Raven (character)

"I'm human. I smile, I cry."

- Raven in a support conversation with Rebecca.

Raven (レイヴァン Reivan, Leyvan in the Japanese version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. He is a 19-year-old, hard-eyed Mercenary. He harbors a deep grudge against house Ostia, which plays a role in his recruitment.

In, he is voiced by Bryce Papenbrook in the English version.

History
Previously known as Lord Raymond of Cornwell, a house destroyed by Ostia for corruption, Raven is the brother of Priscilla. He is recruited by Priscilla once she finds him serving as a prisoner turned mercenary on the enemy's side. Knowing that she is a member of Eliwood's army, Raven joins in hopes of getting closer to Hector (brother of Marquess Ostia) for revenge. He later gives up on his plans for vengeance (either due to Priscilla or Lucius' support conversations). He is accompanied by Lucius, his vassal and only friend.

It is unknown if Raven participated in the War on Bern or if he even lived to the day of the war.

Personality
Due to his past with Ostia, Raven becomes distant and anti-social, coldly reminding Priscilla that he is now Raven, not Lord Raymond. Raven seems to despise everyone at first, though it is possible for him to become quite close to Rebecca, Lucius and Wil through support conversations. In his conversations with Wil, he expresses dislike for Wil's new habit of referring to him as "Rave", "Senior", and "Sir". In his conversations with Rebecca, he repairs her bowstring and she repays him by cooking him a meal. Raven's conversations with Lucius also lead to them growing very close, and he gains a more personable outlook on life, giving up on his revenge plot against Hector. He also converses with Bartre, who constantly challenges him to "duels of strength", which he finds bothersome and, more often than not, tries to avoid completely. Bartre also shows Raven his family tree after Raven teaches him writing. Raven tells Bartre to rewrite it, because he cannot read it.

In Game
Description: A troubled mercenary with a grudge against House Ostia.

Recruitment
He first appears in Chapter 16 or 17, depending on whether it is Eliwood's or Hector's mode. In Eliwood's mode, he will remain stagnant and it is vital to reach him with Priscilla before the Caelin soldiers escape and attack Raven, resulting in either his death or theirs. In Hector's mode, however, he fights alongside the remaining Laus soldiers, making him both easier (no need to rush to him with Priscilla) and harder (he could end up killing one of player's units, or be killed himself in counterattack) to recruit.

Growth Rates

 * 85%
 * 55%
 * 40%
 * 45%
 * 35%
 * 25%
 * 15%
 * }

Supports

 * Lucius
 * Priscilla
 * Rebecca
 * Wil
 * Bartre

Overall
Raven has rather high bases for his level in addition to well-balanced offensive growth rates. He will almost always end up with very high HP, Strength, Skill, and Speed, making him able to take out most enemies in one round. He also benefits from bonus stats in Hard mode since he starts out as an enemy. His only glaring weaknesses are his low Resistance, and Luck and his mediocre constitution and defense, though his poor resistance is typical among melee units. His constitution is high enough to permit him to wield Swords with impunity, but blades and axes will significantly encumber him, sometimes preventing him from doubling his targets. A Body Ring will help him overcome his issues wielding axes, though Raven is still generally fast enough to wield Iron Axes and Hand Axes without too much trouble.

Quotes
"If I die here… so be it."

- Final Chapter: Light quote

"...I'm done for. Is this really...the best I could aspire to?"

- Death Quote

"Yes... I was so distraught at the time... I believed the rumors without question. Without doubt. I truly did not care whether the lord of Ostia was guilty or not. I merely wanted to find a victim for the rage inside me... And you were right all along... I should have tried to understand..."

- Support Rank A with Lucius

Possible Endings
Raven - Sublime Mercenary

Raven vanished without a word. Many reports have placed him in Araphen, but none could be confirmed.

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.

Etymology
"Raven" may refer to the poem by Edgar Allen Poe, about a man mourning the death of a beloved woman and haunted by a raven. In Celtic folklore, ravens are either unlucky birds signaling death, or royal portents. The name "Raymond" comes from the Germanic elements "ragin" (advice) and "mund" (hand, protection). His family's old title Cornwell corrolates to Uther's name basis to Uther Pendragon and his conceiving of Arthur with Count Cornwell's wife (see Uther for a better understanding). This is only to some degree though.

Trivia

 * Raven, Linus, and Echidna are the only characters in any GBA Fire Emblem game to have unique battle sprites as the Hero Class. As opposed to the breastplate and spiked shoulder plates, Linus and Raven both wear knee-length jackets resembling their clothes in their respective official art.
 * Raven possesses identical growth rates to Cormag from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.
 * On the official Japanese website for Nintendo, Raven came in 4th place on the character popularity poll for Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword. The male-female vote ratio is 2:1.