Part 27: It Takes Ages (Prep)

Chapter 12: It Takes Ages (Prep)

Time to siege another castle. This doesn’t happen every six chapters exactly, though I’d forgive you for getting that impression.

Oddly enough it is roughly that often though.



I love that the Archanean palace is just called “The Palace”.





: The first king, Adrah, had fought valiantly to accomplish this, wielding the three weapons he came to call his regalia- gifts from the gods, some said.

: Three A-Ranks?


: He also invented reclassing.

: The kingdom Adrah forged was pronounced holy; its kings were esteemed. With Archanea’s aid, six more independent kingdoms sprang up in their own time. But Archanea was always the greatest- and now, Marth was about to take his first walk through its historic palace’s halls.

I have to admit to being a little confused here. Because even not counting Dolhr, since it’s an empire and older than Archanea, I think, or...Pyrathi, there are seven other nations in Archanea. Aurelis, Altea, Gra, Talys, Macedon, Khadein, and Grust. Maybe Altea and Gra are meant to count as one? Maybe Talys doesn’t count since it’s an island?

Speaking of which, I do have a map here, from the Fire Emblem wiki. Some of the names are in Japanese, but I did relabel them. Seamlessly, you totally can’t tell.



In case you were wondering about the geography aspects of this LP.




This chapter is skimpy on the character slots, for reasons that will become apparent very quickly. I dropped Ogma because he’s high level and can afford missing a map, and Draug because he’s not doing so hot. I made room for Linde and Maria, and it’s a very good idea to bring a Thief on this map, so Julian will help out.




This map starts off already inside the palace, but don’t totally count that outdoor area out. If this looks familiar, thanks for reading the other thread! Or, you know, playing the game yourself, but I can dream.




There are a pair of thieves who have chosen the absolute worst spot to start.




Good thing they’re full of loot.




There’s a prison cell here, guarded by a hefty barricade of Knights and some ranged units. It’s important to get here quick, so Armor Knight counters will be pretty useful.




After that, there’s a long stretch of hallway that looks like it might be the perfect place for, say, some sudden, moving mounted units. Just a hunch. And at the end, a Manakete.




There’s also an alternate path full of treasure, but it’s well guarded by a General and Sniper. Julian’s going to be looting in here, but he’ll need an escort.




Since we’re already at the throne, I’ll show off the boss. Volzhin is probably the most dangerous boss so far, because not only does he have two range, magic attacks are painful. Still, he’s not too bad.




In another odd move, there’s a second “boss” on this map. Heimler the Paladin is not recruitable, he just has a portrait for some reason. I remember back when this game came out, there were so many topics on Ye Olde GameFAQS panicking about how you recruited Heimler. You can’t. He and his cavalier pals will charge us, however, so it’s important to be ready for him.




I also wanted to try out Pirate Barst. He’s pretty much identical to Normal Barst, but with some very minor stat differences.




Caeda gets the Energy Drop we pilfered last map, because her Strength is the one stat that’s really hurting on her.




And the Spirit Dust should help Cord make up for a couple unfortunate rolls on Magic.

Next time we storm the Ageless Palace.

Bonus Content

Let’s have Mage Chat.

: Huh? Where's my magic tome...? I was sure I left it here.

: Sorry, Linde. I borrowed it for a bit.

: Aha, that makes sense. But, you do know that magic tome can only be used by women, right?

I don’t think they ever explain the sex-locked tomes, in gameplay or in story.

: That's why I borrowed it. As I thought, I couldn't use it... How strange. I wonder why? Your father... Pontifex Miloah was able to wield Aura, right?

: ...Father once told me. Advanced tomes have restrictions on who can use them, based on who created and inherited them.

: ...I see. So you mean to say the condition to use a magic tome isn't necessarily just gender. I wonder how these user restrictions are set into place...

: There are many things about magic that remain unexplained. It seems the more you learn about magic, the less you understand it.

: Indeed. I've been studying magic for a long as I remember, but all the answers I find lead to more questions. Oh right. If you're interested, there's something I'd like you to read. Well, it's an unfinished thesis, but...

: Wow... You're writing a thesis? You really study hard, Merric. Of course I'd like to read it!

: Great. Don't forget to tell me what you think about it, later.

Nerds.