Leif's forces reach Nowell Valley, and Leif discusses their strategy with Dryas, who takes note of the enemy ballistae and proposes three strategies to deal with them. After conferring with Dryas, Leif and his forces assault the valley and move toward its defending fort, Fort Nowell. Once the defending general, Largo, notices the attack, he sends Fred and Olwen to Fort Dandrum in order to warn it about the attackers. However, they stay behind for a moment to delay Leif's forces before leaving.
After Fred and Olwen leave the battlefield, Leif defeats Largo and conquers the fort. He then discusses the upcoming battle at Fort Dandrum with his advisors, recognizing that it will be a difficult one, because Dandrum is a well-fortified zone and its commander will know about the attack ahead of time.
Stats with two figures separated by a ~ are presented as a range, representing stats that vary due to random growths. The figures to the left and right of the ~ are the stat's minimum and maximum possible values respectively.
This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody.
This is the first map in the game that features ballistae. They have enormous range, deal a lot of damage, and have decent defense. Frail units must remain cautious when going into their range, especially when their ranges overlap.
The first bridge is guarded by a Sword Armor wielding a Flame Sword. Capturing this enemy grants the player a second copy of this great weapon. However, this must be done quickly if the player also wishes to visit the villages.
There are two thieves that will run to villages under ballista fire and they will try to destroy them. These villages contain two very good staves, and the thieves themselves possess two S Drinks. The northern village can be easily visited by a durable mounted unit, though the southern one has a lot of terrain in the way and requires unlocking a bridge. Karin with a Leg Ring will make visiting these villages much easier, though she must dismount if she has to stay within ballista range during enemy phase. A thief can also make this process easier by stealing the S drinks, and the player will likely want to deploy one to steal the boss's Knight Proof.
Upon crossing column 19 (the column containing the unlocked bridge) or on turn 4 enemy phase, Olwen and Fred will appear and attack any unit within their range. They will ignore combat starting on turn 6, so the player can ignore them after turn 5. Dvorak on the other hand will always pursue the player, and the player should remain watchful for his movements.
After taking care of all of the villages and mini-bosses, the map becomes much less difficult. The ballistae can be drained of their ammunition freely, though this will also create fatigue for the attacked units. Additionally, the Bolting bishop has a chance to critical Alternatively, the player can use Warp to bypass all the ballistae, though this will likely force the player to use Repair on it for later chapters.
Etymology and other languages
Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language
Name
Definition, etymology, and notes
English (unofficial)
• Noel Canyon • Nowell Valley
• Used in FireLizard's translation. • Used in the Lil' Manster fan translation patch.