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Below I have compiled a list of almost all the etymologies of the person/place/weapon names that are in Genealogy of the Holy War. I would like to point out that I came up with the majority of these etymologies myself but I did not shy away from checking my findings with other sources such as the two Fire Emblem Wikis and some Serenes Forest posts as well. With that out of the way I would like to point out how well researched and inspired this, and by extension all other Fire Emblem games, are in terms of the names used for people/places/objects. Genealogy of the Holy War seems to draw extensively from Norse and Celtic/Irish mythology, and the use of some lesser known names is even more astounding. As a note, the list is not totally complete and it would be great if some of you well informed fans can fill in some of the remaining blanks for the names I have listed. Genealogy of the Holy War Etymology Collection: Place Names Jugdral- Corruption of Yggdrasil, the World Tree of Norse mythology Grannvale- Original name, Translated as Grandbell, seems to simply be a combination of Grand and bell Chalphy- Corruption of Thialfi(Þjálfi), servant of the Norse god Thor Jungby- Corrution of Ygnvi, the old name for the Norse god Freyr Friege- Original? Possible corruption of Phygia, an ancient kingdom in Anatolia and location for various Greek myths Edda- Named after the Poetic and Prose Eddas, the written sources for the majority of Norse myths, compiled by Snorri Sturluson Dozel- Original name, unclear etymology Velthomer- Original name, likely utilizes the name Vala(Fala) as a source such as Falaflame Belhalla- Corruption of Valhalla, the Norse afterlife for heroes and warriors, seems to fit in with the name Grand-bell Verdane- Original name, draws from adjective “verdant” meaning green with plants. A reference to the forested terrain of the country Evans- English/Welsh last name meaning Son of Evan, where Evan is the Welsh version of John Genoa- City in Italy and capital of the region of Liguria Marpha- Unsure, name of a small village in Nepal Verdane- Capital shares name with country Agustria- Original name, likely drawn from Augustus, first Roman Emperor or corruption of Austria Nordion- Original name? Likely draws from “nord” meaning north or of the north Heirhein- Original name, drawn from hein, diminutive of Heinrich or more likely a corruption of Highland Mackily- Original? Unknown Anphony- Original? Unknown Madino- Unkown, possibly drawn from Medina, a holy city for Islam in Arabia Silvail- Original? Unknown Orgahill- Original? Unknown Agusty- Likely Original, shortened version of Agustria Silesse- Corruption of Silesia, a region in Poland, Czech Republic, and Germany Sailane- Original? Possibly a corruption of Silesia Thove- Original? Unknown Zaxon- Corruption of Saxon or Saxony, a region in eastern Germany Lubeck- Slight corruption of Lübeck, a port city in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Silesse- Capital named after country Isaach- Corruption of Biblical name Isaac, patriarch of the Israelites Tirnanog- Corruption of Tír na nÓg meaning “land of the young” and is another name for Otherworld in Celtic mythology Ganeishire- Unknown, likely drawn from some English/Scottish shire Sophara- Original name? Possibly drawn from Sofia, capital of Bulgaria Rivough- Original name? Possibly drawn from an Irish/Welsh place name Isaach- Capital named after the country Yied Desert- Corruption of Aed, Irish god of the underworld Phinora- Original? Unknown Darna- Original? Unknown Yied- Same as the region Manster District- Corruption of Munster, ancient kingdom in Ireland and currently one of its provinces Melgen- Original name? Unknown, possibly an Irish/Scottish/Welsh place name Alster- Corruption of Ulster, old Irish kingdom and current province Leonster- Corruption of Leinster, old Irish kingdom and current province Conote- Corruption of Connacht, old Irish kingdom and current province Manster- Same etymology as the country Thracia- Named after region in the Balkans inhabited by Thracian people Mease- Corruption of Meath, old Irish kingdom and current county Kapathogia- Original? Unknown, likely a Greek place name Luthecia- Corruption of Lutecia, Roman name for Paris Grutia- Thracia- capital named after country Miletos District- Named after ancient Greek city Miletos(Μί̄λητος) Peruluke- Original name? Unknown Chronos- Named after Greek primordial god of time Rados- Original name? Likely Greek person/place name Miletos- capital named after country Weapon names Tyrfing- Named after the magical sword in Norse mythology associated with three tragedies Balmung- The name used in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle for the sword of the Norse hero Sigurd called Gram Mystletainn- Named after the magical sword of the Norse hero Hrómund Gripsson, possibly also in reference to the weapon used by Hodr to accidentally kill Baldur in Norse myth Gungnir- Named after the magical spear of the Norse god Odin Gae Bolg- Named after the magical spear used by the Irish hero Cu Chulainn Valflame- Combination of character name Fala and flame Forseti- Named after Norse god of justice Mjolnir- Named after the Norse god Thor’ hammer Helswath- Combination of Hel, Norse goddess of the underworld and swath, “the space covered by the stroke of a scythe” Named Swanchika originally, a corruption of sanskrit “svastika” known as manji in japanese Yewfelle- Named after yew, a material often used to make bows and fell, to knock down or defeat, as Ichaival, the name of a bow used by Odin that could fire ten arrows at once Valkyrie Staff- Named after Valkyries, Norse warrior women who carry fallen warriors to the afterlife Book of Naga- Named after character Naga who in turned is named after serpent deities in Hinduism and other Indian religions Character Names Twelve Crusaders: Baldur- Norse god of light Odo- Corruption of Od or Odin, Norse gods Hezul- Unknown, possibly a corruption of Hodr, Norse god and brother of Baldur Dain- A dwarf listed in Norse texts Noba- Unknown, possibly named after Roman city in Africa or Latin word for “new” Fala- Named for volva, also said vala, Norse mystic women, also possible reference to Norse goddess Freya Ced- Corruption of Forseti, Norse god of justice Tordo- Corruption of Thor, Norse god of lightning Neir- Unknown etymology Ulir- Corruption of Ullr, Norse god of hunting and archery Blaggi- Named for Bragi, Norse god of poetry Heim- Corruption of Heimdall, Norse god and guardian of the rainbow bridge Bifrost Playable Characters: Sigurd- Norse hero who killed the dragon Fafnir with the sword Gram(Balmung) Naoise- Irish knight and nephew of King Conchobar mac Nessa Alec- Short version of name Alexander Arden- The brother of Naoise in Irish mythology Azelle- Hebrew name meaning “noble” Lex- Shorthand of Alexander or, as Rex, Latin for “king” Quan- Corruption of Cian, the father of the Irish hero Lugh Ethlyn- Corruption of Ethniu, wife of Cian and mother of the Irish hero Lugh Finn- Irish hero Finn MacCool(Fionn Mac Cumhaill), the leader of the Fianna Midayle- Corruption of Midir, an Irish god who is the son of the Dagda and lover of Etain Dew- Likely named for “morning dew” Edain- Irish heroine and lover of the god Midir Ayra- Corruption of ira, the Latin word for “wrath” Deirdre- Irish heroine and tragic lover of Naoise Jamke- Corruption of Jamukha, Mongolian political rival of Genghis Khan Chulainn- The Irish hero Cu Chulainn, wielder of the magic spear Gae Bolg, also possible reference to Chulainn, the man who gave Setanta(Cu Chulainn) his name Lachesis- Greek goddess of fate and middle sister of the Moirae(fates), she measures the length of the thread that defines a person’s lifespan Beowolf- Corruption of Beowulf, Norse and Anglo-Saxon hero Lewyn- Possibly a corruption of Welsh Llewellyn or Old English Leofwine Sylvia- Latin name in reference to Roman nature god Sylvanus Erinys- Greek goddess of vengeance also known as a Fury or the Furies Tailtiu- Irish goddess and foster mother of the hero Lugh Claud- Alternate form of Roman name Claudius Briggid- Irish goddess of fire Seliph- Original name Julia- Roman name, feminine form of Julius Lana- Unknown Larcei- Corruption of Irish god Luchtaine Ulster- Named after Irish province, As Skasher, his name is a reference to Scathach, the Irish warrior woman who trainned Cu Chulainn Oifey- Corruption of Aoife, Irish warrior woman Diarmuid- Irish hero of the Fianna and lover of Grainne Lester- English name derived from city of Leicester Fee- Diminutive of Fiona or Phoebe Arthur- Named for King Arthur of Camelot Iuchar- Irish figure, brother of Iucharba and Brian, who killed Cian and Iucharba- Brother of Iuhar and Brian, killed Cian Shannan- Corruption of Shannon, a river in Ireland Patty- Diminutive of Patricia Leif- Norse name such as in Leif Erikson Nanna- Sumerian goddess of the moon Ares- Greek god of war Lene- Unknown Tine- Derived from Tini mac Conri, Irish king of Connacht Febail- Irish hero Bran mac Febail Ced- Corruption of Forseti, Norse god of justice Hannibal- Carthaginian general who fought against Rome in the Punic Wars Cairpre- Medieval Irish name with various associated figures Altena- Possible combination of Greek goddesses Athena and Artemis Arion- Possibly from Greek poet Ἀρίων Villains: Alvis- Corruption of Alviss, a dwarf whose name means “All-wise” Andorey- Likely a corruption of the name André Lombard- Also known as Langobalt, both are names in reference to the Lombards, a Germanic people who lived in northern Italy Reptor- Unknown, likely original Travant- German word “trabant” meaning satellite Manfroy- Unknown Loptyr- Name used for the Norse god Loki Story Characters: Eldigan- Original name Grahnye- Corruption of Grainne, Irish heroine and lover of Diarmuid Kurth- Corruption of the name Kurt Cigyun- Corruption of Sigyn, wife of the Norse god Loki Azmur- Original? Mananan- Corruption of Manannán mac Lir, Irish sea god Mariccle- Corruption of mac Lir from Manannán mac Lir EDIT: New etymologies for Friege, Lopty, etc. thanks to comments

I wasn't able to find an explicit discussion thread for FEHeroes story. Therefore the purpose of this thread is to discuss FEHeroes main plot as well as nuances in the chapters, paralogues and other worldly missions as well as character development and such. I hope the spoiler in the topic, will be enough to make people aware, that there might be spoilers here.

Hi guys! It's been a VERY long time since I've been to serenes forest and I've recently played both tellius games again. As a result, I've been able to pinpoint exactly what made the previous games so great from a story-standpoint...character development. Bare in mind these are just my opinions as I'm not claiming they're objectively good or even better than modern fire emblem...these are just my opinions. WARNING! I HAVEN'T YET PLAYED FATES (though I've seen a lot of it) SO THIS REALLY ONLY APPLIES TO AWAKENING! Elincia-in path of radiance she eventually gains the courage to fight on the battlefield and lead her country. In RD she is a first a weak and naive ruler who can't keep order as she's too caring for her own citizens. She learns the hard way through Ludveck that sometimes you have to sacrifice your own citizens to benefit the overall population (spend lives in order to avoid a bloody civil war). She becomes stronger in this way as a character. Shiharam-not only do I believe he's the best Camus in the franchise but the fact that they show you what the villagers and his own soldiers think of him makes his battle a very emotional one (as he was a valuable asset and a good friend to many people). I found that Mustafa in awakening pales by comparison as we don't get nearly as much information about him. Overall, while Shiharam didn't really get any development, I still cared a lot about him and was legitimately saddened when I had to kill him in PoR. The fact that you can have his own daughter kill him is pretty gruesome and the fact that the game takes the time to flesh out his death makes it FAR more interesting than any Mustafa or Camus I've ever encountered Skrimir-what starts off as another hot-headed, arrogant commander turns out to actually get some interesting development. After he loses to general Zelgius he's forced to reconsider his attitude towards strength and his overall confidence in his ability. He essentially finally sees the strength in planning and intelligence rather than brute force only and I found this pretty interesting to watch him grow as a character like this. Jill-this character is probably my favorite in the entire series. She starts off as another glory-seeking soldier who wants nothing more than to bring fame to her family's name. After defending Ike from the laguz pirates out of her hatred for the laguz she sticks around for a while and, slowly but surely, overcomes her racism towards the laguz. She even becomes so loyal to Ike's cause that she can (if you make her) kill her own father because he was in the way. And the way she reacts was heart breaking seeing her cry like that. The fact that she can potentially even join her father's side only adds more depth to her as a character. Ultimately, THIS is why I prefer the older games' stories to the modern ones as they actually had meaningful character development. Sure the tellius series had fan service and one note characters as well but it certainly was no where near as bad as awakening. Characters like Owain or Inigo, while they have "depth" (mainly tragic excuses for their annoying behavior), aren't nearly as interesting to me as some of the older characters. Sadly, not many people still care about great characters or interesting stories in games as, as long as MUH GAMEPLAY is handled correctly, nobody gives a shit anymore. As for that competitor to fire emblem I was working on...it's canceled (for now). While I do want to play a fire emblem game with good stories again I don't have the skills necessary to make such a thing. Because, if fates doesn't have a good story and the future games don't have good stories or characters either... *stares at noose* It's time....

So, I recently got into a discussion with someone about Fates: Conquest, and they made the claim that the only ones who could technically be held accountable for Nohr's atrocities in that game are Garon, Hans, and Iago. They claimed that since they rule through fear and have an "infinite army of Faceless," that the heroes, and the entire Nohrian army, can't really be held accountable for only acting when they did. Now, as someone who's forgiving of a lot of the more recent games' shortcomings, I still can't really buy into this conceit, so I want to know, is there a way for Xander, Corrin and company to stage a military coup against Garon, Hans, Iago, and the Faceless while keeping civilian casualties to a minimum?

Note to mods: If you feel like this topic is better suited for the "Entertainment" forum, feel free to move it there. I wanted to start this topic ever since someone asked, "How would you compare the writing and story telling of Fire Emblem to say Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Orge?" However, I wanted to wait until I had a better understanding of both Fates' story and ASOIAF/GOT (I haven't read all the books, I haven't watched all the episodes, and I haven't played Fates or seen a transcript or Let's Play), but other things in life got in the way (I still don't have a complete understanding of either story), but with the impending Nintendo Switch presentation (and the possibility of a new Fire Emblem announcement), I feel like this might be my last chance to speak up before Fates is overshadowed by a newer Fire Emblem. Anyway, Nintendo seemed to really hype up the story in their marketing of Fates. If I recall correctly, in a Nintendo Direct, they said that Fire Emblem is known for its "complex story and memorable characters." When I think of a "complex story and memorable characters," one of the first things that come to mind is A Song of Ice and Fire, which seems to be the current "gold standard" for fantasy. I'm genuinely curious of what you guys think when Fates is directly compared against ASOIAF/GOT. The most important aspect of a story for me personally is the ending. I prefer a generally bad story with a satisfying ending over a generally good story with an unsatisfying ending, unless the bad story was exceptionally bad or the good story was exceptionally good. I don't really know the ending for any of Fates' three paths, but I can safely guess the ending for the Revelations path, Assuming Revelations is the canonical path, if my guess is correct, then Fates, in my opinion, has a satisfying ending. On the other hand, it seems like ASOIAF might be heading towards an ending where humanity is forced to shake hands and sing kumbayah with the white walkers. If this really becomes the ending for ASOIAF, then I'm going to be very pissed off. The white walkers have no redeeming qualities to deserve such an ending. Even the fucking Titans from Attack on Titan have more redeeming qualities (especially if you know who the Titans really are). One might argue that the white walkers have redeeming qualities that we don't know about yet, but my counterargument is that if GRRM really wanted us to have some sympathy for the white walkers, he would have shown us some redeeming or sympathetic qualities already. And the white walkers are even more villainous in the show than in the books. If GRRM follows through with a white walker kumbayah, then I hope David Benioff and Dan Weiss go down a different path and have Dany's dragons exterminate all the white walkers or something. I wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than the total annihilation of the white walkers, or their eternal banishment to another plane of existence (preferably a fiery Hell). "Well, what if GRRM simply wants to teach us the lesson that humanity is simply too weak to ever truly defeat the white walkers?" Well, I've already spent too much time talking about ASOIAF (and too little time talking about Fates), so instead of answering that question, I'll end it here.

So, we all know Zephiel is the bad guy in Binding Blade/Sealed Sword. He is also the same person that you need to save in Blazing Sword/Rekka no Ken. If Jaffar and Nino killed Zephiel, FE6 WILL NOT EXIST and Roy wouldn't have to venture out Pherae. So, whose fault was it? The fault that made the FE6 storyline happen? Here is my observation: Jaffar and Nino was ordered to kill Zephiel right? And they didn't kill him. So, it's their fault. But, they are members of The Black Fang and the King of Bern, Desmond, had contact with the group, so, he sent out an order to kill his own son, so it's his fault right? No, it isn't. Desmond didn't treat Zephiel as his own "son" because they were "not alike". So, whose fault was it? Enough of that for now, let's move on to Eliwood and his army. The Queen of Bern, Helene, ordered Eliwood and his army to save Zephiel from the "assassination" attempt, so they saved him and blah blah blah, it's their fault because they intervened with Jaffar and Nino. No, it isn't Eliwood's fault either. Right now, there are a few suspects: Desmond Helene Black Fang as a whole Jaffar and his change of heart Nino for changing Jaffar's heart Eliwood's army And the tactician for ordering Serra/Priscilla to use that rescue staff on Zephiel. And IntSys for making FE7 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Short Note, Feel free to ignore: I've been really delighted of the people replying to my thread but there's a point when we have to stop, it's not right now since more points need more discussion. Short Note #2: Please respect each others opinions in this thread, I created this for discussion, not for disCUSSion (Bad pun, I know, I know.)

So I've been playing FE11 and FE12 lately. And this one chapter in FE11 had me send one of my units, so I sent Frey, and apparently, he dies. So, if I send in Frey and he "dies". That would leave Cain and Abel. But in FE12, Abel doesn't appear, but Frey does. Meaning, that the game itself made Abel die. But since I sent out Frey, I messed up the timeline. Did IntSys. screwed up on the FE11 and FE12 timeline? You decide.

If your not a fan of long posts and stories scroll down to the Hey Listen! Thing to get a sense of what I mean when I say Re-vamp. It might be confusing at first but the story cleans up some of that. I dive into this a bit deeper on the authors notes on the doc, if you want to hear more of my rambling check it out. Hello there! So I've decided to embark on a little fun project that I wanted to do. As you may see the title what do you mean revamp? First let me say that I was not happy with the story nor its characters as there was no lore or background information to be given besides the small tid bits here and there. Nothing sufficient enough, I felt that the characters were husks and much more could have been done with that. As such when i "betrayed people" or I "killed off" someone, I never really felt anything for. It was just a feeling of not me caring at all about any of these characters. Especially when some of the chars die, you might know whom I talking about. What made me say "hey, that's not cool man" and feel bad for them? As such I think lore and background information is key! As well as battle and base conversations to slowly unravel even more about the characters instead of Effie stuffing her face or Keaton trying to find a bone hole. So, this is what the project I made intends to do. You'll see that some characters have new and enhanced backgrounds in their relationship to Corrin, and the world. But feel similar to the player in terms of speech and mannerisms.Locations and chapters from the game might be changed somewhat and situations happening at other places. Some of the main story plots will be changed some as well, but made so it can be more concrete with an actual resolvable reason. But it will be a new feeling and a new look at how awesome this game could have been! For starters I can say that all characters will have a much more concrete background and have reasons for what they do, and yes! That includes Lilith remember her? the two lines in the game dragon right? I feel that characters needed a bump in order to make the game boom in my opinion. Things that make us the player have second thoughts about what we're about to do. They should have their own dreams and resolve and reasons for doing what they do. I want Azura to play more of a key role as she just tends to be on the sidelines, i want her to have more impact. Same goes for Corrin's siblings and those around him! I have plans for Shura and other people whom didn't get spotlight but actually were pretty relevant to the story. As such when you make the ultimate choice, the characters on the other side should change drastically and show that anger that you've betrayed them! As such I plan to do battle conversations and boss conversations! I haven't done them quite yet as I'm finishing up the pre birthright chapters. I have written the background of the main characters and some of the support chars, sorry if your's isn't up yet I'm trying to find a balance of keeping them similar but relevant to the story. I say this because well, you see.. Arthur... As for the game as a whole, I don't think the themes were substantially presented. When you think of conquest you think of conquering.. weird right? As such Corrin should be more seen as a dark figure who has lost his way going against his family. Essentially he is killing his own people so he should reflect that over time. As such i've planned for the dragon form to come into much bigger play in my re-vamp but that discussion is for another day. If we take a look at birthright, we can see that they lived a pretty bright sky in their home. As such I thought of themes to reflect this and i came up with a Blinded by light sort of thing. IN which Corrin thinks the world is so bright like the home he grew up in and thinks he can apply that to everyone. As such I want Corrin int he birthright route to be more of a controlled person and as such maybe controlling his dragon powers a little cleaner unlike compared to conquest Corrin whom might have a little anger due to other things in the story. So to stop your suffering here Is the link, its essentially a hub for all the work. Please NOTE that my story will be something like this in terms of order. 4 PRE-birthright story chapters(not finished) > pre-5 Conquest story chapters(Finished) > 1-2 lined chapters(Mikito's chapters)> CHOICE and then they stem off into separate games. so the choice will be around chapter 11. Its 13k words, for pre-conquest as they are the ones I finished and there is a prologue for pre-birthright as well. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t31AWtOyM28YnKb3IAFi9E4rgI_PhHUaukfhxdpquPM/edit Hey Listen! :What If i don't want to read all this junk? Well, okay maybe it might be long but I feel its important to create lore and feeling with these characters. If it will interest you into reading it try reading the biographies first! They are basically small biography pages for characters and their beginnings on respective sides and will add more as the story goes on. You can find them here or continue onto the docs page. Sorry if your characters aren't here yet!! They'll be probably soon enough. Conquest:https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxL4sS-E7exGb3hIdGJjX0Z6NDA&usp=sharing Birthright:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BxL4sS-E7exGUDNDbEc5VnI1WHc DISCLAIMER: I am not focusing on a game play perspective as of yet, but I have included some battles just so I could get sense of break and such. Please ignore them okay!? It isn't like i'm trying to sell a new game here. Grammar o Grammar oh my. There might be a few mistakes here and there so please bear with me. Also google docs tends to auto correct my Out's to Our's for whatever reason, so if you stumble upon them my apologies. I might change lines every now and then so if you spot me on a page yeah that's what i'm probably doing so some smaller things are subject to change. If you have any questions or just want to talk to me about stuff lemme know!

Two aspiring writers and friends of mine recently put together a 40 minute review for Fire Emblem Fates Birthright, Conquest and (part of) Revelation, only recently released in the UK. They discuss the new features that help improve the "Awakening" formula, others they aren't so fussed about, and the character writing that made the all important decision so difficult for them. Hope you enjoy! https://youtu.be/-bpqjAsbXEg?t=28m45s

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12034499/1/As-Fate-Decrees Summary: Anankos was defeated a century ago. Hoshido, Nohr, Valla, and the rest of the continent enjoyed a long lasting peace under the reigns of their hero kings and queens. As fate decrees, however, peace is destined to be undone. Now their descendants must struggle not only to maintain order against an ever increasingly chaotic world, but to survive. - Artorias Growing up in Valla, one grew accustomed to the cold. The country was a combination of Hoshido and Nohr's northern lands, gifted to King Corrin a century ago by the hero kings Ryoma and Xander. The Hoshidan half was bountiful and fertile, and the vast majority of Valla's harvests were grown on it. The Nohrian half was rich in ores and minerals, and as such many Vallites made a living through either farming or mining. Summer and Autumn had good harvests, more often than not but the winters were always bitter and harsh. Even inside the relative warmth of Valla's "Hall of Kings and Queens", Artorias could feel winter's bite. Fitting for such a grim day. The young man was kneeling before the largest statue in the stoney hall, built in it's center and ever so carefully maintained. It was a statue built in the likeness of the first king of Valla. The new Valla, at least. His golden eyes were set not on the features of the statue, but on the name engraved upon it's base. "King Corrin-Kamui Arianites I..." Artorias read aloud, his voice heavy and somber. "I wonder what you would make of this. During your good years you were considered an excellent ruler. During your best years, a hero." Even behind the stone doors that sealed the Hall, Artorias could not shut out the fevered cries of his people. "But then there were your later years. I suppose even the greatest of heroes cannot remain as such, whether through their own will or cruel circumstance." Artorias had never been able to relate to his great-grandfather. Many tales were told to him, but from what Artorias could gather he was a very different man from Corrin. He would likely be a very different King, as well. Gazing at the statue's features then, Artorias noted that he only scarce resembled the First King. Queen Azura Arianites' blood ran stronger through him, by his grandfather King Shigure-Socrates Arianites. Artorias stood tall, as he did, and was built strong yet agile as well. He bore the same aqua blue hair as his grandfather and great-grandmother, and shared his fair complexion with many Vallites. The Northern country had many sun-less days and long winters, after all. "Brother..." Yes, many traits of Azura's blood indeed. However he did not have the red eyes of Corrin or Kana. He was not born a dragon first, for only Corrin himself and Kana were born as such, and thus his dragonstone unleashed significantly less power compared to them. The gift the two shared came with a deadly curse, however, and they had bore to their end. "Brother. It's time." He could not even awaken the sacred sword of their house through his will, like his great aunt Kana-Korrinus could. Yet, as Artorias rose to his feet and turned his gaze on his twin sister, their golden eyes meeting each other in the dimly lit hall...he knew he must wield it all the same. The Yato lay flat along Astraia's palms, safe within it's golden sheath. Artorias took the blade with a nod and strode towards the doors of the Hall, leaving his musings on the First King behind him. The sound of his and Astraia's boots echoed throughout the stoney hall. "Brother, must it really be you that does this? Sir Drusus volunteered the moment of the sentencing. This is not-" "I must do this, sister." Artorias interrupted her, his voice blunt. "It is my duty as Valla's King." Just before he reached the stone doors he felt Astraia's hand clasp his left shoulder. Once again their golden eyes met, but this time the empathy and fear in his twin's gaze rang true for him. They, too, were very different people, but they were siblings all the same. Astraia had the kindness and empathy their ancestors were so well known for. "Astraia." Artorias' voice was softer now, as he gently moved Astraia's hand. "It is the duty of a Vallite Royal. I'd...not have it fall to you." Perhaps, in a way, Artorias had these traits as well. "You need not bear this burden alone!" Astraia tried to put anger in her voice, but she could find none. There was only sorrow and pain in it, pain that Artorias felt as well. All he could do was try to reassure his sister. "It's just...it's not right that this be your first act as King. This should not be a mark for what your reign will entail." "I know, and I do not." He stroked her arm gently before turning to the doors one last time. "But it does matter whether it is right or not. It is simply my duty, and I must carry it out." For one such as Artorias, this was a far more emotional display than normal. He could not afford to have such emotion make itself present outside of the Hall. He did not do this out of emotion, but of duty. They were right at the doors now, and the voices were louder than ever. The emotionally charged cries of their people. They called for blood. They called for peace. They called for revolution, and they called for order. Artorias would not be able to give them either. "The prisoner is in position, your majesty." The moment Artorias opened the stone doors he was met with the dutiful Edelfelt siblings. Edric was Astraia's caretaker, and Eris was his own. The silver-haired Edric had been the first to speak, and he fell right in line with Astraia as the two walked the stone path towards the city square. "Sir Drusus remains on stand-by. If you ever choose to change your mind, simply-" "Give the word. I know, Edric. Astraia informed me, and I must thank sir Drusus for his kind offer." Artorias needed to focus now, even if those closest to him wished otherwise. Ashen haired Eris was not so quick to speak as her older brother, as she often was, but she gave her liege a look similar to the one Astraia had, back in the Hall. The quarter was amongst the people now. Lined up against the houses and buildings that were so prevalent in the city of Valla. Not all of them could fit into the city square, but all the same they wanted to witness the events that were about to unfold. This was the first execution held in Valla since the earliest days of the First King. Artorias supposed he could not blame them for their eagerness. It was also...a heavily controversial event. Artorias was genuinely surprised, and relieved, that the common-folk had not stormed the wooden platform set up in the square. It was guarded by Sir Drusus and his men, armoured and armed for any possible threats. No doubt he had other soldiers set up throughout the city, scouting to make sure nothing would make this day bloodier than it was already bound to be. Artorias appreciated it, more than he could ever show. The King ascended up the steps of the platform, his sister and retainers behind him, with the mumblings and cries of his people soaking into the back of his mind. They were not what was important right now. All he needed to do was perform this duty, and get to work on restoring Valla's peace. Once atop the platform Artorias set his golden eyes on the prisoner. He was forced onto his knees, feet and hands bound tight, and he did not even look up to his King. Instead he rested his neck on the block of wood provided. He already accepted his fate, it seemed. Sir Drusus, of course, stood just behind the prisoner, halberd in hand. He was clad in the silver and black Valla's finest near always wore. The golden Vallite star was painted onto his breastplate, that all who faced such a warrior knew which country he hailed from. With his short, soft lilac hair, but hardened face, Sir Drusus was the very picture of a fine general. Artorias gave the older man a meaningful look, and with but a word he raised his halberd and banged it's base against the wooden platform. Once, twice, and on the third bang the common-folk quieted. "High Priest Thasus Quent." Artorias' voice carried throughout the square as he spoke. "You have been charged with Treason, Sacrilege, Murder, and Queenslaying." He paused, letting the last and greatest crime hang in the air to compose himself. "You have been found guilty of these crimes by the Court of Valla. Crimes punishable by death." Artorias unsheathed the golden Yato from it's sheath, the blade gleaming beneath the Vallite sun. In his hand rested the sword of a hero. The "Crux of Fate". The "Seal of Flames". It was said that it was only to be wielded by the greatest hero of a given era. Artorias could not help but note that he did not feel much a hero, especially with that blade in hand. "Do you have any last words?" "We are a godless nation!" Thasus cried out. "Heathens and damned, the lot of us! Valla had true king. A true god! And your ancestor slayed him!" Artorias said nothing. He would not interrupt the man's last words, regardless of how much he wished to. Again, though, his sister Astraia was not the same person as he. "You speak of the Silent Dragon? He was no King, and scarce a god. He was mad man! A dragon perhaps, great and powerful indeed, but degenerated beyond all hope." Astraia spoke with fire in her voice. "A pitiable soul, one that needed to be put to rest. Our ancestors are no god-slayers. Our people are not heathens. We live only because they chose to act." "God-slayers we are! Descendants of god-slayers and worshipers of god-slayers, and damned we shall remain! For it is a crime far, far worse than Queenslaying!" Thasus retorted, looking not to Astraia but to the crowd before him. Artorias felt his eye twitch at the statement. The rage that swelled in his chest at the condemned's words was such he needed to bite his lip to keep his silence. "Without the Silent Dragon who do we worship? To whom to we look to in prayer? We have no Dusk Dragon of Nohr. We have no Dawn Dragon of Hoshido. No god cares for Valla! No god cares for us!" He raised his head off the block, and even such a subtle movement was enough to have Sir Drusus ready his halberd. Artorias raised his hand, however, giving the knight the command to stand down. Thasus would have his last words. And then he would die. "I implore you, my good people. With no gods to care for us we are at the mercy of our mortal rulers. Each and every one of us is on a platform. A block! With royal blade hanging above our heads. How long before you find yourself speaking your final words? How long before you find yourselves in my position?" Thasus laid his head back along the block, and he closed his dark eyes. "What I have done, I did for the Silent Dragon. For our True King and our God." He took a calming breath, and he sighed. "What I have done, I did for Valla." What were the words of his grandfather, Shigure-Socrates? "From my experience, it is the maddest of men that oft give the greatest of speeches". Artorias believed his words then, and he believed them now. Gripping the Yato's hilt with both hands, King Artorias-Akihiko Arianites I took his position alongside the condemned. Artorias raised the Yato above his head and, with but a moment's hesitation, he let out a single whisper. "This is for Mother." The Yato cut clean, and the traitor's head rolled.

What should the Central Theme in next Fire Emblem be about? What should the player learn and get out of the Theme FE15 wants to portray? 1. My simple rewrite of Revelations has Hoshido and Nohr on various shades of gray while his/her own faction is morally white. Corrin, when confronting both sides will have no problem spouting the phrase "If there was a right side, I would've found it by now" would be the central theme and lesson if Revelations was a one and done FE Fates. As a person not into that pick between the lesser of two evils type, this theme resonates with me the most. 2. The Importance Friendship and Trust and Bonds. Over the course of the story, our emo protaganist learns to trust his/her comrades and believe in the power of friendship and that by being alone and trying to do all all by ones self, it will take him nowhere.

So I've been juggling a few ideas for the affinities in my hack, Book of Eden, and I was wondering what you guys think about the affinities? In the few games that had affinities in them, there were generally two versions of them: GBA era: Fire, Thunder, Wind, Ice, Light, Dark, Anima Tellius era: Fire, Thunder, Wind, Ice, Light, Dark, Earth, Water, Heaven In my hack, much of the lore is inspired from things like Golden Sun, Avatar (element bending one), The Forbidden Kingdom, Chinese Zodiac, and Sun sign horoscopes. I wanted to come up with a 'horoscope' system of sorts for my universe and so far, thinking of sticking with just Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Light, and Darkness. As for the affinities stats, I'm going to change them for each affinity so they better match the element in my opinion. Currently for the GBA era, stat wise, I noticed each affinity always have two sections that are always empty. For example, Fire has 0's in both Def and Critical Evasion bonuses, where as, Light has 0's in Evasion and Critical Evasion. Should I stick with this or go with something else? In your experience of the games, do you think the affinities accurately reflect the characters, their personalities, and their stats? Though, I know most people don't give much thought to the affinity system, much less their impact on the character's personality and related. It's just something that's always been interesting to me, kind of like the Myers Briggs personality charts, nothing to live by but fun to think about. What do you guys think? I'm eager to hear what everyone else's thoughts on this are.

So, I hear a lot of people complaining about the story of all three campaigns for Fates. The same also applies to Awakening. So I thought to myself for a while, and realised that the plot can be barebones, because it's not where the bulk of the story lies. Note that plot and story are separate things here. Fire Emblem games more recently have been making more of a shift in terms of story telling, and whilst a game like 7 might develop everything using the plot and have supports be less important, Awakening and Fates do the reverse. Say what you will about the quality of writing in the supports (personally I don't see anything wrong), but the development of characters is now done through supports, and to an extent we learn more about the world. An example would be in Awakening where we find out the reasoning behind all of the children characters personalities and why they are how they are, but we also find out more about the future where they come from too, we find out how the parents die, and I think this kind of narrative suits a FE game. When you go back to look at a game like FE7, you'll find that the plot has just as much depth as Awakening or Fates, but the difference is how they develop that world and those characters. Heck, I'd go as far as saying that FE7 isn't as good as Fates, but that's because Fates has three stories that play off of one another, which is why I like it so much.

Hi, I'm requesting active participation for the story in this link: http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=63004 I'm working on polishing my story and I need your help in making it beautiful.

I have been making a story concept in mind that I hope to pass to IntSys. However, it seems improbable so, for the first time, I'm sharing my incomplete story. I'll be needing your help in polishing the story but I don't want it to be too far from the plot outline I've made. You can post your feedback here: http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showforum=35 So, here's the map description I suck at making maps: Our first hero lives in a southern archipelago akin to South East Asia, and it is the trade capital of the continent. The main land has at least four known nations, two of which are the archipelago's biggest trade partners: East of the Great Wall is a martial arts country named Juiyo inspired by East Asia (3 kingdoms China, warring states Japan, and Korea); West of the Great Wall is a romance and arts country named Gemran inspired by west Europe (Spain, Portugal, UK, Ireland, and France). The religious center of the continent is Yeshuo inspired by the Mediterranean Countries, here lies the Temple of the Dragon King (while a temple is there, the real temple is the people). [spoiler=The Fourth Nation] As for the other nation, they are at the back seat for now Part One (the Rose Guild) The Prologue may start at the training section: Sheena Jade Rosas Daughter of Senator Kin and Chef Josephine . She is a very charitable salesperson and talented sword fighter. She wishes to establish trade networks in the continent for the benefit of the people. Class: Apprentice Well, she will be training with her father Kin Rosas (currently a very popular Senator) Watching from the sidelines: Ghin Rosas The hot blooded brother of Sheena, despite his efforts to train with swords he doesn't seem to handle it as good as throwing axes. He shows of the most often. Class: Journeyman Then followed by a scene in their mother's restaurant where Bandits attack. Here joins: during battle Shmuel Habagat A fresh graduate of law enforcement. His family is close to the Rosas. He speaks very little unless necessary. class: Archer lv 10 (yes overleveled) After battle (I haven't polished the story yet) Anika Amihan A mage from a family of apothecaries. She is usually snarky and mean but is surprisingly sweet to her good friends. Class: (Wind) Mage Genny Bianca Best friend of Sheena. A novice preacher. She is exceptionally knowledgeable of the Scriptures and seems to know better than present priests. Class: Cleric/Deaconess Andy Narra A shy inventor from a family of blacksmiths. He keeps a book of drawings of his designs for future inventions. Class: a unique crossbow class And they formed the Rose Merchants and set off to an adventure. Why? Well, Sheena's mother, Chef Josephine wanted to cook a rare dish she hasn't cooked in a long time. It requires a rare ingredient form an outlying island. Yeah, a silly plot device I will update the story time after time. Country names by Hylian Air Force

How did you get into Fire Emblem? For me, (like with a lot of other people) it was Smash Bros. I just looked up Fire Emblem after I played Smash Bros. because I wanted to find out where Marth and Roy came from, and I downloaded the FE7 ROM. But I don't remember it appealing to me, so I didn't really get into it. It was not until I downloaded FE8 on 3DS (when it was offered on the eShop for free along with 9 other GBA games back in 2011) that I really got into it. So, what's your stories?

I don't know if we already have a thread like this or there's a better place for this thread, but I wanted a place to talk about different ideas someone else or I might have as to how the story could've gone/ what would make a better story. This is all opinion based of course, but I'd like to see some speculation and maybe some people's head canon get unleashed... My own ideas... What would the ramifications on the story be if Corrin and Azura were legitimate hostage exchanges for the sake of peace rather than mutual kidnappings? Would this lead to their adopted siblings treating them more or less the same or with a greater distance between the two? How would this effect a Corrin's choice to side with the nation of their birth or the nation that has been their home for as long as they can remember? [spoiler=Conquest Spoiler]Would it be "more" justifiable if instead of doing it to sit Garon on the throne, the Conquest!Corrin fought Hoshido to build support in Nohr for Xander's cause. Or basically, Xander plans to revolt but can't do it in the middle of a war? Just some thoughts If anyone has ideas on these thoughts or their own feel free to share, and if there is a better place for me to discuss these types of ideas please feel free to direct me as such.

So I have been bouncing ideas for my book that i've been working on and off for the last several years and I decided last year to make a hack based off my story. Problem is, I'm not a good writer, at least I dont think i am, and was hoping the fine lads and lasses here would give me some feedback and help me sort through my ideas into coherent writings and sentences. As for the story, I've always had trouble summarizing the story in a few sentences. But the basics are, hero ends up in new realm/dimension/universe, has to solve political problems as well as personal problems in order to be able to go back to his own realm/dimension/universe. He ends up on the continent of Eldrahgo where the five kingdoms are currently on the verge of war. The reason our hero, Richard, is important to the plot is because his arrival to the continent triggers the impending war that will wipe out life on that continent. I do have various names, backstories of characters, and historical information about various locaitons in this worl dof mine. I can also tell you what the main character does when and where and what happens. I can also list big name historical events and upcoming battles, events, names and information on various factions and groups. I just can't seem to summarize everything into a few sentences. I already made a topic on my hack over at concepts in the fan project selection. It will be updated shortly as I'm finalizing the next patch update. Are there questions I can answer that would enable others to better understand my story? If there are more details that I can/should list, please let me know. I'm pretty sure what I written above is rather confusing but I hope that those who read it are able to help me sort out my story. Thanks for taking the time to read and if anything doesn't make sense, just post here or PM me.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5878057/chapters/13547128?view_adult=true

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aT84ig1W_52nBgGlgJ3wVKXxpGFsi1DojuNq4EAqLAY/edit?pref=2&pli=1

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UGsCDnY5MUuZyyRYxLuVvhy_uBFowzWqHoNOL-9g1p0/edit?pref=2&pli=1

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12x5RftpUutWbjc-8HDGEmKiTJAFdfan2Vo9B4ljUEeU/edit?pref=2&pli=1

Déjà vu Once again, I find myself floating in a dark void. No light, no ground, no anything. It’s just me, myself and the guy with the creepy glowing red eyes. He shares my face, my hair, and my outfit. In fact, he is me. Well, technically he’s me from a bad future, and I’m him but he’s also a dark dragon god and... Look, it’s complicated, all right? The important thing is that I’m stuck here again. What gives? A scream escapes from my doppelganger, “No! Not this again! Not this prison!” “Oh for god’s sake Grima, shut up! You lost. You keep losing. Accept it and move on with your damn life!” I pause, letting the silence add weight to my sarcasm. “Oh right, we don’t exist anymore! And why’s that, I wonder? Because you keep doing your whole ‘I’m going to end the world’ thing! You know, maybe if you didn’t try to kill everyone, maybe we wouldn’t be dead! Ever considered that?” That got a blank stare from him. “Not kill everyone? How foolish are you, mortal?” “Not as foolish as you, asshole.” A silence passed between us. Grima might be a one-dimensional asshole of a god, but at least he was a predicable one-dimensional asshole. His strategy didn’t change, his tactics didn’t change; he always did the exact same things every single time. It was almost as if he wasn’t even trying. At first I thought he was trying to lure me into a false sense of security, but after the third time through I stopped worrying. Apparently, the god of destruction is not the best at strategy. “Hey, you think Naga’s going to show up anytime soon? I’d like to get back to kicking your ass.” “I am here,” says an angelic voice; the voice of a god. A woman with flowing green hair approaches us in the void. “You’re here again, Robin?” the woman asks, cocking her eyebrows. “Obviously!” I respond, not bothering to keep my voice down, “I keep stabbing Grima in the face and I keep coming back here. What gives, Naga?” “You didn’t form any bonds, did you?” She said in a voice of weary resignation. “I did! Everyone got happily married and had a bunch of crazy kids who came from the future who also got happily married! I don’t know what else I can do.” “Robin,” Naga says, “when I said ‘bonds’ I meant bonds with you.” “Wait, what do you mean?” Naga sighed and caressed her face with her palm, “I need you to make friends. No not just that, I need you to get married; have children. Have a life beyond that war.” “What?” I sputtered, “Have a family? Kids? Naga, why the hell would that matter?” “Did you not listen to anything I said?” Naga’s voice was seeped with frustration, “We’ve gone through this seven times already and you haven’t figured this out? Not once out of all those times did you make a single friend. You didn’t even talk to most of your army.” “I figured they didn’t need my…” I tried to protest. “NO,” said the goddess, “No excuses. I send you back in time, again and again and you learn nothing! For all your smarts you are a very foolish and stupid mortal.” “I’m getting real tired of being called that. Aren’t I part god or something?” “No god worthy of the title would act like you. You might be a brilliant strategist, but for all your smarts, you are lacking in one key area.” “And what area is that, huh?” “Compassion, empathy, understanding your fellow man. Don’t argue with me on this. Either you do this, or we keep doing this until we all go crazy.” She raised her hands, “Now go. You too, Grima, I haven’t forgotten the rules. He goes back, you go back, same as always.” And with that, we faded away. Naga’s words echoed in my mind as I closed my eyes. I have to make friends. No, I have to have a family if I want to survive. I have to make friends with people I barely know. I’ve always been a strategist, always looking for the best possible outcome; growing up I would always win at games of chess. That same strategic thinking extends to everyone in my life: they’re statistics, data, and tools I manipulate to beat my enemies and save the world. But now I have to think of them as people? That’s like asking me to fall in love with a sword; it’s a gross violation of both our purposes. Naga’s crazy if she thinks I’ll do what she says. At least, that’s what I told myself. It grew dark once again. It always starts out like this. Just wait a second aaaand…. “Chrom, we have to do something,” Says a girlish voice. A different, deeper voice responds “Well what do you propose we do?” “I… I dunno.” I smile. And it begins anew. --- “…so we’ll have Vaike hold the chokepoint while Lissa keeps him healed. Any questions?” I said, looking out over the assembled troops. I had settled into my role as Chrom’s tactician with practiced ease. Already, I was thinking who to pair up together, and how best to deploy them. Of course, explaining my strategies to the very people I was trying to pair together while not revealing my hidden motives is tricky at the best of times. “Robin,” said Chrom, “Why are me and Sumia working together again? Wouldn’t it be better to have Kellam watch her back?” Why? Because you and Sumia make for one hell of a Lucina; I love seeing your embarrassment when you call Cynthia a “pega-pony princess;” and Kellam doesn’t want to talk to Sumia for some strange reason. That’s what I think, what I actually say is this: “Kellam is needed to protect Miriel, and you two make for an excellent team.” He nodded, apparently satisfied. A hand was raised in the back of the room and Ricken stepped forward through the crowd, “Excuse me, but why haven’t you sent me out on a mission yet?” Because you are annoying, Miriel does your job better, and your genes are shit. You are never getting a chance to breed, you stupid benchwarmer. “I’m saving you.” I say, “Right now you’re way too powerful; I need to give everyone else a chance to catch up.” Ricken beamed with pleasure. Too easy. Vaike shouldered his way up, “Hey man, The Vaike just wanted to let you know that he appreciates what you do.” He gave me the thumbs up, for some reason. Vaike, you might be nothing but a pile of muscle fit to be a meatshield, but you will make up for Lissa’s crippling strength deficiency and make Owain a lot stronger. That is the only reason why I tolerate you. “Uh, thanks for you input Vaike.” “Any more questions?” I asked. No one said anything, so I continued, “alright everyone, dismissed!” Everyone made their way out of the tent, all except for Chrom. “Need something?” I asked. “I just wanted to agree with Vaike,” he said. “Well, that’s a first.” He smiled, “Indeed. But it’s true. I appreciate what you’re doing here. I don’t know how you do it, but without you, I don’t think half of us would be alive right now.” You have no idea. If I die, all of you start dropping like flies. “Uh, thanks,” I said. “I mean it.” He clapped me on the shoulder, “You’re an amazing tactician, and someone I’m glad to call my friend.” “Friend? You think of me as a friend?” “Of course! I don’t think we could’ve survived this without being friends. After all that fighting and watching each other’s backs I don’t think we could not be friends. And I’m glad of that. Anyway, I’m sure you’re busy preparing for the fight, so I’ll leave you to it.” And with that, he left as abruptly as he came. I stood there staring off into space for a while, pondering; thinking. One little change I had made this time was having me fight in the battles next to them. I always knew I could fight, and did so often, but I never fought next to anyone. I was always alone. I told myself that I was mixing things up, seeing if this led to any more interesting tactical developments. What I hadn’t counted on was me growing closer to everyone. Without even realizing it, I had made friends with Chrom, when I usually kept my distance. This had improved my combat performance, but it also made me confused. It was statements like his that raised questions; questions I didn’t know the answers to. If I am the tactician and he’s my sword, what changes if the sword can talk back? My numbers were talking back to me, taking shapes in addition to their roles. Chrom wasn’t just a solid, reliable number to me anymore. I knew him as a person, knew his struggles and his clumsy way of being friendly. I knew Vaike not only as a trustworthy meat shield, but I recognized him as the braggart and idiot that he was. I still hated Rickens guts, but that hate was fueled by much more than just distaste for his genes. There were so many questions to think about, but I had a world to save, so I left those questions for later and tried to get back to business. --- It was a cloudless night the night before the battle and I couldn’t sleep. We were at the cusp overthrowing the Mad King; tomorrow would decide his fate. I went to bed early as I usually do before a big battle, but something was different tonight. After hours of tossing and turning, I decided to go for a walk around the camp. Despite the late hour, I could hear plenty of noise coming from everyone’s tents. I could hear Lissa fussing over Vaike while he gently tried to reassure her; the sounds of slurping and eating coming from Stahl and Panne’s tent; and the sounds of an upset Pegasus and the gentle voice of Sumia trying to comfort it. My walking took me away from all the people I had grown to know over these past months as I walked to the edge of camp. There, I saw a quiet, heavily armored figure standing watch. “Hey there, Kellam,” I said as I approached. “Oh, you saw me,” he said, sounding a little surprised. “Of course I did, you can’t keep up that vanishing act forever, you know.” He didn’t respond, so we just stood there looking at the stars. “Er,” he said, breaking the silence, “what brings you out here?” “Couldn’t sleep.” “Why’s that?” “I’m worried about tomorrow. It’s going to be a tough fight. I don’t know if everyone will make it through.” “I’m not,” he said with certainty. I looked at him and cocked my eyebrow, “why not?” His face remained impassive, but I thought I saw a ghost of a smile on his face, “Because you haven’t let us down yet.” “I suppose.” That fact was true, but he didn’t know how many close calls we’ve had; how many times someone’s fate came down to the roll of the dice. “I… uh, look. I’m not the best at this kind of thing, but I wanted to say ‘thank you’ for what you’ve done. I know you set me up with Cordelia. I doubt she would’ve even noticed me without your help.” Ok Robin, calm down, he might’ve just made a lucky guess. Play it cool. “Why do you think I set you two up?” I said, “From my perspective you’re the one who did all the work.” “I guess, but you’re the one who introduced us. You told me to protect her with my life.” “That’s because she can’t take a hit and you can. It made sense to have you protect one of our most vulnerable people.” He sighed, “I guess you’re right. But... even so, I like to think that my friend helped me meet the woman of my dreams.” Another silence passed between us. He was right, of course, I had set them up. Cordelia needed someone to watch her back while she destroyed everything and Kellam was the right man for the job. Plus, I thought that Cordia could use someone reliable in her life and Kellam… well, Kellam wasn’t going to attract anyone’s attention unless drastic measures were taken. A reliable guy like him deserved someone like her. A shiver ran through my spine as I realized something. I wasn’t thinking of these people as numbers any more. They were people. I cared about them. When did that happen? How had this happened? Was it the conversations I had been having with everyone? Was it fighting in battle alongside them? “Dammit Naga,” I muttered under my breath. “What was that?” asked Kellam. “Nothing. I had better be going back to my tent, and you had better be going back to your fiancé. I bet she’s looking for you.” With that, I turned and left. I didn’t get much sleep that night; I was too busy worrying and cursing Naga. --- “Come on, think of something!” I mutter under my breath, slamming my hand against the table. I’m looking at a collection of maps with scribbles all over them, marking the location of enemy positons and fortifications; trying to figure out the best strategy to overcome this obstacle. But nothing comes to me, nothing at all. My head, usually abuzz with the numbers and calculations, is only thinking about one thing. The very thing I’m trying to avoid thinking about. My shoulder’s slump and I cradle my head in my hands. I don’t know how long I sat there before someone came into my tent. “Robin?” I hear Lissa ask, “you in here?” I hear her footsteps as she approaches me, “We’re waiting on you.” “Go away.” I say through my hands, “A tactician should never get too close to his troops.” A snort from the princess, “Well, it’s a little too late for that, isn’t it? Come on, she’s out there waiting for you.” That sent my heart pounding. Today is the day I am supposed to marry my fiancé, Cherche. If you had told me that I would get married I would’ve laughed. If you had told me that it would start with me trying to find a mate for her wyvern, I would’ve thought you were insane. But that’s exactly what happened. The wyvern also tried to set me on fire when I proposed, but I suppose that’s the danger of dating a woman who rides that giant scaly beast around all day. I look up from my hands. Lissa is standing there with her hands on her hips and the biggest grin on her face. “Can I ask you something?” I say, “Were you this nervous on the day you got married to Vaike?” She thinks for a moment before responding, “Can’t say I was. I was worried that he’d make an oaf of himself.” “Which he did.” She nodded, “But I was expecting that. Kinda. But it was a small goof in an otherwise wonderful day.” “I... guess it was.” I sighed. “What, didn’t think you would get married?” She said, sticking her tongue out. “In all honesty, no I didn’t.” “Really? Everyone else has been getting married, especially that whole thing with the Mad King. It’s easier to list off the people who aren’t married in this army. And today, we’re taking two off that list!” She puts her hand on my shoulder and leaned in, “You’ll be fine, silly. You’re just worrying over nothing.” She grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. “Come on. Your blushing bride awaits!” She led me out of my tent with me dragging my feet. All I could think when walking down the aisle was simply “Naga, you clever, clever god. You finally got me to do it.” --- It was supposed to be a routine monster clearing mission; nothing too bad. What worried me about it was that it was something completely new. Besides my whole “getting married” thing, this cycle had had no surprises, so I was on edge the entire march to the ruins. By this time, Lucina had showed up and we picked up a few of our sons and daughters. I looked out over the ruins, besides the hoard of undead monstrosities infesting them, it was rather beautiful. The place seemed to be partial submerged. But there was also something strange about them. I have never seen anything quite like them in all my travels. My moment of contemplation was ended by a slap on the back. “You ready to kick some ass?” Vaike said, hefting his axe. I grinned, “You know it, just watch your back, ok? I can’t keep saving it all the time.” He grinned, “The Vaike always remembers!” “Except when you don’t!” Lissa chimed in. I turned to my assembled team, “alright everyone, you know the drill. Stick together and stay alive!” We made quick progress through the ruins until we hit the central chamber. There, across the water, was someone. Whoever it was, she was fighting off the undead creatures like us. I pointed to the figure, “Cherche, can you get me over there? We need to help whoever’s that is; it might be another lost child.” She nodded and I mounted her wyvern with practiced ease. In a blink of an eye we were across the water and the undead were dispatched. The figure, a small woman with short red hair and bright eyes, looked at me and smiled. “There you are, father!” she said, “I was beginning to think we got separated.” “…I’m sorry, what?” I said, dumbfounded. “Well, no harm done.” She continued, oblivious to my hesitation. “At least we can head home now. Goodness, the air here agrees with you! You look a decade younger, at least." “Wait. Let's go back to the "Father" thing. You mean I’m your father?” “Of course! Hello? It's me! Morgan! Your daughter? Love of your life and Daddy's little girl and all that?” I stared at her, completely oblivious to the undead approaching. “Dear,” said Cherche, “there’s still fighting to be done. You can look dumbfounded all you want later.” “Ok,” I said, shaking my head to try to clear the shock. “Morgan, was it?” she nodded, “come with us. After we clear this place out you, your mother, and I are going to have a long conversation.” “Yes sir!” She said. We quickly rejoined the fight and moved to hit the main hoard. Despite the threat of death, all I could think of was one single thing: I have a daughter. I have a daughter. And she’s going to join up and probably fall in love with one of the guys. It’s how it works. I’ve done it a dozen times before. I have a daughter; like hell she is going to marry one of those idiots! --- “No, not Yarne, he’s way too neurotic. Hmmm, Inigo? Might be hilarious to see, but no; way too much of a flirt for his own good.” “Dear, what are you doing?” said the gentle sound of Cherche. I was sitting at my desk where I usually plot out the army’s next move, except this time I was plotting out something much more important: who Morgan would end up with. “Oh, nothing important,” I said. My wife frowned, “You’re up to something, aren’t you?” I grinned, “maaaaybe.” She just gave me a look, which only made me grin even more. “Ok, so I might be trying to pair up our daughter with someone.” “Oh, like you did with everyone else?” I sighed, “Does everyone know about that?” “Yes.” she said with one of her cheerful-yet-sarcastic smiles. Another sigh, “Ok then, there goes my grand reveal.” I shook my head, “Anyway, I was trying to figure out who to pair our daughter with. She’s going to be fighting with us and you apparently know what’ll happen.” She sat down next to me, “Mind if I help?” “Uh, sure,” I said, not sure where this was going. “So what about Brady? He seems like a nice guy.” “What, Brady? The spineless priest? She’ll eat him alive. That poor sap won’t know what hit him.” “Ok, so what about Owain? He could handle her and he’s pretty good in a fight.” I gave a deadpan stare “Do you really want someone like that as our son-in-law?” She paused for a second, “No, no I do not.” “So who will it be?” “What about Laurent? He looks like he could use someone as lively as Morgan in his life.” I thought for a moment, “You know, that’s a pretty good idea. He can handle her for sure, and I would love to see his reaction to her antics.” “So it’s decided then?” “Yes.” I said, grinning from ear to ear. “This is going to be fun to watch.” --- In ever cycle, no matter how many times I did it, I was always giddy during the final battle. It isn’t every day you get to fight on the back of an evil dragon god while facing down the possessed version of yourself from the future. It’s insane and I love it. The small army in our way didn’t give us any trouble. Nothing could stand in our way. Our army of couples smashed their forces until only Grima was left. As I did every cycle, I stepped forward alone to face him. It was only fitting. “Mortal,” he said in his usual hammy voice, “you will not foil my plans again!” “You know, Grima,” I said, ignoring his threats. “I’ve been wondering something. Did ever get laid before you went into your slumber?” He stared at me, as if he didn’t know how to respond. “I mean, obviously you have thing for Naga. Did she reject you or something? Is that why you’re trying to destroy the world?” “Mortal, what games are you playing?” “Cause it’s remarkable what having a beautiful woman at your back will do to you. It can change your whole perspective on life. I think I’ve learned something this time.” “And what is that?” He said, breathing in deep to roast me with his breath. In the span of a second, I closed the gap on us and sunk my blade deep into his chest. I leaned in, and whispered into his ear: “Love is completely over powered.” I left my blade in his chest as he slumped backwards. For the seventh time I felt myself fading away. But this time, I looked back to see my friends and family. I gave them a grin and a wave while my eyes watered up. “See you on the next go around,” I said as I faded away. I’m glad I didn’t see their faces. --- Once again, I found myself floating in a dark void. No light, no ground, no anything. It’s just me, myself, and… I? I looked around. Where was Grima? It wasn’t long before the angelic figure of Naga appeared, grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah, yeah,” I said, “you don’t need to rub it in.” “I didn’t say anything,” she said, still smiling. “So… is this it? Is this how it ends? I did what you asked.” “Indeed you did! And what did you think of the experience?” “Aren’t you a god or something?” I asked back, avoiding the question. “Didn’t you just see the whole thing? You know how I feel.” “Indeed I do,” she said, still smiling that damn smile. “Look, I don’t know how to ask this, but I want to go back to my family. There are people who care about me, and I care about them. And you did promise me I could go back.” “That I did, didn’t I?” She put her finger across her mouth and looked upward in an exaggerated thinking pose. “Well, I think you deserve this, after all you’ve been through.” She raised her hands, “Goodbye Robin, it has been both a frustration and a pleasure to have you.” With that, I faded away like I did usually. All was quiet until… “Chrom, we have to do something,” Says a girlish voice. A different, deeper voice responded “Well what do you propose we do?” “I… I dunno.” I opened my eyes to see Lissa and Chrom standing over me. “I see you’re awake now,” said Chrom. “Hey there,” Lissa said. “There're better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand.” I took it and Chrom pulled me up. “Welcome back. It's over now.”

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NaKBqdq9OvWNEdrAFgB38J1erEraFvZRKjVGifFVoaA/edit?pref=2&pli=1

The Mirror's Fate I am the Brammimond, and this is an account of my doings and whereabouts from my awakening before the defeat of Nergal on the Dread Isle to shortly after the Disturbance of Bern. Sleep was not exactly sleep. Eyes closed, laying in the darkness of my chamber, I had observed events across the continent since the day I placed the last seal. Nothing caught much attention from me until a man too powerful to just die chose to throw himself into the Dark. I might have chosen to silence him myself, but soon sleep ended, and I met the boy, the girl, and the lout. Their presence was unexpected, and looking upon them was strange at first, but the unfettered interactions were not unwelcome. After a certain incident during the Scouring, only a few had been permitted to be seen by me, usually only from within the Eight's number. (Elimine attempted at some point to prevent Durban from interacting further with me, but her attempts failed and the rumblings continued.) Athos intended for me to meet Roland's children. Had he come alone, the seals would have been released. I may have even allowed him to borrow my tome. With some study and effort on his part, the seals could have been released without me. And so I came to believe it was for them. I would not be releasing weapons that might tear the continent asunder (again) to these children, or so I thought. Athos helped their case, but it was not settled until the boy truly spoke, not quite like Roland, but Hartmut. I would have given him his blade, but he did not have the key. Instead, I followed them. Before long, the children stood face to face with their enemy. I watched from the shadows as they cut down puppets, and finally brought down the man holding their strings. The amount of quintessence he had gathered was significant enough to be a threat even as he died, but his control over it was damaged enough for me to take it without much effort at all. As I did, he looked at me. He spoke, and for the first time in a thousand years, I was the one looking into the mirror. "Why? Why did I... want power?" I repeated that question to myself, the first one in over a thousand years. That man had no power left, not quintessence. Yet...the earth shook and the gate opened, not by magic, but the force of his unending, unimaginable sorrow, sorrow of incomprehensible depth that still reflected off of me, so deep that looking away did not even end it. Lest the world be filled with dragons once again, I could not allow that pain to continue. How, though? How could I, who reflects, sooth this, let alone understand why... Love. He loved someone, and sought power. It consumed him, and he forgot, ultimately hurting what he loved. I gathered the children and readied myself, not knowing what form my solution might take. I gathered my power (including what I'd taken from Nergal) and unleashed the first emotion I'd felt in this millenium. The half-dragon girl, loved and slain by mistake by the boy, rose from death itself, brimming with power. The rest of that day is merely history. Athos left us, and I returned to my home. Why did I want power, though? That question and reflection somehow agitated me, an empty vessel. The self had been an afterthought to me, but I wondered what I'd lost. I held on to that man's sorrow, and drew upon it for the next fifteen years to gain what little recollection I have now. What I recovered brought more questions to mind at every step, and at this time they are beyond reasonable number...still, I am not unsatisfied. At the end of the Scouring, I could easily remember something odd that had been dismissed easily enough. For the duration of the war, I performed my duties without error, tearing apart dragon after dragon along with the time and space around them. It could be said that I took a faint level of pleasure in dispatching them, but in our final battle, I hesitated. The divine weapons would have won the battle, but I did not move until an exchange of blows blew Hartmut back to my position. I placed my hand on his shoulder (this physical contact is the only time that I have actually touched anyone that I can remember fully), and spoke softly, staring at the demon before us. "Not this one..." This was also the only time that Hartmut had ever been shocked. Eckesachs dropped from to the ground, and he drew the Binding Blade. The rest of the battle is already documented well enough. The blade was not a human invention. Its power in battle was comparable to any of our legendary weapons, but the utility beyond that was beyond human knowledge...well, beyond theirs. I was the one who delivered it. I had forgotten, but the day I joined the Eight Generals to repel the dragons, I brought the Binding Blade and the Fire Emblem with me. Human history has no record of this, or my existence at all before then. With that much remembered, I reached for more of my self, but it is...fractured... I cannot remember living with humans. It is possible that I was discovered abandoned somewhere and rescued by dragons, but I do know that my aptitude for the Dark impressed them, and I studied it with them until my knowledge surpassed even theirs on the subject. When the Scouring began, I thought to leave with the divine dragons, but..she... Idenn, the demon dragon, was something to me before that war. Sister, friend...lover? And who or what am I? Man, woman, perhaps even a dragon? Still unknown, and not entirely important. I stayed behind with her, and she must have grown worried. She must have known what they might do, and crafted the Binding Blade and the Fire Emblem herself. Just before she was captured, she gave them to me and sent me away. "End this war." When they destroyed her soul, hatred and sorrow threatened to overtake me. Anyone else could have used those to their advantage and might have slain every last one of them, but the Dark threatened to swallow me whole...and so, I penned the Apocalypse tome, my Silencing Darkness, my Dark Revelation. I emptied this vessel of myself, delivered the weapon, and ended the war. As I reached this understanding and began to wonder what use this knowledge could possibly have, the Disturbance of Bern began. I thought once again to intervene, but another of Roland's descendants caught my eye, son of the boy I met and the half-dragon girl. He fought and won hopeless battle after hopeless battle, and even had success in finding and gathering the divine weapons. He reached them all before Bern could, though they might have won my tome and the blade if I had not slain all who attempted to reach them before him. Even without knowing the trust I had placed in him, he fulfilled my wishes without error. Idenn was subdued without being killed, once again, and returned to her (our?) clan. I returned as well, but only yesterday. Much time was spent in deliberation and gathering whatever lost knowledge I could from the ruins of the dragon temple. I thought for some time that I should keep distance, but...a thousand years was enough of that. After meeting with an elder, I unpacked my things and found her out in the gardens. She turned, and I saw life in her eyes once again. I do not know whether I reflected her or really was myself in that moment, but she spoke, and a tear rolled down my face. "A warm...breeze..."