Fire Emblem: Dreams in the Dark

[Corrobin]

No problem, I think we're gonna be good friends. But to come up with characters, I need a bit more info. How do the following things work in Dreams in the Dark?

1. Weapon durability (Classic FE or Fates?)

2. Skills (Tellius or 3DS style?)

3. Weapon triangle (How do transformations fit in?)

4. Promotion (Class-specific item or shared Master Seals?)

[Omegaprism]

1. Weapon durability is more like FE4 than anything else. Most manmade weapons will have limited uses, but can be repaired by a blacksmith. Transformations have no durability issues. Also, forging will work differently, but more on that later.

2. Skills are Tellius style. Everyone has a skill capacity. Promoted (or special) units have a bigger cap, and better skills take more to equip. There are also special items that can permanently increase your skill capacity, but they are rare and in limited supply, just like every other stat booster. Also, most classes have a class skill that cannot be removed, but also doesn't eat into their capacity.

3. Weapon triangle is Fates-style. Transformations work on a separate triangle: Beasts>Birds>Scalies. Dragons remain separate, because they are special snowflakes. Also, the Genbu tribe is a type that replaces Armor types for the purposes of weaknesses. There will be specialized weapons that deal effective damage to the different unit types, like beast lances, armordeep/dragonslayer swords, all bows against Suzaku, etc.

4. Promotion is handled with master seals and leveling past 20, also Tellius-style. There are also a couple of items that give a unit a special promotion, similar to how the Dread Scroll and Wedding Bouquet in Awakening worked.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Omegaprism

[Corrobin]

1. How are skills learned? Skill scrolls or leveling?

2. What should a good cap on how many units there are?

3. Any basic drafts for characters I could modify?

4. Are personal skills from Fates a thing?

[Omegaprism]

1. Skills are learned mostly through scrolls. Class-locked skills (like, say, avoid+) are learned through leveling, though. I was also planning on unlocking a bunch of skill scrolls through support conversations.

2. For total units I was thinking something in the ballpark of 60. For deployment slots the early chapters would typically range from 6-8, with a steady increase to 10-12 for most of midgame, and in the final chapters being generous and having a deploy limit of 16. All of these numbers include your lord character.

3. I've mostly been painting in broad strokes here, so most of my character ideas are vague and basic, but give me a day or so and I'll post several rough ideas.

4. With almost 60 units to account for, I don't know how if giving every single one of them a unique skill is a feasible idea, considering how completely useless a good deal of the personals in Fates are. I did imagine that almost everyone would start with at least one skill, but they could teach each other via supports. I'm not against the idea, I just don't feel like thinking up 60 personal skills and trying to make each and every single one at least mildly interesting and useful.

[Corrobin]

Thanks.

Oh, and is there a second generation?

Corrobin Skill Ideas

Stand and Fight: Take 4 less damage from enemy-initiated 1-range attacks

Full Charge: Deal 4 more damage from player-initiated 1-range attacks

Coward's Way: Deal 4 more damage from player-initiated 2-or-higher-range attacks

Snipe Guard: Take 4 less damage from enemy-initiated 2-range-or-higher attacks

[Omegaprism]

Nope, no 2nd Gen. Descendants are for sequels, prequels, post-massacre time-skips, and time-travel. Dreams in the Dark would have (hopefully) none of that.

[Corrobin]

Thanks (again).

So, I'll just supply some weapon, skill and character ideas while you elaborate on DitD, and we'll both critique each other (I'll critique your story and you my ideas). That sound cool?

[Omegaprism]

Sounds righteous! Now, as for really rough character ideas, I have a few that, should you fancy the chance, I would like to hear your take on:

Woden the Tortoise, lord of the Genbu, other than being smart enough to know right away that Frey's plan is just crazy enough to work, is basically a blank slate.

Slayne the Condor is a bandit lieutenant, but not really a total dickbag like your average bandit. That's as far as I got with him/her (see? not even a gender!).

Stick the Fox is a sneaky mage. That is both a description of his class and the entirety of his character that I have written down.

Nero the White Dragon is, other than being a wise old dragon mage, not terribly defined.

Also, I need at least one example of each type of unit, and clearly I have not worked on most of them. If there is a unit type that intrigues you, or an archetype that needs representation and I haven't given any examples yet, feel free to pitch a character. The unit list is on the first page of the topic, so have a look. I can edit the characters post with new additions as we cook them up.

Now, while we are between Books 1 and 2, is a good time to talk about a few odds and ends.

First and foremost, I forgot to say how long Book 1 is. Whoops! I imagine it to be roughly 10 chapters long. This is the Great Gathering of the Stereotypes, so almost every chapter features somebody you can recruit either mid-battle or in dialogue afterwards. Starting after Chapter 1, between every major battle are base conversations, accessible via a menu option on the map. The 'base' command is also how you do your shopping.

Base conversations unlock all kinds of fun stuff, like items and weapons! Why base conversations instead of random character moments, you ask? Because Path of Radiance illustrated the benefit of having some actual effort put forth to write actual conversations, not mad libs with interchangeable character names, that's why. Remember when you had to recruit Largo and Calill via base conversations? Those were great!

Speaking of recruiting characters, there is at least one main secret character that can be recruited in Book 1. His name is Kin, the Purple Dragon. He is entirely optional, but he is also your only dancer, and also the only unit to have total ranged weapon triangle mastery. Considering all you have to do is not skip all the base conversations, I suppose he's not that secret, but since his existence is not widely known in-universe, I thought it made sense.

Next, the Vilcoorian caravan will be able to move from place to place on a world map that gets more and more destroyed as the story marches on. An occasional random encounter can appear on places you've already visited. By the final chapter the ground itself will be breaking up and floating haphazardly into the sky. The clouds above are swirling into a massive vortex that almost looks like a great otherworldly eye. It should really be a mess that keeps getting worse.

Finally, whoever Frey gives the mysterious orb to will not be able to sacrifice themselves at the altar of the Cosmic Gate, so hopefully the player chose their favorite among the 3 candidates. Starting in Book 2, the orb will grant a bonus based on the class of unit who was sacrificed to open the portal. If it was a bunch of old folks, there is no bonus. If it was one of the regular units (i.e: not Frey, Veronica, Ruganel, or Woden), it will grant a nominal bonus to the unit's 2 best stats (i.e: a bear would grant +2 STR and +5 HP, as well as +10% growth in both) as long as it is equipped. If it was one of your commanding units, there will be a pair of stat bonuses and a skill attached (Ruganel has a skill called Battlecry, Veronica has Adept, Woden has Body Blow, and Frey has Nihil). The skills are detailed below.

Battlecry: Separate command on the unit's menu. Use 'battlecry' to grant all allies within 2 spaces +1 Move and +2 damage for 1 turn.
Adept: SKL% chance for an extra attack, just like in Tellius.
Body Blow: If user has higher defense than an opponent, deal extra damage based on the difference.
Nihil: Disable enemy's battle skills (Pavise, Luna, etc.) just like in Tellius.

If Frey chooses to sacrifice herself the recipient of the orb will be your new lord. Their class won't change title, but they do become the player's new point of view character. The consequences of this choice will be explored next time, in Book 2: Unwelcome. See you then!

[Corrobin]

Thank you. Now, let's get some classic archetypes.

Nein: A blue lion and the teacher of Barash and Dorgo. Pre-promoted, old, but he serves as an in-between foil for the two, helping Dorgo hold Barash back while still taking occasional risks that help break Dorgo out of his shell, so to speak. He's the Oifaye of the group, with slightly-below average (but not terribly so) growths but starts pre-promoted at slightly above-average bases. If Barash is Speed and Resistance, and Dorgo is Strength and Skill then Nein is a Defense and Luck oriented one, being his highest bases and growths.

Slade: A hawk mercenary who works with bandits at the start of the game, but has a personal code of honor that means that he will not fight people who cannot defend themselves. Starts as an enemy, but to recruit him is a tricky task indeed: You need to have a Cleric/Troubadour-y character talk to him. Oh, and he starts with a Killing Edge and the Adept skill. There, the perfect Navarre character!

That should suffice for now. Critique?

[Eliwan]

Thank you. Now, let's get some classic archetypes.

Tropes are Not Bad. Tropes are Tools.

Sticking so closely to a trope only works if you have things that don't cling to tropes.

(I lack comment on Def-Luck Jeigan because having some manner of Jeigan is imho not wholly necessary, but this isn't a bad implementation)

Slade: A hawk mercenary who works with bandits at the start of the game, but has a personal code of honor that means that he will not fight people who cannot defend themselves. Starts as an enemy, but to recruit him is a tricky task indeed: You need to have a Cleric/Troubadour-y character talk to him. Oh, and he starts with a Killing Edge and the Adept skill. There, the perfect Navarre character!

That should suffice for now. Critique?

It's literally the wikia entry for the Nabarl archetype.

That's all you've written here.

It's just...... the archetype. With no, well, interesting notes of character there beyond the type.

[Corrobin]

Fair point.

Slade also has a very severe case of claustrophobia, to the point that hugging him or having him sleep in a tent is enough to set him off. He also B. Has a twin sister that he can recruit later (haven't quite put the finishing touches on her, so wait), and C. Loves desserts but, unlike Gaius, hates showing that he does because "people won't take him seriously".

Oh, and he's the quickest packer in the group.

Nein is the best weapon sharpener.

Are those little tidbits going to be in, Omega?

[Omegaprism]

Are those little tidbits going to be in, Omega?

Naturally.

While we're talking about archetypes, though, I should point out that I did kinda try a two-for-one deal with the character of Veronica (Navarre/Jagen), though I will admit she has more in common with Titania than Jagen (loyal second-in-command/advisor/bff/growths-that-are-not-ass). If we're looking for classic call-backs, why not have a healer-type (say, a heron) working for the bandits, and slade is there as the bodyguard for said healer? Recruiting one will in turn unlock the other. I can even imagine a meeting between Slade and Veronica, where a rivalry is born. Just as Bedimal Eliwan said, branching out from a typical trope will usually add layers to a character. For example, the Suzaku are (at least in my head) kinda fastidious and arrogant, so what is he like in relation to those qualities? What do the rest of the bandits think of him? Also, let's hear about this healer that our Hawk mercenary will literally thrown down his weapon for. How do they know each other? One of the easiest ways to make a character more compelling and interesting is to give them a relationship of some kind with other characters.

I don't mean to blast you with questions here, I just want to help make the character fit a little better into the theoretical game. In contrast, I like the entry for Nein (Neen? Nine? Is it like the German word for 'no?') just fine as it is. Perhaps he works for Ruganel, and Frey's posse meets up with him in the first or second chapter, and he can have a reunion with Barash and Dorgo where they talk about how he looks different than they remember, and he replies that they have changed very little, still acting like a couple of young knuckleheads. It fits naturally and easily.

[Corrobin]

Okay, here's something.

Klaus: Slade's heron friend from childhood, who values knowledge and magic as very important things. Often can be found reading a book or teaching children. Unfortunately, he got captured by bandits a month or two before the game's events, and the reason why Slade's even with the bandits is so he can break Klaus out. The fastest reader in the army. Growth-wise, he's very Serra-y, with low-ish starting Magic, but very high Magic, Speed and Luck, and above-average Resistance and Skill, which means he's combat-ready the moment he transforms and promotes.

Minor history: Slade was from a poor family, and while he was 5 met Klaus at a park. Klaus is from a rather upper-class family, and did the "sneak out because nobles are boring" bit and met with Slade. The two formed a rapport, and after Slade turned 16 and Klaus 18 they started working together after running away. Slade sends money home to his family and twin sister. In fact, provided Klaus can marry Slade's sister Celia if they A-Support by endgame. Speaking of...

Celia: Slade's twin sister, who joins very late in the first Book, at in chapter 9-10. A lot more spunky, hyperactive and a bit childish compared to her no-nonsense stoic brother. The best at cheering people up. She's an Est, but a Super-Est. with a 105% HP growth, and Speed, Skill and Luck all in the 80's. Her Strength's a respectable 60%, and her Defence is a good 50%. So she is flat out amazing, to make sure that people use her unlike the majority of Est's like Nino.

Haseo: Nothing short of eccentric, Haseo's a fox who refers to himself as "The Wonderful Phantom Thief". He's vain, arrogant, and a little gaudy, but by god, he's good at his job. Speed and Skill growths of 70 and a Magic growth of 55, he's the auxiliary stealing support of Anna from Awakening with the combat readiness of Gaius. The most mistaken for a homosexual.

[Omegaprism]

Alright, now we're building some steam. Aside from the obvious balance concerns of introducing a super-Est with ultra-growths at around 30% through the game, not too bad. Maybe rather than having growths that would make an ultra-eugenics-based Yarne cry, perhaps Celia could come with 3DS-style Aptitude (+10% to all growths? +20%? I forget). A character's default skill comes free of capacity cost, so even though you could technically trade it to somebody else, it would be so big that they couldn't afford to have any other skills equipped for most of the game. Celia's advantage would be that it costs nothing to leave it on her, and she can go ham with other skills. This would also buck the trend of having the Est-type be A) on the young side, B) a dumb country hick, and C) having attack animations that make them look incompetent in their default class.

On another note, don't forget that things like parks probably haven't existed in Vilcoor for a long time. The world that our heroes come from is deep into a long, slow apocalypse. Having just said that it occurs to me that there might still be a few places where heron communities have continued to cultivate gardens and the like just for a sense of normalcy, so I guess it's a wash either way.

I promise I'm writing the plot summary for Book 2. I was much lazier in my story notes for this one so there are more gaps to fill. With any luck I can get it up by tonight!

[Corrobin]

Cool! I'll just get a few more characters done.

Things to note:

1. You didn't say anything about Haseo

2. Yeah, Celia could have an Aptitude skill

3. Slade's recruitment: He starts off as an enemy. To get him and Klaus, you need to do the following things in this order:

A. Talk to him with Veronica. He'll then turn green.

B. Get a Door Key from an enemy and unlock Klaus's cage.

C. Slade will beeline to Klaus (green) and talk to him and then they both turn blue.

Leon: A wolf with a both insatiable lust for woman and a comically big stomach, Leon has three big goals in life: Eat big, fuck bigger, and get high on life in general. He loves saving women and has a seemingly endless supply of pick-up lines. The one who keeps people up the most at night. Statwise, he's very well-rounded with everything barring HP (80), Magic (10) and Resistance (50) are all in the 60-70's. His (possible) personal, Charming, increases the damage dealt by any ally female units within 3 spaces by 2.

Jin: An eagle with both a large ego and a bigger bow, Jin has been known and feared as an archer you just don't fuck with. It's said that he can notch and fire an arrow while dodging swords coming at him. He joins because "It's sounds better than dying in this apocalyptic hellhole". The one who talks the least. Statswise, he is a monster with Speed, Strength, Skill and Luck up the wazoo, at the cost of being very, very fragile. His (possible) personal, Deadeye, increases his Crit by 15% if he starts the battle.

[Omegaprism]

My apologies. Haseo sounds great. If I had any talent as an artist I'd probably draw him with a masquerade mask on with a mouth open just enough to show his teeth in a wide grin.

The recruitment for the birdboys (birdbromance?) sounds fine. Perhaps a basic healing songbook is in a chest next to the cage so they're both ready to go in short order.

Leon sounds like Iron Bull from Dragon Age 3. That is not a bad thing. Since he sounds like he leans on the bestial side of things let's give him a Dire Wolf Stone (+3 STR, +5 SKL, crit evade +10, -3 doubling).

Jin sounds good too. I could see him having a reverse/dual bow upon joining. His personal sounds like it might be better as a sniper-locked skill. Maybe he's a prepromote?

Edited August 5, 2016 by Omegaprism

[Corrobin]

Haseo is practically my Persona 5 OC come to life. Have fun righting him. He's Owain but with "thievery" in place of "heroics" and a even bigger tendency for sexual innuendo ("What should I steal? Your money? Your clothes? Or maybe something a bit more... special?").

Fun fact: I was toying with the idea of Klaus having a Soren-style unrequited gay crush on Slade but decided against it. I even thought that they could marry each other if they A-rank, but, again, I decided against it. Unless you like the idea, then I'm open.

What about Leon's personal?

Yeah, maybe Deadeye could be a unlocked automatically on promotion like the Satori Sign skills...

Keisuke: A turtle who loves three things: Plunder, booze and battle. He initially is wary of the expedition to the new world, afraid that the people there might enslave, torture or kill all Vilcoorians. He then proceeds to start thinking under the Devil's philosophy of "Better to reign in Hell then serve in Heaven". But he comes around, and boy, does he make the group eat his words in the new world. The one with the biggest hangovers. Statwise, he's rather tanky for a Pirate, with 50% Defence on top of the normally high HP growth of 85%. This comes at lower Speed and Skill, meaning he has lower doubling, dodging and hitting potential than other Turtles, but he still hits hard. His personal, Plunder, gives him a Skill% chance to gain money after killing based on how much damage his hit did. The amount of money it generates is ((Damage*100)+500).

Tristan: A bear who is very protective of his family and joins so that he, plus his wife and kids, can be happy together without being afraid of monsters and demons. He is helpful not just in combat, he's a good handyman and helps fixes furniture throughout the camp. The loudest snorer. Statwise, he trades off a small amount of Strength and a moderate amount of HP for higher Skill and Luck, meaning he's a bit more of a dodge tank than the Axe Fighter's "Massive HP" tank. His personal, Family Man, decrease the damage taken by him if someone with a C-Support or higher is in support bonus range by 2.

[Corrobin]

So, I was just brainstorming a few more races to add, could I get your opinion on them?

Byakkyo

Panther

Dog

Monkey

Rat

Rabbit

Suzaku

Crow

Bat

Cardinal

Genbu

Crocodile

Alligator

[Corrobin]

EARTH TO OMEGA, DO YOU READ ME?

Nein: Experienced

Deal 2 extra damage from lower-leveled units

Slade: Peerless Stance

Gain +10 Crit and Evade on the enemies turn

Klaus: Noble Gaze

Reduce the Hit of adjacent non-Suzaku enemies by 15

Celia: Aptitude

Add 15% to all growth rates

Haseo: Master Thief

Steal two items at once when Stealing

Leon: Charming

Give adjacent ally females +2 to damage dealt

Jin: Intimidating Gaze

Reduce the Avoid of adjacent enemies by 10

[Omegaprism]

Is Nein dealing 2 more damage to the lower-leveled units, or taking 2 more damage from them? Either way, it seems like a raw deal. I would give him something like Hardened Veteran: If the enemy unit has weapon advantage, user takes 2 less damage.

Leon's default skill sounds fine, but I would increase the aura range to 3.

You really want Slade to be a crit machine, huh? Are the Killer Edge, the high SKL and LUCK growths and the class bonus not enough?

Klaus' seems... decent, but I wonder if it's a good idea to put a healer in a position for the skill to take effect in the first place. Just sayin'.

I thought Aptitude was +20%. No need to sandbag it.

What if Master Thief allowed Haseo to steal and do something else afterward (item, trade, attack, steal again, NO MOVEMENT)? Its use becomes much less situational while still only being good for a thief.

I would change Jin's skill name to Harsh Glare or something shorter than Intimidating Gaze, but other than that it works fine.

As for other Vilcoorian races, many of those you asked about probably were around, but when the world was broken it had many casualties. I thought about all kinds of others, but I want this to have the spirit of a "Series Shapeshifter Greatest Hits," and only added new ones to fill in some sizeable gaps in unit variety. I will grant you that a few do actually fit in, namely:

Rabbits - Taguel, as reviled a class as they are in Awakening, is a species I had forgotten about, and do deserve to join their demihuman brethren. There are, however, no great Vilcoorian rabbits still alive. However, we're not staying in Vilcoor, so a mid-late game recruit could easily fit. Probably just the one, though.

Bats - I think this might actually be a better fit for the Byakko Tribe, and an interesting one at that. It would be a misfit, not having the feathers or graceful features of the Suzaku, and not being scaly or at home in the water like the Genbu. They could be looked at as outcasts by the Byakko because they are more likely to climb and fly than run, and for their preference for bugs and fruit over meat. Poor bats. The question is, what role would they fill in an army that isn't already covered by the others?

Crocs and Gators - I have plans for these two. There are at least two more worlds whose lifeforms I haven't yet revealed. All in good time...

Special mentions: Since the Vilcoorians are descended from many different wild races, wouldn't ape-based descendants just be... humans? Also, I know that technically crows and ravens are different. For the purposes of this game, however, I was just going to lump them together.

I'm doing my best here, man, but I have a wife and son to look after when I'm at home and the weekends have become "family time." It also doesn't help that whenever my son sees my laptop open he MUST bang on the keys, "Like dada!" Also, Book 2 is getting away from me in length, so it looks like I'm not going to be able to post it all at once. I'm going to split it into a few different posts for pacing purposes. I took a couple of days off this week so I could essentially hide in my office space and write (and sweat). It's almost midnight now, so my next post will be in the morning.

[Corrobin]

Sorry about the yelling, I'm a naturally impatient person. It doesn't help that I'm a student during summer vacation and I have a lot of time on my hands. I'll keep in mind our schedule and time zone differences (you said you posted at midnight, but where I am it was 9 AM).

Nein takes 2 less damage from lower-leveled enemies (like a reverse Underdog).

Leon can have it be 3 range.

Master Thief can be a sort of stealing Canto? He can ONLY move after stealing/lockpicking?

Harsh Gaze is a good name.

For Klaus, how about this:

Kind Soul: Increase the Hit and Avoid of adjacent allies by 10%

Keisuke: A turtle who loves three things: Plunder, booze and battle. He initially is wary of the expedition to the new world, afraid that the people there might enslave, torture or kill all Vilcoorians. He then proceeds to start thinking under the Devil's philosophy of "Better to reign in Hell then serve in Heaven". But he comes around, and boy, does he make the group eat his words in the new world. The one with the biggest hangovers. Statwise, he's rather tanky for a Pirate, with 50% Defence on top of the normally high HP growth of 85%. This comes at lower Speed and Skill, meaning he has lower doubling, dodging and hitting potential than other Turtles, but he still hits hard. His personal, Plunder, gives him a Skill% chance to gain money after killing based on how much damage his hit did. The amount of money it generates is ((Damage*100)+500).

Tristan: A bear who is very protective of his family and joins so that he, plus his wife and kids, can be happy together without being afraid of monsters and demons. He is helpful not just in combat, he's a good handyman and helps fixes furniture throughout the camp. The loudest snorer. Statwise, he trades off a small amount of Strength and a moderate amount of HP for higher Skill and Luck, meaning he's a bit more of a dodge tank than the Axe Fighter's "Massive HP" tank. His personal, Family Man, decrease the damage taken by him if someone with a C-Support or higher is in support bonus range by 2.

Rabbits: Maybe a sort of Ninja?

Bat: Outlaw

Croc: Brigand

Gator: Oni Savage

[Corrobin]

Did you get a good night's sleep? It should be around 10:45 AM where you are if my calculations are correct. Is now a good time to chat?

Kline: A raven, Kline considers himself a Robin Hood-sequel figure, stealing from bandits and corrupt nobles to return money and stolen items. He knows he isn't the paragon of Chaotic Good that most people think he is, but he's a fundamentally kind and intelligent individual. Stat wise, he trades off a bit of Speed and Luck for higher Strength and a respectable (if average) Defense. The best night watchman. His personal, Infiltrate, gives him 2 more Move for every enemies he Passes through.

Marks: Veronica's vassal and retainer, Marks is a rather cold and blunt condor who serves as the army tactitian. He's often the first to point out a unique feature on the map like Balista, Fire Orbs, unique terrain or a particularly nasty trap. But around Veronica, he softens up a little, revealing to have a crush on his master. The first to wake in the morning. Stat-wise, he's a very traditional Wyvern Rider: High Attack and Defence, decent Speed and Skill, good Luck, abyssmal Resistance. His personal, Analytical, makes him deal 2 more damage if he has a WTA.

[Omegaprism]

EDIT: It's actually 9:45, but whatever, close enough. It looks like we posted at almost the same time. I'll have a look at your post in a bit. For now, errands!

Ah, okay, that's what Nein's skill does.

If Master Thief just allows movement afterward that makes it a lamer canto. If you can do everything but move, you could combine it with a canto scroll and the world would be your oyster! Cue maniacal laughter!

Kind Soul is great. I'm making a policy decision that all auras have a range of at least 2, though. Skills are costly to equip, and should carry with that cost a certain power.

As for Keisuke and Tristan, I'm already adding them to the roster. Don't pirates already have freakishly low skill, though? Let's bump up Keisuke's skill. He can still be slow, though. Tristan will probably get along great with the wolves who are essentially a married couple. How about naming his skill Papa Bear, and having affect both him and the supported allies?

We'll come back to the rabbits and bats later. For now, as promised, some story!

Book 2 goes to a world very much like classic Fire Emblem settings. Villages dot the landscape. There are forests and rivers. It is a stark contrast with the alien harshness of Vilcoor. This world is called Dascillia (ダシリア).

The Vilcoorians emerge from the Cosmic Gate and walk out of a crumbling temple very similar to the one in their world, minus a few hundred years of decay. The temple is surrounded by forest in all directions. Several Byakko characters talk about how different everything smells. If Kin has been unlocked he will tell Frey that he can hardly think from all the sounds of wildlife around them.

Suddenly the Cosmic Gate makes an unearthly sound like the howls of a thousand lost souls and explodes. It is not a big explosion, but it is enough to knock everyone off their feet, and the accompanying flash of light leaves everyone temporarily blinded. When the world fades back into view, the gate has been blown to pieces. Massive hunks of the great ring lie strewn across the ruins of the temple. Before there is time to recover, out of the surrounding trees appear several strange looking creatures. Some of them are riding atop Vilcoorian slaves who have been so thoroughly subjugated there is no spark of intelligence in their eyes! This perverse injustice must be avenged! And now they are charging towards the confused refugees with their foreign weapons!

Veronica and Woden are hesitant to jump into combat, but the battle is joined before cooler heads can prevail. This is their first encounter with regular, boring old humans, some of which are mounted on regular, boring old horses. The Vilcoorians must defend their civilians and the injured for 8 rounds, using the ruins and wreckage of the gateway as cover. The battle is very tense, as all of your units start the first round at half health. After enough of his soldiers are slain or the end of round 5 the enemy commander, a level 1 paladin, appears. He comes equipped with a dragonslayer sword, much to the chagrin of any Seiryu in the party who try to charge for the boss. Also of note, the units the player is able to deploy are random, save for the commanders and Kin (if he was recruited in Book 1). At first only eight units can be fielded, then two more random units will join after round 2, then two more after round 4.

At the end of the battle a thundering roar can be heard in the distance. The enemy commander says, "It's near!" and orders a hasty retreat into the woods. The Vilcoorians are spared. But why? What was that sound? Frey suspects it could be a dragon.

Here is another moment of choice for the player. Each of the inner circle has a different plan of action. Ruganel wants to pursue the human attackers. Veronica wants to scout the surrounding area for supplies and a safer place to make camp. Woden wants to stay in the temple ruins and take careful stock of what was damaged and who was killed, and prepare for a possible parlay with the natives. Frey doesn't say it out loud, but the thought of finding another dragon is incredibly tempting. The player can only choose one group to follow. Each path will start on a different map.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Omegaprism

[Corrobin]

Plot questions:

1. Is there any Vilcoorian religion?

2. Do Frey, Veronica, Ruganel and Woden start with any ancestral/legendary weapons?

3. What do Vilcoorians look like? More Tellius-y, or more Keaton/Kaden-y?

4. How big is Vilcoor?

[Corrobin]

You done with those errands?

Weapon ideas:

Triple Threat: Effective against scales, beasts and dragons!

Dragoon Lance: Dragon-effective Lance

Burning Arrow: Tome, uses user's Magic vs. enemy Defence

Divine Blade, Sacred Lance, Blessed Axe and Purifying Bow: effective vs Monsters (there are monsters, right?)

Bloodedge: Takes 10% of the user's HP every turn