The Ashen Wolves is a group that inhabits Abyss. They appear and play a critical role in Cindered Shadows, a DLC side-story in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. They claim to be the secret fourth house of the Officers Academy, but there is no official public record of their existence, and they are merely known by those who are also aware of Abyss. Profile As he began serving as the envoy for the Church of Seiros to Abyss, Aelfric discovered several denizens who were around the age of Officers Academy students. Desiring to help residents of Abyss eventually return to the surface, he worked together with Rhea to create a pseudo-house modeled after the three houses of the Officers Academy with the hopes of giving the people of Abyss a proper education. In 1165, the Ashen Wolves were formally created as a fourth, unofficial Officers Academy house in name only. Rhea herself named the house after the beasts who guard the sacred Blue Sea Star. Aelfric has served as the house's instructor since its inception and continues to do so during the events of Cindered Shadows in 1180. Members of the Ashen Wolves wear uniforms similar in nature to the Officers Academy student uniform, with some minor but notable differences. While the standard Officers Academy uniform is primarily black and gold, the Ashen Wolves wear uniforms wear that are predominantly silver and grey. Their uniforms also feature black chains as uniform accessories, which are absent from the standard Officers Academy garb. Members Yuri Leclerc - The sharp-tongued but caring leader of the Ashen Wolves.Balthus von Albrecht - A rowdy man from the Leicester Alliance and the self-proclaimed "King of Grappling".Constance von Nuvelle - The only known survivor of House Nuvelle, a former noble house of the Adrestian Empire. Hapi - A disinterested resident of Abyss who attracts monsters whenever she sighs. Abyss is an underground area in Fire Emblem: Three Houses and primarily appears in the Cindered Shadows DLC side story. Profile Deep underground below Garreg Mach Monastery lies a series of secret tunnels that lead to an entire underground town known simply as Abyss. There lies various vagabonds who find solace in the depths. Their reasons for coming to Abyss varies; according to Balthus, they could be shunned nobility, merchants, or simply looking for some peace. Abyssians keep themselves safe from the surface world by sealing off entrances to the underground, though this has not stopped rumors circulating amongst the people of Fódlan. The Church of Seiros has maintained a treaty with the Abyssians - they will not interfere with their affairs, as long as the Abyssians do not interfere in theirs. One Cardinal of the Church, Aelfric, serves as a bridge between Abyss and the world above and desires to help them as best as he can. Among its denizens are several Academy-age individuals, some of whom are former Officers Academy students. At Aelfric's insistence, a fourth house, the Ashen Wolves, resides in Abyss, though it is a house in name only with no formal or official recognition by the Officers Academy. Merchants of Abyss offer many of the same services as merchants found in the Garreg Mach Monastery marketplace. Battalions can be replenished, weapons can be repaired or forged, and items can be found for sale. Not all citizens of Abyss trust merchants that sell their wares there, however, as many merchants have dealt in stolen goods. Abyss is also home to the Shadow Library. Texts in this library include banned, obscure, or otherwise lost books that cannot be found in Garreg Mach's own collection and detail a hidden side of Fódlan's history. Via the Influencer, Byleth can spend renown to unlock additional services in Abyss, such as the Pagan Altar, Scrap Heap, Mysterious Teacher, and the Wayseer. Yuri is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. He is the leader of the Ashen Wolves, and lives under the Officers Academy in an underground society, which is called Abyss. He's also currently the only known bearer of the Crest of Aubin. Yuri is a main character of Cindered Shadows. He is 19 years old at the start of the game and wields swords as his main weapon. Profile Yuri is the leader of the Ashen Wolves. He was a student of the Officers Academy, but was expelled due to unknown circumstances, and moved to live in the Abyss. Underneath his crude speech, it can be vaguely seen that he holds a strong desire to protect the residents of Abyss. Early life He was born in the year 1160, in a poor town in Western Faerghus. His mother was a prostitute, and the identity of his father is unknown. At some point during his childhood, his family hosted and nursed an elderly man back to health. As a token of gratitude, he taught him how to read and write, the memory of which he kept within a notebook. Some time later, he fell deathly ill to a plague which wiped almost his entire town, but was saved and healed by the same elderly man, who passed away some time later due to natural causes. This chain of events inspired him to obtain his compassionate resolve. In the year 1174, he is noticed by Count Rowe and taken as an adoptive son, where he took the name Yuri. Though he still kept his true name, he hid it out of necessity. Although he tells Byleth his true name in their S Support, it is never revealed to the player. At some point, Yuri was hired as an assassin by an unknown sponsor to kill Count Varley's young daughter, Bernadetta, as she possessed the Crest of Indech. He infiltrated House Varley by taking on a job as an assistant gardener, and believing that he could only accomplish the job by obtaining her trust, befriended Bernadetta. She considered him to be her first friend and they played around the gardens, and he considered her to be the first one he had to babysit frequently. Once enough trust had been formed, Yuri snuck into her room to kill her, but couldn't bring himself to do so, which he claimed was his biggest mistake at the time. This brief moment of hesitation allowed for Count Varley to burst in and catch him in the act, where he had his men severely beat him, though he survived. Bernadetta was not informed of the assassination attempt, mistakenly believing that she was responsible for his death. In 1178, Yuri was enrolled in Garreg Mach's Officers Academy, but was expelled due to a scandal. When he and other knights were tasked with killing people from a gang, Yuri recognized them as old friends, and killed his fellow knights during an ensuing argument over their task. Due to this incident, he was slated for execution but Aelfric argued that he should be pardoned and sent to Abyss. In actuality, Archbishop Rhea tasked Yuri with keeping an eye on Aelfric, due to his recent suspicious behavior. These events notably did not happen during the events of the main game, as Aelfric had been exiled from the church well before Yuri ended up in Abyss, his life there apparently being voluntary with no mention of any crime against the church. Academy Phase In Imperial Year 1180, Yuri can be found in Abyss, occasionally popping up to the surface when his interest is piqued. If Byleth recruits him, he will show up to lectures along with Byleth's other students; however, if Byleth does not recruit him, he does not become a student. Unlike recruits from other houses, Yuri is not enrolled at the Garreg Mach Officers Academy, but rather a personal student of Byleth. No matter what, his loyalty remains with the people of Abyss. Personality Described as being of crass speech but extremely devoted to the protection of Abyssians, even when it is not easy to tell, it is clear that Yuri is quite sharp-tongued and reserved upon his introduction, dryly teasing his fellow classmates. However, he is also shown to be kind under his rough exterior, and he cares deeply for the safety of those who live in Abyss, due to his upbringing in which he barely survived a plague that killed numerous villagers, thanks to the assistance of an elderly man his family had taken care of. Such caring is why he sides with any nation regardless of route chosen, stating that he doesn't like fighting losing battles and wants to ensure the safety of his people. This is further reflected on how he doesn't stay in the nation he allied with in his solo ending on any route, and always returns to the underground to ensure the prosperity of the Abyssians. Despite his looks, Yuri can be quite frightening when he wants to be, as his reputation as the Savage Mockingbird was established from swindling, participating in illicit markets, and manipulating others for a living in order to help the less fortunate by putting on a charming nature in order to manipulate the more privileged into giving him what he wants, with few daring to cross him. Like Claude, Yuri is an extremely skilled tactician and his personality can catch others off-guard. He always ensures that his tactics will always work as desired, even if it means he has to temporarily betray his allies without making them aware of his plans, and as such, he will often execute them alone, although he does appreciate assistance if offered. Being the boss of a gang of Abyssians, Yuri is also good at keeping secrets, although he will disclose them to those he has complete trust in. Despite being flippant about it, Yuri's honorable spirit makes him think little of himself due to his shady past, even telling a young girl that she should never say she wants to grow up to be like him. This also leads to him being genuinely shamed by the killings that landed him in Abyss, to the point of objecting when Rhea states she'll allow him to leave, only for her to point out that Yuri must live with what he has done. Yuri also holds absolute contempt for Miklan, calling him a slimebag for being a more repugnant criminal than he is along with believing he could run Miklan's gang in a better way. Yuri's roster profile reveals that he has a hatred of singing in public, reflected in a low affinity for attending Choir Practice and disliking being given a Book of Sheet Music as a gift. He is in fact an incredibly talented singer, and is shown in supports with Dorothea that he still will sing for children on occasion. It is revealed that his hatred for singing comes from his time spent in the Imperial capital, as during the peak of Dorothea's popularity as a diva, nobles vying for her "were willing to compromise with an inferior substitute", describing the experience of pleasing the nobles as leaving him feeling "filthy and unlovable". He is quite flirtatious with Byleth at times, though it can be quite difficult to tell whether it is genuine or not. He is also a devout believer of Seiros, as is his mother, and claims to have a habit of praying before any big event ever since he was little. His true name is partially revealed, Shez only saying "Reg—" before Yuri cuts them off. Yuri later explains to Shez that he was named after the ancient name of a bright star that the goddess made into a disciple, but considered it an "ostentatious" name for a penniless kid. From this, it's possible his true name may be Regulus, the brightest and most well-known star with a name beginning with "Reg." As Regulus means "little king," this name lines up with Yuri's judgement that the name is ostentatious. However, it's also possible he may be named after a star that does not exist in the real world. Yuri Leclerc has smooth, shoulder-length lavender hair featuring straight-cut bangs that frame his face. He possesses a slender, elegant physique and wears a modified black Officers Academy uniform from Garreg Mach Monastery. His outfit consists of a dark tunic jacket with puff-shouldered sleeves, an intricately embroidered high collar, and silver button detailing running down the center. A buckled brown leather belt sits around his waist, and the long, split-front skirt of his uniform is lined with an ornamental gold zipper trim along the side openings. He complements this attire with dark fitted pants tucked into knee-high white leather boots that feature distinct block heels. Fastened across his chest is a long, flowing white cape with a gray lining that drapes over his shoulders. A curved, golden-hilted dagger is also strapped to his left hip under his coat. In combat, Yuri is an exceptionally versatile warrior who is highly proficient in both swordsmanship and magical arts. He expertly wields bladed weapons—such as swords and daggers—to perform rapid, agile physical attacks on his opponents. Alongside his blade work, he utilizes the Trickster class path to manipulate elemental energy, channeling powerful Reason and Faith magic to cast offensive spells or provide utility on the battlefield. Hapi is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. She is an inhabitant of Abyss, and a member of the Ashen Wolves. She bears a Major Crest of Timotheos and is 20 years old at the start of the game. In Cindered Shadows, Hapi is a playable character, alongside the other members of the Ashen Wolves. Profile Hapi was born in the hidden village of Timotheos. When she was nine, she ran away, wishing to see the world, leaving her parents behind. While roaming, she was abducted and subjected to magical experiments. As a result, whenever she sighs, monsters are drawn to her. The one who experimented on Hapi was Cornelia, the court mage of Faerghus. She kept the girl locked away (seemingly inside the Royal Palace or a nearby place), and in exchange for good housing and food, used her as a guinea pig. This is due to the power of the Crest of Timotheos, which lets its carrier befriend animals and other living beings (monsters included) with ease. At some point, Hapi met the Queen Consort of Faerghus, Patricia, who she called by her original name, Anselma. They more or less struck a friendship and Patricia helped her as much as possible, angrily calling out Cornelia for her shabby treatment of her friend. After being freed at age seventeen, Hapi found refuge in a church in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Three years later, however, she was discovered by the Knights of Seiros, and subsequently relocated to Abyss. She saw her relocation as a betrayal since the Church of Seiros explained that they'd actively help her fix her curse, only to essentially imprison her in Abyss when they were unable to find a cure; this caused her to develop feelings of disdain, distrust, and anger towards the Church and the Knights. Personality Hapi is a passive girl who does not hide her general apathy to life, tending to hold a disinterested attitude towards everything due to her treatment by Cornelia in her youth. This is in part due to her curse, as Cornelia's experiments on her Crest would cause numerous monsters to arrive. As such, she tries to keep her emotions in check and not sigh as much as possible. Having a rather negative view towards authority and society in general, Hapi is the most cynical among those at the Officer's Academy towards the Church, and its knights in particular, seeing them as self-righteous and only doing good when it's convenient for them, as the Church and Knights of Seiros promised to help fix the curse that had been placed on her when she was rescued by them, only to force her to stay in Abyss "for the greater good" when no solution was able to be found, which she readily acknowledged as truth, but still believes acted as an excuse to make sure that if her powers did hurt someone, it wouldn't be anyone important. She ends up softening her views over time and acknowledges not all of them are bad when the church does truly charitable things (such as taking in the Remire villagers). Unlike her fellow Ashen Wolves, Hapi is very uncomfortable with having to fight the other nations due to how much she dislikes the idea of fighting people she once knew, often pointing out in Crimson Flower that she is not fully onboard with the war, and mainly fights out of belief in Byleth, with her quotes changing to her being more remorseful and having an air of self-justification. Hapi prefers to call other people by nicknames based on what she sees and believes of them. She calls Byleth "Chatterbox", Edelgard is "Eddy", Dimitri is "Didi", Claude is "Claudester", Hubert is "The Bert", Linhardt is "Linny", Ashe is "Freckles", Ignatz is "Iggy", Yuri is "Yuri-bird", Balthus is "B", Constance is "Coco", Catherine is "Cathy", Shamir is "Shammi" and Judith is "Judy". Hapi in her pre-timeskip Ashen Wolves uniform, highlighting her distinctive, slightly lethargic yet stylish aesthetic. She has a lean, athletic body shape with a slender waist and exposed midriff. Her skin is a warm, sun-kissed tan tone, contrasting sharply against her vibrant, messy, shoulder-length hot pink hair that frames her face with jagged, layered bangs. Her face is soft and youthful, characterized by a calm, slightly apathetic expression, small nose, and warm coral-colored eyes. Notably, heavy, dark-shaded eye bags curve beneath her lower eyelids, adding a heavy touch of perpetual exhaustion to her relaxed, half-lidded gaze. Her choice of clothing is a heavily customized, revealing variant of the academy uniform. She wears a cropped, white double-breasted jacket featuring large silver buttons, a high collar, and folded cuffs, which she leaves completely open to reveal a short purple bandeau tube top underneath. Around her neck is a prominent, thick black scarf or cravat bundled tightly together and secured by a large, ornate dark metallic crest or anchor-like charm. Her low-rise, pleated white miniskirt is held up by an intricate, layered belt piece made of silver metallic plates and interconnected chain links draped across her hips. Finishing the ensemble, she sports a dark silver bracelet on her left wrist, a watch-like band on her right, a single purple thigh-high band wrapped around her left leg, and sleek, tight-fitting dark charcoal over-the-knee boots that transition into light lavender caps at the feet. Miasma Δ (Learned at D Rank): Hapi conjures a dense, churning orb of purple and black energy above her hand and hurls it directly at the enemy. Upon impact, it bursts into a small cloud of shadowy, toxic smoke. Swarm Ζ (Learned at D+ Rank): Visually unique, this spell summons a large, buzzing cloud of shadowy, supernatural bugs that swoop down and viciously envelope the target. It leaves behind a dark aura that saps the enemy's speed. Banshee Θ (Learned at C Rank): Hapi summons a terrifying, dark hole beneath the enemy and several orbs of dark energy swirling around before crashing down on the enemy. This spell physically pins the target down, heavily reducing their movement. Death Γ (Learned at B Rank): A long-range spell where Hapi channels dark magic to manifest a massive, black hole directly beneath or above the enemy and two purple piercing eyes appear in it before the black hole explodes. Hades Ω (Learned at A Rank): Her most devastating offensive spell. It tears open a rift to the underworld directly beneath the enemy's feet, unleashing a massive, roaring geyser of dark purple and black flames that completely consumes the target. [ Constance is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. She is an inhabitant of Abyss, and a member of the Ashen Wolves. She's the last known bearer of the Crest of Noa after the destruction of House Nuvelle and is 18 years old at the start of the game. In Cindered Shadows, she is a main protagonist, alongside the other members of the Ashen Wolves. Profile Constance was originally a lady of House Nuvelle, a noble family from the Adrestian Empire that collapsed during the Dagda and Brigid War years prior to the beginning of Three Houses, and is the only survivor. The tragedy that befell House Nuvelle deeply traumatized her, giving her a dual personality disorder that triggers when exposed to direct sunlight, as it reminded her of House Nuvelle's destruction. She is also a childhood friend of Mercedes. She attended the Fhirdiad Royal School of Sorcery and graduated in Year 1177. Following the collapse of House Nuvelle, Constance moved to Abyss. Despite this, she hasn't given up on her dream of reviving House Nuvelle, and she is watching vigilantly for a chance to do great things and gain worldwide recognition. Personality Constance speaks in a domineering, haughty tone, but maintains a scope of politeness and refined speech, being a noble before hiding in Abyss. At times, she can be rude, especially when loudly voicing her aspirations to restore House Nuvelle. Interestingly, Constance also seems to need praise to feel better about herself, as in her victory quotes she demands recognition. Due to the tragedy that befell her house, Constance suffers from dual personality disorder. Her aforementioned personality are her dominant traits when indoors or outdoors during darker hours or overcast days. When she is exposed to sunlight, she is much more lethargic, apathetic, and even self-deprecating. Her tone is much more polite, but always stated in a manner that seems like she is inconveniencing her conversational partner. This trait is also uniquely reflected in gameplay, as her personality exhibited during a given battle depends on the environment in which it's set. Magical research and development are Constance's favorite activities, believing that it is the best (and only) way to restore House Nuvelle and return it to prominence. However, these spells tend to have questionable utility, such as a spell that gives a rainbow hue to tea which, while beautiful, is ultimately useless. Another spell she develops – after an (ironic) suggestion of Yuri to "get down on all fours and lick [the nobles'] boots" in their C support (which she took literally) – would turn leather into licorice, something that earns her bewilderment from Yuri. That said, in most of her endings, her research eventually culminates in restoring House Nuvelle and making it well known across Fódlan. She holds some distaste for the Adrestian Empire as its actions led to her parents' deaths. Though she bears no grudge against Edelgard, even speaking in a friendly manner to her, she coldly dismisses her apologies for her father's actions. However, she admits if she had known about Edelgard being the Flame Emperor, she would have done everything in her power to stop her, even if it stopped her chance at restoring her family. Should Constance be recruited in Crimson Flower, though, she'll change her viewpoint after admitting to forcing information out of Edelgard. Through her heritage as an Imperial noble, Constance has personal history with Ferdinand and Mercedes. She used to be close to the former, but their relationship has strained due to his father's inaction when her house fell and his initially clumsy attempt to reconcile with her. She is much more friendly to Mercedes, treating her like a big sister, and expressing dismay that they were so close to reuniting with each other at the Royal School of Sorcery. She is also aware of Jeritza's identity as Mercedes' brother Emile, and is among the few to refer to him by his real name while noticeably not afraid of him at all, even when he assumes his Death Knight persona Constance von Nuvelle, another prominent member of the Ashen Wolves in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, depicted in her pre-timeskip academy design against a stark black background. Her physical build is remarkably slender, elegant, and upright, embodying a refined, aristocratic posture with her left hand gracefully raising a folded fan toward her chin while her right arm extends slightly outward to the side. Her skin is exceptionally pale and porcelain, contrasting sharply with her bright, vibrant blonde hair, which is styled into a soft, voluminous bob that curves gracefully at the nape of her neck. Her face features striking, sharp blue eyes lined with dark lashes, a delicate nose, and a confident, knowing smile that borders on smugness. To accent her hair, a royal blue velvet headband rests atop her head, while a long, woven royal blue ribbon or strand is intricately braided into the left side of her hair, hanging delicately past her cheek. Her attire is a highly customized, sophisticated, Victorian-inspired variant of the Ashen Wolves uniform that resembles a formal gown. The top portion consists of a deep charcoal, almost black, long-sleeved bodice featuring a high collar adorned with intricate lace ruffles around the neck. The shoulders are puffed and structured, tapering down into tight-fitting dark grey sleeves that end in flared, ruffled cuffs at her wrists. The upper chest area of the bodice is decorated with elegant, embroidered floral or lace patterning in a slightly lighter shade of grey. This dark top seamlessly transitions into a high-waisted, corseted cream-white maxi skirt that drops all the way to her ankles. The midsection of the dress mimics a double-breasted vest layout, sporting six small, dark grey circular buttons arranged in two vertical rows of three. Just below these buttons, a delicate criss-cross corset-style lacing pinches her waist, from which a long, gracefully pleated cream skirt flows downwards with subtle fabric shadows revealing its soft folds. Hanging from the left side of her waist is a signature Ashen Wolves accessory: an intricate, dark metallic chain belt adorned with a prominent, stylized anchor-like crest piece that rests against her hip. At her feet, she wears sleek, high-heeled dark purple pumps that perfectly complement the blue accents in her hair. The specific item Constance holds in her left hand is a folded, traditional folding fan, a classic symbol of high society and noble standing. The fan is held closed and angled horizontally across her upper chest. Its main body or guard is a deep, dark purple, matching her footwear, and it features an elegant, plush decorative ornament attached to its base—a fluffy, plume-like accent of soft lavender and white feathers or fur that flares outward, adding an extra layer of luxurious, dramatic flair to her overall theatrical appearance. When exposed to direct sunlight, Constance undergoes a dramatic personality shift, transforming from a haughty, confident noble into a deeply submissive, self-deprecating, and melancholic individual who considers herself an utter bother to everyone around her. Visually, this sudden shift is illustrated by a heavy, dark purple shadow cast across her eyes and forehead, coupled with an downcast expression of pure defeat. Her eyes lose their bright, ambitious spark, narrowing into a glassy, doleful stare framed by thick lower lashes, while her mouth falls into a flat, dispirited line. Her proud posture collapses entirely; she frequently bows her head, slouches her shoulders, and delivers incredibly gloomy, apologetic dialogue in a quiet, meek voice. In this "Sun" state, you can expect expressions of extreme anxiety, nervous sweating, and deep despondency, as she constantly laments the downfall of her noble house and expects immediate failure in everything she does. Reason Magic (Black Magic) Fire (Learned at D Rank): The standard elemental starter. Constance thrusts her hand forward, summoning a small, concentrated fireball that shoots directly across the battlefield to explode against the target. [1] Sagittae (Learned at D+ Rank): A multi-projectile spell. A magical circle manifests around Constance and generates a volley of sleek, glowing white magic arrows or darts that rain down rapidly on the enemy. Fimbulvetr (Learned at B Rank): A devastating ice spell. Constance channels frozen energy, causing massive, jagged glaciers and sheets of solid ice to erupt violently from the ground directly underneath the target, trapping and crushing them. [1, 2] Bolting (Learned at A Rank): Her iconic siege spell with massive 3–10 tile range. Constance raises her hand to call upon the heavens, causing a massive, blinding bolt of blue lightning to crack down violently from the stormy sky, frying her target from across the map. [1] Agnea's Arrow (Learned at A+ Rank): Her ultimate offensive spell. Constance summons a gargantuan, blue energy arrow like projectile that comes from the sky and crashes down impaling the enemy below. The giant fiery projectile launches forward and hits the enemy with a cataclysmic, screen-shaking explosion. Balthus is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. He is an inhabitant of Abyss, and a member of the Ashen Wolves. He bears a major Crest of Chevalier and is 27 years old at the start of the game. In Cindered Shadows, Balthus is a main protagonist, alongside the other members of the Ashen Wolves. Profile The self-proclaimed "King of Grappling," Balthus has a rough-and-tumble personality. Running from his woes (and his debts), he's gone underground—literally—in Abyss. Despite his motivations, he's big-hearted and protects those he cares for. He is also the best friend of Holst, Hilda's older brother. Hilda had known him from childhood, refers to him as "Baltie" and tends to treat him as if he were another brother. Balthus' mother is a commoner from Kupala, a very secluded region within Leicester. His father is the leader of the Albrecht clan, a minor noble family from the east of the Alliance. She left Kupala to see the world, and he rescued her from danger; the two fell in love, married and had Balthus, but his mother was loathed by her husband's clansmates due to her lowborn origins so they constantly harassed her. The couple were forced to part ways: Balthus' mother returned to Kupala, and Balthus remained with his paternal family as the heir apparent, even when he did not consider himself cut to be the heir. Some time after the departure of Balthus' mother, Lord Albrecht was forced to marry a local noblewoman who also bore him a son, albeit one with no Crest. Balthus and his younger half-brother were pretty close, but the boy's mother loathed her stepson and was obsessed with her son becoming the heir of the family. All of this was followed by Balthus' own unruly behavior and the discovery of his Crest of Chevalier when he entered the Officer's Academy; his Crest was not supposed to have been passed on to anyone after the failure of the Rite of Rising, so Balthus and Lord Albrecht had lots of problems to keep the secret from the clan. Some time after Balthus' graduation he decided to run away since not only he was harassed by debt collectors and other enemies, he greatly feared that his cruel stepmother would either harm his mother and the Kupalans as revenge against him, take her frustrations on his father, or pit him against his brother. As he ran away from everyone in Leicester, after a bad encounter with bounty hunters near the Bridge of Myrddin he reached the territory of Lysithea's parents in Ordelia. By then, House Ordelia was already dominated by the Empire and could not give him shelter, but they still fed him and helped him escape from his pursuers despite the danger they were in. He has never forgotten the kindness of the Ordelias and hopes to repay them someday, as he explains to Lysithea in their supports. Eventually, Balthus made his way to Abyss, managing to lay low until it was safe to come out again. Personality Rowdy by nature, Balthus is straightforward and non-judgmental, being one of the few to not fuss over things like Lysithea's quirks. He is surprisingly empathetic, as he was close with his younger half-brother and always believed he was better suited to be the head of their family, so he chose to leave in order to make handing his over inheritance that much easier. As the oldest student of the Officer's Academy, Balthus enjoys gambling and drinking, one of the primary reasons of his being in debt, but cannot control his urges to do so. While he may ask people for small loans, most notably Hilda, he never directly asks others to assist him in paying off his debts, as he prefers to resolve them by himself. If someone offers him any sort of aid, and he cannot repay them immediately, he vows to repay such favors someday no matter what. Balthus is one of the few people in the Alliance who is aware of Claude's true identity. He is also perhaps the only character in Three Houses capable of getting under Claude's skin and making him visibly annoyed. As a child, he had a crush on Claude's mother, and those feelings have carried into adulthood despite the fact he hadn't seen her since then. This mentality ties, among other things, into Balthus' deals with Lysithea and her family. Since the Ordelia clan gave him aid even when they were in a desperate situation themselves, he considers himself in debt to them and is determined to pay it off no matter what. This can lead to him being able to open the path for Lysithea's recruitment in Crimson Flower. Despite his hearty and careless personality, Balthus can be quite insightful, which is referenced in both his budding talent in Reason, and the fact that he's the only person who can not only keep up with Claude's defensiveness over his past and his prodding, but he even turns it back on him, leaving Claude genuinely indignant and hypocritically upset at Balthus for trying to get a read into his past. Balthus is on good terms with Holst and his younger sister Hilda, despite not being in contact with them for years. He tries his best to take care of Hilda, even well after the timeskip, where he upholds the promise made to Holst years ago before hiding in Abyss. He also respects Holst's combat capabilities, stating that he wouldn't have a chance if he had to fight him. This respect turns into a prominent weakness that Hilda exploits to rein in Balthus' love for gambling and reckless behavior. His friendship with the two is so great that in Crimson Flower, if he is sent to fight Hilda, he will attempt to have her stand down, to no avail. When Hilda points out that Holst would hold him responsible for her death, Balthus does not deny this, stating that if he did kill her, he would repay it by offering his life to him and ensuring her body would be returned home. Balthus von Albrecht, the self-proclaimed "King of Grappling" and member of the Ashen Wolves in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, depicted in his pre-timeskip academy design. He possesses an exceptionally tall, muscular, and imposing physical build with a deeply tanned complexion and a highly defined, shredded six-pack torso left completely exposed. His face features a rugged, chiseled jawline, a wide nose, and long, dark sideburns that trail down to his jaw. His dark grey, messy hair is swept upward and backward in stylized, thick waves. He stands in a confident, macho posture, looking off to his right with a relaxed, slightly cocky smirk. His uniform is heavily modified to maximize mobility for brawling and to show off his physique. He wears a full-length, double-breasted white trench coat with grey lapels, large silver buttons, and vertical pleats along the shoulders. He leaves the coat entirely open to the waist, where it is held back by a thick, dark metallic chain draped loosely across his chest, connected to an intricate black collar piece wrapped tightly around his neck. At his waist, he wears a thick purple leather belt with a silver rectangular buckle, flanked by decorative white tassels on either hip. His lower half consists of form-fitting white trousers that tuck directly into massive, armored black combat boots, which feature protective purple-rimmed steel knee/shin guards. For hand protection, he wears heavy-duty black leather brawling gloves with thick, dark purple leather bands wrapped around his forearms. Balthus usually calls male comrades "Pal."