Taking Leave (Japanese:旅の始まりThe Beginning of a Journey) is the eleventh chapter inFire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, and the first of Eliwood's tale.

Plot

Main article:Taking Leave/Script

A year has passed sinceLyn reclaimedCaelin from her granduncleLundgren. In that time,Marquess Pherae has disappeared along withPherae's best knights.Eliwood believes his father is still alive and sets out to find him along with two of Pherae's remaining knights,Marcus andLowen. While Lowen is scouting the nearby village for extra men to accompany Eliwood on his journey, a group of bandits led byGroznyi take over the village. Lowen manages to escape with the daughter of the village magistrate,Rebecca, who pleads with Eliwood to save her village; Eliwood agrees to lend his aid. Rebecca insists that she help as well, given her skill with a bow. IfMark is present, Lowen reveals that he also received an offer of help from a tactician who was staying at a nearby inn. Eliwood is pleased to have a proven strategist by his side and asks that they lend their aid against the bandits. During the battle,Bartre andDorcas emerge from a nearby village to see Eliwood's efforts to liberate Rebecca's village, and decide to aid him.

After Groznyi is defeated, the village elder thanks Eliwood and his group for their gracious help. The elder also reveals thatDarin, the Marquess ofLaus, is making preparations for war. Marcus speculates that Darin's war preparations might be related to Elbert's disappearance, and Eliwood decides to head towards Laus to seek out any leads on his father's whereabouts.

Outside of the village, if Mark is present, Eliwood requests that Mark accompany him on the rest of his journey, to which they accept. If Rebecca survived the battle, she begins to follow Eliwood once he leaves, but is stopped by her father; he tries to dissuade her from travelling with Eliwood, but Rebecca insists, both to repay Eliwood for saving her life and for the chance that she may encounter her brother. Her father relents and allows Rebecca to join Eliwood's group.

Chapter data

NormalHard

Chapter Data
Conditions	Unit Data
Victory: Seize the gate	Player	Partner	Other	Enemy	Third
Defeat:Eliwood dies	4+2	{{{partner}}}	{{{other}}}	10	{{{third}}}
Map dimensions: 18 columns by 12 rows

Chapter Data
Conditions	Unit Data
Victory: Seize the gate	Player	Partner	Other	Enemy	Third
Defeat:Eliwood dies	4+2	{{{partner}}}	{{{other}}}	13	{{{third}}}
Map dimensions: 18 columns by 12 rows

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Character data

Characters
New units
Eliwood Lord HP 18 Inventory Rapier Vulnerary Level 1 Automatically from turn 1 Marcus Paladin HP 32 Inventory Steel Sword Steel Lance Level 1 Automatically from turn 1 Lowen Cavalier HP 23 Inventory Iron Sword Javelin Level 2 Automatically from turn 1 Rebecca Archer HP 17 Inventory Iron Bow Vulnerary Level 1 Automatically from turn 1 Dorcas Fighter HP 30 Inventory Steel Axe Energy Ring Level 3 Automatically on turn 2 Bartre Fighter HP 29 Inventory Iron Axe Hand Axe Level 2 Automatically on turn 2
Available characters
None

Item data

Items

Name Obtainment Method Dragonshield Visitvillage

Shop Data

Armories and vendors

SwordsLancesAxesBowsAnimaLightDarkStavesItemsSecret

None

None

None

None

None

None

None

None

	Name	Cost
	Vulnerary	300

None

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Enemy data

Stats with two figures separated by a ~ are presented as a range, representing stats that vary due to random growths. The figures to the left and right of the ~ are the stat's minimum and maximum possible values respectively.

NormalHard

Enemy Units

Name Class Lv # HP Str/Mag Mag Skill Spd Lck Prf Wlv Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills Groznyi Brigand 5 1 25 7 4 4 1 4 2 12 5 Iron Axe Does not move; stands on agate, the chapter's seize point. Bandit Archer 1 1 18 4 3 3 0 3 0 7 5 Iron Bow Moves to attack units in range. Bandit Brigand 2 2 20~21 5~6 1~2 5~6 0 3~4 0~1 12 5 Iron Axe Moves to attack units in range. Bandit Brigand 1 4 20 5 1 5 0 3 0 12 5 Iron Axe The easternmost one and the one four tiles east ofGroznyi move to attack units in range. Bandit Brigand 3 1 21~22 5~7 1~2 5~6 0 3~4 0~1 12 5 Iron Axe -- Bandit Archer 2 1 18~19 4~5 3~4 3~4 0 3~4 0~1 7 5 Iron Bow --

Enemy Units

Name Class Lv # HP Str/Mag Mag Skill Spd Lck Prf Wlv Def Res Cha Lck Con Mov Inventory and Skills Groznyi Brigand 5 1 25 7 4 4 1 4 2 12 5 Iron Axe Does not move; stands on agate, the chapter's seize point. Bandit Archer 1 1 18 4 3 3 0 3 0 7 5 Iron Bow Moves to attack units in range. Bandit Brigand 2 2 20~21 5~6 1~2 5~6 0 3~4 0~1 12 5 Iron Axe Moves to attack units in range. Bandit Brigand 1 7 20 5 1 5 0 3 0 12 5 Iron Axe The easternmost one and the one four tiles east ofGroznyi move to attack units in range. Bandit Brigand 3 1 21~22 5~7 1~2 5~6 0 3~4 0~1 12 5 Iron Axe -- Bandit Archer 2 1 18~19 4~5 3~4 3~4 0 3~4 0~1 7 5 Iron Bow --

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Boss data

Main article:Groznyi

Brigand Level 5 Affinity --

Stats Max HP 25 Luck 1 Strength 7 Defense 4 Skill 4 Resistance 2 Speed 4 Constitution 12 Movement 5 Aid 11

Inventory Iron Axe Weapon Levels -- -- D -- -- -- -- --

Strategy

The easiest way to clear this chapter is to charge forward withMarcus as he can one round every single enemy with theSteel Sword. By contrast, to secure a kill with your other units often requires that theBrigands be weakened by two other units. If you decide to let Marcus take the majority of the kills, make sureEliwood keeps pace with the rest of the group by rescuing him withLowen. Such a strategy may seem like it will deprive your other units of experience, but Marcus will not be able to kill everything as he smashes his way toGroznyi so let your other units pick up experience from those units along the way. Even if you decide to focus on feeding experience and kills to your unpromoted units, do not be afraid to use Marcus. The ability to eliminate any enemy in a single turn is invaluable and can often save your weaker units from facing unnecessary risk.

Groznyi is barely stronger than the otherBrigands on the map, meaning Marcus can take him out in one round, and he gains a decent chunk of experience if you let him take the kill. You can give the kill to your weaker units but the non-sword wielders will have somewhat unreliablehit rates; additionally, Eliwood and Lowen cannot double Groznyi, so expect to take at least an additional turn to finish the map.

As long as Eliwood uses his full movement range every turn or isrescue dropped on turns he cannot, Eliwood should be able to seize the gate by turn 5 or 6.

The only difference in hard mode is that there are three extraBrigands. None of them are particularly strong or threatening and can be taken out by Marcus in one round.

Etymology and other languages

Gallery

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References