Putting this one out a little earlier than planned, because I can, because I'm cool like that.
(it's actually because I can't make a backlog when there's voting to be had, but shh)
Update 2: The Journey Begins, Almost
Music: Opening | 
KHin 
NES
(I could not locate a version of the modern Opening on YT. Apologies.)
We start off right where we left last update...
Well, hey, that sounds good.
Well, that sure isn't going to cause any problems.
Yikes. I guess there are some problems with that approach.
Pictured: King Lima the IV. As you can imagine, Zofia's not presently under the best of rulers.
You know what I said about this not causing problems? Yeah, that's a severe mis-estimation.
Music: Serenity | 
YT KHin
We enter with a nice and fancy flyover camera that shows off how good this game is graphically.
Mycen and this other figure step back from each other.
Oh, hey, it's Alm! Eight years older and now in fancy blue plate armor, he looks a good bit different now.
Alm charges in, and kicks up a major dust cloud.
...And generates a lot of sparks on that blow! He really has become an anime protagonist now. Also, he happens to be left handed, which is a neat minor detail.
Pushed back, he goes for another quick swing, but the old man here gives him the slip.
They manage to quickly circle around one another, Alm drawing his sword up high...
Only for Alm to miss, but quickly follow up with another attack that has him lock swords with Mycen.
After a brief struggle, he gets thrown back a bit, but doesn't lose balance. He's actually not even breathing that hard.
The sparring here is actually where Gaiden originally starts, though the "combat" is little more than moving back and forth.
Your swordsmanship has come a long way. I’ve always known you had talent.
You’re not just saying that, are you, Grandfather?
That's him smiling, by the way.
Ha! Well, good. Then that means you’re ready to let me travel outside the village.
Hmph. Don’t misconstrue my words, boy. The rule still stands.
You just said I can fend for myself! If I meet with any dangers, I’ll have my sword and my wits.
"But, Grandpa, I'm JRPG protagonist age now! "
Alm, that’s not what this is about.
Then what IS it about?
Alm…
People are starving, and many have turned to thievery and plunder. Brigands loot villages for a mere sack of grain, and soon they’ll be at OUR door!
They’ve been crossing the border for years in violation of the Divine Accord. And with that sacred bond broken, now the Terrors have resurfaced as well…
…All true.
Zofia is full of innocent people who are looking for help. Please, Grandfather...
I want to see all the amazing places you’ve told me about— that Celica told me about!
……
Will the grand story of your life be how you met the end of a brigand’s axe? Before you dream of changing the world, learn your damned place in it. And no more talk of leaving.
The door shuts as Mycen presumably goes back inside to continue his role in being stern and mysterious.
This plays out a lot differently than Gaiden. Originally Mycen tells Alm to "run off and play." That and to not leave because there's bandits beyond the gates. As you can see, they've opted for a somewhat different dynamic between the two now.
Why teach me to use a sword if you’re not going to let me fight? Every day in this place is exactly the same as the next. I know I’m meant for more than this! But you have to let me find it!
*A horse lets loose a whinny in the distance.*
Huh? What’s all the commotion? It’s coming from the gates. Hmm…
With that, welcome to Ram Village, (renamed from Rahm).
The dialogue GUI fades away to finally give us active control again. For the most part, towns will be in a sort of point and click adventure perspective, similar to how you could walk around towns in Gaiden. We'll get to actively run free at a later point, but as a rule peaceful areas are usually handled like this.
We can however, examine the surrounding environment to pick up on some more worldbuilding and characterization. It's a neat detail.
That's one old ewe. Also I've been in a similar situation, before, so I know how you feel, Alm.
We can also pick certain stuff up as well. I wasn't lying when I said it was like a point-and-click adventure.
This orange here is one of the newer mechanics to the game, Provisions. Basically, the FE-standard vulneraries and such have been replaced with food items while also partially bringing back fatigue from Thracia 776. I'll cover it more when it becomes more pertinent, but that's almost all there is to it.
Anyway, back to examining.
Grandfather used to get so mad when Celica and I would climb this...
Our home lies on a little patch of land near the edge of the village. It's nice.
There also so happens to be a splitting axe here. It has a power of 1 and a weight of 1, and a hit of 80. However, nobody you can play in this game can actually use axes. Weird, right?
I'm just going to leave it here, for reasons.
After that, we may as well move onto the square.
A lot of people here to talk to, though thankfully there's not that many things to examine.
The water level in this well is very low as of late. Hope it rains soon!
As noted before, there is a major drought going on.
More food items.
Alright, let's partake in the gift of gab.
I still remember when you were only THIS tall, and now look at you. Sir Mycen has certainly made a strong young man out of you.
General Mycen! Ha! I always wondered why such a fellow would end up here. Then again, the woods around Ram have become dangerous as of late. Perhaps it’s for the best that we have him—and YOU—to keep us safe!
It’s been years since we’ve had a proper harvest. Can’t grow much without rain… Why has Mila forsaken us? What’s happened to the Earth Mother?
The Rigelian Empire will seize our lands and we’ll be too weak to resist… You’ve heard how well trained their soldiers are, havent you?
King Lima dances at the end of Chancellor Desaix’s puppet strings. The king would rather eat grapes and frolic in a seraglio than actually rule. It’s no wonder the kingdom’s being torn apart by rebellion after rebellion. I wish someone would come along and save us from ourselves already. …What’s that? The Mother Mila?
So much complaining! I mean, it's partly justified, but it also kinda just isn't. Needless to say, things aren't so great around here right now. Also, Lima's evidently a useless fuck, and also quite the creep given he runs a harem.
Before we head off, there's one more thing to pick up- our first side-quest!
Greedy Old Man: ... but alas, it’s been ages since anyone made a new batch. Valentia’s fanciest nobles would send orders for Ram wine from far and wide. If there are any bottles left, they’re like to be aged to perfection by now. A wine that mature would taste absolutely incredible!
Greedy Old Man: What I wouldn’t give for a bottle— no, even just a GLASS of Ram wine!
Well, we don't have any of that yet, but I guess we'll keep an eye out.
Uh, right, there was a commotion at the entrance. Let's go check on that instead of hearing more complaining.
This fellow’s here to see Sir Mycen. He was just about to tell us more.
Everyone's here and all grown up! How neat. There's also the new guy in the center. Let's get to talkin' and lookin'.
Keep one hand on your hilt while you talk to this guy, yeah?
Gray's evidently still a bit traumatized, and who wouldn't be?
You’d have to practically ride off the edge of the map to find this place!
Tobin's enthusiasm for knights hasn't died in the slightest, despite nearly getting killed by some in his youth.
Sir Mycen is far too hard on you… I hope you don’t have any new bruises!
Faye cares far more about Alm than whatever else is going on presently.
(On another note, in Medieval times squires were intended to get very bruised by training. The idea was to strengthen the body for when you met real combat. In this sense, not having new bruises would be a problem.)
Whatever he’s here for, I hope he hasn’t brought any trouble with him.
You can hope that, but we both know the answer to that already from past experience. Nobody in armor rides to Ram without probably bringing some trouble along with them.
Also, just where
IS this horse of his? I mean we heard it earlier, so...
Eh, before that, let's take a look at this gate and it's surroundings. Maybe we can find it.
The road leads straight on to Zofia Castle.
This tower is so guards can look out for anything suspicious coming our way.
Honestly, this doesn't see much use, but it's better than no defense at all.
There was also some
Hard Bread and
Flour on the ground that I took.
Now let's talk to the knight guy and hope he isn't planning on running us through like Slayde was.
My name is Lukas. I fight for the Deliverance.
Aren’t you one of the Knights of Zofia? The king’s knights?
Oh, I see. I suppose that means word hasn’t yet reached your village. In that case, please forgive me for heralding such dark news, but…
Music: Disquiet | YT KHin
He met his end some days ago at the hands of Chancellor Desaix.
What? You’re saying it was regicide?!
No doubt they promised him lands. Perhaps even a title. Upon Lima’s death, the chancellor and the Rigelian army seized Zofia Castle and began to visit unspeakable injustices upon the king’s people.
He formed an army to free us from Rigel and named it the Deliverance. However, we are outmatched and fast losing this war. We need a hero’s aid. And so I have come to the home of one of Zofia’s greatest heroes: Sir Mycen.
Do you see, Alm? Sir Clive would not have sent me were it not urgent.
Y-yes, of course.
Music: Serenity | YT KHin
I knew Zofia was in hot water, but is this guy serious?
So there’s going to be a war?
If Sir Mycen rides off to war, what’ll happen to Alm?
Lukas! Were you able to speak with my grandfather? What did he say?
Sir Mycen made it clear he has no intention of joining the Deliverance.
What? But he’s ridiculously strong! He could defeat some stuffy chancellor with his eyes closed!
I cannot speak to Sir Mycen’s thinking, but it seems we misplaced our hopes. I’ll have to return to our hideout and bring Sir Clive the ill news.
……!
Thank you again for your assistance.
Honestly, Lukas? Your first mistake was trying to recruit a Jeigan :v
In all seriousness, this conversation is a bit different in Gaiden. Alm goes by himself to talk Mycen into it, he says no very angrily, and then Lukas rather more rudely calls Mycen a coward. That triggers what's coming up next. That and Lima's death is never mentioned, instead focusing on how much Desaix (original name Dozer, hah) is evil.
Music: None
Music: Uprising | YT KHin NES
(The NES version of this song played the entire time in Ram Village before, but gets a more appropriate use now.)
You?
Alm, what the hell?! You can’t do that! …Wait. CAN he do that?
...but this isn’t sparring with your gramps, Alm. You’re volunteering to go to war!
I know what it is. And if Grandfather won’t do it, then I’ll do it for him. Consider my sword as his.
Alm, I understand how you feel, but—
Sir Mycen has been teaching me to use a blade since I was a boy.
I know as much about war as any man who has never seen one can. Let me fight for you with my grandfather’s gifts. I’ll prove he’s no cowardly old man. He’s a warrior who trains warriors.
Music: None
Huh? Then you mean…!
Music: Serenity | YT KHin
Why not? Alm presents a good case. He has a hero’s blood in him. …And clearly a hero’s fire. His presence is sure to raise the troops’ morale. And for my part, I’m curious to see what a self-proclaimed warrior can do.
Thank you, Lukas… You won’t regret this!
If anything were to happen to you, I'd... I mean... Just don't do it, okay?!
I’m sorry, Faye, but I’ve made up my mind.
Er, what?
Splendid idea. Maybe we could all get impaled on the same lance.
I’m just saying we could do it together. …Fighting, I mean. Not the lance. Grandfather trained all of us, right? Not just me.
(Actually, nobody here knows how to use bows.)
We were sparring with wooden fences and tree trunks! They don’t hit back!
Gray! Not you too?!
Me too, Tobi-poo. It’s better than waiting for Rigel to reach Ram and kill/enslave us. Might as well bring the fight to them.
Yes, he says that. And yes, he also pronounces the "/".
But you’re gonna— I mean, once they— …Ugggh!
Faye and Tobin's voiced reactions in are priceless here, by the way.
In the end, we need every able fighter we can get. There will be much to learn, but I can teach you a great deal in battle. And you’ll be given a proper wage, of course.
Of course. Our soldiers work hard and sacrifice much. We would be remiss not to offer compensation.
Ma and Pa struggle to make ends meet, but if there’s a way to help… Hmm…
Why don’t you all take a little time to think about it? Let’s split up for now and meet back here later. I need to go thank my grandfather and say good-bye.
Welp, we done walked right into a war. Lukas is still here, and unlike Gaiden, we can't just ditch the place immediately and leave our friends behind if we wanted to. If we talk to him we get:
Take all the time you need, Alm. You should pay your respects to Sir Mycen.
Well, let's go find our mysterious plot grandpa and get chewed out for joining a war.
Eh, might as well stop by the square on the way there.
Everyone knows it’s Zofia’s fault that Rigel invaded in the first place. King Lima refused to help the Rigelian Empire during their famine, remember? And we all know the emperor didn’t take too kindly to THAT little slight.
The king may be dead, but his choices live on. Ain’t that always the way of it?
What do you suppose happens now? He has no heirs, you know. Not anymore, I mean. They say Chancellor Desaix himself murdered all of ’em in cold blood! Anyway, hope this “Deliverance” knows who they’ll be delivering to that throne.
Just be careful, hear? The woods outside Ram are dangerous enough… but once you’re through them, you’ll hit Fleecer’s Forest.
The villagers were a lot more animated about this in Gaiden, many of which proclaiming they wanted to take up arms as well. They have more realistic concerns this time around.
Anyways, time to go get yelled at.
Do you have a minute? There’s something I need to speak with you about… …Grandfather? Hmm, where is he? Grandfather…? Grandfather!
He's not here. This is a bit odd.
He didn't originally leave until after you had left the town already. Now he's just completely ditched us.
Well, back to the gate, I guess.
Tobin! Does this mean you’re coming with us?
Listen, everyone, try not to be amazed when I show Alm up on the battlefield.
You know they don’t pay extra for that, right, moneybags?
There’s nothing wrong with fighting for coin. Many people do. We don’t have any rule stating one’s reasons must be noble.
Ouch, that's a subtle, yet cold burn.
Now then, Alm. Were you able to say good-bye to your grandfather?
Well, that IS vexing. I suppose we could tarry here a bit longer if you—
It’s all right. Let’s go.
Oh? Are you certain?
I can write him a letter. Come on, we can’t wait forever.
So be it. I’ll defer to your judgment.
(As a reminder, Celica did the same thing when she was leaving. It's not important, but it's an interesting paralell that they both try to leave without saying goodbye.)
Well, that's it. We can leave now, but these two are still standing around. What have they got to say?
I’m staying with you no matter what! End! Of! Discussion!
I, uh, don't know about that. That's up to the thread.
You…don’t want me? Oh. I…I see.
But you’d better come back safe, you hear me?!
The Deliverance is fighting all across Zofia, right? Well, I’ve always wanted to see the world, and now’s my chance. …All I have to do is not get killed. Easy, right?
Not my choice, compadre.
Not like I was itching to leave anyway.
So passive-agressive, the both of you. Anyhow, these two are our first optional recruits in the whole game, though they're actually both a reference to an oversight and it's combined exploit in Gaiden.
Normally, in Gaiden, you could just leave town without recruiting Tobin or Kliff, leaving the only forced recruits for Act 1 as Lukas and Gray.
However, if you save and reset the game while in the town, Gray would spawn out of your way, also making him skippable.
There's an unusual thing you could do with this effect. Our second main character (no guesses who) will have a chance to come to this half the continent during their first Act and then they could recruit everyone that Alm left behind.
This little secret still exists in this game, but only for Faye and Kliff. As result, I'm leaving it up to the thread to vote on
whether or not we take Faye and/or Kliff.
For now, we're just going to pretend we're leaving without them.
Am I sure about what?
Not saying good-bye to your grandfather. My ma and pa have all my brothers and sisters to look after them.
-but family will help them get by, you know? But all Sir Mycen has for kin is you, and all you have is him.
I know. But considering he’s never let me take one step outside the village, I doubt I could have talked him into letting me join an army.
Not just to prove him as a teacher, but to prove myself to me.
This is your big chance! Your first adventure writ large! We’ll call it Alm’s Epoch! Or maybe… The Tale of Gray! …Plus That One Guy.
Heh. I don’t think so. Although I admit there might be a little something to what you’re saying.
…So you really have gone crazy then. Welp, it’s been nice knowin’ ya!
What? Celica? Where the heck did THAT come from?
Look at Alm trying to pretend he's not still thinking of her after eight years.
Oh, please. You two were inseparable while she was here. You barely made any time for us!
Music: Fate | YT KHin
I know that you’re out there… I just don’t know where. But I can feel it.
Music: Act 1 - Where the Wind Rustles | YT KHin NES
Next Time: The game begins, for real.
----
Voting-wise, as a reminder, vote for
whether or not you want me to take Faye and/or Kliff, or to leave them for the other main character.
Their profiles are below, alongside their stats, just in case you want to make the decision based on that.
----
Alm - Age 17:
-->
Growths:
HP:60 ATK:50 SKL:55 SPD:45 LCK:35 DEF:50 RES:3
Just a normal boy with a weird birthmark expertly trained for war by his badass, reclusive war hero grandfather, Alm is the main character for our first act of the game. He's been told to never leave Ram Village his whole life, but here he goes off to war because he wants to make a difference. As you can tell from his stats, growths, and special class, he probably will. Alm is undeniably a "lord" character, and unlike others in the series, he's not prone to letting you down mechanically.
Yes, Alm actually did have green hair in the original, but only in the external artwork. They could've fit a green color in instead of the blue they used to make that Budget Marth portrait.
Loves meaty food, likes rich and refined food, and hates anything sweet or bitter.
Lukas - Age 24:
(Original: Luka)
-->
Growths-
HP:50 ATK:30 SKL:40 SPD:25 LCK:30 DEF:45 RES:2
Our first Soldier and technically our first party member, Lukas is in general a passable character mechanically. In the long term, he'll mostly just be a defensive wall, but that's it. Given his role as our guide through this section of the game, he's the closest we're getting to a Jeigan. Seriously. What, you thought Mycen would be playable this early?
Anyways, his design really isn't much different, nor is his role and character. He's still just a very polite noble soldier guy. Though, you'd figure this being FE and him being a noble that he'd have better growths...
Loves sweet food, surprisingly, and otherwise likes rich, bitter, and meaty foods. Only hates rough foods.
Gray - Age 18
-->
Growths-
HP:45 ATK:40 SKL:30 SPD:30 LCK:25 DEF:25 RES:0
Notable Spells- Sagittae (Very Early)
Gray, much like all the original Villagers, is completely unrecognizable compared to his original appearance. I'm not complaining though, as Gray and Kliff's original sprites are just edits of each other. He reprises his role as the first one to stand up to follow Alm, and as mentioned before, is the only intentionally unskippable villager in Gaiden. Compared for the other characters, he's mostly around for the journey and is for the most part laid-back about anything that happens.
Mechanically, Gray's growths are pretty damn lackluster but that 40 ATK is more than serviceable in the long run. His main advantage is his overall better bases and already starting high enough level to promote.
Another interesting quirk of Gaiden/SoV is that instead of spell tomes, magic is innate, and thus characters who can be mages/clerics all have unique spell lists. Gray's here is the worst off of all of them in most regards, but early Sagittae could be quite hilarious.
Loves meaty food, likes anything plain, sweet, and refined, but can't stand rough food.
Tobin - Age 17
(Original: Robin)
-->
Growths-
HP:40 ATK:30 SKL:50 SPD:25 LCK:30 DEF:30 RES:0
Notable Spells- Excalibur, Physic
Tobin's the show-off type, and as much as it seems like he's going to support his family, he's also going so he can continue to be a show-off. He's still Alm's friend regardless, and in general doesn't have much else in common with his original self. Mechanically, he'll probably never do so since most of his growths went towards SKL. He's passable, better than Lukas, but that speed is going to be a bit of a pain as well. His spell list isn't half bad given he gets Physic, but his SKL stat goes to waste if he does become a mage.
Visually, he's nearly as big a change as Gray's was, though he did keep the center parted hair, in a sense. That being said, wow, what a goofy sprite.
Kliff - Age 15, apparently
-->
Growths-
HP:35 ATK:30 SKL:45 SPD:60 LCK:20 DEF:40 RES:0
Notable Spells- Thunder, Excalibur, Sagittae, Aura
Kliff, joining the ever-lengthening list of characters unrecognizable from their previous forms, is somehow only 15 despite not sounding or looking it. I guess we've got a Baten Kaitos Sagi issue going on here. Regardless, Kliff's personality is described as mature, but realistically is mostly similar to Grey's albeit with a slightly more serious tone.
Mechanically, he's going to be hurting for ATK and HP, but that speed is the second highest growth in the game, and that defense score is also really quite great. His high luck base can also help him become a crit monster later, which is also hilarious. He has the most extreme spell list available out of the villagers, but his stats lend him to whatever class he wants.
Kliff's favorite foods are refined, while he likes anything sweet or bitter. He hates anything rich or rough, though.
Faye - Age 18
N/A -->
Growths-
HP:40 ATK:40 SKL:30 SPD:30 LCK:30 DEF:40 RES:3
Notable Spells (Mage)- Seraphim, Sagittae, Freeze
Notable Spells (Cleric)- Anew (Unique to her)
Our first entirely new character.
Faye's personality is rather strange, being based entirely around an obsession for Alm, (something you may have gathered from the prologue), though it boils down to "notice me" more than anything. It's at least not at the Camilla creepy level, and at least through her supports she gets a bit more of a personality than just that.
Mechanically, her stats growths are quite good, though her starting SPD and SKL are terrible. Her base RES is very good, and given her ATK base, she can get goddamn ripped with some good luck. If the mercenary class was available for her, she'd probably destroy everything.
Food-wise, she loves rich foods, likes anything sweet, meat based, or rough. She hates bitter and refined foods, though.
Mycen - Early
(Original: Maison)
-->
Including this one here because I might as well.
Plot Grandpa here happens to be a fake-out Jeigan, even down to his original sprite using the same palette as Jeigan's. Internally, yes, his growths are terrible just as a Jeigan's usually are, but it'll be a long time before we see him again after he so impolitely extricated himself from the plot.
*sigh* Where did he go this time?
He and Celica went off for a stroll in the woods. I saw them leave.
Exactly. Again?! I mean, Celica JUST moved to Ram Village, right? *sigh* Nice to know we’re so easily replaced.
Come on, let’s go check it out!
Wh-what? No!
Why not? I think it’d make you look very handsome.
Heh… Looks like our luck’s picked up, eh, Sir Slayde? After days of the same old trees, such cherubic faces are welcome indeed! After all, where little brats play… we’ll find a village, I say.
-may the powers bless him and his name until the end of days- 
