Story, plot and paralgoue discussion (spoilers beware)

[Sentinel07]

25 minutes ago, Sunwoo said:

Or they could be half-siblings.

I'm hoping this paralogue is suggesting that we'll get more of the main story soon.

Yeah, they need to get Season 2 of the main story rolling soon.

[RedRob]

8 hours ago, Arthur97 said:

The question is, why is Mask looking for said evil entity? To stop it, or to help it.

Considering it sounded similar to Grima or Loptyr, and considering Validar could control Robin in Awakening due to his blood, and Veronica is being controlled, I think Mask is trying to find out about it to save her from it's control.

 

Also, anyone think it's weird we got more story in paralogues than the actual main story?

Edited March 15, 2017 by RedRob

[Arthur97]

Just now, RedRob said:

Considering it sounded like Grima or Loptyr, and considering Validar could control Robin in Awakening due to his blood, and Veronica is being controlled, I think Mask is trying to find out about it to save her from it's control.

Good, I'm not the only one who thought it sounded an awful lot like Grima.

[eclipse]

14 hours ago, Skala_Bundet said:

Excuse the double posting, but I wanted to keep the opening post separate from following discussions. Admins... please reprimand and/or correct if my decision was bad.

I have to admit, I found the initial story quite boring and bland, but the xenologue and blazing shadows has made the story come to life for me. Veronica is an innocent and being controlled. The masked man is finally introduced as Bruno (well, almost). Zacharias is alive. Who's pulling the strings? Worlds come together.

I also liked the character dialogues Raven, Lucius, Karen, Jaffar and Nino had to offer. Yeah, more characters playing their part (or not caring at all )

Yes, it's bad, don't do it again.

9 hours ago, pumpkinspice48 said:

One thing against the Masked Man being Zacharias is that we're told Zacharias taught Sharena how to use a spear but the Masked Man uses tomes.  The main thing against him being Bruno is that he and Veronica look nothing alike.  They have similar hair I guess, but their skin tones are completely different.

The Hoshido siblings don't look very much alike IMO, despite having the same parents.  The Nohr siblings, even less so.

Then again, what's to stop Letter Writer from making shit up?  Perhaps the writer isn't Zac, but knows Zac's relationship with Alphonse and Co., and also knows that Bruno's becoming a threat.  A fake letter could get the two factions to fight each other, instead of cooperate.

[RedEyedDrake]

...What is even the right thing to do here in regards to the datamine? To spoil the theory crafters? Or to not spoil them and let them crash and burn?

[L9999]

8 hours ago, Skala_Bundet said:

I curious why the mask man said that Alfonse wouldn't see Zacharias ever again, but then letters from Zacharias arrive. Nino, why can't you remember his appearance and describe him to us . I'll agree with pumkinspice48 that the masked man being a tome user and Zacharias a lance user is an issue (otherwise we're introduced to fire emblems first spear wielding mage knight ). Maybe Zacharias and the masked man are relatives... but Zacharias was said to have come from a different world (what world?...).

I'm curious why IS chose Nino to be Zacharias' messenger... I guess more to come with more prologues (seeing so many characters around, you really want more character interaction . Imagine the possible dialogues in our mixed up armies)

Leif and Laquesis don't exist then....

Because Nino is cute and guillable for the plot.

Edited March 15, 2017 by L9999

[eclipse]

36 minutes ago, RedEyedDrake said:

...What is even the right thing to do here in regards to the datamine? To spoil the theory crafters? Or to not spoil them and let them crash and burn?

Spoiler tags, and a warning that the spoiler tags contained datamined stuff.

[RedEyedDrake]

Yes but they still might end up not clicking on it just because it is listed as spoilers.

...Crash and burn it is, I suppose. I just hope that they won't end up blaming the game for their own ignorance.

[eclipse]

4 minutes ago, RedEyedDrake said:

Yes but they still might end up not clicking on it just because it is listed as spoilers.

...Crash and burn it is, I suppose. I just hope that they won't end up blaming the game for their own ignorance.

It shifts responsibility from you to the reader.  If they don't click on the spoilers, it's their fault, not yours.

[RedEyedDrake]

Alright, I'll just say it here like this. Anyone who is theory crafting at the moment? Please do yourselves a favor and check some of the earliest datamines from this game. "Early" as in "in the same batch that the Christmas male Robin and Tharja were in". So pretty much from back when FEH first came out. Granted, the specific thing that I'm talking about is very much a spoiler and thus you might not want to check anything out. And that is fine. But some of the things that I've seen so far lead me to believe that perhaps it would be better for this one spoiler to get out there just so that some of you people won't be so completely off track. Having said this, it is indeed your own choice whether to follow through on this post of mine or not, as eclipse said.

Edited March 15, 2017 by RedEyedDrake

[Skala_Bundet]

59 minutes ago, L9999 said:

Leif and Laquesis don't exist then....

Because Nino is cute and guillable for the plot.

I stand corrected . Master Knight class it is then. Which is a class for royals with special blood... double touché that would be for my argument

 

31 minutes ago, RedEyedDrake said:

Alright, I'll just say it here like this. Anyone who is theory crafting at the moment? Please do yourselves a favor and check some of the earliest datamines from this game. "Early" as in "in the same batch that the Christmas male Robin and Tharja were in". So pretty much from back when FEH first came out. Granted, the specific thing that I'm talking about is very much a spoiler and thus you might not want to check anything out. And that is fine. But some of the things that I've seen so far lead me to believe that perhaps it would be better for this one spoiler to get out there just so that some of you people won't be so completely off track. Having said this, it is indeed your own choice whether to follow through on this post of mine or not, as eclipse said.

Spoiler

You mean the datamine where the masked man has the name Bruno? Or was there more to the datamine? That was actually hinted at in the thread ... whoops for not spoiler tagging in that case... But it still wouldn't necessarily exclude Bruno and Zacharias being the same person. And the relationship is still not a clear given.

 

I was asking myself the question: Why the name Bruno?

I guess Bruno and Veronica are Italian origin names (Alfonse is borderline Germanic/Italian and Sharena I don't know). How much do you think we could theory craft from the character names' etymology?

[RedEyedDrake]

@Skala's spoiler:

Yes, that's the one. And I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about people unironically thinking that a certain someone might actually be a villain. Once you realize that this is complete nonsense the paralogue takes on its actual meaning and the duplicity (you know which one) gets revealed.

Edited March 15, 2017 by RedEyedDrake

[Cute Chao]

@RedEyedDrake

Could you put what you're talking about in spoiler tags? I'm curious but have no clue where to start looking xD

[RedEyedDrake]

@Chao:

But you youself just said that you didn't understand anything, did you not? And given how I don't intend to comment any further on this subject I'd say that the issue pretty much solves itself, does it not?

If you're legitimately curious then check info regarding FEH on the Fire Emblem wiki. Just remember that anything you learn is on you.

Edited March 15, 2017 by RedEyedDrake

[Cute Chao]

I'm going to have to give up trying to decipher. I've gone on FE:H wiki but can't see anything other than Mask's datamined name as to anything pertinent to the story. Maybe I'm stupid with this stuff. I don't care about spoilers - I want them as I like to satiate my curiosity. Until then, I'm going to have to continue theorising ^.^

[Sire]

I decided to take RedEyedDrake's bait and started fishing for clues. I think I may have found something, as well as remembered something from one of the earlier chapters. So, into the fire we go!

To preface, I am going to make this assumption: Zacharias and Bruno (and thus the Masked Man) are one and the same. Bruno is his real identity, but he took on the name Zacharias when he was with the Order of Heroes. There is one (possibly fatal) flaw in this theory, but here are my points.

1. Very early in the game, it was mentioned that Emblia and Askr were close a long time ago. (Paralogue 1-1) However, it did not mention exactly "how long ago" this was. We also do not know "how long ago" Zacharias disappeared in the World of Awakening.

2. Compare the armor of the Masked Man to Anna, Alfonse, and Sharena. Then, compare his armor to Veronica. Save for the obvious difference of black and purple versus white and red, his overall design is more similar to the Order of Heroes than Veronica. So, if Zacharias was a part of the Order of Heroes and disappeared while on a mission, it makes sense that he may still be using a similar outfit. (This is symbolic reasoning and not a logical one. Logic will dictate that the Heroes Trio will immediately recognize the design [and voice, and person overall] if this was the case.)

3. The Masked Man is affected by a condition, and may be the same condition that Veronica is suffering from. He is searching for answers, not only for his own sake, but also Veronica's. (Blazing Shadows, Part One)

4. Veronica may not know she has a brother (or he was never around) and thus may be why she is lonely all the time. (Veronica: "It's all so lost on me...sisters and brothers...families... All of it's so...") Her father was bloodthirsty and died during his conquests while she may have never knew her true mother (the first Empress of Embla). After the Emperor died, the rule was passed over to the second empress who ruled peacefully. The war started again when Veronica took the throne. (Emblian Empire)

The Order of Heroes knows that there is an Embla prince named Bruno, but no one really knows who he is. Veronica does not really understand family love and is lonely all the time. If Bruno is actually her brother, where could he have been all this time? I dare say Bruno was in the Kingdom of Askr, under the guise of Zacharias. It was not until the Awakening incident when he returned home.

5. Reposting this again, but the Masked Man directs Alfonse to Veronica after 9-4 has been completed. He says "he is not with Embla," although this may be more symbolic than literal. Based off of new information, if the Masked Man is indeed Bruno, he is opposed to Veronica's warring on Askr, even though Bruno himself is an Embla prince. (See my spoiler below for the script, had to type it out myself.)

6. Another repost, but the Masked Man comes back to tell Alfonse not to search for Zacharias. Why would the Masked Man do that? This falls into my initial theory that the Masked Man is Zacharias, but if the Masked Man is also Bruno, it makes sense on why he tells Alfonse not to look for him. (The script for 9-5 is in the spoiler below.)

7: Now, here comes the possible flaw. The letter from Zacharias in Blazing Shadows, Part 3. The thing here is that Zacharias says the main villain is Bruno, not Veronica.

However, if Bruno and Zacharias are the one and the same, why would he say Bruno (himself) is the bad guy? Here are some possible reasons:
- The Masked Man wishes to protect his sister, Veronica. || We (the audience) know that she is being influenced by her bloodline to be violent.
- If the Masked Man does succumb to the curse, he wants the Order of Heroes to stop him. || This furthers the theory that the Masked Man is Bruno.
- Zacharias is the Masked Man while Bruno is actually someone else not yet seen. || While possible, there are too many Zacharias & Masked Man connections. Yes, the datamined name is Bruno for the Masked Man, but who says he cannot have another identity?. Batman, the comic superhero, has one, Gerome Bruce Wayne.

* * * * * * * * * *

The main point of the storyline is to more or less ignore the datamined information. Doing this will lean the player towards stating that Zacharias is the Masked Man. Now, if we take in the datamined information into account, things can be a bit more confusing. However, put Bruno and Zacharias together, and things start to make sense again.

Think of it from a storytelling standpoint. If Zacharias was not the Masked Man, then we might have seen a flashback sequence already showing off what Zacharias actually looks like. Then, if use the datamined info, Bruno is the name of the Masked Man. With the additional story-driven Xenologues and Paralogues, I can see why the Masked Man can also be Bruno. Why can't he Masked Man be both?

So, ultimately, while Embla are the current "bad guys," they are being driven to war mostly due to their evil god's influence on the royal family. The Masked Man (Bruno) is looking for a cure or a way to stop the bloodshed. Thus, the real "big bad" is that evil god of Embla, who will no doubt be resurrected in some story arc in the future and we fight it. // Right now though, we gotta figure out Veronica and the Masked Man.

...Is it wrong I'm enjoying Heroes' minimalist story over Fates? Halp.
= = = = = = = = = =
Chapter 9-4 and Chapter 9-5 Script are within the spoiler below. I had to play the chapters again since there is no documentation on the Fire Emblem Wiki or anywhere else that I know of.

Spoiler

Author's Note: ??? is the Masked Man.

9-4 Dialogue

Start

???: "You again. Turn back-now"
Alfonse: "So, you are with the empire! Why do you hide behind that damnable mask?"
???: "I am not with Embla. Nor am I wish you. Still, I'll say it one last time. Turn back-NOW."
Alfonse: "Never. Stand aside, or we will break through, oen way or another!"

End

???: "I...I can't keep fighting. You Order of Heroes people... Don't you realize you're on the wrong track? // Veronica's imperial forces aren't invading your capital. // They're going to your summoning ruins-to destroy them."
Alfonse: "What? Why?"
???: "She wishes to put an end to your summoner's power. // Do you understand what that would mean-for everything? If so, you should get to the ruins fast."
Alfonse: "Why are you revealing her plans to us?"
???: "That is my secret to keep."
Anna: "Wait! Get back here!"
Anna: "He's gone. Well, Alfonse? What did you make of all that?"
Alfonse: "I don't know to be sure. But we should head for the ruins."
Sharena: "What if it's a trap?"
Alfonse: "I have a strange feeling he wasn't lying, at least about Veronica wanting to destroy those ruins. // We need to put a stop to that, (Summoner)!"

9-5 Dialogue

Start:

Veronica: "Now, just HOW did you know that we'd be here? // How vexing. But if you've come to play, then I'll prvoide the game. So, change of plans! // Why raze these summoning ruins when I can simply destroy you, (Summoner)? // Now, let us begin!"

End

Veronica: "Why do I keep losing? It's really not fair! Your kingdom has everything. // So many heroes...a summoner... a pretty realm that's happy, healthy, and wealthy! // Why do you keep tormenting me? I have nothing-nothing that matters!"

--- Scene Transition ---

Anna: "They're retreating! But I doubt this will be the last we see of Embla."
Sharena: "I don't understand that Veronica. // Her father, the Emperor of Embla, was the one who hoarded heroes and warred with Askr. // When he died, Embla declared that his war was over. We had peace, until she started it up again!"
Alfonse: "Her father was very popular among their people. He had ambitions to make Embla powerful and prosperous. // His dream was their dream-so much so that when he died...some of the citzens took their lives. // Such was the darkness behind Embla's imperial glory."
Anna: "But hope reigned again when the crown went to his wife, the Empress, who had no dreams of conquest. // Veronica is not her daughter, however, but rather that of his first wife-the previous Empress. // And Veronica, one day, began going into other worlds of her own accord, just like her father. // She wanted to invade Askr again too."
Alfonse: "The people of Embla, even its top advsirors, love her for it. They have given her their full support. // They see Veronica as the true heir of Embla, carrying their father's blood and dreaming his dream."
Sharena: "But though Veronica has their support, she seems so...lonely."
Alfonse: "You think she's hoarding Heroes and invading Askr because she's lonely? // What dark days lie ahead of us if that's the truth. // Please, remain with us, (Summoner)? // I fear our war with Embla will soon challenge us like never before. The Order of Heroes needs you."

--- Scene Transition ---

Anna: "Let's head back to the castle, everyone. // Hold on. Someone approaches."
???: "Greetings."
Alfonse: "You again! I suppose that we owe you thanks. Without your warning, the ruins would have been-"
???: "Say no more. That is not why I have come here. // I heard from the Heroes in the World of Awakening that you are searching for someone."
Alfonse: "Yes, my good friend Zacharias."
???: "You can stop searching. You'll never see him again."
Alfonse: "What? You know of Zacharias? Where did you see him?"
???: "That is all I have to say on this matter."
Alfonse: "Wait! Don't go!"
Anna: "No Alfonse! You mustn't follow him. We don't know his intentions. It could be a trap-this time!"
Alfonse: "But, Commander!
Anna: "You have your orders. We don't know if he's friend or foe. // I'm certain we will see him again in due time."
Alfonse: "If he knows anything about Zacharias... // But fine. I'll follow your command. I only hope my friend is safe...wherever he is."

Edited March 15, 2017 by Sire

[Effies_Home]

One thing I would like to bring up about the Masked Man is more about is motives than identity. If we look at his dialogue in 9-4 we see:

???: "I...I can't keep fighting. You Order of Heroes people... Don't you realize you're on the wrong track? // Veronica's imperial forces aren't invading your capital. // They're going to your summoning ruins-to destroy them."

Now, most might assume that statement refers to the second part of the reveal: "Veronica's imperial forces aren't invading your capital. '' But what if that's not what he is referring to? What if his true meaning is that they are looking in the wrong place all along? That Veronica is a red herring, and someone else is pulling all the strings. But who?

Could it be Zach, a double agent/traitor? One remark from the masked man could be taken to support this: "You can stop searching. You'll never see him again." He could mean that Zacharias was a cover name, or that Zacharias is no longer himself, rather than being dead.

Or possibly it is the Masked Man himself? Could he be deliberately helping the heroes just to mislead them and further some sort of plot? Or is there another player in this game? This is all just speculation, of course, but I hope I've picqued your interest.

 

[Sentinel07]

Hopefully, with Lloyd confirmed to be a GHB in late May, this will mean more story chapters in April or something.

[Skala_Bundet]

Well, there was a main story add-on. Hurray, for different battle modes (defense mode, was a refreshing change).

Well, Bruno=Masked Man was confirmed (code data mining had proposed as much). And Bruno was confirmed the prince of Emblia and brother of Veronica. Now, we still wonder what the masked man has to do with Zacharias... (My guess is people will suspect Zacharias is Bruno's schizophrenic alter ego... but I'm hoping there'll be a bit more story to that matter.)

 

I have to feel the story telling in the 10th chapter felt more like chapters 1-9 (which was a bit bland). Somehow I preferred the way the story was presented in the paralogues.

We still have to find out what Emblia's protective power is and where it comes from.

 

PS:

The people of Askr always act so self righteous... If they'd only know the summoner in their ranks was doing experiments on heroes and feeding them to one another, they might think differently...

 

PPS:

Quote

Hopefully, with Lloyd confirmed to be a GHB in late May, this will mean more story chapters in April or something.

Sentinel07 called it

Edited April 28, 2017 by Skala_Bundet