Jeritza

"Sorry, I don't like buddying up with others. If you don't have any particular business, leave."

- Jeritza speaking to Byleth

Jeritza is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. He is a teacher at the Officers Academy. He possesses a Minor Crest of Lamine.

Early Life
Jeritza was born Emile von Bartels in the Imperial Year 1158 as the son of Baron Bartels. He is the younger half-brother of Mercedes having different fathers. He remained in House Bartels after his mother and sister left in 1167. In his supports with Mercedes it is revealed that he remained behind to keep them safe. Sometime afterwards, Jeritza overheard Baron Bartels attempt to find and claim Mercedes as his wife so he could continue his bloodline, prompting Jeritza to immediately slay him and destroy House Bartels in the process.

He was eventually taken into House Hrym and changed his name to Jeritza. He wouldn't see his sister again until she enrolled at the Officers Academy.

Academy phase
Jeritza is a teacher at the Officers Academy. As the fencing instructor, his main duty is training students. Jeritza is actually the true identity of the Death Knight&mdash;an imposing figure working for the Flame Emperor. As the Death Knight, he shows his bloodthirsty personality, using his scythe to fight against the Church at night.

He makes his first appearance as the Death Knight during a raid in the Holy Mausoleum. During this encounter, he remains uninterested in fighting Byleth and their party unless they approach or attack him. He then appears in a secret dungeon within the monastery during Flayn's kidnapping, eager to fight Byleth, but the Flame Emperor eventually orders him to retreat to his dismay. Afterward, Jeritza is no longer part of the Academy staff and can not be found in the monastery. The Death Knight arrives with reinforcements to support Solon in Remire Village.

During Edelgard's invasion of Garreg Mach, the Death Knight appears as a general leading the initial attack, though his defeat is not necessary. If Byleth sided with Edelgard, he will appear later on in the battle after Flayn has been defeated and seals off church reinforcements. Byleth is shocked at his arrival, but Edelgard states that he is an ally and will explain everything after the battle; however, Rhea transforms into The Immaculate One and knocks Byleth unconscious, waking up after five years.

Crimson Flower
Because the Flame Emperor is Edelgard, he is willing to lend his strength to the Adrestian Empire and is promoted to the ranks of a commander in the imperial army. After Byleth's return, if Manuela was recruited upon the Black Eagle Strike Force, she tells them that she encountered the Death Knight at Garreg Mach when Byleth was gone. She explains that she learned that the Death Knight was staying at Garreg Mach and, demanding vengeance, sets forth to the monastery. However, much to her surprise, the Death Knight offers a sincere apology for stabbing her five years ago and a confrontation was avoided. In the Base Game, aside from this mention, Jeritza nor the Death Knight are actually seen throughout the rest of the story. After the 3.0 update, Jeritza becomes a playable character, automatically joining during the War Phase.

Azure Moon
The Death Knight is stationed at Fort Merceus as the Kingdom of Faerghus prepares to begin its assault on Adrestia. Among the forces is once again Mercedes, who desires to talk to him during the battle if possible. Despite being a fearsome opponent, he is mortally wounded and the Fort is seized by the Kingdom.

On his death throes, if his and Mercedes' Paralogue has been completed, she will comfort him in his final moments, lamenting that she was not there to take care of him. His final words are feebly saying her name.

Verdant Wind
Although the Death Knight is fought at Fort Merceus, upon sensing the Javelins of Light unleashed by Those Who Slither in the Dark, he begins retreating from the battlefield. On a whim, he warns Byleth and the Alliance army to evacuate or die. Because of this, they manage to escape just in time to witness Merceus completely demolished.

The Death Knight participates in the Empire's last stand at Enbarr, assisting in its defense with Hubert and, if they weren't recruited, Caspar, Linhardt, and Petra. He meets his end in the battle.

Silver Snow
Although the Death Knight is fought at Fort Merceus, upon sensing the Javelins of Light unleashed by Those Who Slither in the Dark, he begins retreating from the battlefield. On a whim, he warns Byleth and the Resistance Army to evacuate or die. Because of this, they manage to escape just in time to witness Merceus completely demolished.

The Death Knight participates in the Empire's last stand at Enbarr, assisting in its defense with Hubert. He meets his end in the battle.

Paralogue
Jeritza appears as the Death Knight in the paralogue The Face Beneath unlocked if you have Mercedes and Caspar in your house and if the player isn't on the Crimson Flower route. By that point, Mercedes has realized his true identity, her younger half-brother Emile, who was raised in House Bartels while she and their mother left to live in a church in eastern Faerghus. His life in House Bartels was an unpleasant one, transforming him into a heartless man who lives for battle and slaughter, and at some point, he was adopted into House Hrym.

At the end of the paralogue, he warns Mercedes to leave the monastery or face death. When she insists on staying in the monastery, he gives her the Rafail Gem before leaving, warning her, Caspar, and Byleth that the next time they meet, he would kill them. If Caspar managed to land the final blow on him, Jeritza will give him the Scythe of Sariel as a sign of respect.

Personality
Jeritza dislikes mingling with others so much that he will outright reject people who attempt polite banter. Despite his enigma, Jeritza's martial prowess has earned him a place in the monastery. He is very perceptive, immediately seeing through Claude's schemes in the Golden Deer route and recognized that the "reinforcements" were enemies in disguise.

Though he craves battle, he is ultimately loyal to the Flame Emperor in his Death Knight persona. He also has a lingering attachment to his elder half-sister Mercedes. He displays an unusual act of mercy to her in this one instance by allowing her to walk free without an incident in their paralogue but reinforces that this is a one time act and he will not be so kind the next time they meet. Perhaps out of his lust for battle, he warns Byleth of the incoming "javelins of light," which he was able to sense approaching earlier so that Byleth could evacuate and fight him again another day.

Due to his isolation from Mercedes and his mother, Jeritza suffers from personality disorder, switching between his normal and Death Knight persona. He seems to be relatively aware of this, as he intended to leave Mercedes out of fear that he would accidentally hurt her. This can be quelled in his S-Support with Byleth, having spent time with them enough that he realizes that he has fallen for them and that they are the only one that can dispel his Death Knight persona.

Despite appearing to be cold and distant to others, Jeritza cares for the well-being of his mother and Mercedes. His supports with her reveal that he stayed behind with Baron Bartels because if he had gone with them, Bartels would have relentlessly searched for his heir and have both his mother and Mercedes killed. When he overheard that his father wanted to take his own daughter as his wife, Jeritza immediately slew him and destroyed his House simply to keep her safe.

He also enjoys ice cream.

Base Stats
* Dropped upon defeat

Growth Rates

 * 60%
 * 55%
 * 30%
 * 60%
 * 35%
 * 40%
 * 55%
 * 50%
 * 40%
 * }

Learned Magic

 * D
 * Thunder
 * Heal
 * D+
 * Nosferatu
 * C
 * Thoron
 * Restore
 * C+
 * B
 * Death Γ
 * B+
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * B
 * Death Γ
 * B+
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * A
 * A+
 * }
 * A+
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }

Supports

 * Byleth (S-Support with male and female Byleth)
 * Mercedes

Fire Emblem Heroes
The Reaper
 * The Flame Emperor's subordinate, a knight who desires only to fight the strong. Given his name due to his scythe and dark steed. Appears in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Base Stats
Rarity: ✯✯✯✯✯

Three Houses

 * Death Knight/Quotes

Heroes

 * Death Knight/Heroes Quotes

Possible Endings
Jeritza - Bloodstained Demon

Jeritz and Byleth
 * After the war for Fodlan, Byleth and Jeritza threw themselves fully into Emperor Edelgard's struggle against those who slither in the dark. Though the battle proved vicious, none could stand against the combined might of shining sword and reaper's scythe, and the pair became venerated by history as heroes of Adrestia. Once those who slither in the dark were forever vanquished, the two heroes stole away in secret and vanished without a trace. Their whereabouts thereafter have been the subject of much conjecture among historians.

Jeritza and Mercedes
 * Once those who slither in the dark were finally defeated, Mercedes left home and opened a small orphanage in the Faerghus region with her mother. After many years of kind service raising children who had lost their families, she received a letter bearing familiar handwriting. Its author, a prisoner in Enbarr, expressed his sincerest well-wishes to Mercedes and her family. Still more time passed until, one day, the man who wrote the letter paid her a visit. With joyful tears in her eyes, Mercedes smiled, took Emile by the hand, and at last welcomed him home.

Trivia

 * He shares his English voice actor, Patrick Seitz, with Lambert in Three Houses, Zeke in Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Basilio and Laurent in Awakening as well as Hector, Draug, Garon, Brady, and Sirius in Heroes.
 * Seitz also served as the English voice director in Three Houses.
 * Jeritza is the first DLC character to be exclusive to a certain route, as he's only playable in Crimson Flower.
 * Jeritza is one of the characters who can have S-Supports with both Male and Female Byleth. The others are: Rhea, Dorothea, Edelgard, Mercedes, Sothis, Linhardt, Alois (platonic) and Gilbert (platonic as well).
 * Jertiza's S-Support with Byleth is the only one that doesn't take place at Garreg Mach Monastery, instead taking place at Shambhala.
 * Jeritza has some of the highest Dexterity stat growth in the game, being at 60%.