Prologue IV (Japanese:序章　結Prologue: Conclusion) is the fourth chapter inFire Emblem: Shadow Dragon on Normal difficulty, and the final chapter of the game's prologue.

Plot

Main article:Prologue IV/Script

Marth lays low in a forest on the Altean border, waiting for an opening to escape the kingdom. Eventually, the enemy watch begins to weaken, and Marth and company seize the opportunity to flee.Malledus explains that the plan is to escape toTalys, an island kingdom to the east which is allied withAltea. The group will cut through a prison to reach the northeast shore, where a boat will take them to safety. Malledus reminds Marth to be on the lookout for enemies who are fighting against their will or better judgement, who may be convinced to defect to Marth's side.

As Marth makes his way to the prison, the enemy captain decides to set a trap for Marth. TheGra forces dress up a captured Altean archer namedGordin in their uniform and leave him restrained and gagged in the prison, hoping for Marth to mistake him for an enemy soldier plotting an ambush. If Marth kills him, it will damage Altean morale by making Marth look like a tyrant who kills his own men.

If Marth sees through the ruse and frees Gordin, who promptly joins his group, KingJiol of Gra outflanks them with a retinue ofGrust's elite Sable Order knights. Malledus realizes that their only hope of survival is to send a decoy dressed as Marth to lure the Sable Order away. Marth protests, realizing that the decoy would have almost no chance of survival, but Malledus insists. One of Marth's men dresses as Marth and flees, and Jiol and the Sable Order fall for the ruse and chase him. The Gra captain then unlocks the north door, allowing Marth to proceed. If Marth falls for the trick and kills Gordin, the captain mocks him for his foolishness before unlocking the door. The captain also unlocks the door if Marth's entire retinue is wiped out.

Marth overcomes the last of the enemy forces. An Altean knight namedDraug arrives with a boat to flee Altea discreetly; if two or more of Marth's men have been killed during the escape, he is accompanied by a volunteer archer namedNorne. If Marth recruited Gordin, Jiol and the Sable Knights realize their folly and prepare to kill the decoy, who bids Marth good luck before facing his fate. As Marth and his crew finally make for Talys, Marth laments the loss of his family and kingdom. He again vows to save Altea and defeat Gra andDolhr.

Chapter data

Chapter Data
Conditions	Unit Data
Victory: Seize	Player	Partner	Other	Enemy	Third
Defeat:Marth dies	5+1	{{{partner}}}	{{{other}}}	9+15−1−10	{{{third}}}
Map dimensions: 19 columns by 30 rows

Character data

Characters
New units
Gordin Archer HP 18 Inventory -- Level 1 Enemy, talk to withMarth Draug Knight HP 20 Inventory Iron Lance Level 1 Automatically at the end of the chapter Norne Archer HP 16 Inventory Iron Bow Level 1 Automatically at the end of the chapter, if the player has four units or fewer (excluding Draug)
Forcibly deployed characters
Available characters

Item data

Items

Name Obtainment Method Door Key Automatically at the start of the chapter Iron Bow Dropped by enemyArcher Steel Bow Visit thevillage Vulnerary Dropped by theCaptain

Enemy data

Stats with a decimal can vary randomly; the decimal represents the chance for the stat to increase to the nearest integer, or otherwise be truncated.

Enemy Units

Name Class Lv # HP Str Mag Skill Spd Lck Prf Wlv Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills Captain Cavalier 2 1 18.6 5.35 0 2.3 6.2 0.2 7.3 0.2 -- Javelin •Vulnerary Stands on the chapter's seize point. Gra Mage 1 1 16 0 3 1 3 0 2 3 6 Fire Begins moving if the northernSoldier is provoked. Gra Soldier 1 3 16 3 0 3 4 0 3 0 6 Iron Lance • The northern one begins moving if theMage is provoked. • The southern two both begin moving if either of them or the nearbyArcher is provoked. Gra Archer 1 1 16 5 0 3 4 0 6 0 5 Iron Bow Begins moving if a southernSoldier is provoked. Gra Archer 1 1 16 5 0 3 4 0 4 0 5 Iron Bow Begins moving if a nearbyFighter is provoked. Gra Fighter 1 1 20 5 0 1 7 0 2 0 6 Hand Axe •Vulnerary Begins moving if the nearbyArcher or Fighter is provoked. Gra Fighter 1 1 20 5 0 1 7 0 2 0 6 Iron Axe Begins moving if the nearbyArcher or Fighter is provoked.

Reinforcements

Name Class Lv # HP Str Mag Skill Spd Lck Prf Wlv Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills Gordin Archer 1 1 18 5 0 3 4 4 6 0 5 -- -- Gra Pegasus Knight 1 4 16 4 2 5 7 0 4 6 8 Iron Lance -- Gra Knight 11 10 35 11 0 5 2 0 17 1 5 Silver Lance Leaves the map once a decoy is chosen.

Reinforcements

• Enemy phase of turn 1
  • Gordin appears in the prison
• Turns 7 and 14
  • TwoPegasus Knights from the western forts
• At the end of the turn Gordin is recruited
  • TenKnights from the southwest corner of the map
    • These reinforcements leave the map once a decoy is chosen.

Boss data

Main article:Captain

Stats with a decimal can vary randomly; the decimal represents the chance for the stat to increase to the nearest integer, or otherwise be truncated.

Cavalier Level 2 Movement --

Stats Max HP 18.6 Speed 6.2 Strength 5.35 Luck 0.2 Magic 0 Defense 7.3 Skill 2.3 Resistance 0.2

Inventory Javelin Vulnerary Weapon Levels E C -- -- -- --

Strategy

New Unit:

• Gordin: Anarcher with average base stats and growths, consistent with other starting bow units in the game.

Strategy:

• Continue with the cautious approach.
• Upon recruiting Gordin, invincibleKnights attack. To proceed, you must sacrifice a unit.Best Option:Gordin, due to his lower stats.Alternative Options: SacrificingJagen alters some future scenes and bringsDraug into the picture. However,Frey is the canonical sacrifice. Ensure you transfer the items of the sacrificed unit.Note: If Gordin is the sacrifice, consider havingMarth kill him for added experience. This action will automatically open the north door.
• If all units except Marth are defeated, the north door will open, although this isn't the recommended strategy.
• Engage incomingPegasus Knights for bonus experience. Gordin can benefit from this if you retain him.
• TheCaptain is vulnerable to Marth'sRapier, which triples its might against cavalry.

Potential New Recruit:

• Norne: If two or more units (including the decoy) are lost in the prologue, this archer joins. Norne is quicker but weaker than Gordin. Choosing between the two archers is subjective. Using both is feasible, but not recommended since recruiting Norne requires another Cavalier's loss andCastor joins in Chapter 2. Reclassing becomes available from Chapter 4, offering more strategic flexibility.

Trivia

• Unlike other chapters in the game, theDoor Key obtained in this chapter cannot be discarded ortraded with other units.

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

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References