Let's Play Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem!

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May 22, 2014 21:06:15 GMT -8 Speedy_Fox_IV said:

I'm late to the punchline on this but...

Sirius. He is a Char!

Yes, he's one big Char Clone.

[┌༼ຈل͜ຈ༽┘]

Guess what? This project isn't dead! It's been 4 months but I intend to finish this. Some day.

Kris-Ryan 3

Ryan, what are you doing?
I’m writing a letter to my family back home. Though it’ll be a long before I can send it. I wonder if Mother and Father are alright…?
You should take a break once the war is over, then. You ought to go home and spend some quality time with your family.
Yeah, I want to. Won’t you go back home, Kris?
Mmm. Ever since Grandfather passed away, there’s nobody home anyway… So, if I’m there all alone, I’ll only going to feel lonely.
Er, then, why don’t you come to my home?
Your home?
Well, yes. If it’s okay with you… I think of you as a big sister, Kris.
Thanks, Ryan. I love your idea. If you don’t think I’m a bother, then I’d like to visit…
Yes, I’m sure my family will be happy to meet you too.

This is giving me diabetes.

Kris-Catria 2

Kris, about that last battle… I’m sorry. …You had to save me.
It’s fine, we’re comrades after all. But you left yourself wide open in battle. That’s not like you. Did something happen?
N-no… I just lack experience.
That’s not true. If you fought with all your strength, you wouldn’t need my help at all.
…
That reminds me… Sometimes I’d see you just staring off into the distance. Were you watching Prince Marth?
…Ah! N-no… It isn’t like that! I was, uh…
You don’t need to hide it Catria. Prince Marth is a great man, after all. Everyone is fighting in the army because they admire Prince Marth. I’m no different. You feel the same way, don’t you?
Y-yeah… That’s right.
For your sake as well, Catria, I must do my best as a Royal Guard. I will work my hardest. For Prince Marth, for you, and for all…
Kris…

Kris-Sirius 1

Hmm, you are…
My name is Kris. Sir Sirius… I presume?
Indeed. …Hmph, you are rather rude. That murderous hatred… Is it directed at me?
That’s right. I don’t trust you one bit. First of all, you hide your face and your identity. “Sirius” isn’t even your real name, is it?
…
What makes me most suspicious is your stance… You never leave any openings. I can tell you’re a warrior of great reknown.
You speak of my defensive stance? That’s perfectly natural in a battlefield.
Don’t change the subject. You are no mere knight! Tell me. Where are you from?
What will you do if I don’t answer?
Prince Marth is very kind… However, I know there are scoundrels who would take advantage of his kindness. I shall protect Prince Marth from these villains, even if it costs me my life.
…It seems we won’t be able to resolve this with words alone.
My thoughts exactly.
Then, here I come.

(Flash of movement and stab noise)

Wha!? You’re too… fast.
Be at peace. It was a blunt strike.
Kuh…

Why the fuck does Avatar keep challenging everyone to duels? You’re a FUCKING MAGE! I hate the Avatar.

Kris-Ogma 2

Sir Ogma…
What’s wrong? Want another match? Our last battle… didn’t reach a conclusion, after all.
No, it was my loss. I know you were holding back when you took me by surprise… Otherwise, I doubt my body could stand in a battlefield ever again… It was a good lesson. The way you fight is completely different from a knight’s…
Dirty fighting, you mean?
Perhaps I would have called it that had you asked me before this. However, I couldn’t do anything against that dirty fighting… Your fighting style, Sir Ogma, isn’t that of a regular soldier. It’s…
That of a gladiator. One who fights to the death for the pleasure of others. Blinding his opponents eyes with sand, crushing their heads with a sword soaked in grease and blood… Roaring like a beast, crushing his opponents’ flesh, even when they no longer move… I was thrown into such a place when I was still a child, and I battled my way through it.
That’s… …I can’t even begin to imagine. That place was probably even more terrifying than a battlefield, wasn’t it?
It’s world you’re better off not knowing. I don’t wish to remember it either… But you understand now, don’t you? I’m not a man you should strive to be like…

Well, that was… grim.

Marth-Caeda 2

Marth! Were you watching?
Y-yes… You did splendidly.
I’m so glad. Now, will you take back your words?
I…!
Please, Marth! Don’t give me that look. I’m fine. I’m much stronger than you think.
I… I see. You’re right. You are strong. But, that is why I worry. The stronger you’ll become, the more often I’ll have to ask you to fight on the frontlines. You hate fighting, and I worry. Is it not troubling for you?
That’s… I feel happy by your side, Marth.
Caeda…
Don’t you hate to fight as well?
Well… You’re right, I do.
I know how much it hurts you, more than anyone else… That’s why I’ll fight too. I’ll help you finish this war, so that we never have to witness bloodshed again.
…All right, Caeda. I won’t say anything more. Please, stay with me. And… together, let’s bring this terrible war to a close. But please, don’t push yourself too hard.
Yes! Thank you, Marth.

What a mood whiplash from that Kris-Ogma conversation.

Yumina-Yubello 2

Waah, wh-what’s this? These books are up to my eyes…
I see you have come, Yubello.
Did you really get all these books, Yumina?
Yes, you are absolutely correct. Naturally, we of nobility require this sort of rigor in our studies.
Huh? Wasn’t it a lot of trouble? Are you well, Yumina?
Oh, of course I am. You need not worry so much.
Mmm… O-okay…
Very well then. Shall we begin? Today, we will be studying Grustian history.
Okay.
Yubello, do you know who was the first King of Grust?
It was King Ordwin, wasn’t it? He was an Archanean General. He was kind to the Manaketes too.
That’s right. I see you remember. Well done, Yubello.
Uh huh. Grust is the way it is now because of King Ordwin.
Indeed. He rebuilt a desolated land together with its people and to protect the Kingdom from evildoers, we founded the Sable Order.
He was amazing. I really admire him. He was so cool and strong…
…Yes. He was… great, huh?
Yumina?
Oh, sorry. I was a little… distracted. Let us resume our studies. Err… What was next?
Yu-yumina, I’m sorry. I, er, I’m feeling sleepy already.
Is that so…? That’s pity but I suppose we can’t do anything about it. All right then, we’ll continue next time. Good night, Yubello.
Good Night, Yumina…

Too fucking adorable.

[Speedy_Fox_IV]

Huzzah! The LP lives! Kris seems to live by the G Gundam way of comradeship. Need to know something about one of your teammates? Fight them!

[Yoh]

Fire forged friends, that's the Fire Emblem way.

...

GET IT?

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Speedy_Fox_IV Yoh

Oh yes, we're back. My schedule may be fucked up but this is still a thing.

Having liberated Grust, Marth and his companions accepted Wendell’s request and stopped by the Fane of Raman in search of the missing orbs. However, the ancient temple built to worship Naga had been wrecked by constant warring, and was now nothing more than a den of thieves."They're escaping with the temple's valuable treasures. We must catch them!” "Stay clear of the free company guarding Chiasmir Bridge. We cannot defeat them." "It seems a dancer is lost inside the forest. We must find her before the bandits do!" As the soldiers recieved their orders, the flames of a new battle around the Fane of Raman were ignited.

I think it’s obvious who that person in the splash art is.


Yes, Sir Jagen?
From your perspective, what kind of person am I?
What kind... of person?
I keep wondering about how I should have acted towards Lang... Our homeland Altea's position is important, but perhaps I brood far too much and offend people.
You worry about these things too, Sir Jagen? You needn't worry. Your concern for Prince Marth is more than evident. You're very strict, Sir Jagen, but also very kind.
Is that so...? Ho ho, if you cheer me on enough, I may even age backwards!
Sir Jagen, when you look at me, what kind of person do you see?
Hmm, well... You're very capable as a Royal Guard and you have an aura that attracts people. Kris... That's the kind of person you are.
What an honor.
Well, we'd best begin the war council. Let us go, Chris.
Yes, Sir Jagen.

Character development for Jagen is always appreciated. Because he's fucking awesome.

Base Conversations

Free Company

Kris, about the Free Company defending Chiasmir Bridge northwest…
Yes, sire?
I’d like you to leave them alone. Their leader is Astram, hero of Archanea. He wields the sword Mercurius, one of the three regalia, and is one of the strongest men in the continent.
A powerful opponent, I see.
That isn’t the only reason why I don’t wish to fight him. In the previous war, Astram was our ally. He’s a very serious and loyal person- his devotion to Princess Nyna unmatched.

(flashback)

…Forgive my lack of courtesy, but you and I need to be clear on a certain point. While I have decided to lend you my sword, my allegiance lies with Princess Nyna- not you, my lord. I will follow your orders, but should I learn that you have been false to her, or that you are manipulating her…
Heads will roll.

(end flashback)

I do not think we can persuade him. At least, not now… I’d rather not fight him unless necessarily. Kris, I’d like you to avoid battle with him as well, if possible.
Yes, understood. However, should your life be in danger, sire… I’ll do anything to protect you.

Kris, Astram would destroy you.

Like Marth said, Astram and his company are guarding the bridge. He’s got Mercurius too, making a him a very dangerous opponent at this stage of the game. His squad won’t move on Normal mode but I believe they will attack you if stand right next to them. Either way, I’m not going to be testing it out. The rest of the enemies are all thieves, even the boss. Almost all of them have valuable loot including this one guy with Scorpio. They’ll try to escape so we want to get to them fast.



Keep an eye on this cave.



We’re trying out a different team this chapter. Frey and Norne are coming along. Palla will aid Catria as they try to stop the thieves.

And with that, we begin.



This is the real Navarre by the way.

…
No, it can't be! You're... one of them... as well? Oh, fine... Do your worst! If you're going to kill me, do it fast!!

I doubt they planned to kill you, whoever you are. They probably had something else in mind...

Girl... Get behind me. The Altean army is marching towards the south of this forest. I'll take you to them.
Huh? You're going to help me? You mean, you're not with the thieves?
Until just now, I was. But, I've changed my mind.
Why...?
There's someone in the Altean army that I want to see. That's all.
Hmmm... But really, it's 'cause I'm cute, right? At any rate, I'm glad. My name's Feena. I'm a dancer from Warren. People say that once they see my dancing, they feel instantly refreshed! I can show you, if you like. Oh, I should tell you my story: I got separated from my troupe, and wandered into this forest. And then, those horrible thieves came and tried to take me by force... But it's okay now. You seem kind of scary, but actually you're very kind. However, your appearance is... Your face isn't bad, but your dress sense is kind of lacking. And, ugh, what's with your hair? You know, nowadays...
Just stop talking! Anyway, don't stray too far. We'll cut our way to the west corner, and then escape through there. If you want to live, then shut up and come with me.
Ah... Y-yes, sorry...

She means Port Warren, one of the locations on an early chapter in Shadow Dragon, not the Hunter class character we recruited in Chapter 2.



The real Navarre’s got some great base stats. He’s a myrmidon. You know the drill. He’s your best option for a myrmidon from the ones we got in the past few chapters.

As for Feena, she’s a dancer. She can use swords to attack but she’ll be using her dance ability to give another unit an extra turn. ‘Mystery of the Emblem’ was the first game in the series to introduce dancers. In that game, Feena could also use Rapiers, a weapon that is usually restricted to the main Lord of the game. Some say that this is evidence of her secretly being royalty. While it’s certainly strong evidence, in my opinion, it can’t be used to say with certainty since the other ‘royal’ characters like Caeda couldn’t use the Rapier when dismounted as dismounted units used swords in FE3. The speculation goes on to say that she could be royalty from Isaach, a country on the continent of Jugdral from ‘Genealogy of the Holy War’ though this part is pure speculation. Anyway, Feena can be really helpful but whether or not you want to use her depends on your playstyle.



Navarre and Feena get to work, dispatching thieves before they get a chance to get too far ahead. In Hard Mode and above, not only does Navarre fail to double all the thieves but most of them double Feena too, making surviving the first few turns while still making sure the thieves don’t escape very tricky.



Thieves give a lot of exp so 2 kills is all Navarre needs to gain this near perfect level up.


“You can see 'em carrying the stolen treasure all over the place. I hope they get cursed or something...”


“Makes a tired body feel healthy again in the blink of an eye!”

Feena doesn’t get a dance animation so we have to imagine it. She did have an animation in FE3 so why she doesn’t have one here is another new mystery (of the Emblem). Hehehe.



Some of the thieves attack Navarre while others keep moving up north.

Sire, please exercise caution! Reports indicate that a fire dragon has emerged from the cave in the west!



Suddenly, random dragon out of nowhere. He’s tough but nothing too bad. Moving inside the red boundary indicated on the map in the beginning of this update will make the dragon come out of his cave. In Hard Mode and above, like all reinforcements, he’ll move and attack on the same turn so be careful.


“As a wise man once said: "Let sleeping dogs lie", eh?”

Wise words indeed.

We put Ogma in range of the dragon.



Our mission is to hold this bridge. Leaving the bridge will not be permitted. Only attack if the enemy approaches.

Soldier: Yes sir. But what about the troops in the fort? I hear they will march out soon.

They were bought with coin by the Emperor: Let them do as they please. Either way, they won't win. WE will be the ones to stop the Altean army.

Astram, being the hothead that he is, instantly believed that Altea was the one to betray Archanea and won’t change his mind. Don’t even try to recruit him. It won’t work.

But he does reveal that we’ll be facing reinforcements soon. They’re quite troublesome in Hard but nothing to be concerned about on Normal.



19 damage is quite a lot at this stage of the game. We’ll be facing a lot of dragons throughout the game and they only get tougher so take this dragon as a warning.



Palla is a weird Pegasus Knight because her speed growth is quite poor but her strength growth is really good.



And there they come.



Str and Spd is good.



We get a Firestone but we don’t have any Manakete to use it. Is this foreshadowing?



Why?



We keep moving forward.



We recover Scorpio. Navarre gets another great level. Frey, not so much.



Burn!



I… what?



Again, what? That’s just… wow. This guy...



Catria is more of a typical Pegasus Knight. Probably one of the best in the series.



No.



Yes.



Yes.



No.



Yes.



Yes.



No.

I’m done with the ‘Yes-No’, I swear.



Actually, I’m done with chapter.


I'm sure even Guardian Deity Naga would be furious. 'Tis truly the end of civilization.
Jagen, do you know the legend of Naga?
Yes; only vaguely, however. Kris, do you know of it?
No, not really...
Unknown among the youth, I see... Then, sire, allow me the honor.

It's said that a thousand years ago... when there was not one king in the lands, people lived in small villages. One day, terrible monsters descended and the humans were massacred, pushed to the brink of extinction. The few who survived prayed to the gods for salvation. The gods heard their prayers, and a gigantic warrior was sent down to earth. The warrior carried a gleaming blade of light in his right hand, and in his left hand, a shield embedded with five orbs. Then, after a fierce battle, he eradicated the monsters and returned to the heavens. He was our guardian deity, Naga, and this temple is dedicated to him. "He was the avatar of the gods: our guardian deity..."
With the blade of light and the five orbs... That is the legend of Naga...
Well then, sire. We have to cross Chiasmir Bridge soon. We must hurry; if the enemy takes it, getting across will be nigh impossible.
Alright then, inform the whole army: We cross Chiasmir Bridge at once. We haven't a moment to waste!
Yes sir!

I may have said this before but I’ll say it again. One consequence of having the Avatar butt in all of Jagen and Marth’s conversations is that Marth is no longer the sheltered idiot that he was in the original Mystery of the Emblem where he knew nothing about the history of the world or even his own kingdom. In the remake, Kris becomes the person who needs to have everything explained to them and it makes sense since they’re just some villager and wouldn’t necessarily know all of this stuff. Whenever we are presented info that Marth shouldn’t know, like the history of the divine dragons which we will get much later, it’s explained to Marth. But when it’s legends or the history and founding of Altea, for instance, it’s explained to Kris and Marth shows that he knows history.

Marth was a player avatar in his earliest appearances and he didn’t become an actual character until Shadow Dragon where he shows that he knows shit. Still it was bizarre that Marth literally knew nothing about anything and needed to babied through the story. So it’s great that Shadow Dragon and, to an extent, New Mystery fixed this. Shame that New Mystery kept the other part of Marth’s personality: the hopelessly idealistic idiot part intact instead of using Shadow Dragon’s pragmatic and realist personality.

Another thing to note is that Naga is referred to as male throughout the story except by one character. Despite what Awakening says, in my mind, Naga is a genderless entity.

Anyway…

Lord Wendell, we're off to Chiasmir Bridge. I... A-achoo!
Oh dear, are you alright? Have you caught a cold?
Perhaps. It's too early to tell.
Don't push yourself too hard, and remember to keep yourself warm. Oh I know, shall I lend you one of the hats that I'm wearing?
Huh? Is that okay?


FUCK YEAH! I want Wendell’s bitchin’ pope hat.

Yes, please, if it's not a bother.
No, no, don't be shy. Here you go. And do remember to watch your health.
You're a good person, Lord Wendell. I want to be more like you... Oh yeah, if I wear this hat for a while, I wonder if my hair will start to look like his? And then, maybe I'll be a bit more like Lord Wendell!

Huh?

I’ll show you Kris’ new style in the next episode but trust me, it looks great and I’ll be keeping it for the rest of the game.

[Yoh]

Can't wait till pre-2016 when the next part will be out.

[Speedy_Fox_IV]

All of the "no" level-ups haapened because Navarre got all of the really good ones. The RNG can be a bitch like that.

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I have news. The base conversation script was just added back to the Serenes Forest page of this game after I requested it. Why didn't I do that ages ago? Well anyway, this should speed up updates. Hopefully. Maybe. At least, I don't have an excuse anymore.

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I told you these updates would speed up considerably after the script was added to Serenes Forest. Before, I was typing them out myself while reading the support log in the actual game. It was a pain.

Kris-Luke 3

Hah! Hah! Haah! Alright, I'm finished, Kris! What's next? Bring it on, I'll take on any training!

This was the last bit of today's training.

What? It's over? I-I did it... What do you think, Kris? I was able to keep up with your training.

Yes, you were incredible, Luke. It's the first time you've been able to go on this long. And here I was convinced you were just going to complain again...

Nah, I did complain. But you'd just drag me along regardless... But well, I have to thank you, Kris. Thanks.

The pleasure was mine. It's as though you're somebody else on the battlefield of late. It might be time I learned from you instead.

Heh. Kris, don't envy me!

Oh, don't worry about that.

Tch! Kris! Keep your eyes on me in the next battle! I'll show you my cool side again and again until you're sick of it! And before you realize, you'll have fallen for me already!

Yes, I'm looking forward to it.

Kris-Rody 3

Kris, what are you doing here again?

Hm? Oh, I just thought a change of scenery would help heal my spirit...

You don't need to hide the fact that you're lost from me.

Haha... Sorry. You got me. How do you find your way around so easily?

Hmm... First, I look for distinct landmarks. Then, I use them to draw a map in my mind.

...All right. I'll try that.

But the most important thing is this: if you're lost, ask someone.

Ah...

There are other things you can rely on. Like us. ...If you're not sure if the army is going in the right direction, you must inform us straightaway. We can't afford to ALL get lost.

Man, you're never going to let me forget about that, are you...? But... thanks, Rody.

I like Luke and Rody. The're cool people. I would have preferred it if Kris didn't exist at all and the "common soldier's POV" be expressed through the whole 7th Platoon.

Kris-Palla 2

Ah, Dame Palla. Thanks for helping me the other day.

No, I was interfering... Please forgive me. I can't help but care for people... It's a terrible habit of mine. My sisters told me to stop doing it, too...

That reminds me. Out of the three sisters of Macedon, esteemed heroines of the previous war... You're the eldest of them, right, Dame Palla?

Yes. Since our parents died when we were young, I had to accept the task of raising my sisters.

I see. Dame Palla, you are, if I may say it, a very kind person.

Thank you... I've never thought of it that way. Oh, by the way, Kris... I was wondering. Is your left shoulder all right?
Huh? Oh... You're right, it is feeling rather stiff...

I knew it. Don't you think you're overdoing it?

It's fine. My grandfather used to tell me, "If your body hurts, heal it with training."

Oh my gosh, that's... It would be terrible if you hurt yourself by training too hard. Show it to me.

D-dame Palla...?

Here... stay still. If I massage your shoulder like this, it'll relieve the pain.

T-thanks...

Just try to relax...

Y-yes...!

Kris? Are you turning red...?

N-no! T-that's just, um...!


Ugh, why is Kris training? She's a mage, damnit!

Kris-Julian 2

Say, Kris. There's something I really want to ask of you. I wonder if you could teach me how to fight?

How to fight? But Sir Julian, you're a thief... Rather than battle, you'd do better staying in the rear, opening chests and doors...

Yes, you're right. But, I want to become stronger. Strong enough to protect Lena.

Sir Julian...

Ever since Lena disappeared, I've looked frantically for her everywhere... I even asked people who chanced to see her. According to them, when Lena was taken by the heretic bishops... she had a sad look on her face.

What does that mean...?

They didn't put her to sleep. Or use some spell to control her. That time, I wasn't far from her. Had Lena screamed, I'd have noticed for sure. But, she didn't. That's because she knew I'd be no match for them even if I rushed out to help. Were I a much stronger man, Lena wouldn't have been kidnapped. Knowing that, I just can't forgive myself...

...


Julian, you're a better fighter than Kris, the fucking mage.

Julian-Rickard 1

Yo, Rickard. What you doin' there?

Ohh! Chief...! Ehehehehe.

You're carrying a pretty hefty bag right there. It looks heavy too; need a helpin' hand?

I-it's okay. This is mine, so I gotta carry it...

Liar. That ain't yours. How many corpses did you loot this time?

That's Chief for you. You see through everythin'.

I'll let it slide this time, but... Don't even think about stealin' anythin' from this army.

C'mon. Nobody minds a small-time thief like me.

So you're still goin' to... Fine, whatever.

Eh? You not gonna stop me?

Yup. 'Cause there are a lot of guys much, muuuch scarier than me, in this army. Who knows what demented punishments they have in store for thieves and pilferers like yourself... Be careful, buddy. I wouldn't wanna see you with any missin' bits or somethin'.

...Hey, stop it, Chief. There's no way I'd do somethin' like that, right? I'm a noble thief, after all.


I see, so you're a "noble thief." ...Yep. ...Then, shall we get goin'?

Eh? Where to?

You... were about to give away that gold to all the poor and needy, right? After all, you're a noble thief: a defender of the weak and downtrodden.

Wha-whaaaaaat...!

Is there somethin' wrong?

Y-you got me... Nothin' gets past you, huh, Chief.

Based Julian being based.

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Today, we have something special. New Mystery of the Emblem was the first game in the franchise to have DLC. 3 DLC chapters were released in total and they are all sidestories to the main game, taking place in-between Shadow Dragon and New Mystery of the Emblem. Much like how the 4 bonus chapters distributed through the Satellaview system (which are also remade in New Mystery and were showcased in my Shadow Dragon LP), they serve as a prologue to this game. These chapters focus on side characters and set up the events of New Mystery.

The best part is that all 3 chapters are completely free! That's right.

However, if I were to present them in the order in which they were made available, it would spoil many of the events of the game that haven't yet been revealed. As such, I will show them in my own order to spoil as little as possible. The first one I'll show off is the 3rd chapter. The major characters in this chapter have all been recruited. Think of this as those characters telling their tale to the Marth and co.

Without further delay...

After the War of Shadows... Princess Caeda of Talys was engaged to Prince Marth of Altea, and all of Talys cheered for them. However, as if seizing this opportunity... the nearby clans suddenly revolted against Talys. Princess Caeda, who had only brought a few bodyguards into town, was dragged into battle, her whereabouts unknown... Ogma, captain of Talys's hired swords, took his subordinates with him and set out immediately to rescue Caeda.


We'll just have to stomach the pain. If we can hold them until Captain Ogma comes, everything'll be dandy.
Yeah, but where is Captain? Wasn't he supposed to be here already?
I ain't got a clue! I don't think there's anyone strong enough to stop the captain, except maybe...


…
So you're back to your old self, working for cutthroats... I'm disappointed. I thought you had changed after working under Prince Marth, but it seems I expected too much from you. Swinging your sword without purpose... You're worse than an animal.
What if I said... ...You're my purpose?
Say that again?
I haven't crossed swords with you since the previous war. Our score... isn't settled yet.
...Our score? And for that reason alone... You're happy to assist these monsters? Come on, give me a break!
…
What's so funny?
Stop pretending you're a decent human being. Stop denying yourself... You're just like me... And that won't ever change.
... Sorry, but... I'm different from you. I fight for the princess: that's my purpose.
...Enough talk. Draw your sword. If you're different from me... Then you shall die here.

...

Goddamnit it, Navarre...





Ogma, Bord and Cord are our starting units. Ogma is separated from the other two and in his way is Navarre. We want to get away from him as quickly as possible. The map has 2 bridges to serve as choke points but also to cut off Ogma from the rest of the group.

For this chapter, Ogma is our 'lord' character. If he dies, it's game over. The others are expendable.

I’ll just say this: these DLC chapters are hard and the early part of them requires a few specific moves. There’s really only one way to do things for the first few turns until you get more freedom. This creates a problem that any unlucky misses or enemy critical hits will derail your strategy. So if my screenshots don’t match, it’s because I required multiple attempts for success and I didn’t want to let the early screenshots go to waste.



Among our named enemies are Navarre, another myrmidon called Maris (I shall use her FE13 localized name ‘Malice’) and a fighter called Dice. You may remember them from the 3rd bonus chapter I posted in my Shadow Dragon LP.



First step is for Ogma to flee and and unequip his weapon as his current position puts him in range of Malice. Navarre can't be talked down just yet and he can and will attack anyone in his range. To complicate matters, he does move and Ogma can only take a few hits before dying.




Bord and Cord together take out this barbarian.



Ogma takes a fireball to the face.



See what I mean? A 75 chance to hit. It can and will go wrong so enough.



Ogma talks to Malice.

Oh! Hey! Hey, you!
What?
That scar on your face... You're the mercenary Ogma...!
Do you know me?
That ain't all either... You saved me and Pops before, don't you remember? Y'know, we were collapsed and dying on the road, until you gave us food... That brat was me.
...Did I do that? So, what are you going to do? Duel with me?
Nah, I give in. Count me on your side. I wanna repay the favor. I'll go tell my Pops too, so I'm counting on ya.

And with that, Malice joins her. She can talk to her 'pops' Dice and recruit him but that will have to wait.



Ogma also uses a Vulnerary since he’s now in range of Navarre.



Back in the original release of 4 maps that Malice comes from, she used to be a mercenary. She became a myrmidon in the remakes but reverted to being a mercenary in Awakening. Anyway, she's off to a flying start.



A knight falls to Bord’s hammer.


You've grown weak... Is it because the war ended...? Or is it because of that woman? If I killed her... Would you go back to being yourself?
You dastard!
Fight me. Otherwise... die.

...

Goddamnit it, Navarre..



This is getting dangerous.



Malice takes out a mercenary.


Wait, Norne. I believe a battle is going on... Is that... Ogma...? Ogma came to save me! I have to go to him!
Oh, please wait! Princess!



Caeda and Norne join us. Both will be useful. Caeda’s Wing Spear is great for taking out knights (though I find that Bord’s hammer is better since he can kill them in one hit) and Norne can do chip damage from range.

Caeda, I believe is also a 'lord' for this chapter and her death means game over. I'm not sure but that is likely the case.



Navarre is still after Ogma. But wait, maybe Caeda can talk some sense into him again.


Wait, Navarre! Halt your blade!
... You again? Begone from my sight.
No! I won't let you kill Ogma! No matter how you might try to stop me!
...Then stop me with your blade.
No! Navarre... I won't kill you, either... I don't want to see you die. Both you and Ogma... are my comrades! And I won't allow my comrades to die! If you must fight Ogma... Then turn your blade on me first!
...Nay. My blade isn't rotten enough to inflict harm upon a woman. Do as you wish.
Oh, thank you... Navarre!
Crazy woman... It seems neither he nor I can best you...

So much for Navarre’s threat to kill Caeda to get Ogma to fight him. He just can’t get rid of her.



Great levels but they don't matter here.



We’ve got reinforcements now, including this Silver Axe wielding Berserker.



We let him come to use and finish him on our phase.



Fascinating.



The chapter is almost over but this is still appreciated.



Malice talks to Dice.

...So that's about the gist of it, Pops.
Ooh, how interesting. Fighting together with the mercenary Ogma would be an honor.
Yeah. Though we'll be working for free again. Man, I need to do something to get gold for tomorrow's food...
Wahaha! Is that what you're worried about? If it's gold ya need, I'll go gamble and you'll have it in an instant!
...No, THAT's what I'm worried about.



Dice is able to double these enemies, something Bord or Cord can’t.



This could be tricky.



Took a risk with the Devil Axe. It payed off.







We’re good though. I managed to clear out all enemies except one knight who couldn’t attack anyone in danger of dying. He chooses to attack Caeda who takes him out.




I see.

Soldier: The swordsman Navarre apparently vanished after the battle.

...I see. Good job. Our mission is complete. Let's escort the princess back to Talys.

Navarre’s gone. We’ll see him again.


Princess...? Of course. You needn't worry about my welfare.
I'm so glad. You looked so intimidating...
I did?
Yes. Just like... the first time we met. You were a frightening gladiator... But your eyes were really sad...
... Princess. Please let me thank you.
Thank... me...?
A long time ago... Before you saved me... I had nothing. I had no purpose or meaning in life, so all I could do was continue to fight, as a gladiator... I hated everything in this world, and had forsaken everything...
Ogma...
But, I didn't die. I had to keep fighting... In other words... I fought so I could continue to fight. Fighting was everything for me. My nature... is the same as Navarre's. Deep inside, we're the same. We aren't humans who can just bathe under the sun's light. We're monsters bred for fighting...
...Ogma...
However... you saved me, Princess. I received not only my life, but also something far more important from you. And even after you leave for Altea and wed Prince Marth... That won't ever change. So, please let me thank you, Princess...
Ogma... I must thank you too, Ogma. You've always stood by my side... Even in the previous war. You protected Marth for my sake... Even after I go to Altea... You will... always... always be my...
Princess... Please don't cry. Tears don't suit you. From now on, you're going to live happily by Marth's side...
Ogma... ...Thank you, Ogma...

I really love this scene. Great character development for 2 of my favourites. Well, character development for Ogma anyway. He’s the focus here. Caeda just keeps repeating his name.

So yeah, that's DLC 3. It's great. Next time, we'll be back to regular show where the plot starts picking up. Before grinding to a halt and going somewhere completely different. Ah well...

[┌༼ຈل͜ຈ༽┘]

You know, it hurts my feelings when I manage to post several updates in quick succession and nobody even comments...

[Speedy_Fox_IV]

I did have post lined up in response to the supports but my computer (lousy piece of crap) crashed before I could post it.

The DLC chapter was interesting though. I can see why you're such a fan of Ogma.

[┌༼ຈل͜ຈ༽┘]

Nearly a year... A busy year, but still, almost a year since the last update.

I should have an update out soon. Hopefully.

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Jan 21, 2016 2:51:58 GMT -8 ┌༼ຈل͜ຈ༽┘ said:

Nearly a year... A busy year, but still, almost a year since the last update.

I should have an update out soon. Hopefully.

The hype is real!

[┌༼ຈل͜ຈ༽┘]

WELCOME BACK! IT'S HAPPENING! IT'S BACK! EVERYONE WHO CARES! I'M TAGGING PEOPLE WHO'VE COMMENTED REGULARLY!

Speedy_Fox_IV Yoh ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Marksman

Mar 25, 2015 15:22:04 GMT -8 Yoh said:

Can't wait till pre-2016 when the next part will be out.

>pre-2016

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Soon after reclaiming the Fane of Raman, Marth's army fears pursuit from the Archanean army and escapes towards Chiasmir Bridge.However, a new enemy attacks the Altean army upon reaching the central islet." The Archanean army is coming from the north; we'll be surrounded like this." The situation is desperate! Can Marth and his friends overcome the many perils?

Before we begin, since it's been a long time, and we had a DLC chapter break in-between, let's take a recap. In the previous couple of episodes, we killed General Lang, the guy oppressing te country of Grust while learning that it was all a ploy to get Marth away from his homeland. In his absence, his comrade Hardin, now the Emperor of Archanea, successfully invade Altea, Marth's home country. Now Marth is on the run with few allies. Immediately before this chapter, we made it to the Fane of Raman, an ancient temple dedicated to dragons, narrowly avoiding an assault from Astram's Free Company and recruited 2 new characters, Feena the flirty Dancer and Navarre the stoic Myrmidon. 

Also, we accepted Bishop (though he's actually a Sage in gameplay) Wendell's hat as an accessory.

And now, onwards!



This? Lord Wendell gave it to me so that my cold wouldn't get any worse.
From Lord Wendell, I see... Chiasmir Bridge has a strong sea wind, so it's good to have a hat to keep warm. It suits you, Kris.
Really? Thank you, sire.

Excuse my poor quality portrait of new Kris. My skills are not good enough to get a transparent background.

So this is what it looks like. And let me tell you, it looks pretty great. It fits Kris' current class as well.



In the barracks, we have 2 new important conversations.

Base Conversations

Jeorge

Kris, in the next battle... The one guarding the castle should be General Jeorge. General Jeorge is Gordin's tutor and friend and has visited Altea on many occasions. I'd like to speak with him. Kris, I'm counting on your assistance.

Roger

In the previous war, there was a man named Roger among our allies. He was a very nice man and listened to me even though we fought on opposing sides when we first met.

Flashback

Tell me: do you believe in love? Oh, listen to me. I'm sure you already have a sweetheart back in Grust.

End flashback

D-did you really say that to him...?

Kris, should we meet Roger again, I'll try and/to talk to him.


Pretty straightforward, wouldn't you say? Hopefully, you remember Roger's hilarious recruitment where Caeda basically flirts with him until he joins her, never realizing that Caeda has eyes for no one except Marth. It's one of the reason why I love Caeda. The very first 'love interest' in the series and she's so much more than that. She's unafraid to use her sex appeal (which she has tons of) to her advantage.



This is our map. It's the same map as Chapter 19 of Shadow Dragon. Some important things to take note off.

If you pay attention, you'll notice that the top section of the previous map and the bottom section of this one are identical. If you love this sort of thing, you'll love FE4.



Astram is still here. He's even in the exact same position as last chapter.



Roger's on the bridge. He's completely forgettable as a unit.



Jeorge is the 'boss' of the chapter as he is standing on the seize tile. We can use either Marth or Gordin to recruit him. In FE3, only Gordin could recruit him but Marth can too in this game. Jeorge may technically be the boss, but the title actually belongs to someone else. He's carrying Sagittarius, which boosts skill by 2. He drops it if you kill him, but why would you do that?



THE EMPEROR! Hardin's here. And he isn't looking very friendly at all. In FE3, these would be his stat caps but the caps go higher in this game. On Normal mode, these are his stats but they'll goup along with the difficulty.

The Gradivus, you already know. It's the most powerful lance, a Regalia of House Archanea. It has 17 might, and can attack 1-2 range as well as consume one 'use' to fully heal the user. It was previously wielded by Camus until we supposedly killed him.

The Darksphere, though, is new. What it does, is provide flat invulnerability. No getting around that. He's unkillable, except by means which are not available to us currently. So he's not to be messed with.

So yeah, let's get it on!



This is our team. Even with the additions from last chapter, a little bit different from our usual team.



Marth and Catria gain a few levels in the barracks to compensate for our different team. Catria caps her speed which means that's 7 levels of wasted speed growth. Not that it matters since her cap after promoting would be 23, a number which she will quickly reach in no time.



As soon as we begin, we see a cavalier rushing towards us from the top.





It's Cain!

Kris! You too! You've guarded Prince Marth well.
Sir Cain! You made it!
I'm truly glad that you came back unharmed, Cain.
Yeah, somehow I managed to shake off the enemy and escape here. But the enemy is already approaching from the north.
Don't worry. We will crush them.
[/URL]No, not this time. Hardin is being protected by a mysterious power: we can't lay a finger on him. So even if we fight now, we haven't a chance of winning. Please, head to the northwestern fortress. There's a boat across the river, which we can use to escape to the Khadein desert.
Sire, the free company to the south will probably make their move soon. Indeed, now's not the time to fight. For the time being, let's do as Cain suggests and make our escape. After that, we'll think of something...
I see... I don't like it, but we haven't a choice... Everyone, hurry to the northwest fortress!

So yeah, that's our clue to not mess with Astram or Hardin, but especially Hardin.



So here's Cain. His stats are decent and his level is too. Generally, if you've trained Luke, Rody or Cecil, all 3 can be superior to him. But I like Cain more. So he's on the team.



On our first turn, Cain attacks this thief and has Feena dance her slutty dance for him so that he can kill the thief. The Thief drops Leo, Corrin's Dark Knight adoptive younger brother who lusts after his older sisters from Fire Emblem: Fates. Impressive. We get Leo. Thankfully, this Leo is better as it provides stat boosts instead of being a bad character.



Frey takes out this other thief but I don't remember what he dropped.



We position our units like so while Marth heads off towards the village.



That's our warning that reinforcements will be popping up like crazy.



We clear out the paladins that charged at us and Caeda goes over to Roger.

Good day, sir.
Ack! You, y-you're... Caeda!
Thank goodness, Roger. It's nice to see you again.
Uh... Uhm, you should know, I've no plans to betray Archanea. I was just thinking about that time when you asked me "do you believe in love?" But I'm different from who I was back then.
Really? But you still seem like a nice man. That's why I wanted to speak to you again.
Uhh...
May I just ask, why are you fighting for Archanea?
Be-because Archanea has already taken over the world. Resistance is futile: no one can win. My life is precious to me. If I side with whoever's stronger, then I'm guaranteed to live longer...
I see.
A-are you disappointed with me?
No, never. As I thought, you're fighting for what you believe in. You're not different. You're the same, kind man as when I first met you and I'm happy for that.
Uhhh... Wait- you're leaving?!
Yes. I too must fight for what I believe in. But I'll make a request to Marth so that we don't have to fight you. I'm happy that we could talk again, Roger.
W-wait! ...As I thought, you're still very kind. Dare I say, we don't have girls quite like you back in Grust or Archanea. Um, perhaps... I suppose I could... Aw heck, I'm going with you again!



And she turns him blue. And by that, I mean she gave him blue balls.

Like I said, Roger is unspectacular, but not unusable.



More paladins to kill.



Kris gets great levels as usual and Cain gets a passable one.



Marth reaches the visit to find...

Oh look, if it isn't Prince Marth. Long time no see, Lad. It seems so noisy out; I wonder what's happened?
Ah, Bantu! Fancy meeting you in a place like this. How is Tiki?
Oh, she is no longer by my side. Lord Gotoh took her to the Ice Dragon Shrine again.
The Ice Dragon Shrine? Where's that? I've never heard of such a place...
It's in the icy lands, far north of here. But it's no place for humans. Besides the hero Anri, no man has been there yet.
Anri?! Are you, perchance, referring to the "Realm of the Gods" from Anri's legends?
I'm not at liberty to say anything more. If you want to know more, you should ask Lord Gotoh. Anyhow, I have a favor to ask of you. My precious firestone was stolen by thieves. If you can get it back for me, I'll show you how it works. Thank you, Prince Marth.

Well, that isn't foreshadowing at all...

Anyway, we get Bantu!



He's... bad. His bases with the bonuses he gets from the Dragonstone are useful now but he has no growths at all. Speaking of dragonstones, it seems like Bantu lost his again. That's what the thief was carrying, now that I think about it. But we already got a dragonstone from the feral dragon we killed last chapter so Bantu can have that.



I placed Ogma in range of the general and he killed him with an armourslayer easily enough.



Uh, thanks, Julian.



Without effective weapons, these generals are hard to kill but Frey levels up from chip damage.



Just know that you're fast running out of time. Soon, I will kill you myself...

I don't like the sound of what this warning is implying...



Uhh, judging by the screenshot, I seem to have used Yumina's rescue staff to rescue Marth from the village out of the way to the top where he needs to be. This was recorded more than a year ago so I can't be sure and I sure as hell can't remember.

This is a great LP, right guys? Guys?



Strength. Good, good...



Right. Too bad we're pretty much told who to use to recruit Jeorge.



A few more Generals get pulled. The last one is carrying an Arms Scroll that we want.



As we reach closer to the end, Ogma and Catria get not-so-decent levels.



So here's Bantu in action. The dragons in this game look fucking great, by the way. Easily my favourite look for them.



Oh, reinforcements. They move on the same turn too.



We're still getting swarmed by cavaliers from the bottom.



Marth moves to talk to Jeorge.

Wait, Sir Jeorge. I wish to speak with you.
Prince Marth... Please, lower your weapon. I don't want to fight with you.
I know. As do I. You taught Gordin how to use a bow. And you were an instructor to the junior knights of Altea. You've been a great boon to Altea: I could never fight you, Sir Jeorge.
Prince... I pledged allegiance to Princess Nyna. But I can tolerate Hardin no longer... Taking other countries by force, executing "rebels" without reason...
...Hardin was my friend. But he has changed beyond recognition. If he is committing any sort of crime, then I shall stop him. Jeorge, please, help me.
...I understand, Prince. To return the kingdom of Archanea to what it was once before... I will take it upon myself to turn my bow against my homeland.



Jeorge is, not that good, but I like him. Maybe not enough to use him but he's viable. He's the only one capable of using Parthia, the Regalia of House Archanea for the time being so he has that on his side.

And now!



AH!

Awesome splash art though.

Hardin... Why did you to attack our country? What would compel you to do such an act? I... I can't believe this. Have you really changed this much?
Prince, I am the ruler of this continent and the Emperor of Archanea. I will show no quarter to anyone who opposes me. That includes you, Prince... I must destroy this foul world... It is beyond salvation. Traitors, playtime is over. You will all die here. All soldiers, attack! Do not leave a single traitor standing!



So literally everyone on the enemy side starts moving. Hardin included. Get out. Now.



Good thing I'm good at this game and knew that this was coming. So lol. But if you're still on the bridge, you're fucked.

Let me post a comment I made on Reddit in a thread asking for creative anti-turtling countermeasures in FE games.

Assram's Break-A-Bitch brigade chasing you from one side and Hardin's 'Darksphere + Gradivus = Fuck You' combo from the other side on a bridge with little room to move. Also a recruitable character that requires a detour in a completely unrelated direction and a thief carrying an item required to finish the game that is heading right towards Assram. You also need to bring a character that you may or may not have trained to recruit another character. In practice, it's not that difficult but that's only if you don't turtle at all.

So anyway...


But everyone is still fighting. I can't just leave them behind.
Worry not, sire. I will remain here. I will regroup with everyone later.
Kris! But...
Sire, you of all people know that Kris is more than capable. As long as Kris is there, everyone will escape safely and reunite with you at once. Now sire, to the boat!

No fuck you game. Stop sucking Kris' dick so much. This is my number one problem with this game, if I haven't said already.

I will be the rear guard. Everyone, hurry up and escape! Lord Wendell, you too! Oh, right. I just remembered, I should probably return this hat...
I don't mind if you keep it for a little longer. Do you wish to give it back?

Yes, I will be keeping the epic hat.

Yes. Thank you, it was most comfortable.
No no, 'twas nothing. ...By the way, should I be hurrying too?
Erm... Yes, hurry up and escape!

And that's it! I say that's a pretty exciting chapter to resume this series, wouldn't you say?