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Inexorable Death
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“ | "Please," yourself! Not another word. I fully intend to outlive all you sprogs—just see if I don't. And as for your "future," it can kiss my big brown Feroxi arse! | ” | — Basilio |
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Inexorable Death is the seventeenth chapter in Fire Emblem Awakening. In this chapter, the Shepherds make their assault against Fort Steiger in an effort to try to find cracks in the overall Valmese defenses. A turn of events during the battle, disturbing to both the Shepherds and the enemy commander, threatens to shift the overall balance of the war in favor of Walhart.
Plot
- Main article:
Inexorable Death/Script
Having arrived at Fort Steiger, Flavia notices its walls and remarks that their plan isn't going to come easy; Basilio says it's not the walls he's worried about, it's the hordes of Valmese troops inside them. Say'ri states that their best bet is a swift, surgical strike, right at their heart, and if they can strike down their commander, the fortress will be theirs. Say'ri states that Flavia's men are to take on the forces surrounding the castle; that should create an opening for a smaller team led by Chrom and herself, but Say'ri regrets to state that this approach will put Chrom at the forefront of the battle, to which Chrom states he wouldn't have it any other way. Say'ri reveals that other Resistance forces are on its way, and with any luck, they'll be here in time to help, and asks that they cleave a proud trail of imperial blood to find them by. Battle preparations take place at this point.
Once preparations are finished, the commander of Fort Steiger, Pheros, has noticed the arrival of the Shepherds and notices their numbers, with her believing that they think a woman's garrison to be a softer target; she declares that when she's through, they'll wish they'd challenged Yen'fay instead, and calls her troops into action. The battle begins at this point.
After six full turns of combat, Say'ri notices movement from the floor below, and thinks it may be reinforcements and asks Chrom to be wary. After eight full turns of combat, four members of the Resistance show up, with Say'ri wondering how they entered and Chrom wondering how the Resistance even infiltrated the castle. Say'ri tells Chrom what he's saying is impossible, and something is amiss. A man named Excellus warps onto the scene near the Resistance forces, and upon arrival states he's just in time for the Rebellion reunion, and asks that they give their friends their warmest welcome; Excellus tells the Resistance members to remember their promise, or they can be sure that Excellus will remember his. The four members of the Resistance switch their unit type from green NPC to red enemy at this point; Chrom then asks Say'ri if she is certain the enemy reinforcements are from her Resistance, to which Say'ri confirms, ashamed to have to do so, even saying she knows some of them by name, yet is wondering why they'd turn cloak against Say'ri now. Excellus appears overjoyed to have touched Say'ri's nerve, and says he happens to enjoy inappropriate touching, then asks the turncoat Resistance members to be good little servants and scrub the stronghold of the "Ylissean filth". Excellus then teleports over next to Pheros; she then asks him what he's doing meddling in the area. Excellus appears surprised at Pheros's "meddling" comment, and tells her that one might mistake her for being ungrateful--these actions are going to save her post and quite possibly her life. Pheros tells Excellus she has no need of his parlor tricks and that she can handle things herself, with Excellus mockingly agreeing with Pheros, obviously waiting to crush the Ylisseans, toying with them like a cat, and that he only brought these rebels so they might learn from her shining example, saying they were so anxious to join the cause; Pheros reveals that Excellus threatened and tortured them, or perhaps even their families and villages. Excellus says he doesn't wish to burden Pheros with such mundane details, that she has more important matters to think after and to deal with quickly. Excellus reveals that the turncoat Resistance are quite motivated, and tells Pheros to thank him some other time. Excellus teleports away from the scene; afterward, Pheros calls him an "odious freak" with no honor, simply the sight of him makes her sick--he's the worm, yet she's the one left squirming. His interference may seal a Valmese victory, but Pheros won't let Excellus hear her say it.
Once the battle ends, Chrom, Say'ri, Basilio, Flavia, and Robin have gathered in the area. Say'ri reveals that, while Fort Steiger has indeed fallen, their new enemy has the fortress surrounded; Chrom asks if she means the rest of the former Resistance, with Say'ri confirming and stating words can't express her shame or regret--she may have succeded in uniting them, it just happened to be against the Shepherds. A soldier runs onto the scene bringing dire news, their forces to the north and south have been decimated by Walhart and Yen'fay, and even worse, most of the survivors have turned their coats to Walhart. Say'ri is shocked at this development, their troops numbered in the hundreds of thousands; Basilio mentions that Walhart must have had more, Flavia quipping that Walhart's men might have been better trained and equipped. Say'ri asks where Walhart and Yen'fay have their armies as they speak; the soldier reveals they're marching toward Fort Steiger, and it's only a matter of time until they arrive. Basilio remarks that the war was lost before it even began, and Chrom adds that all their struggles up to this point haven't even made a dent into the Valmese forces; as the soldier leaves the scene, Robin gets Chrom's attention, and Chrom asks him/her if he/she has something to say. Robin says they need to leave the area right away; Flavia claims Robin has lost his/her wits, that they're surrounded, but he/she says they'll certainly be trapped when the other armies arrive, and that if they intend to escape, now is their best chance, to which Say'ri agrees. Say'ri reveals that the dynasts outside betray them only out of fear for the empire, they'll put up only token resistance without their commanders watching; Chrom states they can't keep running forever, and asks how they hope to turn the tide. Robin states they'll have to strike at either Walhart or Yen'fay before they can join their strength; Chrom states that either option appears to be a death sentence, with Say'ri adding that one general would be upon them before they could finish off the other. Robin states he agrees with Say'ri--which is why they're going to attack them both. Flavia angrily states that their army lies in tatters, yet Robin is willing to divide it in half; Robin states he/she never said it would be divided in half--Chrom would lead their strongest troops against Yen'fay, with a smaller force attacking Walhart. Basilio questions Robin's choice of a smaller force--they couldn't defeat Walhart even if they had double their entire number; Robin says he/she doesn't intend for the smaller force to defeat Walhart, they only need to distract him, to which Basilio sees that they spend some lives to buy the other team time. Chrom states that the smaller force would face their most dangerous mission yet, it would need a leader of unparalled skill and reckless bravery; Basilio volunteers for the job as long as Chrom stops with the compliments. Robin states that this is no time for japes, the stakes couldn't be higher; Basilio states he's being serious, he'll lead the smaller squad, although he prefers his steaks well done, Flavia adding that bad jokes just come with Basilio's bravado, yet Basilio clearly has faith in Robin's thinking as does she, and indeed all of them, as he/she always finds a way to best the odds. Basilio says he'll make preparations and be off, asking everyone else to stay with Chrom and keep him safe, with Robin wishing Basilio godspeed.
Right as Basilio is about to leave the area, apparently with Flavia in tow, Lucina arrives onto the scene and asks Basilio to stop. Chrom asks Lucina what she's doing, with Lucina revealing she cannot allow Basilio to leave--he will die if he fights with the smaller force, something she knows is truth. Basilio tells Lucina she has a strange way of saying goodbye, then asks who kills him, if it happens to be Walhart himself--and he says he hopes it's Walhart, as it'd make a poor song if he dies at the end of some farmer's pitchfork; Lucina reveals that, at least according to what she's heard, it is indeed Walhart who does the deed, and that they must change their plans so fate cannot take that course. Basilio says that's all he needed to know, and says he'll be careful; Lucina, shocked that Basilio still plans to go, tries to talk him out of it again, but Basilio says someone still has to stop Walhart's division from advancing--if Walhart's the one who kills him, Basilio says he'll just avoid confronting him, saying none grow that old and handsome without knowin how to avoid trouble. Lucina reveals things are never that simple; Flavia tells her not to worry, Basilio will be fine, he'll have her to keep an eye on him. Basilio shouts toward Flavia that she's not coming--she's the reigning khan; Flavia tells Basilio that he said he intended to survive this, that Regna Ferox has two khans and Basilio's now responsible for them both and dares Basilio to die now. Basilio relents and allows Flavia to join him; Chrom asks Basilio and Flavia to look after each other, with Flavia revealing he'll bring Basilio back on a leash if it comes to that. Basilio says they'll meet again soon, but Lucina makes another futile attempt to talk Basilio out of going; Basilio cuts Lucina off and reveals he intends to outlive everyone else, and asks her to simply see if he doesn't, and makes an insult concerning Lucina's tellings of the future. The player may save their game at this point.
We catch up in a rainy area north of the fort, where Basilio, Flavia, and a few Feroxi barbarians have gathered. Basilio asks the squad to fall back and form up, not to let anyone scatter them; Flavia states it's easier said than done, the Valmese cavalry is riding right toward them. Basilio says they can stand their ground, and he'll show Flavia how a real Feroxi fights; Flavia wonder if she heard a crack in his voice or sees fear in his eye, both of which Basilio denies before he says he'll give the Valmese a taste of Feroxi barbarian roots. Flavia sights enemy soldiers before the scene cuts away.
The scene cuts to a mounted figure in red armor, who cuts down two Feroxi barbarians. Basilio has seen this, and notes that he's swatting their troops down like flies. Flavia asks if the figure is some kind of elite cavalry, but then notices it's just one man. The one man, at this point revealed to be Walhart, calls out to Basilio and Flavia and asks if they command the forces he's been swatting down, with Basilio taking notice. A battle begins, Basilio armed with a Silver Axe against Walhart armed with his Wolf Berg, Walhart appears to have a clear advantage. Walhart strikes a non-lethal hit with his first strike, with Basilio missing his counterstrike and Walhart landing a second non-lethal hit with his second strike, leaving Basilio at 1 HP. Flavia arrives on the scene, with a weakened Basilio groaning, wondering whether Walhart's strength is that of an actual human. Walhart sees Basilio's survival as impressive, as he's the first since Yen'fay to survive beyond a single stroke; Basilio reveals he doesn't stand a chance, then tells Flavia and the others to run for their lives. Flavia states she's not leaving Basilio there; Basilio tells her that Walhart's a demon, that he can only keep him busy while she escapes, revealing Lucina was right; Flavia says otherwise, she's here and that means events can change and Basilio's not getting away from Flavia that easily. Another battle scene commences, this time with Flavia as Basilio's paired-up partner but no real change in Walhart's clear advantage. Flavia performs a Dual Guard on Walhart's first strike, and Basilio follows this up with a critical hit on his counterattack; Walhart gets a critical hit of his own on his second strike, thus downing Basilio.
Right as Basilio goes down, he tosses a Gemstone toward Flavia; the view we cut to is of that Gemstone (Gules, not identifed as such in this cutscene but consistent with a past identification when the concept was introduced). Basilio asks Flavia to give that Gemstone to Chrom; Flavia asks if it's really the Gemstone, Basilio tells her she has to survive and give it to Chrom. Flavia asks Basilio to give the Gemstone to Chrom himself, neither of them are going anywhere; Basilio says he's finished and asks Flavia not to let it be for nothing--for once in her life, she should do as he says. Flavia shouts out toward Basilio as the scene fades out.
Summary
The dynasts' betrayal forces the Ylissean League to retreat and divide. Their main force marches on Yen'fay, while Basilio takes on Walhart despite the dangers.
Chapter data
Normal Hard Lunatic
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Victory: Defeat Pheros. | Player | Other | Enemy | |||
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Defeat: Chrom or Robin die. | 14 | 0 | 30+12 | |||
The chapter's map is 25 columns by 25 rows.
Character data
Characters | |
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New units
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Available characters
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Avatar f-default |
Note: The returning characters list does not include any characters recruitable in paralogues, as the player may not have taken on any available paralogue chapters yet. The list also does not include any bonus units, as they are recruitable at the player's discretion.
Item data
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Shop data
After clearing this chapter, the shop at this location will become available.
Normal stock Possible merchant items
Item | Price |
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Silver Sword | 1,410 |
Silver Lance | 1,560 |
Silver Axe | 1,740 |
Silver Bow | 1,560 |
Arcfire | 1,440 |
Event tiles
- Column 14, row 11: On a stairs tile near the Mend War Monk and a Silver Sword Hero
- Column 6, row 7: Three squares south, three squares east of the chest with the Boots
Enemy data
Normal Hard Lunatic(+)
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Reinforcements
- Turn 8
- 2 Heroes with Silver Swords; one from the upper left of the four eastern stairs, one from the lower right of the four eastern stairs
- 1 War Monk with a Silver Axe from the upper right of the four eastern stairs
- 1 Sniper with a Silver Bow from the lower left of the four eastern stairs
- Turn 9
- 1 Hero with a Silver Sword from the left of the two western stairs
- 1 Sniper with a Silver Bow from the right of the two western stairs
- Turn 9 (Hard/Lunatic only)
- 1 War Monk with a Tomahawk from the upper of the two central stairs
- 1 Hero with a Silver Sword from the lower of the two central stairs
- Turn 10
- 1 War Monk with a Silver Axe from the upper of the two central stairs
- 1 Hero with a Silver Sword from the lower of the two central stairs
- Turn 11
- 1 Hero with a Silver Axe from the left of the two western stairs
- Turn 11 (Hard/Lunatic only)
- Turn 11 (Lunatic only)
- 1 Hero with a Silver Axe from the upper left of the four eastern stairs
- 1 Sniper with a Silver Bow from the upper right of the four eastern stairs
- Turn 12
- 1 War Monk with a Silver Axe from the upper right of the four eastern stairs
- 1 Valkyrie with Arcwind*/Rexcalibur* from the lower left of the four eastern stairs
- Turn 12 (Hard/Lunatic only)
- 1 Hero with a Silver Sword from the upper left of the four eastern stairs
- 1 Valkyrie with Thoron from the lower right of the four eastern stairs
- Turn 13
- 1 Valkyrie with Arcthunder*/Thoron* from the upper of the two central stairs
- Turn 13 (Hard/Lunatic only)
- Turn 13 (Lunatic only)
- 1 Sniper with a Silver Bow from the upper left of the four eastern stairs
- 1 Valkyrie with Rexcalibur from the upper right of the four eastern stairs
Boss data
- Main article:
Pheros
Normal Hard Lunatic
Strategy
This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody. |
This section has been marked as a stub. Please help improve the page by adding information.
Trivia
- Neither Basilio nor Walhart should have been able to land critical hits in their second round of combat. The statistics show both Basilio and Walhart having 0% critical rates and thus should have landed regular hits with their blows. This only really affects Basilio's strike, which should have left Walhart with 46 HP remaining instead of 20; Basilio was already at 1 HP and would have still went down even against a regular hit.
Etymology and other languages
Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
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Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
English |
Inexorable Death |
"Inexorable" means "inevitable", referencing how Basilio's death was (seemingly) not prevented despite Lucina's warnings. |
French |
Mort annoncée |
Announced death |
Gallery
This section has been marked as a stub. Please help improve the page by adding information.
← Naga's Voice • | Inexorable Death | • Sibling Blades → |
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