—Orson, revealing his motivation for betraying Renais
Orson is a playable character and later antagonist from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. He is a paladin serving Renais who aids Ephraim in the capture of Renvall Castle.
Profile
Sometime before the events of the game, Orson was well-known among the knights for his love and devotion to his wife, Monica. After her death, his behavior greatly changed and he made a deal to betray Renais and side with the Grado Empire in exchange for Monica's resurrection.
He is first seen when he is accompanying Ephraim, Kyle, and Forde during their assault on Renvall Castle. Unbeknownst to his allies, Orson has secretly betrayed them, as shown at the end of Chapter 5x where Tirado refers to him as a "friend on the inside".
At the end of Chapter 7, Orson appears outside Castle Renvall, urging Eirika and Seth to come inside. Upon doing so, he insists to have Eirika's Lunar Bracelet for safekeeping, deducing that Grado would not be chasing her if he had it. However, Seth notices several flaws in his story, and he admits the truth to them. Tirado arrives and dismisses Orson, and the paladin returns to Renais to be with his wife.
In Chapter 16, is is revealed that Orson has been proclaimed as king due to the absence of the royal siblings. Orson becomes increasingly deranged, leaving Renais to rot, refusing meals, and staying in his chambers, refusing to let anyone in. He enters with a gift for his wife (believing that she is still alive, when she simply just says "Darling") after which he is interrupted by Lyon and Riev, which upsets him. When Lyon states that Ephraim and Eirika are on their way back to the castle, Orson apologizes to Monica and heads out to confront the siblings with the remnants of Grado's army. In the end, he is killed and his resurrected wife is euthanized.
In-Game
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Base Stats
Chapter 5x
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paladin |  Dark | ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Mov |
| 3 | 34 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 8 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
 Sword - A Lance - A |  Silver Sword Steel Lance Vulnerary | ||||||||
Boss/Creature Campaign
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paladin | Dark | ||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Mov |
| 13 | 48 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 8 |
| Weapon | Starting Items | ||||||||
| Sword - ALance - A |  Runesword* Silver Lance* Red Gem** Spear***Silver Sword*** | ||||||||
*Only on Ephraim's route and Creature Campaign
**Only on Creature Campaign
***Only on Eirika's route
Growth Rates
| HP | S/M | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80% | 55% | 45% | 40% | 25% | 45% | 30% |
Overall
|
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
|
Orson has good HP, Strength, and Defense as a Paladin. Also, he's dependable when it comes to strong opponents, with good growth stats, of course. Even so, he can be useful if players want to clear levels at the Tower or Ruins, and can be a good substitute for Seth in Creature Campaign. In addition, he does come in handy with the Runesword in his arsenal, since he can heal himself; even if you don't use him, the Runesword can find use with units like Colm or Marisa. Be careful though, as he has horrible luck. luckily, you get 2 Hoplon Guards from Caellach, (once from killing him as a boss and one from getting him in Creature Campaign) which can be used to allow him to avoid critical hits.
In Chapter 5x, he is a very strong unit capable of killing most, if not all enemies in the level. However, it's best to let the experience flow to the others as they won't carry over to him when he becomes playable in Creature Campaign. It's also recommended to trade his items off since they'll be lost otherwise too.
Fire Emblem Heroes
- Passion's Folly
- A former knight of Renais who defected to side with the Grado Empire in a desperate attempt to resurrect his late wife. Appears in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.
Base Stats
Rarity: | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passion's Folly | |||||
| Group | |||||
 Cavalry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 17/18/19 36/39/42 | 8/9/10 31/34/37 | 4/5/6 21/24/27 | 8/9/10 29/32/35 | 2/3/4 17/20/23 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Steel Lance |  Lance | ||||
| Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passion's Folly | |||||
| Group | |||||
| Cavalry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 40 | 17/18/19 37/40/43 | 9/10/11 33/36/39 | 4/5/6 22/25/28 | 9/10/11 31/34/37 | 2/3/4 18/21/24 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
Silver Lance Glowing Ember | Lance | ||||
Skills
| Type | Name | Prerequisite | Default | Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Iron Lance | - | - | - |
| Steel Lance | - | - | - | |
| Silver Lance | - |  |  | |
| Bereft Lance | - |  | | |
 | Glowing Ember | - | | |
| Ignis | Glowing Ember | - | | |
| B |  Vantage 1 | - | - | |
 Vantage 2 | Vantage 1 | - | ||
 Vantage 3 | Vantage 2 | | ||
| C |  Rouse Atk Def 1 | - | | |
 Rouse Atk Def 2 | Rouse Atk Def 1 | | ||
 Rouse Atk Def 3 | Rouse Atk Def 2 | |
Quotes
Death/Defeat Quotes
—Retreat Quote as an ally in Chapter 5x
Battle Conversations
—Orson's default battle quote in Chapter 16.
Vs. Forde
- Forde: Sir Orson...Why did you have to betray us? Your departed wife is weeping in shame.
- Orson: You're wrong, Forde. My wife is happy. We are so very happy.
Vs. Kyle
- Kyle: Sir Orson! You betrayed your master, Prince Ephraim, to Grado. Have you forgotten what it means to be a knight?!
- Orson: Kyle...You know nothing...I am happy now.
Vs. Seth
- Orson: Seth...So you've come, have you?
- Seth: Sir Orson.
- Orson: You're an impressive knight, Seth. You would sacrifice your life for king and country. Not even a moment's pause. It's a pitiful, unrewarding life, through and through.
- Seth: It is my charge. It is my hope. Sir Orson...Prepare yourself.
Vs. Eirika
- Eirika: Orson...Why would you betray us?
- Orson: Princess Eirika... If anyone could understand my feelings, it might be you. For the one I love...I betrayed everything. My country, my lord and master...Everything...
Vs. Ephraim
- Orson: Prince Ephraim… You never did know when to quit. Renais is already lost. It's too late...
- Ephraim: Orson... You will move from that place. That is my father's seat. It is his throne... You've no right to sit there.
Defeated
—Death Quote as an enemy in Chapter 16
Heroes
Choose Your Legends Placement History
| Round | Placement | Character Version | Votes |
|---|
| CYL1 | 475 |  |
255 | ||
| CYL2 | 506 ↓31 |
|
234 ↓21 | ||
| CYL3 saw the transition to different counting mechanisms involving versions of characters and ties, so change measured between CYL2 and CYL3 shouldn't be taken at face value. | |||||
| CYL3 | 440 ↑66 |
|
236 ↑2 | ||
| CYL4 | 427 ↑13 |
|
192 ↓44 | ||
| CYL5 | 337 ↑90 |
|
184 ↓8 |
Etymology
Orson is an anglicization of the French word 'ours,' meaning 'bear,' itself derived from the Latin word 'ursinus.' The name has origins in the historical tale of the knights Valentine and Orson
Trivia
- Orson's status as a temporary character is foreshadowed in that he cannot be selected as a link arena character.
- Orson is the first playable character (Not including those who die in the Battle of Belhalla) in the series who permanently leaves an army and has no circumstances to avoid it.
- Orson has two portraits in-game. As a playable character, he looks normal, but in Chapter 16, he has hollow eyes, paler skin and looks more sickly, probably to emphasize his decaying sanity.
- Though in Fire Emblem Heroes, he is depicted with red eyes instead of hollow eyes, most likely to show his delve into darkness upon Monica's reanimation.
Gallery
- See main article: Orson/Gallery.
