Castor

"Forgive me, Princess. Let me fight for you now. Me life is yours!"

- Castor when recruited by Shiida in Shadow Dragon.

Castor (カシム Kashimu, lit. Kashim in the Japanese version) is a playable character from the Akaneia Series of Fire Emblem. A citizen of Talys, Castor initially works with the Galder Pirates to make money for his ailing mother's medication. Through his recruitment conversation with Princess Shiida of Talys, it is suggested that he had befriended her prior to the events of the games that he appears in.

Background
About three years older than Shiida, Castor hails from a family comprising of seven other younger brothers and sisters. At an unknown point of time, his father had left the family for Galder, and Castor, along with his mother and siblings, was left to fend for himself. After his mother fell dangerously ill following the birth of her ninth child, Castor was forced to leave home in order to make a living and financially support his family.

Akaneia Saga
Shortly after the palace of Akaneia falls to Doluna, Rickard, while scouting the outskirts of the palace in search of potential bodyguards to aid him in his quest to raid the place for treasures to aid the poor, chances upon Castor in Episode 3 of Akaneia Saga. Castor is in a state of dehydration at this point, and after being given some water and the opportunity to relay details of his plight, he is offered to join Rickard in his quest. Later, alongside Rickard, Lena and Nabarl, Castor infiltrates the palace and manages to loot quite a number of the chests contained within. While in the midst of doing so, the group chances upon Dice and Malice, a father-daughter treasure hunter pair who agree to aid them in exchange for a share of their spoils. As the group attempts to sneak back out of the palace, they are intercepted by General Camus of Grust. Princess Nyna of Akaneia intercepts Camus in the nick of time, where she persuades him to grant Lena and her allies reprieve, just as he had done for her when he led the invasion of Akaneia Palace in Episode 1. After formally granting the group permission to keep the looted treasures and distribute them to the needy, Nyna then urges Camus to lead the group to safety. Shortly after he is freed, Castor joins the Galder Pirates.

War of Darkness
Castor later appears in Chapter 2 of Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, where he, alongside the Galder Pirates whom he had allied himself with, lays siege on Marth's army. When Shiida speaks to him and learns of his plight, she immediately offers to provide him with the gold that he requires, urging him to leave the battlefield and return to his mother's side. Out of guilt, Castor decides to defect to Marth's army instead, as a means of atonement for his betrayal of Shiida's trust. He will then aid Marth in bringing the War of Darkness to a conclusion. Thereafter, Castor will, after purchasing both the medicine that his mother requires and a set of clothes that he had promised to procure for his sister Leen, hurry home to reunite with his family.

While Castor was away fighting under Marth's banner, tragedy had struck at home; Leen had elected to sell herself away to a slave merchant to support the family. While he eventually manages to locate her in a sleazy bar based in the town of Warren, he is too late; he finds her in a state nearing death, and can only watch helplessly as she fades away shortly after.

War of Heroes
Castor reappears in Chapter 4 of Mystery of the Emblem, where he has taken up temporary residence in a village located to the north of Holm Beach in Medon in order to search for a new job to continue supporting his mother. He appears to greet Marth when the village is visited, where he proceeds to reveal details of his plight. After Marth gives him some gold, Castor makes the decision to lend his assistance to him in return, aiding him in ending the War of Heroes. Castor thereafter joins the Akaenian Rangers for a short period of time before resigning and returning to his mother's side. He is said to have amassed a substantial hoard of gold by this point, although it is implied that most of it is derived from swindling the goodwill of others.

Personality
As is the case with the majority of the cast appearing in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi and Mystery of the Emblem, Castor's personality is not very well developed due to the minor role that he plays. Nevertheless, based on the few interactions that he has with other characters, it is possible to determine certain defining attributes of his character. Through the register that he employs in his hesitant speech in Shadow Dragon, for one, Castor can be perceived to be a rather timid individual who is lacking in confidence.

Through his actions in Episode 3 of Akaneia Saga, Castor is observed to be, contrary to his initial appearance as a faint-hearted person, perceptive and opportunistic; when Rickard feigns tears in order to gain Lena's sympathy, Castor immediately sees through his ruse, and thence seizes the opportunity to record notes on the tricks that Rickard employs to make himself appear convincing. It is possible that Castor's encounter with Rickard here later plays an important role in motivating him into becoming a swindler following the War of Heroes, where he similarly appears frail and easily bruised in order to gain the sympathy of others.

Castor's ruse does not escape the notice of the sharp-eyed Avatar in Shin Monshō no Nazo; through their base conversations, the Avatar notices an odd pattern of Castor pledging fealty only to people who offer him gold and appearing hesitant when asked to do so for those who do not.

Recruitment

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Recruitment

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Base Stats

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Recruitment

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Support Relationships

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Base Stats

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Growth Rates

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Support Relationships

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Support Conversations

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Overall
Castor's growths tend to be rather low; nevertheless, he can still become a good Horseman for those who prefer to keep units in their original classes rather than resorting to the reclassing system. He has much more Strength than Jeorge and Gordin, further amplifying his usefulness. Otherwise, there will most likely be other options that are superior to Castor.

Book 1
Talys Hunter

"He returned to Talys to live with his mother. However his life is harsh."

Book 2
Talys Hunter

"He joined the Akaneian Free Knights and later returned to Talys to live with his mother. He collected much savings…"

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Castor - Loving Son

"Castor hurried home to his aging mother, medicine in hand. They lived modest lives."

Fire Emblem: Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~
Sly Swindler

"Castor joined the Akaneian Rangers. Afterward, he returned to Talys and lived with his mother. Apparently he saved up lots of money..."

As An Enemy
"I'm sorry, Princess Shiida... I need the money somethin' desperate..."

- Castor's Death Quote as an enemy in Shadow Dragon

Recruit Conversation
Shiida: Castor!? It is you, isn't it? Must even good men like you betray Talys now? Castor: Princess Shiida? Oh... I'm sorry, but me mother's sick and the medicine don't buy itself, see... Shiida: So you agreed to fight for the pirates in exchange for coin... All right, then. If it's gold you need, take mine. Here, this is all I have. Take it, and go to your mother's side. Castor: But Princess... I betrayed you! ... Ach, I've been a fool! Forgive me, Princess Let me fight for you now. Me life is yours!

Death Quote
"Mother... I tried my best..."

- Castor's death quote in Shadow Dragon

Etymology
The Roman Castor (Greek - Kástōr) is the twin brother of Pollux. According to certain myths, Castor was a mortal while Pollux was immortal; when Castor died, Pollux chose to share with him his own immortal life. It is in that myth that the two came to live together as the constellation of Gemini, the twins. Castor means 'beaver' in Latin.

Castor's Japanese name, Kashim, possibly refers to a public dwelling where the Eskimos would gather on special occasions. It may also be a variant of the Arabian name Qasim (often spelled Kasim) meaning 'dispenser' or 'divider'. There is a number of known African and Asian figures who had this name.

Trivia

 * The mythical Castor is very commonly depicted as a horseman. In the game, Castor's promoted class is the Horseman.
 * 'Castor and Pollux' sometimes referred to the double glimmer (AKA. St. Elmo's Fire) seen by sailors at night, though it is not very likely that the translators made such an association between Castor's name and his working for pirates.