A Very Different FE Setting

[AnonymousSpeed]

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to a thread about an idea. See, I am a person who plays Civilization, and when you play Civilization and are me, you think about Impis. From such thinking, I came up the idea of Impis being units in Fire Emblem, and from there built up a proper setting to use that. But one nation is usually below Fire Emblem in scale, so I needed another kingdom. In Fates, they did a theme of East versus West, which isn't terrible, but has been done often, and Fire Emblem is already quite east and west. So, I created a kingdom based off of another important group of civilizations, those of the Middle East. From there, this idea was born.

The World:

Surrounded by endless seas, there lies B'Yasha, in an ancient language, Land. An large island, whose surface is most often sand, inhabited primarily by two nations. In the north, Amaar, or Rain, and in the south, Luoka, or Spear.

Though their kingdom is built around massive dunes, Amaar is a prosperous kingdom. This is owed to the twisting rivers which run through their lands, making fresh water and fertile floodplains plentiful. It is a kingdom of scholars and architects, where merchants make their living on the plenty of their homeland. For many centuries it has been unified under the Alid Dynasty, their future king being Prince Huran.

By contrast, the warrior culture of Luoka shifts like the sands of the desert. In fact, for longer than Amaar has existed, the tribes and nations of the region have warred against each other, and remained mostly independent. Much of the land is plains, hills and valleys, though receiving water from rain rather than rivers. However, around two decades ago, a king of a small tribe in those hills, Jamaka, led a crusade against his neighbors. This distinguished itself from other skirmishes in that it succeeded, with Jamaka now Luoka's king. However, three years ago, the rain stopped. The plains began to dry, and turned to desert, in which nothing would grow. Some say this is a curse for Jamaka's brutal conquest, others, merely an act of nature.

Between these two kingdoms and dotted about B'Yasha are patches of desert, independent tribes and city states. For the past few decades, Amaar and Luoka have used bribery and intimidation to try and find favor in the eyes of their leaders. Where no leaders reign, bandits and nomads have established there own communities, a lack of things to rob slowly turning the former into the latter.

The Plot:

For three years, Luoka has suffered from terrible drought, and its people wither like the plants in the sand. What aide Amaar offers is minimal compared to their needs, what their allies can provide is barely anything. Growing tired of the plight of his people, Jamaka and his advisers decide that the time has come for war. What Amaar will not give them, they will take. Jamaka sends his son Shaka with the invading forces, that he might gain knowledge of war after growing up in the relatively peaceful aftermath of unification. Amaar mobilizes their army to defend themselves, and quickly as well, for when Luoka invades, Prince Huran is studying in a southern city state, close to the war front.

War has come. Who's side do you take? The warriors or the merchants? Shaka or Huran? Take what your people need, or defend what they have?

Pronunciation Guide:

Luoka (Loo-Ok-Uh)

Amaar (Uh-Mar)

B'Yasha (Beh-Yah-Shuh)

Playable Characters (Amaar):

[spoiler=Huran]

Class: Merchant Prince

Affinity: Wind

Prince of Amaar, and only son of the current king, Malik. Growing up in his father's court, he spent much time studying, and from his studying picked up the practice of magic. His primarily field of study, however, was in politics and money handling. His exposure to the outside world has been minimal up to this point, though his studies have left him with a slightly embittered since of reality. He is not one for fiction, and pays far more attention to works of history or teaching than epics and legends. He's not necessarily naive, but until the beginning of the game has had no first hand account of battle, no experience fighting, not even had he hunted in all his life. His calm and logical nature shows through in his ability to maintain control of himself and still function as a leader despite the things he bears witness to. His personal distaste for violence goes back to his studies, as he does not see a million as a statistic. Despite that, he is a reasonably competent strategist and leader, owing largely to his vast knowledge. However, Huran can also be quite indecisive, and at times a bit cowardly, though the latter issue he can usually convince himself to get over.

As you might guess, Huran's weapon of choice is light magic. His luck is quite high, but his skill and speed are not particularly good. However, Huran's defense is rather impressive, especially for a mage, meaning he can actually survive hits from enemy units. His unique weapon is a type of tome called Diopside, the black star tome. It was developed by the ancestors of the Alid dynasty and has been taught to and used by their bloodline exclusively. When Huran promotes, he gains access to Anima and Dark magic as well.

[spoiler=Mansur]

Class: Camel Rider (Sword)

Affinity: Wind

A body guard of Huran, one of two knights under Shahnaz. His real name is Mohammad, but because his companion's name is also Mohammad, he goes by one of his other names, Mansur. He's a carefree, tranquil but also rather impulsive individual, making decisions on a whim based on nothing but how he feels at the moment. For example, his camel is named Gringrad, a name which popped into his head which he liked the sound of. Mansur's relaxed, carefree nature leads to him rarely being upset or angry, though sometimes can lead him to be apathetic to other's and his own issues. He and Musa are companions, originally meeting in training and having often been paired together since. Mansur is notably big eater, and is rarely seen without figs, dates or bread in hand.

The weapon Mansur specializes in is the sword. Despite swords typically being seen as more 'agile' weapons, Mansur has higher strength, defense and luck than Musa does. Strength and defense he will normally cap, and he'll likely come pretty close to his luck cap as well, if not cap it outright.

[spoiler=Musa]

Class: Camel Rider (Lance)

Affinity: Ice

A body guard of Huran, one of two knights under Shahnaz. His real name is Mohammad, but because his companion's name is also Mohammad, he goes by one of his other names, Musa. His general demeanor is rather serious, and a bit quiet. He follows orders once they're given, and believes in doing them right. Doing things right is incredibly important to him, as he'd rather something not be done over done wrong. His perfectionist mentality can lead to him becoming frustrated rather easily, especially at himself. However, he can indeed be quite empathetic when something to sympathize with is brought up. Though he trains very hard, he is liable to stop his training, even for the marginal benefit of others. He and Mansur are companions, originally meeting in training and having often been paired together since.

Musa's weapon of choice is the lance. Despite lances typically being a tool of bulkier units, Musa focuses more on skill and speed than Mansur. He can rather comfortable cap both stats, and features slightly higher resistance growth than Mansur does.

[spoiler=Shahnaz]

Class: Mamluk (Sword, Lance)

Affinity: Anima

Chief body guard of Huran, an important figure in raising him and commander of Musa and Mansur. His temperament is somewhat between his underlings, and all around quite normal. Shahnaz served under Huran's father and trained during the reign of his father, so he has quite a bit of experience and wisdom to go off of. He can be fatherly, usually to Huran, but also a rather hard commander, as he is with Musa and Mansur. He can also be a bit bigoted, usually against Luokans. However, his even emotions and experience brought him in favor of Malik, and he's served the Alid Dynastry his whole life, always being very loyal. Shahnaz also expects similar loyalty out of others, pushing those around him to do better in their respective fields.

Shahnaz is the Jeigan of the Amaarian side. He joins as the promoted form of Camel Riders, Mamluks. Since he is a prepromote, he has based which leave quite a bit to be desired compared to a trained unit of the same level. In addition, his extra weapon type cannot be chosen, he joins with swords and lances available and that's what he gets. However, he has very good growths, better than either of his students, except in Luck, which is a stat he's simply bad at where even Musa has decent Luck. If trained he can still be a very useful unit with all around decent stats, though ultimately inferior to your other Mamluks.

[spoiler=Uthma]

Class: Shaman

Affinity: Dark

Uthma is not actually from Amaar. Rather, he's a native of Luoka, by blood a prince of a northern tribe. When the drought hit, his father sent him to a city state bordering Amaar to study, though also so he might have food and water. When Luoka invades, Uthma is more or less conscripted to fight his own people. He's a bold individual, confident in himself and used to having all the answers, but when faced with moral dilemmas tends to shut down and often just give up on the situation. With no time for that though, he ultimately sides with Amaar against their invaders. Early on he joins Huran's group, using the magic he's studied for many years: Dark Magic.

Interestingly, Uthma joins as a shaman, making him the only unit on the Amaar side to specialize in using dark magic. Aside from Uthma, shamans are a class only found on the Luoka side of the conflict. When promoted, he becomes a Sangoma, users of healing and dark magic normally only available in Luoka. His magic and skill are his best stats, and combined with his weapon type he can hit like a truck, but won't often double due to mediocre speed.

Playable Characters (Luoka):

[spoiler=Shaka]

Class: Warrior Prince

Affinity: Thunder

Eldest son of Jamaka, king of the Luoka, though still only a young man. From a very young age, he was trained to be a warrior, and has shown himself very talented at all aspects of warfare. Not only did he excel above his piers in sparing and hunting, but also in strategy and ingenuity. A product of his mind is his proof weapon, a throwing spear of his own design and crafting called the Iklwa. He is a dedicated individual, and fiercely loyal. In this war, he fights for his people, and will not allow anything to appose him. He can seem very cold, usually adopting a stern demeanor around anyone. Despite his strategic capability, Shaka is hot headed, and it his preference to personally scatter his enemies over direct soldiers from a tent and a somewhat short temper. He will ask nothing he would not himself do, and often doesn't ask anyway. He is not without his honor or his concern, but those very things drive him to be ruthless.

In battle, Shaka lives up the legends of ferocity which follow Luokan warriors. Defense is not exactly his strong suit, but he has high skill, speed and strength with which to obliterate his enemies. His class, the Warrior Prince, wields spears in battle, and does so very effectively. Like the Impi classes, Shaka has move movement than a typical foot unit and is less hindered by poor terrain. His unique weapon, the Iklwa, is also quite powerful, being a strong yet accurate 1-2 range weapon. Shaka promotes into the Warlord class, which gives him a rather hefty crit boost, though no extra weapon types.

[spoiler=Angan]

Class: Inyanga

Affinity: Light

Jamaka's other son, of whom he is less proud. While Shaka was raised from youth to be a warrior and took remarkably well to it, Angan had a far more non-violent nature. That didn't necessarily mean he was tranquil, as he was and still is childish and prone to outbursts. He's rather timid, speaks little of his bloodline, and is often the doubter to his brothers actions. However, his naivety also helps Shaka maintain some humanity, for which the latter is secretly very grateful. Whether he's having a tantrum or shying away, Angan maintains concern for those around him, friend or foe. As a child, he often would fail military training, so his father instead put him with wise men and sages, who trained him in the ways of healing magic.

Angan is interesting in that he's not only a very early healer, but one of the few magic users on the Luokan side. He sports better defense than his older brother, but his stats are average across the board, not particularly exceeding or failing at anything. His Inyanga class is basically the equivalent of priests or clerics, though, like Angan, are generally more balanced instead of trading defense for magic and resistance.

[spoiler=Iswayo]

Class: Impi

Affinity: Thunder

An accomplished general who has served under Jamaka since even before he began his conquest. When Shaka's training began, Jamaka selected Iswayo to be his mentor. Like his student, Iswayo is rather stern, though while Shaka is a more 'aggressive' sterm, Iswayo is more 'cold' stern. Though he certainly scowls and scorns, he's more in control of himself than Shaka is, and wisened by his years. It was when he was Shaka's age that he began fighting for Jamaka, and now that Shaka is in a similar scenario, Iswayo imparts what wisdom he can. He knows of but is not particularly well acquainted with Angan, though is all too familiar with Shaka's mannerisms. Despite their sometimes being at odds, Shaka has great respect for Iswayo.

Iswayo is the Jeigan of the Luokan side, joining as the promoted form of the Inkwebane class, Impi. Rather unfittingly of the class, his strength lies in his defensive stats, HP, Defense, and Resistance. However, that means he's an actually resilient unit on the Luokan side of things, one who joins rather early, and supports Shaka with a matching affinity. The Impi class is generally an offensively inferior, defensively superior version of Shaka's warlord with a lower crit boost, though Iswayo is unlikely to hit it's high strength, speed or skill caps.

As one might garner from that list, this would be a setting quite unlike your typical Fire Emblem, with two very distinct sides. Luoka is based off of South Africa, primarily the Zulus. Amaar is based off of the Muslim world in general, from Morocco to Egypt, Turkey, former Persia, and with a little India as well, though primarily Arabia. Each side has a very different set of units and classes available.

Amaar is closest to your standard Fire Emblem game, though with drastic reskins. Most notably, Cavaliers and Paladins are replaced by Camel Riders and Mamluks. Like in FE9, there's one Camel Rider who uses each physical weapon type, and they pick one more upon promotion. Their iron, steel and silver swords are scimitars instead of straight blades. Most users of magic are found on the Amaar side, though their use of Dark Magic is rather limited. This is because in Amaar, dark magic is seen as some sort of evil force, and has numerous negative superstitions and connotations.

Luoka, however, sees dark magic as a weapon, and thus there are more characters who use it on that side. Despite the familiar presence of shamans and the occasional unit on a horse, Luoka is most distinct from typical Fire Emblem in the stats its units have. Notably, while the Camel Rider is the most common unit among Amaar, the most common unit for Luoka is the Inkwebane, a unit best put as a spear wielding myrmidons with additional movement. The promotion of Inkwebanes is Impis, who gain a deadly crit boost similar to Swordmasters. Instead of clerics, they get Inyangas. Both shamans and inyangas upgrade into sangomas, units capable of using both healing and dark magic. Units on horses are found in Luoka, whereas the camel is prefered in Amaar. Horses are native to certain plains in the country, but were never particularly popular and have grown even less common due to the drought.

In general, Luoka is the 'hard' mode of the game, where the player is given fewer resources and must work with what options they have, while Amaar is the more 'normal' mode, granting more freedom and variety with which to tackle challenges.

Now, this idea is not yet fully baked, of course. There's not a complete class list yet, nor are certain aspects of Fire Emblem accounted for. I don't know how Pegasi or Wyverns will factor into this world, and I don't even know if Armors would be in the game at all. The eight characters above are the only ones I have so far, and I haven't settled on skills yet. However, I figured I did have enough information here to at least post the idea, and see what you all think.

And yes, the inspiration totally flows, which is why the Zulu character is named Shaka, he has an Iklwa, and his mentor is named Iswayo. Completely unlike Shaka Zulu, inventor of the Iklwa and refiner of tactics created by Dingiswayo.

[HK Motendra]

This is actually well thought out and described, in my opinion. I like this

I'd really like to know how the independent states will play into the plot altogether. One of them could be under civil war, or possibly even corruption, which would determine where their allegiance goes to, if either Amaar or Luoka attempts to appeal to them. One of them could even eventually be usurped by another, depending on how things turn out

[North888]

Honestly, given how sand affects other units in most games, I can see Pegasus Knights being a big necessity. Perhaps a new, mysterious and far off continent finally arrives with its more classical versions of these units, and since that point many years in past, Pegasus Knights or perhaps Griffon Knights could have come heavily into both territories' use, maybe even evolving the unit into a more spread out version, like a Bow or sword-weilding Peg Knight. Maybe Dragons are weilded by this third nation, which could serve as the force with which to combine the forces against. And any excuse to bring Pirate back into existence as class is a great excuse, even if they now wield swords in addition to axes and such.

As far as the units go, Magic and Tomes tend to be quite powerful in FE games, so since one side wields dark magic and magic in general more as a weapon than the other side, perhaps this idea would necessitate certain weapons having an advantage over tomes instead of most being at a disadvantage in some of the games.

Overall, good idea, though Bandits and Fighters also seem like they would naturally blend in as they currently are without too much trouble. Theives taking an Arabian spin could be cool, as could Myrmidons and maybe even a Sword Dancer class. The dancer in Awakening was already based on a general design for a Belly Dancer costume, so that would be interesting to see back as well.

I can see a unique skill call Asura which makes the unit attack 2 times instead of the normal 1 on a double attack, but prevents crits, while there could be an upgraded version called Shiva, which does 4 attacks, increases damage, but still prevents crits. Or maybe allows crits. It'd still be ridiculous in the hands of sword users, but given Asuras used both spears, halberd-like weapons, and swords, and Shiva's greatest weapon, the Eye of Shiva, is a powerful flaming spear, it makes sense for it to be a Spear-unique skill. Maybe migrate some of the other paladin skills to other units?

[AnonymousSpeed]

I like the idea, really.

This is actually well thought out and described, in my opinion. I like this

Overall, good idea

Yay, I'm popular!

Everything, despite being so different in setting, does seem pretty FE though, in the end.

Really? Well, that's nice to hear. I was a little concerned that, since the setting was so drastically different, it might not work under the FE title, or that the FE mechanics retained wouldn't fit.

I'd really like to know how the independent states will play into the plot altogether. One of them could be under civil war, or possibly even corruption, which would determine where their allegiance goes to, if either Amaar or Luoka attempts to appeal to them. One of them could even eventually be usurped by another, depending on how things turn out

I agree, seeing how alliances play out would make for a fun addition to the story. Trying to ally with certain groups and city states would make for interesting plot points and potentially even route splits, where you must choose which of the territories to try and get on your side.

Honestly, given how sand affects other units in most games, I can see Pegasus Knights being a big necessity. Perhaps a new, mysterious and far off continent finally arrives with its more classical versions of these units, and since that point many years in past, Pegasus Knights or perhaps Griffon Knights could have come heavily into both territories' use, maybe even evolving the unit into a more spread out version, like a Bow or sword-weilding Peg Knight. Maybe Dragons are weilded by this third nation, which could serve as the force with which to combine the forces against.

That's true, but if sand if the most common terrain, then it stands to reason normal movement and movement on sand might not be particularly different, especially considering that the characters so far are all mages, camel riders or impis.

Now...I'm not sure if I really want to involve a major third nation in this. If I did have wyverns and pegasi, I'd like them to be more native. See, since one of the big things about this game is that it's a conflict between two ideals which are both supposed to be viable, involving a third party doesn't feel...cohesive, especially given that it would probably band the two forces together and put an end to the game there.

There's also the fact that when you play on one side you kill some units from the other, which might make that whole 'teaming up' thing a little complicated, though potentially interesting. I don't have any big plans of grandeur for these fights, so I suppose I could not have them.

And any excuse to bring Pirate back into existence as class is a great excuse, even if they now wield swords in addition to axes and such.

Overall, good idea, though Bandits and Fighters also seem like they would naturally blend in as they currently are without too much trouble.

Bandits, Fighters, Pirates, oh my! They'd need redesigns, but the idea of a raider of some type is pretty universal. To the Zulu's, axes were more ceremonial and indicated rank, so...I could do something like that. They did use clubs. Berserkers seem like they'd fit for the Luokans, don't they? Though, it's maybe a little too like Impis...

As far as the units go, Magic and Tomes tend to be quite powerful in FE games, so since one side wields dark magic and magic in general more as a weapon than the other side, perhaps this idea would necessitate certain weapons having an advantage over tomes instead of most being at a disadvantage in some of the games.

Well, in the opening, I stated Amaar has more mages in general, while Luoka has more dark magic users (three or four compared to two). I think that's a fair trade off, right? Light and anima are still existent for Luoka, but there are more users of them on the Amaar side, just like dark magic is more common for Luoka yet still exists on the Amaar side.

I actually considered whatever equivalent there is of a troubadour riding a camel, and being like the camel riders. One mounted mage uses dark, one uses light, one uses anima, and one uses staff. I don't know, maybe. Given that dark magic is supposed to be rare in Amaar, maybe not.

Theives taking an Arabian spin could be cool, as could Myrmidons and maybe even a Sword Dancer class. The dancer in Awakening was already based on a general design for a Belly Dancer costume, so that would be interesting to see back as well.

...I pretty much just agree with these things. Thieves with an Arabian redesign could be very cool, though we must remember to have thieves on both sides of the conflict. Myrmidons and dancers could work very well with the setting, especially given the use of curved blades, and, well...dancing. Knowing me I'd change that, but whatever. And the Luokan side can get a bard, playing some sweet ceremonial drums or something.

I can see a unique skill call Asura which makes the unit attack 2 times instead of the normal 1 on a double attack, but prevents crits, while there could be an upgraded version called Shiva, which does 4 attacks, increases damage, but still prevents crits. Or maybe allows crits. It'd still be ridiculous in the hands of sword users, but given Asuras used both spears, halberd-like weapons, and swords, and Shiva's greatest weapon, the Eye of Shiva, is a powerful flaming spear, it makes sense for it to be a Spear-unique skill. Maybe migrate some of the other paladin skills to other units?

So, for the setting based almost entirely off of Arabia and the Zulus with Aramaic setting names, let's just throw in some Hindu deities! I jest, of course, but I do think that it does...clash a little bit. It's not like we're starved for options, Fire Emblem has used basically nothing about either of these cultures, so pretty much any aspect of them we want we can use.

Just to clarify though, Asura would make a double attack like single attacking, only with a brave weapon? That...is actually pretty neat, I think, probably quite strong in the right situation though. I don't know, I'll consider something like that.

Also, since I did think of this, here's a little thing on weapon design:

The Lancereaver sword's design is based on that of a Khopesh, a weirdly shaped type of blade from the middle east and Egypt which I thought looked cool and was close enough to a sword with axe-like aspects.

The Axreaver lance's design is based on an actual Iklwa. Shaka's weapon is indeed an Iklwa, but unlike real ones is meant more for throwing instead of melee combat, while the axereaver is a one range weapon which counters axes. Real Iklwas are used more like a sword than a typical spear.

The Swordreaver axe's design is based on a halberd. So, basically an axe on a stick...like a lance.

[North888]

Well instead of the third nation being a big enemy, it could instead be more of a neutral party that partially seeks to gain off the way. Perhaps not necessarily the bad guys, but you have to force out the third nation from your territories as they attempt to make use o the fighting. It would be basic battles against them without them taking a heavy place in the story, and could work towards getting some classic units that may appear throughout the game, or some foreign units on the team as well, like a foreign mercenary who rides a dragon.

I get wanting to have natural units, but again, I stated that they arrived and started dealing years prior, so by that point the Pegasi knights could have changed into something more at home in the environment, given many years to adapt. Give them some more inspired design and they should fit in.

As far as the environments go, I'm not saying that units shouldn't get as massively tolled by the setting as previous games, but at the same time, the sand still inhibited travel quite heavily in real world deserts. Plus, given the setting, there could be plenty of build up settings or hardened sand to work with. I'm basically saying that there could be Desert Sand that's harder to move on, but also the processed sand you see in towns that's a lot more packed and usable in addition to stone ruins or other bits of land adorning the world.

[Zerxen]

Please, work for IS. Or at least sell this idea to them. Clearly you spent some thought into this. Maybe you could make some sort of fangame?

[North888]

Buddy, that's a bit too up there, doncha think? I honestly think it needs quite a bit of work still. And even then, recreating a totally new FE with completely new sprites and models would be an enormous task, even with something like RPG Maker.

On another note, I realized, most FE ideas tend to focus on armies...When in reality, a lot of them don't actually immediately feature armies. FE for GBA doesn't really feature any specific army. Your more or less a large caravan of people following Lyn/Eliwood on their journey, marauding through skirmishes with the enemy as full on wars have already happened, or are happening elsewhere. The way the Black Dragon are built up as more of a guild instead of any sort of actual military power goes the extra mile to show this as much more small scale with large consequences. Radiant Dawn and Path of Radiance don't evolve into full scale war until later in the games and you get plenty of chances to play with small bands of characters. Anon's idea here kind of mirrors part of that, but also takes the whole "two large armies in a full on war." I think you could tweak that to show some of the tensions via small end skirmishes and battles with the brigands and pirates and how all of this resource hoarding and economizing builds into a full scale invasion and full scale war.

[AnonymousSpeed]

Relevant.

Please, work for IS. Or at least sell this idea to them. Clearly you spent some thought into this. Maybe you could make some sort of fangame?

I'm pretty sure that violates some Child Labor laws, and as North has said, that would be a bit of leap right now, and it would take quite a bit of effort even if I did have all the ideas organized.

Now, just for fun, I don't think this would actually get serious consideration as an official Fire Emblem game, simply because it's probably not the most financially sound move. The direction FE is currently taking is in a very different direction than this game, and an ideological conflict between the Zulus and the Arabs isn't something I think would really appeal to the main fan base of Fire Emblem, especially in a Japanese and American market.

Well instead of the third nation being a big enemy, it could instead be more of a neutral party that partially seeks to gain off the way. Perhaps not necessarily the bad guys, but you have to force out the third nation from your territories as they attempt to make use o the fighting. It would be basic battles against them without them taking a heavy place in the story, and could work towards getting some classic units that may appear throughout the game, or some foreign units on the team as well, like a foreign mercenary who rides a dragon.

Well North, my friend who I totally didn't know before you joined this site, I'm to go ahead and say a third nation is going to be a no. The neutral parties already exist in the forms of city states, miscellaneous tribes, nomads and mercenary groups. The third nation honestly seems like it would detract from the theme of conflict. Also, I feel having more classical units defeats the point of not having a more classical setting.

I get wanting to have natural units, but again, I stated that they arrived and started dealing years prior, so by that point the Pegasi knights could have changed into something more at home in the environment, given many years to adapt. Give them some more inspired design and they should fit in.

Going to the above verdict, B'Yasha is an isolated island. Also, while I am a creationist, I do at least understand the theory of evolution, so I don't think Pegasi could be artificially introduced, and then readily adapt to a desert environment within the span of a human civilization. Of course, the 'rules' of things change all the time in FE, from dark magic to pegasi, so it might work. At the same time, there's no particular reason Pegasi couldn't simply be native to the island or a smaller nearby island.

I do have something more definite to say about wyverns though. Since wyverns are draconic beasts, I think they'd fit rather well as animals native to the brutal Luokan regions. In addition, to the Zulu, axes were normally given to commanders and not a primary combat weapon. Thus, I think it makes sense for Wyvern Riders to be Luokan units who wield axes, and are higher ranking members of the army.

As far as the environments go, I'm not saying that units shouldn't get as massively tolled by the setting as previous games, but at the same time, the sand still inhibited travel quite heavily in real world deserts. Plus, given the setting, there could be plenty of build up settings or hardened sand to work with. I'm basically saying that there could be Desert Sand that's harder to move on, but also the processed sand you see in towns that's a lot more packed and usable in addition to stone ruins or other bits of land adorning the world.

I suppose that's true, which is why people used camels. You are correct though, there are indeed towns, paved and pressed areas in the world, though also a fair bit of sand. My idea for the Luokan prologue actually takes place in a desert.

On another note, I realized, most FE ideas tend to focus on armies...When in reality, a lot of them don't actually immediately feature armies. FE for GBA doesn't really feature any specific army. Your more or less a large caravan of people following Lyn/Eliwood on their journey, marauding through skirmishes with the enemy as full on wars have already happened, or are happening elsewhere. The way the Black Dragon are built up as more of a guild instead of any sort of actual military power goes the extra mile to show this as much more small scale with large consequences. Radiant Dawn and Path of Radiance don't evolve into full scale war until later in the games and you get plenty of chances to play with small bands of characters. Anon's idea here kind of mirrors part of that, but also takes the whole "two large armies in a full on war." I think you could tweak that to show some of the tensions via small end skirmishes and battles with the brigands and pirates and how all of this resource hoarding and economizing builds into a full scale invasion and full scale war.

Uh, it's Lyn/Eliwood/Hector, bruh.

And Black Fang.

How long has it been since you played FE7?

Now, again, the idea is that it's a war between these nations. The idea of building up scarcity is actually pretty neat, though since it's mostly an issue is Luoka, I don't know if it works universally. I my mind the war and game start around the same time, with the prologues being debatable exceptions.

Now then, onto ideas which I have had while away.

Firstly, as mentioned above, I believe Wyverns would be fine to have on the Luokan side of things, flying units with axes who compromise the more defense heavy units on that side of the war. Pegasi I didn't have much of an idea for, though they might be a species native to an island not too far from B'Yasha's mainland, mainly existing in Amaar as creatures imported by the wealthy. While normally white, I think here they'd have a more sandy color, possibly with darker brown feathers on certain parts of the wings.

Next, I had an idea for some more characters, though nothing set. Above the idea of mercenaries was mentioned, and that's what this group is. At some point in the game, the player army brings in a small group of mercenaries from the general Amaar-City state area, potentially in both sides of the game. The leader is a light magic user, the basic light magic class (at least for Amaar) being called Scholar instead of Monk. Another member is a thief, and the third member is a more basic physical unit of undefined type.

I've had a few miscellaneous other character concepts, but nothing concrete. I have had an idea for a mythology, but...I feel it's not really needed to have a specific mythology, is it? This is a Fire Emblem game were the end conflict isn't the result of some ancient magical force.

Finally, the prologue of each side, or an idea at least. Regardless of what side your playing for, there is an optional 'Prologue Part 1', which is a pretty basic tutorial akin to Lyn's prologue or the start of Radiant Dawn.

In Luoka, after that Shaka, Angan and Iswayo are called forth and it is revealed they are going to war. After preparing, they march through the desert towards Amaar. During the march, a group of bandits comes into conflict with the group after being harassed by one of the Luokan army commanders. This guy, he doesn't have a name, but it's pretty evident right off the bat that he's a jerk. He shows up a few times on both sides, and dies fighting Huran's army. With that distraction handled, they continue to their prime objective...

Which is where Part 2 of the Amaar prologue takes place. In it, a 'scout army' of the Luokan's attacks the city state Huran is currently in, prompting him and his guards to try and flee the city. This brings them into conflict with some Luokan soldiers, whom they defeat. Potentially, Uthma might join at the end of the chapter, though...probably not, given how Dark Magic is normally given so early in the game.

[North888]

If you can find a way to introduce a unit similar to Pegasi Knights, go ahead. My whole point was that they should there :/

I wouldn't make sense nor be interesting if we just had Dragons tbh.

And I was play FE7 about 2 days ago. :/

the rest of your points make sense though.

[Jormungandr]

I must say that your idea of a Middle Eastern/African setting for an FE game would be a nice change of pace from the many European-themed games we've had in the past. Would you have new classes planned for this game and would your mythology also expand a bit to include Persian mythos? With some Persian mythology borrowed (which is essentially Iran in the past), Manticores could subsistute Griffons as an alt flying unit at least. You could also use birds instead of Pegasi, such as the mythological Shahbaz, which could promote into a Roc or a Homa. Just throwing out a couple of ideas of my own, you don't need to include them if you don't want to.

[Zerxen]

Relevant.

I'm pretty sure that violates some Child Labor laws, and as North has said, that would be a bit of leap right now, and it would take quite a bit of effort even if I did have all the ideas organized.

I did not intend for my comment to be literal. Just from a subjective view, Anon had an interesting idea that was well thought out.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Zerxen

[AnonymousSpeed]

I did not intend for my comment to be literal. Just from a subjective view, Anon had an interesting idea that was well thought out.

...yeah, I'm not always good with literal-not literal stuff, sorry, but thanks.

If you can find a way to introduce a unit similar to Pegasi Knights, go ahead. My whole point was that they should there :/

I wouldn't make sense nor be interesting if we just had Dragons tbh.

And I was play FE7 about 2 days ago. :/

I'm not objecting, I like statistical variety, so it would be pretty lame if the only flying units were Wyverns.

Now, I myself disagree, I don't think just having dragons present is inherently uninteresting or senseless. In fact, given the fact the Y'Basha is quite a bit smaller than most FE settings, it probably wouldn't make as much sense to have such different animals directly. None the less, I'm not giving up on the idea.

I see...well, you got some stuff mixed up, I'm sorry to say.

I must say that your idea of a Middle Eastern/African setting for an FE game would be a nice change of pace from the many European-themed games we've had in the past. Would you have new classes planned for this game and would your mythology also expand a bit to include Persian mythos? With some Persian mythology borrowed (which is essentially Iran in the past), Manticores could subsistute Griffons as an alt flying unit at least. You could also use birds instead of Pegasi, such as the mythological Shahbaz, which could promote into a Roc or a Homa. Just throwing out a couple of ideas of my own, you don't need to include them if you don't want to.

There are indeed new classes planned for this. Already, I've mentioned the Camel Riders, Mamluks, and Scholars (those are effectively reskins though), and there's also the Inyanga and Sangama classes. There are classes which are still around though, such as thieves and shamans, though they'll most definitely need some design changes.

Though I admit it's not readily visible currently, I do like the idea of incorporating some Persian aspects into Amaar, and rest assured, I am aware of Persia being Iran. In fact, the mythology I was considering (though again, I don't think I would need to go into detail about it) was actually more like Zoroastrianism than Islam, less in that it's fire or good and evil and more in that it's dualist. I was also considering Immortals and Sparabara being the equivalent of knights and generals.

I don't think I'd go with manticores, but the idea of riding giant mythical birds instead of your typical pegasus is...interesting, to say the least, and it could work. Of course, the best thing about that is clear to me.

ROC KNIGHT!

[Elyn]

So essentially, a middle eastern fire emblem? That could be a pretty nifty idea.

I assume you've done some reading up on a bit of the mythological and historical lore for the setting.

What sources have you been using to get ideas, anything besides the usual Wikipedia?

[AnonymousSpeed]

So essentially, a middle eastern fire emblem? That could be a pretty nifty idea.

I assume you've done some reading up on a bit of the mythological and historical lore for the setting.

What sources have you been using to get ideas, anything besides the usual Wikipedia?

...sort of, I'd say it's more...African, even if Amaar is based on Arabia, since there's element of North African Muslim empires and their against the Zulus, who are very distinctly in Africa.

Correct, I have done a little, though admittedly not as much research as I should have.

Aside from wikipedia, Civilization 5 is probably the biggest source of inspiration. I've also used some other websites to get the Arabic names and Aramaic location names, and ran some google searches to find any other information I needed.

[Jormungandr]

There are indeed new classes planned for this. Already, I've mentioned the Camel Riders, Mamluks, and Scholars (those are effectively reskins though), and there's also the Inyanga and Sangama classes. There are classes which are still around though, such as thieves and shamans, though they'll most definitely need some design changes.

Though I admit it's not readily visible currently, I do like the idea of incorporating some Persian aspects into Amaar, and rest assured, I am aware of Persia being Iran. In fact, the mythology I was considering (though again, I don't think I would need to go into detail about it) was actually more like Zoroastrianism than Islam, less in that it's fire or good and evil and more in that it's dualist. I was also considering Immortals and Sparabara being the equivalent of knights and generals.

I don't think I'd go with manticores, but the idea of riding giant mythical birds instead of your typical pegasus is...interesting, to say the least, and it could work. Of course, the best thing about that is clear to me.

ROC KNIGHT!

Zoroastrianism huh? That's pretty creative, I'm surprised that it doesn't get used more in anything media related lol. Would the priest/cleric class be called the "Herbad" who would promote to "Mobed/Mobedyar" class like in Zoroastrianism then? If third tier classes are in this like the Tellius games had, then Dastur would be the third tier tank then for this more Middle Eastern verison of the Priest/Cleric class. Again just a suggestion based on Zoroastrainism since you brought it up.

Shame about the lack of Manticores since they are one of my favorite mythological creatures, but I'll have to say, that Roc Knight realled rocked (pun very intended lol).

[AnonymousSpeed]

Zoroastrianism huh? That's pretty creative, I'm surprised that it doesn't get used more in anything media related lol. Would the priest/cleric class be called the "Herbad" who would promote to "Mobed/Mobedyar" class like in Zoroastrianism then? If third tier classes are in this like the Tellius games had, then Dastur would be the third tier tank then for this more Middle Eastern verison of the Priest/Cleric class. Again just a suggestion based on Zoroastrainism since you brought it up.

Shame about the lack of Manticores since they are one of my favorite mythological creatures, but I'll have to say, that Roc Knight realled rocked (pun very intended lol).

I hadn't considered it...but it's a very good idea, actually. I hadn't really considered the healer class for Amaar, and to be honest that does leave some stuff up. Notably, do they get Light or Anima upon promotion? I think Anima makes sense, given Zoroastrianism's associations with fire and the fact that the etymology of Mobed being connected with the word 'magus', so your mages can promote into it. It's only two-tier promotions, but thanks for the ideas, they really are quite good.

That leaves the question of what Scholar's promote to...hm, probably something with staves. Not only is it more typical but it's also the only way you'll get light and staves on the same character.

Indeed, and I say your pun rocked the earth and skies as well. Also, I have decided that, should I choose bird over winged horses, there will be a Shahbaz Knight who plays a shamisen, who can upgrade...into a Roc Knight.

I don't know, the more I think about that idea, the more I like it.

So, in other news:

The Amaar side has a set of units, the Sparabara, and their promoted form, the Immortal. They're the equivalent of armors in your normal FE game, despite not having a technical armor weakness. These are the premier defensive units for Amaar, and wield spears in typical Knight fashion. When promoted to the apply named Immortals, they gain access to axes as well.

The Amaar side will get a dancer named Morgiana, after a character from the story of Ali Baba. The Luokan side gets a yet unnamed Drummer unit.

After that, there's still coming up with names for the myrmidon and wyvern rider equivalents. I haven't worked on the first, but the second is an interesting challenge so far. Ejderha Rider is something I've considered, as is Mushussu Rider. So many dragons, so little time. Despite being a Luokan unit, African cultures don't seem to have a lot of dragons in them to base off of. I mean, I'm sure there are dragons, they're just less common and less...wyverny.

Edited July 23, 2015 by AnonymousSpeed

[Jormungandr]

I'm happy to hear that you've been liking my suggestions AnonymousSpeed! For some reason I can easily see Fire as the main and best magic in this Fire Emblem world lol. Also cool to hear about a Dancer being in this universe, they fit in really well. Oh, and a couple of more ideas/suggestions from me. The second-tier class of the Myrmidon or Mercenary class of this Fire Emblem game being named the Gilgamesh. Second is for a beast-transforming unit, may I suggest a Were-Hyena, which was a popular myth in the Middle East back in the past? Bonus points if your Were-Hyena unit is a big, muscular woman with a mohawk and any male Were-Hyenas are scrawny scrappers to reference how female hyenas have a lot more testostorone than the males lol.

[AnonymousSpeed]

Well, the name 'Swordmaster' is pretty cross-cultural, it's a person who is a master of the sword. A more...cultural name would certainly be cool to hear though. I think having another name for the tier-one variant instead of Myrmidon would be better. Perhaps, as the myrmidons were a Greek people group, the class name could be a Persian people group. Perhaps Parthian, or Sassanid? I lean towards the former.

Now, I don't currently have any plans for beast, dragon or bird transforming unit. Or even a camel transforming unit. However, that is a neat idea, and it taught me trivia, which is nice.

Perhaps the promoted form of Scholar could be Maulvi or Maulana? Ijazah (though the technical meaning of the world doesn't make sense in that context)? Mullah?

[Jormungandr]

Yeah, Parthian sounds a lot better than Sassanid for a Myrmidon based class. I would also go with Maulana for a promoted class for Scholar. Mullah is pretty derogatory, Maulvi means doctor/cleric which isn't a bad altenative, and as you said Ijazah doesn't make much sense.

Also, this is the list of classes you had so far (with their original Fire Emblem class names listed by them). Correct me if any of this is wrong.

Confirmed

Warrior Prince -> Warlord (Lord -> Great Lord?)

Merchant Prince -> ??? (Herb Merchant -> Great Merchant?)

Camel Rider -> Mamluk (Cavailer -> Paladin)

Shaman -> Sangoma (Dark Mage -> Sorcerer)

Inkwebane -> Impi (Lance Fighter -> Sentinel?)

Inyanga -> ??? (Priest/Cleric -> ???)

Scholar -> Maulana (Mage -> Sage?)

Parthian -> Swordmaster (Myrmidon -> Swordmaster)

Sparabara -> Immortal (Knight -> General)

Dancer/Bard -> ???

Thief -> ???

Uncomfirmed

Shahbaz Knight -> Roc Knight (Pegasus Knight -> Falcon Knight?)

Ejderha Rider -> Ejderha Lord? (Wyvern Rider -> Wyvern Lord?)

Herbad -> Mobed (Priest/Cleric -> Bishop?)

Mercenary -> ???

Hopefully I didn't miss anything nor is this too inaccurate, but just making a list for the others to see what you potentially had planned for classes (also helps me remember too, making lists like this).

Edited July 25, 2015 by Jormungandr

[AnonymousSpeed]

Yeah, Parthian sounds a lot better than Sassanid for a Myrmidon based class. I would also go with Maulana for a promoted class for Scholar. Mullah is pretty derogatory, Maulvi means doctor/cleric which isn't a bad altenative, and as you said Ijazah doesn't make much sense.

I did consider Sassanid as the name for Swordmasters, though.

I wasn't quite sure, admittedly my only experience with these terms is reading up on them. Still, Maulana works as the promotion of Scholar, so...I guess I'll go with that.

Also, this is the list of classes you had so far (with their original Fire Emblem class names listed by them). Correct me if any of this is wrong.

Confirmed

Warrior Prince -> Warlord (Lord -> Great Lord?)

Merchant Prince -> ??? (Herb Merchant -> Great Merchant?)

Camel Rider -> Mamluk (Cavailer -> Paladin)

Shaman -> Sangoma (Dark Mage -> Sorcerer)

Inkwebane -> Impi (Lance Fighter -> Sentinel?)

Inyanga -> ??? (Priest/Cleric -> ???)

Scholar -> Maulana (Mage -> Sage?)

Parthian -> Swordmaster (Myrmidon -> Swordmaster)

Sparabara -> Immortal (Knight -> General)

Dancer/Bard -> ???

Thief -> ???

Uncomfirmed

Shahbaz Knight -> Roc Knight (Pegasus Knight -> Falcon Knight?)

Ejderha Rider -> Ejderha Lord? (Wyvern Rider -> Wyvern Lord?)

Herbad -> Mobed (Priest/Cleric -> Bishop?)

Mercenary -> ???

Hopefully I didn't miss anything nor is this too inaccurate, but just making a list for the others to see what you potentially had planned for classes (also helps me remember too, making lists like this).

That's...rather nice, actually, thanks for that. I was considering making a list like that but I wasn't sure I wanted to post an incomplete list. Anyway, let me say that you are generally spot on, though there are some things I should point out.

Merchant Prince, despite also having the word merchant in it, isn't really equivalent to those classes. In fact, the 'merchant' in it refers more to the society of Amaar than Huran's actual abilities. I'd say he's closer to...well, no one statistically, there really isn't an equivalent class line.

Soldier to Halberdier is probably a good line to say is equivalent to Inkwebane to Impi.

The promotion of Inyanga is Sangoma, though you are correct about Sangoma being the promotion of Shaman as well.

Scholar actually uses Light Magic, so I'd say it's closer to Priest to Bishop.

Dancer and Bard/Drummer might not promote, though they also might.

I will go ahead and confirm the Shahbaz/Roc Knights, and the Herbad to Mobed line.

I have actually been working on names for the equivalent of wyvern riders. I wanted something...Bantu. So, I was considering something like Mamba to Uzekamani, or Joka to Uzekamani. Now, Uzekamani means dragonfly and not an actual dragon, but...I thought it could work.

Now to clarify the magical classes, just to make sure who has what weapon type is known and all that.

Scholar is a class that uses light magic and promotes to Maulana, which also has staves. They are primarily on the Amaar side.

Inyanga uses staves, Shaman uses dark magic. Both promote to the Sangoma class, which uses dark and staves. They are primarily on the Luokan side.

Herbed uses staves, and Mage uses anima magic. Both promote into the Mobed, which uses anima and staves. They are primarily on the Amaar side.

Now, as for mercenaries, I am currently considering doing like FE9, where there isn't really a mercenary class, but rather, Parthians fulfill the role of both mercenary and myrmidon. Potentially, it's an idea. With the Fighter equivalent still left to create, there's potential for some more classes, such as a Luokan sword unit. I'm thinking horses will probably not be in the game, really, which opens up some room.

I am also considering Vulture -> Gilgamesh as the replacement of Fighter -> Warrior, or Brigand -> Berserker.

Edited July 26, 2015 by AnonymousSpeed

[Jormungandr]

Ah okay, thanks for the clearing up on class issues and I'm glad you liked the list I made and made Shahbaz/Roc Knights and Herbad/Mobed canon, AnonymousSpeed! It's also pretty interesting to see that Vulture -> Gilgamesh as the new Fighter/Barbarian -> Warrior/Berserker name, although I do wonder where you came up with Vulture for the name? Did you just want to use Vulture since it refers to scavengers and other foul carrion eaters? Also, after looking at some more Middle Eastern artwork, I was wondering if Djinn would be present in this FE universe?

Minor unimportant idea: Rename the Trickster/Adventurer class to Bounty Hunter. Oh yeah, what about Bow-wielding classes, haven't seen those discussed yet.

[North888]

Give Gilgamesh 8 weapons and make them transform power rangers style or you're dead to me.

[AnonymousSpeed]

Ah okay, thanks for the clearing up on class issues and I'm glad you liked the list I made and made Shahbaz/Roc Knights and Herbad/Mobed canon, AnonymousSpeed! It's also pretty interesting to see that Vulture -> Gilgamesh as the new Fighter/Barbarian -> Warrior/Berserker name, although I do wonder where you came up with Vulture for the name? Did you just want to use Vulture since it refers to scavengers and other foul carrion eaters? Also, after looking at some more Middle Eastern artwork, I was wondering if Djinn would be present in this FE universe?

Minor unimportant idea: Rename the Trickster/Adventurer class to Bounty Hunter. Oh yeah, what about Bow-wielding classes, haven't seen those discussed yet.

Well, 'Vulture' comes from the Vulture Steele, which are some Mesopotamian artifacts which depict vultures around a triumphant army. Because of that, 'Vulture' is sometimes used as a term for Sumerian soldiers, and I think it fits that such a class would upgrade into a Gilgamesh. Though, in universe, I think saying it comes from the stereotype of an axe wielding bandit would be interesting.

Djinn could be interesting, there currently isn't an angle I have in mind, but I'll keep the idea in mind.

Now, trickster isn't the promotion to thief, as uninspired as it might be I went back to that being the rogue. As for bow wielding classes, I considered Archer/Sniper becoming Hunter/Bowmen, or possibly having the two sides have different bow units. Amaar has something more like your classical snipers, while Luoka adopts a more Hunter-type unit, possibly gaining a mount and a sword on promotion. I don't know, it's an idea. Since Rogues use bows and swords though, it might be best to not have that class use the same things.

Give Gilgamesh 8 weapons and make them transform power rangers style or you're dead to me.

In recent news, upon promotion the Vulture gains access to the other seven weapon types.

Welp...that's unfortunate. But, even if I am dead to you, you can still read this set of characters, right?

Both: These units can be recruited regardless of which side you're playing as.

[spoiler=Afzal]

Class: Scholar

Affinity: Dark

Afzal was formerly a scholar at a royal institute in Amaar. He was formerly considered a prodigy. He was formerly a man with noble standing expecting a great inheritance. Afzal was formerly a lot of things. However, while he was an intelligent scholar from a dignified family, his attitude left a lot to be desired, and was ultimately his undoing. Ever since he was a child he used his intellect and wealth as a means to flaunt, boast, and justify an unbreakable superiority complex. He became the center of local gossip for just how entitled he was and how poor his attitude was, and was eventually rejected and cast out of the aforementioned institute because of it. Furious, young and full of vitality, he turned his genius and talent with light magic into a mercenary career, vowing to become known to every city as a master of the battlefield. It has a been a few years since, and he's made something of a name for his group, called the Superior Soldiers. It's a small group of three individuals of Afzal's own choosing, though they are undeniably talented. To this day his sense of superiority is very strong, and when considered to be hired on either side boasts of how his groups abilities are necessary to the side they're joining. The thing most sensitive about him is his ego, as he takes any insult to his skill very personally. One cannot deny that he is confident though, even if he is a bit demeaning.

Interestingly, Afzal is a magic user who not only has high HP, but due to his astounding 80% growth is likely to cap it. He joins with a master seal, so he can be promoted right away if one wishes, but it might be best to allow him to get more levels due to his rather impressive growth rates. Befitting of a scholar, his resistance is high, but he also features rather good speed and skill. His base magic is quite impressive, though his growth is less so, and his luck is quite simply awful, but he can be a very powerful unit if trained.

[spoiler=Haytham]

Class: Thief

Affinity: Fire

In the city which Afzal originated from, Haytham made his living as a thief. Raised in an orphanage, his spry, youthful attitude led him to wonder about and often get into trouble, especially as he slowly picked up a habit of stealing anything he wanted, which soon became his life style. From his teenage years striking it out on his own as a thief, he became known as 'The Eagle', a swift purloiner who was so fast and nimble, he was as hard to catch as his title's inspiration. Despite that, Afzal was able to set a trap for him, though Haytham insists he allowed Afzal to trap him, and a consensus has never been reached. Regardless of the details, Haytham was recruited as the second of the Superior Soldiers, serving mostly as a scout, spy, and when necessary, he puts his thieving habits into practice. Haytham is a spastic, energetic young man, or boy, one could call him either. He's lively, cheery, and obnoxious when not having to hunker down and be a quiet rogue. His carefree but highly passionate demeanor sharply contrasts with his skill set, but it makes him somewhat easy to start conversation with. He's a kleptomaniac fascinated with the idea of collecting, but won't steal from his allies out of principle.

Haytham is the fastest unit in the game, bar none. His base and growth are so high it's more than overkill, and combined with high luck as well, he's a dodge tank to be sure. However, he's not a combat unit by design, being a little on the frail side and not particularly strong, though as strong as he needs to be to cap his strength. However, since his promoted class is the Rogue, which has a low strength cap, that's not particularly hard. However, Rogue's have the advantage of being the only class with a 30 speed cap, though that normally isn't particularly important. They do have access to bows though.

[spoiler=Mahir]

Class: Parthian

Affinity: Anima

The third and final of the Superior Soldiers, he used to be an arena fighter hailing from the same city as Afzal. However, he was kicked out under suspicion of throwing games, taking bribes, paying bribes, and generally cheating. In addition, while Mahir almost always won, people didn't much like to watch him, because he won too quickly. Among the three, he's the oldest, most experienced, and most proficient at his art. He was approached by Afzal and brought into his group on the promise of payroll, which he has at least received. Mahir is the most financially motivated of the three mercenaries, though the greed which screwed him over has tempered as time goes on. He's corruptible, but less so, and ultimately his fall has lessened his susceptibility to these things. He feels a personal responsibility to Afzal, which has further stabilized him. Through support conversations, you can find out just how much of a wreck his life had become between being banned from the arena and becoming a mercenary. Between Afzal and Haytham, he's the coolest and most collected, though can still be prideful and hedonistic.

Mahir is what you want in a Parthian. His skill is high, his speed is good, and his his strength is above average. He is sword locked, but being weapon locked is not uncommon in this game. His HP and defense are solid, so he can even take hits from enemies pretty well, but suffers from poor resistance and luck. He has the highest join level of the Superior Soldiers.

Amaar:

[spoiler=Bakr]

Class: Camel Rider (Bow)

Affinity: Light

A royal Amaarian guard, he was sent along with an axe-wielding Camel Rider to further protect Huran after the outbreak of the war. He's the youngest of the Camel Riders to join you, and one of the least experienced warriors. As such, he has a sense of inferiority around the much tougher warriors he's around, which motivates him to train often. Despite this insecurity and his youth, Bakr is not a childish individual. He takes responsibility quickly and is not exceptionally ashamed to reveal that feeling of not being good enough. His demeanor is mature and collected, if a little bit on the shy side, and he never seems overly saddened or happy about anything, having generally mild and controlled responses and emotions.

Of the four Camel Riders, Bakr is the one to wield the bow, and the one with the lowest comparative level when he joins. However, he's not terribly under leveled, so feed him a few kills and he should be fine. He has better offensive stats (speed, skill, strength) but lower defensive stats (HP, Defense, Resistance) than the average Camel Rider, so he's mostly suited for attacking only, as a bow user might be expected to be. So, if kept out of range of 1-range attacks, he'll be able to tear through enemies. He has a later join time than Musa or Mansur, but he can still be useful.

[spoiler=Gabir]

Class: Shahbaz Knight

Affinity: Wind

A member of Amaar's Great Wings, effectively their army of flying units, and one of the few male examples of such. He is the only male Shahbaz Knight available, with the other two being women. Gabir is a warm man, with a soft voice and soothing manner of speaking. However, he is not much of a talker or conversationalist. Generally, Gabir prefers the sounds of songs. Before he joined the Great Wings, he aspired to be a bard, and since boyhood practiced the shamisen. However, his sharp eyes and focus on slower songs almost entirely led to him being recommended to the Wings, and with no real expectancy of musical success, he joined. None the less, he continues to practice and play his instrument, sometimes long into the night. People don't often to ask him to stop, and as such, he often doesn't until something else comes up. He's late to bed, early to rise, and one of the more clever soldiers you can recruit, but his heart lies in notes. He believes his experiences flying have provided excellent musical inspiration, somewhat rekindling that childhood ambition.

Of the three Shahbaz Knights, Gabir is the only male. His stats are the 'heaviest' of the three, though that still puts him on the speedy spectrum of things. His strength is the highest of them, as is his skill, meaning he is more the 'one hit offense', though his speed is the lowest. As stated earlier though, he is still quite a fast unit. The Shahbaz Knight wields lances, and gains access to swords upon promotion.

Luoka:

[spoiler=Dingane]

Class: Rogue

Affinity: Ice

A rogue who makes his dwelling searching the Luokan desert, mingling among miscellaneous groups of brigands, mercenaries, and whoever would have him. He's quiet, reserved, but whenever he acts, he does so with conviction. In the Amaar route, he appears as a boss with a minimal amount of fuss, he tries to stop you, you kill him, you move on. On the Luoka side, however, he's a recuitable unit. His past is shrouded in mystery, and one has to get multiple support conversations to reveal the entirety of it, similar to Renault. In short though, Dingane was a spy working for Shaka's father Jamaka during his conquests, during which time he committed multiple atrocities for him from the shadows. Later into Jamaka's wars, Dingane vanished, and has since sought his own personal, repentance in wandering the deserts.

Interestingly, Dingane has a very high A rank in bows when he joins, compared to his B rank in swords. This is unique, as most Rogue's specialize in the use of swords. His stats are overall good, putting him fairly close to his strength, skill and speed caps, and he joins at a reasonable level. However, his growths are not amazing despite his bases, so if he does actually cap strength is up for debate. However, with his high bow rank, 30 speed cap and high movement, he can make a good addition to an army in need of an archer, swordsman, thief, or general filler unit.

This has made me realize I need to focus more on making Luokan units, given how there are four so far exclusive to that side and around seven unique to Amaar. So...I shall do that, I have come concepts in mind.

[spoiler=On a note completely disregarding that, we have a list of potential supports.]

Huran/Shahnaz

Huran/Mansur

Huran/Musa

Huran/Afzal

Huran/Uthma?

Musa/Mansur

Musa/Shahnaz

Musa/Bakr

Mansur/Shahnaz

Mansur/Haytham

Shahnaz/Uthma

Shaka/Iswayo

Shaka/Angan

Shaka/Afzal

Shaka/Dingane

Angan/Iswayo

Angan/Haytham

Iswayo/Mahir

Iswayo/Dingane

Dingane/Mahir?

Afzal/Haytham

Haytham/Mahir

Mahir/Afzal

And on another completely separate note, I am thinking I have something in mind for the skill system. Effectively, it's most like FE9, though every character has their own unique skill, or at least, quite a few of them do. Examples include Musa's Discipline, which accelerates the rate at which weapon ranks are increased. They may or may not be removable, given how some are quite weak and focused on the character themselves while others could potentially be quite strong. I do feel the 'each character has an unremovable skill' thing would work pretty well though, it could be interesting at least.

[Zerxen]

A topic similar to this was made previously: http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=54407&page=1
I'm just looking for an excuse to bump this..

[AnonymousSpeed]

Huh...well. Isn't that quite the coincidence? At the very least, that would be, given that I haven't checked the Fates board before...reading that, actually.

I do recall however, long ago, a thread proposing the idea of an FE setting based more on Africa, which probably had a subconscious part in inspiring this. Despite the fact that I've made more Amaarian units than Luokan units, the idea of a Zulu-esque warrior culture is the idea which came first.