Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete

[Calico J]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

And they'd better be a stiff set of consequences, too. We're talking about the respective leaders of their nations. How much you may sympathize with someone on a personal level is, frankly, unimportant; they have their own sets of duties to perform, and Mantrae already failed at hers. Politics isn't kind.

 

[Hestia&theCourt]

The text of the option seems pretty clear to me - 'Mantrae's gratitude will ensure her loyalty for the foreseeable future.'. We're relying on her gratitude to keep her loyal. That just doesn't seem viable to me.

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On the other hand, this suggestion isn't coming from Ryza, it's coming from the Duke, who presumably knows Mantrae far better than any of us out here do. The Duke is not the kind of man who would propose this as a course of action if he didn't think the option was something he could reasonably rely on.

For now, I think we'll cast our vote with the intent of returning Sypha to Mantrae ASAP. Overall, the benefit of keeping Sypha hostage isn't worth the cost of making Ryza a kidnapper to us.

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Should you recover her, your goal will be to return her to Legerius as soon as possible. Mantrae's gratitude will ensure her loyalty for the foreseeable future."

 

[Alcor]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

Honestly, if nothing else, it would make sense to have Sypha in as a witness. Sure, Ryza and Artemis could figure out what happened on their own and drop Sypha off and report back but presumably there are more official channels for this kind of thing. I mean, it's just being assumed here that the Empire is the driver behind all this and that sorta seems like a big deal to have on the record and all that.

Regardless of how Letoro chooses to play this (and indeed this option puts that in his hands, but I'd argue it should be politically) I see this more as trying to approximate how this could have more ideally gone down: Legerius coming to Agrithe and explaining the situation and then the Southern Kingdoms formulating a response. It's understandable on a human level why the Countess acted as she did but now we've reached the point where the matter is far more serious and Sypha's testimony might be needed.

I know the vote screams more "political hostage to extract concessions" and it may be more likely that Letoro goes that route given the medieval setpiece but I think this comes closest to an ideal resolution and hopefully we can help push it that way even if the ultimate decision is out of our hands.

 

[Ando Owen]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

Nice update, it's good to know we get to choose Letoro's plan.

If we get to pick an overall strategy, it's perfectly understandable for us to avoid the first two options. Mantrae is but a circumstancial foe, acting under duress and following orders against her wish, there is little purpose threatening her and killing her troops when she is not the mastermind. Furthermore when Mantrae is supposed to be an ally, and Ryza has probably little interest becoming Letoro's big stick.

Saving Sypha puts Mantrae in our debt and we get to punch the ones who actually wanted to harm Artemis. Win win for us, especially since Sypha sounds like a potential Fire Emblem recruit. The only issue is whether we directly bring Sypha to Mantrae or go through negotiations with her through Letoro.

I am of the firm conviction mixing up morals and politics is both stupid and harmful. And when you have responsibilities, being stupid is a crime. Relying on Mantrae's good will when she proved herself able to backstab her allies is dubious.

Bringing Sypha to Letoro gives all the cards to Letoro against Mantrae, and Letoro has every reason to be our ally. Depending on the negotiations, it's even possible we get to keep Sypha with us as a companion/hostage.

 

[Jiven]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[Lovemuffin]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[Barondoctor]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

"I understand why these things happened. They still should not have happened. We should ensure they don't."

 

[Cute Princess]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[typeterra]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[Bloody*Vermilion]

[x] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[x] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[JAGwin]

I suppose some bonds tranced such considerations."

Click to shrink...

"transcend"

sweet pieces of bred

Click to shrink...

"bread"

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[Solarstream]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[SoaringHawk218]

"transcend"

"bread"

Click to shrink...

Thank you, fixed.

 

[TaliesinSkye]

@SoaringHawk218, a question if I may; would Ryza not be carrying someone in the rescue scenario so that she can grab the girl and run, or would the Duke be sending her with his best fighter? (Knight or mage, whatever he has.) I'd imagine the Duke would rather not send his daughter into combat, so Artemis is probably out, and she might not be the most help anyway.

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[VagueZ]

[x] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[x] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[AnOldIdeaMadeNew]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[SoaringHawk218]

@SoaringHawk218, a question if I may; would Ryza not be carrying someone in the rescue scenario so that she can grab the girl and run, or would the Duke be sending her with his best fighter? (Knight or mage, whatever he has.) I'd imagine the Duke would rather not send his daughter into combat, so Artemis is probably out, and she might not be the most help anyway.

Click to shrink...

Yes, Ryza would be taking one person with her, and no, it would not be Artemis. There are two options for who it would be, which will be discussed assuming the current vote trend continues.

One thing, it wouldn't be a mage, as the mage Letoro would have sent died alongside Selena during the ambush.

 

[JAGwin]

One thing, it wouldn't be a mage, as the mage Letoro would have sent died alongside Selena during the ambush.

Click to shrink...

Hmm...

The sound of a clearing throat from behind you causes both you and Selena to turn in your saddles. "As fascinating as this discussion is, it seems that Sir Robert is returning," Alexander Shadebringer, your father's magical advisor, says dryly. "Perhaps he will have found us a place to rest."

Click to shrink...

Alexander is lying frightfully still, three new arrows sticking out of his chest. He's gone.

Click to shrink...

This guy?

 

[SoaringHawk218]

Hmm...

This guy?

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Yup. He was one of the Archduke's top advisors. If asked, Artemis would tell Ryza that he came along to oversee the purchase of a few new tomes from the Marble Hall.

Also, I would like to thank @TaliesinSkye for their editing work: some of you probably noticed a drop in quality of this chapter due to rushing, and Talies was kind enough to go through and point out some of the issues.

 

[Slyvena]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[Pucelle]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[LandSound]

[x] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
- [x] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

 

[GreatWyrmGold]

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Archduke Letoro frowning thoughtfully, but most of your attention is taking up by the way Phoebe is gaping at you, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Dragon…"

"Manakete," you say firmly. "My dragon is only a part of me. She does not define me any more than my heart does."

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I feel like Ryza should come up with some snappy, memorable response for when people call her a dragon. This textbook stuff doesn't seem like it'll stick with people until she repeats it a lot.

I'm thinking something like "Are you just a stomach?" or "Are you just muscles?" But I'm not sure how well those analogies match the metaphysics of the heart/dragon thing.

"I was still under the impression that you were a successful artificial mage."

Click to shrink...

"Once is a background detail. Twice is foreshadowing. Three times is enemy action."
—General Elan Fleming, probably

"Ryza, a word of advice," she says gently yet urgently. "When in public, it's considered very bad form to do anything that could be considered aggressive, especially around a higher noble," she says.

"Oh, okay. Sorry." Not that such a little bit of magic would have been a threat to any manakete.

Click to shrink...

Not that Artemis has any reason to think of this, but I hope one of them realizes that the problem is the difference in what's considered aggressive for squishy monkeys and magic dragon-people. Ryza should have some sense of human social mores by now, but...

"Scion of legend, will you stand with Agrithe in this task?"

You think you see Dione rolling her eyes and Artemis pinching the bridge of her nose with a weary sigh.

Click to shrink...

Can't tell if this is because Letoro is being melodramatic with that "Scion of Legend" line, or if it's just painfully obvious that Ryza will say yes.

Yes, Ryza would be taking one person with her, and no, it would not be Artemis. There are two options for who it would be, which will be discussed assuming the current vote trend continues.

Click to shrink...

Interesting! I'm sure Ryza will be bummed that her surrogate big sister won't be coming along, but it's hardly a surprise that Leto wouldn't risk his noble daughter on a mission like this, especially against known noble-daughter-snatchers.


I'm glad everyone seems to be onboard with the Operation Rescue Sypha [working title]. It's not the most realpolitik, but it's the most Fire Emblem, and the most Ryza. (Which SoaringHawk is obviously aware of—it's the only plan that Ryza isn't given an option to say no to, because why would she?)

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Should you recover her, your goal will be to return her to Legerius as soon as possible. Mantrae's gratitude will ensure her loyalty for the foreseeable future."

 

[Weaving_Dreamer]

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."

Yah I don't think anyone wants to do the medieval style raiding and pillaging when it wasn't Mantrae on her own but having her hand forced with her daughter as hostage. All this does is weaken the Southern Kingdoms and escalate as people start taking sides. This is what the Empire or whoever is behind the bandits wants and it WOULD be the only real way to response but as The Duke has stated, with Artemis being returned home safe, it gives him options.
As for the First one, It would be a good second choice and probably would have a coin toss of her refusing because of her position and duty and because of her daughter being held and another where we recuse her daughter on the condition she agree to the demands of the Duke. We could even get the three we left behind there to come help us with it so it'd be a five man party again instead of being a duo. However it also means we could start a fight in the castle since she would feel she has no choice but to refuse and see it to the end.

The third option is the typically 'just right'. For me, I'm choosing this because it gives us the leverage over her and the entire reason she is fighting. We have her daughter, she listens to us and no reason to listen to the bandits. I'm not doing this to be nice or for moral high ground. Simply the fastest and effective way to cut through all the political intrigue and grasp the means to end this.

 

[tricholysis]

Sypha feels like a potential party member to me, in Fire Emblem 'one from each polity' style and in 'a mother must learn to let go' story style

[X] "Ultimately, as angry as I am with Mantrae's actions, I cannot help but understand them. More importantly, solidarity among the Kingdoms is not to be ceded lightly. It is possible that, with a quick-moving force, young Sypha could be recovered. This would be an exceptionally difficult task, and without you I do not think it would be possible, but you might be able to move fast enough to catch up with whoever took her. You would almost certainly have to foray into the Empire, as that is the only source of the bandits that I can envision, and they almost certainly will have retreated since you and Artemis fled."
-[X] "Understandable as Mantre's actions were, there must still be some consequences for her betrayal. Bring Sypha to me: she will see her mother again, but only after some terms are agreed to between Mantrae and I."