Knoll

Knoll Artwork of Knoll from The Sacred Stones. One of Grado's royal mages. He knows the riddle of the Dark Stone.

Gender Male Race Human Nationality Grado Starting class Shaman Voiced by David Matranga (English, Heroes) Ryuuichi Kijima (Japanese, Heroes) Appearance(s) The Sacred Stones Heroes

“	Are you saying that, knowing the future, we should do nothing? We should simply allow people to die in order to preserve "fate"?	”	— Knoll, to Natasha

Knoll (Japanese: ノール Knoll) is a playable Shaman who appears in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones. He is one of Grado's royal mages who formerly worked closely with Prince Lyon researching the Fire Emblem. He joins in Chapter 15.

Biography

Knoll was a researcher of arcane magic at the royal court of Grado, serving directly under Prince Lyon. Their primary research involved an ancient spell called the time shear, which would grant its user the ability to warp time. Though attempts to cast this spell resulted in failure, the researchers were able to create brief glimpses into the future, studying ripples in the flow of time created by great disturbances. One such glimpse allowed Lyon to predict a storm in Grado's south, leading to him barring ships from sailing; as a result, many lives were saved, affirming the belief that their research could aid the people of Grado.

Knoll witnessing Lyon about to destroy the Sacred Stone of Grado.

One year before the War of the Stones, the court mages foresaw that a terrible earthquake would hit Grado, destroying half of the country and causing most of its citizens to die. On Emperor Vigarde's orders, knowledge of the disaster was kept secret from the public. Knoll was present for the emperor's death soon after. Knoll continued to assist the devastated, desperate Prince Lyon in his research, opening the seal placed on the Sacred Stone of Grado—also known as the Fire Emblem—on his orders despite attempts to object to it, and looking into ways to restore the deceased emperor. Eventually, Lyon succeeded in his efforts through creating the powerful Dark Stone from the energy sealed within the Sacred Stone, which contained the soul of the Demon King, Fomortiis. Though Knoll was not present for the stone's creation and its act of resurrection, he bore witness to Lyon destroying the Sacred Stone afterwards. Subsequently, Grado launched a sudden invasion of Renais under the orders of the resurrected emperor, by request of Prince Lyon.

Knoll objected to Lyon's usage of the Dark Stone, and was thrown in prison for it, sentenced to be executed. One day prior to his stated execution, he was rescued by Prince Ephraim of Renais, who had captured the Grado capital. He explained the situation behind Grado's sudden invasion to Ephraim, as well as what had happened to Lyon, before leading the prince to the room in which the Sacred Twins of Grado were located, intending for the weapons to be used for good. Afterwards, he joined the Renais forces, believing it to be what Lyon would want of him. When the war concluded, he returned to Grado, where he remained during the foretold disaster and helped rebuild; afterwards, he disappeared without a trace.

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Role

Knoll is a playable character. On Eirika's route, he automatically joins at the end of turn 2 enemy phase of Chapter 15 alongside Duessel and the rejoining Ephraim. On Ephraim's route, he automatically joins at the end of Chapter 14. On both routes, he is mentioned by Ephraim at the end of Chapter 15 as the one who explained the Dark Stone to him. Additionally, he appears during a flashback at the end of Chapter 20 on Ephraim's route.

Starting stats and growth rates

Stats with two figures separated by a ~ are presented as a range, representing stats that vary due to random growths. The figures to the left and right of the ~ are the stat's minimum and maximum possible values respectively.

Eirika's route Ephraim's route

Shaman
Level	10
Affinity

Recruitment: Chapter 15, automatically on the enemy phase of turn 2

Stats Growth Rates

Max HP	21~22	Luck	0~1
Magic	12~13	Defense	2~3
Skill	9~10	Resistance	10~11
Speed	8~9	Constitution	7
Movement	5	Aid	6

Max HP	70%	Luck	20%
Magic	50%	Defense	10%
Skill	40%	Resistance	45%
Speed	35%

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Inventory
Flux  Nosferatu  Vulnerary
Weapon Levels -- -- -- -- -- -- C --

Shaman
Level	10
Affinity

Recruitment: Chapter 14, automatically at the end of the chapter

Stats Growth Rates

Max HP	21	Luck	0
Magic	12	Defense	2
Skill	9	Resistance	10
Speed	8	Constitution	7
Movement	5	Aid	6

Max HP	70%	Luck	20%
Magic	50%	Defense	10%
Skill	40%	Resistance	45%
Speed	35%

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Inventory
Flux  Nosferatu  Vulnerary
Weapon Levels -- -- -- -- -- -- C --

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Promotion stat gains

Class	HP	Mag	Skill	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Con	Mov	Skills	Weapon level
Druid	+4	+0	+0	+3	+0	+2	+2	+1	+1	--	E, D, +40
Summoner	+3	+0	+1	+3	+0	+1	+3	+1	+1	Summon	E, +40

Analysis

This character analysis section may not be accurate to every player's experience.

Knoll joins after the game's halfway point, very slightly later on Eirika's route. However, he joins at a high enough level for instant promotion with a Guiding Ring. He can promote into Summoner, one of the best support classes in The Sacred Stones. Summoners can summon phantoms, 1-HP controllable minions who can attack and take hits. Since their HP is so low, enemies tend to prioritize them when attacking, making them perfect for baiting powerful enemies and distracting them from proper units.

Knoll's greatest issue is that summoning phantoms is his only true utility, and it requires him to promote. Without promotion, Knoll is far from useful, and even after promotion, all he does well is summon phantoms. He joins late and his stats are mediocre. His magic is high, but his speed is too low to double, his physical bulk is abysmal, and his 0 base luck means that almost any physical opponent can crit him. When he joins, the player will have access to many mounted units who can one-round and take hits; Knoll is unmounted, cannot one-round, and cannot take hits, so his combat effectiveness is lackluster. This is why his promotion to Druid is not recommended, as even if he was good at combat Druid's access to Anima is fairly niche. He cannot even contribute with staves, because without promotion, he only has C-rank dark magic and no other weapon ranks. Both of Knoll's promotions give him E-rank staves, but E-rank staves are hardly useful at this point of the game.

Overall, Knoll's greatest advantage and utility is easy access to the Summoner class, since his base level is high enough to promote and his only competition for the class is Ewan. Since Ewan is a Trainee who needs an enormous amount of training to reach Summoner, Knoll will be most players' only Summoner, and having at least one is useful for several strategies.

Fire Emblem Heroes

Main article: Knoll/Heroes

There is one variation of Knoll available in Heroes.

Personality

Knoll is a quiet man, not very talkative or social. He is slightly awkward and overly formal in conversation, and slightly shy. However, he is good-hearted, having helped Lyon with the same vision. Together, and along with the rest of the team of researchers, they aimed to avert disaster. According to him, future catastrophes cause ripples in time that can be read. He seems to have good reflexes, having dodged Lute's attacks twice. He is very intelligent, and knows much about magic and the flow of time. Wise but antisocial, he is a mysterious figure.

Knoll was formerly a research for Prince Lyon and Grado's royal court. He and Lyon seem to have been close, as Knoll holds Lyon in very high regards, to the point that after Lyon is lost to the Demon King, he feels that he has lost everything. He recognizes Natasha as one of the clerics at the Imperial Temple. He still holds faith in Grado, however, and after the war, helps in the restoration of Grado. Afterwards, he disappears, never seen again.

Supports

Main article: Knoll/Supports

Knoll Shaman Natasha Cleric Initial: 10 Per turn:+2 Lute Mage Initial: 5 Per turn:+2 [[{{{support5}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin5}}}affin.png|link={{{affin5}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints5}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support7}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin7}}}affin.png|link={{{affin7}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints7}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support9}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin9}}}affin.png|link={{{affin9}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints9}}} Per turn:+ Duessel Great Knight Initial: 0 Per turn:+2 [[{{{support4}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin4}}}affin.png|link={{{affin4}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints4}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support6}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin6}}}affin.png|link={{{affin6}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints6}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support8}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin8}}}affin.png|link={{{affin8}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints8}}} Per turn:+ [[{{{support10}}}]] [[]] [[File:Is gba {{{affin10}}}affin.png|link={{{affin10}}} (affinity)]] Initial: {{{initialpoints10}}} Per turn:+

See Support § GBA games for more details on supports.

Endings

Knoll, Watcher of Darkness
Knoll returned to Grado, where he dedicated himself to rebuilding it and fulfilling Lyon's vision. When the country was restored to its former glory, he disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.

Quotes

Death quote

“	In this darkness I will find peace.	”	— Knoll

Battle quotes

“	That's the heart of darkness I've studied? It can't be...	”	— Knoll in the final chapter.

Heroes quotes

Main article: Knoll/Quotes (Heroes)

Other appearances

Fire Emblem Cipher

Knoll is featured on two cards in Fire Emblem Cipher.

Fire Emblem Cipher data for Knoll
	Watcher of Darkness, Knoll
	"I'll do what I can to help you. I feel like that is what Prince Lyon would want."
Attack: 60	Support: 20	Range: 1-2	Deploy Cost: 4
Class: Summoner	Tier: Advanced	Class Change Cost: 3
Pursuing the Heart of Darkness: [Activate] [Once per turn] Choose up to 2 of your Orbs, and look at them. Gleipnir, the Magic Tome: [Activate] [Once per turn] [Send 1 Orb to the Retreat Area] Choose up to 2 of your opponent's Bond cards, and flip them face-down. Peace in Darkness: [Activate] [Once per turn] [] If you have 2 or fewer cards in your hand, draw 2 cards.
Card #B22-047R • Artist: Akira Egawa
	Surviving Court Mage, Knoll
	"My name is Knoll. Until recently, I was one of Grado's top researchers in arcane matters."
Attack: 30	Support: 20	Range: 1-2	Deploy Cost: 1
Class: Shaman	Tier: Base	Class Change Cost: --
Knowledge of Elder Magic: [Always] The Support skills of cards that are supporting enemies with a Deployment Cost of 1 are unable to come into effect. Sealspell Emblem: [Support] Until the end of this combat, any Support skills that your opponent's Support card possesses are unable to come into effect.
Card #B22-048N • Artist: Akira Egawa
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, see their TCG wiki article on Knoll .

Flavor text

Game	Text (English)	Text (Japanese)
The Sacred Stones	One of Grado's royal mages. He knows the riddle of the Dark Stone.	グラド帝国　宮廷魔道士の生き残り 魔石誕生の謎を知る唯一の人物

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language	Name	Definition, etymology, and notes
English	Knoll	Comes from an Old English word meaning "hilltop" or "small hill". May also draw from the more archaic verb knoll, a variant of knell, which means to ring a bell for a solemn occasion.
Japanese	ノール	Officially romanized as Knoll.
Spanish	Knoll	--
French	Knoll	--
German	Knoll	--
Italian	Knoll	--
Portuguese (Brazil)	Knoll	--
Traditional Chinese	諾爾	Knoll

Gallery

Sprite Gallery
Shaman Druid Summoner Dark Anima, dark Staff Dark Staff

Official artwork

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  Artwork of Knoll from The Sacred Stones.

Battle animations

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  Knoll attacking with dark magic as a Shaman in The Sacred Stones.
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  Knoll performing a critical hit with magic as a Druid in The Sacred Stones.

CG images

• 
  CG image of Knoll witnessing Lyon experiment with the Dark Stone in The Sacred Stones.

Heroes artwork

Character artwork

• 
  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.
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  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.
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  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.
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  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.

Meet some of the Heroes artwork

• 
  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.
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  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.
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  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.
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  Artwork of Knoll: Darkness Watcher.
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  Knoll in artwork of Lyon: Demon King.

Cipher artwork

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  Bonus artwork featuring Knoll.

References

This article is part of Project Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in the Fire Emblem series.