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The Cause of Sorrow

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Revision as of 21:30, 12 June 2022 by PikaSamus (talk | contribs) (Text replacement - "Monica" to "Monica")
The Cause of Sorrow

Ss fe16 chapter 9 mural.png
Mural used to introduce the Ethereal Moon.

Location

Garreg Mach Monastery

Previous chapter(s)

The Flame in the Darkness

Next chapter(s)

Where the Goddess Dwells

Sorry... It looks like...I'm going to have to leave you now. To think that the first time I saw you cry... your tears would be for me. It's sad, and yet...I'm happy for it. Thank you...kid.
— Jeralt's final words to Byleth.

The Cause of Sorrow (Japanese: 涙のわけ The Cause of Tears) is the ninth chapter of Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Plot

Main article: The Cause of Sorrow/Script (Black Eagles)
Main article: The Cause of Sorrow/Script (Blue Lions)
Main article: The Cause of Sorrow/Script (Golden Deer)

As Garreg Mach Monastery prepares to throw a grand ball for the students, Rhea and Seteth explain that this month's mission will be to investigate a chapel on monastery grounds that was recently broken into alongside Jeralt. Jeralt leaves shortly afterwards on another mission, leaving Byleth and the students to prepare for the ball and a dancing competition called the White Heron Cup. The night before the ball, the lord character proposes that Byleth and the students reunite at the monastery in five years' time, on the day of the Millennium Festival. The ball is a success, and the students enjoy a fun night while Byleth has a dance with Claude. Afterwards, a fatigued Byleth departs the ball. If they are a member of the Blue Lions, they meet Dimitri outside, who recounts his childhood friendship with Edelgard during her year-long exile from the Adrestian Empire. He admits that when she left Faerghus, he gave her a dagger as a parting gift. Byleth meets the character they have the highest support rank with in the Goddess Tower. Returning to bed, they notice Rhea wandering off, and Sothis bids them follow her. Byleth hears Rhea singing a song that Sothis concludes she must have written.

The day after the ball, Jeralt returns, and Alois reveals that Demonic Beasts have been spotted inside the chapel and that students who didn't seem to be in their right mind were spotted heading in that direction before hand. Byleth, the students, and Jeralt rush to the chapel to slay the beasts and rescue any survivors. As they defeat the Demonic Beasts, they transform back into students before dying. After the battle, Jeralt approaches the chapel, but is unable to find any evidence. Monica appears and seemingly thanks Jeralt for his aid, only to stab him in the back and mortally wound him. Byleth uses Divine Pulse to rewind time and attempts to stop her, but an unidentified mage appears and blocks their strike, and Jeralt is stabbed once again. The mage escapes with Monica, claiming that she is still needed for another role, and Jeralt apologizes to Byleth before dying in their arms.

Afterwards, Byleth and Sothis investigate Jeralt as he bid them three months ago. They discover his diary, which recounts Byleth's birth in the Horsebow Moon in 1159. In his diary, Jeralt notes that Rhea claimed Byleth's mother died in childbirth, but he is unsure if she is telling the truth. He further recounts that the infant Byleth never cries or laughs, and that a doctor said that the child's pulse was normal but that they lacked a heartbeat. Jeralt, terrified of Rhea, takes advantage of a fire that breaks out to fake Byleth's death and disappear. Afterwards, Sothis realizes why her fate is intertwined with Byleth's. Byleth reports to Rhea, who claims that Byleth's mother was a nun at the monastery and asked Rhea to save Byleth's life at the cost of her own. Rhea begins a statement to the effect that Byleth's mother was connected to her somehow, but ultimately dismisses them before elaborating further when Alois arrives to deliver a report.

Calendar - Ethereal Moon

Ethereal Moon
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
1
Alois's Birthday Is ns01 birthday yellow.png
Chapter starts here
2 3 4 5 6
Story Event Is ns01 story event.png
7
Free Day Is ns01 free day.png
Fistfuls of Fish Is ns01 fishing.png
Bonding Bites Is ns01 meals.png
Choir Festival Is ns01 choir.png
8
Instruct Is ns01 instruct.png
9 10 11 12
Bernadetta's Birthday Is ns01 birthday yellow.png
13 14
Free Day Is ns01 free day.png
15
Instruct Is ns01 instruct.png
16
White Heron Cup Is ns01 special day.png
17 18 19 20
Dimitri's Birthday Is ns01 birthday yellow.png
21
Free Day Is ns01 free day.png
Faculty & Knight Mixer Is ns01 meals.png
22 23 24
Story Event Is ns01 story event.png
25
Garreg Mach Establishment Day Is ns01 special day.png
26
Investigate the Old Chapel Is ns01 story battle.png
27
Saint Cichol Day Is ns01 special day.png
Seteth's Birthday Is ns01 birthday yellow.png
28
29 30 31

Character data

Black Eagles Black Eagles Blue Lions Blue Lions Golden Deer Golden Deer

Characters
New units

None

Available characters
Byleth m ​Edelgard ​Hubert ​Ferdinand ​Linhardt ​Caspar ​Bernadetta ​Dorothea ​Petra ​Felix ​Ashe ​Sylvain ​Mercedes ​Annette ​Ingrid ​Lorenz ​Raphael ​Ignatz ​Lysithea ​Marianne ​Leonie ​Constance ​Balthus ​Hapi ​Yuri ​Anna ​Shamir ​Flayn ​Hanneman ​Manuela ​

Item data

Items
Name Obtainment Method
Is ns01 bullion.png Gold Monthly stipend
Is ns01 shield.png Silver Shield Tournament prize
Is ns01 produce.png Morfis Plum (×2) Quest reward: The White Heron Cup
Is ns01 tea.png Lavender Blend (×2) Quest reward: The White Heron Cup
Is ns01 bullion.png 500G Quest reward: The White Heron Cup
Is ns01 ore.png Black-Sand Steel (×2) Quest reward: Adventures in Wood Carving
Is ns01 ore.png Wootz Steel Quest reward: Adventures in Wood Carving
Is ns01 gift.png Goddess Statuette Quest reward: Adventures in Wood Carving
Is ns01 battalion infantry silver.png Nuvelle Chamberlain Co. Quest reward: A Servant's Essentials*
Is ns01 battalion infantry silver.png Nuvelle Attendants Co. Quest reward: A Servant's Essentials*
Is ns01 battalion infantry silver.png Nuvelle Stewards Co. Quest reward: A Servant's Essentials*
Is ns01 staff.png Healing Staff Chest, Salvation at the Chapel
Is ns01 stat booster.png Energy Drop Save all of the students in Salvation at the Chapel
Is ns01 ore.png Umbral Steel Save at least one of the students in Salvation at the Chapel

Strategy

Main article: The Cause of Sorrow/Salvation at the Chapel

During this month, if you speak to the Gatekeeper, you can directly choose which student you have a scene with in the Goddess Tower, provided that unit is able to S rank Byleth in the current playthrough.

This month is the White Heron Cup, and the winner receives a certification in the Dancer class. You can select any student member of your own house to represent you, including Flayn and any students you have poached from other houses. The unit needs 13 Charm to win, and you can give your representative a whopping 5 Charm by doing some dancing lessons at no activity point cost. When choosing who to make a Dancer, keep in mind that the Dancer specializes in swords and authority, while also being able to use magic. It's also worth noting that plot complications in Crimson Flower and Silver Snow could make Edelgard, Hubert, and Flayn extremely poor choices to give your only Dancer certification. To a lesser extent, depending on the route, Ashe, Lorenz, and/or Dedue may not be recommended choices as a Dancer since they will be rendered unavailable for the first few chapters of Part II; the latter can even be gone for good if his paralogue isn't completed before the start of chapter 12. There are a few factors that one should consider for who makes the best recipient of the Dancer certification. Option one is to give it to your worst unit, since dancing is unaffected by the dancer's prowess in combat. Option two is to give it to someone who can squeeze the most utility out of Dancer; typically this means a Riding boon to get Movement +1 and/or Physic access for back lines support if nobody needs dancing. Option three is to give it to someone who can benefit from Sword Avoid +20 and the 5 point Charm boost; Dimitri and Ferdinand in particular are very evasive and boast sword boons; that last option can be a major point of contention however, since using the Sword Avoid purely for combat is effectively discarding the Dancer's unique utility, and strong evasion can be replicated by simply having high speed.

In news unrelated to the White Heron Cup, this month's tournament is in black magic. Since Hubert, Lysithea, and Hapi only have dark magic in their base spell pools, they need to be in the Mage class in order to gain the Fire ability and participate. Note that unlike other tournaments involving weapons, the tournaments involving black magic is somewhat more complex, due to how every playable unit has a varied spell list, meaning that some units have a particular spell while others do not. When a unit is chosen as a participant in black magic tournaments, they will use the spell that is at the top of their inventory list (not their Status page); for example, Ingrid and Marianne will use Thoron (provided it is unlocked) instead of Blizzard if they are entered into a black magic tournament.

Jeralt is absent from the monastery and due to a story event that happens at the end of this chapter, he will be permanently unavailable for Faculty Training from this chapter onward. This renders Seteth as the only person who can teach Authority prior to Part II. Additionally, the rest of the Knights of Seiros, Gilbert, Alois, Catherine, and Shamir, will be absent for the next chapter and unavailable for Faculty Training or Seminars. Of the remaining available tutors, Seteth, Hanneman, Manuela, and Rhea, none can teach heavy armor, and only sword, reason, and faith are taught by multiple people for Faculty Training. If heavy armor or any other less common skills are required for an upcoming class exam for Byleth or as a recruitment requirement for other students, it is recommended that the training for those skills be undergone in this chapter.

Trivia

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

The Cause of Sorrow

--

Spanish

La causa del pesar

The cause of regret

French

Les causes du chagrin

The causes of sorrow

German

Die Quelle der Trauer

The Source of Sorrow

Italian

Le cause del dolore

The cause of sorrow

Korean

눈물의 이유

The cause of tears

Simplified Chinese

流泪的理由

The cause of tears

Traditional Chinese

流淚的理由

The cause of tears

Gallery


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References

← The Flame in the Darkness • The Cause of Sorrow • Where the Goddess Dwells →
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Playable characters Black Eagles BernadettaCasparDorotheaEdelgardFerdinandHubertLinhardtPetra
Blue Lions AnnetteAsheDedueDimitriFelixIngridMercedesSylvain
Golden Deer ClaudeHildaIgnatzLeonieLorenzLysitheaMarianneRaphael
Other AloisAnnaDLCBylethCatherineCyrilFlaynGilbertHannemanJeritzaManuelaSetethShamir
Ashen WolvesDLC BalthusConstanceHapiYuri
Non-playable characters AbysskeeperDLCDuke AegirFlecheGatekeeperDuke GerthIonius IXJeraltJudithLadislavaNaderRandolphRheaRodrigueSothis
Bosses AcheronAelfricDLCAloisLord ArundelBiasBlaiddydCasparCatherineCharonChilonClaudeCorneliaDaphnelDedueDeath KnightDimitriDominicBaron DominicEdelgardFelixFerdinandFlame EmperorFlaynFraldariusGautierGloucesterGonerilGwendalHubertIngridThe Immaculate OneThe ImmovableJudithKostasKronyaLadislavaLamineLinhardtLonatoLorenzMercedesMetodeyMiklanMysonNaderNemesisBaron OchsDLCOdessePallardóPittacusRandolphRheaRieganRodrigueSetethShamirSolonSylvainThalesWandering BeastThe Wind Caller
Background characters Lord ArundelCount BergliezCorneliaMargrave GautierGlennCount GloucesterCount HevringHolstLambertMonicaPatriciaRufusSeirosSitriTomasTianaCount Varley
Personal weapons and regalia Aegis ShieldAreadbharAsclepiusAthameAxe of UkonvasaraAymrBlutgangCaduceus StaffCirce StaffCrusherFailnaughtFetters of DromiFreikugelThe InexhaustibleLance of RuinLúinOchain ShieldRafail GemScythe of SarielSeiros ShieldSpear of AssalSword of BegaltaSword of MoraltaSword of SeirosSword of the CreatorTathlum BowThunderbrandThyrsusVajra-Mushti
Chapters Part I
White Clouds
P: An Inevitable Encounter • 1: Three Houses • 2: Familiar Scenery • 3: Mutiny in the Mist • 4: The Goddess's Rite of Rebirth • 5: Tower of Black Winds • 6: Rumors of a Reaper • 7: Field of the Eagle and Lion • 8: The Flame in the Darkness • 9: The Cause of Sorrow • 10: Where the Goddess Dwells • 11: Throne of Knowledge • 12: To War Black Eagles, if Byleth sides against EdelgardBlue LionsGolden Deer / Outset of a Power Struggle Black Eagles, if Byleth sides with Edelgard
Part II Silver Snow
Silver Snow
13: Reunion at Dawn • 14: A King Without a Kingdom • 15: Valley of Torment • 16: The Rose-Colored River • 17: The Impregnable Fortress • 18: The Chaos of War • 19: Conclusion of the Crossing Roads • 20: The City Without Light • 21: Following a Dream
Azure Moon
Azure Moon
13: Reunion at Dawn • 14: The Delusional Prince • 15: Valley of Torment • 16: The Rose-Colored River • 17: Blood of the Eagle and Lion • 18: The King's Triumphant Return • 19: The Golden Deer's Plea • 20: The Impregnable Fortress • 21: Our Chosen Paths • 22: Oath of the Dagger
Verdant Wind
Verdant Wind
13: Reunion at Dawn • 14: The Alliance Leader's Ambitions • 15: Valley of Torment • 16: The Rose-Colored River • 17: Blood of the Eagle and Lion • 18: The Golden Scheme • 19: The Chaos of War • 20: Conclusion of the Crossing Roads • 21: The City Without Light • 22: Fódlan's New Dawn
Crimson Flower
Crimson Flower
13: Beyond Escape • 14: The Master Tactician • 15: Tempest of Swords and Shields • 16: Lady of Deceit • 17: Field of Revenge • 18: To the End of a Dream
Paralogues Paralogues Part I Black Market SchemeDLCA Cursed RelicDLCDeath TollDividing the World Black Eagles, if Byleth sides against EdelgardBlue LionsGolden DeerFalling Short of HeavenThe ForgottenLand of the Golden DeerAn Ocean ViewOil and WaterRumored NuptialsThe Secret MerchantDLC Blue LionsGolden DeerSword and Shield of SeirosTales of the Red CanyonTrue ChivalryWar for the Weak Blue Lions
Part II Darkness Beneath the Earth Crimson FlowerDividing the World Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindEternal Guardian Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindThe Face Beneath Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindForeign Land and SkyForgotten HeroInsurmountable Crimson FlowerLegend of the LakeRetribution Silver SnowAzure MoonVerdant WindThe Secret MerchantDLC Crimson FlowerThe Silver Maiden Azure MoonThe Sleeping Sand Legend Verdant WindWeathervanes of Fódlan Azure Moon
Cindered Shadows
Cindered Shadows
1: The Fourth House • 2: What Lies Beneath • 3: The Rite of Rising • 4: Danger in the Dark • 5: Betrayal • 6: Return to Me • 7: Wolf Pack
Locations FódlanAdrestiaFaerghusGarreg Mach Monastery (Abyss) • LeicesterAlmyraBrigidDagdaSrengZahras
Groups, objects and concepts 10 ElitesAshen WolvesBlack Eagles (Black Eagle Strike Force) • Blue LionsChildren of the GoddessChurch of Seiros (Knights of Seiros) • Crests (Crest Stone) • Divine PulseGolden DeerHeroes' RelicsInsurrection of the SevenMonstersThose who slither in the darkTragedy of DuscurWar of Heroes
Lists AbilitiesChaptersCharactersClasses (Class change) • Hidden treasureItems (Monastery items) • QuestsScriptsSupportsWeapons
Related topics Music LibraryName chart • Other games (Warriors: Three Hopes) • Pre-release informationUnused contentDownloadable contentClass mastery