Lucius

"I have no where to go home to... If I did, it would be House Cornwell."

- Lucius to Raven in a suppport conversation.

Lucius (ルセア Rusea, romanized as Ruthea in Japan) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken. He is a Monk who follows the religion of Saint Elimine, and is deeply devoted to his best friend Raven. Due to his feminine appearance, he is often mistaken for being female.

Character History
Lucius was born in Etruria. His father was a famous mercenary for hire, who was killed by a thief in front of Lucius when he was three. His mother eventually died of sickness soon afterwards. As a keepsake, he still has the dagger that his father was stabbed with. Lucius was then taken into an orphanage, where he lived for the rest of his childhood and was often teased for his feminine appearance. He still remembers a teacher from there that was particularly cruel to him.

Lucius left the orphanage and began to travel as a monk. He became a retainer to House Cornwell, where he met the Marquess Cornwell's child, Raymond. He served him for more than ten years, before Marquess Cornwell and his wife was assassinated for reasons unknown to them. The death of Raymond's parents prompted Raymond with feelings of vengeance. Raymond suspected Ostia for the crime, and became a mercenary under the alias 'Raven'. Lucius constantly tries to persuade his lord not to blindly take revenge on Ostia.

While on his travels, he stopped by an inn and witnessed Ninian and Nils looking for help from the innkeeper, who were thrown out. Concerned, Lucius followed them outside and they briefly accompanied Lyn on her journey to reclaim Caelin, and he departed after it was over. A year later, he was seen traveling with Raven again. They are captured and imprisoned in Castle Caelin when it is taken over by Laus' soldiers, but it is possible for the player to rescue and recruit them.

If Lucius gets an A Support with Renault, he discovers Renault was the thief that murdered his father when he was a child, and forgives him. If Lucius should get an A Support with Raven, he convinces him not to seek revenge on Ostia, and they begin to travel together as mercenaries for hire.

In a possible ending in Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken, Lucius starts an orphanage on the Araphen border. In Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi, Chad, Lugh and Lleu reveal that they lived in an orphanage in Araphen. During the invasion, the one they call 'Father' tried to protect the garden from the Bern soldiers, and they killed him. There is no official evidence that suggests Lucius is this ill-fated 'Father' the children recall, however it is speculated by some that he might be.

Personality
Lucius is very kind and gentle to the other characters in Rekka no Ken, often expressing the faith of Saint Elimine. He almost never conveys anger towards any of them. This includes aggressive and violent people such as Karel, if he interacts with him in their Support Conversation. Likewise, he tries to help others he deems to be suffering, and sometimes at the expense of his own health; Lucius suffers from a spiritual illness, which afflicts him when he offers relief to people that are emotionally tormented. This makes Raven no exception, who Lucius tries to turn away from blindly taking revenge on Ostia for the destruction of House Cornwell.

Lucius' tenderness also seems to extend to those who have also caused him grief. He is quick to forgive Renault for the murder of his father, and empathizes with his regret. However, Lucius can also be very outspoken and stubborn. He refuses to withdraw when Raven tells him to stop following him and leave the battlefield. Similarly, he does not stop to badger his friend about his grudge against Ostia. An irritated Raven remarks in their A Support he does not want to marry, because Lucius jabbers enough at him.

Base Stats
|Monk |Light |3 |18 |7 |6 |10 |2 |1 |6 |6 |5 |Light Magic - D |Lightning Vulnerary

Growth Rates
|55% |60% |50% |40% |20% |10% |60%

Promotion Gains

 * HP +3
 * Magic +1
 * Defense +3
 * Res +3
 * Move +1
 * Con +1
 * Staff Mastery C

Supports
Raven, Renault, Priscilla, Karel, Serra

Overall
While Lucius joins Lyn's party during her mode, he leaves and cannot be recruited until Chapter 16. If Raven's sister Priscilla talks to her brother and recruits him, he can also recruit Lucius in turn. Note that while Lyn can initiate a conversation between her and Lucius, Lucius will not join her, meaning that it is imperative that Priscilla is selected for this map.

Overall, Lucius is the game's token glass cannon. He has very high magic, skill, speed, and resistance stats, while his HP, defense, and luck are very low, making him one of the most fragile units in the series when pitted against physical foes. The opposite goes for magic wielding enemies, as he can be the best magical tank in the game. Therefore, he can be a valuable asset in killing enemy dark magic users as one of few characters capable of using light magic; as long as you keep him protected, his destructive power for dealing with any low resistance enemies is almost peerless.

Lucius has some edge over other magic units, in that he has a C rank in staves the moment he promotes, opening up options such as powerleveling him through abusing the Barrier staff's given experience on use, and bringing him just short of using the ever useful Physic staff. His high magic and skill make him one of the best characters for using offensive staffs like Berserk. Lucius is also one of the few characters who has the potential to use Aureola, the others being Athos, Serra and Renault. However since Serra and Renault suffer from poorer magic growth rates and Athos has the capability of wielding Forblaze, Lucius is the best candidate for using Aureola if Athos uses Forblaze. Unfortunately, his lower consitution will weigh him down, meaning it is not a good idea to use Aureola without using a body ring.

Lyn's Tale
Lucius - The Traveling Monk

Lucius studies in Caelin for a time, but he departs after receiving summons to another land. He has since been seen traveling with a hard-eyed mercenary.

Eliwood's Tale
Lucius - The Light

Lucius lived a modest life in a remote corner of Araphen. He built a small orphanage, where he now cares for helpless children.

Lucius and Raven After the conflict, Raven revealed his past to Hector. Hector offered to rebuild Raven's home, but Raven refused. He and Lucius travel as mercenaries, but Lucius is pleased to see his friend's heart has been eased.

Quotes
"Our house...was invaded by a thief. My father was a famous mercenary, but the man was too strong. I saw my father fall before me.  I recall it sometimes, even now... The eyes of the thief who killed him. ...Like terrible dark stones set in his hate-filled face...... All he left behind was this dagger protruding from my father's chest."

- Lucius recounting his past.

"You...must understand. I am...a man. As a child, I was often teased for my appearance, and I have never once profited from it. Perhaps you meant to imply...otherwise?"

- Lucius on his appearance.

"You're like... You're my last family. Priscilla is... I should not think of that, should I... I was scared to lose the last of my family."

- Raven to Lucius.

"Blessed Saint Elimine, please grant us a miracle…"

- Final Chapter: Light quote

Defeat quote during Lyn's story:

Lucius: Ohhhh...

Lyn: Lucius!

Lucius: My apologies... I must withdraw. I do not want to burden you...

(End of chapter)

Lyn: How are you feeling, Lucius?

Lucius: My heart is heavy... I cannot travel with you anymore...not in this condition.

Lyn: I see... I'm grateful for all that you've done for us.

Lucius: May blessed Elimine keep you safe.

Trivia
There is typing error in the game where Raven refers to Lucius as a female, saying "she".

Etymology
"Lucius" is a now uncommonly used name derived from the Latin word "lucis", meaning "light". Lucius Tiberius was a fictional Roman emperor in Arthurian mythology who invaded the homeland of King Arthur's allies, but was defeated.