warchiefwilliams

July 25, 2016

Fuga needed more supports. Just like the other CorrinSexuals. There really isn't anything else to say.

It actually suprised me, when I realized Fuga had no boss conversation with Felicia or Rinkah in the games, considering who they are.

Heaven forbid the game attempt any world building! That would require too much effort! (sarcasm)

July 24, 2016

Velouria is gimmicky as all hell, but her design is absolutely adorable and her gimmick is a bit more tolerable than most of the other child characters. Her versatility on the battlefield seals the deal for me, as I noticed that she is a very difficult character to screw up from the eugenics side of things.

July 22, 2016

#1: Inigo/Laslow: Not going to lie, I initially disliked this character in Awakening, until I did a run with him as Robin's kid, saw their supports and I played the Future Past missions. In Fates I still like him, with how he has matured from his past experiences both over the course of Awakening (or the Future Past, I really don't know which version we have) yet still remaining true to who he is. Overall, Inigo still belongs in the top three characters from this game for me.

#2: Shigure: No real opinion. Never even really unlocked him. Azura either gets benched due to poor growths or because of her brittleness gets her kill-I mean, incapacitated before she can get an S support.

#3: Selkie: Kinda bland. Just like her father. Damn shame too, because I really like her design.

#4: Flora: I feel like a broken record, as my opinion on her is shared by multiple people it seems. She is one of the most developed characters in the game and actually has an interesting character arc. Combine that with her use as a unit, and you have a very solid character.

#5: Scarlet: A damn waste of a character. She basically exists to be Fates bottom bitch whenever they want to kill someone to up the stakes. We learn next to nothing about her despite her being one of the leaders of the Cheve Rebellion and being a non-Hoshidoan who can influence Ryoma. I wish there was more to her, but there just isn't.

#6: Severa/Selena: Maybe I just have a thing for tsunderes, but I do really like her character. Like Inigo, I was mixed on her at first until I went through the supports and dlc. And like Inigo, she really grew on me. As others have stated, she has definitely matured the most out of the trio since Awakening: "I suppose this would be nothing to you, mother" is now "Look at me now, mother." She is done trying to live up to Cordelia, and now she just hopes that her mom is proud of what she has become. Married her without shame in most of my Conquest runs.

#7: Nyx: No opinion. Too fragile gameplay wise for me, and I have never been a fan of the "looks young but actually really old" trope.

#8: Takmui: ~~Blame Takmui~~ I kid. Takmui is one of the best characters in the game. An absolute beast on the battlefield and possessing surprising depth to his character off the field. My biggest compaint regarding him was how Conquest treated him. He deserved better than he got.

I.e: not turning into possessed daemon spawn. He had legitimate reasons to dislike Corrin. Daemonic possession is not required here.

#9: Corrin: The worst self-insert in Fire Emblem and everything wrong with self-inserts in general. He/she stands as my main argument against including another player avatar figure in the next FE.

#10: Sophie: I still can't get past the battle panties. I mean, come on! Surely one of the designers has ridden a horse and realized why it is advisable to wear long pants! Character wise, she is meh.

#11: Shura: Wasted by being a kamuisexual. He has a really good and memorable design and a very good backstory, but we are not given a chance to see it unfold outside of maybe one or two points (mostly him vs. Kotaro).

July 22, 2016

Ah, Severa, Owain and Inigo. Three characters that I had initially written off as not something I liked until I unlocked their supports and played through the future past. Now they stand as some of my favorites from the series. I was initially afraid though when I realized they would be in Fates, until I found out that IS actually had the good sense to let the mature and develop, and they still stand as my favorite characters from Fates.

As to whether I want to see them again? Not in another mainline Fire Emblem, no. A spin-off title focused just on them? Maybe, but again, not a mainline Fire Emblem. As has been stated already, Fire Emblem is not supposed to be an interconnected universe (multiverse?). Awakening and Fates may have saved the franchise's future outside of Japan, but it is time to move on to something new. As Nekoknight said, if we have fallen in love with these characters, then we can fall in love with new ones as well.

July 19, 2016

Some people have tried saying that he's a mother figure to Corrin, but what mother figure keeps trying to bone her child?

Certain power-hungry/insane characters from A Song of Ice and Fire?

I suppose that, at the end of the day, I think that in a more character focused game, Camilla (and to a similar extent, Tharja since we brought her up) would have been given time to develop into something besides the yandere big sister. Something to truly explore all of her issues and to help her develop past that. Alas, this is Fire Emblem, not Shin Megami Tensei or Persona....

You know what doesn't make sense? The Nohrian family being okay with how she behaves.

If they tolerate Peri killing half of Windmire Castle's staff every month or so (another elephant that needs to be addressed) then they likely tolerate Camilla doing her thing. Honestly, I don't know why the Nohrian royals tolerate half the crap that they do.

July 17, 2016

I'll give her this: Camilla is the most interesting of the Nohrian siblings. Of course, she doesn't get any character development, and her issues are played for laughs, but I certainly think she's better than Obergruppenfuhrer Xander. Of course, good in Fates is still bad. In a better written game she would have a major character arc based around overcoming these issues. I will say that threatening to torture and kill people who hurt her loved ones isn't necessarily insane, and it's more mama bear behavior. Unit wise, she's probably the best pre promote in the series; she's somewhat Fate's Oifaye.

This. Instead of giving us needless filler about how our ship is under attack by pirates and how we are just pissing around before getting to Hoshido, give us an arc in Conquest about the Nohrian Family's hidden daemons. Every single one of them have something gnawing away at their soul like a skaven slave with a bone, an arc delving into this would help to both develop the Nohrian characters and to make us as players more attached to them.

EDIT: I noticed that a lot of character's issues in this game are played for laughs. We are supposed to find Peri's servant genocide as quirky, though it speaks to deep problems mentally that any sane person would be concerned about enough to section her. We are supposed to find Niles's sadism/masochism quirky as well, but the way he describes himself in his supports with Leo, it speaks of much deeper scars on his psyche that really should be addressed rather than be glossed over.

July 17, 2016

I honestly feel a fair amount of empathy and sympathy for the situation that Camilla, and by extension the entire Nohrian Family, are in, and as a result, I do like her character.

Looking at Camilla's past, we have an individual who likely had to kill a large amount of her extended family on the whims of her mother, who treated her daughter as little more than a tool to further her own prestige in the eyes of Garon. Some people, myself included, head-canon that Camilla killed her own mother at some point during the Concubine Wars. Yeah, her mother was not a good mother, but parricide (the act of slaying one's own parents) is likely not good for one's mental health. As a result of all this carnage, she is fanatically devoted to protecting and caring for her remaining family, though the scars of the bloodshed that she has both caused and been witness to prevents her from getting as close as she wants to. This is why, in my view, she tries to be so close to Corrin. She sees them as an outsider, one who will never try and betray her like so many have. This is why she snaps so badly in Birthright. Corrin may express regrets behind the scenes of betraying their Nohrian Family, but most of the time since chapter 6 when Corrin encounters them, Corrin just comes off as not caring about what he/she has done to them. For Camilla, this is the one person who she thought she could get away with showing affection and trust, more than she could show her other half-siblings, and now that person is spitting on her and all she holds dear, and Camilla just simply can't deal with the powerful, conflicting emotions crossing her psyche. Even in Conquest, she is torn between trying to help Corrin, and keeping to her father's orders, knowing full well after 20+ years of living under his roof what happens to those who disappoint him.

But no matter what happens, she will try to keep up a confident image for the rest of her family, as to her, all that she has left are her retainers, Xander, Leo, Corrin and Elise.

TLDR: She is one slip away from being broken mentally. If the wrong person leaves her or betrays her, she will snap, never to be whole again. I empathize and sympathize with characters like her.

I could do without her armor design though. Seriously? Who thought that boob window armor of that degree and battle panties were appropriate for the fields of war?

July 15, 2016

In my current conquest run, I have Effie equipped with a +2 forged Effie's Lance. Looking at about 20 Mt, plus her own considerably high Strength. That weapon allowed her to obliterate an entire wave of reinforcements in chapter 22 on her own.

July 13, 2016

There is nothing I can add that hasn't already been said, but here we go.

Perhaps it is because I see more of myself in Robin. We both read for fun and love learning new things, we both study tactics, we both occasionally lack self-confidence and we both tend to insert ourselves into social situations that we are completely unprepared for (I know I can't pair up wyverns!). If nothing else, I saw Robin as a natural progression from a character like Mark, the tactician from FE7. Going from being a background character only occasionally referenced to a deuteragonist is no easy feat, and I thought that with Robin was well done in this regard. Gameplay wise, Robin is a wee bit overpowered thanks to the their ability to be any class and their kid/s inheriting that boon, but all well, the eugenics system of Awakening was fun to play with. I was looking forward to what IS could put out for Corrin. I figured they knew how to handle a player-character now.

Boy, I was about as wrong as Chamberlain when he said "Peace for our time."

Corrin, well I find it really hard to relate to Corrin. I can't relate to a character which causes me to yell at the screen at the sheer absurdity playing out before my eyes. As Alastor put it, I felt like half of a personality. My role was simply to ensure that this piece animu shite didn't get everyone killed during the battles. The other half of their personality was busy blindly following garbage plans (Especially in Conquest) or trusting people that even the most inbred of individuals would question, let alone trust said suspicious individuals leading them into a death trap. I feel like so many problems scattered throughout Fates can be traced back to Corrin, or at least how Corrin's character was written. Which is a damn shame, because I think that Corrin (especially Nohr Princess F/Corrin) is a very aesthetically well-done design.

TLDR: I much prefer Robin for their character and their story role, though I will concede that Corrin is far better balanced gameplay wise..

July 10, 2016

Perhaps this "future sight" takes the form of us as players seeing the "to-hit" and "damage" variables?

Also, some more stuff from me. References to "Europans" and "Twin Europas" are relevant to my own writings, so disregard them if you wish. Regardless, brace yourself for a wall of text!

Nations and Landmarks on the Ivron Continent

Common Mythology-

· Basics

o In the creation myth of the world common to both Nohr and Hoshido, the Astral Dragons initially ruled over creation with a clearly established hierarchy, humans were the thralls of the dragons, though they were unaware of it, praising the dragons as gods. Over time, some of their number believed they should rule as opposed to those in charge and rebelled, becoming the Dark Dragons. They were led by the former 2^nd in command of the Astral Dragons, Anankos. In order to gain dominance over the Astral Dragons, they use a corrupted form of the creation magic (which later morphed into dark magic) to combat the Astral Dragons. Determined to gain a numerical advantage, the Dark Dragons freed humanity from thralldom for use against the Astral Dragons. They did this by informing the humans that they were slaves and by fighting against the Astral Dragons, they would guarantee their freedom, though they didn’t tell the newly freed humans that they would be able to keep their freedom after the rebellion. During the war, the cataclysmic conflict led to the creation of several of the barriers now common throughout the world, like the Infinite Chasm, the Maelstrom (a perpetual storm in the Eastern Sea off Hoshido) and the Europan Sea (Fates/Imperial Rewrite only). In the end, the Dark Dragons were nearly wiped out, their fallen forms coating the land that would become the Blight and slowly corrupting it. It was, however, a pyrrhic victory, as the few surviving Astral Dragons were forced to flee to the hidden realm of Touma, the original homeland of the Dragons, with their closest human followers. The few remaining Dark Dragons had no choice but to flee along with their brethren, nursing wounded psyches and resentment towards their thralls who had failed them, and to their former foes who they were now forced to live with for their survival. For the nations on the Europan continent, their mythology shares much with Nohr’s but rather than the Dark Dragons leading the rebellion, it was the human pantheon of those lands, rather than the dragons who broke the iron grip of the dragons, leading mankind to both freedom and salvation.

o In modern times, aspect of this creation myth have permeated across the culture of all nations on the Continent, though which aspects take precedence depends greatly on which side of the Chasm you are located. Typically, nations west of the Chasm have built their religions around the worship of the Dark Dragons, believing them to be the liberators of humanity and revile the Astral Dragons, seeing them as slave masters who robbed humanity of their free will. Conversely, nations to the east of the Chasm view the Astral Dragons as bringers of order to a chaotic world, and those who would follow the Dark Dragons are agents of chaos determined to replace their holy gods with fell ones whose disorder will mean the end of all things. In reality, both camps are simultaneously right and wrong about the nature of the Dragons. As for the Dragons themselves, no one has seen a true Astral or Dark Dragon for dozens of generations, though every noble dynasty or wealthy patrician likes to claim that they are the true descendants of the Dragons, though only the Plantagenets in Nohr and the Yamotos in Hoshido are descended from the Dragons. As for the Europans, their pantheon did exist as the leaders of the human rebellion, though they did collude with the Dark Dragons. That latter fact is oft forgotten by the Europan powers, who judge the dragons based on the feral Sun Dragons and Star Dragons in the Dolomite Mountains, little better than future mounts for the best warriors, not as the once-rulers of the world.

Kingdom of Nohr-

· Basic History

o Centered on the Kraken Crater, the Kingdom of Nohr is the central most kingdom on the western part of the Ivron continent. Despite its higher population, most of Nohr’s land continues to bear scars from the Great Dragon War of legend, with most of the land being ash wastelands caused by the volcanos of the Great Blight. As such, most of Nohr’s farmland produces only enough food to go around, meaning that famines can have a great effect on Nohr. The last great famine occurred during the reign of Garon’s great-grandfather, which was the incident that sparked Nohr’s initial expansion. The mountain range that dominates the northern section of the country, and the range that separates them from the Frozen Wastes, is rich in natural resources, including deep, high-quality iron. Before it’s expansionist phase began, Nohr’s economy was primarily based around selling weapons and metallic goods to the surrounding countries for their conflicts in exchange for food products. It was only after the rise of King Richard Plantagenet the 1^st (Garon’s great grandfather) that Nohr began to spread outwards to subjugate these territories rather than trade with them.

· Society

o While, like many nations on the Ivron continent, Nohr does operate underneath a feudal system of government, several societal aspects set it apart. The most notable is the underlying meritocracy that permeates all levels of Nohrian society. Due to the traditional shortage of foodstuffs and medicinal herbs within Nohr’s borders, its society developed a “survival of the fittest” mentality across all of its social strata. A commoner, living in Windmire, through tenacity and grit, can very easily become a Royal Knight while a noble who is feeble or otherwise unfit can end up spending his life as a criminal in Windmire’s Underground District. While the nobility is obvious better equipped than the commoners, it is not uncommon for a noble son to try to strike above his position, only to fall to an upstart commoner.

o This does have the side effect of creating a cutthroat culture within Nohr proper, and this aspect of Nohr’s culture was a direct cause of the Concubine Wars. Nohr’s culture is very unforgiving towards failure, and fittingly, failure is often rewarded with severe demotion at best and execution at worst. For example, a commander who loses a battle with a majority loss on his side and he survives the battle may be killed by his own men while returning to Nohr, and if he survives to return to Nohr, he may even face execution for his incompetence.

· Culture

o The culture of Nohr is a reflection of its society, dominance-oriented. The buildings of Nohr are intentionally built as large as possible to show the power of the builders and of those who order the construction. Many of the castles and fortresses dotting the Nohrian landscape are built using darkstone, a material that has significance within the Nohrian religion, and as such help to enforce their dominance over the land. Statues within Windmire are typically of heroes of old or of the Dark Dragons which freed humanity from the order of the Light Dragons. Occasionally, a statue of a current hero or commander will be erected within a city or a town, though if the hero fails, then it is not uncommon for the statue to be smashed.

o The religion of Nohr is focused around the worship of the Dark Dragons. While most of the populace only pays token respect to the Dark Dragons, there are plenty of cults dedicated to individual dragons that played a key role in the liberation of humanity from thralldom, the most influential one being for the Dragon Anankos, the one who first freed humanity. These cults typically mount expeditions into the Great Blight in an attempt to find relics from the Great War, but for what purpose they desire these relics are unknown.

· Geography

o Nohr’s territory is almost entirely unsuitable for farming or grazing. Only the hardiest crops and livestock can survive in the desolate landscape surrounding Windmire and nothing can survive within Nohr’s portion of the Great Blight. There is some arable land just south of the Frozen Wastes, but this can only support minimal levels of agriculture. As if the gods wanted to make up for this deficit, the many mountain ranges in the north of Nohr are rich in natural resources and metals, which fuel both Nohr’s economy and military. While the Great Blight regions have never given Nohr any immediate benefit, many of the Dark Dragon cults and Nohr’s Sorcerer Academy have outposts in the region to harvest ancient artefacts and magical relics from bygone eras. While officially the Kingdom proper consists only of a few Duchies, the Kingdom does boast a very high population density when compared to territories in both the Greater Nohrian Empire and Hoshido. Again, due to the fact that the region is not capable of producing enough foodstuff to feed this population, Nohr must either trade or conquer new territories for subsidence. Large mountain ranges, thick swamps and uninhabitable wastelands surround Nohr itself, making all invasion attempts incredibly risky propositions.

Greater Nohrian Empire

· Basic History

o The term “Greater Nohrian Empire” came about as Nohr began to expand their influence from the core of the Nohrian Kingdom into the surrounding city-states, duchies and tribal lands. In most cases, rather than try to directly integrate these varied territories with Nohr, they were instead converted into tributary states that provide resources to Nohr that the Kingdom could not produce or could not effectively produce on its own, specifically foodstuffs. The Greater Empire also acts as the Kingdom’s main connection with the rest of Ivron and beyond through major states like Port Dia and the Cheve Kingdom. While many of the territories to the south are recent additions to the Greater Empire, many of the ones surrounding the original Kingdom of Nohr have been tributary states for so long that they see themselves as Nohrians, with little memory of their previous culture. Functionally speaking, there is no true “Nohrian Empire” as theoretically, each of the individual kingdoms and states are autonomous entities. However, the combination of their oath of fealty to the King of Nohr and the gradual assimilation to Nohrian culture throughout the “Empire” has caused both outsiders and the population of this reason to refer to themselves as the Empire of Nohr.

· Society and culture

o The societies of the Greater Empire differ with each tribe, Duchy or city-state within the realm, but there are some consistencies between the different regions, namely their gradual adoption of Nohr’s cutthroat-style meritocracy. Many states in the early stages of integration are rewarded with additional resources and military support the more they give their own resources to Nohr, encouraging meritocracy on a macro level which often permeates into all aspects of their society.

· States within the Greater Nohrian Empire

o The Core States, or those states that were originally subjugated by Nohr, are very similar to Nohr in terms of their society and culture. More often than not, the people of these regions see themselves as Nohrians, not remembering their original culture. The Core is the wealthiest part of the Empire, and is home to a disproportionate amount of nobles and merchants from other states in the Empire. The outer reaches of the Core are not as loyal to Nohr, as these duchies and cities still have some record of being independent of Windmire. However, with each passing year, more of those who remember their lands being independent pass away, and a newer generation who considers themselves Nohrians replaces them.

o The State of Macarath was originally known for being a bandit kingdom, which raided both the Duchies that became the Core Regions as well as the southern states around the Tabora Desert. Despite its rough reputation, its key position in fertile land in the middle between the Devil’s Bog and the Tabora Desert made it an ideal border-state for the initial Empire. Macarath has long been integrated within the Greater Empire, but many within its borders have not forgotten their old culture as bandits and mercenaries. Most of the foot soldiers found within Nohrian Armies come from Macarath, where the repeated raids across the Infinite Chasm toward Hoshido forge them into a disciplined force. The Maracarathians have taken a bit too well to Nohr’s cutthroat culture, and it is more bloody than Nohr on a bad day. Despite Macarath’s constantly fluctuating political field between various Syndicate groups, they remain loyal to Nohr over all else. This loyalty is what caused the Nohrian Royalty to establish their Summer Palace within the Kingdom of Macarath, rather than within Nohr.

§ Note: During the 4^th Nohr-Hoshido War (the one prior to the one in Fates) most of Macarath’s farmland is salted by vindictive Hoshidoan soldiers. This maneuver destroyed much of the Kingdom of Macarath’s arable land and it is predicted to either cause mass famines across the Empire or be the main causus belli for an invasion of Hoshido.

o The City-State of Dia is a Merchant Republic that has sworn fealty towards Nohr. Officially, the state is ruled by a council of wealthy Patricians, however true political power lies with several Nohrian Nobles who, through connections with both Nohrian and Dian Merchants, are able to control trade through the Port City. The Patricians do not mind so long as they are making a profit through trade with other members of the Empire, Hoshidoan samurai seeking quality weapons, and merchants from the mysterious Imperium of Verdia across the sea. Culturally, Port Dia is a hotspot for the arts, as the Patricians pay well for great works of art in order to boost their own prestige compared to their rival Patricians. It is a common saying in this state that “Muse is the city of music, but Port Dia is the city of high art!”

o The Glacies Tribe, more commonly known as the Ice Tribe, is a semi-nomadic tribe that makes its home in the Southern Alps Mountain Range that borders the Tabora Desert and the Devil’s Bog. The Tribe’s best known ability is to manipulate the weather of their frozen home through magic, allows them to both create ideal weather zones for their agriculture (consisting of hearty mountain yaks and certain crops found in caves) and to defend their lands from interlopers who would threaten them. All members of the Glacies Tribe are magically adept to some degree, and a significant portion of the sorcerers in Nohr’s armies either is directly from the Tribe or can trace their heritage to the Southern Alps. Unlike many of the states within the Greater Empire, the Glacies Tribe has always been fiercely independent. While they do benefit from being a part of the Empire, as they have access to trade goods and knowledge that they would not have had otherwise, the Tribe’s nomadic nature and history of surviving in what is considered to be one of Ivorn’s inhospitable zones means they would rather rely on their own abilities than another nation. Recently, there have been rumors that Nohr, under Garon Plantagenet, has been maintaining the Glacies Tribe’s loyalty through intimidation, supposedly holding Chief Kilma’s heirs, his twin daughters, hostage somewhere. There is some concern that at some point, the Glacies Tribe will rebel against Nohr.

o The Cheve Kingdom is a large region to the south of Devil’s Bog and the Southern Alps. Similar to Nohr, most of cheve’s land is unsuitable for agriculture, though since Chev has a far smaller population than Nohr, a lack of food is less of a concern. To further alleviate the potential for a food crisis, the Citizens of Cheve, not including the nomadic tribes that live within the Tabora Desert, rely on the sea for subsidence. With most of Chevalier’s food either coming from the sea, the all but a small portion of the arable land is used to breed and raise horses, making Cheve the premier place to acquire mounts for both Hoshido and Nohr. In addition to horseback cavalry, the Tabora Wyvern, which is commonly found in the Kingdom’s western fringes, is one of the easiest monstrous mounts to be both captured and trained, making Cheve a mecca for knights across the Greater Empire seeking a better mount. Chev is the most recent inclusion into the Greater Empire, having been subjugated right after Garon took the throne after his father died in a border skirmish with the desert kingdom. Many of the Kingdom’s citizens, a fiercely independent people, resent being a part of Nohr, seeing both Nohr and the Greater Empire as parasites that feed off the success of other lands and gives little in return. The Chevalier Incident, where King Yamoto Sumeragi of Hoshido was lured into Chevalier City with the promise of a ceasefire and killed along with most of the Yamoto Branch Family in an ambush led personally by King Garon, only cemented the Nohr’s dishonorable reputation with both the commoners and nobility of Chev. As of now, there are several resistance movements within Chev; however, they are far from united, being split along ideological lines between those who seek more autonomy within the Empire and those who seek total independence.

o While they used to be far more widespread across The Forest of the Forlorn and the Southern Alps, a genocidal push by Hoshidoan troops during the Cherry Offensive ten years before the events of Fates pushed the remnants of the Wolfskin Tribes onto the mountain that became known as Garou Peak. While many of the various tribes continued to nurse grudges against one another, the tribes are united behind the leadership of Head Chief Keaton, who, despite his tendency to disappear to explore the world, has the leadership skills to ensure that the Wolfskin will follow him and ensure their survival. The Wolfskin have a bit of a tense relationship with the Greater Empire. While it isn’t uncommon to see at least one Wolfskin section in each of the Empire’s five Legions, any attempt to either tax or place human nobles over Garou Peak has resulted in their corpses lining the approach to the Peak as a warning. As no human has ever been beyond the border villages along the foothills of Garou Peak, no one knows how many Wolfskin are left, and rather than attack an unknown foe, the Empire has elected to leave the Wolfskin alone. There is a governor of Garou Peak, however, the position mostly exists as a formality. The Wolfskin Chieftains typically elect one of their own who will represent then should the need arise.

o While not technically a part of the Greater Empire anymore, the Principality of Nestra still has very close ties with both Nohr and the Greater Empire. A merchant republic similar to the Republic of Dia, Nestra, and its capitol of Cyrkensia is a major trade port where the wealth of the world is on display. Another similarity with the Republic of Dia is the almost obsessive way that the city’s wealthy, both feudal nobles and merchant patricians spend money on art. Though unlike the Dian nobles who spend on physical art like paintings or statues, Nestrans prefer to invest in drama and music composers. Politically, the Congress of Nestra do what they can to maintain a stance of absolute neutrality to the various conflicts across the Ivron continent, and despite the wealth to be had for anyone who owns the state, Cyrkensia’s position on low-lying swampland and the city’s extensive fortifications makes invasion a difficult proposition.

Geography of the Greater Empire

· Basics

o Similar to Nohr itself, the Greater Empire is home to several desolate or otherwise uninhabitable regions created either by natural processes or by corruption from the Great War. Despite the apparent desolate nature of the Empire, the land is rich in raw resources that have provided the states of the Empire with wealth and the potential for greater power, though only Nohr has capitalized on that potential.

· Major Regions

o The Forest of the Forlorn is a vast swamp located in the northern portion of Makaras and southern Nohr. While obstinately fairly normal for a swamp, the Forest is awash with magical energy blowing in from the Great Blight. While not as dangerous as the energy that covers the Infinite Mountains, the magical energy crossing the dark woodlands still has had a negative effect on the creatures and plants within the region. Carnivorous plants are commonplace and even the smallest mouse has heightened aggression and strength compared to creatures and plants elsewhere. In recent decades, the Forest has become increasingly populated by Faceless; including the earlier rejected Faceless models, modern Faceless and the nearly immobile Golems. These Faceless wander aimlessly through the woods, searching for travelers and larger creatures to feast upon. It isn’t uncommon for brave, or foolish, sorcerers to brave the Forest of the Forlorn to enthrall as many Faceless as they can, but most end up just being the Faceless’s dinner.

o The Southern Alps Range borders both the Forest of the Forlon and the Tabora Desert. Home to several of the world’s tallest mountains, this mountain range helps to divide the central portion of the Empire from the southern coasts. Unlike the Forest of the Forlorn to the North, the mountains protect the flora and fauna of the region from errant Dark Magic, saving them from its corrupting influence. Both, however, do have to deal with the chilling cold and wind as a side effect. What few plants that grow outside of hidden caves are incredibly durable and can break even steel and the animals tend to either be hard to find or apex predators. The only group of humans that has perpetually survived in this region are the Glacies Tribe.

o The Tabora Desert is widely considered to be one of the most inhospitable regions of the continent. Hot and arid, the few species that can live here often processes several adaptations to ensure their continued survival. The Desert’s most infamous denizen is the Tabora Wyvern, which lives along the coastal parts of the Desert. Despite the preconceived notion that the desert is inhospitable, the Desert is home to the large Kingdom of Cheve, who’s citizens are well adapted to living in a hot desert.

o The Great Blight: To the west of Windmire lies the Great Blight. As the battles of the Great War raged, many of the dying Dark Dragons fled to this place to end their lives. As they passed from this plane, the Dark Magic that gave them their immense power began to leak from their massive forms into the ground itself, corrupting it. This still happens even to this day. If an adventure were to brave the Blight, they would see the decaying giant dragons, their bleached bones the only landmarks for miles. The Great Blight is by no means a safe region. Other than the Infinite Chasm, no other location on Ivron, perhaps the world even, is such a nexus for raw magical energy. Its corrupting affects can be seen everywhere; no plants grow in this desolate wasteland, and the only wildlife are either men so mutated they resemble beasts or even stranger creatures who feed off of the raw magic surrounding them. The land is inhospitable to human life, with no food sources and no water sources that do not cause the flesh to melt off the bone for simply being exposed to it. The Royal Nohrian Mage Academy does operate a small outpost on the eastern most border of the Blight in order to facilitate research into more advanced forms of Dark Magic, but every few years the facility must be destroyed and rebuilt as the complex itself tends comes to life and promptly devours all within.

The Infinite Mountains and the Infinite Chasm

· Basic History and geography

o According to legends, the creation of the Infinite Chasm occurred during the Great War as a result of one of the battles between the dragons themselves. Even skeptics who doubt the existence of the dragons have to concede that they know of no natural way for the Chasm to form other than some titanic calamity. In reality, the Chasm itself is only a singular feature to the mountain range known as the Infinite Range. The mountains dwarf all others on the continent by several thousand meters and stretch as far north as the Frozen Wastes and only end when they reach the coast. The Chasm itself runs along the absolute middle of the mountain range, separating it into two distinct halves. Even the range terminating at the sea doesn’t end the Chasm, as it continues on into the ocean and it is theorized that it continues deep into the water. While not as hazardous as the Great Blight, the Infinite Mountains are still one of the most inhospitable regions on the Ivron Continent. Magical energy leaking out of the Chasm itself has mutagenic properties, which quickly become apparent on any form of life that resides within the Mountains. Mountain Goats become far larger and aggressive, already powerful predators like bears become even stronger, even the plants themselves are affected, with most being poisonous and the herbivores adapting to be able to consume these plants. While humans can live on the outer portions of the Infinite Mountains without difficulty, all attempts by both Nohr and Hoshido to settle deeper in the range has been met with abject failure as those settlers either mutate into fell beasts or go insane. Despite this, both nations constantly construct and maintain fortresses deep within the mountains along the Chasm to prevent an easy invasion, though there is nothing easy about invading of the Chasm, as it is wracked by almost constant lighting storms. To prevent the loss of these men, the fortress garrisons are constantly rotated between posts outside of the Infinite Range and those within the mountains.

· The Path

o Despite dozens, if not hundreds, of expeditions mounted by both Nohr and Hoshido, there has been only one truly navigable path discovered across the Chasm. Even then, this path is not easy to cross. There are several pillars of rock that line this section of the Chasm that had traditionally been referred to as the Sentinels. Made of durable Darkstone, these lonely pillars are the closest thing to a natural bridge across the Chasm. During the 3^rd Nohr-Hoshido War, several clever (albeit foolhardy) Nohrian Generals managed to construct bridges linking these pillars and the two sides of the Chasm together. Despite this supposed advantage, by the time the Nohrians managed to make it to the Hoshido side of the Chasm, the Hoshidoans of the Owari Province had built a series of forts defending their approach. Not wishing to leave their rear vulnerable, the Nohrians countered by constructing their own series of fortresses. After the War ended, the Sentinels quickly became known as “The Path”. The bridges across the Path quickly became a no-mans-land, as both Nohr and Hoshido began focusing their efforts on both keeping their fortresses intact and their troops both whole and sane. Despite this, the Generals assigned to these forts from both sides constantly send out parties to ensure that their own bridges repaired to allow their own forces to invade if necessary. There are several smaller outposts on the larger Sentinels, and border skirmishes between Nohr and Hoshido over control of these outposts are not uncommon.

July 9, 2016

I'm just beating a dead horse at this point, but here we go.

Conquest is the best Fire Emblem I have played. Every chapter presented a new tactical challenge that forced me to think, plan, and adapt when things inevitably did not work out. Do not expect the AI to go easy on you even on normal mode, and expect to have to do a lot of save-scumming if you want to keep all your units alive. Pray to whatever gods you hold dear that you don't get RNG-screwed. Otherwise some of your best units will be benched, but that is fine. What better chance to use units you wouldn't have considered otherwise. As a final note on the gameplay, Birthright is Age of Sigmar, Conquest is Warhammer Fantasy, and you can guess which one I prefer based on my title and profile picture (Fun fact: Bretonnia no longer exists according to AoS).

As for the story... It is a fine example of flawed execution. Part of me wants to say that Conquest's story gets panned (especially here on this forum) due to how it was marketed as being this darker story more about reforming a corrupt kingdom while trying to ensure that its enemies (including your blood family) don't destroy it, and it just didn't live up to the hype. But the other part of me can't ignore all the problems; the protagonist being an incredibly cringe-worthy mary-sue/gary-stu, the questionable use of plot macguffins, turning what should have been a purely human conflict and adding fantastical elements that hurt it overall rather than aid it, e.c.t e.c.t. There still things I like about Conquest's story, but they are all hidden in the cracks, the dark and blooddy past of the Nohrian royals, the tension between Nohr and its various vassals/territories, the resentment that the population of Nohr feels towards Hoshido and vice versa. There are so many things that could have made the story good, but they botched it.

Mr. Blah's analysis, that Conquest feels like revisionist history, does ring true. Especially during the ending. But I won't spoil that for you. Go enjoy the game. It is without a doubt the best Fire Emblem to be released outside of Japan. Just be aware that the story, or at least the story they presented, is not the best.

June 30, 2016

You could easily say the same thing about the design of so many of the generic units. It is just how Kozaki draws. As for her story role, you can probably once again blame the writers biting off more than they can chew, trying to create new characters and subplots where they are not required.

June 27, 2016

Did someone say ideas thread? World building ideas incoming! Well, at least for Nohr and for the Bottomless Canyon. Still need to do Hoshido.

(edit: hrm, looks like I forgot to remove some stuff relating to my own writings trying to tie another continent into the fates world. All well)

(warning: Wall of text)

Nations and Landmarks on the Ivron Continent

Common Mythology-

· Basics

o In the creation myth of the world common to both Nohr and Hoshido, the Astral Dragons initially ruled over creation with a clearly established hierarchy, humans were the thralls of the dragons, though they were unaware of it, praising the dragons as gods. Over time, some of their number believed they should rule as opposed to those in charge and rebelled, becoming the Dark Dragons. They were led by the former 2^nd in command of the Astral Dragons, Anankos. In order to gain dominance over the Astral Dragons, they use a corrupted form of the creation magic (which later morphed into dark magic) to combat the Astral Dragons. Determined to gain a numerical advantage, the Dark Dragons freed humanity from thralldom for use against the Astral Dragons. They did this by informing the humans that they were slaves and by fighting against the Astral Dragons, they would guarantee their freedom, though they didn’t tell the newly freed humans that they would be able to keep their freedom after the rebellion. During the war, the cataclysmic conflict led to the creation of several of the barriers now common throughout the world, like the Infinite Chasm, the Maelstrom (a perpetual storm in the Eastern Sea off Hoshido) and the Europan Sea (Fates/Imperial Rewrite only). In the end, the Dark Dragons were nearly wiped out, their fallen forms coating the land that would become the Blight and slowly corrupting it. It was, however, a pyrrhic victory, as the few surviving Astral Dragons were forced to flee to the hidden realm of Touma, the original homeland of the Dragons, with their closest human followers. The few remaining Dark Dragons had no choice but to flee along with their brethren, nursing wounded psyches and resentment towards their thralls who had failed them, and to their former foes who they were now forced to live with for their survival. For the nations on the Europan continent, their mythology shares much with Nohr’s but rather than the Dark Dragons leading the rebellion, it was the human pantheon of those lands, rather than the dragons who broke the iron grip of the dragons, leading mankind to both freedom and salvation.

o In modern times, aspect of this creation myth have permeated across the culture of all nations on the Continent, though which aspects take precedence depends greatly on which side of the Chasm you are located. Typically, nations west of the Chasm have built their religions around the worship of the Dark Dragons, believing them to be the liberators of humanity and revile the Astral Dragons, seeing them as slave masters who robbed humanity of their free will. Conversely, nations to the east of the Chasm view the Astral Dragons as bringers of order to a chaotic world, and those who would follow the Dark Dragons are agents of chaos determined to replace their holy gods with fell ones whose disorder will mean the end of all things. In reality, both camps are simultaneously right and wrong about the nature of the Dragons. As for the Dragons themselves, no one has seen a true Astral or Dark Dragon for dozens of generations, though every noble dynasty or wealthy patrician likes to claim that they are the true descendants of the Dragons, though only the Plantagenets in Nohr and the Yamotos in Hoshido are descended from the Dragons. As for the Europans, their pantheon did exist as the leaders of the human rebellion, though they did collude with the Dark Dragons. That latter fact is oft forgotten by the Europan powers, who judge the dragons based on the feral Sun Dragons and Star Dragons in the Dolomite Mountains, little better than future mounts for the best warriors, not as the once-rulers of the world.

Kingdom of Nohr-

· Basic History

o Centered on the Kraken Crater, the Kingdom of Nohr is the central most kingdom on the western part of the Ivron continent. Despite its higher population, most of Nohr’s land continues to bear scars from the Great Dragon War of legend, with most of the land being ash wastelands caused by the volcanos of the Great Blight. As such, most of Nohr’s farmland produces only enough food to go around, meaning that famines can have a great effect on Nohr. The last great famine occurred during the reign of Garon’s great-grandfather, which was the incident that sparked Nohr’s initial expansion. The mountain range that dominates the northern section of the country, and the range that separates them from the Frozen Wastes, is rich in natural resources, including deep, high-quality iron. Before it’s expansionist phase began, Nohr’s economy was primarily based around selling weapons and metallic goods to the surrounding countries for their conflicts in exchange for food products. It was only after the rise of King Richard Plantagenet the 1^st (Garon’s great grandfather) that Nohr began to spread outwards to subjugate these territories rather than trade with them.

· Society

o While, like many nations on the Ivron continent, Nohr does operate underneath a feudal system of government, several societal aspects set it apart. The most notable is the underlying meritocracy that permeates all levels of Nohrian society. Due to the traditional shortage of foodstuffs and medicinal herbs within Nohr’s borders, its society developed a “survival of the fittest” mentality across all of its social strata. A commoner, living in Windmire, through tenacity and grit, can very easily become a Royal Knight while a noble who is feeble or otherwise unfit can end up spending his life as a criminal in Windmore’s Underground District. While the nobility is obvious better equipped than the commoners, it is not uncommon for a noble son to try to strike above his position, only to fall to an upstart commoner.