'Fire Emblem: Three Houses' Cindered Shadows finally tells us more about Byleth's mother

One of the best dynamics in the base game of Fire Emblem: Three Houses stems from Geralt and his offspring Byleth, who's either a man or a woman depending on what you choose for the protagonist. Geralt is gruff, grizzled, and has a somewhat checkered past, while Byleth is mostly silent. The Cindered Shadows DLC finally delivered some essential information about Byleth's mother who was never named in the main game.

For anyone out there who loves Byleth in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, here's all the new and essential information you might want.

[Spoilers for the Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the DLC Cindered Shadows ]

What did we learn about Byleth’s mother from the base game?

Using the Silver Snow route, we know a little bit about Byleth’s mother from vanilla Fire Emblem: Three Houses. She was actually created by Archbishop Rhea using ancient magic as a clone in her own image. Rhea hoped that her clone could be a vessel to revive the goddess Sothis’ Spirit. Prior to achieving her destiny, Byleth’s mother was a nun at the Garreg Mach Monastery. While working at the Monastery, she met a knight named Jeralt.

The two fell in love, got married, and conceived a child, Byleth. On the night of Byleth’s birth, Rhea attempted to revive Sothis using the clone's body. She couldn’t do it, prompting Rhea to remove her Crest of Flames and place it in the newborn Byleth. This action immediately killed Byleth’s mother, causing Jeralt to resign from his position, fleeing the Church’s dominion with his child in tow. Jeralt and his child don’t return to the Monastery until Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ opening scenes. To this day, Byleth’s mother has a tombstone in the monastery, which Jeralt can be seen lounging around throughout the game.

What new information on Byleth’s mother is provided by Fire Emblem: Three Houses Cindered Shadows?

Prior to the Cindered Shadows DLC, we never knew the name of Byleth’s mother, but it's revealed rather quickly that her name is Sitri. We even get to see her face.

As you enter the DLC’s main setting, Abyss, you meet a Cardinal named Aelfric who claims to have known Sitri and Jeralt when they fell in love. He’s the main source of information when it comes to learning about your deceased momma.

Aelfric tells you that your mother was quiet, frail, and studious — when she wasn’t singing the various Sothis hymns, her nose would be buried in a book. You also learn that she loved Jeralt for providing a lifeline to the outside world. Having spent her entire life in the monastery, she knew nothing of the life outside the Garreg Mach’s walls. Jeralt’s stories added flavor to her milquetoast life.

Aelfric also expresses surprise after hearing that they got married, citing that their drastically different personalities. Later on, we learn that Aelfric had been obsessed with Sitri himself and seemingly grew to resent Jeralt because of this.

Perhaps the most touching addition that Cindered Shadows provides to Sitri's story is a beautiful photo of Jeralt and Sitri in love (featured above). It's the first and probably only official look at Byleth's mother, and she looks almost identical to the Female Byleth character model. Aren't genetics grand?

Fire Emblem: Three Houses Cindered Shadows is now available for Nintendo Switch.