Shamir

"I didn't mind putting my life on the line, but I never liked having to bow and scrape to our noble employers. That's what I like about being a Knight. I get to punch all the nobles I want."

Shamir is a character from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. She is one of the Knights of Seiros and teaches at the Officers Academy. As an instructor at the Academy, she offers lessons in Lances and Bows.

Profile
Shamir is a master of the Bow serving as a Knight of Seiros. She was once a mercenary, but joined the Knights to repay Rhea for past debts. She is not a believer of the Church of Seiros, despite being a knight, which is a rarity. For now, she only pledges her loyalty to Rhea. She teaches Cyril the basics of Archery.

Until Imperial Year 1175, Shamir was a mercenary working in Dagda, her homeland. After Dagda and Brigid invaded the Adrestian Empire, sparking the Dagda and Brigid War, the Empire counter-invaded both countries. Shamir's homeland was destroyed, and her partner, whom she was in love with, was killed. After that, Shamir traveled to Fódlan and lived as a wanderer until she was taken in by Archbishop Rhea. In gratitude, Shamir pleged her services to her and joined the Knights of Seiros, though she never became a believer in the Church itself.

Personality
Shamir lives a straightforward life and is blunt and simple when expressing her feelings and thoughts. Her previous life as a mercenary has lead her to travel across Fódlan, though she is not one for formalities, even stating that she cares not for its nobility.

She owes Rhea a debt and thus follows her, but not necessarily out of loyalty as she states that her job as a mercenary comes first and would consider killing Rhea if offered the job. She is not affiliated with the Church of Seiros, thus is one of the few knights not a devout followerer which makes her an outlier compared to the other Knights of Seiros.

Growth Rates

 * 35%
 * 40%
 * 20%
 * 55%
 * 40%
 * 55%
 * 20%
 * 15%
 * 30%
 * }

Maximum Stats

 * 71
 * 58
 * 35
 * 75
 * 56
 * 76
 * 37
 * 35
 * 43
 * }

Learnt Magic

 * D
 * Blizzard
 * Heal
 * D+
 * Wind
 * Nosferatu
 * C
 * Sagittae
 * Recover
 * C+
 * B
 * B+
 * A
 * Fimbulvetr
 * A+
 * }
 * B
 * B+
 * A
 * Fimbulvetr
 * A+
 * }
 * A
 * Fimbulvetr
 * A+
 * }
 * A+
 * }
 * A+
 * }
 * }
 * }

Overall
Shamir serves as the "power" archer among the available choices, having (slightly) higher Strength growth than Bernadetta, Ashe, and Ignatz, while being on par with Leonie, all on top of having a respectable starting Strength stat. She also has a solid Dexterity growth rate and high Luck, which let her hit enemies easily and score plenty of critical hits. However, her defensive stats are poor, meaning anything that hits her will deal heavy damage. She also isn't as fast as several of the other archer choices, having a lower Speed growth rate, meaning she may not perform as many double attacks as the others, but her Speed remains respectable.

Given her proficiencies in Bow and Lance, promoting her to Bow Knight is the most logical path. Upon obtaining her, it can be worthwhile to downgrade her to Archer from Sniper for a short time to acquire the Aim+20 skill, ensuring that she won't miss against slipperier opponents. Magic-based classes are not advised for her due to her poor Magic growth, weakness in Faith, and shallow spell lists. Additionally, due to her starting with E ranks in every skill except Bow, Lance and Authority, changing her to other classes will be time-consuming. If one is training her in Riding, however, changing her briefly to a Paladin can be worthwhile to acquire Aegis to offset her low durability; her high Dexterity means she will have a good chance of triggering it when attacked by bows or magic.

Supports

 * Byleth (S-Support with male Byleth)
 * Hubert
 * Caspar
 * Petra
 * Dedue
 * Claude
 * Raphael
 * Ignatz
 * Leonie
 * Alois
 * Catherine
 * Cyril

Quotes

 * Shamir/Quotes

Possible Endings
Shamir - Distant Archer
 * Shortly after the war, Shamir gave up the mercenary life and disappeared. Though she was never heard from again, rumors swirled persistently for years of a master archer turned thief who lined her pockets by shaking down all those who preyed upon the innocent.

Shamir and Byleth
 * Byleth announced his marriage to Shamir shortly after becoming leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan. While the king focused on the rebuilding effort, Shamir became his bodyguard and confidant. She even acted as captain of the royal guard, and became known as a watchful and trustworthy queen. As a couple, their daily lives were busy indeed, and both were famously taciturn, but it is said they cherished their quiet time together - especially once they began to have children.

Shamir and Cyril
 * Shortly after the war, Shamir and Cyril disappeared from the ranks. The Knights of Seiros searched unsuccessfully for them for some time, but finally resigned themselves to the loss. Though the pair was never officially heard from again, rumors swirled persistently for years of two master archers turned thieves. Initially the knights received complaints and investigated, but when it was discovered that the pair only lined their pockets by shaking down those who preyed upon the innocent, they decided it was not an investigation worth pursuing. The thieves' story became a folktale beloved by the people.

Shamir and Raphael
 * Shortly after the war, Shamir gave up the mercenary life and disappeared. Raphael searched for her unsuccessfully for a time, but then gave up and returned home to serve his liege lord as a knight. One day, he was given orders to drive off a group of bandits, but upon investigation, he discovered that all of the bandits' victims were those who lined their pockets by preying upon the innocent. Without warning, Raphael resigned his post, said good-bye to his family, and vanished forever. It is unclear just where he went, but rumors swirled for years of a master archer and a hulking giant who spent their lives as highway robbers, shaking down those who made victims of others.

Shamir and Claude
 * After the war, Claude returned home to Almyra and took his place in the royal family. Some years later he became king, and during his reign, promoted policies to improve relations with Fódlan and protect children who had been orphaned by the war. After he achieved his goals, he left the throne to a family member and left Almyra. During his travels, he encountered Shamir, who had been wandering the world as a mercenary. It is known that they traveled together from that day forward, but where they journeyed to remains a mystery.

Shamir and Catherine
 * After quitting the Knights of Seiros, Catherine and Shamir set out on a lifelong journey together. The pair were inseparable as they traveled across Fódlan, and eventually wound up in Shamir’s homeland of Dagda. They faced many hardships on their adventures, some of which were self-inflicted, as the duo had a way of sticking their noses into others’ business in their efforts to right wrongs. It is said, however, that no foe they encountered ever proved a match for the combined might of Shamir’s marksmanship and Catherine’s Thunderbrand.

Shamir and Hubert
 * As confidant of Edelgard, Hubert disposed of every burden facing his emperor by any means necessary, and excelled at working in the shadows. Supporting him from the frontlines was the former mercenary, Shamir, who commanded the emperor's elite troops. When the two married, they appeared from the outside to be little more than a lord of the empire and his dutiful wife. In reality, their nights were filled with fierce combat against rebels, assassins, and those who slither in the dark. It is reported that one of them was known to often state that, "To find love between life and death is a gift." It is unknown which of the two actually spoke these words.

Shamir and Leonie
 * Leonie assumed leadership of the mercenaries formerly led by Jeralt. One day, she was hired to protect a noble who had been warned of a bandit attack. The warning note listed all of the noble's foul deeds, and was signed with the image of a spider, which Leonie recognized. Just as she suspected, the one who came on the appointed day was none other than Shamir. Leonie was happy to break her contract on this occasion, and even offered Shamir a position in her company. The result was the most famous mercenary group ever to exist in Fódlan. It is said that their flag bore the image of a spider, and...another vaguely arachnid creature.

Shamir and Caspar
 * After the war, Caspar and Shamir used their clout as heroes to establish a mercenary company. They branded themselves as crusaders for justice, punishing those who preyed on the weak or exploited others for their own gain. None could compete against their combined martial skill, and they became famous all throughout Fódlan. Their travels took them to every part of the world, and while Caspar's antics occasionally got him into trouble, Shamir's steady presence and firm demeanor helped to resolve matters amicably. Their stories endured as amusing anecdotes, passed down through generations.

Shamir and Dedue
 * After the war, Dedue returned to Fhirdiad to support King Dimitri's reign as his vassal. Shamir was ever near, and as Dedue's trusted partner and a mercenary for the royal family, she complemented his public-facing work with by handling any necessary covert operations. The trusting professional relationship between the two blossomed into love, and soon they were married. It is said that, when absolutely no one else was around, they would let down their guard and engage in secret jokes and idle chatter.

Etymology
Shamir is an Aramaic masculine name, meaning "flint" and "sentinel".

In rabbinical tradition, Shamir is a mythical worm capable of cutting the hardest materials like iron and diamond, used by the wise king Solomon to build the First Temple in Jerusalem.

Trivia

 * Shamir shares her English VA, Allegra Clark, with Dorothea, as well as Karla and Ethlyn in their appearances in Fire Emblem Heroes.
 * She is the favorite character of game director Genki Yokota.