Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Adrestian Empire / Characters

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/FireEmblemThreeHousesAdrestianEmpire

The oldest and largest nation in all of Fódlan, encompassing the southern part of the continent. Founded 1000 years ago by Seiros and Emperor Wilhelm I during the War of Heroes, the Adrestian Empire has been ruled by the same dynasty for its entire existence. Over time, various territories seceded from the Empire, forming both the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance. Despite its power having waned over the millennium, the Empire still has the largest army and most land on the continent. Adrestian students at the Officers Academy are members of the Black Eagles.

The routes supporting this faction are called Crimson Flower in Three Houses, and Scarlet Blaze in Three Hopes.

open/close all folders

In General

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fe3h_adrestian_crest.png

Tropes Associated with the Adrestian Empire

Animal Motifs: The eagle as it is both the Empire's coat of arms and the name of the house for students from Adrestia.
Ambition Is Evil: At the start of the story, the Adrestian Empire is by far the most corrupt territory on the continent. The Empire's nobility are very ambitious in their desire for wealth, status and power. This will often lead them to make outright villainous decisions to get what they want, regardless of who they betray, hurt or kill.
Aristocrats Are Evil: The Prime Minister and some of the other Imperial ministers stripped the Emperor of power in a soft coup and enforced their own laws on the Adrestian Empire. Several of them are implied or outright stated to be corrupt and power-hungry, particularly Duke Aegir (who heavily abused the people of Hrym during his regency and approved the horrific Crest experiments Edelgard underwent).
Black Market: Adrestia's capital has one, which serves as the centerpiece for Balthus and Hapi's paralogue.
The Coup: Nine years before the story, the current Adrestian Emperor Ionius IX was a victim of one by seven noble houses after he attempted to push reforms that would consolidate all the power to his position, which came to be known as the Insurrection of the Seven. By the time the plot begins, he’s nothing more than a Puppet King, leaving the de facto ruler of the nation the Prime Minister.
The Cycle of Empires: By the time of the game's plot, Adrestia sits firmly in Phase 3, having lost multiple territories over the years while also having a corrupt bureaucracy obsessed with Crests where the Emperor and their lineage have little to no actual power. However, depending on Byleth's choices, the cycle is either completed on any non-Crimson Flower route with Adrestia collapsing as a result of Edelgard's defeat and being annexed into the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus/The United Kingdom of Fodlan or gets reset if they help Edelgard, leading to Adrestia unifying the entirety of Fodlan under its banner.
Dark Is Evil:
- The Empire is primarily associated with the colors black and red. In Three Houses, not only is it by far the most corrupt territory at the start of Part I thanks to a recent coup initiated by an ally of Thales, in all routes outside of Crimson Flower, due to Edelgard declaring war on the Church of Seiros, the Empire becomes the other factions' primary antagonist.
- In Three Hopes' Azure Gleam route, it firmly becomes this in the lategame once the Agarthans and the corrupt imperial nobility reduce Edelgard to a Puppet King.
Dark Is Not Evil:
- On Three Houses' Crimson Flower route. Thanks to Byleth's influence, Edelgard tones down her more extreme actions and becomes more merciful towards her enemies, including being more accepting of those who still worship the Goddess. While she still makes morally questionable decisions, she is more willing to resolve things peacefully rather than through violence.
- On Three Hopes, due to Edelgard's surprise coup against Duke Aegir, kicking out TWSITD from Imperial lands, and reforming Adrestia from the ground up, the Empire becomes this after the timeskip on the Scarlet Blaze and Golden Wildfire paths, even when the Empire can still be antagonistic.
Decapitated Army: On non-Crimson Flower routes, Edelgard's death marks the end of the war and forces Adrestia's military to surrender towards the victorious faction.
Elective Monarchy: A variant of an Elective Monarchy is Edelgard's plan for the Empire long term should she win, planning to have the throne be for "the most well suited" individual rather than just for the Hresvelg dynasty, with Edelgard even willing to pass over her own children should they not be qualified.
The Empire: As is the standard for Fire Emblem. Here, the Adrestian Empire unified its continent, and centuries later the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance seceded by war and rebellion. Subsequently the Empire has not instigated any major conflict unprovoked. It does have a vassal state (Brigid), but that state was actually a nation that invaded the empire first. In the present, there is some sentiment in the Empire that the other nations were lands and people unjustly taken from them. Ionius IX is the Emperor, and Edelgard is the princess. In these games, the empire continues the tradition of inciting the story, but not purely out of conquest. Edelgard seeks to reunify Fodlan without the classism and societal issues present on the continent, but makes clear that her ambition ends at Fodlan's borders, and would rather release Brigid from its vassalage.
Empire with a Dark Secret: Unbeknownst to the general populace, after the Insurrection of the Seven took place and Lord Arundel came back from the Kingdom, the heirs to the imperial throne were captured and experimented upon with the stated intention of infusing them with a Major Crest (as opposed to the Minor Crests some of them already had) to create a "perfect emperor", a process which led to the deaths of almost all of them. It's heavily implied this happened as a result of those who slither in the dark capitalizing on the Insurrection to replace some of the imperial staff with their own agents to further their own goals, with one of the victims being none other than Lord Arundel himself. For them, the purpose of providing the means and resources for the experiments was not to make a perfect emperor, but to create an ultimate weapon against the Church of Seiros and the remaining Children of the Goddess. Their greatest success was Edelgard, who they used Sothis' blood (referring to her as the "defiled beast") on to make her into the second person (to their knowledge) since Nemesis to bear the Crest of Flames.
Faction Calculus: Powerhouse. The empire primarily relies on hard-hitting magic-users and armored knights to overwhelm the enemy.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: It's a mixture of Austria and the Eastern Roman Empire.
- The German-sounding names, the black eagle and the color red of their associated house both call to mind the House of Habsburg, which ruled over the Austrian Empire. Unlike the Holy Roman Empire which was more a confederacy of states, the Adrestian Empire is an authoritarian Empire. Their political situation even sort of mirrors the later Austrian Empire at the dawn of WW1, having had many parts of it break off and becoming independent but the Empire being militaristic and inclined towards reconquering lost lands.
- Like the Eastern Roman Empire, Adrestia is an empire in decline. It once controlled most of the continent before losing many of its former territories. Despite this, it still remains a powerful nation culturally and militarily. Its architecture even resembles that of Italy and Rome and it borrows the Eastern Roman double-headed eagle as part of its heraldry.
Fatal Flaw:
- Arrogance and Pride. Adrestians believe themselves to be the wealthiest and most powerful nation in Fódlan, and the continent's rightful rulers. Because of their hubris, there is much discord among the ministers and they outright refuse to let go of their pride for any reason. This makes the Empire tragically easy to manipulate, and to goad into war in under these pretenses against nations they don't see as legitimate. In non-Crimson Flower routes, this eventually leads to the nation losing their leadership and ending up fairly damaged as a result.
- Three Hopes adds to this a strong tendency to defer to authority even when Adrestians do not agree with the vision of the current emperor. While this can be a positive trait under Edelgard's leadership, when Edelgard is deposed in the Azure Gleam story and the Empire takes a turn for the brutally tyrannical and cruel, no one speaks up to oppose this new direction. Even otherwise moral generals and noble lords defer to the plundering of the countryside and wholesale massacres of civilians when such is instituted as official government policy.
Fighter, Mage, Thief: Mage. Adrestia relies heavily on its mages in its military. Many playable or allied Adrestian students^note, parents^noteCounts Hevring and Varley, and teachers^noteManuela and Hanneman are mages. Except for the Ordelia Sorcery Co., every mage batallion named after a noble house is associated with a noble house from the Empire^note.
From Bad to Worse: During Three Hopes' Azure Gleam route, the Adrestian Empire by Part II grows considerably more hostile than in any other potential timeline due to those who slither in the dark overruning it in full force thanks to Thales reducing Edelgard into his puppet.
Geodesic Cast: As most of the Black Eagles^note are children of prominent nobles, most of the important figures in the Empire have a counterpart in the Black Eagles class that helps inform their character and place in the empire. Duke Aegir's superseding the Emperor is a dark parallel to his son's attempt to constantly challenge Edelgard, for example.
Greed: A grave flaw of the Empire is their ruling class's insatiable desire for power and wealth. Compared to the other two nations' nobility, those of Adrestia appear to most value the status that comes with a Crest in the family over any practical uses it may have. Many Imperial nobles are only concerned about their own status and will do whatever it takes to advance themselves or gain power.
Irony: Around a millennia before the events of the story the Adrestian emperor managed to unify Fodlan with the help of Saint Seiros / Rhea. On the Crimson Flower route, Adrestia manages to unify Fodlan once more as a result of Emperor Edelgard winning the war against the Church of Seiros and killing Seiros / Rhea.
Leitmotif: "The Leader's Path" plays during scenes related to the Empire.
Locked Out of the Loop: Played for Drama in Part II of Azure Gleam. After Edelgard's defeat in Arianrhod and subsequent brainwashing by Thales, no one in the Empire knows why their Emperor suddenly changed after said battle and "decided" to pardon Duke Aegir and allow the Agarthans to run amok, causing them much confusion and their overall morale to fall hard. It's implied this is why Ludwig brings Edelgard to select fights to begin with, as he expects her presence will help rouse the army's spirits and hopefully turn the tides of the conflict.
Meaningful Name: Adrestia was the name of a Greek goddess of revolt and equilibrium between good and evil. Edelgard revolts against both the corrupt government that stole her nation from her and later against the Church of Seiros in the hopes of creating a better world.
Non-Heteronormative Society: Implied as the majority of the available same-sex romance options for Byleth (Dorothea, Edelgard, Mercedes, Jeritza, Linhardt) are either Adrestian citizens or are of Adrestian descent with Rhea, Sothis and Yuri being the only same-sex romance options for Byleth with no ties to the Adrestian Empire and there being no same-sex romance options from the Leicester Alliance. Moreover, Three Hopes adds Monica, the daughter of an Adrestian noble, who has a rather obvious (and unhealthy) crush on Edelgard.
Pride: The Empire's Fatal Flaw. They believe they're the strongest and wealthiest of the three nations, which makes them look down on the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance. This can also cause problems as stated by Linhardt in his C-Support with Dorothea. He points out that his father, the Minister of Domestic Affairs, and Caspar's father, the Minister of Military Affairs, don't get along, yet they value each other greatly. However, because of Count Hevring's pride, he refuses to make amends with Count Bergliez. This leads to discord between civil ministers and military officers.
The Purge: Upon taking power, Edelgard and Hubert conduct one on the corrupt nobility and those who oppose them. The lucky ones, such as Count Varley, are simply stripped of their titles and placed under house arrest. The unlucky ones, such as Marquis Vestra, are killed outright. Some, such as Count Bergliez are allowed to join the army as generals during the timeskip.
Red Is Violent: On non-Crimson Flower (Three Houses) and Scarlet Blaze (Three Hopes) routes, the Adrestian Empire often serves as the main or a major antagonist, and red is their primary color.
Resurgent Empire: On the Crimson Flower route, the empire successfully unifies Fódlan once again by conquering Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance, restoring it to its original size.
Secret Police: House Vestra's role in the Empire is described as such. Some of their tasks include protecting the imperial lineage and dealing with the Empire’s "most unsavory duties" while acting from the shadows.
Strong Empire, Shriveled Emperor: Ionius IX, the emperor of the Adrestian Empire at the start of the story, is a man in very ill health and in reality has barely any political power, having been rendered powerless in a silent coup by an alliance of corrupt noble families and by Those Who Slither In The Dark. He is so powerless, that he was unable to prevent his 11 children from being kidnapped, imprisoned, and experimented on to become double Crest implantees, with 10 of those children eventually being tortured to death. The horrible state of his health is the major factor that allows Edelgard to return to the capital and ask him to step down so she can ascend the throne, averting this trope (well, for as much as she can, since her health also ended up rather damaged by the aforementioned experiments — of which she was the Sole Survivor).
Unwitting Pawn: Played with in Three Houses, in particular once Part II rolls around. While "those who slither in the dark" are manipulating the territory to accomplish their own goals, the same can be said of the Empire as they take advantage of their allies' resources and troops to further theirs. Moreover, not only does Edelgard plan to dispose of them once the war is over (and she actually does wipe them out on Crimson Flower and allows Byleth to do the same on Silver Snow and Verdant Wind), "those who slither in the dark" are also fully dependent on the Empire's support and success to achieve their agenda.
Vestigial Empire: Downplayed. While Adrestia is nowhere near the peak of its power like it once was, it's still the most powerful force on the continent, which is proven on non-Crimson Flower routes where they've all but won the war in five years by the time Byleth comes back with Faerghus effectively a Puppet Kingdom, the Leicester Alliance divided and unable to muster support for or against them, and the Church forces scattered thanks to their leader being imprisoned, requiring Byleth's aid to turn the tide to their respective faction. Only a unified Faerghus with the Church's and especially Rhea's backing on Crimson Flower is able to fight Adrestria to a draw with the caveat that Edelgard can't fully commit everything with the risk of the Alliance catching them unawares, and once Byleth arrives to give the empire their support all resistance quickly crumbles.
Weapon Specialization: For the Empire's non-magical combatants, the preferred weapon of choice is often the axe (Edelgard, Ladislava, Randolph, Duke Aegir) or gauntlets (Caspar, Count Bergliez).

Tropes Associated with the Brigid Archipelago

An archipelago off Fódlan's west coast. They serve the Adrestian Empire as a vassal state, as a consequence of participating alongside Dagda in a failed invasion of the Empire five years prior to the start of Three Houses and Three Hopes. As Brigid is never actually visited outside of one paralogue (which looks much the same as any other forest in the game), most of what is known about it comes from Petra's supports.

Born Under the Sail: Petra mentions they have a rather strong sailing tradition, fitting for an island nation.
Combat Pragmatist: Everyone is trained to fight, and stealth and assassination are no issue, in contrast to Fódlan's take on chivalry.
Commune: Petra mentions in her support with Dorothea in Three Hopes that in Brigid, everyone maintains a close supportive bond with everyone, and that land and property belong to everyone. She believes that this leads to fewer wars overall.
Closer to Earth: Lacking in the classism and crest issues facing Fódlan.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: It shows aspects of various Native American cultures and the Kingdom of Hawaii, though their names and attire are distinctly Celtic.
Gender Is No Object: Everyone is trained to do everything, from war to hunting to domestic work.
Heteronormative Crusader: Implied. If Petra gets a paired ending with Dorothea it is stated that the people of Brigid were initially skeptical of Dorothea. However, this trope is downplayed as the ending also states that the people eventually warm up to Dorothea.
In Harmony with Nature: With the wind and fire spirits getting particular mention.
Irony: Petra's primary motivation behind her actions on all routes is achieving Brigid's independence from the Adrestian Empire (and by extension Fódlan). However, if she marries male Byleth on a non-Crimson Flower route their ending card states that Brigid eventually unites with the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus/the United Kingdom of Fódlan, ceasing to exist as an independent nation.
Klingon Promotion: Petra explains that if she died or failed to live up to her obligations as Queen, not only would this be bad for her, her siblings would be killed by her successors as well.
Laser-Guided Karma: Their invasion of the Empire led to a retaliatory counterinvasion by an Imperial army, resulting in the death of their king and subjugation of their nation as a vassal.
Murder the Hypotenuse: In Three Hopes, Petra mentions to Dorothea that the only things anyone in Brigid cares to fight over are the throne and lovers.
Occupiers Out of Our Country: On Silver Snow (as well as Azure Moon and Verdant Wind routes if Byleth recruited both Petra and Bernadetta) Petra's shared paralogue with Bernadetta has the former travel back to Brigid in order to gather troops for the war against Brigid's imperial overlord, the Adrestian Empire.
The Social Darwinist: As a downside to a society where everyone can do everything, there is little place for people with disabilities, Petra remarking to Ignatz that she'd never encountered people who need glasses there (or indeed even knew what glasses were) and supposing that any who are born in Brigid simply do not survive as good eyesight is a necessity.
Song of Prayer: Prayers to the spirits are often done in the form of song or dance.
Tattoo as Character Type: People can get markings all over their bodies, that are effectively prayers to the spirits for different meanings.

Imperial Leadership

Emperor Ionius IX

Emperor Ionius von Hresvelg IX

Voiced by: Kouichi Souma (Japanese), Paul St. Peter (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ionius_ix_portrait.png

Edelgard's father and the current ruler of the empire. However, his prime has long since passed, leaving him but a shadow of his former self wracked with age and illness.

Abdicate the Throne: Just before the Time Skip, he abdicates his throne in favor of Edelgard, believing that she will be a more capable monarch than he was.
The Casanova: Downplayed. According to Edelgard, out of necessity and need for heirs, he had a bevy of lovers despite being married. He fathered a total of eleven children during his reign, though only Edelgard survived.
Creepy Shadowed Undereyes: They highlight his age and illness.
First Love: Also doubles as Love at First Sight. Meeting Edelgard at the Goddess Tower will reveal that her mother, Anselma (a.k.a. Patricia, Dimitri's stepmother), was this for him. Ionius was a student of the Officers Academy before becoming Emperor and when he was crowned after graduation, he married for political reasons. One day, he visited the monastery and snuck up the Goddess Tower out of nostalgia. There, he met Anselma, who had just enrolled, and the pair fell in love immediately. Immediately afterward however, Edelgard admits that's how the "story" goes, suggesting it could just be Imperial propaganda and that despite the chance it isn't the truth, she wants to believe her parents were indeed in love with each other.
The Ghost: In Three Hopes, he's briefly mentioned early into Scarlet Blaze but never makes an appearance.
Good Parents: There are plenty of signs that he truly loves Edelgard, and he expresses regret at how he could do nothing to help her when she was experimented on with the rest of her siblings and how she was taken to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. The fact that Edelgard bears no grudge against him further cements this, though as shown by the Cindered Shadows DLC, she does at least think he could have done more.
Incurable Cough of Death: His speech is peppered with coughs, showing just how weak he's become.
Killed Offscreen: After abdicating and passing on his throne to Edelgard, he is not seen again. Given that he was already half-dead from illness at that time, it should come as no surprise when Edelgard mentions near the end of the story that he died quite a while ago, as she reflects on all the tragic events that have shaped her life.
Edelgard: Everything that's happened... it's all just part of the ebb and flow of history. The Tragedy of Duscur, our days at the academy, Father's death, and the five years you were gone... After all of that, at long last, we're here at this point in time. I hope you'll stay by my side until the very end.
King on His Deathbed: Given his constant coughing and the weariness in his voice, it is evident that he is not long for this world.
Puppet King: What he's been reduced to as a result of his age, illness, and the machinations of the corrupt nobility, all of which have left him too weak to effectively fight policies he doesn't agree with. However, it is still he alone who has the ability to crown his successor as Emperor, which he grants Edelgard when she comes to him for it.
Small Role, Big Impact:
- The man appears in only one scene on the Black Eagles route, and an optional one at that. In spite of this, the events of this scene canonically happen in all routes (with Byleth's presence being the only variable), and it forever alters the entire course of the continent.
- His powermongering also resulted in the Insurrection of the Seven, which in turn led to those who slither in the dark gaining influence over the Empire, and thus being able to experiment on Edelgard. As such, the central plot of the game is partially a result of his actions.
Soap Opera Disease: He's practically on his deathbed when encountered in the Black Eagles route, though the reasons for his poor health are never disclosed.
Strong Empire, Shriveled Emperor: Adrestia may be a Vestigial Empire in the current day, but it's still the most powerful nation in Fódlan. Ionius himself, by contrast, is an old man wracked with illness and reduced to a Puppet King by several traitorous nobles, and he hates it for what his weakness cost his children and sole surviving heir Edelgard.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: When House Hrym attempted succession from the Empire, Ionius authorised Duke Aegir to deal with them, which led to the main Hrym family being purged and their people harshly taxed, as well as the Alliance's House Ordelia (who had elected to aid their Imperial neighbours) ending up at the mercy of the Agarthans' Crest experiments. This would come to personally cost Ionius soon after, as his attempt to centralize the Empire's power led to the great Houses (save House Nuvelle), fearing their loss of influence, to orchestrate the Insurrection of the Seven; stripped of his authority, he could only watch as his eleven children were subjected to the same Crest experiments. Every major decision Ionius made played into the Agarthans' hands, putting his own family and many others at their mercy.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Possibly downplayed. Besides gathering all the power of the other noble houses for himself, in the Japanese version of Hubert and Hanneman's C-Support, the latter mentions how Ionius also wanted to dissolve the privileges of the consort kin (as in, his multiple wives), which is suggested to have been the reason Anselma ended up exiled from the Empire despite the rumors claiming she was the one he loved the most and providing him a child with a Minor Crest of Seiros.

Lord Arundel

Grand Duke Volkhard von Arundel

Class: Dark Knight (Three Houses), Warlock (Three Hopes)

Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma (Japanese), Christopher Corey Smith^noteCredited as "Chris Smith" (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lord_arundel_three_hopes.png

Edelgard's uncle and regent of the empire. While he was initially just a noble from a small house, he rose to prominence after his sister married Emperor Ionius IX.

And There Was Much Rejoicing: On the Azure Moon route, after he meets his demise at the hands of the Kingdom army, Hubert calls it "a drop of joy amid a pool of sorrow".
Big Bad: According to Hubert, he's the leader of "those who slither in the dark" as not only have Solon and Kronya once served him, but he is also in control of the group's troops. Fitting, given his real identity as Thales.
Big Bad Duumvirate: On the Azure Moon route, he shares the role of main villain with Edelgard. While he's more malevolent and is directly responsible for most of the tragedies in both her and Dimitri's backstories, she is more prominent and personal of an antagonist, eventually becoming the Final Boss. Azure Moon is also the only route where their alliance doesn't implode one way or the other.
Character Death: While it is ultimately left ambiguous in Three Houses, it is noted on the Azure Moon route that Arundel was a very generous donor to the Church of Seiros up until a few years before the game started (specifically, right before he returned to the Empire with Edelgard), so it is heavily implied the real Arundel was disposed of and replaced by Thales at that point. Three Hopes would go on to explicitly reveal Arundel as Thales in disguise, all but confirming that the original is dead, given that Kronya's similar replacement of Monica involves Monica's death. As for the man we see during the story, he either dies during the invasion of Derdriu in the Azure Moon route, is implied to be taken down alongside those who slither in the dark in the Crimson Flower route, or dies under his true identity on the Verdant Wind and Silver Snow routes as Shambhala collapses over him.
Climax Boss:
- He's the last boss defeated before the Big Bad and their Co-Dragons in the Azure Moon route of Three Houses.
- He's the last boss before the Time Skip in the Scarlet Blaze route in Three Hopes.
Cool Uncle:
- Played straight in the past. Edelgard's supports with Manuela reveals he once took her to the Mittelfrank Opera Company to watch Manuela's performance, and according to Dimitri's supports with Hapi, Lord Arundel went to great lengths during the Insurrection of the Seven in order to ensure Edelgard's safety, taking her out of the Empire and even hiding her presence in the Kingdom just so she couldn't be turned into a political pawn.
- Unfortunately averted hard in the present. By the time you meet him, he's become a callous sociopath who clearly has no actual love for Edelgard and merely sees her as a tool. That's because Arundel is almost certainly long dead.
Cryptic Background Reference: There are various hints scattered through Three Houses that he is not what he seems. Specifically, that the Lord Arundel seen in the present is actually Thales impersonating him:
- In Garreg Mach's library, one of the books mention he's believed to have supported the Insurrection of the Seven from its very beginning due to his partnership with Duke Aegir being quickly established just after returning to Enbarr. Not only this implies Arundel had to have been in contact with Aegir in advance for this to be possible, it also goes against the stated motive Arundel had — according to Dimitri — for fleeing the Empire with Edelgard to begin with.
- During his meeting with the Flame Emperor, Arundel calls Nemesis a "thief" in front of his associate, which puzzles the Flame Emperor as there are no official records of Nemesis being described as such, and the way he speaks of Nemesis' "King of Liberation" title hints at an odd sort of knowing amusement.
- In non-Crimson Flower routes, when Edelgard requests backup from her uncle, in the following cutscene Thales shows up instead of Arundel.
- In Crimson Flower, not only is he referred to as the boss of "those who slither in the dark" (as is considered as such by Hubert), he also happens to be absolutely delighted over the idea of humanity being freed from a "false beast of a goddess".
- If you're a Blue Lion, Sothis drives attention to the fact he suddenly stopped donating to the church for some time ago, suggesting it could've been due to him perishing, which is seemingly disproven a few chapters later when he's shown talking to Dimitri in the flesh. In Azure Moon proper, no javelins of light are ever deployed in the story compared to the other routes, and the path just so happens to be the only one where Arundel is slain under that identity. Also, not only do Edelgard and Hubert consider his demise in Derdriu a good thing, in Azure Moon's last chapter, Myson is seen acting as the interim leader of the Agarthans supporting Edelgard's last stand, not unlike how Odesse takes a similar position in Verdant Wind's final battle after Thales' death.
- Lastly, many characters mention how his personality and behavior feels off as he changed quite suddenly at some point (much as is said about Cornelia and Monica), which played a huge factor in Edelgard acquiring trust issues as he suddenly brought her back into Enbarr to experiment on her and her siblings.
Defiant to the End: On the Azure Moon route, once he's at Dimitri's mercy and the latter demands him the truth about her stepmother's involvement with the Tragedy of Duscur, Arundel chooses to spite him and carry the secret to his grave.
Arundel: You are not qualified to look into the darkness.
Didn't Think This Through: On Crimson Flower, in response to Edelgard and the Black Eagle Strike Force killing Cornelia, he has those who slither in the dark use a "javelin of light" to destroy Arianrhod so he can Make an Example of Them. In doing so though, he instead strengthens Edelgard's hatred for him and his allies, and thanks to this, it's implied that Hubert, like he does on Silver Snow and Verdant Wind, is able to trace it back to their base. His act of petty vengeance ends up leading to the loss of their last bastion.
Dragon-in-Chief: Arundel takes a bigger role in the Imperial Army during Azure Moon after Edelgard is badly wounded at the Gronder Field bloodbath and is forced to step back during her recovery. He personally leads the attack on Deirdru, the only instance in the entire game where he can be seen on the battlefield. At least under this guise.
Early-Bird Cameo: He makes a brief appearance after the end of Chapter 4 while speaking to the Flame Emperor, revealing he was using the Western Church as pawns, before he's introduced properly later in the story on the Azure Moon and Crimson Flower routes.
Evil Uncle: He's Edelgard's uncle and Dimitri's step-uncle, who experiments on and kills the siblings of the former and tries to kill the latter. However, he's a subversion since the man the player knows as Arundel is a disguised Thales, who murdered and replaced the original Arundel.
Face Death with Dignity: On the Azure Moon route, where he finds the light he longed for in death.
Faux Affably Evil: In Hubert's Paralogue, Arundel remains polite throughout and asks for "help" in dealing with some Demonic Beasts that went out of "those who slither in the dark's" control, and even allows Hubert and Byleth to take the "Arrow of Indra" as a gift for their work in saving the mages caught up in the chaos. Hubert, however, makes it abundantly clear Arundel was using the incident as a means of demonstrating "those who slither in the dark"'s power with even the "gift" being a prototype magical lance nearly as powerful as a Hero's Relic yet capable of being wielded by anyone. Arundel is also significantly less polite if some of the mages end up dying, even saying he "expected too much" of Byleth and Hubert.
Fake King: It's implied Thales replaced Arundel just so he could abuse the regent's position in the Empire, allowing him to join the Insurrection of the Seven and thus the ability to experiment on Edelgard and her siblings. On non-Crimson Flower routes, after the timeskip he also imposes heavy taxes and brutal conscription practices on the Hrym territory under Duke Aegir's name after the latter is put in house arrest and stripped of all his titles and territories.
Fantastic Racism: On the Crimson Flower route, he is downright jubilant at the prospect of Rhea's death and humanity's supremacy.
Guyliner: He sports some subtle eyeliner beneath his eyes.
Interface Spoiler: Averted. Unlike Cornelia, who has Agarthan Technology as her personal skill, Arundel has the Commander skill instead. Moreover, his spell list when fought in Azure Moon^noteHades Ω and Thoron is wildly different compared to when he's fought as Thales on the Verdant Wind and Silver Snow routes^noteDeath Γ and Quake Σ.
Karmic Death: On the Azure Moon route he's killed by Dimitri's army, the man who lost his family in the Tragedy of Duscur which Arundel helped orchestrate. The kicker is that Dimitri never finds out who was responsible for it, so he avenges his family without even knowing it.
Kill and Replace:
- His shared voice actors with Thales and sudden shift in personality in Imperial Year 1174 indicate that the real Arundel was most likely murdered and subsequently replaced with the former. While this was implied in Three Houses, Three Hopes explicitly confirms it when Arundel turns into Thales onscreen.
- Hapi and Dimitri's support has Dimitri speculate he had no idea what was going on with his sister just as Dimitri and Lambert knew nothing about Edelgard, implying that Cornelia had a hand in killing and replacing him.
Manipulative Bastard: Instigated the Tragedy of Duscur via his underling Cornelia and Edelgard's mother. In Three Hopes, it's also mentioned he rewarded the corrupt Kingdom nobility that supported the Tragedy with Imperial money and resources.
My Name Is ???: How Lord Arundel's name is displayed during his first appearance.
Pet the Dog: The closest thing he gets to a genuine decent moment is when he thanks Hubert and Byleth if they save all of his subordinates in "Darkness Beneath the Earth".
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Do not oppose me!"
"I control your fate!"
"Perish!"
"Time to take your leave!"
Removed Achilles' Heel: He has the Cavalry Effect Null skill, which removes the weakness his class usually has towards anti-cavalry weapons.
Speak Ill of the Dead: On the Azure Moon route, Arundel indirectly calls Cornelia an idiot once he realizes she failed to keep the Kingdom under her thumb since Dimitri and his allies have come to Claude's aid. In a similar vein, should Dimitri fight him, Arundel will claim he has become just like his father: a savage.
Sugary Malice: On the Crimson Flower route, after the battle at Arianrhod, he politely talks to Edelgard the way one would expect a lord to speak to his empress, but the underlining sentiment behind his words makes it clear he sees the death of his underling Cornelia as a betrayal and that he will exact penance. True to his word, Hubert almost immediately comes running after this declaration to reveal Arianrhod has been destroyed entirely by "those who slither in the dark"'s "javelins of light".
Turns Red: Lord Arundel's magic stat receives a huge boost once he's low on health thanks to his Defiant Magic skill.
The Unreveal:
- Downplayed in Three Houses as far as his true identity is concerned. While it's never spelled out outright in-game, there are a lot of hints scattered across the four routes that the Lord Arundel we see during the story is actually Thales in disguise.
- Averted with impunity in Three Hopes, as Scarlet Blaze quickly forces Thales to discard his Arundel disguise once Edelgard and her allies manage to corner him in Enbarr.
Unskilled, but Strong: Arundel's spells have low accuracy and he even lacks the Reason skill, yet the damage they can deal are nothing to scoff at.
The Usurper: According to Hubert, it was Lord Arundel who spirited Edelgard off to Faerghus as a child and later, with the aid of Prime Minister Aegir and Hubert's father rendered Ionius politically impotent.
Visionary Villain: Shows shades of this on the Crimson Flower route. Right before the Final Battle, he suggests Edelgard that once the war is over, she could try seeking a future where the Empire is in control of the whole world. Edelgard herself shoots down that idea, as she's only interested in ruling Fódlan.
Weapon for Intimidation: On the Crimson Flower route he has the fortress city of Arianrhod destroyed and a good portion of the Imperial army stationed there slain by the "javelins of light" to try and put Edelgard in her place for killing Cornelia. This only motivates Edelgard, Hubert and Byleth even further to give him and his group what's coming to them.
What Happened to the Mouse?: In the Silver Snow and Verdant Wind routes, he makes no other appearances after Chapter 4. Ultimately subverted, given it's heavily implied he still reappears in the story later, but under his true identity instead.
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: His real identity is Thales, the leader of "those who slither in the dark."
Xanatos Speed Chess: In the prologue of Three Hopes, upon hearing of Kronya's defeat and Solon's outing as The Mole, Lord Arundel quickly shifts gears and notifies Cleobulus/Cornelia of the recent events to stay alert, which leads her to convince Rufus to stage a coup in Fhirdiad with her support.
You Remind Me of X: Hubert in his B-Support with Byleth mentions that he senses something similar about them to Arundel, specifically that they have a "second self" they are in constant dialogue with. This doesn't bode well since Hubert hates Arundel.

Ministers

Duke Aegir

Duke Ludwig von Aegir

Class: Fortress Knight → Great Knight (Three Hopes)

Crest: Cichol (Minor)

Voiced by: Daisuke Endou (Japanese), Doug Stone (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/duke_aegir_portrait_8.png

The prime minister of the Adrestian Empire and the father of Ferdinand. He masterminded the Insurrection of the Seven and stripped Emperor Ionius IX of much of his power.

Adaptational Badass: In the original game, he wasn't exactly shown to have any skill in combat. Three Hopes turns him into a Fortress Knight who can take a hit and dish it back out in return.
Ascended Extra: While an important player in Edelgard's backstory, Luwdig in Three Houses' story is treated as a minor character who gets only two scenes to his name. By comparison, Three Hopes promotes him to major antagonist in Part II of both Scarlet Blaze and Azure Gleam.
Alas, Poor Villain: In Three Houses, the former duke is killed by the people of Hrym who blamed him for their current hardships, since he was the ruler who initially taxed them harshly. Though Lysithea, who's from House Ordelia and knows the history of Hrym and Ordelia, has reason to hate him, she remarks that it really wasn't his fault this time, as he hasn't been in charge of Hrym for several years, and feels his murder wasn't deserved.
Asshole Victim: While he can be killed in Three Houses because of something that wasn't his fault this time, the fact that he's a corrupt Evil Chancellor who masterminded the Crest experimentation that gave Edelgard her second Crest and killed or crippled the rest of her siblings can make it hard to feel sorry for him.
Bald of Evil: He's noticeably losing hair, and he's corrupt.
Broken Pedestal: Ferdinand mentions in his C Support with Edelgard in Three Hopes that he idolized his father in his youth, but even before Ludwig's arrest during Edelgard's counter-coup and his imprisonment for treason and other crimes, he had come to realize his father was corrupt from looking through his personal records.
The Caligula: He horrifically taxed the people of Hrym during his governorship of the territory, and in Azure Gleam he runs the Empire into the ground after Thales installs him as regent. It's quite telling that one of the first things you discover after the timeskip is that Metodey has been made an Imperial general.
The Dog Bites Back: After the insurrection, Duke Aegir was put in charge of Hrym, and he levied brutally heavy taxes and fines on the people, more than that of his own territory. Once he was stripped of his power, Arundel took his place. A group of rogues from Hrym found Aegir traveling alone in the forest. Blaming him for their misery, they killed him and stole his belongings.
Deal with the Devil: His alliance with Lord Arundel during the backstory and Part I very much counts as this. While the deal in question is never directly stated, Duke Aegir more or less facilitated those who slither in the dark's infiltration into the Empire and their Crests experiments in exchange of producing a Super-Soldier that could be used as a puppet emperor to take over Fódlan.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In Three Hopes, he is either executed by Ferdinand after his defeat at Fort Merceus (Scarlet Blaze), or killed in battle against the Kingdom (Azure Gleam).
The Dragon: In Three Hopes' Azure Gleam route, he becomes Thales' second in command after he takes over the Empire.
Et Tu, Brute?: In Three Hopes, he angrily demands this of Leopold and Waldemar when they reveal they're working with Edelgard and stopping him from fleeing the palace, in disbelief that two men who originally stood on his side during the Insurrection are now against him.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In Ferdinand and Edelgard's C-Support in Three Hopes, he reveals that he's visited his father in prison, despite Duke Aegir insisting that Ferdinand stay away from him for his own safety. As much as a tyrant Duke Aegir was, it's implied that he genuinely loved Ferdinand and gave him a decent childhood. At the end of his attempted coup in Scarlet Blaze, he even willingly lets Ferdinand kill him instead of fighting back, having resolved earlier that his son should be the one to end him if his rebellion fails.
Evil Chancellor: He led a conspiracy of nobles to seize power for themselves, leaving the emperor their puppet. He also masterminded and approved the Crest experimentation that infused her with a second Crest and ended up killing/crippling the rest of her siblings, which was possible thanks to the Duke's connections with those who slither in the dark.
Evil Reactionary: He supported the experiments on Edelgard and her siblings to create an emperor capable of ruling Fódlan, implying he wishes to reconquer lands that used to belong to the Empire. In Three Hopes he also rebels against Edelgard to "restore the empire to its former glory", though this may be a pretense for a more selfish motive.
Face Death with Dignity: In the Scarlet Blaze route of Three Hopes, when Ferdinand comes in to sever his old man's head, all Ludwig does is close his eyes and lower his head to accept his fate to be killed by his own son (having in an earlier scene remarked to himself that this is what he wants to happen if he loses).
Fat Bastard: He has a noticeable gut, and he's counted amongst the corrupt nobility.
Fatal Flaw: Greed. Duke Aegir's greed and corrupt lust for power led him to lead the Insurrection of the Seven and becoming the de facto ruler of the Adrestian Empire. He also heavily taxed the people of Hrym territory at the start of his rule and forcing grave hardships on them. This allowed Lord Arundel to take charge of Hrym during Duke Aegir's imprisonment and forced even harder burdens on the people of Hrym in his name. Because of Duke Aegir's well-known corruption and evil, this caused the people of Hrym to blame him for pushing them to the brink and killing him.
The Friend Nobody Likes: He's not as unilaterally hated as Count Varley, but nobody remotely close to him seems to like Ludwig; as shown in Three Hopes his fellow Insurrection conspirators see him as a useful pawn at best (Arundel), have no issue deposing him when the opportunity arises (Bergliez and Hevring), or are indifferent overall. His son Ferdinand is the sole person to love him, but that doesn’t stop him disliking his father as a human being.
Hoist by His Own Petard: In all routes of both games, he's deposed by the very woman he faciliated brutal experiments on for the purpose of creating a powerful puppet emperor. In Three Hopes's Azure Gleam route, he's initially more than eager to help Thales conquer all of Fódlan while using Edelgard as their puppet emperor, only to end up dying doing Thales's own bidding as his puppet regent.
It's All About Me: In Three Hopes, for all his patriotic reactionary rhetorics, he only really rebelled against Edelgard out of resentment that she had made no promise regarding his place under her rule, implying he would not take issue with all her reforms if he ends up well-served in the end.
Killed Offscreen: In Three Houses, he dies during the timeskip if Ferdinand isn’t in your party in non-Crimson Flower routes.
Know When to Fold 'Em: When Edelgard is made Emperor in Three Houses and places Duke Aegir under house arrest as one of her first decrees, he briefly tries to argue before backing down, realizing that he's not dealing with a feeble old man anymore but someone with every reason and ability to have him killed.
Like Father, Unlike Son: Duke Aegir is pretty much the exact kind of noble Ferdinand despises, and is likely the reason why Ferdinand tries to act as a proper noble. In fact, though Ferdinand is not happy about Edelgard deposing his father in either game, he will still readily admit that the man was indeed greedy, corrupt, and arrogant.
Locked Out of the Loop: In Three Houses, Ferdinand's comments about his father in Chapter 11 and the Duke's reaction towards Edelgard's coronation in Enbarr all but state Duke Aegir was kept in the dark about Edelgard and Hubert's movements in the Empire and their dealings with both "those who slither in the dark" and other fellow members of the Insurrection.
Minor Major Character: In Three Houses, despite Ludwig's actions casting a huge shadow over many events of the story, it can be striking to find out he only appears onscreen in only two scenes in the whole game (with both being easily missable and one being exclusive to Black Eagles).
Misplaced Retribution: Played with. He did in fact harshly tax the citizens of Hrym, far more so than those of his home territory, to the point of causing droves of people to attempt to flee to Ordelia in desperation. After he lost his noble title, he's imprisoned in Enbarr for years while Lord Arundel took charge of Hrym. Arundel imposed even heavier taxes on the people, and they're conscripted for war as well (with brutal repercussions for the slightest hint of defiance) — this Arundel did in the name of Aegir, stoking the people's fury and directing it at Aegir. When the former duke finally escapes imprisonment, rioters at Hrym kill him. As Lysithea explains, he was by no means a great ruler, but he was not the villain this time.
Named by the Adaptation: He's only referred to as "Duke Aegir" or "Prime Minister" with no first name given aloud in Three Houses, but Heroes and Three Hopes gives him the name "Ludwig".
Pet the Dog: His only remotely redeeming trait is that he genuinely cares about his son, Ferdinand, despite all of his other sins.
Puppet King: In the Azure Gleam route of Three Hopes, he ends up becoming Thales's puppet regent.
Shared Family Quirks: Scarlet Blaze shows that Ferdinand got his habit of hammily announcing his full name on the battlefield from him.
Stout Strength: He's a portly fellow, but he's still a Fortress Knight with a massive shield in Three Hopes.
Unwitting Pawn:
- Ultimately, the main beneficiary of his conspiracy was Lord Arundel/Thales, who used the opportunity to amass power and conduct experiments on the imperial family. Indeed, in Three Houses, Arundel openly turns against him the moment Edelgard takes the throne.
- In Three Hopes, as Edelgard and the Church's army quickly advance through Enbarr, Ludwig is used by Arundel as a distraction as he tries escaping the Imperial Palace unharmed.
Visionary Villain: The reason Duke Aegir approved the experiment "those who slither in the dark" performed on herself and her family was because of the prospect of having a "peerless emperor" that could be used to rule Fódlan.
Vocal Evolution: He's got a rather high, soft voice in Three Houses. Three Hopes makes his voice a bit more gravelly; given that he has far more screentime in the latter game, it helps to make him seem like more of a threat.
What Happened to the Mouse?: On Three Houses' Crimson Flower route, the paralogue in which he dies never occurs, because since Ferdinand remained loyal to the Empire, he assumed the leadership position of his territory rather than it being passed to Lord Arundel. What happens to Duke Aegir never gets revealed, but in many of Ferdinand's endings he officially earns the title of Prime Minister so Duke Aegir either remained imprisoned or at the very least was stripped of his titles and power.

Duke Gerth

Class: Mage

The leader of House Gerth, one of the six great Houses of the empire, and a member of the Insurrection. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, his duties include overseeing relations between the Empire and countries outside of Fódlan. He appears in "The Cursed Relic" paralogue in Three Houses, and in the "An Incurable Shut-In" paralogue in Three Hopes.

I Owe You My Life: He gives Constance the Hero's Relic he obtained from Dagda after the war, all to honor her parents who are implied to have saved him during the war with Dagda and Brigid.
Irony: He risks his life to reclaim the Hero's Relic he got from Dagda, only to happily give it up to Constance who spoke badly of his family at the start of the Paralogue.
Mauve Shirt: In appearance he is just a standard Mage with a beard, but he has some amount of backstory to make him a named character.
Non-Action Guy: Downplayed in that while he sheepishly admits that he's not much of a fighter, during "An Incurable Shut-In" he's in the thick of it alongside Shez, Monica and Bernadetta as an NPC and comes out of it no worse for wear. Considering he's capable of using Fire Magic in "The Cursed Relic" but nothing else, and the Steel Tome in Three Hopes, it's more likely that in comparison to the other Ministers he's nothing more than a Mook skillwise.
One Degree of Separation: Three Hopes reveals that he often works with Bernadetta's mother in his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs, whom he holds in high regard due to her considerable talents. He reveals this in the "An Incurable Shut-In" paralogue, where he actually works alongside Bernadetta herself.
Only Sane Man: Shez in Three Hopes notes that among the nobles of The Empire, Duke Gerth comes as one of the most down to earth and morally-decent of the lot. Monica agrees, calling him a "fine man" and points out that his only would-be vice is trying to keep himself safe and sound, which is the basic norm for most nobles everywhere.
Pet the Dog: In Three Houses, Petra is grateful towards him even as an enemy for ensuring she was spared and allowed to live. Him siding with Edelgard is the only thing that makes her conflicted about opposing the Empire. In Three Hopes, this goes even farther. With Arundel out of the way, Petra is promptly freed from her hostage status and allowed to leave. In the "An Incurable Shut-In" paralogue in Three Hopes, he also notes in open admiration that Bernadetta is a lot braver than the rumors spoken about her said and develops a considerably soft spot for the girl.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Gerth is portrayed as a man who puts his duty and loyalty to the Empire above nearly everything, making his part in the Insurrection to be implied due to believing that Ionius' actions threatened the stability of the Empire. Notably, his house isolated itself from the others afterwards, choosing to perform his duties and not much else, and even then, in Constance and Yuri's paralogue it's shown he's willing to turn a blind eye to it if it means fulfilling a debt. This is likely why in Three Hopes after Edelgard and the Eagles oust Thales/Arundel and Ludwig, despite Gerth taking no part in the battle on their side unlike Leopold and Waldemar, he is simply sent off to fulfill his duties by negotiating with western Fódlan in the aftermath rather than suffer execution, imprisonment, or being set up in a Uriah Gambit.

Marquis Vestra

Hubert's father, and the Minister of the Imperial Household.

Ambiguous Situation: Why exactly did he betray the Emperor despite his House's loyalty? Hubert doesn't care for the answer and despises him for it regardless of reasoning, but Hanneman states that the Marquis Vestra he knew wasn't the type who desired power for personal gain and believes he did it for Hubert's sake.
Archnemesis Dad: He is Hubert's, though it seems to be one-sided as far as the Marquis is concerned. Hubert hates him for taking part in the Insurrection of the Seven, viewing it as a betrayal of House Vestra's loyalty to the emperor, and more saliently, for personally abducting Edelgard. As such, he has no problem with having him killed as part of Edelgard's purge of the corrupt nobility following her ascension.
Bodyguard Betrayal: As House Vestra had always served as the main protectors of the imperial line, his decision to side with the Insurrection against Ionius was effectively this.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In Three Houses, he is assassinated by Hubert as part of Edelgard's rise to power. In Three Hopes, he is said to have been killed in battle while assisting in Edelgard's coup against Lord Arundel. However, given the source of this reveal is Hubert and his animosity towards his father in the source game, it's unknown how reliable this information is.
The Ghost: While his influence on the backstory is immense, he never makes a direct appearance.
Hoist by His Own Petard: He raised Hubert to be unwaveringly loyal and protective of Edelgard; which may have been a mistake considering he was involved with the torturous experiments inflicted on her by the Agarthans. Hubert takes proxy revenge for Edelgard by having the man executed.
Killed Offscreen: He is among the nobles subjected to The Purge following Edelgard's ascent to power in both Three Houses and Three Hopes. It's implied he could have been taken prisoner and simply put under house arrest like Varley and Aegir, but Hubert had him killed to ensure he couldn't become a problem and partly because It's Personal.
Like Father, Like Son: When Hanneman offers the possibility that Vestra's betrayal of Ionius was motivated in part by a love for Hubert, Hubert's response is that if that's the case, then his own betrayal of his father was motivated in part by his love for Edelgard and he's just following in his footsteps.

Count Bergliez

Count Leopold von Bergliez

Class: War Master (Three Hopes)

Crest: Cichol (Major)

Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese), Richard Epcar (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/count_bergliez.png

The Minister of Military Affairs and Caspar's father. His duties include being one of the major military leaders of the Empire, a position he more than lives up to with his known achievements during the Dagda and Brigid War of both holding off their invasion of Adrestria and leading counter-invasions of the enemy nations.

Ancestral Weapon: Fights using the sacred gauntlets Járngreipr.
Animal Motifs: Bears. Leopold von Bergliez is a stout, muscular man who wields gauntlets as weapons, similar to bear claws. He has a shoulder guard on his left shoulder resembling a bear's face.
Barbarian Longhair: He has long hair and Three Hopes depicts him as a lot rougher in personality compared to the more refined Count Hevring.
Blood Knight: Three Hopes depicts him as loving combat to the point that Count Hevring mentions that he'll end up knee deep in gore.
Brains and Brawn: It's a stretch to call him a dummy, but he's a very action-oriented warrior who primarily interacts with the intellectual Count Hevring, acting as the Brawn to the latter's Brains.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Implied. Although he took part in the Insurrection of the Seven, he remains in power after Edelgard's coup because he effectively controls the Adrestian military and Edelgard simply can't make a successful power grab without his support.
Crazy Enough to Work: The "Bergliez Onslaught" Strategy in the Scarlet Blaze path of Three Hopes. After being caught in a siege against Claude and literally backed into a corner, he can break through said siege by himself after Edelgard gives him the go-ahead. How does he do this? By punching a hole in the mountain behind him to create his own escape path...one that leads directly toward Claude's camp. Everyone on the field is utterly gobsmacked, especially Claude himself, but the plan works.
Curtains Match the Window: Three Hopes shows that he has light blue hair and eyes, just like Caspar.
The Dreaded:
- Caspar is terrified of his father, and if opposing him worries that his army can't possibly win if Count Bergliez takes the field. Justified when, before the invasion of Enbarr, Caspar reveals that over the course of the war the Empire has won every battle in which Count Bergliez was present.
- Lord Arundel in Three Hopes states at one point he wants nothing to do with Leopold when it comes to battle, which speaks volumes of the Count's strength.
Everyone Has Standards:
- In Scarlet Blaze, his glee upon getting the chance to fight Arundel's Agarthan minions in Edelgard's coup all but states he's not happy of their involvement and actions in the Empire.
- Late into Azure Gleam, Leopold doesn't even hide he's not happy with Duke Aegir dragging a mind-controlled Edelgard to the battlefield just to raise the Imperial army's morale.
A Father to His Men:
- On Verdant Wind and Silver Snow, after the conquest of Enbarr, he apparently gives up his life so that his men would be spared.
- Three Hopes show the soldiers under him genuinely like him and would do anything for Leopold, no matter how bad things got for them.
Four-Star Badass: Minister of Military Affairs in Adrestria and one of the empire's most powerful warriors, having headed the counterinvasions of Dadga and Brigid after their attempt to invade Adrestia.
Genius Bruiser: Blood Knight he might be, but Three Hopes also depicts him as a surprisingly cunning, experienced and erudite strategist and someone whose experience at being Adrestia's premier Four-Star Badass means he's an old hat at outplaying his enemies with unpredictable strategies. Take Caspar and multiply his IQ by ten, and you have a good measure of Leopold von Bergliez.
The Ghost: He never appears onscreen, at least until Three Hopes makes him Unseen No More.
Good Parents: His interactions with Caspar in Three Hopes show him imparting great wisdom to his son while at the same time very obviously caring a great deal about him. It's quite clear that Leopold has been Caspar's primary mentor and the most pivotal and influential figure in his life, and Caspar's utmost respect and almost awed reverence towards him is returned by Leopold’s sheer immense pride towards his youngest son even with his lack of a Crest. Considering how utterly bitter, complex, and twisted the paternal relationship of the majority of his fellow Black Eagles classmates are, by contrast Leopold and Caspar's relationship is utterly heartwarming.
Heroic Sacrifice: On Verdant Wind and Silver Snow, Count Bergliez sacrifices himself to save the lives of his men.
Hold the Line: During the Dadga and Brigid War, Leopold was best known for having held off wave after wave of Dadga soldiers with his entrenched men, which provided Adrestria the time necessary to mass their counterattack. In Scarlet Blaze, he ends up getting to repeat this performance against the Alliance while under siege in order for Edelgard to show up with reinforcements to smash through Gloucester's men and clear a path.
An Ice Person: While using Járngreipr he has ice-enhanced attacks.
Insult Backfire: His response to Count Hevring calling him a "swollen-headed juggernaut" is "A juggernaut, huh? Yeah, I like the sound of that!".
Interservice Rivalry: He and Count Hevring, the latter of whom is the Minister of Domestic Affairs, can't stand each other. Ironically, their sons are best friends.
Irony: In Edelgard and Caspar's C-Support Three Houses, the two get into a disagreement due to Edelgard viewing Caspar's status as a second son with no inheirtance rights as pitiful. By Leopold's interactions with Caspar in Three Hopes, it's implied he prefers him over his brother, even giving his son Járngreipr, and he only acknowledges his eldest about needing to reevaluate his worthiness to be the next count.
Karma Houdini Warranty: He participated in the Insurrection of the Seven, which ultimately led to the war being started. The war that ended up with him dead years later. That said, he also always survives The Purge of corrupt nobles following Edelgard's ascension, and is granted important command positions, suggesting he earned his pardon (something backed in Three Hopes, where he and Count Hevring assist Edelgard in purging the Agarthans' influence from the Empire).
Mix-and-Match Weapon: Járngreipr is a pair of gauntlets with a shield-like design that also hide a pair of short swords that can spring out like hidden daggers.
My Country, Right or Wrong: On the Azure Gleam route, he remains loyal to the Empire even as Duke Aegir and Thales drive it completely off the rails.
Outliving One's Offspring: In chapter 14 of Azure Gleam this can happen, you have to fight both him and Caspar at separate moments. Caspar is fought first, and ends up dying. Leopold is fought slightly later, and also survives the battle thanks to Count Hevring teleporting him out in the nick of time. However, if you delay defeating Caspar for long enough then they both will escape.
Parental Favoritism: It's never outright stated, but Leopold's interactions with his second son Caspar heavily imply he favors him over his first son despite the former lacking a Crest, even going so far as to pass down his Járngreipr to him, compared to his first son and heir apparent, where after Duke Aegir's rebellion, he merely mentions that he'll have to re-evaluate his worthiness to become the next Count.
Reasonable Authority Figure: In Three Houses, he's seen to not be a wanton warmonger and is an honourable opponent. A notable example comes when the Alliance gives a sudden retreat due to the Almyrans invading their land out east. When Caspar insists on pursuing, Leopold notes that Claude refused to torch the fertile Imperial lands they were traversing through, which would starve the Empire, and that the decency on the part of the Alliance deserves decency in kind.
Rousing Speech: He gives one to his besieged men as they're surrounded by Alliance troops in Scarlet Blaze of Three Hopes, which gets them so pumped up even Claude is taken completely off-guard by how they seem to be the ones in good spirits despite being in the worse position.
Shared Family Quirks: In Three Hopes it's shown that Caspar gets his love of getting into fights from him.
So Proud of You: When he's defeated in Caspar and Linhardt's paralogue in Three Hopes, he is overjoyed and proud of Caspar managing to surpass him, and passes down his Járngreipr gauntlets onto his son.
Stout Strength: Three Hopes' shows that he's noticeably short and round, but lives up to every story Caspar tells about his strength.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Waldemar and Petra in Three Hopes. He is the rival of the former and killed the father of the latter.
Training from Hell: Ever wonder why Caspar is so energetic and gung-ho? This man is the reason. In Three Hopes, Caspar advises Shez, a vertiable One-Man Army themselves, to cancel all their plans and not to eat anything before sparring with his dad. Following their training sessions, Shez can't feel their legs and struggles to speak between gasps for air. Caspar says that he had no choice but to be able to keep up with this kind of training every day as a child of House Bergliez. Worse still, Count Bergliez was so inspired by Shez's persistence and ability to take his training that he plans on developing even harder training.
Trapped in Villainy: Heavily implied he ends up in this situation by Part II of Azure Gleam. Leopold at one point tries to subtly convince Caspar to defect from the Empire, and the choice of words he uses more or less confirms he considers Adrestia's conquest of Fódlan a lost cause of which he's in no position to escape from.
The Unfought: He's never actually faced on any of the routes that feature the Empire as an enemy in Three Houses.
Unseen No More: He never physically appears in Three Houses, but Three Hopes has him as an allied NPC on the Scarlet Blaze route and a fought antagonist on the Azure Gleam and Golden Wildfire routes.
Vitriolic Best Buds: You can tell that Leopold and Waldemar are fairly close based on how much they argue with each other.
Worthy Opponent: If he and Holst enter combat, they mention their mutual respect for one another for their strength.
You Killed My Father: Petra desires revenge against Leopold for killing her father during the Empire's invasion of Brighid.

Count Hevring

Count Waldemar von Hevring

Class: Warlock (Three Hopes)

Crest: Cethleann (Minor)

Voiced by: Yūya Uchida (Japanese), Robert Clotworthy (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/count_hevring.png

The Minister of Domestic Affairs and Linhardt's father.

Adaptational Badass: Played with. He is The Ghost in Three Houses, and his role as Minister of Domestic Affairs gave off the impression that he's mostly a bureaucrat. In Three Hopes, not only is he Unseen No More, he's classed as a Warlock skilled in both offensive and support magic, just like his son, and is willing to get his hands dirty when fighting alongside Count Bergliez.
Brains and Brawn: He is primarily seen interacting with the Boisterous Bruiser Count Bergliez, serving as the Brains to his Brawn.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Implied. Although he took part in the Insurrection of the Seven, he remains in power after Edelgard's coup because he effectively controls the Adrestian economy and Edelgard simply can't make a successful power grab without his support.
The Cavalry: He alongside his troops arrives in the final stretch of chapter 13 of Scarlet Blaze to help Edelgard and her forces take down Ludwig.
Curtains Match the Windows: His hair is green, like his son. His eyes are green too.
Deadpan Snarker: Three Hopes shows that he has a very dry sense of humor.
Everyone Has Standards: In Scarlet Blaze, Waldemar shows pleasure over the prospect of fighting Those Who Slither in the Dark during Edelgard's coup, making clear he does not approve them nor their actions in the Empire.
The Ghost: He is unseen in Three Houses, until Three Hopes makes him Unseen No More.
Green and Mean: He has green eyes and hair, wears a green outfit, and is a snarky minister of The Empire.
Interservice Rivalry: He and Count Bergliez, the Minister of Military Affairs, often butt heads with each other. Their sons are best friends, however.
Like Father, Like Son: He's a sarcastic magically-inclined character, much like his son Linhardt.
Karma Houdini: Despite his involvement in the Insurrection of the Seven, which eventually led to the war, he is spared from Edelgard's purge of corrupt nobles and is given an administrative position in her empire, which suggests he earned a pardon (something backed in Three Hopes, where he and Count Bergliez assist Edelgard in purging the Agarthans' influence from the Empire). Much like Bergliez, he's later seen on routes where Edelgard is an antagonist, acting as an advisor during Edelgard's siege of Arianrhod.
Offing the Offspring: In chapter 14 of Azure Gleam, he can kill his son if Linhardt is deployed and made to face him.
The Red Mage: He's a Warlock, and can use offensive and support magic with equal aptitude.
Shared Family Quirks: Portions of his son's snarky and critical demeanor apparently come from him. Count Hevring often directs it towards Count Bergliez.
Smart People Wear Glasses: He's a smart mage and wears glasses.
Strong Family Resemblance: He looks a lot like his son, with shorter hair and glasses.
Unseen No More: He never physically appears in Three Houses, but Three Hopes has him as an allied NPC on the Scarlet Blaze route.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Waldemar often insults Leopold and laments that his fate is intertwined with his, but you can tell he does have a soft spot for him.

Count Varley

Count Grégoire von Varley

Class: Bishop (Three Hopes)

Crest: Indech (Minor)

Voiced by: Satoshi Mikami (Japanese), Reggie Marcus (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/count_varley_6.png

The Minister of Religious Affairs and Bernadetta's father.

Abusive Parents: He treated his daughter abominably, such as tying her to a chair in order to mold her into an obedient wife, and prohibiting her from befriending commoners. Some of Bernadetta's behavior implies he may have been physically abusive.
Adaptational Badass: Downplayed. Like Count Hevring, he was The Ghost in Three Houses and his role in the Empire's government gave off the impression he was strictly a bureaucrat. In Three Hopes, he's not only Unseen No More, but is classed as a magic-wielding Bishop. Where this trope is downplayed is that while he is combat capable, it is overshadowed by how much of a sniveling coward he is and he is constantly demanding protection (in Scarlet Blaze, he's always relegated to a protection objective). Contrast with Count Hevring, who is similarly a bureaucrat that got classed as a magic-wielder, but is a lot less cowardly and more willing to assist on the front lines.
Asshole Victim: Varley can die in Scarlet Blaze's final battle and Golden Wildfire's Siege of Garreg Mach if you fail to protect him from the Falcon Knights, but considering all the things the player might already know about his treatment of Bernadetta, not only is his death perfectly justified, but the game doesn't give you a Game Over if he dies.
But for Me, It Was Tuesday: If he fights against Yuri in Azure Gleam, he will not recognize him as the commoner boy who he beat up to protect Bernadetta from an assassination attempt, and will even try to bribe him from killing him.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: The way Hubert talks about Varley in Scarlet Blaze implies that the only reason why he is kept alive, and thus needs to be rescued, is because finding a new bishop for the Southern Church is too much of a hassle.
The Chew Toy: Coupled with Karmic Butt-Monkey, his role in Three Hopes is basically to suffer constantly for the player's catharsis.
Dirty Coward: He shares his daughter's nervousness, fearfulness, and tendency to assume the worst from what other people think of him, but unlike Bernadetta, who's a really sweet-natured sort once she grows comfortable around those she knows, and can indeed have genuine valor, Grégoire is a particularly loathsome, sniveling sort of coward who cares only about his own hide and how much gold he can grub, and had the 'guts' to abuse his daughter horribly, but begs for people to protect him in battle.
Drama Queen: He's very prone to loud hysterics, which only makes him look like even more of a pathetic weasel.
Entertainingly Wrong: He's the only person who doesn't like the near-universally loved Gatekeeper, and thinks the Gatekeeper is bad at his job.
Establishing Character Moment: Twofold in the Scarlet Blaze route of Three Hopes, one in a passing mention about him, and once when he actually appears:
- In conversation: Edelgard explains to the other Eagles that Linhardt and Caspar's fathers helped her to oust Thales and arrest Ferdinand's father, and Bernadetta is hopeful that her father was arrested as well. Edelgard saying "Unfortunately, not" and Bernadetta's disappointed reaction establishes that Count Varley is openly known to be of low character such that even his own child would want him arrested, and he might be if given probable cause for an arrest. This also establishes that that low character alone is not enough grounds for overt punishment in society, which also goes towards establishing Edelgard's motivations for change.
- In his first appearance in the next scene: Count Varley is the last of Edelgard's council to show up, after Duke Gerth and Counts Bergliez and Hevring have already been appraised of the next five years worth of plans, including those concerning Count Varley. He proudly announces his own arrival, blissfully unaware of the effective coup that just happened. Once he does become aware, his first instinct is to fearfully try to distance himself from Arundel and Ludwig's misdeeds, such that Count Hevring immediately notices this. In a couple of sentences, Count Varley is established as extraneous, unaware, and only looking out for himself.
The Ghost: He never appears onscreen in Three Houses. However, his house is allegedly behind the reinforcements Enbarr receives during the final stage of the Azure Moon route. He is Unseen No More in Three Hopes.
Greed: His daughter mentions his obsession with money, and he only sees her as bait for a rich husband. In both Scarlet Blaze and Golden Wildfire, if you fail to protect him in their respective missions, his last words are complaining about all the money he didn't get to spend.
Hated by All: It's even acknowledged a couple of times in Three Hopes that he is nothing but a hateful excuse for a human being. Gilbert notes that he has heard nothing but awful things about him both as a person and in his religious teachings, and at the end of the Black Eagles prologue, after the remaining Black Eagles are informed of Edelgard's successful coup, in which Ferdinand's father was arrested, Bernadetta hopefully asks if her dad was arrested too, to which Edelgard replies "Unfortunately, not." And if he dies in Scarlet Blaze's final battle, Hubert is only mildly annoyed that they now need to find a new Archbishop for the Southern Church. And he actually dislikes the Gatekeeper.
Hate Sink: The sheer extent of his abuse and neglect of his daughter, which is directly to blame for her assorted mental issues and trauma buttons, marks him as one of the most despicable people in Fódlan not to be a member of those who slither in the dark. His brief appearances in Three Hopes make it even worse by showing him as a snivelling Dirty Coward with an oversized sense of his own importance.
Hypocrite: In Three Hopes, when Hubert tells him about what was done with Duke Aegir for what he did, he seems to be shocked about it and proclaims he's nothing like Duke Aegir. If you've seen Bernadetta's supports with Byleth and Dorothea in Three Houses, you'll know that he had the gall to say that when he's not much better since he put Bernadetta through immense emotional trauma, and possibly even worse since Ludwig, for all his sins, genuinely seems to love his son Ferdinand and never abused him.
Count Varley: I had no idea Ludwig was capable of such things. Still, rest assured that I am nothing like him.
Irony: Count Varley is the Minister of Religious Affairs (which would imply that he has some decency), yet he is by far one of the most loathsome characters in the game because of his severe mistreatment of Bernadetta.
It's All About Me: Three Hopes shows that aside from how utterly loathsome, pathetic and unlikable he is, Count Varley also has an utterly unrealistic, selfish and self-important to the point of utter delusion sense of self. In "The Seiros Snare" he actually has the gall to state that the future of the Empire itself depends on his survivial in what he thinks is impressive gravitas.
Karmic Butt-Monkey: In Three Hopes, Edelgard promotes him to Bishop of the Southern Church, which promptly turns him into a target of many assassination attempts by the Central Church and reduces him to a reclusive, paranoid wreck. Meanwhile, his allies, especially Bernadetta and Hubert, have very little respect for him, and the latter of the two makes it clear that they only need him alive for political reasons, and it's all but stated that Edelgard promoted him with the intent of making his life less comfortable while filling a seat. Given his abuse of Bernadetta, his greed and his involvement in the Insurrection of the Seven, he practically earned his predicament. From a gameplay standpoint, while he is considered a main objective that needs protecting in the final chapter of Scarlet Blaze, he is one of the few where his death doesn't result in a Game Over, and Hubert's only gripe with his death is that he's going to be hard to replace.
Kicked Upstairs: The very first thing that happens to him in Three Hopes. After being left out of Edelgard's plans, he's "promoted" to Bishop, in a way that serves multiple purposes - the job needed to be filled, someone expendable could be hired for it, and it gets him out of the way of interfering with Bernadetta's life, or in domestic or military affairs. If he dies, Hubert is more concerned with how annoying it'd be to replace him, than anything about how well he did the job.
Large Ham: A great many of his lines, especially his death quote if killed.
Laser-Guided Karma:
- Count Varley's abuse of his daughter resulted in her becoming a reclusive shut-in. After Edelgard takes the throne, he's forced into house arrest.
- Count Varley's goal was to marry Bernadetta off to Ferdinand to improve House Varley's status. If Bernadetta ends up with Ferdinand, she renounces her claim to House Varley, meaning that Count Varley gets what he wants, but doesn't benefit in the slightest.
- The abuse he afflicted on her, causing her extreme shut-in nature, led to rumors about her (that she was a scary shut-in princess who made cursed dolls) that caused Ferdinand to beg his parents not to engage them as he was terrified of her, as revealed in their A+ support. His treatment of his daughter actually made her appear less marriageable.
- It's entirely possible to never have Bernadetta marry. If this is done, she becomes one of the Varley territory's greatest leaders, and her father doesn't get a cent.
- Even in the Crimson Flower route, no matter who Bernadetta marries, her father doesn't benefit at all, because he's under permanent house arrest. He's forced to become a shut-in like his daughter, and like the Emperor he stripped power from.
- In Three Hopes, he's granted a position as the Bishop of the Southern Church by Edelgard... which, because his function is actually to be a religious mouthpiece for Edelgard and the Empire, makes him a prime target for assassination by the Central Church at least once. It's all but stated that this was Edelgard's intention, as she and Hubert even quip about the situation, noting he deserves it. Later events in the route reveals that the multiple assassination attempts have left him a nervous wreck that refuses to leave his room... now doesn't that sound familiar?
- In Azure Gleam, the player can have Bernadetta herself commit patricide. In Scarlet Blaze and Golden Wildfire, while Bernadetta can't kill him directly, she can ignore his pleas for help and ensure he dies. That said, on the latter, Bernadetta's after-battle dialogue if he lives has her state she's glad he didn't die.
Locked Out of the Loop: In Three Hopes, no one tells him of Edelgard's planned coup until it has already happened. He's also the last to know about the parts of the ongoing plan that concern him. Additionally, Hubert, Petra, Jeritza and Shez have a paralogue using him as bait, which he also isn't told about.
Manchild: He shares more traits with his daughter than one would think, such as a very nervous nature and hysterical reactions to any danger. The only difference is that Bernadetta is a teenager who got these traits because she did not have a great childhood while Grégoire is a grown man with no hint of a tragic past.
Offing the Offspring: He can take his Abusive Parents schitck to its logical conclusion in Azure Gleam and kill his daughter Bernadetta.
Offscreen Villainy: All of his abusive treatment of Bernadetta is confined to her backstory; the audience never meets him in person until the prologue of Three Hopes, and he acts cordially towards Edelgard and doesn't interact with Bernadetta during his scene.
Papa Wolf: Had a moment of parental fury in Bernadetta's backstory. When Yuri was hired to kill her by other nobles, he hesitated since he valued his friendship with her. This hesitation allowed the Count to find him in her daughter's room and beat him to within an inch of his life, but not enough to kill him. Bernadetta's supports with Dorothea in Three Hopes reveal that he did it not out of concern for his daughter's safety, but to simply "protect the merchandise". Either way, he never explained his actions to his daughter, which permanently terrified her out of trying to be friends with other people, especially commoners like Dorothea.
Parental Neglect: According to Bernadetta, by the time she hit her teens Count Varley "calmed down" from his previous abuse and now simply ignores her existence most of the time and treats her like a disappointment the few times he does interact with her. Bernadetta considers this infinitely preferable, and it's hinted he stopped the abuse only because he now considers her a lost cause to marry off.
Pay Evil unto Evil: You finally get the chance to end the loathsome bastard in the endgame of Azure Gleam, or to let him die on Scarlet Blaze.
Pet the Dog: Subverted. The one good-adjacent deed he is noted to have done is to have ordered Yuri killed for trying to assassinate Bernadetta. However, Bernadetta genuinely thought Yuri was a friend of hers, and Count Varley never told her the truth. By the present day, everyone involved has concluded he cared more about protecting his investment than doing the right thing.
Promoted to Scapegoat: In Three Hopes, Edelgard appoints him the bishop of the newly remade Southern Church. It's heavily implied this was done specifically so as to make a public figure that the Church would be so upset at, due to being basically a religious mouth-piece for Edelgard's reforms, that he would be essentially singled out by the Church. Hubert, Jeritza, and Petra's Paralogue essentially confirms this to be true, as the three (alongside Shez) foil an attempt on his life.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: He kept Bernadetta from having friends (especially if they were a commoner) for completely cruel reasons, but he is nonetheless vindicated in his practices when Yuri reveals to Bernadetta that she was frequently a target for assassination due to the power her family's house had. If Yuri hadn't hesitated, she would've been killed by her childhood commoner friend.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: His rather nervous disposition when speaking in Three Hopes suggests that he, like his daughter incidentally, expects the worst from people. In his case, he addresses this paranoia by making himself the most sniveling, loathsome man you can meet, thereby inviting actual hatred.
Shared Family Quirks: Like Bernadetta, he's a rather nervous person. And later on, the multiple attempts on his life cause him to become a nervous shut-in just like her.
Sinister Minister: He's the Minister of Religious Affairs and a horrifically abusive parent and greedy man. In Three Hopes, according to Gilbert, his religious teachings are also quite troubling.
Uriah Gambit: Implied to be on the wrong end of one in Three Hopes. Just before the timeskip, Edelgard appoints him to be the bishop of the newly reformed Southern Church. This has the double effect of delegitimizing the Central Church and painting a large target on Varley's back due to him having to be the Empire's religious mouthpiece and thus earn the ire of Seiros followers in the other nations; Varley is targeted for censure and assassination by the Central Church, and Hubert's sarcastic response implies this was all according to plan to make Varley's life less than comfortable.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: In a bit of a karmic way. On the Scarlet Blaze route, Count Varley spends the entire game living in fear of assassination by the Central Church. In the final mission, this becomes a possible reality, and defending him is one of the main missions... except there is no punishment for failing it beyond further enemy reinforcements. Several players have uploaded videos of their just standing by and watching as he gets killed, in order to hear the dialogue that occurs. Making this more poignant is that he is attacked by a series of Pegasus Knights, which are cannon fodder for his daughter Bernadetta if kept in her preferred class line of Archer.

Nobles

Anselma

Lady Anselma von Arundel is Edelgard's mother, Lord Arundel's sister, and a former consort to Emperor Ionius. Her entry can be found on the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus page, under "Patricia".

Baron Ochs

Class: Trickster → Forlorn Beast (Three Houses)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e5ab601c_00.png

The father of Monica. He is the head of an Imperial noble family that has fallen on hard times since the death of the previous family head, of whom he is the adopted son.

All for Nothing: His attempts in Three Houses to free his daughter are meaningless since, by the time the paralogue featuring him becomes available, Byleth has already freed Monica. It's eventually revealed that the rescued "Monica" is an imposter and the real Monica is long dead, so he never had a chance of saving her to begin with.
Anti-Villain: In Three Houses he's simply a desperate man trying to save his daughter. He only comes into conflict with Balthus because Ochs needs the Vajra-Mushti.
Degraded Boss: The Demonic Beast he transforms into in Three Houses during the second phase of his fight reappears later in the story as a normal monster enemy for specific chapters.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In Three Hopes on Azure Gleam, he dies in combat without transforming into a Demonic Beast.
Dying as Yourself: After being mortally wounded as the Forlorn Beast in Three Houses, he spits out some last words in his human form before perishing.
I Have Your Wife: Victim of this in Three Houses, where he's trying to sell the replica Heroes' Relic Vajra-Mushti to Monica's kidnappers in return for her safety.
One-Winged Angel: After being defeated in Three Houses, he attempts to use the Vajra-Mushti but turns into a demonic beast due to his lack of a crest. The party has no choice but to put him out of his misery.
Optional Boss: Appears in Balthus and Hapi’s paralogue in Three Houses, where he is attempting to sell the Vajra-Mushti.
Outliving One's Offspring:
- His daughter in Three Houses is already long dead, having been murdered so that Kronya could infiltrate the Officer's Academy.
- Inverted in Three Hopes' Azure Gleam route, as it's Monica who ends up outliving him in the end.
Papa Wolf: In Three Houses, the Baron isn't afraid to attack the freaking heir apparent of his homeland if it means that he can save his daughter.
Poor Communication Kills: He might have been able to survive the paralogue in Three Houses if he had just told the heroes why he needed Vajra-Mushti; Edelgard even demands he explain himself if they fight, but he just brushes her off.
Reluctant Ruler: He doesn't appear in Scarlet Blaze, but Monica tells Duke Gerth that her father never wanted to be the baron in the first place. She later tells Shez that he had the title forced upon him around 1171, the same year of the Insurrection.
Spared by the Adaptation: In Three Hopes, not only does Monica's rescue spare him from being killed in Enbarr, in the Scarlet Blaze route he also survives the events of the story.
Unwitting Pawn: In Three Houses, those who slither in the dark were manipulating him into giving them the Vajra-Mushti in return for releasing Monica, a hostage that they already killed.
You Are Too Late: In Three Houses, his goal is to get the Vajra-Mushti to save his daughter, who's already long dead.

Baron Bartels

The step-father of Mercedes. He was once the head of an Imperial minor noble family who sought multiple Crests until all members of the house and himself were killed for unknown reasons, with the sole survivor being his son, Emile von Bartels, who was thought to be responsible for the massarce but disappeared.

Abusive Parents: He wanted to use his son's half sister to become his new wife after her mother was past child-bearing to try and gain more Lamine Crested children. It's no wonder Emile broke and killed his father at last.
Ambition Is Evil: He wanted a bunch of different crests in his family, likely for power, such as with Mercedes' mother who married him for financial security and gave him a child with the Crest of Lamine. He even wished to breed with his own stepdaughter Mercedes in hopes that the children would bear her Crest of Lamine.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: Mercedes and Emile had several half-siblings due to him wanting other crests in the house, and they were mainly crestless as well as horrible and abusive towards the ones who had Crests. Even Constance, the siblings' childhood friend, knew how horrible the household was.
Hate Sink: Probably one of the most vile nobles and parents to be seen in the series. Once Mercedes' mother gave birth to Emile, who had a Crest, he had no use for them and sought other women to give him other Crest-babies. This was on top of the fact his crestless children were extremely terrible to the ones who had a Crest. The household was horrible enough that Mercedes and her mother had enough and wanted to run away alongside Emile but he told his mother to leave him because he knew his father would hunt them relentlessly and kill them to get Emile back. When Mercedes tells Emile they wanted to take him with them after they left, he surmises that his father would have no hesitation killing them to get his heir back, a sentiment which Mercedes agrees with. Finally, he was planning on making Mercedes his new wife once her mother grew too old to bear children so that he'd have more Crest-babies. All and all he was a pretty vile human being.
Kids Are Cruel: His crestless children were quite cruel. Mercedes recalls how they were both verbally and physically abusive, and it was only bearable because she had her mother and Emile. In Three Hopes, Mercedes tells Felix that back when she and her brother secretly fed a cat Emile found, they were certain that their siblings would've tied it into a bag and threw it in the river to drown it if they ever found out about it.
Like Father, Unlike Son: While we don't have much information about his father despite being a horrible person, Emile is most definitely not like his father. With how similar he looks to Mercedes, he likely has his mother's looks.
Parental Incest: Planned on making Mercedes his new wife in the hope that she would bear him more babies with the Crest of Lamine. It was this that made Emile snap and kill him along with his half-siblings.
Posthumous Character: He's been dead for several years by the time of Three Houses, with what we learn about him primarily coming from Mercedes and Jeritza, who killed him.

Monica

Monica von Ochs

Class: Monk → Warlock → Gremory (Three Hopes)

Age: 18

Crest: Macuil (Minor)

Height: 157cm

Voiced by: Marika Kouno (Japanese), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/monica_academy_portrait_three_hopes.png

^{Pre-Timeskip (Three Hopes)}

^{Click here to see Monica in Fire Emblem Heroes}

Favored Vassal

Heir to House Ochs and a member of last year's Black Eagles, who vanished for reasons unknown. Depending on the game, she's either discovered in the hands of the Death Knight during Horsebow Moon/September (Three Houses), or rescued in a hidden fort between Empire and Kingdom territory in Harpstring Moon/May (Three Hopes). Either way, she always rejoins the Black Eagle House.

Abhorrent Admirer: Downplayed. In Three Hopes Edelgard is shown to be clearly uncomfortable with Monica's Clingy Jealous Girl tendencies but doesn't outright dislike her.
Affectionate Nickname: In Three Houses, she calls Edelgard "Edel." Averted in Three Hopes, in which she addresses Edelgard as formally as Constance and Hubert do, usually calling her "Lady Edelgard" if not "Your Highness/Majesty." Like with many other tropes, this is a difference between Monica and Kronya.
Ambiguously Gay: She is obsessed with Edelgard and, to a lesser extent, Dorothea while showing no signs of romantic interest in any of the male characters in Three Hopes.
Ancestral Weapon: Comes up with Wind Caller's Genesis, a sacred weapon linked to the Crest of Macuil, upon rejoining in Three Hopes' post-timeskip.
Angst? What Angst?:
- Discussed In-Universe in Three Houses; a few characters like the Gatekeeper and Hilda notice that she acts too cheerful for someone who went missing for a year and was found kidnapped and unconscious underground, and they wonder if she's just trying to hide her trauma with an overly cheerful façade. While the real Monica was kidnapped, this version is actually Kronya, who took on her identity to infiltrate the Officer's Academy.
- Zigzagged in Three Hopes. While it can appear at first glance her kidnapping didn't impact Monica that much (as she's mainly glad that it's over), she still makes pretty clear she considers the event a Near-Death Experience and can sometimes wonder just how much her death might've affected things.
Anguished Declaration of Love: In their B-support in Three Hopes, Monica thanks Edelgard for saving her life and blurts out that she's in love with her. Edelgard is completely taken aback by this and attempts to dissuade Monica by making it clear that she'd had zero intentions of saving her until Shez's actions gave her an opportunity to rescue her. Monica is hurt by this, but reaffirms her love saying that Edelgard still saved her when it came down to it, and claims she would have been happy to die at the hands of "those who slither in the dark" if it helped Edelgard's plans move forward. Edelgard is touched by this, albeit also still a bit disturbed at just how fanatically devoted Monica is.
Ascended Extra: In contrast to Three Houses where she never actually appeared, as the Monica met there is actually just a disguised Kronya, Three Hopes promotes her to a full supporting character.
Badass Bookworm: She's an avid bookreader who's very knowledgable of Fódlan's politics and also a very strong spellcaster on her own right.
Blow You Away: In Heroes, her Wind Caller's Genesis (called "Wind Genesis") summons a drill-shaped wind blast to attack.
Casting a Shadow: Nearly half of her Reason spells consists of dark magic, mainly Swarm Ζ and Hades Ω.
Clingy Jealous Girl: Three Hopes shows that Monica is very devoted to Edelgard, to the point of practically grilling Shez about things like if Edelgard noticed a flower or cake in her room during their supports, and expressing frustration when Edelgard praises Shez instead of her. Her supports with Hubert also make it clear she's jealous of how close he is to her, and gets very clingy to Edelgard when she can. For her part, Edelgard is confused by it and tries to get her to focus more and to have more healthy relationships.
Monica (to Shez): You may stare at me all you want, but don't even think about turning your gaze toward Her Majesty.
Co-Dragons: While not villainous, Monica in Three Hopes shares the role of Edelgard's right-hand-man with Hubert after the timeskip.
Composite Character: Takes on some characteristics of Edelgard's three closest friends - the right hand (wo)man and servant with a crush elements of Hubert, the relentless optimism of Ferdinand, and the overt flirting of Dorothea. Those characters still retain their traits, but they are also free to move in different directions as well.
Curtains Match the Windows: Her hair and eyes are red.
Dead All Along: It's heavily suggested in Three Houses, and outright stated by Edelgard herself in Balthus and Hapi's paralogue if it was done after Chapter 10, that the real Monica von Ochs likely died long before you "discovered her" in Chapter 6.
Devoted to You: Monica is as strongly devoted to Lady Edelgard as Faye is devoted to Alm, perhaps even more fanatically given that she outright claims she would've been happy to die alone in a evil cult's dungeon if it helped Edelgard's plans (Edelgard, for her part, is both touched and disturbed by this). She even argues with Hubert due to his own loyalty to Edelgard, not wanting to be talked down by him.
Fangirl: Three Hopes reveals that she's this for Dorothea for her opera performances, who she treats with similar reverance to Edelgard.
Foreshadowing: In Three Houses, after her rescue, Monica can often be found spending a great deal of time in Edelgard's company. The reveal that she's actually Kronya, a member of "those who slither in the dark", is a big hint towards Edelgard working with them. Unlike Flayn, she will always rejoin the Black Eagles, and on a Black Eagles playthrough, will decline to participate in assignments, supposedly so as not to take opportunities from younger students.
Fiery Redhead: The passionate kind, though she does have a bit of anger underlying it towards people who have harmed her or Edelgard, or people she's jealous of. This serves in contrast to Hubert as the Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette, and they do comment on this contrast directly.
Hubert: But do try not to become so flush with rage that you make a foolish error.
Monica: Perhaps if you grew flush with rage every now and again you wouldn't have the complexion of a coffin-dweller!
Foil: To Catherine in Three Hopes. Each is a Crest-bearing member of a noble house who holds a sapphic crush on her respective faction leader. Catherine, however, left House Charon in disgrace and devoted herself to Rhea for saving her life; Monica's father reluctantly accepted the title of Baron von Ochs, and she is devoted to Edelgard despite the latter's willingness to sacrifice her for her plans. Catherine is also a physical fighter with a rough, plain-spoken manner, while Monica is a Squishy Wizard who speaks and acts much more formally.
Friendly Rivalry: With Hubert in Three Hopes. While both aspire to serve Edelgard to the extent of their abilities and may not always see eye to eye, Monica has a lot of respect of Hubert's job and experience being Edelgard's vassal, and the latter respects Monica's devotion and efforts in spite of her position as a scion of House Ochs complicating things.
Irony: Monica loves to swim and dislikes sweets, while her idol Edelgard doesn't know how to swim and has a Sweet Tooth.
I Owe You My Life: Her reason for rejoining the Black Eagles in Three Hopes. Though given that she does not join the Blue Lions or Golden Deer if she is rescued by them, this is probably only partially the reason.
It's Personal:
- After being rescued in Three Hopes from those who slither in the dark, Monica becomes very invested in laying waste to her kidnappers in any way she can, as shown in her paralogue with Bernadetta.
- On a more specific case from Scarlet Blaze, when she meets Kronya at Fort Merceus, Monica shows audible pleasure in getting the chance to pay Kronya back for her kidnapping.
  Monica: So I'm to have my revenge today, am I? Oh. Her Majesty is far too kind!
Kill and Replace: Was the victim of this in Three Houses' timeline, like Tomas was. It's noted that her personality before disappearing the year before was different.
Loony Fan: Of both Edelgard and Dorothea. Supports show she counts the number and manner of interactions she has with Edelgard, and is also well aware of Dorothea's scars... that aren't readily visible. Both targets of her affection are unnerved by this.
Mutually Exclusive Party Members: In Three Hopes, she’s not playable outside of Scarlet Blaze. The only time she'll fight alongside Dimitri, Dedue, Sylvain, Ingrid, Felix, Claude or Hilda is in Chapter 2 as an NPC; she cannot fight alongside Annette, Rodrigue, Holst, Seteth, Flayn or Catherine.
My Name Is ???: In the Blue Lions and Golden Deer versions of Three Hopes' Chapter 2, she is identified as ??? during the battle and only gets a chance to introduce herself afterwards. This is not the case on the Black Eagles route, since Edelgard already knows who she is.
Non-Standard Character Design: In Three Houses, her portrait is angled differently compared to the other characters, foreshadowing she's not who she claims to be. In Three Hopes meanwhile, she has a more standard design for her portrait, signifying that this Monica is the real deal.
Non-Uniform Uniform: She has red ribbons on her chest, and her tights are red instead of the standard blue.
Playing with Fire: Learns the spells Fire, Bolganone and Meteor when trained in Reason.
Photographic Memory: She boasts of her ability to remember everything she sees, which is reflected in her Perfect Memory ability in Three Hopes. She in particular puts a lot of effort into recording innocuous details about Edelgard, such as the number of times she has sighed, etc.
The Pollyanna: She's quite cheerful for someone who was kidnapped and went missing for a few months before the start of the story. While the real Monica is just as cheerful in Three Hopes upon being rescued and thus fits this trope to a tee, in Three Houses, this is used to imply the woman you're interacting with was never kidnapped in the first place.
Plot Armor: In Three Hopes' Scarlet Blaze route, Monica will simply retreat if defeated in battle, even in Classic Mode, likely because she is very integral to the story.
Promoted to Playable: Monica becomes a playable character in Three Hopes on the Scarlet Blaze route.
Reassigned to Antarctica: Implied in Part II of Azure Gleam. After Thales' takeover of the Empire, Monica is later fought by the Kingdom army near Ochs territory, and her lack of knowledge of Edelgard's current state suggests she's no longer allowed to serve her directly.
Recurring Element: Twofold, in Three Hopes.
- As far as traditional archetypes go, she has some elements of the Linde: A young, female mage who learns fire magic, and who has suffered at the hands of the villains, and who is encountered and can join very early in the game. Though she has suffered from her own abduction, not the loss of a family member, and her joining is dependent on route, not recruitment. She also has some elements of the Lena, a female mage held hostage by the enemy army early in the game.
- She also has quite a bit in common with several other women who have a (potentially unhealthy) romantic fixation with their Lord. In fact, her story "Forging Bonds - The Path's End" in Fire Emblem Heroes shows her spending her free time with three such characters: Tharja, Camilla, and Fjorm, as they advise her on how best to show her devotion to her lord. She winds up taking advice of the more yandere pair of Tharja and Camilla.
The Red Mage: She's a literal example given her color scheme is red and has access to the three types of magic in Fódlan (white, black and dark magic).
Required Party Member: In Three Hopes, she joins automatically at the start of Chapter 3 of the Black Eagles route.
Satellite Character: Downplayed. Monica's motivation in Three Hopes for being one of Edelgard's vassals largely stems from how much she adores her liege.
Sixth Ranger: Of the Black Eagles after she's rescued in Three Hopes. She even starts getting along with her junior Black Eagles upon rejoining.
Spanner in the Works: The biggest one in Three Hopes. Jeritza was the one who helped find her, but in the end she proves to be the worst captive that could've been rescued for Those Who Slither In The Dark, as she actively identifies Tomas early, which basically leads to all of Fodlan knowing TWSITD's method of sowing chaos and gaining control. It's not enough to save the existing power balance, and it pretty handily puts TWSITD on the back foot throughout the conflict that follows.
Spared by the Adaptation: In Three Hopes, you get to Monica before Kronya is able to Kill and Replace her, allowing you to save her for real.
Squishy Wizard: Comes with the territory of being an all-around spellcaster with good speed and middling defenses.
Stalker with a Crush: While it is not so stalking from the shadows as Monica is generally allowed to see Edelgard whenever she wants, Monica still can never take her eyes off Edelgard and tries to be with her as often as possible. She remembers every meal Edelgard has eaten, when she ate it, how many times she's sighed, how many times she's said her name, or to her chagrin, the names of others compared to her own.
Super-Intelligence: Eidetic memory, exceptional perception; she repeatedly claims, and often gets to implement, an exceptional memory of insignificant details, such as every word Shez has ever said to her, every type of interaction she has had with Edelgard, and the scars on Dorothea's body. It's occasionally paired with Saying Too Much to emphasize that she probably shouldn't be this obsessive.
Tarot Motifs: Through her crest of Macuil, Monica represents the Magician. Upright it stands for unlimited potential and resourcefulness, while reversed it stands for manipulation and untapped potential. This fits Monica almost to a tee, as she shows her true potential by being a major character when she is herself, but does not reach that potential when she is killed and her appearance is manipulated. Additionally, it could represent the potential of others. Her rescue in Three Hopes sets off a powerful domino effect that leads to an entirely new path for Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude to walk, while her not being rescued entraps Edelgard into working with those who slither in the dark.
Undying Loyalty: Three Hopes shows that she is really loyal to Edelgard to the point that she more or less becomes one of her retainers during the war and would readily do anything Edelgard wants of her, to the point that if Edelgard would order Monica to die for her, Monica will obey that order without hesitation. Edelgard herself is somewhat disturbed by Monica's lack of self-preservation in such matters however.
Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about her without mentioning the twists of the Academic Phase in Three Houses and in Three Hopes.

Randolph

Randolph von Bergliez

Class: Warrior

Voiced by: Jun Konno (Japanese), Ben Pronsky (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/randolph_portrait_1.png

The uncle of Caspar and older brother to Fleche.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: In the Azure Moon route when Dimitri has him dead-to-rights, Randolph drops any confidence and pride as he pleads Dimitri to be let go so he can be with his family. Dimitri isn't convinced, throwing Randolph's pleas back into his face and pointing out that he's destroyed plenty of families by acting as Edelgard's attack dog during her bloody coup and following war.
Anti-Villain: Even outside of the Crimson Flower route, Randolph is not what you would call evil, only being considered a villain because he is with the Adrestian Empire, and actively participating in a war of conquest. This is somewhat Deconstructed on the Azure Moon route, as Dimitri points out that he's still killed countless people in battle.
Big Brother Instinct: He keeps Fleche from joining him in battle, especially on the Azure Moon route, where he fears the "One-eyed man" (Dimitri), who is infamous for brutally killing soldiers.
Big Eater: Never actually seen first hand, but in the Crimson Flower route a smitten NPC you can talk to after the mission in Derdriu actually mentions that Randolph has quite the appetite.
Break the Haughty: At the receiving end of a "The Reason You Suck" Speech in a combination of Armor-Piercing Question, a "Not So Different" Remark, and These Hands Have Killed by Dimitri to which he tries to deny, but Dimitri refutes his responses because they're in a war while shooting down his excuses.
Butt-Monkey: On a meta level. Things simply don't go his way: he's fated to die on all routes except Scarlet Blaze in Three Hopes (though his survival requires that the player recruits Byleth), and goes through a variety of humiliating defeats and/or horrible deaths, being baited into a giant fire trap on non-Crimson Flower routes, subjected to psychological torture by Dimitri on Azure Moon (as a prelude to actual Cold-Blooded Torture that Byleth has to prevent via Mercy Kill), used as a Sacrificial Lion by Claude on Golden Wildfire or mortally wounded in the defense of Garreg Mach on Crimson Flower. He just can't catch a break.
Contractual Boss Immunity: Randolph's personal skill is General, which grants immunity to instant death and reduces damage caused by gambits.
Deconstructed Character Archetype: On the Azure Moon route only, of the Noble Top Enforcer antagonists often seen in Fire Emblem. While he fights for sympathetic reasons, his honour-bound tendencies end up being his downfall, and Dimitri makes a solid point that trying to claim the moral high ground in war doesn't make one any less of a killer.
Randolph: This... this is war. I did what I had to; for the Empire... for my people... for my family.
Dimitri: So, you are piling up corpses for the people and your family. And I'm doing the same for the salvation of the dead. After all is said and done, we are both murderers, both stained... both monsters.
Everyone Has Standards: Randolph is fully devoted to his country, but in Three Hopes' Azure Gleam route, he is disgusted by the actions of Duke Aegir's hand-picked generals, who are more concerned with looting and slaughtering their own citizens than defending them against the advancing Faerghus and Leicester armies.
Fatal Flaw: His Hot-Blooded nature and glory seeking tendencies prove to be this, as in every route except the Crimson Flower route, during the defense of Garreg Mach from Imperial forces, one of Byleth's allies (Seteth in Silver Snow, Gilbert in Azure Moon or Claude in Verdant Wind) taunts him, intending to trick him into marching his soldiers headfirst into a fire trap. In every route where this crops up, Randolph is so incensed by the taunting that he sends his men forward, right into said trap.
General Failure: Despite being affiliated with the most prominent martial family in the Empire and distinguishing himself on the battlefield being his main goal in life, he has an abysmal track record on routes where the player doesn't side with the Adrestian Empire, failing twice to take the monastery in Three Houses (and being effortlessly baited into a fire trap during the second assault) and failing to stop the Kingdom army in Azure Gleam despite having the perfect ambush set-up and the support of Jeralt's mercenaries (which includes One-Man Army Byleth).
Glass Cannon: His attacks carry a ton of weight but his lackluster defenses mean it won't take much to take him down.
Glory Seeker: Seeks glory for the sake of his family and little sister.
Heroic Sacrifice: On the Crimson Flower route, he dies of his wounds from defending Garreg Mach from the Church's surprise attack.
Hot-Blooded: He's not too far off from his nephew Caspar in this department. Fleche is constantly worried about him because of it.
In Spite of a Nail: No matter what route you pick in Three Houses, he ultimately dies in an attempt to retake Garreg Mach Monastery from Byleth and their allies. The differences are: whether he's one of the defenders (on Crimson Flower), the head of the attackers who then lives to be threatened with torture before being put out of his misery (on Azure Moon), or the head of the attackers who dies right after being defeated (on Verdant Wind and Silver Snow).
Mauve Shirt: On the Crimson Flower route, he's basically a high-ranking mook with his own face and personality.
Mercy Kill: On the Azure Moon route, after he is defeated and captured by the Blue Lions, Dimitri contemplates how he is going to torture him, either by forcing Randolph to watch his comrades be killed one by one before him or by simply gouging his eyes out. To spare him, Byleth steps in and quickly executes Randolph before Dimitri is able to do either of these things.
Moral Myopia: When he begs to be able to return to his family, Dimitri calls him on having this — noting he must have, directly or otherwise, ended the lives of many who want the same thing. Randolph’s only retort is to claim that a monster like Dimitri could not understand love, which backfires as he's subjected to a vicious "The Reason You Suck" Speech that evidently shakes Randolph to his core.
Parental Favoritism: His father, the previous Count Bergliez and Caspar's grandfather, favored his second wife, Randolph's mother, and she hoped that Randolph would succeed him as count, despite the previous count having an older son from his first marriage, Caspar's father and Randolph's half-brother. Ultimately, Caspar's father inherited the county after the previous count was forced to retire early on account of poor health.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"I won't fail!"
"I'll show you!"
"I'll protect my family!"
"I'll do what I must!"
Route Boss: In Three Hopes, he is only fought in Azure Gleam. Despite this, he still dies (or can die) on the other two routes where he is an ally.
Sadistic Choice: Upon being captured after the battle for Garreg Mach, he's given a choice either to watch his subordinates killed one by one or to have his eyes ripped out. At that point Byleth steps in to give him a third option.
Small Role, Big Impact: In Three Hopes on Golden Wildfire he's little more than a Sacrificial Lion for Claude's schemes, but despite being a random nobody in that route his death both forces Claude to introspect when everybody around him immediately catches on to his role in Randolph's death, and gives that route its big split by leading his sister to hire Jeralt's company to enact revenge.
Spared by the Adaptation: He dies on all routes in Three Houses. In Three Hopes, he can survive the Scarlet Blaze story route as long as Shez doesn't kill Jeralt (otherwise, Byleth kills Randolph in retaliation).
Straight for the Commander: In non-Crimson Flower routes, he'll attempt to invoke this trope at one point during his second appearance by charging right towards Byleth as a last resort.
Supporting Leader: On the Crimson Flower route, he takes care of important logistical concerns in running the Adrestian army that Byleth can't (such as keeping the monastery secure when Byleth and co. are on the front lines).
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: The same NPC that points that he's a Big Eater? Also mentions that he's quite the eye candy and it's made clear that she prefers his traditional Hunk looks to Hubert's Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette looks.
Throw the Dog a Bone: He finally gets the chance to survive the events of the game on the Scarlet Blaze route in Three Hopes but only if the player recruits Byleth, otherwise he gets curb-stomped by the Ashen Demon in revenge for Jeralt's death.

Fleche

Fleche von Bergliez

Class: Thief → Assassin (Three Hopes)

Voiced by: Yui Nakajima (Japanese), Eden Riegel (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fleche_portrait_1.png

The younger sister of Randolph and aunt of Caspar. She accompanies her brother as he aids the Empire.

Adaptational Badass: Fleche is one of the few notable characters in Three Houses who is never fought in gameplay. In Three Hopes, she gets promoted to actually having a few encounters in the various maps.
Alas, Poor Villain: On the Azure Moon route, after Byleth mortally wounds her to prevent her from killing Dimitri, she dies crying for her already-dead brother, begging him to save her.
Anti-Villain: Just like her brother Randolph, she's technically considered a villain outside of the Crimson Flower route because she's with the Adrestian Empire, opposing the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus/Leicester Alliance/Church of Seiros. On the Azure Moon route, she tries to kill Dimitri and Rodrigue dies taking the blow, but she does it to avenge the death of her brother.
Avenging the Villain: While Randolph isn't exactly evil (though he is a sworn loyal enemy commander with, ahem, more than a few lives taken by him, though at this point just about every named character can claim the same), she hates and tries to murder Dimitri in response to his death, believing that Dimitri tortured him to death like the stories of his brutality to Imperial soldiers say. In fairness, that's exactly what Dimitri would have done had Byleth not given the Mercy Kill.
Big Brother Worship: She's shown to have quite the high opinion of Randolph. Her attempt at avenging him on the Azure Moon path most certainly came from a place of love.
Broken Bird:
- She's ordinarily a Nice Girl; however, on the Azure Moon path she can't stand how Randolph met his end and plots to kill Dimitri once he drops his guard.
- Averted on the Crimson Flower route where she handles her brother's death better. She's sad, but she doesn't wish to seek revenge, likely because she witnessed his death of battle wounds rather than believing he was tortured to death.. In Three Hopes a similar thing happens when Randolph is slain by Byleth if you kill Jeralt, and when they are about to strike Fleche down, Shez comes with reinforcements in time to save her. In this case, Shez carries on Fleche's revenge for her by slaying the Ashen Demon.
- Finally in Three Hopes, Claude let Randolph be killed by Cathrine to ambush the Knights of Seiros and word gets to her that this happened. She hires Jeralt's mercenaries so that they can kill Claude, only to be killed regardless of the events of the battle.
Child Soldiers: In Three Hopes she fights on the frontlines for the Empire despite only being around 14-15 years old post-timeskip.
Death by Irony: On the Azure Moon route, she tries to kill whom she thinks murdered her beloved brother, but she gets struck down by the person who was actually responsible. Granted, Dimitri really did plan to torture Randolph to death, while Byleth's action was a Mercy Kill.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: In Three Hopes on Azure Gleam, she dies in combat trying to protect her brother from Kingdom forces if they manage to get around the ambush.
Fragile Speedster: Fleche is quite speedy befitting her class as an Assassin, but is quite fragile.
Irony: It's strongly implied on Azure Moon that she acts as she does based on the belief her brother was tortured before Dimitri killed him. Not only does Dimitri never get the chance (though he definitely was planning on it), Byleth does the deed to spare him. Fleche ends up being similar to Dimitri in misplacing their target of revenge due to lacking key details.
"It" Is Dehumanizing: If Byleth murders Randolph on the Scarlet Blaze route, Fleche is so heartbroken and furious that she refers to them as "that thing".
Mum Looks Like a Sister: Well, aunt, but she's much younger than her nephew Caspar (four years younger to be exact), which is even discussed in Scarlet Blaze and Caspar's expedition. She could easily be mistaken for Caspar's little sister, especially considering she's only encountered after the timeskip. Makes sense when you factor that she and Randolph are half-siblings to Caspar’s father; their mother implicitly had a May–December Romance with the previous Count Bergliez. Adding further credence to this is Fleche and Randolph's father retiring due to poor health and their elder half-brother succeeding him, despite Fleche and Randolph being (or so their mother believed) his favoured children to inherit the Bergliez title.
Nightmare Face: She sports an absolutely deranged snarl as she attacks Dimitri and rants at him for murdering her brother.
No Name Given: She's only ever referred to as the "Maiden" in Azure Moon after she infiltrates the Kingdom.
Revenge:
- Attempts to avenge Randolph on the Azure Moon route, stabbing Dimitri before being struck down. Rodrigue's death and last words from her assassination attempt causes him to realize the pain he's caused and start on his path of atonement.
- In Three Hopes, she hires Byleth to kill Claude after Randolph is killed by Catherine in Golden Wildfire, being told that Claude used him as bait to eliminate the Knights of Seiros.
Rogues' Gallery Transplant: In Three Houses, she is only an antagonist to Dimitri. In Three Hopes, she is instead an antagonist to Claude.
Satellite Character: Her major impact on the plot is defined by her relationship to her brother Randolph and how she handles his death.
Small Role, Big Impact: In Three Houses, her most prominent appearance is on Azure Moon, where her actions indirectly set the final quarter of the plot, as it were, into motion.
Unwitting Pawn: In Golden Wildfire, those who slither in the dark reveal the circumstances behind Randolph's death to Fleche and deliberately make use of her vendetta in order to disguise their own Assassination Attempt on Claude along with the mercenaries she hires for the job.
You Monster!: On the Azure Moon route, she snarls that Dimitri is a monster after swearing that she'll never forgive him for Randolph's death, right before she attempts to stab him in the back.

Commoners

Ladislava

Class: Cavalier → Wyvern Rider → Wyvern Lord

Voiced by: Noriko Namiki (Japanese), Katelyn Gault (English)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ladislava_portrait_0.png

A soldier of the Adrestian Empire, and leader of Edelgard's personal guard.

A Hero to His Hometown: She's rather popular amongst the citizens of the empire, who see her as a war hero.
Anti-Villain: Even outside of the Crimson Flower route, Ladislava is not what you would call evil, as she's an honorable woman well-loved among the Empire's citizens as a hero, only being considered a villain because she's participating in a war of conquest.
Contractual Boss Immunity: Ladislava's personal skill is General, which grants immunity to instant death and reduces damage caused by gambits.
Dragon Rider: She's a powerful Wyvern Rider, although oddly she's a Cavalier in her Guest-Star Party Member appearance on the Crimson Flower route during the battle of Garreg Mach.
Killed Offscreen: According to Randolph, she meets her end during the Church's attempt to recapture Garreg Mach on the Crimson Flower route.
Kryptonite-Proof Suit: On routes other than Crimson Flower, she has the Aurora Shield by Part II, which nullifies any Flying weakness she might have unless it's stolen from her.
Humble Hero: Despite her abilities, she doesn't boast about them, which makes her rather relatable to citizens.
Lightning Bruiser: She's reasonably fast and is quite bulky on the physical side.
Mauve Shirt: On the Crimson Flower and non-Scarlet Blaze routes, she's basically a high-ranking mook with her own face and personality.
Only One Name: Despite Three Hopes giving last names to the likes of Gwendal and Pallardo, Ladislava still just has the one name.
Praetorian Guard: She's the head of Edelgard's personal guard.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"For the Empire!"
"For Her Majesty!"
"Prepare to die!"
"I'll break you!"
Rank Up: Post-timeskip on the Crimson Flower route, she's gone from head of Edelgard's personal guard to a general in the army. Of course, this means she's no longer capable of protecting Edelgard herself and thus she entrusts that role to Byleth.
Recurring Element: Sort of. She is what happens when you take one half of the Wyvern Duo, being the red-colored wyvern rider girl that was pioneered by Minerva, except not making her recruitable at all (even when you're siding with her) like 'sympathetic female enemy generals' like Ishtar.
Red Baron: She's called the "Scarlet Warrior", a moniker not that much different from the Minerva the Red Dragoon.
Spared by the Adaptation: In Three Houses, she is predestined to die on all story routes, being Killed Offscreen on Crimson Flower, and being an enemy commander on the other routes. In Three Hopes, she makes it through Scarlet Blaze unharmed.
Supporting Leader: On the Crimson Flower route, she takes care of important logistical concerns in running the Adrestian army that Byleth can't (such as maintaining order in recently occupied territories).
Undying Loyalty: Is eternally loyal to Edelgard, stating that she'd changed her life forever, and is willing to die on her behalf.

Characters / Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Adrestian Empire

Edit Locked