Part 21: Chapter 11A: Hero of the West (feat. Alkydere)
Chapter 11A: Hero of the West (feat. Alkydere)
He quickly penned off a letter to Cecilia letting her know of the horrors happening on the Western Isles, and his chosen course of action.
After sending the letter, Roy led his forces towards Mt. Ebrakhm to try and free the people suffering from forced labor. Etruria had assigned Bishop Oro of the Elimine Church to supervise the mine. A fortune's worth of minerals had already been taken from the mine, but it seems Etruria's greed knew no bounds...
Ebrakhm...the Mine of Death. The desperate wails of the people forced into labor echoed through the mines like the howling of ghosts...
So Princess Guinevere is nowhere on the Western Isles?
We searched all over the Isles, and also sent spies into the Lycia Alliance Army, but we did not find the princess anywhere. I apologize for not being of any help. I understand. I suppose I will search elsewhere. Bishop Oro, I thank you for your cooperation with Bern.He’s handsome, he’s soft spoken, he’s trying to help a knight look for her lost lady, and he’s a bishop. Countdown until confirmation of his inevitable betrayal in 3....
I will be praying for your swift reunion with the princess, my lady. Thank you....2...
That was a Wyvern Knight from Bern named Miledy. She was looking for Princess Guinevere....1...
Did you tell her where she is? Of course not. Guinevere is a very valuable hostage. Why, when Lord Roartz heard the news that General Cecilia was hiding Guinevere in Aquleia, he was as excited as the time when he was reported the assassination of Prince Mildain had been successful!...and zero. So predictable. I didn’t even read the intro up top that says “THE CHURCH IS CORRUPT!”
Bishop Oro! You mustn't say that he was assassinated... Oh, I must watch my tongue. Anyway, Guinevere has that much value. Now, why did you come before me? Did you not have something to report? Ah, yes. It is about the village where the rebel leader is hiding. We are prepared to launch an attack on the village. Yes, well done. Then commence your attack immediately, before we have any unwanted interruptions...To be fair, it’s kinda difficult to avoid predictably evil characters in a game that lets you regularly check in on conversations your enemies are having. Tends to kinda ruin the surprise. This game seems to be acknowledging the difficulty by not insulting the player with the pretense of subtlety.
Yes. I just hope that it hasn't been attacked already...
I must say, that Oro is a despicable man. A bishop should be preaching the words of God to help the people. But in fact, he is torturing them! That certainly cannot be forgiven.
We should probably wait for General Cecilia's reply, but...
What!? Master Roy, should we attack? Well, I guess we won't be waiting for her reply. I want to help the people here. Even if it means that we'll be going against Etruria... Roy... Let's fight! So we can be proud of our actions when we return to Lycia!
Ugh...this chapter. It's not quite as bad as Chapter 14, but it's still probably the result of an IntSys intern hoping to be brought on staff permanently. This chapter is a rush of things you need to do with about half as much time as you need to do them. First and foremost, the villages farthest away from us are our first priority. Bandits spawn from the caves on turn 6, and we need to at least have the closest two saved or be right there by then. In addition, we need to have Clarine haul her ass down to point A on the map by turn 5, then turn around and have that character get back to where we started because another character spawns in there on turn 7.
The bottom villages can be safely ignored; in fact, it's probably easier to do so and just deal with them after saving the difficult stuff. Roy, Gonzales, Zealot, Lance, and Clarine are heading south through the center. Lugh, Saul, Geese, Alan, Shin, and Rutger are taking the north route and smashing through the wall. Thany will be flying around to manipulate enemy troop positions, and to save a village now and then.
I have one thing to say: HAHAHAHA! So glad this isn’t the game I’m not LPing. I managed to fail a mission three times on the game I’m LPing, which is IntSys’s “Strategy Game for Babies” compared to this. This would leave me foaming at the mouth.
Only a few times has Advance Wars pulled off dick moves that even slightly near the Fire Emblem caliber. Then again, as far as I’m concerned that series is still paying a karma balance for the horror they inflicted on the world with AW1’s advance campaign.
But I digress. What a lot of bullshit! Note the movement squares in the top left; they provide a scale measurement so you can appreciate exactly how absurdly far it is from the starting point to point A. Though I guess it could be worse. It could’ve been Wendy
Lalum makes her debut with the team, and she's a pretty typical dancer. I'm eternally baffled why they bother to give Bards/Dancers strength or skill considering they can't use weapons anymore, but there we are, I suppose.
WHAT IS IT WITH THIS GAME’S UNITS AND PORTRAITS
Lalum's dance remains as useful as ever.
No... It looks like she left the Lycia Alliance Army. Just when I thought I had found her...
Well, then it's no use looking here, I suppose. Gale...I'm sorry. My squad was the only one assigned to look for the princess because King Zephiel wanted to keep it in secrecy. I'm sorry that I got you into this mess... You have enough to worry about already... Don't fret over things like that. But you're one of the captains working directly under General Murdock... Don't worry about that, General Murdock has agreed to my helping you. Anyway, Princess Guinevere must still be on the mainland. I guess we can ask General Narshen for help. ...You're going to bow down to Narshen? ...? Of course. He's one of the Three Dragon Lords, and he's leading the divisions in Lycia and Etruria.
About what? I mean... You're the one who should be a Dragon Lord. ...But Narshen accused you of not being a native of Bern, and he snatched the position away. And you're going to bow down to him and ask him for help? Well, what he said was true. I wasn't born in Bern. But... Miledy, don't worry. I'm happy with the position I have now. King Zephiel and General Murdock put trust in me, even though I'm not a native of Bern. What more could I ask? Gale...Oh gee, are those somewhat sympathetic wyvern riders? I wonder where this is going?
The north side is brutal if you just charge straight for the breakable wall. There are a lot of archers (including a Killer Bow guy and a longbow guy or two), the fighters mostly have hand axes, and a shaman or two to throw a surprise 17 or so damage at whichever unit you happen to accidentally leave in range. Shin has his own longbow equipped to pick off the longbowman immediately to his south, and Geese hops in range of the archer to his left as the rest press forward.
And so the Gonzales Party begins.
And let it continue! He’ll never be handsome, but how could anyone hate that smile? Also, one of the units I bank on has to eventually come out at least above average.
...Well alright then.
Shin follows up by killing Longbow Guy.
Meanwhile, Lugh and Alan get to work on the wall.
Wait, that wall has 100 HP!? So much for the quick flank, you’re going to be there for a while...
I guess in retrospect it makes sense that a brick wall be more durable than a person.
Lance goes 1 for 2 with his javelin and becomes mildly stronger for the effort. Thany hits our first village in the meantime.
If I don't do that, the village will be burned down. But I'm going to give the money to you guys! I'm tired of being overrun by this oppression. I decided as soon as I saw all of you.
I have never heard of any kid that actually says shit like that, but I'll take the five grand in spending money.
That kid just threw away a great opportunity.
Gonzales has her back, though.
Just ahead of schedule, Zealot's in position to be the bait.
In the north, Lugh has busted a hole in the wall for us. Alan and Shin pick off the fighter, and Rutger takes out the shaman.
It's quite a profitable endeavor.
Tell the bandits that the villages are in chaos. I want them to ransack the villages and collect the valuables. Yes. But... Are you sure? If this becomes public... You forget that I speak for God Himself. If anyone tries to accuse me, he would be accusing God. There is no one on this island who can prosecute me! Now hurry. It will be a chance wasted if the crisis in the villages settles down.Oh wow, this guy actually believes his propaganda, doesn’t he? Well, that at least elevates him a tier on FE enemies, from “Forgettable” to “Mildly disturbing, but still forgettable”.
”If anyone even tries to defy me, I shall have them... Elimineted.”
Even by your standards, that was terrible and you should feel bad about it, Fedule.
I know. But Lord Arcard says that they are working with the bandits to attack innocent villagers. Why are they doing the opposite of what they were told...?
... Tate, can you take your troops and attack from the north? I'll start attacking from here. Yes, General Klein. *leaves* Tate! Wait. Yes? I heard that you have some siblings. Yes. I have two sisters, one older, one younger. Are they both Pegasus Knights like you? Yes. Why do you ask? Well, you see, I have a younger sister myself... You have a sister? She must be very beautiful. Thank you. Yes, she is pretty. But I heard that she got tangled up in some, mess and I don't know where she is now... What? Oh my... I've sent out some people to look for her, but they haven't had any luck. If I weren't on this mission, I would go search for her myself... ... Tate, take care of yourself. For your family's sake. Yes, thank you.So Tate is our second peg knight sister. It's not quite as simple as just having Thany come over for a chat, though...
Sir, are you sure? About what? Lord Arcard said to leave the fighting to Ilia's Pegasus Knights so that we Etrurians suffer the least casualties. Don't be ridiculous, they are our companions and trustworthy comrades. We will fight full-force to support them. Understood? Yes, General Klein. ...Still, Lord Arcard's story is strange... The Alliance Army just got here. Would they get tied in with the bandits so quickly...?
Well hello to you too, Klein. If the "missing sister" part didn't clue you in, that golden hair belongs to none other than Clarine's brother.
And that’s if you didn’t pick up that he was a recruitable character at “he was having a pleasant discussion with a
I wonder if the guy who first came up with these Proud Fire Emblem Traditions had any idea how much of an effect they’d have.
A nice side effect of breaking out when I did is the enemy split its forces to deal with both fronts. There's only 3 fighters down by Zealot, and the archers all came back up here. Now let's recruit Klein.
Clarine!? You were safe! Thank goodness...
I'm sorry I left without telling you... But I wanted to see you so badly. The things you would do... Well, you're safe, and that's what matters. And what brings you out here? Did you find someone trustworthy to hire? No, I joined the Lycia Alliance Army and have been fighting alongside them. The Lycia Alliance Army!? Yes, my healing staves have been very useful! ..I see. I thought your eyes looked...sharper. I'm now a lady, I am. ...Let me ask you this. What kind of an individual is General Roy? Hmm... He lacks a little finesse for a noble... I especially think that he has to take care of his hair a little better... ...Let me rephrase the question. Is General Roy working with the bandits and attacking the people living on these islands? No, of course not! We are here to defeat the bandits! I see... The Etrurians here are all malicious and evil people...it is so embarrassing! Klein...are you working for them? No. At least not any after I heard your story. What? I was sent here to protect the villagers. To fulfill my mission, I will hereby join the Lycia Alliance Army. Klein! Then let's go, shall we? Will you introduce me to General Roy? Of course! I love you, Klein.
With Klein recruited, all of his soldiers become NPCs. Now, here's the catch. If (and only if) all four of his archers reach the designated exit point (just to the left of the boss, down that alleyway if you're curious), you get a free Orion's Bolt. Which is a nice prize, but you get one from some village anyway, and it's pretty doubtful you'll need more than one unless you're using both Sue and Shin.
At any rate, Klein comes with his Silver Bow and a White Gem. Now, Tate is going to show up back where we started the chapter. We can recruit her one of two ways: the easy way is to just talk to her with Klein (which is what we're doing). Alternatively, Thany can talk to her both before and after recruiting Klein, and that will do the trick as well. If you talk to her after recruiting Klein but not before, you'll change her from an enemy to an NPC, but you'll still have to recruit her with Klein.
We're in good shape in the north as well. The bandits don't spawn close enough to reach the village on their first turn, so we'll easily beat them there and be done with it.
Eh? No? Ah...I see. It seems like enemies are everywhere. Here, please take this! We really believe in you. [Got Dragonshield]
Yes. But in return...
Yeah, yeah, we're supposed to take half of the loot to the castle, right? That's one hell of a bishop you guys got yourselves over there.Gotta love that even the bandits are calling the bishop out on being a bastard.
Thank you for your cooperation. *leaves* All right, boys! Loot the villages! Grab all the treasure!
Oh come the fuck on, I didn't even get a turn yet!
They're thinking of attacking the villages during the confusion... We have to stop them!Yes, I noticed, thank you.
The game has to make triple sure.
It's times like these I'm thankful for a competent Roy.
He steals everything from us, even our hopes and future... All we can do is live and keep living the best way we can. [Got Angelic Robe]
North village #1 saved.
Geese smacks around an archer in celebration.
...if you beat the enemies. My stupid brother used this while he was still living. Even though he was weak, he acted like he fought for justice. What a stupid person... So very stupid... [Got Axereaver]
I wanna help in any way I can. This is a magic wing! If you use it, you'll get faster! Really! But if you don't believe in your heart, it won't work. [Got Speedwing]
And that's both north villages saved.
He buys all this stuff with the money he steals from us. But I'm going to give this weapon to you instead! Please don't lose... For our sake. [Got Sleep Staff]
And both southern ones as well. We're more or less in the clear now.
Captain... Are you sure we'll be all right? Why? Perhaps the Etrurian army means to use us up front as pawns... Who says that? One of our group heard rumors like that in the Etrurian army. If you take rumors seriously all the time, you won't be able to do anything in battle. But... Besides, even if that were true, General Klein wouldn't approve of it. Do you think so? General Klein's not like that. I trust him. ...All right. Then we'll trust him as well, for we trust you, Captain. Thanks. All right, let's go!And there's Tate. Annoyingly, she starts heading east instead of south toward Klein, but after a little shuffling she gets the message.
Lance valiantly defends the (closed off) village from barbarian invasion. His reward is pretty mediocre.
Gonzales punishes the asshole who cost me the Orion's Bolt.
Considering the stat-up he got, I’m going to assume he forwent the axe and just punched his fist through the bandit’s head.
Bout time he got a good level, too.
We know you're hiding in there! Drop your weapons come out at once!
Don't worry, I understand. Leave this to me. Hurry home to your family now.Hey, look, it’s Solid
...mercy on you. Sorry, but I'm sorta the stubborn type. Do you resist? Then we have no choice. Kill her!
So of course they immediately ignore her and start attacking Klein's guys. Not that I can get the Orion’s Bolt anymore anyway, but I needed that extra kick in the balls. Thanks game.
Echidna's pretty capable of covering for herself, but Shin still rescues her until Lalum can be by to recruit her.
Saul heals up Lugh, but he still hasn't quite shaken off the residue from Fir last chapter.
Lugh returns the favor.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Are the rebel forces that much of a problem? It's the Lycia Alliance Army! They're helping the rebels! What!? The Lycia Alliance would turn against Etruria!? We have just received a message from the capital at Djuto! It says... 'The Lycia Alliance Army is responsible for the murder of Duke Nord, and is suspected of treachery against Etruria. They may be allied with the bandits. Capture them!' So they killed Nord... It looks like they've come up with a good excuse to get rid of the Alliance Army. Hahaha... Allied with the bandits. eh? How ironic... Lord Arcard has also provided us with some reinforcements to help us defeat the Lycia Alliance Army. They should be arriving shortly. How generous! He said to capture them, but he probably plans on killing them anyway. Let us do the job for him! Kill them all!So it turns out that maybe killing one of the local ruling lords wasn't so good of an idea. Obviously the ideal course of action is kill another one, right?
...
...
...Hey game? Go fuck yourself.
So glad I am not playing this game, and so glad you don’t have to recruit characters in Advanced Wars.catharsis.png
On a less obnoxious note, Alan uses his space-bending powers to crit the shaman.
The reinforcements show up right on schedule. Most of them are just Iron/Steel Lances or Javelins, but one has a Killer Lance you have to be careful about.
Tate, you are the worst mercenary.
Okay, I can understand maybe her underlings not recognizing her boss, but Tate has no excuse herself. At least she’s smart enough to get inside Klein’s range shadow, which makes it worse at the same time as that means she’s close enough to recognize the guy.
[insert obligatory remark about how the Fire Emblem AI is more concerned with dicking over the player than making enemies act according to their goals.]
General Klein! What is the matter? I've made up my mind. We're going to fight alongside General Roy in the Lycia Alliance Army. Understood, sir. Then we will as well. Aren't you going to ask why? We are mercenaries. We follow our employer's every order. Besides... Besides...? I trust your judgment, General Klein. Thank you, Tate.After Tate joins, her peg knights become neutral and get the same deal as Klein's archers except your reward is an Elysian Whip. They escape without issue, and I get screwed out of a Whip because Fire Emblem AI is terrible.
Hm? Have I met you before? Ah, probably just my imagination. Anyway, how many staves do you want? They work really well, they heal conditions instead of health. Not going to buy one? Darn! I'll give you one for free, but you better buy next time! [Got Restore Staff]
You're going to want to be careful who you send to this fighter. He's using a halberd, which I forgot about until I put Lance in range.
You have friends who can use bows, right? This should be helpful to 'em. It's not much, but please take it. [Got Orion's Bolt]
And that's the last village. I guess 1/3 bonuses is better than nothing...
Lalum? You were all right? Good... If something happened to you, I wouldn't know what to say to Elphin. I'm sorry... If I hadn't been caught, I could have told you about this earlier... It's okay. Don't worry. But... Don't cry over spilled milk. That's not like you. And besides, I'm all in one piece. So everything's fine, right? ...Yeah. So anyway, who's the army attacking the castle right now? Roy and the Lycia Alliance Army! They came here to defeat the bandits. Lycia, eh? They've sure come a long ways to get here... And does it look like they'll help us out? Yeah! They helped me, too. All right, then I guess I'll join, too! That's okay, isn't it? Really? That would be great! I'm sure Roy would be glad, too.And that's everyone for this chapter.
Just in time, it's four or five turns of bandit spawns. Get your murder on in three, two, one...
Re-commence the Gonzales Party.
Now back to murdering.
60% strength growth my ass. And what the hell does Lalum need more strength for? Whatever, let's deal with Oro.
Divine is pretty painful (and annoyingly accurate, being Light magic) and you're going to have to deal with it head on, since nothing short of Lilina is going to be able to hurt him magically.
This chapter can go straight to hell, and I'm not dealing with any bullshit from the boss.
...challenging God Himself. Take your punishment from my hands!He really doesn’t get that one has to give unto God, not take, does he? Well, odds are he’s about to take a dozen swords in the face simultaneously from Rutger.
Rutger shows him all about "punishment."
I never get tired of this animation and have never been gladder to see it.
I...represent God... Gah...!
What an odd map for levels. Whatever, we're done.
...of the rebels... I'll see him. Let him pass.
My name is Elphin. I am a member of the rebel forces here. I am Roy of the Lycia Alliance Army. You have my thanks for saving our village here. No, we simply did what we felt was right. But now you have rebelled against Etruria. Certainly you had thought of that before you took action? Of course. As I said, we did what we felt was right. Although what we did is a sign of rebellion against Etruria, if the truth about these islands is made public, they will understand. I have sent a letter to a trustworthy member of the Etrurian court. If she takes the appropriate measures, I think we can tip the tables in our favor. I would not be so sure of that... What do you mean? Did you ever think it odd...that Etruria sent you, in particular, to get rid of the bandits? Yes... Of course we did. This is merely a theory... But I believe that the ones who requested your help are Advisor Roartz and Lord Arcard. ...How do you know that?
Could there be some some sort of problem if you stayed in Lycia? Oh... I never thought of it that way... There are rumors...that Roartz and Arcard are actually tied in with Bern. What!? Then Lycia would be in danger! M-Master Roy! Your country could be peril. Are you sure you want to be wasting your time on a little island like this? He's right! If Bern wanted to get us away from Lycia so they could invade, then we must return at once... ...I'm not going back. What!? Why!? ... Right now, it's very difficult to judge what information is true and what is false. The worst thing to do is is to simply jump to information presented in front of you. Sure, I'm worried about Lycia...but my father is there, and General Cecilia also promised to take care of our land. But our army is the only one stationed on these islands. That's true, but... If we just leave without fully clearing out the bandits, then what we did so far would all be a lie...
What? Master Roy, I am sorry that I tried you so. Tried us? So what you said was a lie!? I have not lied. But, I did present the rumor in such a way that you would easily jump to it. But Master Roy kept his head. I feel that I would like to serve an individual like you. Master Roy, please count me among your ranks. ...I don't like the idea that you were testing us, but if you're willing to help, then we will welcome you. Then... Yes, please fight alongside us. Well, then, back to business. What can we do to help the people on these isles? We must go to Djuto. The Etrurian capital is there. We must crush it to fully liberate the people. All right. We're going to Djuto! We will fight for the people living here, and to defeat our true enemy!Elphin is the bard we missed by taking the A route. He says he's joining, but he's not actually a party member unless we take the B route.
You saved our village. Please take this as a token of our gratitude. [Got Hero's Crest]
-----
Level 1 Dancer
Affinity - Thunder
HP: 14 (70%)
Strength: 1 (10%)
Skill: 2 (5%)
Speed: 11 (70%)
Luck: 9 (80%)
Defense: 2 (20%)
Resistance: 4 (30%)
Con: 4
Lalum is our dancer, and as usual comes with excellent Speed/Luck growths, passable HP, and garbage everything else. As usual, I have to question why they even have a Str/Skill growth considering they'll never be able to use it, but IntSys confounds me yet again. Regardless, she (and Elphin) is hamstrung by the class caps in a serious way. Unlike FE7/8 where Dancer/Bard is given a nice big 30 Speed cap, they're treated as unpromoted units in this game. So yeah, she has 19 levels to pick up 9 points of speed on a 70% growth. She's not a terrible unit, but she's not near the avoid tank Ninian or Tethys can be, and she's pretty fragile to boot.
Level 1 Sniper
Bows - A, Affinity - Ice
HP: 27 (60%)
Strength: 13 (35%)
Skill: 13 (40%)
Speed: 11 (45%)
Luck: 10 (50%)
Defense: 8 (15%)
Resistance: 6 (25%)
Con: 7
Klein is our first example of prepromotes setting a standard instead of being crutches. His growths aren't great, but they're acceptable, and he has a decent amount of growing room. And yes, he is better than Wolt. Don't believe me? Wolt's L20 averages are 33.2/11.6/13.5/12.6/9.6/7.8/1.9; promotion bonuses would put him over the top, but go ahead and compare - there is exactly one stat Wolt is significantly ahead of Klein on (HP), and several he's actually behind in. And it's only going to get worse when we get later prepromotes.
”Hey guys, do you like archers? Well, here’s a bunch of archers who are better than your starter in every single way after you sank time, experience and weapon HP into your starter!” Gee, thanks, IntSys.
Level 1 Hero
Swords - C, Axes - B, Affinity - Ice
HP: 35 (70%)
Strength: 13 (30%)
Skill: 19 (25%)
Speed: 18 (30%)
Luck: 6 (20%)
Defense: 8 (15%)
Resistance: 7 (15%)
Con: 9
So speaking of prepromotes setting the standard, here's Echidna. Notable in that she's one of the very few female heroes in the entire series, she's another case of "great bases, terrible growths." She can wield swords pretty well, but she's set up to be a axe-wielding hero, which ironically screws her over. She has the skill to make them work and it does help to offset her semi-low strength, but her Con is too low to effectively wield them which hurts her speed - the other stat she's actually good in. Certainly not terrible, but Dieck and Oujay will usually overcome her in terms of usefulness.
Level 8 Pegasus Knight
Lances - D, Affinity - Ice
HP: 22 (60%)
Strength: 6 (40%)
Skill: 8 (45%)
Speed: 11 (55%)
Luck: 3 (40%)
Defense: 7 (15%)
Resistance: 6 (20%)
Con: 5
Tate is, in accordance with the fine Fire Emblem Traditions, the balanced peg knight. She trades a few points in her skill and speed growths for a more stable strength growth, and has the customary extra point of Con over Thany. If Thany hasn't proven herself by now (or turned out terribly), Tate is the peg knight to go with, but otherwise she's a pretty typical peg.
Bonus: Ellen/Saul vs. Oro
You are...a priest, are you not? What of it? Anything can go unpunished if done in the name of God! Convenient, is it not? ...That's unforgivable.
Well, we certainly have an evil bishop here, now, don't we? I am simply living life the way I see fit. Anything can go unpunished if done in the name of God. Convenient, is it not? You disgrace God... You shall pay for that!