Karel

"Perhaps you think so now, but we both follow the way of the sword... All paths of the sword lead to one place."

- Karel, in a support with Rutger

Karel (カレル, Kareru) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Fuin no Tsurugi and Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken. He was a Sacaen swordmaster who took two titles over the course of his career: the hostile "Sword Demon", and the benevolent "Sword Saint".

Rekka no Ken
He lived only to find challengers worthy of his blade and will kill opponents in battle without remorse or hesitation. To obtain the infamous Wo Dao, he murdered his entire family, with the exception of his sister, whom he saw as no threat at the time. His feats — including fighting armies alone and slaying a wizard that could freeze blood in a person's veins and killing a stone giant who was three times the size of a regular man — have earned him infamy across Elibe, as well as the title of "Sword Demon", revealed in a Support conversation with Dart. He was Karla's older brother and eventually taught Guy swordplay, discovering that he was unwilling to kill them.

Fūin no Tsurugi
Karel became the uncle of Fir, the daughter of his late sister Karla. He retired from active combat and traveled the land with a new nickname, the "Sword Saint", and resolve, having finally found peace in himself after many years. He appeared to dislike the title he was given, claiming it is a false name, perhaps because of guilt for his past actions. Bartre was married to Karla, which made Karel and Bartre brothers-in-law. He had no real interest in the overall state of the world around him, only joining the fight on behalf of his remaining family.

Karel enters the game as a level 19 Swordmaster and has some of the best growths in the entire series (However, he can only level up once). He can be obtained in the third to last chapter, by visiting the eastern village with either Fir or Bartre.

Recruitment
For Karel to appear instead of Harken, open 4 or more doors by the end of turn 9 on Jerme's Map, or kill 2 or more of the 3 specific promoted enemies before turn 9 on Kenneth's map. Talk to Karel with Lyn or your main lord.

Initial Stats

 * FE7swordmaster.png Swordmaster
 * GBALight.gif Light
 * 8
 * 31
 * 16
 * 23
 * 20
 * 15
 * 13
 * 12
 * 9
 * 6
 * Sword.gif Sword - A
 * Wodao.gif Wo Dao
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 70%
 * 30%
 * 50%
 * 50%
 * 30%
 * 10%
 * 15%
 * }

Supports

 * Dart
 * Geitz
 * Guy
 * Karla
 * Lucius

Initial Stats

 * FE7swordmaster.png Swordmaster
 * GBALight.gif Light
 * 19
 * 44
 * 20
 * 28
 * 23
 * 18
 * 15
 * 13
 * 9
 * 6
 * Sword.gif Sword - S
 * Wodao.gif Wo Dao
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 210%
 * 130%
 * 140%
 * 140%
 * 120%
 * 110%
 * 100%
 * }

Supports

 * Bartre
 * Fir
 * Noah
 * Rutger
 * Zeiss

Base Stats

 * Swordmaster
 * 8
 * 38
 * 19
 * 5
 * 34
 * 32
 * 24
 * 16
 * 15
 * 6
 * Avoid +10.png +10 Vantage (Kakusei).pngge Astra (FE13).png Luna (FE13).png
 * SwordIconFE13.png - B
 * [[File:Silver Sword FE13 Icon.png]]Silver Sword*
 * }

* Enemy only, joins unequipped

Quotes
"Death cannot be bested with a sword... My skills are not yet honed to such a level. I should take my leave of this battle."

- Karel's retreat quote in Rekka no Ken

"As long as there's someone to cut, you will have my aid."

- Final Chapter Quote in Rekka no Ken

"Your name is Mark, correct? A tactician? I see. You use wisdom as your blade... Interesting... Mark, I will remember you name."

- Karel to the Tactician in Hector Chapter 28.

"So let's see the power of the Demon Dragon."

- Final Chapter Quote in Fuin no Tsurugi

"No, you have not made any mistakes. The path you choose on your own is never wrong. In fact, I shall assist you from now on."

- Karel, being recruited by Fir.

"It is pointless to marvel over one's power. That is not the kind of strength I seek."

- Karel in his Rank C Support with Fir

"The way of the sword... Is not something that be taught, Fir. A sword is simply a sword. It is a weapon used to kill people. There's no strength in this piece of metal. I have lived by the sword since I was born, but my blade never gained any power. True strength is not the power of a weapon. It is something that cannot be seen. We all have it within us, even you Fir."

- Karel passing on his wisdom in his Rank B Support with Fir.

"...Fir. You were always looking at your Mother's back and following after her. And you've come to me for advice because you've lost sight of your Mother. But Fir... You are not your mother, nor are you me. The path which you seek does not lie behind us. It lies in front of you. It is you who must cut open that path for yourself. That isn't something that can be taught. It is something which you must discover on your own."

- Karel guiding Fir down the right path in his Rank A Support with her.

Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken
Karel - Saint of Swords

Once, Karel was known as the Sword Demon. Now, he bears a new name. What prompted this change, he will not say.

Fire Emblem: Fuin no Tsurugi
Sword Master - Karel

Karel retired to a small Village in the mountains of Bern and lived his life in peace. Although many Swords came to him seeking direction, he never did teach any of them directly.

Trivia

 * In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, his sprite can be seen in the title sequence for Swordmaster. He is not seen at all in the game.
 * The title Kensei (Saint of Swords/Sword Saint) was a title possessed by the historical Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. This name is the Japanese name of the Trueblade class in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
 * The English title "Sword Demon" is reminiscent of Dugu Qiubai.
 * Karel shares the title of Saint of Swords with Guy and Fir. Both swordsmen are associated with Karel, Guy can potentially be his pupil, and Fir is his niece.
 * Karel shares his title of Sword Saint with the Holy Crusader Odo.
 * The Fūin no Tsurugi version of Karel has the highest growths in Fire Emblem history, but he can only take advantage of them for one level.
 * Karel has the lowest defense growth in Rekka no Ken, yet he has the highest Defense growth in Fuin no Tsurugi.

Etymology
This name is a variant of the name 'Karl' and the root of names like Charles. The word 'carl' in Middle English meant 'man,' often a low-class man or 'churl'; it was used as an insult during the early Middle Ages in England. This name might refer to Charlemagne, the famous king of the Franks.