godshattering | Jan. 1st, 2025

Jan. 1st, 2025

claude von riegan

fire emblem: three houses

— basics —

Claude von Riegan

full name

24 25 26 27 (July 24th)

age

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

canon

Verdant Wind, post-game (notes)

canon point

Arboria

played by

The Wheel of Fortune

arcanum

Free Cities

faction

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

influence

n/a

titles

Cadens (apartment)

residence

— navigation —

— haunts —

Mag's Inn — stops by the tavern a couple nights a week after moving out, can be found at a table either reading or playing card or board games with whoever else is around
Rio Enterprises — at either of the locations, though he's more frequently in Aquila due to managing this workshop
Cadens' libraries — researching various topics and at tables taking notes or in armchairs reaching, or asking the librarians questions on anything he thinks about
Out in the desert — working on (small) monster hunts as jobs, collecting supplies for himself and apothecaries, or simply out for a horseback ride

— first impressions —

appearance Just about 5'9" in height. Has a somewhat deceptive frame in appearance from a first glance, and is very physically strong thanks to plenty of muscle built from years of training and combat (and using bows basically the size of him and riding a wyvern). Won't hesitate to use that perceived lack of strength to his advantage to surprise an opponent. Has brown hair usually combed back and which curls considerably more when it's cut shorter or not styled, green eyes, and generally friendly body language if not closed off when one really looks closely. Has several scars on his hands, arms, and other places generally hidden by shirts and jackets mostly from combat and some from his past, and many calluses from wielding bows over the years.

clothing Most often, Claude can be found wearing a simple pair of trousers, a shirt that's partially unbuttoned, and riding boots when around Cadens. He tends to wear yellows, golds, and greens as accent colors, and often has a scarf wrapped around his waist (visual). The scarf also serves as a way to carry various weapons with him while tucked away in the sash so they're less obvious. There's also a dagger tucked into one of his boots and another one on his belt, plus one more in the leather satchel he has to haul around his work and/or finds. His clothes while in the Horizon differ, so see his Horizon Info page for more information.

After the initial visit to Nocwich in August 2022, now has a tattoo in glowing ink on his right inner forearm roughly 3-4 finger widths in height.

After the ritual in the Pit in February 2023, now has a scar along the inside of his left forearm running up to his elbow and a more visible one diagonally across the middle of his back from healed wounds.

From February 2024 forward, replaced his usual earring with a new one with the heart enchanted to be a light pink and the sun to be a light blue when one looks at it directly, and remains gold otherwise.

demeanor The best description of Claude is one given not long after meeting him in FE3H: "His easy smile is striking, but that smile doesn't reach his eyes." Claude tends to hold others at arms' length while examining them (either openly or not) until he makes up his mind on how he feels. Will use someone to meet his desired ends when needed, and is charismatic enough to potentially manipulate a situation without the other person fully realizing it. That smile is always at the ready, though it can turn into a real one if he discovers a shared viewpoint with whoever he's interacting with. It's difficult to anger him to the point of outwardly showing it, and any show of actual emotion is reserved for those he feels closest to or safest around. Even then, it'll likely be on the reserved side unless the situation calls for something else.

aural Voice samples one, two, and three. Tends to speak in a calm, even tone in order to not betray his true feelings when speaking on any serious topic or trying to make a point and rarely raises his voice beyond when needed to call out to someone. Often heard joking around more often than anything else, but will lapse into seriousness when called for. Sarcasm is often present and anyone is a fair target for it, though it's normally meant teasingly or to point out the obvious.

olfactory Soap's the main note because hygiene's important. Usually he'll pick something up from the markets with whatever scent it is being something close to pine needles. Otherwise, other common scents are weapon oil if recently training or fighting, or extinguished candle smoke, tea, coffee, and ink if caught up late studying documents or reading.

— skills —

combat A skilled archer, Claude's favored weapon is a bow of any kind though he is also proficient with swords and axes. He trained in various combat methods since childhood under a talented instructor and also furthered his studies at Garreg Mach under his professor Byleth's guidance. Claude has high dexterity and agility and can/will dodge physical attacks (or do his best to). He has no particular defenses against magic but will attempt to avoid a spell he can see coming.

magic Also while a student, Claude learned a few spells he knows how to cast. These spells have a limited number of uses and are tiring for those not proficient in magic (i.e., anyone that's not a mage or well versed in magic, which Claude isn't) so they aren't his preferred method of attack or defense unless absolutely needed.

FAITH is magic primarily meant to heal/provide healing to an ally. The user cannot use it on themselves and must rely on someone else healing them. It is also not a replacement for proper medicine or healing treatments; someone injured who is healed with Faith would still need medical care to recover fully. Claude knows the following spells:
     » Heal — basic light magic, lightly heals an adjacent ally and cannot be used from a distance
     » Nosferatu — basic light attack magic, damages an opponent and also heals the user slightly
     » Recover — intermediate light magic, greatly heals an adjacent ally and cannot be used from a distance

REASON is magic meant to either damage or knock out an opponent in a fight or battle. Each spell has a limited number of uses and takes a toll on the caster where they'll need to recover after heavy use. Generally, Claude would use these only as a backup to using a bow or a sword as his primary (much preferred) weapons.
     » Wind — basic wind magic, does light damage
     » Sagittae — magic arrows with a high hit rate
     » Cutting Gale — advanced wind magic, does roughly 3x amount of damage as Wind

minor crest of riegan Believed to be blessings from the Fódlan goddess, Sothis, and carried down through bloodlines, Crests grant special powers to those who have them. In particular, the Crest of Riegan grants healing abilities to those who bear it. It activates at random when Claude is injured and cannot be triggered on demand or otherwise, except for as a visual example in the Horizon where it isn't needed. In Abraxas, this manifests as the occasional wound healing much faster than normal and resulting in no scars or just a very faint one when healed. Having this Crest cannot prevent Claude from being seriously injured or dying.

poisons Skilled at creating a variety of poisons - generally meant to give someone a temporary setback and nothing more, but knows far stronger varieties if needed. Learned this skill as a child working on his schemes (and after being poisoned himself), and can learn to adapt the ingredients to wherever he's located. Has a baseline poison immunity thanks to trying out various ones on himself over the years.

— rumors —

Has some weird self-healing magic in his blood called a Crest
Was questioned by Cadens officials about something, though he's not saying what
Always up for a weird food challenge
The sideburns are actually stick on
Second best archer around
Ask him for his tea recommendations

— tasks —

January 2024: Delivered condolence letters to the families of those who perished on the island, and escorted a wagon back to Luna alongside Istredd and Nanaue
December 2023: Re-elected conclave rep and serves with Astarion and Steve Rogers, revisited the island and assisted with recovery of remains and artifacts, voted to raze the island, attended the Free Cities Summoned holiday party and generally caused a bunch of mischief
November 2023: Along with Hilda, Sam Wilson, and Sylvain, began a restoration project for the Red Path after August's events and asked the Summoned for assistance
October 2023: Served as a delegate on the Free Cities' behalf along with Nadine Cross on the Summoned's trip to The Nether, helped successfully negotiate for aid for the Draconae
September 2023: Spent most of his month helping with Hilda's recovery and working his usual jobs with merchants and in managing operations in Aquila for Viktor's business
August 2023: Re-elected conclave rep for the Free Cities along with Sam Wilson, caught up with Linhardt after he arrived in Thorne, fought a variety of monsters after the rifts opened, including a dragon on the Red Path with Hilda and Sylvain which critically injured Hilda; Femblems had an overdue chat about timelines
July 2023: Discovered a baby wyvern from Fodlan with Hilda which they adopted and now resides at the Femblem loft, actually celebrated his birthday this year
June 2023: working on small scale hydroponics with Viktor that reside on the Femblem apartment roof, visited the Feywilds
May 2023: serving as Free Cities representative in the Summoned Conclave along with Jayce Talis and Sam Wilson, began house hunting with Hilda and Sylvain for somewhere new to live, Petra and Marianne have disappeared (and dealing with the sense of loss from that), worked on assisting with the flooding around the Free Cities' farmlands, also making a mess of his personal life ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
April 2023: recovering still the ritual and its effects and working on getting back to an "average" life around Cadens, submitted himself as a representative for the Free Cities as part of the Summoned Conclave
February-March 2023: was abducted by the mushroom cult, underwent a pretty terrifying ritual, suffered A Lot and returned to Nocwich in terrible shape to spend a week there recovering before being kept in the hospital in Cadens for around another week
January 2023: assisted in Aquila with the rescue of the electric jelly, might've also used it as an actual vacation
December 2022: attending the mandatory "vacation" to Luna
November 2022: solidly saying This Is Fine to the omens/old gods aftermath, getting interrogated by the Free Cities, began picking up small hunting jobs in the desert in addition to other usual tasks
October 2022: continuing to provide aid in Libertas in between working a more consistent schedule of jobs for a handful of merchants
September 2022: after the attack on Libertas, went there to provide aid through search and rescue, working in infirmaries, and volunteering in orphanages and shelters; also went on the Free Cities supply run to serve as a guard on it
August 2022: attended the events Nocwich with other Summoned to learn as much as he could about everything he could; got a tattoo while there; participated in the faction task for the Free Cities
July 2022: began working for merchants here and there on various day jobs to make some coin and start paying rent, totally forgot about his birthday with everything else going on
June 2022: getting settled in and learning what he can about Abraxas from other Summoned, taking on jobs for Mag as needed around the inn to pay for room and board, and participated in the Free Cities faction intervention for the nightmares despite thinking it was a bad idea (it was)

— items —

COLLAPSIBLE SWORD — purchased from Jayce and Viktor's shop
ARCANE EARRING — purchased from Jesper at the Libertas art walk
UTILITY DAGGERS — usually in one of his boots
HUNTING KNIFE — a gift from Petra for Valentine's Day with a feather shaped blade and the Golden Deer crest capping the handle
BOOKMARK — a gift from Hilda, cast in resin with a branch of pine within it
CORECLOTH — a shirt transformed by Jesper as a gift
CRYSTAL JELLYFISH STATUE — reward from the sea currents quest
DRINKING HORN — won from the blind tasting contest at the Lunar Pond ceremony in Nocwich
BAG OF HOLDING — very convenient for holding many things
TRAVEL CLOAK OF COMFORT — even more convenience
MAGNIFYING GLASSES — great for seeing things far away
clockwork belt — reward from the supply run quest
APRON — gift from Ciri

— gained magic —

STARRY SKY — using a small compact mirror, Claude can cast a map accurate to the night sky of wherever he is as a projection above him. The projection can be scaled down in size and will be a helpful navigation tool. Currently he can only maintain it for 10 minutes at a time. The map shows the popular and well-known constellations as the brightest stars on the map, and will be filled in as he learns more about Abraxan astronomy over time.
ERASE — By touching a sheet of paper and focusing to make it happen, Claude can erase whatever writing is on it. If someone else is touching the paper at the same time he is, it may or may not work. It works best on his or someone else's handwriting, and he can currently only manage erasing two pages at a time. However, if the pages are enchanted or imbued with magic, it may not erase as well as he'd like.
INVERSION — A power meant to turn someone else's ability against them. Please see the OPT IN for more info!
FROST — By touch alone, can make a small amount of liquid (such as a glass or pitcher of water) freeze solid. Occasionally something he touches, like a tabletop or a door/doorway, might abruptly frost or ice over over heavily for a couple minutes until he learns to control it with practice.
WYVERN WATCH — The illusion conjured appears as a vague wyvern shape from the corner of someone's eye but disappears when looked at directly. It'll alert him to the presence of someone passing by within 5 feet but not who and is meant to serve as a magical motion detector only. Claude needs to be somewhat in its vicinity to be alerted (equivalent to being in the same building). It will dissipate either after sending the warning or after 10-15 minutes.

— out of character —

Arboria · she/her · Central (US) ·

indech

CODE

ABRAXAS HORIZON INFO ART CREDIT CODING

action + prose (nsfw marked) / horizon / network

ALMYRA + FÓDLAN

Claude's domain is based upon where he's lived in Almyra and Fódlan to encompass several ideas and places. Both countries are set in what amounts to fantasy medieval ages and his domain reflects this as well.

Almyra is the kingdom and country where he grew up as Khalid, son of the king of Almyra and Tiana von Riegan, a noblewoman from Fódlan. It is loosely based upon and draws heavy influence from several ancient Middle Eastern civilizations and countries. Almyra is represented in the interior of his domain in both decoration and landscaping in the form of plants, flowers, and trees. Some of it is not unlike that of the Free Cities but with much more than can be found around Cadens to match his homeland's flourishing lands.

The Fódlan portion is drawn from the Leicester Alliance where he moved to and became Claude when he was sixteen to become heir to his grandfather, Oswald von Riegan, the leader of the Alliance. Fódlan roughly equates to Europe, and the Alliance in particular is a combination of medieval/Renaissance England and Italy. Specifically, the exterior parts of his domain are based upon Derdriu (alternate game map one and two), the capital where House Riegan was based and governed the Alliance which has many similarities to Venice (being referred to as a city on the sea, having canals running throughout it, etc).

from the exterior

When someone approaches Claude's domain, they'll notice that it appears to be set upon a river or perhaps a canal that stretches on for some time, like it replaces what they might know as a road, a sidewalk, or any other equivalent. It's mostly quiet aside from the occasional sounds of running water and the distant hum of what might be the activity heard in a busy city marketplace.

If they follow the narrow ledge along the water they can reach a pedestrian bridge that's in the distance and then follow another ledge to get back to their starting point on the opposite side. But also, a small rowboat waits at a dock right at their feet on one edge of the water, suggesting the best way to approach the weathered doors across the way is by using it. Once they cross, there's another small landing where the boat can be anchored. Even if it's not tied up, it won't float away. They'll find that the doors are always unlocked no matter when they stop by, too.

And if they walk far enough down the main canal and past the bridge, they'll end up at the docks of Garreg Mach Monastery, Hilda and Sylvain's domain. If he's not in his own domain, Claude can frequently be found somewhere in Garreg Mach or in the aerie visiting the wyverns there. Before reaching the docks, there's a junction that can be taken that would've once led to Brigid, Petra's Domain. Today, there's only a lone tree to mark the path.

The courtyard inside

Just beyond the double doors, they'll walk into a smaller, walled off but still open air courtyard that's something like a vestibule or foyer of sorts. What walls are there are lined with greenery, including potted flowering plants and small trees. Anyone who stops by is welcome to cut a flower to place in a vase from the stacks nearby for just such a purpose to take back to decorate their own domain, if they'd like. If Claude's visiting their domain, he might bring a smaller, still potted version of any of these flowers as a gift. Other than that, there's not much to see in this area. It's not meant to loiter in long past appreciating the flowers, and there's a short walk to make to another open doorway.

Once they pass through, the courtyard will turn into a very expansive one lined with seating around a pond with a small fountain to aerate it for the ornamental fish inside. Vibrant greenery lines the tiled ledges and while the weather is warm, a breeze will drift through the area to keep it from being too uncomfortable. It's a pleasant place to sit and if someone does and they then glance to one of the side tables near each settee, they'll find a tea service tray with drinks and snacks. On the low tea tables various board games can be found ready to be played, with chess and backgammon each having multiple boards set up suggesting that they might be a favorite of the domain's owner. Just maybe. If you don't know how to play, Claude's happy to teach you.

The opposite end of the courtyard - away from where anyone would be seated and lounging, safety first! - is set up as makeshift training grounds. There's a rack of swords and axes if someone would like to practice with them, and also several archery targets. There's just a couple of silver bows on hand for anyone who's not Claude to practice with since he'll usually use whichever bow he has on hand that day, but anyone is welcome to use those as well.

This is where most visitors will be entertained/hosted if you catch Claude in his own domain when he's there. There are doors leading to what's ostensibly the inner rooms of the house that surrounds the courtyard but if someone tries to open them they'll find most every door is locked. No one will be able to pass through those unless Claude trusts them so whatever might be inside is a mystery, but there are a couple rooms now open to everyone.

The Study

The first open door someone will find is Claude's study from House Riegan back in Derdriu. It's somewhere he spent long hours learning whatever he could from his grandfather before heading to Garreg Mach, where many a meeting happened after becoming the Sovereign Duke of the Leicester Alliance, and a place he traveled back to frequently during the war.

The walls are paneled in dark wood and feature carved details of fine craftsmanship here and there, suggesting the room's based on something both old and with the weight of money behind it. Wrought iron chandeliers above will always be lit with candles to provide light, the fireplaces will always have crackling fires bringing the room to just the right ambient temperature to be comfortable, there's several plush armchairs waiting to be used, and the walls are lined with shelves featuring a seemingly endless number of books. While browsing them, it'll quickly become apparent they span a wide range of topics including:

sciences including Fodlan's version of medicine, astronomy, and crestology

old and hefty tactics and battle strategy volumes

hobbies such as chess, books on bead and gemwork with someone's name written in faded script on the inside covers, and manuals on creating one's own bows and arrows

a number of dusty books about the Church of Seiros and its history, some looking as though they've aged in a basement for several decades complete with mustiness and water stains

textbooks on Faith and Reason magic, theory, and spells

novels of all kinds and on all subject matter, including a series of chivalric adventures popular in Faerghus

maps and various tomes on the nations surrounding Fodlan, such as Albinea, Morfis, Brigid, and a scattered few about Almyra, though the latter are written from the perspective of the Leicester Alliance

All of them are recreated from Claude's memory. Flipping through a few here and there might reveal they also came with whatever notes he'd scribbled in the margins while originally reading them. The thoughts are usually scattered and written in shorthand, and often not intelligible to anyone but the writer.

There's a few tables with angled book holders where one can place something they're reading, benches to sit at, and the tabletops are stocked with fresh sheets of parchment and quills ready for the reader to take their own notes. If you're not familiar with using quills, you'll find these particular ones write like pens now that Claude's been introduced to those. Anyone's welcome to bring their own books to read (or create them on the spot to settle in) and use what's here to research. More than adequate lighting's provided here as well - no eyestrain on his watch.

An ornate desk with a globe mapped from Fodlan's view and yet another comfortable armchair round out the room's contents. The top of the desk will often be scattered with stacks of books, parchment with half-written notes, a number of quills... it suggests whoever owns this desk perhaps has their own system of organized absolute chaos. Nothing left out will be too revealing on its own; the desk also has a series of drawers which will be always locked, and rattling any of them suggest they're full of things. Attempts to pick the locks will be unsuccessful - whatever's used on them will snap instantly, as if this has been anticipated.

The Lab

Another open door possible for someone to walk through will lead to what's clearly an amateur laboratory setup. Bookcases with drawers and books, journals, and rolled up notes are filled to the brim around the edges of the room. Jars of powdered ingredients, dried mushrooms, and different tinctures also sit waiting to be used. There's a row of windows letting lots of bright natural sunlight into the room - all the better to work by.

There's a workbench with a large countertop in the middle of the room with more parchments with notes resembling recipes, various beakers, test tubes, and small bottles labeled with only a scribble to help decipher what's inside of them. Some of them will be clearly finished projects waiting neatly in rows, with their contents ranging from liquid as clear as water to others with dried plants steeping inside of them still.

And as for those plants: there's several growing within pots stacked upon bookcases, other random shelves, and in baskets hanging from the ceiling. All are within easy reach to be harvested. Some are from Fodlan, some are ones Claude will claim are from Fodlan but only those from the Empire, the Kingdom, or the Alliance might question whether that's true, and some might be recognized as the ones which grow in the desert around Cadens.

What is it he's doing with them, anyway? If asked, Claude will merely shrug and say he's always had an interest in botany. Why not indulge it here? If the asker is someone he's close to, they might get more details. Otherwise, it'll be naught but taking him at his word.

There's nothing overtly suspicious about the room - it really does look like a laboratory where a curious mind is hard at work on many things, after all - but if someone picks up a particular vial, Claude might quickly retrieve it and suggest examining something else instead.

Just in case.

Claude's clothing in the Horizon

These days, Claude's outfits in the Horizon resemble more of what he wears every day in Cadens: boots with trousers tucked into them, a shirt, possibly a vest, and a scarf wrapped around his waist as a sash. The images above are meant as visualosities for what he might be wearing in some combination. His pants will generally be tan, brown, or black, with white shirts and golds, yellows, and greens as accent colors. He dresses for comfort in the warm weather so most garments will fit loosely unless there's some occasion that would call for something more tailored. If traveling to another's domain where weather might be chillier, a cloak will also be present.

He can also be occasionally found wearing traditional Almyran armor worn into Fodlan's war, or his day to day clothing as the leader of the Leicester Alliance. Both serve as reminders of the life left behind after being summoned to Abraxas, and he will have either bow seen in the above pictures: Wind Parthia from Almyra or Failnaught from Fódlan.

say hi to the wyvern

Claude's beloved white wyvern also resides in his domain. Back home, she's much taller than a horse and somewhere closer to the height of a small building and has a massive wingspan. In the Horizon, his wyvern has reverted back to her fledgling years so she looks like the lower row of fan art.

She is friendly if not also standoffish with those she's meeting for the first time. New friends can win her over by scratching underneath her chin (fortunately no sharp adult sized teeth in the Horizon to worry about!) or by offering up a tasty snack in the form of fish, dried meat, or any new food she hasn't tried yet. The sky's the limit! Doting on her will also win some instant points with Claude - not to mention the wyvern.

Her normal haunts are flying around Claude's domain as if soaring through the sky, roosting in one of the trees within the inner courtyard, or keeping watch on the perch right inside the front courtyard to trill at any visitors both in greeting and alert. If Claude is out visiting others or just roaming the Horizon itself, she may tag along by either flying above him or to his side or perching on his forearm. If she's home by herself, visitors might be regarded with suspicion and followed throughout wherever they wander until Claude appears.

And, if someone was perhaps hoping to meet an adult wyvern, they can be found in THE AERIE created by Hilda at Garreg Mach. Heed the advice about bringing snacks for them and they might just even be able to take one for a ride around the Horizon.

HORIZON CONTACT

CODING CREDIT