Raven (character)

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

- Raven in a support conversation with Rebecca.

Raven (レイヴァン Reivan, romanized as Leyvan in the Japanese version) is a 19-year-old, hard-eyed mercenary from Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken. He harbors a deep grudge for house Ostia, which plays a role in his recruiting.

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 Raven's past with Ostia, Raven becomes secluded and anti-social, coldly reminding Priscilla that he's now Raven, not Lord Raymond; explaining why he has an "Ice" affinity. 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 leads to them growing very close, and he gains a more personable outlook on life, causing him to give up on his revenge plot against Hector. He also converses with Bartre, who constantly challenges him to "duels of strength" in which he finds bothersome and, more often than not, tries to avoid him completely. Bartre also shows Raven his family tree after Raven teaches him writing, and Raven told Bartre to rewrite it, because he could not read it.

Normal Mode Stats
| Mercenary | Ice |5 |25 |8 |11 |13 |2 |5                                                         |1 |8 |5 | Sword - C |Steel Sword

Hector Hard Mode Statistics
| Mercenary | Ice |5 |29 |10 |13 |15 |2 |6                                                         |2 |8 |5 | Sword - C |Steel Sword

Growth Rates
|85% |55% |40% |45% |35% |25% |15%

Supports
Lucius, Priscilla, Rebecca, Wil, Bartre

Recruitment
He first appears in Chapter 16 or 17, depending on whether you are playing 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 it both easier (you don't need to hurry to him with Priscilla) and harder (he could end up killing one of your units, or be killed himself in counterattack) to recruit the mercenary.

Promotion

 * HP + 4
 * Skl + 2
 * Spd + 2
 * Def + 2
 * Res + 2
 * Con + 1
 * Mov + 1

Overall
Despite suffering a constitution insufficient enough to wield most axes, Raven is one of the stronger characters in the game. Having the best stat growth of any mercenary unit in a Fire Emblem game, 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 constitution, Resistance, Defense and luck, though resistance is typical among melee units, and a Body Ring or two can help his low constitution.

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.