mark_asphodel | FE4: Curtain-drop at Barhara

"Midir, what are you going to do about this?!"

Exit Sylvia. More on that later.

I swear to god, every detail FE4 gives us about Leonster/Thracia is either undermined or contradicted in FE5.

Ahem.

Chapter 5 is so weird. Once you know what happens, there's no incentive to rush, at all. The first two/three turns are a mad dash to intercept Byron and save the villages, and but once the Lubeck chumps are eliminated it's a pretty easy chapter even by FE4's standards.

Stuff to do in Chapter 5 (post-Lubeck).

Have Dew raid all the villages to supplement your funds.
Send anyone who needs it through the arena.
Have Fury and Levin heal people with their new staves.
Wait for any of your remaining marriages to kick in.
Watch Cuan and Ethlyn die.
Hang out at the edge of the desert and wait for the Thracians to show up.
Eliminate the Thracians in one turn.
Waltz over to Phinora and take it.
One last crack at the arena!
An exciting and intense round of inventory management to maximize kidlet inheritance.

And then it's off to deal with Reptor.

I notice that Langbart, despite his open contempt for his sons, didn't realize that Lex was up to his neck in "treachery" any more than Reptor believed that Tiltyu was actively against him.

I kind of like the Lex/Tiltyu lover conversation. I notice they already have two kids by Phinora. That was fast work, guys, 'cause you only got married at Zaxon and there's no time skip between the chapters.

Oh, yes. Sylvia signed her death warrant by pairing herself with Midayle. Midayle. And I'd taken the precaution of benching him in the home castle so their "love" couldn't become marriage and bing they managed it anyway. So Sylvia had all her stuff taken away at Phinora and was sent into the desert to die. Kinda barbaric to stone a young girl to death for getting hitched without permission, but w/e.

Tiltyu got good after Level 13/14 plus receipt of the Magic Ring. It was mildly amusing to have her stagger around at 1HP zapping things and relying on Raquie's Charm for survival. Her last-second promotion meant that all parent units save Alec promoted.

The Defence Sword and Horseslayer kept Alec somewhat useful. Beowulf was also somewhat useful. Claude is rubbish. Noish was totally benched for Chapter 5. Midayle was benched because of Sylvia but he wasn't much use by then. Midayle is a circular argument of a unit-- he can be very useful indeed with the Hero Bow. To get the Hero Bow, you have to pair him (or Jamke) with Aideen. This condemns you to Midayle!Lester, forever, and it your goal is to avoid this, Midir's utility drops like a stone.

And that's Gen 1. The curtain lifts on Isaac in Chapter Six shortly. Then we'll get to see the results of this little experiment.