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Chapter -1: The Duchess of Tahra
So. Before we even get into the game properly, it's clear a lot of things got changed, including...
The Demo Mode! Yes, as it says, Lyn won't be appearing here.
Some classes have got new weapon types...
And sometimes incomprehensible colour pallet mess-ups happen.
Anyway!
Mode select! Linoan replaces Lyn - except, apparently, to the left there. I don't know why, but there are some minutiae like this that don't appear to have been changed, or aren't able to be changed.
All the menus now have a nice little Mario themed background to them. There isn't much of interest in Extras, it's the Sound Room and Support Conversations and so on and so forth. The sound is unchanged, though it was planned to be different. Technical difficulties arose, apparently.
I'm going with Linoan Normal to show off some stuff that's changed that doesn't exist in Normal, not because I'm a wuss. You'll see soon. Promise.
This is probably a reference to the infamous ?Minus World? of Super Mario Land. MK404 does like his Mario references.
I'm going to change the tactician up a bit.
Better. You can see the Mario background has scrolled onwards here.
I thought you said Lyn wasn't in this one! Apparently these things can't be changed, or are too much effort, or something. All the stills that appear in vanilla FE7 pop up during the story here, and sometimes it gets a bit weird.
It's Linoan! Linoan, for those who haven't played FE5 nor read the LP, is a character you obtain during gameplay. She's mostly minor and not terribly plot-relevant, but MK404 was a self-described dedicated Linoan fanboy for many years. It's cool. Some people just take to minor characters. Her original spritework had considerably more orange hair, but the official art had it as pink, so there you go.
Oh, is that how we're explaining that?
: What happened to her, you say? Well, apparently they say she disappeared a while ago. I ended up living here by chance. Oh, you haven't said who you are yet. Would you mind telling me?
: Aranea, is it? I'm pleased to meet you. If you wouldn't mind, would you share your story?
I didn't hear anything.
: I'll go check outside. Please stay here, alright?
She pops outside for a quick look. That's definitely not a Female!Lord sprite...
Bandits always seem to live in mountains, in these games. Maybe they're just recluses with ways different to our own. Though if they're trying to axe us, I don't suppose it matters.
: They must be planning on raiding the local villages! I... I must stop them! If that's all of them, I think I can take them on my own. You'll be safe in here, Aranea.
well i uh
: Oh, you're a strategist? You don't see those everyday...
Yes ma'am.
: Very well. We'll go together!
I'm coming, I'm coming. The strategist sprite doesn't change for a female strategist, by the way.
: Just be careful out here, alright Aranea?
I'm going to hide behind you. I don't have any weapon ranks. Or a battle sprite. Or growth rates. Or anything. 
We're gonna try, MK.
This is why I played Normal. The tutorial text breaks the fourth wall something rotten. There is one point where we will very much need MK404's help, but that's later on.
As usual, the tactician spontaneously disappears as soon as the fighting starts.
The tutorial chapter is basically the same, except we have Linoan instead of Lyn. It's a trade I'm happy with, and I'll explain why at the end.
More Mario menus (in full colour!), and Linoan's starting stats. She retains her class from FE5, Sister, along with its weapon ranks... after a fashion. In FE5 she came with E ranks in Fire/Thunder/Wind (which have been condensed into Anima for this installment), B in Light which has become a C, and a C in staffs which remains as it was. We start with a basic Lightning tome and a Heal staff, and same as Lyn, two vulneraries.
All items now have cute little descriptions. The heal staff formula is explicity spelled out. That's nice for people who don't know it.
Batta remains Batta. He's a point stronger and 2 points faster than he usually is, but he's still Batta the Beast.
In case you were wondering. Do let me know if you want me to show these or not.
Let's get on with it, then.
Alright alright. No change there, then.
He moves closer, but isn't in attack range.
...What? ...It's a mudah.swf reference, I think. Za Warudo and all that. It was popular on the FE forum MK404 frequented (and that I did too, at that time.)
...Right. Running out of things to say?
It displays 2 squares of attack range, but due to scripting issues...
Only 1-space range is valid, because Lyn can't attack from range in the base game. We're forced through as if we weren't wielding the holy light of justice. Bah.
This is ...easier with magic, because Brigands aren't generally magical tanks. We still don't 2HKO him, though, most likely so scripts don't explode everywhere. Hard mode has no such restrictions, as usual for FE7.
And then the enemy phase counterattack initiates as expected;
Everything proceeds according to the prophecy... I mean, original chapter.
: I've been hurt, though... I must... heal myself.
Same song and dance as Lyn Normal.
: Now let's go get that brigand over by that hut!
Again, only close-range is viable, to stop everything from breaking. It doesn't display the 2-range this time, though, for some reason.
Better numbers than Lyn puts up, but that's mostly down to magic.
: Who do you think you are? You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?
Hits all around, so it goes.
We all know that isn't happening. Foreknowledge is overpowered. Linoan scores a crit as usual, even though it's totally redundant, and kills Batta. In case anyone is wondering, Linoan's sprites use an edited version of Lucius' Monk ones.
...Lyn? oh god why?!
It's the same level Lyn gets in Normal, by the way.
: Thank the heavens for aiding me. Apologies if I worried you. I wonder... I wonder what's going to be in store for me next...
Yeah alright already geez.
And we pass out from excitement or something, because it immediately fades to black, and then it's tomorrow.
: Are you awake yet?
That phrase never leads to good things.
: You see, I can't stay here much longer. I'm looking for two certain people. Would you like to help?
Well we're apparently an out-of-work strategist who makes a habit of passing out in the field, so...
...Open mouth, insert foot.
: My mother died of natural causes. My father was... executed by the Grandbell Empire. He was only trying to help a friend of mine. My father was the Duke of Tahra, and now I'm the Duchess.
: But I had to flee. The Grandbell Empire is aiming for complete control... and I wound up here.
On a totally different continent? Wow.
oh man no don't cry
: No. No more. I won't cry anymore. ? ? ? I'm sorry. I'm alright now. Aranea, I need-- I must become stronger, so that I may avenge my parents' deaths! But I feel I may need the help of my friends. I won't accomplish anything by sitting here alone.
Working for a Duchess probably pays well.
: You will? That's wonderful! Oh, thank you so much! I know we'll succeed together, I just know it!
Wouldn't be much of a game if we didn't!
And that's that! Next time:
Characters Encountered:
Linoan
Class: Sister
Growths;
HP 65%, MAG 45%, SKL 60%, SPD 55%, LUK 55%, DEF 20%, RES 45%
E Anima, C Light, C Staff
Linoan replaces Lyn as the Lord for the first ten chapters. She hails from Fire Emblem 5, and since then her growths have increased, by 15% HP and 10% DEF. RES didn't exist in FE5 as MAG was used as defence against incoming magic, and I assume her MAG and RES growths are the same in this hack to reflect that fact. She's mandatory for the first 10 chapters and intermittently after that, the same as Lyn, so it's worth putting some effort into raising her. She loses 5% HP and 5% SPD growth compared to Lyn, but gets an extra 5% MAG and 15% RES, which is a more than acceptable trade -- given how light the magic she uses is, the 5% speed shouldn't matter.