Site News
Warning: This wiki contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

Social media: If you would like, please join our Discord server, and/or follow us on Twitter (X) or Tumblr!

An Inevitable Encounter

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
An Inevitable Encounter
A Skirmish at Dawn

Cm fe16 prologue.png

Location

Remire Village

New units

Byleth, Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude

Boss(es)

Kostas

Next chapter(s)

Three Houses

Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you were the situation not dire. We're being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support.
— Dimitri

An Inevitable Encounter (Japanese: 必然の出会い Inevitable Encounter) is the prologue of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It consists solely of a mission, A Skirmish at Dawn (Japanese: 夜明けの遭遇戦 Encounter Battle at Dawn).

Plot

Main article: An Inevitable Encounter/Script

In Imperial Year 91, the divine Seiros engages the Liberation King Nemesis in battle and slays him, avenging an incident at the Red Canyon. Approximately one millennium later in 1180, a person named Byleth has a dream of the battle and of a mysterious girl. Afterwards, they are woken up by their father Jeralt. The nobles Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude appear and explain that bandits have attacked them while they were resting at camp. Jeralt agrees to protect them, and he and Byleth ride out. With Jeralt's guidance, the four rout the bandits and injure their leader Kostas.

As the battle ends, Kostas attacks Edelgard, but Byleth sacrifices themselves to protect her. They have another vision of the girl, who scolds them for being so reckless, introduces herself as Sothis, and grants them the ability to rewind time with Divine Pulse. Byleth redoes the past several seconds and this time counters Kostas's strike and drives him off. The group is then reinforced by the Knights of Seiros led by Alois. Alois recognizes Jeralt and reveals that he was once the respected captain of the Knights of Seiros who vanished approximately 20 years ago; he browbeats Jeralt into returning to Garreg Mach Monastery with him and invites Byleth to accompany them. The three lords thank Byleth for their actions and offer Byleth a position with their respective homelands.

Unused beginning log

In Remire Village, three youths pursued by bandits solicit aid from Jeralt and his mercenaries. Together, you help them fight off their pursuers and defend the village.

Chapter data

Normal/Hard Maddening

Chapter Data
Conditions
Unit Data
Victory: Defeat Kostas Player Partner Other Enemy
Defeat: Any player unit dies 4 {{{partner}}} 1 7

Normal Hard

Cm fe16 prologue.png
Map dimensions:
21 columns by 20 rows

Character data

Characters
New units
Byleth
Small portrait byleth m fe16.png
Commoner
HP
27
Inventory
Iron Sword
Vulnerary
Level
1
Automatically from turn 1
Edelgard
Small portrait edelgard fe16.png
Noble
HP
29
Inventory
Iron Axe
Vulnerary
Level
1
Automatically from turn 1
Dimitri
Small portrait dimitri fe16.png
Noble
HP
28
Inventory
Iron Lance
Vulnerary
Level
1
Automatically from turn 1
Claude
Small portrait claude fe16.png
Noble
HP
26
Inventory
Iron Bow
Vulnerary
Level
1
Automatically from turn 1
Available characters
None

Item data

Items
Name Obtainment Method
Is ns01 axe.png Iron Axe Dropped by Kostas

Enemy data

Normal Hard Maddening

Enemy Units
Name Class Lv # HP Str Mag Dex Spd Lck Prf Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills
Ma ns01 thief enemy.gif Kostas Thief 3 1 28 10 5 7 7 5 6 1 6 5 Iron AxeThis item is dropped upon this unit's defeat.
He and his squad begin moving after the first four Ruffians are defeated.
Ma ns01 ruffian enemy.gif Thief Ruffian 1 6 18 7 4 5 9 4 5 1 6 4 Iron Sword
The northwestern three begin moving if any of them are provoked.

NPC data

NPC Units
Name Class Lv # HP Str Mag Dex Spd Lck Prf Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills
Ma ns01 paladin jeralt other.gif Jeralt Paladin 3 1 35 15 8 13 7 10 14 10 7 8 Iron Lance
Blade Breaker Canto Keen Intuition Lance Prowess Lv 1
• Bears the Crest of Seiros.
• Immobile until all enemies but Kostas and his nearby Thieves are defeated, at which point he begins moving unprovoked.
• If he attacks Kostas and would normally defeat him, his attack will instead leave Kostas at 1 HP.

Boss data

Main article: Kostas

Normal Hard Maddening

Small portrait kostas fe16.png
Ma ns01 thief enemy.gif Thief
Level 3
Movement 5
Crest --
Stats
Max HP 28 Luck 5
Strength 10 Defense 6
Magic 5 Resistance 1
Dexterity 7 Charm 6
Speed 7
Inventory Abilities
Iron AxeThis item is dropped upon this unit's defeat. --
Combat arts Spells Battalion
-- -- --
Skill Levels
Swords Lances Axes Bows Brawling Reason Faith Authority Heavy Armor Riding Flying Class mastery
E E E E E E E E E E E FE16ClassMasteryEmpty.png

Strategy

This section details unofficial strategies that may help with completion of the chapter. This may not work for everybody.

Every player unit is capable of wielding every weapon, and Claude's Iron Bow can be traded multiple times to allow for multiple attacks that the enemy cannot retaliate against; however, units only have a combat art tied to the weapon they start with, notably Dimitri is the only unit with Tempest Lance. Dimitri with Tempest Lance is capable of one-shotting every enemy but Kostas on every difficulty; Byleth with Wrath Strike and Edelgard with Smash can one-shot every enemy but Kostas on Normal and Hard. Enemies on Normal and Hard cannot double any units, but the sword-wielding enemies on Maddening can double a unit wielding the Iron Axe or Iron Lance. On every difficulty, without healing, and from full HP, Byleth and Claude can survive four attacks from the sword-wielding Thieves, while Edelgard and Dimtri can survive five; Byleth, Edelgard, and Claude can survive two attacks from the axe-wielding Thieves, while Dimitri can survive three—Edelgard can also survive three attacks from the west-most axe-wielding Thief; and Byleth and Claude can survive one attack from Kostas, while Edelgard and Dimitri can survive two.

Edelgard can safely provoke the western enemies into moving from the forest south of the rock, which she can reach after two full turns of movement; Dimitri can provoke the enemies present only on Maddening from the forest north of him, requiring the same movement. However, provoking both groups at once will require at least one unit to survive at least one additional round of combat, as there are four units but five enemies, and no enemy can be defeated on enemy phase; enemies will prefer to attack the unit with the bow as they cannot retaliate, however, equipping the Iron Bow raises every unit's attack speed to the point where they will not be doubled. Kostas can be defeated after two attacks using combat arts from any unit other than Claude; moving units east as they fight enemies will allow at least two to reach and defeat Kostats the turn after he moves.

If a route is already planned to be chosen, it may be beneficial to prioritize giving kills to Byleth and that particular lord; additionally, as the two lords whose routes are not picked will leave the party, trading their inventories to Byleth and the chosen lord may also be beneficial. If there is no plan for a route, items and experience can be given to Byleth.

Trivia

  • During this chapter, Byleth and Jeralt are part of the "Mercenaries" faction. Both of them switch to the Church of Seiros after this battle.
  • It is impossible to see An Inevitable Encounter's beginning log without hacking, as the preparation screen is skipped during this battle, leaving it unseen.

Etymology and other languages

An Inevitable Encounter

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

An Inevitable Encounter

--

Japanese

必然の出会い

Inevitable Encounter

Spanish

Un encuentro inevitable

An inevitable encounter

French

Une Rencontre Inévitable

An inevitable encounter

German

Eine unvermeidliche Begegnung

An inevitable Encounter

Italian

Un incontro inevitabile

An inevitable encounter

Korean

필연의 만남

An inevitable encounter

Simplified Chinese

必然的相遇

An inevitable encounter

Traditional Chinese

必然的相遇

An inevitable encounter

A Skirmish at Dawn

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

A Skirmish at Dawn

--

Japanese

夜明けの遭遇戦

Battle at Dawn

Spanish

Escaramuza al alba

Skirmish at dawn

French

Escarmouche nocturne

Nocturnal skirmish

German

Kampf in der Dämmerung

Battle at Dawn

Italian

Scaramuccia all'alba

Skirmish at dawn

Korean

새벽녘의 조우전

Encounter at dawn

Simplified Chinese

黎明遭遇战

Dawn Encounter Battle

Traditional Chinese

黎明遭遇戰

Dawn Encounter Battle

Gallery


This section has been marked as a stub. Please help improve the page by adding information.


References

An Inevitable Encounter • Three Houses →
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