—Count Rowe
Count Rowe is a character that was mentioned in Fire Emblem: Three Houses and appears in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. He is the current head of House Rowe of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the adoptive father of Yuri.
Profile[]
Pre-games[]
Count Rowe is a noble of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. His territory is most notable for the fortress city of Arianrhod, which is seen as a key location to Faerghus's defenses. His ancestors had defected from the Adrestian Empire after its completion, and his family is still seen as a family of traitors during the events of the games.
In Imperial Year 1174, Count Rowe adopted a young boy under the pseudonym Yuri.
Three Houses[]
On all routes except Crimson Flower, Count Rowe defects to the Adrestian Empire at some point between the fall of Garreg Mach Monastery and Byleth's reawakening. He is never encountered directly, but his army is fought under Gwendal's command when Byleth's army meets up with their reinforcements in Ailell.
On the Crimson Flower route, Count Rowe instead chooses to ally with the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus against the Adrestian Empire. His troops assist in defending Arianrhod from Edelgard's army, but Count Rowe himself does not appear. He is later implied to have died off-screen when Those Who Slither in the Dark attack and destroy Arianrhod.
Warriors: Three Hopes[]
On the Azure Gleam route, Count Rowe is one of the nobles who rebel against the Dimitri under Cornelia's command. As one of the rebels, he is killed by Dimitri's forces when Cornelia sends him out to stop the kingdom army's advance. Following his death, Gwendal joins the empire to avenge him.
On the Scarlet Blaze route, Count Rowe initially allies with the Adrestian Empire. When Edelgard needs to temporarily retreat her forces to save Count Bergliez and his army, Dimitri uses the opportunity and lays siege to Arianrhod. If the player's army does not reach Count Rowe and Gwendal in time in the following battle, he will defect to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and is fought and killed in battle. If he is reached in time, he will instead remain an ally to the Adrestian Empire. Either outcome will result in Arianrhod remaining under the control of the Adrestian Empire, and Count Rowe is not mentioned afterwards.
Personality[]
Though only occasionally mentioned in Three Houses, Three Hopes paints a clearer picture of Count Rowe. Cowardly and self-centered, Rowe is fully aware that his possession of Arianrhod makes him an invaluable ally; thus, he is prepared to ingratiate himself with either Faerghus or Adrestia solely based on what he stands to gain. Due to his house's reputation as a weathervane, Rowe has developed a deep-seated inferiority complex which has made him even more desperate for power and prestige. It's implied that one of the key reasons he adopted Yuri was his possession of the Crest of Aubin.
Rowe is known to lash out at his attendants, and has a potentially less-than-fatherly fixation with Yuri. He is described as being "completely enamored" with his charms, and despite his scandal at the Officers Academy, is determined to "find him again at all costs". Yuri himself is quoted as saying, "A stable's manure pit would be a thousand times more preferable" to living at House Rowe.
In-Game[]
Role in Three Houses[]
Count Rowe is a non-playable character who is mentioned during the game's story. He is never seen in person in Three Houses.
Role in Three Hopes[]
Count Rowe appears on the Crimson Flower and Azure Gleam routes. On the Scarlet Blaze route, he initially appears as an ally unit in Chapter 8, though he can defect and become an enemy unit depending on the player's actions. On the Azure Gleam route, he appears as an enemy unit in Chapter 8.
Trivia[]
- Count Rowe shares his English voice actor, Phillip Reich, with Viscount Kleiman in Three Hopes, as well as Ced and male Kris as they appear in Heroes.
- Count Rowe shares similar personality traits to Acheron of the Alliance. Both of them are only minor lords, who derive all of their prestige from the fact that a major strategic landmark is located in their territory. Both lords also are notorious for aligning themselves only with the faction they think is the one that will reward them the most during the war and they are mistrusted by their respective superiors for exactly this characteristic.
- Ironically, this results in their death in most cases.