a couple more conversations that become available after seizing Phinora: : "Geez, Azel, you look awful! What's going on?" : "Oh, Lex... Why are you looking so happy?" : "Huh? Oh, right. My dad..." : "Mm..." : "Yeah... I'm gonna be honest, Azel. It's not that I feel nothing at all about what happened. Can't be helped, right? But after all the pain and suffering Dad caused... Well, he deserved to go down." : "Oh... You know, I've always admired you for your resilience, Lex. Just thinking about my brother is enough to make me tremble." : "Yeah, Arvis has always stuck me as quite an odd one, but he's always been a decent fellow. I still can't see him as our enemy..." : "I know... Arvis has always been like a father to me, and I never knew my real father. The problem is, sometimes he just... He just changes! It's as if he becomes a whole different man. That's why I..." : "That's why you up and left him behind at home, right? There's nothing wrong with that, Azel. He's got his life, and you've got yours. Don't beat yourself up about it, okay?" : "I suppose you're right..." Still think they have a certain chemistry. Not saying that one has to read it that way (fellas, is it gay to have male friends?), but I'd be surprised if there won't be any Lezel shipping happening after a Genealogy remake. : "Hold on... Ayra?! Why are you still here? Didn't I task you with accompanying Shanan and Oifey to Isaach?" : "You did, but I feel I'd always regret abandoning your army at such a crucial hour. I'm with you until the end, Sigurd." : "I don't believe this... If you're not going, how are you supposed to protect Shanan?" : "Ah, of course. My pledge to my late brother... Shanan has grown into a strong young man, capable of leading his own life. My work is done. He no longer needs my protection." : "But-" : "Once I've seen this war through, I'll return to his side in Isaach. Until then, Sigurd, I won't run away. For better or worse, I'm with you." Ayra's pretty cool. That is all. My eugenics program has not been very efficient at producing "before the end" love talks... Both Ayra/Lex and Raquesis/Beowulf are close enough together to get these right now, too: : "I guess we're nearing the end here, Lex." : "Yeah... Y'know, Ayra, your stubbornness never ceases to amaze. Why didn't you just leave for Isaach?" : "Why should I have? Because I'm a woman?! Why didn't you leave? You're every bit as responsible for the children as I am!" : "Yeah, you're right... Sorry about that. But I dunno... I'm still not sure we should've abandoned the kids like that." : "That's why, the instant this war is over, we'll go back to Isaach for them. Together." : "Fair enough. C'mon, let's get this over with!" : "Lex... I'm sorry about all that. I've always been a fighter. This is the only life I have." : "Hah! It's fine, Ayra. I know. That's what I love about you, isn't it? I have no idea how this thing'll play out, but we're in it together, no matter what." : "Heh... Thank you, Lex." A single conversation, and these two already accumumated more Good Parents points than the entire Fates cast combined. ...sorry, can't help taking any opportunity to complain about just how stupid the baby realms are. : "Beowulf..." : "Look, Raquesis. If somethin' happens t'me, I want ya to go to Leonster fer me. Quan's kids're there with Finn. Help 'em out where I can't yeah?" : "No! You mustn't say such things! If I go to Leonster, you will come with me!" : "Raquesis... I don't think I've done right by ya." : "W-what? Why...?" : "I knew how ya really felt all along..." : "...Oh!" : "Look after yerself, Raquesis. This was fun while it lasted." : "Wait! Beowulf!!" Slightly out of left field, huh. But I guess it sets up why Nanna will be with Finn and Leif when they join in the second generation. __ Well then, I need to hurry! Sylvia is starting to develop feelings, and we can't be having with that! Luckily, there isn't a lot I still need to set up. Warp Dew to Phinora so that Sigurd can repair Tyrfing a bit more; Erin needs to grab the Thief Sword from the Pawn Broker - but otherwise, I think all items are in place. We'll see who's still going to hit Lv.30, too. Presumably, Sigurd (29.94) will be able to gain 6 more XP before the end of the map; Midir (29.82) and Lewyn (29.85 + Paragon) are also close. Taillte (27.85) seems less likely, but every other parent (except for Quan, too late for that) is capped out. On 3/22/2024 at 1:53 PM, Interdimensional Observer said: The Gobi, though it's not like this all the time. It can break 40C in the summer. High elevation is a reason apparently (thinned air is colder than denser stuff), and the only thing separating the Gobi from frigid Siberia, is Mongolia. Although, who at IS decided to throw in the Yied? Why did Jugdral need a largely-uninhabited desert?🤔🏜️ (What Phinora is supposed to be is never explained, but I presume it and Darna are both tiny independent oasis polities, utterly powerless in world affairs and deemed not worth a single moment of discussion by IS.) All I feel like the Yied does is make Issach more distant from other places, and to a lesser extent the Thracian Peninsula perhaps. Which I guess serves to "bubble" most of Gen 2, by keeping it nominally far away from Grannvale until it's time. Yeah, I had the Gobi desert in the back of my mind, but as you say, there's a Himalaya nearby, which Silesse doesn't exactly sport. Agreed with Jotari that the desert makes for a good dramatic location for Travant's trap. Every Fire Emblem player knows the frustration of manoevering horsies through the desert, even if it's not entirely realistic. On 3/22/2024 at 3:33 PM, Saint Rubenio said: That's all true, but it's not quite what I meant. It's a little hard to explain, but it doesn't feel like Grannvale itself is the focus of its chapters, so to speak. Chapter 2 is entirely dedicated to explaining the situation in Agustria, showcasing its political strife and corruption, before devoting another chapter to its order of finest knights and their dumbass king that led them all to ruin. Meanwhile, it feels like the Grannvale chapters are more focused on specific characters and the overarching plot of Manfroy's Fun Incest Times. You don't get as much of a feel on the country of Grannvale as a whole, and then in gen 2 it's basically just "Loptyr's puppet state." Though maybe I'm just rambling here. I don't know, maybe it's just because I find chapters 2 and 3 (before Orgahill) to be the height of this game's narrative, The Funny notwithstanding. Well, it's a common thing in most FE games that you don't see a lot of the country, and mostly just the rulers and nobles duking it out. For Grannvale, we have to add the problem that the entire politicking happens off-screen because Kaga hadn't figured out that you can show stuff from outside the current location. On 3/22/2024 at 3:33 PM, Saint Rubenio said: Why did you have to do this? That is not a Star Wars quote I was aware of. ...perhaps the archives are incomplete. (and apparently, imgur deleted that picture. I wonder if Lei(l)a's bikini triggered a porn filter, or if it was a copyright claim) On 3/22/2024 at 5:53 PM, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: Thinking more on it, perhaps the Thracian Dracoknights should've debuted in this chapter? It does establish them as a fearsome threat. Versus their appearance in chapter 3, which is marginal and largely irrelevant. And with Gen II, it's not as though there's any shortage of Wyvern enemies. I can't comment on gen 2, but... yes. The ch.3 Dracoknights were irrelevant and harmless. I know that it really helped that I happened to have Def Ring!Erin flying around, but they still made an awful first impression. On 3/23/2024 at 12:20 AM, Jotari said: My head canon, supported by Kaga's notes, is that Hezul already had children and a designated heir before the Darna event, and said heir didn't inherit Holy Blood because there simply was no holy blood to inherit at the time, only his youngest child had that opportunity. With the heir then being made king after Hezul's death, establishing Chagall's family while the youngest child who had holy blood established Eldigan's line. Oh, I like that. Definitely a realistic scenario that Hezul didn't overrule inheritance laws, although one has to assume that some day, if Genealogy hadn't happened, one of Eldigan's descendents would've proclaimed that his holy blood clearly marks him (or her) as the more worthy king/queen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 7 minutes ago, ping said: : "Did ya know? The famous Lord Eldigan of Nordion and his wife had themselves a little son before he died a while back. His name's, er... Ares? Something' [sic] like that. I feel pretty bad for the poor boy... He's gotta be just three or four years old..." [4000 gold -> Aideen] A wife and son that Eldigan didn't bother to mention even just a single time in all the screentime he had gotten. Even his last thoughts are only of Raquesis, which I'm sure the more degenerate parts of the fanbase read a lot into. This is very funny. It's like Kaga remembered at the last second that he wanted his Camus to have a son but forgot to establish... any of the parts that could make that happen. 9 minutes ago, ping said: A rather dark take on the "men don't know how to handle toddlers" trope. This is literally just the Garon backstory. 10 minutes ago, ping said: Overall, this was a better executed version of Mahnya's death in the previous chapter. Instead of an allied mage and invisible barriers preventing you from coming to your allies' help, it's just the distance (and terrain, but Quan and Ethlyn would have to be really lucky for even Erin to reach them in time to... still not be able to kill the Dracoknights fast enough, most likely) hindering Sigurd. And despite the lack of artificial barriers, there is absolutely no fake glimmer of hope that you might be able to save the Leonster troops - like the Beigenritter shredding Mahnya's squad, Travant's Dracoknights just murder them way too fast to give that impression. Reading this I'm realizing, this basically is the thing I said about making Silesse more linear, isn't it? The event starts early enough and there's enough shit in the way that you'll never make it to Quan and co. in time. 11 minutes ago, ping said: Knowing what is going to happen here, Aida's "final adjustments" comment is just delightfully devilish. Aida's a pretty neat character for how little she exists. 13 minutes ago, ping said: Slightly out of left field, huh. But I guess it sets up why Nanna will be with Finn and Leif when they join in the second generation. Why does Beowulf care, though? I thought he knew Eldigan, not Quan. Does he just know everybody, this absolute rando? 14 minutes ago, ping said: Well then, I need to hurry! Sylvia is starting to develop feelings, and we can't be having with that! No problem. That can be solved easily. With Holyn's blood. 14 minutes ago, ping said: Well, it's a common thing in most FE games that you don't see a lot of the country, and mostly just the rulers and nobles duking it out. For Grannvale, we have to add the problem that the entire politicking happens off-screen because Kaga hadn't figured out that you can show stuff from outside the current location. That's true, but in this game's case it feels a little bit weirder because Agustria does get a decent bit of worldbuilding. Heck, Verdane too, even if it's more insulting than anything. Even with Silesse you get more of a grasp on what the country feels like than Grannvale in all of its chapters. Eh, no biggie anyway. Just a thing. 15 minutes ago, ping said: That is not a Star Wars quote I was aware of. ...perhaps the archives are incomplete. My bad. I should've gone for the classic "how can you do this?" ...Which is... not classic enough to be on youtube, despite being a Star Wars prequel sentence. Huh. The archives really are incomplete. Well, here it is as part of a YTP. 15 minutes ago, ping said: (and apparently, imgur deleted that picture. I wonder if Lei(l)a's bikini triggered a porn filter, or if it was a copyright claim) Imgur be like: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) 38 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said: This is very funny. It's like Kaga remembered at the last second that he wanted his Camus to have a son but forgot to establish... any of the parts that could make that happen. I wonder if Vaja was intended to be the mother of the Gen II mage trio and they just never got around to mentioning it. Same portrait syndrome definitely is a condition infecting the boss cast, but in this case Vaja and the Mage Trio are all in direct service of the head of House Friege. 38 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said: Aida's a pretty neat character for how little she exists. I can rant now or I can rant in Chapter 10 about her disappearance. 38 minutes ago, Saint Rubenio said: Why does Beowulf care, though? I thought he knew Eldigan, not Quan. Does he just know everybody, this absolute rando? Beowulf absolutely no doubt goes way back with Eldigan. That means he is also best buds with Quan who is absolutely no doubt best buts with Eldigan. Beowulf is like the Byleth to the Sigurd, Eldigan, Quan Three Houses dynamic! ...is it possible he actually isn't lying and actually was friends with Eldigan and Sigurd is actually the jackass for not recognizing his Neville Longbottom? Edited March 24 by Jotari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said: This is literally just the Garon backstory. It would be shocking to find a kidnapping trope in post-Thracia Fire Emblem that Kaga did not do first. 1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said: Why does Beowulf care, though? I thought he knew Eldigan, not Quan. Does he just know everybody, this absolute rando? Since he mentions Finn, I would guess that the implication is something along the lines of "I know you're actually super into Finn and only married me because I made a move and he didn't". Otherwise, I also don't see why Beowulf would tell her to go to Leonster, not to Isaach to join up with Oifey and Shannan. 1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said: No problem. That can be solved easily. With Holyn's blood. Ehhh, this has been a deathless string of runs thus far, with the only fallen character being getting revived before the end of Book 1. So if I can't get through the final stretch quickly enough, I suppose we'll have to do with what is probably one of the worst pairings possible for Sylvia. ...actually, the First Mate put it in B tier during the Matrimonial Mondays, because it gives Lene more oomph for the arena (Brave Sword!), and more HP to both of the kids. But since I've done virtually nothing to set up inheritance and I don't care that much about Lene leveling up, that still sounds like a bad trade for what the substitutes would bring to the table. 1 hour ago, Saint Rubenio said: "how can you do this?" https://joshuawright.net/slack-wyrm-111.html (Also not a SW quote. But funny.) 1 hour ago, Jotari said: I wonder if Vaja was intended to be the mother of the Gen II mage trio and they just never got around to mentioning it. Same portrait syndrome definitely is a condition infecting the boss cast, but in this case Vaja and the Mage Trio are all in direct service of the head of House Friege. Vaja is working for House Velthomer, though: On 3/21/2024 at 7:01 PM, ping said: : "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. 1 hour ago, Jotari said: ...is it possible he actually isn't lying and actually was friends with Eldigan and Sigurd is actually the jackass for not recognizing his Neville Longbottom? Au revoir, little biscuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrightBow Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 2 hours ago, ping said: : "Urgh... Oh, Lord Arvis... Forgive my failure..." I wonder how much you are supposed to read into both of Alvis's officers being female when no one else has any female commanders. Pegasus Knights notwithstanding. 2 hours ago, ping said: Overall, this was a better executed version of Mahnya's death in the previous chapter. Instead of an allied mage and invisible barriers preventing you from coming to your allies' help, it's just the distance (and terrain, but Quan and Ethlyn would have to be really lucky for even Erin to reach them in time to... still not be able to kill the Dracoknights fast enough, most likely) hindering Sigurd. And despite the lack of artificial barriers, there is absolutely no fake glimmer of hope that you might be able to save the Leonster troops - like the Beigenritter shredding Mahnya's squad, Travant's Dracoknights just murder them way too fast to give that impression. But this does mean that you can actually break this event if Cuan and Ethlyn are strong enough and Fury has the Leg Ring. Even potentially softlocking yourself if they take Phinora before you do. Fury may not be able to fight the Thracians directly, since they are still yellow. But she can heal NPCs. It'e even possible to get them to kill Trabant. Though I suppose that does require an actual glitch, since otherwise they just keep marching through the desert one tile at a time. If you let Byron die, this causes him to remain the commander of the NPC army instead of Cuan. Which will break the Lenster Army's AI, which will cause them to actually charge the Thracians. That way Cuan can potentially deal damage to Trabant at both Other and NPC phase, which can be enough to kill him. 2 hours ago, ping said: Knowing what is going to happen here, Aida's "final adjustments" comment is just delightfully devilish. She is going to purchase fast food and disguise it as her own cooking. 2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: This is very funny. It's like Kaga remembered at the last second that he wanted his Camus to have a son but forgot to establish... any of the parts that could make that happen. But see, with the rising tensions he was worried about his wife's safety so he had the foresight to sent her out of the country in time. And he didn't send his dear sister along with her, because shut up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 2 hours ago, ping said: Vaja is working for House Velthomer, though: I am mistaken...though I kind of shouldn't be, right? I mean...Alvis straight up wanted Vaja to die then. And later when Aida is like "JK we were on your side all along" Sigurd isn't like "Really...dude I murdered a bunch of Velthomers when taking that castle. Why didn't anyone say anything?" I know Fanore (that's the correct spelling, everyone but me is wrong, it's a beach in Ireland, trust me) is probably in Velthomer territory in so much as it can be considered part of Grannvale at all...but still, I feel these soldiers probably should have been working for Reptor...was this decision really as simple as Meteor=Velthomer with no consideration of how it means Alvis is basically murdering his own subjects. Well, at least half of them are on plateaus where there is some expectation they won't die (not withstanding a single very thorough pegasus knight). 2 hours ago, ping said: Au revoir, little biscuit. Oh wow. Harry Potter Puppet Pals. That really takes me back. 1 hour ago, BrightBow said: I wonder how much you are supposed to read into both of Alvis's officers being female when no one else has any female commanders. Pegasus Knights notwithstanding. Well...it is later revealed in Thracia he was banging at least one of them. Like father like son, perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interdimensional Observer Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 4 hours ago, ping said: Still think they have a certain chemistry. Not saying that one has to read it that way (fellas, is it gay to have male friends?), but I'd be surprised if there won't be any Lezel shipping happening after a Genealogy remake. Just saying that ever since you proposed the idea of them a couple at the start of your Genealogy journey… Spoiler Imagine, Lex and Azelle sitting on a couch together. Where? Let’s say one of the Velthomer ducal estates. Now, keep in mind that Arvis apparently has a bunch of bastard siblings besides Azelle, whom it seems Victor was willing to dote on. Arvis cut them all loose, and only kept the unborn Azelle because his mother was a poor handmaiden of Cigyun. With this in mind, Arvis probably won’t be bombarding Azelle in brotherly nepotism. Honestly, assuming his father’s decadence extend to all the good things in life, not just just love, Arvis would probably hold a very austere ducal court. Even so, I think we can assume Arvis would be loving enough to give his brother some comfortable space. Perhaps in the countryside there’s a ducal hunting lodge, a jagdschloss, a pavillon de chasse, a “small” chateau. Still a residence well beyond what commoners would have, but by aristocratic standards, especially one of the most elite families in the entire continent, a “humble” abode. Now, here we have Lex and Azelle, sitting beside each other on a couch, fully clothed, and very relaxed. Their focus is on a pair of gladiators fighting it out in front of them, lightly smiling as they turn not their heads from the action and reach for a bunch of grapes or a sip of diluted wine or beer set for them on tables. One might quietly place their second arm on the other’s upper back, without anything being said of it. However, these lunchtime gladiatorial matches are not sponsored by Velthomer, they’re being paid for by the Duchy of Dozel. It just so happens to be happening -unofficially- on a Velthomer estate. Which is fine, Lex is the one who ordered the action anyway. Though Azelle isn’t opposed to to gladiators whatsoever, he can appreciate some nonfatal blood sport, as long as it isn’t too bloody. While Lex doesn’t get along great with his father and brother, he is still a Dozel, and has been enfeoffed with a title and lands that via taxes provide him with a do-nothing lifetime stipend. Thus, we have a fine compromise here. Arvis is not fond of arenas, the carnality of the bloodshed is much to his distaste, and, like visual art, keeps it restrained to what is necessary for proper state decorum & ceremony. Azelle is keenly aware of his brother’s likes and dislikes, and tries to stay on his good side, sometimes only after getting non-literally burned. Lex’s independent income allows Azelle to skirt the prohibitions his loving-if-severe brother imposes, and Lex doesn’t mind taking the occasional heat from Arvis if it lets Azelle live a little. Not to say Azelle doesn’t like books (or music, the one creative art/entertainment Arvis is willing to heavily patronize), he is a mage after all, but he does have some inclination for more vigorous things. So again, here we are, Lex and Azelle, sitting on a couch, watching some gladiators. The Warrior is stuck by the Myrmidon’s blade and is slammed onto his back, towards the two prominent spectators. Azelle’s silent mouth becomes noticeably agape as he beholds the battered bare chest of the fallen. Lex takes notice, his face becomes slightly agitated, though he says nothing aloud. Hey! Eyes over here, Redhead! Not to say Lex’s stare doesn’t stray when a handsome servant presents him with a tray of figs and cured meat. Taking it all in, commenting every so often to each other, or another, or letting out a shout of cheer or astonishment at the entertainment. It’s a normal Thursday for them, really. There are a few others in attendance as these fights with food, as Azelle does keep a very small court of his own. It’s a narrow circle of ducal notables, some good acquaintances of the two holy-blooded young men, and courtiers. Though not a single courtesan given Arvis’s hatred of the “profession”, the only females tolerated are servants, old women, and professional soldiers. Those in this little retinue can tell the two are close, yet Azelle manages to get away with it. Officially, Azelle is the heir to the Duchy of Velthomer, as Arvis has not yet wedded and produced offspring. Honestly, given Arvis’s daddy issues, there are many left wondering -never in front of the Duke- if he will ever wed, what woman he’d even go for, and if it would be a pitiful job to be the wife to a man so cold. Despite these concerns, Arvis is young and healthy, he has plenty of time to produce an heir, nobody questions that he will. Azelle is therefore already to some implicit degree treated like he’s three or four removes from the throne and would never get it, he must keep propriety, but the standard is lower for him than if he were truly treated like the heir. This being the case, Azelle can let down his hair and be himself to a greater degree than he otherwise could. And in Lex’s situation, his brother has already churned out a nephew who supersedes him, so he almost no rules to obey, it’d take something really scandalous to force his old man to rein him in. Maybe “Rexine, Warrior Queen of Phinora” would, but how else were they supposed to stage a romance-tragedy play when Duke Velthomer would Valflame them all if they had a single woman as much as near the stage? -And Lex will insist he was drunk, very drunk. Although Azelle -who played the Loptyr Empire soldier who is forced to put country above his feelings for the doomed rebel leader- doesn’t remember it that way. Claiming instead that Lex wanted to be the bride at a wedding and the corpse at a funeral; oh what a charming ego. -But we don’t talk about “Rexine”. P.S. We do talk about Rexine's final farewell, which was a feast for the ears. You see, all Fire Emblem worlds have opera, they simply have to. It began as a joke, with Azelle pestering to Lex try operatic singing, and Azelle was expecting him to shatter windows and eardrums alike. Lex did not care for opera at all, but with enough annoyance, he agreed to give it a try, which turned into multiple hours-long sessions of training, the "joke" got old fast. Four weeks-and-a-half weeks later, Lex made his stage debut. And... Holy Helswath Lex was good! Turns out the Neir Blood boosts vocal chord durability too. Were he not a warrior by preference, he would be one of the greatest bass singers on the entire continent. Azelle was not expecting this at all -Lex grinned at catching him by surprise- but he was delighted in a different way nonetheless. (Azelle himself has a very weak voice incapable of operatic glory, the most he does is Crusader cantatas the likes of which a choirboy would sing at church.) As for Lex himself, he suddenly developed a love for opera once he realized how good he was at it, though he still pretended to only grudgingly enjoy it. Thus, even though it's a non-musical play, Rexine had to end with a tune, as odd as it seems for a female character to belch melodious notes as deep as the great lake in Verdane. Azelle not infrequently wakes in the morning when Lex, routinely washing his hands and face, practices with a few verses for the duration of his cleansing. ...And to think- Manfroy had to go and ruin this with his "make a dark god and give 'em the world" scheme. For shame!😛 -I wrote this out a few days ago. Mostly, but what I didn't I already had in my head, and only didn't write down because I was afraid I was getting too verbose already.😆 4 minutes ago, Jotari said: Well...it is later revealed in Thracia he was banging at least one of them. Like father like son, perhaps. Well given his holy ancestor whose power and political status he has inherited, Arvis is no position to deny women a chance to fight. However, I'd imagine a more sympathetic scenario, where him being so emotionally distant over the years left him with great longing for closeness with another human being, and, he slipped. Maybe just once, much to his own internal self-hatred, but he did. And knowing how he'd feel if he knew, she never once brought up the consequence with him, and they never spoke of it ever again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanty Pete's 1st Mate Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 6 hours ago, ping said: can't comment on gen 2, but... yes. The ch.3 Dracoknights were irrelevant and harmless. I know that it really helped that I happened to have Def Ring!Erin flying around, but they still made an awful first impression. Yeah, I am definitely a fan of the Shield Ring on Erinys, at least some of the time. Shores up one of her issues, of not-the-best physical bulk. ...Although even in that aspect, she's not that bad. As for their chapter 3 appearance, it just feels really... random, I guess? You're on the opposite side of the continent at this point. And it's not like they even show up from the direction of Thracia. Fast players can seize Castle Silvail before they even make landfall. As for them showing up as mercenaries - while it makes sense Travant would want money for his Kingdom, how much does Chagall even have at this point? He's lost the throne, and been backed into a corner. If anything, it'd make more sense for them to contract with Grannvale to help finish off Chagall. Hell, it'd be really funny if you could "pay them off" like Beowulf - but instead of being recruited, they turn into green units and help you out. 6 hours ago, ping said: That is not a Star Wars quote I was aware of. ...perhaps the archives are incomplete. (and apparently, imgur deleted that picture. I wonder if Lei(l)a's bikini triggered a porn filter, or if it was a copyright claim) This is outrageous, it's unfair! 6 hours ago, ping said: A wife and son that Eldigan didn't bother to mention even just a single time in all the screentime he had gotten. Even his last thoughts are only of Raquesis, which I'm sure the more degenerate parts of the fanbase read a lot into. He could've just said "Ares, Grahnya... forgive me..." before Chagall executes him, and we'd have this information already. Hell, we'd have more information. I don't believe Eldigan's wife is ever named within the game. A shame, especially when she has one of the best skill loadouts ever. 6 hours ago, ping said: : "Certainly not. Hand her over to me. She and Gáe Bolg are coming with me back to Thracia." I appreciate that the game gives an explanation for Travant's departure here. He doesn't want to endanger his new "investment". Way better than the usual "super-powerful boss who nopes out for no reason, sending an incompetent underling to get killed by your army". 6 hours ago, ping said: __ : "Perhaps... Perhaps we are nothing more than sacrifices to him." Very weird for Reptor to be saying this aloud. Aida is loyal to House Velthomer, so even if he's right, Aida wouldn't confirm it. And if he's wrong, Aida could later tell Arvis, putting Reptor in jeopardy. This makes more sense as something he'd say to a House Friege lieutenant. Or an aside that only the player can hear. 6 hours ago, ping said: ...but Sigurd then makes quick work of her the turn afterwards. Turns out there's a crucial blind spot between the ranges of Meteor and the Miracle Sword. Unfortunate that she wields Meteor at range. The Miracle Sword would give her much higher AS, so she wouldn't get doubled and could avoid more hits. Hell, she'd probably be a more formidable boss if she just left the Meteor tome at home. 6 hours ago, ping said: Knowing what is going to happen here, Aida's "final adjustments" comment is just delightfully devilish. "But what if... I were to betray House Friege, and disguise it as an alliance with Sigurd? Oh ho ho, delightfully devilish, Liza!" 6 hours ago, ping said: Still think they have a certain chemistry. Not saying that one has to read it that way (fellas, is it gay to have male friends?), but I'd be surprised if there won't be any Lezel shipping happening after a Genealogy remake. Assuming we get a "C/B/A/S" support system - not something I'm necessarily advocaring for - they'll definitely get a chain up to at least A. Thinking on it, they remind me of Raphael and Ignatz. The himbo and the nerd who are best buds. Not gonna complain if people want to read gay vibes from it, though. 6 hours ago, ping said: And not everybody is equally threatened by the Horseslayers, which allows Lex to safely grab two kills on enemy phase. That's the Achilles' Heel of effective weaponry, innit? If you're not hitting the foe, then you're not doing 2x or 3x damage - you're doing 0x damage. I wouldn't mind seeing a future game give effective weapons, say, +50 Hit against the right targets. Make them something you can't just dodgetank away. 4 hours ago, ping said: ..actually, the First Mate put it in B tier during the Matrimonial Mondays, because it gives Lene more oomph for the arena (Brave Sword!), and more HP to both of the kids. But since I've done virtually nothing to set up inheritance and I don't care that much about Lene leveling up, that still sounds like a bad trade for what the substitutes would bring to the table. I'll take any mention! It's not a pairing I've done yet. But I figured it's better than basement-tier, for giving Lene the best possible combat, thanks to B-rank Swords and Luna. Not that Lene's combat matters all that much, but it's a fun niche. Better than, say, Jamke giving Accost, or Arden giving Vantage. 6 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: This is literally just the Garon backstory. And sad as it is to say, Garon is among the better fathers in that game. 4 hours ago, ping said: Since he mentions Finn, I would guess that the implication is something along the lines of "I know you're actually super into Finn and only married me because I made a move and he didn't". Otherwise, I also don't see why Beowulf would tell her to go to Leonster, not to Isaach to join up with Oifey and Shannan. That would match with how, in T776, Diarmuid is implied to be Beowulf's child, while Nanna is implied to be Finn's. A curious choice, as this specific scenario is actually impossible to achieve in Genealogy. But it would allow for Nanna to be conceived after the Battle of Belhalla. 3 hours ago, BrightBow said: wonder how much you are supposed to read into both of Alvis's officers being female when no one else has any female commanders. Pegasus Knights notwithstanding. Not too much to read into, IMO. Arvis has just been drinking his "respect women" juice. 2 hours ago, Jotari said: I am mistaken...though I kind of shouldn't be, right? I mean...Alvis straight up wanted Vaja to die then. And later when Aida is like "JK we were on your side all along" Sigurd isn't like "Really...dude I murdered a bunch of Velthomers when taking that castle. Why didn't anyone say anything?" I know Fanore (that's the correct spelling, everyone but me is wrong, it's a beach in Ireland, trust me) is probably in Velthomer territory in so much as it can be considered part of Grannvale at all...but still, I feel these soldiers probably should have been working for Reptor...was this decision really as simple as Meteor=Velthomer with no consideration of how it means Alvis is basically murdering his own subjects. Well, at least half of them are on plateaus where there is some expectation they won't die (not withstanding a single very thorough pegasus knight). The fewer people who know of Arvis' planned betrayal, the better. If Arvis tells Vaha, and word gets to Reptor, then he'll lose the element of surprise. Reptor could say "I'm gonna rendezvous with them at the southern edge of the desert", and then just... leave. What's Aida gonna do, once he's outside of Meteor range? One more thing - Arvis already plans to double-cross Sigurd. So, if Vaha and her cadre manage to weaken them, and pick a few off in advance, all the better. As for letting his own troops perish for a tactical advantage? I'm shocked, I say, shocked! That is completely out of character for that boy scout, Arvis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 Turns out that the last part of ch.5 isn't that long, after all. FE4 Chapter 5: Threshold of Fate Phinora --> Velthomer Spoiler Before continuing, a look at the new group of enemies appearing before us: A big ball of enemies around Duke Reptor, with a handful of Meteor mages on the cliffs behind them. Hmmm. Reptor's Mjölnir is fairly generic as far as Holy Weapons go. Very accurate, thanks to the +20 Skl (= +40 hit) bonus, and a Spd bonus equal to the tome's weight. But of course, generically hitting with 60 Atk vs Res makes Reptor very dangerous in conjunction with any of his mooks. __ And some of those are quite strong in their own right, too. __ Because Dew and Aideen are still pretty far apart, I think the quickest way to get Sigurd to receive money for the Tyrfing repair and then back to the frontline is to warp him back with Raquesis and then forward again with Aideen. __ This next part of the map is honestly really boring/annoying. On the plus side, with everybody slowly crossing the desert and Sigurd having the Leg Ring equipped, he has time to catch up with them - but really, this is such a useless slow-down. Literally nothing is happening-- --OK, occasionally, somebody steps into a Meteor Mage's range, but that isn't dangerous at all in isolation-- --even as some of my units are running through enemy range. Obviously, now that Sylvia is the one character in range, this is where that changes... ...but luckily, Sylvia is bulky enough to survive a single hit and gets a lucky dodge anyway. : "Execute the plan. Concentrate all of your fire on Reptor and his army. There will be no survivors under any circumstance. Am I clear?" During that enemy phase, the Meteor Mages still fired on Sigurd's army, but that is about to change... : "W-what? Velthomer has turned on us?! Argh... So this is what Arvis planned all along..." __ One more death as I wanted to kite the enemy but didn't keep in mind just how heavy Fire spells are in this game... ____ Interestingly, Arvis wasn't as smart about positioning his Meteor Mages as he was for the desert area. They tend to be in range of 2-range weapons, for what that's worth. Just to see if there is a unique conversation (yes), Taillte takes a shot at her dad. I have to reload, though, since she doesn't gain enough XP for a level-up from chipping Reptor, and we're closer to the end than this screenshot suggests. : "T-Taillte... I can hardly believe it... No matter how traitorous you became... Not once did I expect to face you like this." : "Father... I'm sorry..." : "Curse that Claude! How dare he fill my daughter's head with his lies... No, it's too late. I have no choice... I must protect the honor of House Freege. Taillte, for your treachery, you must die." : "Oh! Father..." But for the sake of action economy and level-ups, Lewyn steps up for his wife instead: : "Guhhh. Arvis... What in the blazes are you... scheming?" And that disappears the entire Freegian army. Whoops, I'll have to reload again, this time only for the sake of level-ups. There. Better. Slightly. Dangit, Midir! But yeah, Lewyn kills Reptor again (I guess I could've set up that kill for Midir, but is that really worth the tiny bit of extra base stats on his kids? His growths aren't even that good, so the expected return is especially small) and Sigurd gets in position to talk to Aida next turn. Before he does, however, Raquesis warps back Beowulf and Lex. Sorry, Scathach, but I don't know if I really need two non-horse swordies for gen 2, so back over to Beo->Dermot the Power Band goes. Now, before concluding the story of gen 1, one last view on the numbers: The Team Lv. HP Str Mag Skl Spd Lck Def Res Funds XP Arn Sigurd 30.00 61 25 0 22 22 16 21 4 60 +253 [*] Lex 30.00 58 27 2 18 14 12 25 4 45340 +154 [*] Ayra 30.00 53 24 2 30 30 10 14 5 50000 +134 [*] Azel 30.00 47 7 25 14 22 8 14 13 42500 +320 [*] Bridget 30.00 55 27 4 25 22 19 81 10 11380 +630 [*] Midir 29.98 49 23 1 16 23 9 15 4 5750 +246 [*] Aideen 30.00 48 9 26 17 19 28 9 11 11080 +13 [*] Raquesis 30.00 44 27 9 23 20 13 24 10 11690 +276 [*] Beowulf 30.00 55 23 0 30 19 4 19 3 7630 +415 [*] Lewyn 30.00 56 4 30 25 30 8 12 15 22940 +497 [*] Taillte 28.05 52 4 22 24 24 22 6 18 20990 +603 [*] Erin 30.00 46 17 9 19 30 12 20 15 33350 +372 [*] Claude 30.00 41 2 24 19 17 14 5 23 10670 -- [4] Noish [7.68] | Alec [9.21] | Arden [8.41] | Dew [11.58] Jamke [24.09] | Holyn [22.48] | Sylvia [13.70] Quan 17.05 47 21 0 16 17 7 13 4 10200 17/4 Ethlyn 30.00 43 15 13 20 24 14 18 8 180 9/0 Finn 23.80 46 22 0 16 20 17 17 4 34030 43/1 Deirdre 7.82 29 0 16 10 13 6 4 18 21500 3/0 Because I'm curious what exactly the second generation will get out of most parents being at or close to Lv.30, I'm going to list by how much every stat on every parent has increased. This directly translates into the benefits their children will receive, relative to a base-level parent: Every child will have their base stats increased by 1/5 of the same-sex parent's respective procs, and by 1/10th of the opposite-sex parent's. For example, Lex gained 12 points of Str (27-10 base, -5 from promotion), which will provide Scathach with +2.4 Str and Larcei with 1.2 Str. So, let the the evaluation of our eugenics project begin... SIGURD: 1/5 -> Seliph +26 HP | +11 Str | 0 Mag | +11 Skl | +10 Spd | +9 Lck | +12 Def | +1 Res 60 gold Silver Sword (55), Knight Ring, Leg Ring, Renewal Ring [Iron Lance (1), Javelin (6)] DEIRDRE: 1/10 -> Seliph +3 HP | 0 Str | +2 Mag | +1 Skl | +1 Spd | 0 Lck | +1 Def | +2 Res 21500 gold No inheritable items. [Aura (3), Silence] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEX: 1/5 -> Scathach, 1/10 -> Larcei +25 HP | +12 Str | +2 Mag | +7 Skl | +2 Spd | +4 Lck | +12 Def | +1 Res 45340 gold No inheritable items. AYRA: 1/5 -> Larcei, 1/10 -> Scathach +21 HP | +8 Str | +2 Mag | +9 Skl | +8 Spd | +7 Lck | +4 Def | +1 Res 50000 gold Slim Sword (0), Armorslayer (0), Silver Sword (1), Return Band --------------------------------------------------------------------------- AZEL: 1/5 -> Febail, 1/10 -> Patty +17 HP | +2 Str | +12 Mag | +6 Skl | +12 Spd | +6 Lck | +8 Def | +5 Res 42500 gold Bolt Sword (4), Wingslayer (0), Slim Sword (0), Shield Sword (0), Magic Ring, Bargain Ring [Fire (20)] BRIDGET: 1/5 -> Patty, 1/10 -> Febail +15 HP | +7 Str | +4 Mag | +3 Skl | +1 Spd | +12 Lck | +4 Def | +1 Res 11380 gold Steel Bow (13), Iron Bow (11), Yewfelle (12) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MIDIR: 1/5 -> Lester, 1/10 -> Lana +17 HP | +11 Str | +1 Mag | +7 Skl | +12 Spd | +6 Lck | +5 Def | +3 Res 5750 gold Brave Bow (0), Silver Bow (0), Killer Bow (32) AIDEEN: 1/5 -> Lana, 1/10 -> Lester +20 HP | +9 Str | +8 Mag | +6 Skl | +8 Spd | +17 Lck | +6 Def | 0 Res 11080 gold Warp, Heal, Restore, Physic, Recover, Sleep [Thunder (1)] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- RAQUESIS: 1/5 -> Nanna, 1/10 Dermut +18 HP | +14 Str | +1 Mag | +7 Skl | +3 Spd | +8 Lck | +10 Def | +1 Res 11690 gold Steel Sword (10), Earth Sword (1), Miracle Sword (4), Steel Blade (1) Heal, Return, Return Band BEOWULF: 1/5 -> Dermut, 1/10 -> Nanna +17 HP | +8 Str | 0 Mag | +10 Skl | +2 Spd | +1 Lck | +7 Def | 0 Res 28270 gold Steel Sword (8), Brave Sword (15), Speed Ring, Power Ring --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LEWYN: 1/5 -> Arthur, 1/10 -> Tinny +22 HP | +3 Str | +10 Mag | +8 Skl | +9 Spd | +1 Lck | +7 Def | +1 Res 22940 gold Forseti (7), Elfire (0), Paragon Band TAILLTE: 1/5 -> Tinny, 1/10 -> Arthur +24 HP | +1 Str | +7 Mag | +6 Skl | +8 Spd | +13 Lck | +1 Def | +4 Res 20990 gold Elwind (25), Thunder (27) [Thoron (16)] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ERIN: 1/5 -> Fee, 1/10 -> Ced +14 HP | +6 Str | +1 Mag | +4 Skl | +9 Spd | +5 Lck | +10 Def | +1 Res 33350 gold Light Brand (9), Brave Lance (46), Horseslayer (0), Thief's Sword (8) Shield Ring, Barrier Ring CLAUDE: 1/5 -> Ced, 1/10 Fee +7 HP | +2 Str | +3 Mag | +5 Skl | +2 Spd | +5 Lck | 0 Def | +3 Res 10670 gold Wind (2), Fortify, Valkyria, Mend --------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUAN: 1/5 -> Leif, 1/10 -> Altenna +13 HP | +5 Str | 0 Mag | +6 Skl | +7 Spd | +2 Lck | +3 Def | +1 Res 10200 gold Gáe Bolg, Silver Lance, Iron Lance, Javelin ETHLYN: 1/5 -> Altenna, 1/10 -> Leif +15 HP | +4 Str | +3 Mag | +6 Skl | +9 Spd | +6 Lck | +8 Def | 0 Res 180 gold Slim Sword, Silver Blade, Pursuit Band Look at Aideen, who not only had more Str than Mag procs, but also more HP, Def and, if Midir hadn't gotten a bonus from a village, more Str procs than her husband. On the flip side, holy Str screwage on Ethlyn. With her 30% Str growth, she's expected to gain +8.7 Str... But overall... yeah, it's a difference. For the kids' base HP, in particular, but it's still 2-3 points on a lot of other important stats, too. Back to Sigurd's deserved triumph: : "Lord Arvis has long been aware of your innocence, and was on your side all along. This affair in its entirety was dictated by the whims of Reptor and Langbalt, architects of the conspiracy against you. Lord Arvis was unable to act until now, as the dukes' control of the royal court was simply too powerful to contravene." : "Is that so... All's well that ends well, then. I can restore my father's good name in the court, and that'll be the end of it." : "Indeed. Lord Arvis and His Majesty await your return in Belhalla, Lord Sigurd. Please, make your way to the royal city as soon as possible." : "Really? Very well. I'll be going, then." : "I hear that Lord Arvis arranged a ceremonial reception for you with the entirety of the Belhalla royal guard. Quite the magnificent celebration of your glorious return is in order today, it seems." : "Thank you. After all that's happened the past few years, this ought to be a fitting conclusion. Once we're done I should look into getting my allies some compensation for their help. They certainly deserve it after all this!" : "Indeed, sir..." Of course, it is difficult for me to view this scene (or any other) as if I wasn't aware of The Spoiler. With that power of prophecy, this seems like grand final example of Sigurd being Sigurd: Honorable. Brave. Simple. Throughout the game, Sigurd has always accepted what is in front of him. Aideen is abducted into Verdane? Simple solution: Invade Verdane. The Verdanians won't stop fighting? Keep advancing. Simple. Eldigan is imprisoned? Invade Agustria. Although the context is different, Sigurd just going along with Aida's explainations seems to gel with that attitude. The explainations are in front of Sigurd, so Sigurd accepts them. Simple. ____ : "Ah, Lord Sigurd. Truly this is quite the auspicious day. Congratulations on your triumphant return to the fatherland!" : "It's good to see you too, Lord Arvis, and thank you for such a lavish greeting! If I may ask, where is His Majesty?" : "Alas, His Majesty is taken severely ill. He has become permanently bedridden. As such, I am administering all affairs of state on his behalf for the time being." : "Is that so? I'm sorry to hear that. I bet my misadventures didn't exactly help His Majesty feel any better! Once we're finished here, I should visit the palace and give him my sincerest apologies." : "...I think not." : "Hm?" : "Heh... You are only realizing now? You are far too naïve, Sigurd. Need I remind you that you and your father still sought to ursurp the throne and plotted against the crown? Nothing has changed. It is my duty to exact justice upon you, in the name of my wife, Princess Deirdre. I trust you understand, Sigurd." : "P-princess Deirdre?! That... No, it can't be..." : "Ah, of course. You've never met, correct? Very well. I suppose an introduction would be a fair parting gift before your demise. Come, Deirdre! Greet our guests!" __ : "So... So this is... Sir Sigurd?" : "Deirdre?! No... This can't be happening..." : "Why... Why are you speaking like this...?" : "Deirdre! It really is you! No... No, no, no..." : "Do... Do you know me, sir?" : "OF COURSE I DO! YOU'RE MY-" : "Enough. Deirdre, stand clear. This is an extremely dangerous man. Rest assured: this traitor will be punished." : "But... He... He's... Can't we have even a little more time?" : "Unacceptable. Guards! Escort the princess to the castle!" : "Wait! Arvis, please! ...Just a little more time..." (and this is Deirdre turning around one last time, not a previous screenshot of her arrivial) : "W-wait! DEIRDRE! Arvis, please! I beg of you! She... She's my..." : "Enough! I grow weary of your ravings. Attention, men! We no longer have any use for keeping the traitors alive. Move in on Sigurd and his party! The time to serve them their punishment has come!" ____ Again, I can't say how this scene would've impressed me if I hadn't been spoiled on it. I can say that I fucking love that Kaga had the balls to just end the entire first generation here. You just don't expect that in a character-centric video game - outside of this game, it's a big fucking deal when just one party member is stabbed by the evil pretty boi with long white hair, so I'm absolutely willing to give Kaga all the props for this move. I'll also say that I found Deirdre's appearance out of place. There's been a few scenes that seem to exist for the player, not because they were natural interactions between the characters - Manfroy narrating his Evil Plan, Reptor telling Aida that he doesn't trust her boss - and this one very much feels like it's there for the added drrrrrama and not so much to develop Arvis as a character. I suppose if it is there to make him look like a shittier man and husband, then mission accomplished, but because I believe the game is trying to push Arvis more into the "the ends justify the means" corner and not "cackling villain", this act of gloating towards Sigurd feels... well, out of place, as I said. __ The path of Grannvale's great unrest, arising from the conflict with Isaach, has led one young man to his grim fate. His sorrowful tale, and those of countless other valiants, are now lost to the world. Many heroes lost their lives on this path... Quan, the prince of Leonster... Ethlyn, his wife... And Sigurd, the young heir of Chalphy... And the names of those heroes who fought alongside Sigurd to the bitter end at Belhalla, whose fates remain unknown... Noish, a knight of Chalphy... Alec, a knight of Chalphy... Arden, a knight of Chalphy... Lex, a nobleman of Dozel... Azel, a nobleman of Velthomer... Ayra, the princess of Isaach... Aideen, a noblewoman of Jungby... Midir, a knight of Jungby... Jamke, the prince of Verdane... Raquesis, a noblewoman of Nordion... Beowulf, a free-roaming knight... Holyn, a gladiator... Dew, a thief... Lewyn, the prince of Silesse... Erin, a pegasus knight of Silesse... Sylvia, a wandering dancer... Claude, a priest of Edda... Taillte, a noblewoman of Freege... Bridget, a noblewoman of Jungby... These brave youths fought to change the world for the better, yet now their unfulfilled dreams lie dead with them on the battlefield... Was their sacrifice in vain? What were they fighting for all along? And thus ends the first half of the game. Since it is more connected to the second half than Book 2 was to Book 1, I think I'll hold off on my full evaluation of the game and just give short thought... Overall, the story up to this point is head and shoulders over most other FE games - honestly, I'd only rank Tellius on a similar or higher level. And the basic struction of the plot I would even say is the best of the series (as far as I'm familiar; the usual disclaimer). A protagonist who is thrown into a hole by outside forces, but then also grabs a shovel and keeps digging? Heck yeah! The scheming, doublecrossing Arvis who still has good intentions (which require his being on top, you see, he doesn't want to be Emperor, as such) and who is himself used by Grima Wormtongue? Yeah, that's good, too. However, the devil is in the execution. At this moment, I can understand why some people adore Arvis as a villain... but I can't really agree with them because he has wayyy too little screentime and his entire politicking just happens off-screen. I've repeatedly complained that Sigurd's team is fed some hints about the goings-on in the shadows, but nobody ever even takes notice. And every time Manfroy was on the screen, I was honestly more disappointed than anything else by his moustache-twirling. As far as gameplay goes, the game has had its ups (ch.2 and 3, minus Orgahil) and downs (ch.4 and, honestly, 5). I've said that in ch.2 I didn't mind the back-and-forth moving of the characters, because when you're moving horsies along the roads, they move fast and you feel like things are progressing. Chapter 4 did not follow suit, with the forests and the annoyingly persistently barred bridge, and ch.5's desert is also annoying to move through with no smaller side theatres to keep you entertained elsewhere. So, next time we'll meet up with Seliph. I don't remember much about the second generation - the characters, yes, especially because I kept looking up inheritance-related stuff, but I don't know how story and gameplay develop, exactly. I vaguely remember that the general plot is considered to be more standard hero-fight-evil-guys stuff and that we won't reach the heights of the Agustrian storyline again, but I'm willing to be positively surprised. 8 hours ago, BrightBow said: I wonder how much you are supposed to read into both of Alvis's officers being female when no one else has any female commanders. Pegasus Knights notwithstanding. It fits with his agenda of making the world a more just place, I suppose. Or it's just coincidence - which would be a postive, overall, since it means that a woman can just be an army officer in Jugdral without there having to be an explaination. 6 hours ago, Jotari said: Well...it is later revealed in Thracia he was banging at least one of them. Like father like son, perhaps. Well. Or that. 6 hours ago, Jotari said: I am mistaken...though I kind of shouldn't be, right? I mean...Alvis straight up wanted Vaja to die then. And later when Aida is like "JK we were on your side all along" Sigurd isn't like "Really...dude I murdered a bunch of Velthomers when taking that castle. Why didn't anyone say anything?" I know Fanore (that's the correct spelling, everyone but me is wrong, it's a beach in Ireland, trust me) is probably in Velthomer territory in so much as it can be considered part of Grannvale at all...but still, I feel these soldiers probably should have been working for Reptor...was this decision really as simple as Meteor=Velthomer with no consideration of how it means Alvis is basically murdering his own subjects. Well, at least half of them are on plateaus where there is some expectation they won't die (not withstanding a single very thorough pegasus knight). Considering that Arvis is taking part in the rampant kinslaying during the later parts of gen 1 by presumably killing Azel alongside Sigurd, he really doesn't come across as somebody who would spare anybody because they have some kind of connection to him. Getting some elite soldiers (I assume that Meteor isn't an everyday spell) killed just to uphold the illusion that he's still co-operating seems like something he would do. 6 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said: Just saying that ever since you proposed the idea of them a couple at the start of your Genealogy journey… See, now you're ahead of the curve by... however long it'll be until Echoes: Flames of Belhalla is announced and released. 4 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: He could've just said "Ares, Grahnya... forgive me..." before Chagall executes him, and we'd have this information already. Hell, we'd have more information. I don't believe Eldigan's wife is ever named within the game. A shame, especially when she has one of the best skill loadouts ever. Yeah, a small gesture like that wouldn't even have required any actual changes for how gen 1 unfolds, if Ares was a late addition to the gen 2 roster. I'll try to keep it as a surprise for myself what skills Ares got from his mom 4 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: That's the Achilles' Heel of effective weaponry, innit? If you're not hitting the foe, then you're not doing 2x or 3x damage - you're doing 0x damage. I wouldn't mind seeing a future game give effective weapons, say, +50 Hit against the right targets. Make them something you can't just dodgetank away. Lex is even durable enough to survive two hits - the Horseslayer crit has 50 Atk; Lex has 25 Def and more than 50 HP. But I can already hear Arthur laugh at any silly attempts of slaying his horse after he promotes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrightBow Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) 1 hour ago, ping said: This next part of the map is honestly really boring/annoying. On the plus side, with everybody slowly crossing the desert and Sigurd having the Leg Ring equipped, he has time to catch up with them - but really, this is such a useless slow-down. Literally nothing is happening-- You can also simply send Fury across the cliffs. That will be enough to aggro them, even if she is not anywhere close to anyone's attack range. 1 hour ago, ping said: Reptor's Mjölnir is fairly generic as far as Holy Weapons go. Very accurate, thanks to the +20 Skl (= +40 hit) bonus, and a Spd bonus equal to the tome's weight. But of course, generically hitting with 60 Atk vs Res makes Reptor very dangerous in conjunction with any of his mooks. The Life Ring being called Renewal Band here gives me a headache. They called Trabant's Plot Armor ring the Recover Band, named after the strongest healing magic. So shouldn't the weaker version be called Heal Band? Or Healing Band? Besides "Renewal" is really a mouthful and definitely a lot more obscure then the alternatives. Not suitable at all for such a comparatively weak enchantment. 1 hour ago, ping said: Again, I can't say how this scene would've impressed me if I hadn't been spoiled on it. I can say that I fucking love that Kaga had the balls to just end the entire first generation here. You just don't expect that in a character-centric video game - outside of this game, it's a big fucking deal when just one party member is stabbed by the evil pretty boi with long white hair, so I'm absolutely willing to give Kaga all the props for this move. Well, it is part of the core premise of the game. No need for a 2nd generation when their parents are still around to continue the fight. Anything less and I would have been disappointed. That being said, I imagine most of the female characters are not literally meant to actually be present for the BBQ, despite how it's shown in the game. Because most of them do agree to leave before the final battle when the topic is brought up in their final convos. And almost all of them will be confirmed to have survived at least the immediate aftermath of the battle. 1 hour ago, ping said: I'll also say that I found Deirdre's appearance out of place. There's been a few scenes that seem to exist for the player, not because they were natural interactions between the characters - Manfroy narrating his Evil Plan, Reptor telling Aida that he doesn't trust her boss - and this one very much feels like it's there for the added drrrrrama and not so much to develop Arvis as a character. I suppose if it is there to make him look like a shittier man and husband, then mission accomplished, but because I believe the game is trying to push Arvis more into the "the ends justify the means" corner and not "cackling villain", this act of gloating towards Sigurd feels... well, out of place, as I said. Come on, showing Deidre to him was not Alvis being a dick to Sigurd. Earlier in the chapter Manfroy directly called out Alvis' motives for wanting Sigurd dead, saying that he is terrified that Deidre might regain her memory eventually. In that context, Alvis bringing Deidre in front of Sigurd makes perfect sense. He wanted to confirm to himself that she truly has forgotten about him. Otherwise he would never find peace of mind. FE4 got some awkward scenes, but I really don't think this is one of them. Edited March 24 by BrightBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Rubenio Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 2 hours ago, ping said: And that disappears the entire Freegian army. Whoops, I'll have to reload again, this time only for the sake of level-ups. Do stats really do anything for gen 1 at this point? I don't remember, do they affect the children at all, or... 2 hours ago, ping said: Again, I can't say how this scene would've impressed me if I hadn't been spoiled on it. I can say that I fucking love that Kaga had the balls to just end the entire first generation here. You just don't expect that in a character-centric video game - outside of this game, it's a big fucking deal when just one party member is stabbed by the evil pretty boi with long white hair, so I'm absolutely willing to give Kaga all the props for this move. There's a reason this scene is as famous as it is. 2 hours ago, ping said: I'll also say that I found Deirdre's appearance out of place. There's been a few scenes that seem to exist for the player, not because they were natural interactions between the characters - Manfroy narrating his Evil Plan, Reptor telling Aida that he doesn't trust her boss - and this one very much feels like it's there for the added drrrrrama and not so much to develop Arvis as a character. I suppose if it is there to make him look like a shittier man and husband, then mission accomplished, but because I believe the game is trying to push Arvis more into the "the ends justify the means" corner and not "cackling villain", this act of gloating towards Sigurd feels... well, out of place, as I said. It's made even worse by the fact that I'm not sure Arvis knows about Deirdre being Sigurd's wife. 56 minutes ago, BrightBow said: Come on, showing Deidre to him was not Alvis being a dick to Sigurd. Earlier in the chapter Manfroy directly called out Alvis' motives for wanting Sigurd dead, saying that he is terrified that Deidre might regain her memory eventually. In that context, Alvis bringing Deidre in front of Sigurd makes perfect sense. He wanted to confirm to himself that she truly has forgotten about him. Otherwise he is not going to find peace of mind. Ah, so he does know. My bad, then. 2 hours ago, ping said: Overall, the story up to this point is head and shoulders over most other FE games - honestly, I'd only rank Tellius on a similar or higher level. And the basic struction of the plot I would even say is the best of the series (as far as I'm familiar; the usual disclaimer). A protagonist who is thrown into a hole by outside forces, but then also grabs a shovel and keeps digging? Heck yeah! The scheming, doublecrossing Arvis who still has good intentions (which require his being on top, you see, he doesn't want to be Emperor, as such) and who is himself used by Grima Wormtongue? Yeah, that's good, too. However, the devil is in the execution. At this moment, I can understand why some people adore Arvis as a villain... but I can't really agree with them because he has wayyy too little screentime and his entire politicking just happens off-screen. I've repeatedly complained that Sigurd's team is fed some hints about the goings-on in the shadows, but nobody ever even takes notice. And every time Manfroy was on the screen, I was honestly more disappointed than anything else by his moustache-twirling. With its warts and all, gen 1 does do pretty well for itself. ...Then there's gen 2. 2 hours ago, ping said: As far as gameplay goes, the game has had its ups (ch.2 and 3, minus Orgahil) and downs (ch.4 and, honestly, 5). I've said that in ch.2 I didn't mind the back-and-forth moving of the characters, because when you're moving horsies along the roads, they move fast and you feel like things are progressing. Chapter 4 did not follow suit, with the forests and the annoyingly persistently barred bridge, and ch.5's desert is also annoying to move through with no smaller side theatres to keep you entertained elsewhere. This game works best when it throws a lot of roads at you. Its insistence on... well, not doing that can be positively infuriating. 11 hours ago, ping said: https://joshuawright.net/slack-wyrm-111.html (Also not a SW quote. But funny.) I agree, that is funny. 10 hours ago, BrightBow said: I wonder how much you are supposed to read into both of Alvis's officers being female when no one else has any female commanders. Pegasus Knights notwithstanding. That's a really interesting detail that I had never stopped to realize. 6 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: And sad as it is to say, Garon is among the better fathers in that game. Handsome good guy Leo: Gets very angry that his son wears pretty dresses, calls son a disgrace to his face for wearing pretty dresses, doesn't want to save his son from kidnappers because he's that angry that he wears pretty dresses. Ugly evil badman Garon: Lets his daughter go around dressed like Camilla. I was right all along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jotari Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 4 hours ago, ping said: (and this is Deirdre turning around one last time, not a previous screenshot of her arrivial) Behold! Cinematography! Something the series has only attempted in engine about three times. 4 hours ago, ping said: Again, I can't say how this scene would've impressed me if I hadn't been spoiled on it. I can say that I fucking love that Kaga had the balls to just end the entire first generation here. You just don't expect that in a character-centric video game - outside of this game, it's a big fucking deal when just one party member is stabbed by the evil pretty boi with long white hair, so I'm absolutely willing to give Kaga all the props for this move. Full agreement. The Battle of Barhara is, to put it bluntly, a ballsy ass fucking move. And because we've been in the fandom so long and it's such a "It was his sled" plot twist and some later stuff devaluing the kill%, we probably don't give it the credit it deserves as a plot point, but Kaga definitely deserves the praise for this (assuming it was his idea, I'm a bit wary of giving all the credit to one person in these creative ventures). You say character-centric video game, but, honestly, even outside of video games and in the realms of fiction in general, very few series have the guts to just wipe out an entire cast half way through the story. Even when you get those Star Wars style Order 66 moments where a big tragedy happens, the principal characters still survive. Here though, nope. We get some references to the women surviving, but the only character that actually survives this and continues to influence the story is Lewyn, and by the end it's revealed that's not even true. 2 hours ago, BrightBow said: The Life Ring being called Renewal Band here gives me a headache. They called Trabant's Plot Armor ring the Recover Band, named after the strongest healing magic. So shouldn't the weaker version be called Heal Band? Or Healing Band? Besides "Renewal" is really a mouthful and definitely a lot more obscure then the alternatives. Not suitable at all for such a comparatively weak enchantment. Life Ring has also been a skill in Heroes since about 2017 or 2018, so it's weird to see it here under a different name. What was the decision to make all these rings bands anyway? They're all just Rings in the Japanese, I'm pretty sure, at least I'm pretty sure the Return Ring is a Ring and not a Band in Japanese. Was it to differentiate between stat boosting rings and skill bestowing rings? I'm not sure that's something particularly confusing. 2 hours ago, BrightBow said: Come on, showing Deidre to him was not Alvis being a dick to Sigurd. Earlier in the chapter Manfroy directly called out Alvis' motives for wanting Sigurd dead, saying that he is terrified that Deidre might regain her memory eventually. In that context, Alvis bringing Deidre in front of Sigurd makes perfect sense. He wanted to confirm to himself that she truly has forgotten about him. Otherwise he would never find peace of mind. FE4 got some awkward scenes, but I really don't think this is one of them. When Seliph confronts Alvis the thing he says is "Why? Why did you betray my father?" And...honestly...it's actually a great question. Why did Alvis betray Sigurd? Sigurd was no threat to him after they took down Reptor together. He would have quietly went back to Chalphy and left Alvis to rule the capital after a frank talk with the king. Deirdre was the reason Sigurd had to die. Without her marriage to Sigurd Alvis very well could have used Sigurd as an ally of his new empire. But without a genuine marriage to Deirdre his legitimacy (and his new life in the sheets) evaporates. So he needs to be sure. It also gives us that wonderfully sickening moment from the completed x number of games intro where we actually see Deirdre healing Alvis after the battle, which is just so fucked up on so many levels. Or he just wanted to kill absolutely everyone with as much standing as he had to ensure no one would threaten his rule and was just showing off his hot wife because he's super proud of himself for netting such a catch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interdimensional Observer Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 4 hours ago, ping said: However, the devil is in the execution. At this moment, I can understand why some people adore Arvis as a villain... That is factually incorrect.🤨 He was truly in love with Deirdre, not knowing of his blood relation with her at first. Arvis constantly feared that Deirdre might’ve had some sort of relationship with Sigurd, and so he used her to gain an unfair advantage over Sigurd because he felt that was the only way he could win against Sigurd. You could say Arvis is a protagonist from another perspective. Sigurd and Arvis are both protagonists in their own right, even though they are on opposing sides. If anything, Arvis is definitely not a ‘villain’; that’s why tragedy befalls him in Seliph’s chapter, caused by his own weakness. ...Kaga was the first Arvis megafan.😝 I care to disagree, Arvis did little for me personally. 4 hours ago, ping said: I can say that I fucking love that Kaga had the balls to just end the entire first generation here. Kaga’s comment: I personally believe that forming emotional attachments isn’t the be-all-end-all of playing a game, that’s why. I wanted to illustrate as vividly as I could the weight of losing even one human life. -Written in 1996, the year Seisen no Keifu was released. 2 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: With its warts and all, gen 1 does do pretty well for itself. ...Then there's gen 2. Excuse me? Kaga’s comment: Sigurd’s chapter was meant simply to be foreshadowing, leading up to Seliph’s chapter. You misunderstood everything.😜 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanty Pete's 1st Mate Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 2 hours ago, Jotari said: Life Ring has also been a skill in Heroes since about 2017 or 2018, so it's weird to see it here under a different name. What was the decision to make all these rings bands anyway? They're all just Rings in the Japanese, I'm pretty sure, at least I'm pretty sure the Return Ring is a Ring and not a Band in Japanese. Was it to differentiate between stat boosting rings and skill bestowing rings? I'm not sure that's something particularly confusing. Wasn't the Life Ring Thracia 776's version of the Seraph Robe? Turning these rings that you wear into rings that you... consume, I guess... was pretty confusing. And yeah, they are all リング (ri-n-gu) in Japanese. Seems like all the stat-boosting ones are referred to as Rings, while the skill-granting ones are alternatively Rings or Bands. Personally, I wouldn't mind if all the 20K ones stay Rings, while the 40K ones are Bands. That way, it's easier to remember how much everything costs. 2 hours ago, Jotari said: When Seliph confronts Alvis the thing he says is "Why? Why did you betray my father?" And...honestly...it's actually a great question. Why did Alvis betray Sigurd? Here's an idea: what if Sigurd wasn't Arvis's target? There's someone far more threatening in his army: Father Claud. "Really, Claud?" you may be wondering. "The man with no movement, skills, or physical durability?" Yes, that Claud. He may lack all those things, but he does have two crucial powers: resurrecting the dead via the Valkyrie Staff, and receiving revelation from Saint Bragi. For all Arvis knows, Claud has already learned that Arvis is working with the Loptyr Cult. So he must die. And he may have informed Sigurd, and his entire cadre. So they must die. As for bringing back the dead - imagine the chaos if Claud were to bring back Prince Kurth. Or Reptor, or Rango. Can he even do any of that? Maybe not, but Arvis doesn't know for sure. Hell - maybe Claud could single-handedly resurrect the fell wyrm, Loptyr. By killing him now, Arvis might actually be frustrating Manfroy pulling a "pro gamer move", if you will. ...Of course, the Battle of Belhalla still happens, even if Claud died already. Still, the argument that Claud revealed sensitive information to Sigurd and company, before dying, is a salient one. 4 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: Handsome good guy Leo: Gets very angry that his son wears pretty dresses, calls son a disgrace to his face for wearing pretty dresses, doesn't want to save his son from kidnappers because he's that angry that he wears pretty dresses. How can a person who hires Niles, of all people, hate his femboy son? And don't complain about how they turn out when your version of parenting is "stick them in a bubble and hope they don't die". Garon gave his child four siblings, their own castle, their own maid service, a challenging but rewarding job - and, for their sweet 16, a cool glowing sword! What more could a child want from their daddy? 7 hours ago, ping said: Lex is even durable enough to survive two hits - the Horseslayer crit has 50 Atk; Lex has 25 Def and more than 50 HP. But I can already hear Arthur laugh at any silly attempts of slaying his horse after he promotes. See, this is why Alec is secretly the best father. For everyone. Because the Nihil skill means his children are immune to crits. Which includes effective damage. Or you could just dodge everything IDK. 7 hours ago, ping said: Yeah, a small gesture like that wouldn't even have required any actual changes for how gen 1 unfolds, if Ares was a late addition to the gen 2 roster. I'll try to keep it as a surprise for myself what skills Ares got from his mom Ooh. I won't say any more. Just, looking forward to the reaction. 5 hours ago, BrightBow said: In that context, Alvis bringing Deidre in front of Sigurd makes perfect sense. He wanted to confirm to himself that she truly has forgotten about him. Otherwise he would never find peace of mind. And... then what? If Deirdre remembers Sigurd, then he's just screwed himself. He can't kill Sigurd - Deirdre would never forgive him. But he can't let Sigurd live, because his survival endangers his marriage to Deirdre. He would've ruined everything for himself. The upside is... Deirdre doesn't remember Sigurd. Which she already didn't. It's not like, after several years of not mentioning him, and not showing his face, Deirdre's memory would suddenly be jogged, apropos of nothing. And even if it were, that would've happened regardless of being exposed to him. Hell - exposing her to him makes it more likely. She'll have a distinct memory of Sigurd, and she may be able to "connect the dots" to her past life. Really just comes across as a moment of hubris, that could have ended up really badly for him. If they wanted it to happen - without the risk - they could've just had Arvis mention his marriage to Dierdre without bringing her out. Sure, maybe he wouldn't believe it. But who cares for the thought of a dead man, anyway? 7 hours ago, ping said: Because Dew and Aideen are still pretty far apart, I think the quickest way to get Sigurd to receive money for the Tyrfing repair and then back to the frontline is to warp him back with Raquesis and then forward again with Aideen. I've legit done this before. I hate how, once Sigurd seizes, he blocks the castle gate for everyone else. By Returning him back, I can get my other units in for Arena'ing, or weapon repair, or pawn shop business, or even sitting on the castle for self-healing. Then, once Sigurd is revived the next turn, I warp him straight back to keep going. ...Actually, one more thought I just had. When Sigurd seizes, it would make more sense for him to sit atop the castle, than to stand in its gate. Anyone can sit in the gate. That's nothing new. What's new is, having killed the boss, being able to take their spot. Actually, that's how seizing works in every other title - you kill the boss to vacate the spot, then take that spot. That would signify that Sigurd is distinctly replacing the enemy, and taking control of the castle for himself. "Raising the Blue Banner", if you will. Plus, it would allow his allies to conduct business within the Castle, without any of these Return-Warp strats. There would still be a place for Return-Warp strats - just not this specific one. 7 hours ago, ping said: Ooh, that battle quote goes hard. Especially since, I think, you'll only fight him after Aida's betrayal. 7 hours ago, ping said: Dangit, Midir! "That Bow Knight ain't right, I tell ya hwat." 7 hours ago, ping said: Of course, it is difficult for me to view this scene (or any other) as if I wasn't aware of The Spoiler. With that power of prophecy, this seems like grand final example of Sigurd being Sigurd: Honorable. Brave. Simple. Throughout the game, Sigurd has always accepted what is in front of him. Aideen is abducted into Verdane? Simple solution: Invade Verdane. The Verdanians won't stop fighting? Keep advancing. Simple. Eldigan is imprisoned? Invade Agustria. Although the context is different, Sigurd just going along with Aida's explainations seems to gel with that attitude. The explainations are in front of Sigurd, so Sigurd accepts them. Simple. Solid synopsis. Finally, Sigurd encounters a problem that he can't solve by Seizing. 7 hours ago, ping said: (and this is Deirdre turning around one last time, not a previous screenshot of her arrivial) I love when FE4 does this. The other instance that comes to mind is in the Prologue, when Edain is captured. At first she pulls back and slows them down, then Gandolf says something, and she acquiesces. Really, telling extra bit of story and characterization through little unit sprite movements is super appreciated. 8 hours ago, ping said: And thus ends the first half of the game. Congrats on making it! "Six chapters" doesn't sound like a lot, but honestly, it can take as long as a whole 20-some-chapter campaign in other mainline games. Not only due to the hug maps, but to all the micromanagement that goes on. Plus, the lack of "speed up" or "skip phase" options that future games would introduce. I've really enjoyed what you've had to say thus far, and I look forward to how the latter half will turn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ping Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 9 hours ago, BrightBow said: Come on, showing Deidre to him was not Alvis being a dick to Sigurd. Earlier in the chapter Manfroy directly called out Alvis' motives for wanting Sigurd dead, saying that he is terrified that Deidre might regain her memory eventually. In that context, Alvis bringing Deidre in front of Sigurd makes perfect sense. He wanted to confirm to himself that she truly has forgotten about him. Otherwise he would never find peace of mind. FE4 got some awkward scenes, but I really don't think this is one of them. To be honest, I didn't realise the very simple implication of Manfroy's response, that Arvis is fully aware that Deirdre is Sigurd's wife, because I just assumed that this is something Manfroy would keep hidden from him. And not just Deirdre's previous marriage, but also that her marriage with Arvis is part of Manfroy's plan, since Manfroy's own little breeding program is most certainly unknown to Arvis, and Manfroy would be a complete fool to give Arvis any material to figure it out with. However, since Arvis's legitimacy as Regent/Emperor comes entirely from his marriage to Deirdre, I'll have to concede that this reading of the situation doesn't hold up to scrutiny. However, I think I have to take my endless complaint that Sigurd has all pieces of the puzzle to figure out who Deirdre's parents are, and apply it to the court of Belhalla. It's a piece of court gossip that the reason why Kurth never married is that he had an affair with Arvis's mom and never got over her disappearance. "We know of one sexual relation that Kurth had, and this here is his daughter. I WONDER WHO THE MOTHER MIGHT BE?!?!?!?" I also agree with @Shanty Pete's 1st Mate that confronting Deirdre with Sigurd only could've had negative consequences for him. He's terrified that she might regain her memory - and then confronts her with a potentially trigger for exactly that? Why?! If I could rewrite the scene, I think I would change it so that Deirdre wasn't informed what is going on and just arrives at the scene to see what the hubbub is all about. Follow that with Arvis telling her that this is the man who conspired to have her father killed, but now he's going to be executed, it'll all be fine... followed by Deirdre feeling an odd familarity with Sigurd, maybe even recalling his name without knowing why. Same dramatic confrontation, but, in my opinion, without making Arvis look as bad. 9 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: Do stats really do anything for gen 1 at this point? I don't remember, do they affect the children at all, or... 11 hours ago, ping said: Every child will have their base stats increased by 1/5 of the same-sex parent's respective procs, and by 1/10th of the opposite-sex parent's. For example, Lex gained 12 points of Str (27-10 base, -5 from promotion), which will provide Scathach with +2.4 Str and Larcei with 1.2 Str. Tsk. 😛 More precisely, the children receive 1/5 (or 1/10) of the difference between [Actual Stat - class's Base Stat], but the only variable part of that equation is the number of procs for the given stat. Promotion has no impact, I'm pretty sure, because promo bonuses are equal to the difference in class base stats. So, rounding notwithstanding, a parent's level-up is worth 30% of a level-up in total, distributed between their children. Although, in practice, children have higher growth rates, so the effect of their parents' stats is relatively smaller. 9 hours ago, Saint Rubenio said: Handsome good guy Leo: Gets very angry that his son wears pretty dresses, calls son a disgrace to his face for wearing pretty dresses, doesn't want to save his son from kidnappers because he's that angry that he wears pretty dresses. Ugly evil badman Garon: Lets his daughter go around dressed like Camilla. Dastardly evil King Desmond: Protects his dear daughter from contracting rabies by discreetly removing the baby fox that her brother gave him. 7 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said: That is factually incorrect.🤨 He was truly in love with Deirdre, not knowing of his blood relation with her at first. Arvis constantly feared that Deirdre might’ve had some sort of relationship with Sigurd, and so he used her to gain an unfair advantage over Sigurd because he felt that was the only way he could win against Sigurd. You could say Arvis is a protagonist from another perspective. Sigurd and Arvis are both protagonists in their own right, even though they are on opposing sides. If anything, Arvis is definitely not a ‘villain’; that’s why tragedy befalls him in Seliph’s chapter, caused by his own weakness. ...Kaga was the first Arvis megafan.😝 I care to disagree, Arvis did little for me personally. *slams fist on the table* DEATH OF THE AUTHOR! ...I think this is applicable here? As in, Kaga might not have perceived Arvis as a villain, but ultimately it's what he wrote, not what he intended, what counts? And honestly, considering how Arvis is liberally getting innocent people killed to achieve his goals, I find it hard not to classify him as a villain, if a villain with a sympathetic backstory (his Loptyr blood which would get him killed, if revealed) and noble-ish goals (it's really just coincidence that they require Arvis to rule the world). 4 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: See, this is why Alec is secretly the best father. For everyone. Because the Nihil skill means his children are immune to crits. Which includes effective damage. Or you could just dodge everything IDK. Alec's genes are maybe the most difficult to evaluate without actually having played gen 2, since it depends so much on how many effective weapons the children will face. I can absolutely see the appeal of Alec!Fee, especially if Ballistae become more commonplace in gen 2, but I couldn't know how often we will face Horseslaying squads like the dracos in ch.5. 4 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: I've legit done this before. I hate how, once Sigurd seizes, he blocks the castle gate for everyone else. By Returning him back, I can get my other units in for Arena'ing, or weapon repair, or pawn shop business, or even sitting on the castle for self-healing. Then, once Sigurd is revived the next turn, I warp him straight back to keep going. Yeah, seizing not allowing Sigurd to canter on is one of these small, but annoying things. It encourages the "Sigurd charges ahead" gameplay, too, since everybody who might need to use the castle will have to wait until Sigurd has charged ahead. I've had Aideen move with (or, more realistically, behind) the main group most of the time, but honestly, just having her as a warp bot staying behind at the home castle (or getting Returned by Ethlyn or Raquesis when she starts falling behind) is probably the most useful skill she has, in some situations at least. 4 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: I love when FE4 does this. The other instance that comes to mind is in the Prologue, when Edain is captured. At first she pulls back and slows them down, then Gandolf says something, and she acquiesces. Really, telling extra bit of story and characterization through little unit sprite movements is super appreciated. Jamke does a similar thing when he sends Aideen and Dew eastwards and returns to his dad's castle himself. I assume he's staring at her butt. But yeah, Genealogy does a good job with these small map animations. 4 hours ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said: Congrats on making it! "Six chapters" doesn't sound like a lot, but honestly, it can take as long as a whole 20-some-chapter campaign in other mainline games. Not only due to the hug maps, but to all the micromanagement that goes on. Plus, the lack of "speed up" or "skip phase" options that future games would introduce. I've really enjoyed what you've had to say thus far, and I look forward to how the latter half will turn out. Thanks! Luckily, unlike Dolphin when playing PoR, snes9x does have a speed-up button, which is definitely very appreciated for the longer enemy phases. But Genealogy still is a relatively slow FE game - although not compared to FE1-3, really. How noticable that was to me definitely varied, with ch.4-5 unfortunately being on the worse end of things, but I wonder how that would change when replaying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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