All are playthings of Fate until they bond together |
The blog of an idealistic FE fan
All are playthings of Fate until they bond together |
If you choose to continue together toward the Northern border, then the following story chapter is what takes place, Chapter 3: Rainfall Valley. Also, as I said in Main Story Part 5, this post is the substitute for a Unit Spotlight post because no new units have been introduced in the story recently that I haven't already done posts on.
The party has gone several days without rest, marching toward the Northern border. Simon moans that he's tired, and Taren tells him they can't stop until that staff is in their hands. Tenn replies that all the group was supposed to do was check the Northern border, not hunt enemies of the government. Gill tells him that the entire country is in danger if all the wounds of a possibly massive force can be healed in one go, and Ramona grumbles that she isn't particularly interested in saving this crummy country. After a few minutes, Tyken notices the clouds have gotten increasingly dark, and at a rapid pace. Simon is about to tell him how ridiculous that sounds, but then it begins to rain. The water feels somewhat warm, and the group is now confused and even more tired. Simon hypothesizes that someone has used magic to tamper with the weather and slow them down. They continue to advance at a much more sluggish pace, and Tenn sees a camp of mages and pegasus knights camped ahead, in a small valley lying close to the Northern edge of the Forest of Whispers. They attempt to take the enemy by surprise, but they have very little energy due to exhaustion. Ramona sees a mage in the middle that isn't moving and says that she has to be the one keeping the weather this way. This map is small, but not as small as A Game of Wit. The objective is to rout the enemy. The rain reduces mov. by 2, and mounted units have their mov. reduced by 3. If a unit does not move from the spot they were the turn before, the next turn, they fall asleep and must be awakened by an adjacent ally. Being damaged will also wake them up, after combat is finished. The rain will stop if you eliminate the boss, but the rest of the enemy army must still be dispatched. After the rain stops and the enemy is defeated, Gill remarks they should take advantage of the now vacant camp and rest. Taren is reluctant, but Tyken tells her that if they continued without sleep and made it to the Northern border, they would be of no use to the borderguard because of their exhausted state. She agrees, and the group takes a well-deserved break.
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If you chose to send Karti (or Tenn, if Karti is dead) to scout ahead, then the following story chapter is what takes place, Chapter 3: A Game of Wit.
P.S. From now on, I will assume a deathless run, meaning that while Tenn is the substitute for Karti if she is defeated in battle, or at least for this cutscene, I will continue to write Karti instead of Tenn. In the future, I will mention the substitute character at least once, but I will use the character that is intended to be present in the scene. Karti has snuck far ahead to spy on the enemy that is heading toward the border. When she sees the staff in one of the traveler's pouches, she draws her bow, but there is suddenly a hand on her shoulder and she screams. With no word from Karti in days, Gill begins to worry, but he attempts to hide his concern by faking contentedness. Taren demands that the group move faster now, as they have to get the staff back and they also need to find Karti. She says that the likelihood that Karti was captured or killed is higher every day they aren't at the border, and then she curses herself for agreeing to let her go. Tyken tells her that she wouldn't have known that Karti would be put at risk, but Simon laughs and says that, "a real leader addresses the worst case scenarios in their head before their mouth starts flapping." Ramona punches his shoulder and he stops talking, but Tyken is already irritated. He turns and tells Simon that the tidbit he just said would have been great advice days before, when Taren actually had to make a decision, and Simon snarks back that he thought that three teenagers were perfectly capable on their own of making intelligent military decisions. Gill hushes them quickly and pulls them to the ground, then pointing to the camp ahead that rests on a dirt path. Karti sits calmly on the ground in front of a fire, her bow and quiver lying next to her. Gill wonders why she hasn't run away, and Tyken becomes suspicious. Simon scoffs that she probably got tired of taking commands from idiots, and Taren leers at him. With no one else in the camp seeming to be awake, Ramona attempts to sneak up to her and pull her back, but Karti stands and turns around when Ramona gets half-way to her and fires an arrow into Ramona's shoulder. Ramona pulls the arrow out and Simon comes up behind Ramona and shoots Karti with Flux. Karti gets knocked backwards and slowly picks herself back up as the rest of the group emerges from the forest. Ramona starts to yell at her, but Tyken covers her mouth. He says that she seems to be under someone's control, her pupils are dilated and her breathing is very slow. He says that Karti would have killed Ramona if she wasn't resisting control, and that's why she got the arrow in her shoulder instead of her heart. Taren also notes that the men in the tents are still asleep, and if they can retrieve Karti without being noisy, they can try to help her snap out of her hypnosis. This map is very small, and the only enemy on the map is Karti, at first. The goal is to defeat her, but she is surrounded by enemy tents. If you get one unit too close to a tent, or you move one unit more than three spaces at a time, you run RNG that may or may not wake up the enemy. If you do so (getting close to a tent or moving more than three spaces) with two or more units, enemies are guaranteed to come out of the tent. Not only that, but if the men wake up and you defeat Karti before you defeat them, the unit who defeated Karti will be credited as rescuing her, and the level becomes an escape map. If the unit that rescued Karti is defeated, you lose the level. After saving Karti, the party retreats, uncertain if they can handle the sheer number of men in the camp. Simon analyzes her physical condition and claims that the control will wear off, though he also appears angry that he was told that mind control was a farce, considering he just watched it in action. He states whoever did this to Karti was only interested in baiting the group, because they didn't fully brainwash her. Taren questions how poor of a trap that was, and Tyken responds that the trap Simon speaks of may have been motivating them to follow the group with the staff at a faster pace. To make up for a lack of post on Tuesday due to Halloween fun, I will be posting today, which is normally one of my break days.
After pushing through the horde of thieves and defeating Petrean, Tyken asks Taren if Ramona and Simon are worth bringing along, considering they've only been with the group for a few days and they have already attracted ruffians. He thought that their combat experience would be of use, but they seem to be hesitant to serve, and clearly would rather run away. Ramona snaps at him immediately, telling him that they are there to stay alive, that they joined the group for resources, and that they will hold their end of the deal. Taren instructs Tyken to relax, and the party checks the thieves for the staff, but no one locates it. Ramona loses her temper and pins a half-conscious man to the ground with her sword against his throat. She yells for him to tell her who they gave the staff to, and the man panics and tells her they don't know who bought it, but that their group went off toward the North border. Gill pulls Ramona away from the man, but as he crawls off in fear, Simon kicks him over and kills him with his tome. As Gill attempts to scold them, Simon briskly interrupts and tells them that the man was a petty criminal, and his life held no value. Tenn flares back in anger that all life is valued, and if there isn't a reason to kill, you shouldn't, but Ramona chuckles bitterly and says that she sees no reason to hold back on others when no one ever pulled punches for her. Taren is disgusted by their behavior, and says that they can leave if they can't control themselves and obey the at least the laws of human decency. Ramona retracts her statement instantly, she can't risk losing a reliable source of protection and resource-income. Gill asks Taren what the next step is, and she informs him that she wants to continue to the Northern border, because if they go fast enough, they're bound to find the staff. Tyken and Tenn concur, but Simon scoffs and says it would be smarter to send someone to scout ahead. Karti (and if Karti has been killed, then Tenn) will agree with him, and request Taren's thoughts on Simon's suggestion. Player Choice: Here, the player may agree with Simon and choose to send Karti (or Tenn, in case of Karti's defeat) and go to Chapter 3: A Game of Wit or continue as a whole party and go to an alternate Chapter 3: Rainfall Valley. The next story post will be on either Thursday or it will replace Friday's weekly Unit Spotlight due to a lack of a new unit to shine the spotlight this week. I apologize for the hiatus... again :\ BUT! I do have the next chapter to the story, and while it is brief, it means I no longer have heavy writer's block, only light writer's block! Yay! Here is my latest addition to the story.
As the party of Taren, Tyken, Tenn, Annika, and the king's deployed squadron, along with mercenaries Ramona and Simon, reach the entrance to the Forest of Whispers, a man runs out with bloody cuts and bruises. He trembles in pain, and then collapses unto the ground. Annika rushes to his aid and heals him. As his wounds seal up slowly, he rises and begins to panic. He exclaims something about a rebellion getting powerful tools from men inside the forest, and Schall recalls that there was a stave recently stolen from the royal sage that allowed him to heal an entire army at once. Tyken suggests that they do not pursue the enemy and travel through the forest without provoking anyone, because they do not know the capabilities of their opponent, nor do they know the forest like the dangerous thieves that gather there. Simon blows Tyken off, telling him that the staff is too valuable and cannot be placed in the hands of whatever is coming toward the Northern border. Taren contemplates her possible courses of action, and with Gill's advice to consider the possible casualties in a fight with an enemy they know nothing about, she decides they will enter the forest without looking for the thieves. When they enter the forest, however, they are immediately ambushed. Ramona grabs Simon's arm and tries to run as soon as she sees their leader, whom she recognized as Petrean. Petrean hired her for more jobs than anyone else, and the jobs he assigned often required a strong stomach and a cold heart. Karti blocks her exit and reminds them of Tyken's ultimatum: they must either help the group or be sent to prison. Ramona curses, then releases Simon, hoping and praying that Petrean won't try to kill her or Simon after her last mission, where she failed to finish off a vital target. Petrean claims that Ramona stole his pouch after she reported to him that she had not eliminated one of the people she was instructed to. He demands it back, but Ramona tells Taren that she spent it on food. Taren tells Petrean that it probably wasn't his anyway, and he becomes angry, siccing his men on the party. The now healed man calling himself Hemn requests to join them and help out, and Tenn quickly grants him good luck and rushes the enemy. Due to writer's block, I have not produced current story posts in a while. I was thinking I might try to put out a story post today that would introduce Hemn, but I just don't think I have the ideas I want right now, so I will introduce Hemn the woodsman on a spotlight post! Hemn's description: A man who guards nature from danger, Hemn is very protective of the environment, and cares more about animals than people. He is fairly dull, as he is uneducated, and he is impressed easily. Although many doubt his brains, he has brawn to spare, as he has lived off of the land alone for many years. Hemn is an interesting case. He is the only fighter you get aside from Taren, and he serves a much different purpose than she does. You get him early in the game, but because he fulfills a distinct role of his own, he doesn't particularly compete with Taren, either. The upsides of using Hemn in combat are as follows:
The Tragedy of Ambrosia: A Daughter's Longing for Love and Her Telling of Diana's Encounter10/26/2017 It was my fault, he said. It was my fault, it was always my fault. Michael fell out of my arms, he told me, Michael didn't let go, I did.
Diana tells me not to allow him to get to me. But what does she know? He loves her. He loved Michael. He doesn't love me. But I want him to. I admired him since childhood, even though he never made time for me. When my wings became strong enough for me to fly, I showed him. And I was so proud. But he just stared and said nothing. He stared with empty, disinterested eyes. That hurt me horribly. He didn't care. I was the result of force. My father was required to have an heir, and even though he had not yet found his beloved, he laid with someone to produce his one and only shame. I live and breathe only to fuel his despair and hatred toward me. So why do I want him to love me instead of returning his spite? I cannot answer, for I understand the concept as little as you do. I can only make mention of tales I have been told, tales of his benevolence, like Diana's. My father's wife Diana was a Nykos general, a prideful, honorable woman with great combat prowess. She had been overpowered by Sir Nicholas, an incredibly powerful knight and genius strategist, during the deciding battle for control of the Southeast corner of Vein. In her misery and shame, she shaved her head and fasted. You were not allowed to return to Nykos if you had been defeated, because the country expected you to die in combat or die from the anguish of loss. She planned to starve for the next four days, then kill herself with her own axe. However, she wanted to explore the territory she had lost in order to truly destroy her honor, to know how deeply she had failed, and so she traversed the woods, slowly dying of undernourishment, until she collapsed on the third day. Disgusted by her inability to even complete her own death march, she tried to cry, but her dehydration prevented it, and so instead, she laid on the warm earth and clenched her fists in frustration. She was found by Leoppold, and she told me that she could not help but be enthralled by his beauty, even while she laid dying in the forest. When he reached out to lift her from her collapsed state, she initially refused, until he spoke. His voice was silk weaving around her body, slowly raising her figure upright and unraveling softly from her frame, giving her sensual chills. When she found herself standing, she was disturbed and hypnotized in equal measure. Her limbs screamed in loud and pointed agony when she tried to lift herself up, but this man had gotten her to her feet effortlessly. Diana awoke in a haze, lying in a room with golden adornments and artisan vases. Her bed was soft, her military helmet was removed, and the smell of potpourri filled the quarters. She left as quickly as she could, only to stop abruptly when she saw the man again. Leoppold explained that fate had beckoned Diana to the village of the Graciel, a people that descended from the manakete. He told her that from the moment he saw her, he loved her. Diana hesitated, she was unnerved by this spontaneous and drastic change in her life, but she returned his feelings, and they married in a month's time. She did not regret her decision, but she still kept her head shaved to remind herself of her failure to serve her country. Their matrimony was bound quickly, but it stuck because of their passion for each other. They had a son, Michael, and he was treated with the utmost love and care. While I was cared for by King Leoppold's servants, Michael received the adoration of both of his parents. It wasn't right. I had not done anything wrong. But I existed, and that, in Leoppold's mind, warranted his loathing. I trained under Diana, who treated me justly, as a friend or an ally in battle, but not a daughter. I thought that if I sharpened my abilities in war and became powerful, like his beloved wife, I too would be beloved to him. It didn't work. I learned the ancient tongue of our people, one that only nobility knew, a song-speak that permitted us to bend the will of those we spoke to, and it did not appeal to him. I would spend time with Michael to see if Leoppold would enjoy his daughter if she was in the presence of his son. That also did not appeal to him. He wanted to forget me, not even forget me, but erase me. He placed Yorke, a Nykos Wolfskin, in charge of the Northern force of shapeshifters, but he placed confidence in me by saying that if he acted out of line, I would need to slander his name and eliminate him immediately. He then informed me that he would be touring Vein to plant in the citizens a demand for independence, and departed swiftly. I will not fail him. Once I display my prowess as a commander and a warrior, I am sure to win his favor. Otherwise, I have no hope and no chance of garnering his love. Please... care for me, father. Bless me and know that I will always desire your affection and fight for it with all of my strength. Ne'er will I falter, Lord Leoppold. Today's spotlight will shine on Duchess Yerilla's native land, Kestra! Kestra is home to any able to afford it (which is not cheap o_o) It is bordering Riese, an ally, Nykos, with whom it has a mutual distaste of, Shurca, a trade partner, and Maya, a desert wasteland with little to no population.
Kestra is an aristocracy, and the dukes, duchesses, and councilors are extremely powerful because of the country's wealth. They do not have much of a military force, though, because most Kestrans are pacifists or value their lives over their country. This is why they are allied with Riese: Riese sends them skilled mercenaries to protect the Northern Kestran border, and in exchange, Kestra gives a large sum of money to Riese each year, like an annual mercenary fee and a payment for Riese's loyalty. It is damp and hot, which is perfect for many herbs and flowering plants. The flora that grow there are sold an an extremely high price, due to their multiple uses, such as tome page paper, medicinal use (vulneraries, elixirs, salves, etc.), and simply aesthetic pleasure. This makes Kestra a very rich country, the richest on the continent, in fact, and those who live there pay hefty taxes with pride. Some who live outside of Kestra question the quantity of plants, because those types of plants should not grow in such abundance naturally, but the people of Kestra don't look into it, because they'd prefer to keep the moneymaking plants in high supply. There are very few children, because most Kestrans are older, and have built up the wealth to not only live there, but set up a spot where they can cultivate plants and sell them, which takes time and money that they would otherwise have to use on kids. Kestra is not openly religious. Kestra is one of the only countries that has wyverns, who live on misty mountains that separate Northwest Kestra from Southwest Nykos. Kestran playable characters: Yerilla, Harley Today's Costume Thoughts will be on the triplets, as well as their close friend Annika! Enjoy :)
Also, I am so sorry I took a mini hiatus for the past few days. I have been letting my little brother play Genealogy of the Holy War on my computer's SNES emulator, and he's been all over it since he started. Taren My costume thought: A bull Her costume: A risen My costume thought explanation: I don't know if my costume needs much explaining. Taren is sort of like a bull in a china shop, wrecking things and making a mess. She's not the brightest, but she's tough and willing to lead, and she makes an excellent fighter. Her costume explanation: "When I was little, I heard stories of another land filled with dead people who walked the earth and were often fought by a great hero and his men. I decided I would die and walk the earth too, but like, less permanent. I almost made Tenn pee his pants, you should have seen the look on his face! It was priceless!" Tenn My costume thought: A ninja His costume: A hero My costume thought explanation: Tenn is an interesting case. He wants people to think he's cool, but he tries too hard. If he kept with what he knew, swinging his sword and slaying his enemies, most people would see him as a cool dude. Instead, he wants to impress people with dumb stunts and tall tales. I picked a ninja for him, though, because he is good at what he does, and he should stick to it. His costume explanation: "My costume was entirely my idea. I got this neat shield and this big sword, fit with a thick gold hilt for catching my opponent off guard. Tyken made my armor plates, and honestly, I couldn't ask for a better brother. It all looks so good together." Tyken My costume thought: Robin His costume: A thief My costume thought explanation: Tyken acts very similarly to Robin from FE: Awakening. He's smart, he's level-headed, and he's kind. Additionally, just like Robin, Tyken knows his place. He isn't the true leader, though he is the tactician. Taren is Tyken's Chrom, the inspirational, headstrong authority, and he accepts that without a snag. His costume explanation: "I intended to go as a hero, but then I realized Tenn's mummy costume had gotten soaked when Taren spilled her soup all over it, so I lent my armor to him and went for something that required less material. Here, I have my bag for stuffing with stolen goods, and I covered my mouth and nose with fabric so I'm harder to identify, I suppose? Romarion informed me that she doesn't dress like this, but then again, Romarion has blue hair, so I don't think I need to justify myself to her." Annika My costume thought: The Fire Princess Her costume: Her mother's traveling garb My costume thought explanation: Annika is like the Fire Princess from Adventure Time to me. Both of them seem, not chill, but not angry. They're normal in terms of temperament, until all of a sudden they're explosive. Annika gets 'heated up' by her surroundings, the battle around her makes her energized, loud, and a little crazy. Her costume explanation: "My mother is a well known figure in the field of magical literacy and academics, and she packed her desert traveling garb in my bag, just in case I ended up in Nykos or Maya. I wore it because it is traditional sorceress cloth, and I think it looks really cool. Kimmel wanted to wear it, but I had to break it to him that he's already wearing traditional sorcerer garb, not to mention that him wearing girl clothes is not an image I want in my brain. At least he's enthusiastic." I had a little bit of technical difficulty, but here is yesterday's Unit Spotlight to make up for missing the deadline ;\ I will be posting something else shortly after for today's actual on-time post. So I was saving this one for last (last of the characters shown in the story so far, that is) because Gill is a very basic bare-bones Jagen archetype. He's there with the protagonist almost the whole time, he's older, wiser, he's promoted upon recruitment, and his growth rates are so low that literally everyone is better than him. The sad part is, unlike most Jagens, Gill doesn't really even excel with his bases. He's just there to be a weak crutch if you can't quite finish off a brigand with one of your other units. So, with that being said, Gill's description: A noble knight and captain of the royal guard, he is Syllish's closest protector. When she became comatose, he vowed to protect her life with his own, if necessary. His commitment to her is astounding, and a tad disturbing, he remembers everything he's done for her, everything she's said, and everywhere she's been vividly and precisely. Those who know him say he is self-conscious, and that he acts "manly" so that people won't harass him for his extreme hygiene and OCD behavior, as well as his refusal to eat meat. Gill may not have the best stats, but for the first few chapters you have him, he is an excellent contingency plan when you can't quite finish off a foe. The good news:
So, mostly for my own enjoyment, I will be talking about what costumes I think my characters' personalities would match with, and what costume I think they'd actually pick. Sorry if you wanted more raw project info and plot advancement, not today :\
I will do the first Costume Thoughts on my personal favorites (that's right, even the writer has their favorites), starting with my blonde duchess. P.S. This whole series is with the assumption that the characters have knowledge of different cultures. As for the lawyer costume, Maribelle wanted to be a lawyer in FE13, so they definitely exist in the FE universe. Also, my costume thoughts are based upon if the character were a real person. Their costume thoughts are based on what they would pick, as well as what their world knows. Yerilla My costume thought: A magpie Her costume: A fairy princess My costume thought explanation: Yerilla is similar to a magpie in that she likes to pick around in other people's business. She looks for the shiny things, the things that stick out, and she grabs on to them, poking and prodding and walking away satisfied with her new information. She can be annoying and just be too much to handle due to her gossiping nature. Her costume explanation: "I, like a fairy princess, am regal and beautiful. I am of a higher status, as usual, and reign over Harley, who is my fairy servant. Also as usual. She didn't like her outfit, but I think the tiny wings are just darling." Harley My costume thought: A pilot Her costume: Fairy servant My costume thought explanation: Harley is submissive most of the time. She's shy and a bit reserved, but in a time of emergency and crisis, she steps up and becomes much more bold. In the face of danger, when the plane goes careening toward the ground, she will do whatever it takes to keep as many people alive as she can by keeping herself calm in a dire situation. Her costume explanation: "Um... I didn't really- want to be a servant, because it defeats the purpose of pretending if you're already what you dress as. But milady Yerilla told me that I still had to serve her during the Halloween party, so she suggested, in her rather commanding way, that I be a fairy, like her. So... here I am. It's sort of revealing, and the material makes me a little itchy, but I won't complain. It isn't fitting for a noble's servant." Schall My costume thought: A dog His costume: A sheep My costume thought explanation: Schall is super sweet, and wants nothing more than to make everyone around him happy. He has infinite amounts of energy to play and train, and but he eats a lot and ignores his own needs when he's serving others. Occasionally he'll forget to stay clean or not realize that he has severe wounds because he'd rather be cheering someone up than staying hygienic. His costume explanation: "Gee, do you like it? I love it, because the suit is so warm and soft. I was prancing around in the village nearby with some kids that really liked petting the fur on my costume, until Michael found me, told me I was an embarrassment, and yanked me back over to the party. It was nice while it lasted, but this is nice too. I just wish I could go back to those kids later, they dug the costume. Maybe I can give it to them when I'm done with it if I don't sweat in it too much..." Afrey My costume thought: A sad clown His costume: A lawyer My costume thought explanation: Afrey is generally depressing. His supports are often very philosophical and straight to the point, and his growths and bases show that he isn't particularly talented in any way, so a sad clown is fitting, because he's not happy. And people like to poke fun at him because he doesn't enjoy anything. His costume explanation: "I just... I didn't want to dress up at all. I don't like parties, either, but Gwenivere told me I had to come or she'd put sticky candy in my smallclothes. So here I am, dressed as a supposed defender of law. But in reality, how much justice is fought for inside the courtroom as opposed to outside of it? Just a thought." Crystal My costume thought: A hippie Her costume: A blueberry My costume thought explanation: Crystal has no idea what is going on most of the time. She can concentrate when she needs to, but she has trouble perceiving things the way others do, and because of that counter-culture vibe and her zoned-out nature, a hippie costume is very fitting. Her costume explanation: "Wha- oh, my costume? Um... I sort of liked the color... and blueberries are good. My mother was a talented seamstress who taught me everything I know, so it wasn't hard to make the costume. Darius says I look stupid. I think I do too. I just wanted to be a giant blueberry. Is that so wrong? ...It is?" |
AuthorI am a recent high school grad who really should have better things to do. I have a passion for world building, video games (especially FE), and writing. I also enjoy music, doodling, and avoiding socializing :\ Archives
February 2018
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