Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Part 10: You Can Always Hit the Reset Button

In which Marth conquers some islands and I face my most challenging map so far.




(My title refers to one of my favorite commercials of all time, for Final Fantasy VII when it first came out in the US. You can view it on Youtube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7-yXwcYkBo as of January 2019.)

Chapter 9: The Pyrathi Dragon

The introductory text explains that Grust caught us by surprise last chapter, and though we defeated the forces that caught us, we were forced to retreat in the face of a larger force heading our way. We flee to the Pyrathi Isles, an insular kingdom with very little contact with the outside world.  King Mannu, ruler of Pyrathi and rumored Mannakete is not at all happy that we set foot on his territory.

He seems angry. Does he seem angry to you? I think he might be angry.

There's a village to the east of our starting position, across a pair of bridges. We have to cross one bridge for sure, but from there we can go south or east. South is a building with treasure chests for Julian to loot, and the boss. There are some enemy thieves on the map, one of them close to the village, the other close to a second building with a treasure chest. I know if I don't get to the village first, the thief will loot it and they won't talk to Marth afterwards, so I'd best rush Marth and my cavaliers that way to head off the first thief. I think the rest of my army can handle the southern route? I put this plan into action.

Oh right, pirates.

The first slight trip up is when I realize the enemy is all pirates and archers, and I remember (due to a demonstration) that pirates walk across water. I leave Athena and Caesar with Gordin and Lena to fight these two pirates, splitting my forces a second time. This could be a mistake.

I make it to the village in time! There, Marth meets Jeorge, who introduces himself as an Archanea Sniper. (In other games I've seen Sniper is the promoted version of Archer). 

I feel like all the characters in this game are defined by their hair in my head...

Jeorge was captured by Dohlr when the Archanean Palace fell, but while his captors were strong, they were not bright and he escaped. He traveled her upon hearing that Princess Nyna was with us, in order to join us and protect her. Welcome aboard I guess, but Gordin and Wolf are currently occupying my bow-user slots. He may be helpful this map at least, he is a pre-promoted unit and he comes with a nice steel bow and an even nicer silver bow.

In the west, we fight off the two seafaring pirates. Gordin goes up to Level 10, gaining a point of HP, Speed and Luck while Caesar hits level 4, gaining HP and strength. Then the four western defenders rush to join the main central force.

Loot the chests Julian! I mean... requisition the contents of those chests Julian! We're doing everything above board, right?

An enemy mage approaches and fires a blizzard spell at Ogma, but Ogma just steps out of the way. He's kind of amazing. Ogma levels up to 9, gaining HP, strength and skill.

Marth and the eastern group start fighting their way south on the other side of the island, where lots of pirates and hunters attack them. At the end of my turn, I realize I've left Abel at just 5 HP after he saves Cain, and the one remaining enemy can reach him. I'm concerned I just got him killed and he's my best cavalier. (And I'm not just saying that because he has green hair!) However, the remaining pirate, rather than walking 5 squares and hitting Abel, just attacks Cain, who dodges the blow anyway. Cain kills the pirate in retaliation, and levels up to 10, gaining HP, Skill, Speed, Luck and Defense. That's an impressive level up! A few more like it and he may even catch up to Abel's stats.

Caeda, who accompanies the eastern forces, heads towards the southeast across the water, as I see the second enemy thief steal a Wyrmslayer sword from the chest there. I want that sword! I can use it to kill the king here! She has to kill some pirates on the way, and levels up to 10, gaining skill and speed. I wonder if I can re-class her to something with better strength gains? Her strength is only 5... 

At the end of the turn, 5 forts on separate islands in the very south of the map spawn 5 pirate reinforcements. 

Damn! The enemy thief only needed two moves after getting the Wyrmslayer to leave the map in the extreme east. I thought he'd come back towards me. I guess if I'd sent Caeda after him immediately instead of dilly-dallying around killing pirates I might have stopped him, but oh well. I'm sure there will be other Wyrmslayers.

In the center, Radd levels up to 2, gaining HP, Strength, Skill and luck while Caesar hits level 5, gaining HP, Skill and Speed. I'm not sure if I'm going to use these two long term but I figured while we're still less than halfway through the game I should see how they do on their stat gains. 

I sit around a bit killing reinforcements, at least 3 more waves after the first. Marth levels up to 10, gaining Speed and Luck. As I see the reinforcements stopped spawning I move a few people to deal with Mannu while the others finish the straggling pirates. Mannu himself is not that scary, as he doesn't leave the throne and only has a range 1 attack. Merric just sits back and pelts him with fireballs, and Gordin shoots him with arrows. 

He talks big, but he should come out of that castle if he doesn't want me to just shoot him to death...

Merric goes up to level 11, gaining only a point in Skill, while Radd finishes the final pirate and levels up to 3, gaining Strength and Speed. Ogma takes out his steel sword and finishes Mannu off up close, leveling up to 10 and gaining HP, Strength and Speed.

Hey, Ogma's not a coward. Merric and Gordin were the cowards who shot at you until Ogma could step in and finish you off. Get it right!

So we won, and we killed the king of Pyrathi. Did we just invade a neutral kingdom? Are we the baddies?

After the fight, Catria, one of Minerva's Whitewings pegasus knights, flies to Marth with a request from Princess Minerva herself. Catria explains that Minerva wants to rebel against Dohlr, but cannot act against them while they hold her sister Maria captive. Will we rescue Maria? (The chapter ends without a response but I'm shouting "Yes! Yes let's do that!")

Chapter 10: Princess Minerva

Last map went by pretty quickly and didn't give me any trouble, so let's do a second one.

The introductory text explains that not all of the League soldiers believe Catria, suspecting this might be a lure to a trap set by Princess Minerva herself. Marth, however, having seen Minerva at Lefcandith Valley (player's note: He saw her from across a mountain range while he went to a village elsewhere I guess) and he doesn't think she is the type to lay a trap like this. The Archanean League heads to Castle Deil to affect a rescue.

I look over the map, and it looks a bit of a maze to get to Maria, who is in the center of a big prison complex, but there's not too many enemies around. There are some treasure chests and doors to unlock, so Julian should have fun, but there's an enemy thief directly next to the treasure chests inside the prison. I'll have to move fast if I'm to stop him from making off with loot that is rightfully mine (by the code of RPG games!)

The enemy boss is a general named Zharov. We begin with a dialogue between him and Minerva, in which he scolds her for leaving her post.

Real subtle dude.

Minerva says she just wants to visit her sister and offer her comfort, as this must be a trying time (what with being locked up and held hostage to ensure her sister's good behavior), but Zharov outright refuses to allow it. After all, Maria is a hostage.

We start in a sort of awkward deployment along the side of the prison building, and have to run around to the front. Four enemy cavaliers nearby rush at us, and the pegasus knights and dracoknights up by Zharov also fly at us with all speed. Minerva for some reason moves toward the northeast corner of the map.

I'm designating Marth, Merric and Julian as my rescue team, everyone else forms a defense around the entry to the prison. Merric because there are armored knights inside, Julian to open the door and Marth to talk to Maria.

The three at the top go in, the rest form an awkward line! (This is after two turns of moving to get here...)

Hmm, although there are two treasure chests inside, the enemy thief loots only one and starts running away past the knights and towards the line of archers further inside the prison. Somebody, quick, MURDER HIM! I decide to send Caeda in after him, as she moves fast.

Outside the prison, we finish of the first four cavaliers. Abel hits level 10 during the exchange, gaining HP and Strength, and Lena, keeping people healed, hits level 13 with no improvements. And then, inside... Julian dies when I move him to a square without checking enemy threat ranges, and the knight and one of the archers gang up on him. Well I'm not happy with that, let's try over. 

Take 2:

I look at the deployment screen in case switching characters around will help, but it's such an awkward and spread out deployment that I don't think anything there will help. I need to be more careful with Julian's movement, obviously, but this time what if Abel runs inside the prison and tries to block the enemy thief from moving away from us? I'll be in less of a rush then...

This works pretty well. With Abel blocking the path away from the treasure chests, the enemy thief is slowed down enough for us to kill him. Merric takes him out.

Outside, Draug levels up to 7, gaining HP, Strength, Speed and Luck. Lena levels up to 13 again, this time getting HP and Luck (better than last time!) 

Hmm, I feel underpowered in the prison. I send Athena in and Abel will stay there as well to help deal with the 3 enemy archers who are blocking our path, since I might need the extra attacks to take them out safely.

Shit. One of the enemies is a promoted Sniper with a steel bow who gets a double attack on Merric and kills him. I can't live without my only mage! Retry.

Take 3:

Maybe, if I send both Cain and Abel AND Athena in from the get go, this will work better? The higher move speed will help, the defenders outside don't need to move very far to deal with the cavaliers. Last time I also rushed Merric in to deal with the second enemy knight, I need to move more cautiously, and keep him defended from the archers. Should I also send in Draug? Also, I noticed last map that I can Forge a weapon before a battle, but only once per battle. Last time I made a high strength Iron Spear into what I named Draug's Stick (so he could hit with some power if need be), maybe I should forge a good weapon for someone? 

Yeah, let's do that. Abel will get a heavily modified Steel Sword I will call Rune Edge (after a Final Fantasy sword type). 

That's a lot better stats, hopefully worth a third of my treasury...

Ok, restart the map again! This time, it occurs to me that it's kind of amusing how as soon as we show up, someone in the enemy army immediately grabs the most expensive thing in the castle and tries to run off with it (darn thief!) I run Cain, Abel and Athena inside along with Marth, Merric and Julian, and Abel kills the thief in short order. He levels up to 10, gaining HP and Skill. For real this time! Right? Outside, Lena levels up to 13 for the third time, gaining Luck and Resistance. 

Ok, move cautiously. I use Athena and Cain to pull the enemies out of position, one archer runs over and shoots Cain and the knight moves up to hit Athena. Importantly, the Sniper also moves closer to me, without getting a shot off this turn.

Outside, I've dealt with the cavaliers (they're not a concern to my 8 people out there) and two enemy Draco Knights arrive (apparently they move faster than Pegasus Knights, as the pegasus knights lag behind). Barst meets one, his axe leaving it at 2 HP while Gordin takes the other out with a single arrow (usually I'm trying to keep Caeda away from the deadly enemy archers but hurray for the arrow weakness of flying units!)

Inside, Merric murders the knight, as is his wont. Cain and Julian gang up and kill the first archer, and Athena and a Rune Edge wielding Abel remove 20 of the Sniper's 28 HP, allowing Marth to walk up and finish the main threat off. This leaves a single enemy archer, who won't be able to kill anybody. Success!

Outside, the enemy pegasus knights arrive. The first one dies immediately on the edge of Barst's axe, leveling him up to 11. He gains HP and Skill. 

Oh no, Minerva up in her corner summons reinforcements!

That's a lot of foes!

Cain and Athena finish off the final archer. Draug kills the second pegasus knight, leveling to 7 and gaining a point in HP. Marth and Julian rush to free Maria, as there are no more guards inside. Everyone else get out there, the foe is coming for us! Meet them head on!

Having gotten past the sticking point inside, I decide to use the save point sitting tantalizingly outside of the prison. Seems like a good time for that.

And I'm immediately proven correct as an enemy horseman rides up and one-shot's Caeda. No thank you!

Take 3.5:

Restarting from the save point. Fortunately I saved BEFORE I moved everybody. I move Caeda out of the horseman's range. Barst takes two hits instead, but survives. If I can kill the horsemen, I think that's the real threat (the 2 knights are lumbering along behind the 6 mounted enemies). Caesar and Athena take one of the horsemen down, and Athena levels to 12, gaining HP, Strength, and Skill. Draug and Gordin manage to kill one of the cavaliers (haha, NO DAMAGE to Draug!) Cain and Abel are almost able to finish the second Horseman, but he has a few HP remaining... and Caeda takes her revenge, skewering him on her javelin! Yes! Ogma moves in and takes out another cavalier in one shot. He's amazing.

Julian and Marth reach Maria, and Marth speaks with her. 

It's the hair, isn't it? Blue hair is dashing? Or maybe the cape?

Maria says we should tell Minerva she's safe, which will make Minerva glad. She then insists on coming along to help us out. "No protesting! I wish to help!"

The final cavalier decides to attack Merric, and dies in fiery retribution. 

Oh shit, rescuing Maria means Minerva moves, and she's coming for us! Run! I need Marth to talk to her before she kills half my army with that axe of hers! Also, a second wave of reinforcements has spawned, the same 8 enemies as last time.

Everyone runs away as fast as I can move them. Some of them into the prison, the rest out the other side. And Minerva catches up to us before Marth can get out of the prison maze. Draug is the only one she can attack, he was too slow to get away, but maybe he can survive an attack? I just need one more turn to get Marth in range...

Oh thank god she doesn't attack. I guess she just moves towards Marth so we can do the talk thing.  

Yay, let's be friends!

Minerva is sorry she was forced to fight us. Her own brother Michalis leads Macedon's forces for Dohlr, even though Dohlr killed their father, and she hates seeing what her country has become. But she fears for her soldiers whom she cannot protect any longer, especially the Whitewings (Dohlr forced them to separate to quell any rebellion amongst them).

Oof, these enemy horsemen aren't fooling around. one shot from one of them, plus one cavalier hit leave Minerva on just two HP.

Outside, Lena levels up to 14, gaining a point in both luck and magic. 

Marth lands a critical hit on the horseman in the entrance to the prison, killing it and leveling up to 11, gaining HP, Strength, Speed, luck, defense and resistance.

And I'm in a bad place here. I wasn't able to move my people close enough to the enemy after splitting them up, and one horseman survives with a shot at either Barst or Ogma, both of whom are at about 5 HP remaining after the rest of the fight. 

Yep, Barst goes down. Damn it!

Take 3.75:

Thank god for saves. Knowing Minerva doesn't attack me, let's not run away in a panic, and instead plan this better. I fought off the first wave of enemy reinforcements from the eastern edge of the prison, let's do that again, and just leave a path for Minerva to get through so Marth can chat with her.

Alright, from the save point, I gang up and take out the enemy cavaliers and rescue Maria (I'm skipping through the dialogue, I already read it once). Merric and Barst charge ahead to kill the two knights (the two who lagged behind the first wave of reinforcements arrived at the same time as the second wave of reinforcements last time, which was part of my problem) and kill them in short order (Merric's magic is a wonder, and Barst with a Hammer, designed to kill armor units, is a beast here). Then I regroup just south of the prison entrance and prepare for the second wave.

A much better position

Lena levels up to 14 (again, poor woman) and gains HP, Magic and luck. 

I spread my people out in an arrow formation, with Draug at the tip. He is the only one the approaching enemy cavalry can reach on their turn, and even the enemy horseman (bane of my existence this map) can barely hurt Draug's high defense. Also, I give him a javelin so he can at least shoot back at the ranged units.

Minerva get! Let's have her speak with Maria, I like character development.

Tell it like it is, we know who's in charge around here.

Minerva tries to talk Maria out of fighting with us, but Maria says she is sick of being helpless. She feels like a burden with her family always protecting her, and wants a chance to be strong. "I'm staying here and fighting! No protesting!" Minerva accepts this with a laugh. "Haha, somehow I knew you'd say that." She agrees to let Maria come, so long as Maria promises to be careful.

Meanwhile, Cain springs my trap, rushing out to ambush one of the horsemen. He is joined by Abel and Athena, the latter of whom finishes the job and levels up to 12 (again) gaining HP and speed. Not as good as the first time she hit 12, but we're surviving the mission this time.

Ogma kills a cavalier and levels up to 11, gaining HP, skill, speed and luck. 

I let Radd get the final blow on the second horseman, and he levels up to 4 (these promoted units are worth a lot of experience). Radd gains HP, strength and speed.

The defense goes well this time, Draug levels to 8 and gains HP, speed and defense while Merric hits level 12, gaining Magic, speed and luck.

Yes! We beat all the reinforcements with no casualties this time! All that's left is the enemy general, a knight and healer near him, and a random enemy hero (the promoted Mercenary) sitting around just north of the prison. The hero has an item we need to promote out own people though, so I don't want to skip him.

I stop by some houses, and a villager tells me that once there were three Great Magi in the land, Miloah, master of Aura, Gharnef, the Dark Pontifex, and Gotoh, the White Sage. Miloah is gone now, and the villager asks who is powerful enough to stop Gharnef? I wonder if Gharnef is the guy Wendell talked about, who had brought the magic city to Dohlr's side?? They were ruled by Pontifexes, as I recall. (I admit I automatically don't like the pontifex, but only because the word reminds me of the Carnifex, a tyrannic monster from Warhammer 40,000...)

I sneak up on the enemy hero, and attack from both inside the prison and from the west of the prison, and he poses no challenge. Lena levels up to 15 from healing us, gaining magic.

The boss poses no real problem either, taking a fireball, an arrow, and then Barst's hammer to the face. Barst levels up to 12, gaining HP, Strength, Skill, Speed and Defense. Definitely feels like Barst was an MVP today.

Victory!

After the battle, Princess Nyna asks if Marth has heard of Pontifex Miloah. (I just did! From a villager!) Marth has, he heard that Miloah defended Archanea with the power of Aura, but died in battle with Gharned after Gharned sold his soul to Dohlr. Nyna confirms this, and then explains that Miloah had a daughter, Linde, who inherited Miloah's skill with Aura. Sadly, nobody has seen her since the battle with Gharnef. Nyna asks Marth to find Linde: "We are the only family the girl has left." What, go recruit another mage, and probably depose Gharnef while we're at it? Sounds good!

Next time, rescuing Linde! Probably.