Part 15: Taking Leave

Okay, welcome to Eliwood's story. This is the main game, and you're more or less intended to start here unless you really like going through Lyn's story. As such, the infodumping you were probably expecting at the start of Lyn's story is actually here. So sit back and get comfortable, we've got some history and a lot of talking to get through.




Mankind vanquished the dragons thanks to the efforts of eight heroes. These eight mighty generals brought peace to Elibe, and the continent was divided into nations as the people enjoyed an easy propserity.














Elibe has enjoyed a peace that spans 980 years... How much longer can this peace stand before its foundations begin to crumble? Deep within the Lycian League lies Pherae, a land that has known no conflict for many generations, but which now finds itself touched by a shadow of unease. Its beloved and benevolent ruler, Lord Elbert, has mysteriously vanished, as have a number of his sworn men, loyal knights who serve at his side. A month has passed without word from the marquess, with rumors of his death abound. However, the marquess's son believes his father lives, and has vowed to find him. Marquess Pherae's son, Eliwood: A red-haired youth who will one day be the finest knight in all of Lycia.

Sadly, we're only going to be visiting about half of these nations. Specifically, we never go to Ilia and Etruria, and we have all of a single mission in the Western Isles. The rest of them are saved for FE6. Also, that part about Eliwood being the finest knight in Lycia is a hilarious joke. Eliwood fucking wishes he would be that good.





: I see. Thank you Marcus.



: Eliwood... Promise that you will return to me safely. I'm worried about your father, but... If anything were to happen to you... My heart could not bear that sorrow.

: I know, Mother. Please do not worry. Father is alive, I know it. I vow that I will find him and return him to your side.

: I have your word then.

: Yes, of course. Isadora, I entrust my mother to you in my absence.

: Yes, milord. I will guard over her well.



: Not so, milord. My man Lowen will be travelling with us. I've sent him ahead to the village. He hopes to seek out a few able men who are skilled at arms. Normally, I wouldn't venture forth without a larger company, but... I bow to your will on this matter, Lord Eliwood.

: I'm sorry Marcus, but I would rather not deprive my mother of even a single guard. The best knights in the realm disappeared with my father, and if anything were to happen to my mother while I am gone, I...

: I understand, milord. Hmph! What's keeping Lowen?



: Well, your misfortune is my good luck! I have an annoucement to make! As of now, this village is mine! Groznyi is your new liege! Now bring every last piece of gold, down to the smallest fleck!

Jesus, what kind of parent hates their child enough to call them "Groznyi?" I mean, there are some wierd names in this game, but that one's up there.



Ah, there comes Lowen now.



: Lowen, calm yourself! A knight must be in control at all times.

: The village is under attack! It's bandits!

: What? Bandits? Here?

: Are you sure, Lowen?

: This girl has more details.



: I'm the daughter of the village magistrate. My name's Rebecca. The bandits came without warning. They're stealing everything! I beg you, please help us!

: I see. Marcus, Lowen! We must aid the village!

: Yes, milord!

: Rebecca, stay here and keep out of sight.

: If it would please you, milord, I would rather fight. I hunt almost every day and I have some skill with a bow.

: Is that so? Very well, but be careful!



: There is another in the village who has offered to help. A travelling tactician who was staying at the inn.

: A tactician? Art!

: Do you know this person, milord?

: Yes, I met Art during the trouble in Caelin last year. A fantastic military advisor, if memory serves. If not for Art, the marquess of Caelin and his gradaughter Lyn might not have survived Lundgren's uprising.

Damn straight we're a fantastic advisor.

: What brings you to Pherae, my friend? Ha, still travelling about, honing your skills? Of course, a worthy pursuit. Let's give thanks to providence for our chance reunion. We have need of your aid. Please lend us your skill.



Still awake? Good, let's get started. First, our new units:



First up is our Lord, Eliwood. I'll go into detail at the end of the update, but suffice to say he's not too spectular. He does come with a Rapier, which has the same effects as the Mani Katti, though with a much smaller critical bonus.



Marcus is our standard Jeigan (Well, Oifay, but same difference). His primary use is going to be standing around unequipped to keep the heat off our new units who aren't exactly up to speed with our old friends from Lyn's story.



Lowen, my favorite cavalier. Here's to hoping he turns out better than Kent did, because Sain's alright, but we could really use a great cavalier for our endgame paladin. Also, he comes with an iron sword and a javelin for ranged combat already, which is a plus.



Rebecca's one of the better bow-wielders in the game, but she'll require a bit of babying before she starts the kill train.



Anyway, there's a village to the north, but there's nothing to worry about with it, as the only bandit in range of taking it will be dead quite quickly.



Finally, the boss is off to the west.



Groznyi is quite a step down from what we're used to after Lyn's story, but that's okay, as we have weaker units anyway. He's not even using a Steel Axe, which should tell you how dangerous this guy is.

Getting started, Lowen and Rebecca take shots at the bandit, and Eliwood moves north and gets the kill.



A very thrust-centric fighting style, he has. Marcus follows behind the main group.

Turn 2



: It's just like that knight said! That's Lord Eliwood!

: So it seems.

: What's he doing? Hey, he's taking on those bandits. Protecting innocents? That's a right lordly thing to do, isn't it? Right Dorcas?

: You talk too much. The lordling needs our help.

: Right! Leave these mountain weeklings to me! I'm Bartre the Brave!



Well then. Dorcas is our first returning unit, and he's exactly the same as we left him at the end of Lyn's story, though he's holding an Energy Ring for us, as well as his Steel Axe.



Bartre is a new man, and though his bases are a lot worse than Dorcas's, his growths are much better. Dorcas will usually come in at a higher level and ready to go, however, especially if you're coming from Lyn's story. Bartre is hauling around an Iron axe and a hand axe, though we'll probably end up taking them and giving them to Dorcas for the time being.

Lowen starts off the turn by attacking the archer, which drops him to 1 HP. Eliwood follows up for the kill, and Dorcas attacks the brigand, allowing Rebecca to get a kill. Bartre heads for the village.


We've heard nothing but foul rumors hereabouts... All of Pherae is worried for his well-being. We hear that Lord Eliwood is going to find the marquess. This dragon shield is our village treasure... Take it, please. And may it see you and Lord Elbert home safely.



Excellent. The Dragonshield will raise the defense of a unit by two points. We'll be holding onto that and Dorcas's Energy Ring for the time being.

Turn 3



Rebecca, Lowen, and Eliwood once again continue the charge forward. Eliwood is attacked by both brigands in the enemy phase, and gains his first level.



...Well, I see some things haven't changed.

Turn 4



Lowen takes the initiative and kills one of the bandits, and Eliwood and Rebecca finish the other off.

Turn 5



Since none of the enemies moved, we continue south. Rebecca moves below the forest, where she's protected by the ledge, as Lowen moves to the forest and Eliwood just above him.



Also, since we actually start with some gold this time around, Marcus heads to the vendor and buys some vulneraries to pass around.

Rebecca trades blows with the archer, and Eliwood with a bandit.

Turn 6



Rebecca takes a shot at the north brigand, and Lowen kills off the archer, blocking off the way to Rebecca. Dorcas cleans up the brigand left behind and gets a level.



You know, it's been a long time since I've had a relatively good Dorcas. This is certainly helping things. Lowen dodges the brigand gets a level of his own.



This is going to be a recurring theme throughout this entire game, isn't it?

Turn 7



Rebecca weakens the bandit further, and Eliwood finishes him off. Lowen puts himself in position to attack the boss, and Bartre runs back to the vendor when I realize I'm one vulnerary short for everyone.



: You think you can challenge me? What? Pheraen knights? But that's impossible!

Both he and Lowen hit, which puts Groznyi at 18 HP and Lowen at 12.

Turn 8



Time to clean house. First, Rebecca takes a shot at him and gets a level for her trouble.



Oh dear...this is not a good start for her. Bartre misses with his hand axe, and Lowen lands again when he's attacked. After Rebecca attacks again, he's down to 4 HP, and Eliwood steps in to finish the job.



So did I, buddy. So did I.



Huh. There might just be hope for you yet, Eliwood.



: Our deepest thanks for coming to the aid of our fair village.

: Think nothing of it. It's a lord's duty to protect the citizenry.

: Would that were true, milord. The good folk of Laus know no such protection. Their marquess, Lord Darin, is too busy preparing for war. He ignores all complaints of bandits and thieves.

: Preparing for war? Are you sure?

: I would not lie, milord. My brother lived in Laus until a few days ago. His home was torched, and he had no choice but to flee here. According to him, Laus could go to war any day now. It's all the people of Laus are talking about.

: Lord Eliwood, if this is true, the situation is a grave one. If Marquess Laus is readying for war... His target is most likely another Lycian territory. Perhaps this is connected to Lord Elbert's disappearance.

: My father and Marquess Laus? It seems a tenuous connection, but it's as good a start as any. Let us travel to Laus. We must learn more.



: Where are you bound for next? If you have no destination in mind, perhaps you could travel with us. Ours is a small group, with a single purpose - to find my father. I do not know where our road will lead, but we would certainly be stronger with you in our company. You will travel with us? Splendid! I pray we give you no cause to regret your decision.

And with that, Eliwood and company head out.



: Father, I... I intend to accompany Lord Eliwood.

: Don't be ridiculous, girl! Lord Eliwood is not going on a picnic, he's riding into danger!

: I know that, Father. That's why I want to go. We owe him our lives, and I want to repay him. My bow may not be all that much, but I know I can be of service!

: But...

: And Father... I may meet up with my brother somewhere. You're the magistrate - you have responsibilities. I... This is all I can offer. I need to do this! Please, Father, let me go!

: Dear me... You're as stubborn as your mother was. You must bow to Lord Eliwood's wishes on this matter. If he consents, you may go. Lord Elbert has always been kind to us. Follow his son with a true heart, Rebecca. Serve Eliwood well as I have served his father.

-----



HP: 80%
Strength: 45%
Skill: 50%
Speed: 40%
Luck: 45%
Defense: 30%
Resistance: 35%

Eliwood is the second of our three lords, and to be quite frank, he's just not very good. Lyn has great speed and skill, much like a myrmidon, and Hector has great strength and defense, much like a knight. Eliwood occupies the awkward niche in between the two, and as a result he's not really good at anything. His promotion just makes things worse, as he essentially becomes a half-assed Paladin, complete with bad caps. All things considered, he's going to end up a lot like Erk; he'll turn out great, or he'll turn out terrible, and there's not a whole lot of in-between.



HP: 90%
Strength: 30%
Skill: 30%
Speed: 30%
Luck: 50%
Defense: 40%
Resistance: 30%

At first glance, Lowen is pretty terrible. Compared to Sain and even Kent, he has an atrocious strength growth, and his speed and skill aren't going to light the world on fire either. His big redemption is that he is a great tank. His defense growth is among the best in the game (second only to Hector and a knight), his HP growth is the same as those two units (which is the highest of all regular units), and even his resistance growth is pretty good among physical units. He's my favorite cavalier to use, but you're probably not looking at an amazing powerhouse. Plus that hair man. Look at it, he's awesome.



HP: 60%
Strength: 40%
Skill: 50%
Speed: 60%
Luck: 50%
Defense: 15%
Resistance: 30%

Rebecca is the second archer, and probably the best of the lot. While Wil is going to be hitting things harder, Rebecca has a much better speed growth, and will be better equipped to not only dodge attacks (though your archers really shouldn't be getting attacked in the first place), but be attacking twice. She is much more fragile than Wil, but again, that shouldn't be a problem in the first place. Keep her safe, let her grow, and she'll be murdering like a champ in no time.



HP: 65%
Strength: 30%
Skill: 50%
Speed: 25%
Luck: 30%
Defense: 15%
Resistance: 35%

Ah, Marcus. Marcus serves as the Jeigan of the game, namely that prepromote you get at the beginning of the game who you really shouldn't use because he soaks up experience the rest of your units really, really want. His growths are terrible, but much like Wallace, he's there if you need a crutch to get you through a tough spot or soften up a strong enemy.



HP: 85%
Strength: 50%
Skill: 35%
Speed: 40%
Luck: 30%
Defense: 30%
Resistance: 25%

Bartre is your second choice for a Warrior, and in the long run, he's going to be the best choice. The mere fact that he has double the speed growth of Dorcas, and slightly lower, but similar growths in everything else puts him way ahead, and the next option is a prepromote, so Bartre's got the edge there as well, assuming he doesn't get RNG screwed. Now, he's not really the best choice for an axe-user, per se, but if you want a Warrior, this is the guy to turn to.