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

Plot

Main article:An Inevitable Encounter/Script

In Imperial Year 91, the divineSeiros engages the Liberation KingNemesis in battle and slays him, avenging an incident at the Red Canyon. Approximately one millennium later in 1180, a person namedByleth has a dream of the battle and of a mysterious girl. Afterwards, they are woken up by their fatherJeralt. The noblesEdelgard,Dimitri, andClaude appear and explain that bandits have attacked them while they were resting at camp. Jeralt agrees to protect them, and he and Byleth ride out. With Jeralt's guidance, the four rout the bandits and injure their leaderKostas.

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

Unused beginning log

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

Chapter data

Normal/HardMaddening

Chapter Data
Conditions	Unit Data
Victory: DefeatKostas	Player	Partner	Other	Enemy	Third
Defeat: Any player unit dies	4	{{{partner}}}	1	7	{{{third}}}
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Map dimensions: 21 columns by 20 rows

Chapter Data
Conditions	Unit Data
Victory: DefeatKostas	Player	Partner	Other	Enemy	Third
Defeat: Any player unit dies	4	{{{partner}}}	1	9	{{{third}}}
Map dimensions: 21 columns by 20 rows

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Character data

Characters
New units
Byleth Commoner HP 27 Inventory Iron Sword Vulnerary Level 1 Automatically from turn 1 Edelgard Noble HP 29 Inventory Iron Axe Vulnerary Level 1 Automatically from turn 1 Dimitri Noble HP 28 Inventory Iron Lance Vulnerary Level 1 Automatically from turn 1 Claude Noble HP 26 Inventory Iron Bow Vulnerary Level 1 Automatically from turn 1
Available characters
None

Item data

Items

Name Obtainment Method Iron Axe Dropped byKostas

Enemy data

NormalHardMaddening

Enemy Units

Name Class Lv # HP Str Mag Dex Spd Lck Prf Wlv Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills Kostas Thief 3 1 28 10 5 7 7 5 6 1 6 5 Iron Axe He and his squad begin moving after the first fourRuffians are defeated. Thief Ruffian 1 6 18 7 4 5 9 4 5 1 6 4 Iron Sword The northwestern three begin moving if any of them are provoked.

Enemy Units

Name Class Lv # HP Str Mag Dex Spd Lck Prf Wlv Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills Kostas Thief 3 1 29 11 6 7 7 6 7 1 7 5 Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 2 Begins moving after theRuffians are defeated or he or the Thieves are provoked. Thief Ruffian 1 3 18 7 4 5 9 4 5 1 6 4 Iron Sword Sword Prowess Lv 1 The northwestern two begin moving if they or the nearby axe-wielding Ruffian is provoked. Thief Ruffian 1 1 18 7 4 5 9 4 5 1 6 4 Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 2 Begins moving if a nearby sword-wieldingRuffian is provoked. Thief Thief 1 2 18 8 4 6 9 4 5 1 6 5 Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 2 Begins moving after theRuffians are defeated or they or Kostas are provoked.

Enemy Units

Name Class Lv # HP Str Mag Dex Spd Lck Prf Wlv Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills Kostas Thief 6 1 32 12 7 9 10 7 8 3 9 5 Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 3 Begins moving after the southernRuffians and Thieves are defeated. Thief Ruffian 4 3 19 7 5 6 11 5 6 2 7 4 Iron Sword Sword Prowess Lv 3 The northwestern two begin moving if they or the nearby axe-wielding Ruffian is provoked. Thief Thief 4 4 19 8 5 7 11 5 6 2 7 5 Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 2 • The southern two begin moving if either is provoked. • The northern two begin moving after the southernRuffians and Thieves are defeated. Thief Ruffian 4 1 19 7 5 6 11 5 6 2 7 4 Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 2 Begins moving if a nearby sword-wielding Ruffian is provoked.

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NPC data

NPC Units

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

Boss data

Main article:Kostas

NormalHardMaddening

Thief Level 3 Movement 5 Crest --

Stats Max HP 28 Luck 5 Strength 10 Defense 6 Magic 5 Resistance 1 Dexterity 7 Charm 6 Speed 7

Inventory Abilities Iron Axe -- Combat arts Spells Battalion -- -- -- Skill Levels E E E E E E E E E E E

Thief Level 3 Movement 5 Crest --

Stats Max HP 29 Luck 6 Strength 11 Defense 7 Magic 6 Resistance 1 Dexterity 7 Charm 7 Speed 7

Inventory Abilities Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 2 Combat arts Spells Battalion -- -- -- Skill Levels E E E E E E E E E E E

Thief Level 6 Movement 5 Crest --

Stats Max HP 32 Luck 7 Strength 12 Defense 8 Magic 7 Resistance 3 Dexterity 9 Charm 9 Speed 10

Inventory Abilities Iron Axe Axe Prowess Lv 3 Combat arts Spells Battalion -- -- -- Skill Levels E E E E E E E E E E E

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Strategy

A minor optimization during character creation - settingByleth's birthday to 5/1 gives you the earliest possible access to a house-appropriate charm boosting accessory (theBlack Eagle Pendant,Blue Lion Brooch, orGolden Deer Bracelet).

Every player unit is capable of wielding every weapon, and Claude'sIron Bow can be traded multiple times to allow for multiple attacks that the enemy cannot retaliate against; however, units only have acombat art tied to the weapon they start with, notablyDimitri is the only unit withTempest Lance. Dimitri with Tempest Lance is capable of one-shotting every enemy butKostas on every difficulty; Byleth withWrath Strike andEdelgard withSmash can one-shot every enemy but Kostas on Normal and Hard. Enemies on Normal and Hard cannot double any units, but thesword-wielding enemies on Maddening can double a unit wielding theIron Axe orIron Lance. On every difficulty, without healing, and from fullHP, Byleth and Claude can survive four attacks from the sword-wielding Thieves, while Edelgard and Dimtri can survive five; Byleth, Edelgard, and Claude can survive two attacks from the axe-wielding Thieves, while Dimitri can survive three—Edelgard can also survive three attacks from the west-most axe-wielding Thief; and Byleth and Claude can survive one attack from Kostas, while Edelgard and Dimitri can survive two.

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

If a route is already planned to be chosen, it may be beneficial to prioritize giving kills to Byleth and that particular lord; additionally, as the two lords whose routes are not picked will leave the party, trading their inventories to Byleth and the chosen lord may also be beneficial. If there is no plan for a route, items and experience can be given to Byleth. With the following optimized strategy and a little luck, it is possible to funnel all but two kills to Byleth and one lord, deny Jeralt any kills, and get both of the guest lords' inventories. Surviving the fight with Kostas and his goons will require Byleth to either dodge an attack or proc their Crest somewhere along the way.

For all houses, on turn 1 have Claude weaken the nearby Thief from the south, move Edelgard and Dimitri four spaces north, and have Byleth talk to Claude and then finish the Thief off. On turn 2, move both Edelgard and Dimitri into the forests due north of them, place Byleth in between them and talk to them both, and place Claude directly south of Byleth. This will aggro the nearby five Thieves. On turn 3, have Edelgard kill the Thief next to her (her hit rate is a shaky 62%, so use Smash to bump it up to a more acceptable 82%), Claude kill the Thief who attacked Byleth, and Dimitri kill the Thief to his right. All of them will get a small experience boost from Byleth's personal skillProfessor's Guidance, and it's good to get used to taking advantage of this. Then have Byleth step north one space and kill the Thief to their right. On enemy phase, the last surviving Thief will attack Byleth. The last common step is to move Byleth into the forest to the northeast at the beginning of turn 4 and chug their Vulnerary.

• If favoringEdelgard orClaude, move Dimitri to Byleth's right and have him use a Vulnerary if he was hit twice on turn 2. Move Claude next to Byleth and give them his Iron Bow. If Claude is the favored lord, have him take Byleth's Iron Sword and kill the Thief, then have Edelgard hand over her gear to Byleth. If Edelgard is the favored lord, have Claude hand over his Vulnerary to Byleth as well, then move Edelgard next to Byleth to kill the Thief. Kostas and his minions will aggro at this point. On turn 5, move Dimitri two steps north and have him attack the nearby Thief. Move Byleth to chip Kostas with the Iron Bow, then move your favored lord one step south of Byleth to finish off the Thief Dimitri weakened with the Iron Bow (if the favored lord is Claude, return the Iron Sword to Byleth). On enemy phase, if Byleth dodged or triggered their Crest at some point, they will barely survive Kostas and his remaining thug tag-teaming them. On turn 6, have the favored lord finish the generic Thief, Dimitri surrender his equipment, and Byleth finish Kostas with Wrath Strike.
• If favoringDimitri, move Dimitri next to Byleth to finish off the Thief. Edelgard is mostly done for the map, so have her surrender her equipment to Dimitri. Move Claude next to Byleth. Kostas and his henchmen will aggro at this point. On turn 5, move Claude one step north of Byleth and have him useCurved Shot on the southeastern Thief. Then move Byleth to Claude's right, have them take Claude's gear, and kill the Thief with the bow. Move Edelgard south of Byleth and have her use trading to make Byleth equip their Iron Sword, then move Dimitri one step north of Claude and have him use a Vulnerary if he took two hits on turn 2. Both enemy Thieves will attack Byleth on enemy phase - they have a very good chance of dodging one or both attacks with the aid of the forest. On turn 6, have Edelgard remain in position, take the Iron Bow from Byleth, and chip Kostas. Then have Claude move to Edelgard's left, take the Iron Bow from her, and chip Kostas again with Curved Shot. Move Byleth one step left, take the Iron Bow, and finish off the generic Thief. Then have Dimitri kill Kostas.

Dialogue

InThree Houses, choosing the correct dialogue options throughout the game will net you bonus support points. The appropriate dialogue options are highlighted here:

• "Of course." (Pre-battle conversation with Jeralt, Jeralt support+) (Note that support points with Jeralt and Sothis provide no gameplay or storyline benefit, but are nice to have for completionists.)
• "I'm less than a child?" (Post-battle conversation with Sothis, Sothis support+)
• "Turn back the hands of time." (Post-battle conversation with Sothis, Sothis support+)
• "I'm a bandit." (Post-battle conversation with Alois and Jeralt, Alois support+)
• "I didn't know he was a captain." (Post-battle conversation with the house leaders, Edelgard support+)
• When given the choice of "Adrestian Empire: Land of Ancient History", "Holy Kingdom of Faerghus: Land of Noble Knights", or "Leicester Alliance: Burgeoning League of Nobles", whichever option you pick gives you support+ with the corresponding house leader.

Trivia

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

Etymology and other languages

An Inevitable Encounter

A Skirmish at Dawn

Gallery

• 
  Seiros reclaims theSword of the Creator fromNemesis during the opening cutscene.
• 
  Sothis appears toByleth.
• 
  Male Byleth reacts to Sothis winding back time.
• 
  Female Byleth reacts to Sothis winding back time.

References

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Playable characters Black Eagles Bernadetta •Caspar •Dorothea •Edelgard •Ferdinand •Hubert •Linhardt •Petra Blue Lions Annette •Ashe •Dedue •Dimitri •Felix •Ingrid •Mercedes •Sylvain Golden Deer Claude •Hilda •Ignatz •Leonie •Lorenz •Lysithea •Marianne •Raphael Other Alois •AnnaDLC •Byleth •Catherine •Cyril •Flayn •Gilbert •Hanneman •Jeritza •Manuela •Seteth •Shamir Ashen WolvesDLC Balthus •Constance •Hapi •Yuri Non-playable characters AbysskeeperDLC •Duke Aegir •Fleche •Gatekeeper •Duke Gerth •Ionius IX •Jeralt •Judith •Ladislava •Nader •Randolph •Rhea •Rodrigue •Sothis Bosses Acheron •AelfricDLC •Alois •Lord Arundel •Bias •Blaiddyd •Caspar •Catherine •Charon •Chilon •Claude •Cornelia •Daphnel •Dedue •Death Knight •Dimitri •Dominic •Baron Dominic •Edelgard •Felix •Ferdinand •Flame Emperor •Flayn •Fraldarius •Gautier •Gloucester •Goneril •Gwendal •Hubert •Ingrid •The Immaculate One •The Immovable •Judith •Kostas •Kronya •Ladislava •Lamine •Linhardt •Lonato •Lorenz •Mercedes •Metodey •Miklan •Myson •Nader •Nemesis •Baron OchsDLC •Odesse •Pallardó •Pittacus •Randolph •Rhea •Riegan •Rodrigue •Seteth •Shamir •Solon •Sylvain •Thales •Wandering Beast •The Wind Caller Background characters Count Bergliez •Margrave Gautier •Glenn •Count Gloucester •Count Hevring •Holst •Lambert •Monica •Patricia •Rufus •Seiros •Sitri •Tiana •Count Varley Legendary and personal weapons Aegis Shield •Areadbhar •Asclepius •Athame •Axe of Ukonvasara •Aymr •Blutgang •Caduceus Staff •Circe Staff •Crusher •Failnaught •Fetters of Dromi •Freikugel •The Inexhaustible •Lance of Ruin •Lúin •Ochain Shield •Rafail Gem •Scythe of Sariel •Seiros Shield •Spear of Assal •Sword of Begalta •Sword of Moralta •Sword of Seiros •Sword of the Creator •Tathlum Bow •Thunderbrand •Thyrsus •Vajra-Mushti Chapters Part I P:An Inevitable Encounter • 1:Three Houses • 2:Familiar Scenery • 3:Mutiny in the Mist • 4:The Goddess's Rite of Rebirth • 5:Tower of Black Winds • 6:Rumors of a Reaper • 7:Field of the Eagle and Lion • 8:The Flame in the Darkness • 9:The Cause of Sorrow • 10:Where the Goddess Dwells • 11:Throne of Knowledge • 12:To War /Outset of a Power Struggle Part II Silver Snow 13:Reunion at Dawn • 14:A King Without a Kingdom • 15:Valley of Torment • 16:The Rose-Colored River • 17:The Impregnable Fortress • 18:The Chaos of War • 19:Conclusion of the Crossing Roads • 20:The City Without Light • 21:Following a Dream Azure Moon 13:Reunion at Dawn • 14:The Delusional Prince • 15:Valley of Torment • 16:The Rose-Colored River • 17:Blood of the Eagle and Lion • 18:The King's Triumphant Return • 19:The Golden Deer's Plea • 20:The Impregnable Fortress • 21:Our Chosen Paths • 22:Oath of the Dagger Verdant Wind 13:Reunion at Dawn • 14:The Alliance Leader's Ambitions • 15:Valley of Torment • 16:The Rose-Colored River • 17:Blood of the Eagle and Lion • 18:The Golden Scheme • 19:The Chaos of War • 20:Conclusion of the Crossing Roads • 21:The City Without Light • 22:Fódlan's New Dawn Crimson Flower 13:Beyond Escape • 14:The Master Tactician • 15:Tempest of Swords and Shields • 16:Lady of Deceit • 17:Field of Revenge • 18:To the End of a Dream Paralogues Part I Black Market SchemeDLC •A Cursed RelicDLC •Death Toll •Dividing the World •Falling Short of Heaven •The Forgotten •Land of the Golden Deer •An Ocean View •Oil and Water •Rumored Nuptials •The Secret MerchantDLC •Sword and Shield of Seiros •Tales of the Red Canyon •True Chivalry •War for the Weak Part II Darkness Beneath the Earth •Dividing the World •Eternal Guardian •The Face Beneath •Foreign Land and Sky •Forgotten Hero •Insurmountable •Legend of the Lake •Retribution •The Secret MerchantDLC •The Silver Maiden •The Sleeping Sand Legend •Weathervanes of Fódlan Cindered Shadows 1:The Fourth House • 2:What Lies Beneath • 3:The Rite of Rising • 4:Danger in the Dark • 5:Betrayal • 6:Return to Me • 7:Wolf Pack Locations Fódlan •Adrestia •Faerghus •Garreg Mach Monastery (Abyss) •Leicester •Oghma Mountains •Shambhala •Almyra •Brigid •Dagda •Sreng •Zahras Groups, objects and concepts 10 Elites •Ashen Wolves •Black Eagles (Black Eagle Strike Force) •Blue Lions •Calendar •Children of the Goddess •Church of Seiros (Knights of Seiros) •Crests (Crest Stone) •Divine Pulse •Four Apostles •Four Saints •Golden Deer •Heroes' Relics •Insurrection of the Seven •Monsters •Those who slither in the dark •Tragedy of Duscur •War of Heroes Lists Abilities •Chapters •Characters •Classes (Class change) •Hidden treasure •Items (Monastery items) •Quests •Scripts •Supports •Weapons Related topics Class mastery •Documents •Downloadable content •Movie Gallery •Music Library •Minor characters •Name chart • Other games (Warriors: Three Hopes) •Pre-release information (Unused content) •Timeline