#crest of maurice

[mwezina]

The Devil & FE3H

Contrary to how the card looks, The Devil is not actually about the devil sitting upon a stool in the back of the card, but about the two figures in front of it. A foil to The Lovers card, The Devil symbolises forced restraint and perceived powerlessness -- in other words, a lack of choice. 

The chains upon the two people’s heads are fitted loosely around their necks, showing that it’s a trick. The Devil tricks them into thinking they are stuck, but they can easily slip the chains from over their heads and escape. The problem is that both of them have succumbed to their basest instincts, shown by the horns upon their heads, and have fallen to addictions of pleasure and power, as symbolised by the tails of fruit and fire respectively. 

The crest associated with this card is the Crest of Maurice. The name itself likely belongs to the last Byzantine Emperor. His reign was troubled by constant warfare, most likely because that was the only thing he was good at. By keeping his people focused on wars, which he excelled at, they would ignore his other shortcomings. 

During battles, he was fierce and brilliant. He united a fractured Byzantine Empire. However, during peacetime, he was a poor ruler and his reign struggled financially. He made policies that did not keep the people’s needs in mind, leading to his citizens and military rebelling against him. 

The dragon associated with this crest is the Storm Dragon. This name could be alluding to the god of thunder, lightning, and storms. The problem with storms is that they are often necessary to bring rain. However, in their wake they can leave chaos and destruction. So storms can be balanced out in terms of the good and bad they bring to the world. 

In my mind, the Storm Dragon would be a cloudlike being that flies through the sky. Maybe its most prominent features would be its large black wings that darken the sky when an oncoming storm is near. 

Instead of connecting all these things to a bearer of the crest, I actually think Edelgard von Hresvelg is a better fit. Edelgard frequently alludes to herself as being trapped by Agarthan forces, being forced to do things she would never do. However, she actually has all the power to strike back against them. She is simply too focused on the power they bring her to do so. On the other hand, Edelgard is like the devil herself, tempting or manipulating others to her side with the promise of power (as she does for Ferdinand) or the promise of her love (as she does for Byleth). 

Maurice is also a good fit for the type of reign that Edelgard has on Adrestia. She brought harmony to Adrestia by taking the power of the nobles. And if she succeeds in her war of conquest, she will be seen as bringing Fòdlan back together in the history books. However, Edelgard gives little thought to the state of the world in peacetime. She does not consider the common citizen, starving them and using them in Agarthan experiments. She does not consider how a meritocracy could ever be fair, leaving Ferdinand to point out that free education must be necessary, otherwise the meritocracy would be nothing but a joke. Not only that, but her new weapon bears the Crest of Maurice, giving an indication that the writers may have meant for her to be connected to these ideas. 

Finally, the Storm Dragon seems to suggest Edelgard’s violent rule. While some may consider her conquest necessary or inevitable, it is destructive and the echoes of chaos will be felt for many generations. 

Personally, I think the writers did a fantastic job linking Edelgard to The Devil card, even more so than a reversed The High Priestess card. But what do you think? Could Marianne have filled these tough breeches as well as Edelgard?

Previous: Temperance

Next: The Tower

[antiqueanimals]

Zoo Birds. Text by David Seth Smith. Illustrated by Maurice Wilson. 1951.

[empress-hancock]

People like easy symbols too much I see too many fandom tattoos that, lore wise, make little sense or are antithetical to the message of the story and/or characters that people are trying to show their appreciation of through the tattoo.

[zixinwonderland]

Posting Black Butler facts once a day until season 4 is released!

Yana Toboso and her team give the characters nicknames when they haven’t gotten used to their actual names! (typed out below cut)

5 more days!

Lau was called Ramen because fo the screentone on his outfit.

Dagger was called Tarou Kuidaore (A clown character from a restaurant in Osaka) because of all his stripes.

Grimsby was called Parakeet bc his hair looks like a parakeets crest.

Maurice was called criossant because of his hair.

Redmond was called “Prince Hotel” because the start of “Red Prefect” (in japanese, Aka = red and Puri is the start of prefect) sounds like “Akasaka Prince Hotel”.

Clayton was called Pomade because “he looks like he uses it.”

Grell was called Shark because [her] teeth are shark teeth.

William was called Takaeda (I’m not sure what this is referring to, if you know please lmk😭) and his middle name is whats left of the nickname

Ronald was called hamburgaler beacuse he looks like a Mcdonalds character

Sullivan was called Sally-chan because shes a witch (I believe they’re refrencing the old anime “Sally the Witch)

Wolfram was called Yaa-san because he says “Ja” a lot (pronounced like “yaa”)

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

My beliefs on why Marianne doesn’t show up after timeskip (spoilers for her backstory and Demonic Beast lore)

So the popular theory to this question is that she commits suicide. However, I don’t really think that lines up with her behaviour. She is very depressed and suicidal, yes, but she always chooses inaction over action. She (to me) wouldn’t go and take the act of suicide.

Instead, I think why she doesn’t appear might have a slightly darker reason.

In her paralogue battle, the woods in which the Wandering Beast (Maurice) lives is teeming with Demonic Beasts. We know that unlike Giant Wolves and Birds (which occur due to natural magic), Demonic Beasts appear when one is overwhelmed by the power of a Crest of the Elites, such as when Miklan turns into a Black Beast or when Dedue hands out Crest Stones to the Kingdom army in order for them to transform themselves and so protect Dimitri.

However, we are given no clue as to where these particular Beasts come from.

This is my theory:

For whatever reason, the Crest of the Beast is more potent than others at overwhelming its bearers (hence its name). When descendants of Maurice are overwhelmed by its power (as many have been in the thousand years since Nemesis was killed) they naturally gravitate toward that forest, hence the plethora of Demonic Beasts there, the appearance of Phantom Soldiers and the fact that the Edmund Troops battalion is received after beating the paralogue.

I believe that without the support and guidance of Byleth and her friends, Marianne will like so many others with her crest eventually succumb to its power, choosing inaction and not fighting it as it begins to overwhelm her, and transforming into yet another Demonic Beast, eventually making her way to join her cursed brethren in the same forest.

.

[fantasyinvader]

@yanderefairyangel

Yeah, that’s been a thing for a long time. Whenever it comes to Edelgard, some people want to make her out as this Christ-like figure while ignoring the stuff that says otherwise, such as:

Amyr, a weapon crafted specifically for her, bears the Crest of Maurice, also known as the Crest of the Beast. This would indicate that Edelgard is more of an anti-Christ figure than an actual savior. The fact she continuously lies to her supporters only furthers this, as well as how the weapon isn’t a Hero’s Relic. It’s a Crest Stone Weapon, one that requires Agarthanium in order to repair.

The Crest of Maurice is tied to the Devil Arcana in the Tarot, symbolizing allowing oneself to be corrupted and giving in to earthly desires. It usually depicts the demon Baphomet.

People are turned into Demonic Beasts as war assets for her army.

In Azure Moon, she takes her ideals to what is said to be their end point when she turns herself into a Demonic Beast. Said beast form has horns, boobs and Wings much like Baphomet is depicted with.

The fact Dimitri goes on to be given the title of SAVIOR King.

Or that the Agarthans live under the ground, fleeing there after their war against Sothis led to them scorching the Earth. This is coupled with the fact Sothis is tied to the heavens through the Japanese name of the Sword of the Creator, the Sword of the Heavenly Emperor.

The word nemesis means “adversary.” Satan also means “the adversary.”

Her route’s ending has a picture of her raising a variation of the Hand of Justice, a symbol of divine right to rule. However, the hand is a reflection of the real thing from France. It’s reversed, and not only that it’s in the same pose Baphomet’s raised hand usually is in.

The scene where Byleth and the Black Eagles pledge themselves to Edelgard is called Path of Thorns, a reference to the Bible indicating that it’s a path of sin (specifically sloth, indicating a failure to do some form of duty)

Edelgard is a demonically-coded character, but her supporters refuse to acknowledge that. Or if they do, they claim it’s so that he can subvert expectations and be the real hero in the end. They’ve also tried to claim that her ending portrait is an allusion to Washington Crossing the Delaware, and if you point it out that it’s based on Napoleon’s coronation picture as emperor of France they go with the most positive interpretation of Boney they can.-They’ll raise hell if someone calls Edelgard a fascist or compares her to the world’s angriest Charlie Chaplin impersonator, while claiming the Church are clearly inspired by said impersonator’s fan club.

The fact that the game’s developers called Edelgard a villain, which would mean that her actions or motives are meant to be seen as evil, flies over their head as they try to claim she’s just “an antagonist.”

[qsycomplainsalot]

Reseda green 1911 uniform

Sauce: RosalieLebel75.franceserv.com; lesfrancaisaverdun-1916.fr

First row : Modified reseda uniform c.1913 Second row : Reseda uniform concepts c.1910-11 Third Row : Reseda troop helmet and officer jacket made c.1911

Much like her adoption of a modern service rifle, the modification of France’s colorful uniform was started barely a few years before the start of World War 1, at a time when no change could have effectively been made before the start of the conflict. It's a time-honored tradition, where hindsight is 20/20 and rifles are 7/92.

Several modernisation projects ran concurrently between the years 1910 and 1914, but not all of them were quite as modern as they were claimed. For every Boer-inspired practical field dress, the state would bring in famed illustrators and painters like Edouard Detaille, whose practical considerations were vastly outweighed by the necessity to preserve bright red pants because "otherwise how the f*ck do you know who you be shooting at" [sic]. The most promising upgrade though was probably the so-called Tenue Reseda.

Edouard Detaille's new uniform proposal, featuring an early shade of the lighter blue used from 1915 to 1935.

Commissioned by French war minister Maurice Berteaux and designed by a team led by général Dubail, the reseda green uniform was one of the aforementioned several proposed reforms meant to provide better camouflage to soldiers. It was made up almost in its entirety of a verdigris cloth, using a pigment from the reseda plant. Rank and file soldiers were also equipped with a cork/pith helmet fitted with a removable brass comb/crest piece, meant not to protect about shell fragments but rather saber blows. This last and very ostentatious part was replaced in the field with a simple cockade. Cavalry units would retain their old armor pieces save a few light cavalry helmet models, and artillery crews were equipped with Edouard Detaille’s Mle1902 helmet. This was an overall satisfying design to a modern eye, but decidedly less so to Berteaux’s colleagues at the time. The design was bashed for being unsightly, unpatriotic and looking too much like the German feldgrau uniform, with many arguing that all the modernization French soldiers needed was putties and a cap cover. The project received its biggest blow when Berteaux got ran over by a biplane, as one does, and his successor Messimy did not back it to the same extent. The new minister otherwise noted the “experience [to be] conclusive on a tactical level, and I considered it beyond reproach”, and even later about the madder red pants that remained in service: “this blind and imbecile attachment to the most conspicuous of colors would have cruel consequences.” The reseda uniform would see one last review in a slightly modified version developed between 1912 and 1913, now retaining the very French red pants and epaulettes for maximum patriotic efficiency. The helmet was also modified to resemble the future Adrian Mle1915 even more closely, with a fixed brass comb. Neither it nor the two Detaille uniforms it competed with managed to get adopted. Messimy, in final attempt at modesty, pushed for an odd allegedly blueish-bruised color competitor made up of a combination of red, white and blue wools. As the war erupted a month after this final decision, the design was never put into large production and French soldiers marched into Alsace wearing the same uniforms as when they first lost it.

1912 review of prototype uniforms, featuring from left to right Detaille’s horizon blue type, Dubail’s modified reseda green type and Detaille’s steel blue type.

[slotumn]

Concept: 3H canon divergence AU where the Almyran invasion at Fódlan's Throat succeeded, and they successfully annexed Leicester as part of Almyra— and a few hundred years later, the Leicester ruling class is thriving under the Almyran system, feeling no need to rejoin the rest of Fódlan.

Why would they? They hold a lot of utility to Almyra; they have Crests, Relics, knowledge that will come in useful for conquering the rest of Fódlan, as well as a significant amount of wealth from trade. So it's very easy for nobles from Leicester to ascend through the ranks in Almyran court, even compared to those from other regions of Almyra.

They might have had to convert to other religions or at least abandon their allegiances to the Seiros faith, but hey, the Leicester nobles were never super faithful in the first place. For the populace that still believes in the Church, they still have the Eastern Church, and it's recognized by Almyra as one of the many faiths in the nation. And the Eastern Church finds that good enough, since they were never that powerful under the Fódlani system either.

This drives the rest of the continent absolutely insane, of course. Leicesterians get called traitors for using their Crests and Relics to "aid infidels," and Almyra is an even bigger boogeyman than they are in canon. The Church calls for crusade/reconquest of Leicester all the damn time, which Faerghus tends to join in on due to their close relations with the Church + thing with fighting another group of "infidel invaders" (Srengis). Adrestia joins in too, despite their tensions with the Central Church— because the Almyrans are suddenly a lot more threatening when they're right over the Airmid River instead of across the Pearl Sea.

But wait, that's not all. Other regions of Almyra aren't happy either, because after Leicester was conquered, the center of power has shifted away from them. They feel like they're being treated worse despite having been there for longer, with these newcomers hogging all the best positions and resources. So much so that some are starting to think it might be better for them to break off and do their own thing.

Now combine all this with the fact the Slithers are still there + Almyra and Fódlan are trying to stroke internal tensions and sabotage one another at every turn, and you get an absolute shitshow. Yes this is the "Leicester is to Almyra what the Balkans were to the Ottoman Empire" AU.

Look I just think it's interesting to consider how the Golden Deer would be doing in an Ottoman-style court; imo Lorenz and Hilda would thrive there, and Marianne would be especially loyal to the Almyran regime because they don't care about the Maurice bloodline being "cursed." The commoner trio could be like the janissaries, especially Ignatz. Lysithea might have more mixed feelings about the Almyran system because being right by the Airmid still makes Ordelia the punching bag whenever shit goes down with Adrestia, but she probably isn't in a position to break off from them fully. Claude is still killing his brother(s) and/or locking them in a cage as part of succession conflicts.

Also I think it would be a neat twist on the themes of VW if the line between "us" and "them" wasn't as clear cut as in canon with isolationist Fódlan. It would also be more in line with, well, real life; if you look at history, a lot of things don't fall neatly into our current day categorizations of "east" and "west."

But mostly I just think putting the Golden Deer in Situations™ is fun and making Leicester the powder keg of both Fódlan and Almyra is the most fun situation of them all.

[mostrandomgallery]

FE3H AU Project: The Cotton Candy Elephants (Master Post)

Here's the full class roster (still subject to changes)

Allegra von Hresvelg (House Leader) Crest: Seiros

Tristesse von Edmund (House Retainer) Crest: The Beast (Maurice)

Franz von Varley Crest: Indech

Delicia von Hevring Crest: Cethleann

Ignis von Albrecht Crest: Chevalier

Anneliese Fulmina Charon Crest: Charon

Envidia Desiree Dominic Crest: Dominic

Eckhart Horatio Goneril Crest: Goneril

Émilie Chantelle Gloucester Crest: Gloucester

S-Support with Male Byleth:

Allegra

Tristesse

Delicia

Anneliese

Envidia

Émilie

S-Support with Female Byleth:

Franz

Ignis

Eckhart

The house mascot is said to have been inspired by a magical creature that was part elephant, part cat, and part dolphin, and was made of cotton candy. It was said that this elephant-like chimera could also cry candy, and owned a song-powered chariot that could fly to the moon. Now lost to time and legends, this majestic animal believed to have once roamed Fódlan is henceforth commemorated in this new classroom's banner. This was a personal decision made by the classroom's house leader, Allegra von Hresvelg.

...So I decided to make Allegra a part of House Hresvelg rather than Bartels. Ironically, I made her have a weakness in axes so she can forget about using Aymr, but she can wield the Seiros Sword with ease.

Also, I decided to change "Alaric von Bergliez" to "Ignis von Albrecht", just so he can use Vajra-Mushti.

[randomnameless]

I wonder how old Willy‚ and by extension, the rest of the first-gen crest bearers were cause Jerry is (iirc) over 300 years old according to Nopes (and his Barney support showed he had physical problems). Iirc Willy stepped back after WoH but there's no mention of when he died‚ like do fake their deaths cause they would be outliving multiple generations. Do they travel out of the continent? Do their children also have long lifespans? (Assuming that they survived the WoH.)

Willy ask?

Yep, we don't know when he died, but in Nopes, Seteth says he's long dead, and Rhea, uh, misses him and wishes he was around when fighting against Supreme Leader.

Jerry growing old and feeble is really one of the things Nopes annoyed me with, because come on, Rhea could just have waited for Nemesis to become unable to fight to rekt him... but no, Nemesis was still a force to be reckoned with.

We don't have any timeline, but Nemesis should have been well over 100 just like the Elites at the time of their death, and I guess Willy was, at the end of the WoH, something like around 120 or 150 (Rhea most likely didn't made him emperor when he was a kid!).

TFW Jerry's not feeling old age catch up to him, but the consequences of his excessive drinking

IIRC the Book of Seiros says only the Elites (thus by extension the first gen crested people) live long, not their children - we know the Elites sans Maurice were terminated, but we don't know about the other major crested randoms (Bergliez/Aegir ancestor, Varley 1, etc etc).

I don't see them faking their deaths even if they outlive several generations because, hey, Willy's the living example of someone who lived over 100, just like the Elites, and I guess the "reasoning" behind the Elites' extended lifespan also applied to them? (something like first gen crest bearers were "blessed specially" by the Goddess so they have an extended lifespan ?) contrary to Nabateans who do not seem to age as fast as crested humans, and live up to 1k years.

Maybe they travel around the continent or just remained in Fodlan being either cryptids or travelling around to help randoms (like the Apostles who ultimately founded their own villages?) and died somewhere.

I'm rather fond of the HC that First Gen crest bearers, just like Nabateans, don't decay or decay more "slowly" than other humans, they still can't be harvested for Relics or whatnot, but it serves to make them stand apart from the other crestless humans - which of course would have been used by Adrestian Nobles, especially the ones who descend from them, to brag about how "special" they were (and conveniently, the bodies of the Elites were never recovered*, so they are the only ones who can prove their descent from someone "special"!).

*tfw Thales had already recovered them first then put them in his freezer before Rhea or the Elite's descendants could even wonder why their tombs/graves/resting places were empty

[deathbirby]

Hero's Relics Origins - Part 2

This is the last part, I promise.

Blutgang

Storm Dragon

I don't know what that is.

Fortunately, we have Maurice to examine!

Look at that plated back. It's similar to the blade of Blutgang. That begs the question, though. Is it armor or is it bone? I'm going to say it's both. Blutgang is made out of this bone, and it uses a few other parts of the spine.

Google Translate says that "the feel of its armor is similar to Blutgang."

Translation would be appreciated!

Oh, and Maurice also has small back sail. That points to the possibility of the Storm Dragon being able to fly.

Thunderbrand

Lightning Dragon

What the hell is this?

I guess it could be a weird horn? Or maybe it's the tail? Breastbone with ribs? Part of the spine? A fang? Thigh bone, and the spikes are actually just fangs or something that has been fused to it?

I have no fucking clue. If someone can come up with a theory, I'll put it here.

Suttungr's Mystery

Lightning Dragon

...I don't know. That green covering could be its skin, or just some regular leather. It looks like there is a ribcage when I zoom into that gap.

Hrotti

Dark Dragon

Unfortunately, there is not a lot to go off of. Tomes are always the most difficult to figure out.

Dark dragons in Fire Emblem tend to look snake-like. I suppose you could see this as the skull being flattened and split in half to make two sides of a book. The line going through the book could be where the jaw splits, and the hole with the crest stone is supposed to have an eye in it.

I'm grasping for straws here.

Failnaught

Star Dragon

Look at that muscle attached to it. I think this might be the only relic to have that.

I used Google Translate on that little bit of text in the concept art. It says: "A bow made from the bones and sinews of a dragon's fingers."

I don't speak Japanese, so I do need someone to confirm that little bit of text. Here's a bit clearer(?) version.

But that makes it pretty obvious... if it's true! It was made using the bones and tendons of the Star Dragon's fingers.

I don't know what the Star Dragon might've looked like, and I don't have anything to use as a basis. Those 'fingers' have spikes on them. I don't know any animal that might have that.

Vajra-Mushti

Snow Dragon

I wanted to say that this looks like a scorpion's head, but there are two of these (gauntlets), so that's probably not the case. It's most likely made out of the hands. The metal plating is used to keep it closed.

BUT WAIT! What if it IS the head? There is a hole that could work as an eye socket. Maybe the skull was somehow split to make gauntlets? The metal plating would be used to keep the lower and upper jaw shut.

What animal has tusks like that and is associated with snow? Best I can think of is a mammoth.

Rafail Gem

Aegis Dragon

The Aegis Dragon gets to be unique. Only the part around the Crest Stone is made out of bone. The rest of it might very well be decoration. Or maybe they come from somewhere else... Maybe the blue crystals are kidney stones?

Ichor Scroll

Aegis Dragon

It doesn't look like there is a lot of bone there? It might be made using the hand. Look at all those lines and the small holes.

Sword of the Creator

Sothis

Alright, lots of people are saying this is the spine, and I totally agree. They really liked turning spines into weapons for some goddess-forsaken reason.

BUT the argument of it being the tail also holds up! The spine doesn't have a sharp point like that. Ultimately, I cannot say for certain which one it would be. I personally am more inclined to say it's the spine.

The crossguard could be made using the pelvis, shoulder blades, or even the wings. It all depends on whether or not they got the bones from Sothis's dragon form. Oh, and I can see what looks like more muscle on the "wings".

Now what in the world is that hilt made out of? It's definitely not made out of the spine or tail, so what is it? Maybe a strong bone like the femur? The ends are more flared out than the middle.

But how?

Okay, so now that you know what the relics are made out of and what bones were used, it's time for YOU to go make some relics.

"How am I going to do that??" - You

Do not worry, my fellow human. I have gone ahead and made a guide for you! Follow its instructions closely, and you too can wield a weapon of mass destruction in no time.

How to create your own Heroes Relic!

Find a dragon. It can be dead or alive, just make sure its corpse is not completely destroyed.

If it's still alive, kill it. I don't care how you do it. Just kill it. Try to cut off a limb or go directly for the crest stone on its head. That seems to be their weak spot.

It's dead? Good! Time to cut. What? You say that its corpse is too big? Shrink it! What do mean that sounds dumb? Have you SEEN the other Relics? I mentioned this in a previous post, but no fucking dragon has bones that small. All the relics are shrunken in some way, damn it! NOW SHRINK IT!

Okay. Get your cutting equipment ready. You can use a sword, a knife, a chainsaw. I don't care. Just be careful.

Now then, onto the good part. The skin might still be useful for something like leather, so be sure to flay it first.

Start cutting away at the meat and fatty layer. Do not go too deep. You do not want to destroy the muscle layer before you've seen it first. You could still use it for something!

You've reached the muscles. Congratulations! Now, I know that the bones are the real price here, but the tendons can be very useful in some designs. So start collecting a bunch of tendons and some muscle here and there.

Is your bag full? Great! When you're sure you've got all the tendons you need, start cutting until you reach the bone. Don't worry about damaging it. Your puny blade won't do anything against it.

There, the bones are right there. RIPE for the taking! I assume that you've already picked out a design for a Relic before you started this. That means you know what bones you want to use. Take those bones.

I also assume that you know you need a Crest Stone, which means you need to get the dragon's heart. What's the fastest way to get to the heart? Well, you're not breaking the ribcage any time soon, so cut open the abdomen, right under where the diaphragm would be. You don't know where that is? It's around the liver and the stomach. You'll know when you get there. Now, you need to cut open that diaphragm and reach in there with your trusty knife or chainsaw. A human heart has a pericardium, a sac that surrounds your heart and keeps in it place. I don't know if a dragon has one, but I would still try to check if it's there and cut it away. And you don't need the veins.

While you're in there cutting away, drink its blood. You might as well. Slurp all of that shit up. You'll know you've drunk enough blood once you manifest a crest. Not manifesting a crest? Dive back in there and start chugging!

I hope you have everything you need by now. Pack that shit up and move to a place where you can quietly forge it into a weapon. How do you do that? Fuck if I know. All I know is that you need dragon remains. Figure it out yourself! If all else fails, put bone on a stick and tie it together with tendons and superglue. Don't forget to shove a crest stone somewhere in there so it actually functions!

Alright. I hope this was a useful guide for you! Don't forget to leave a 5-star review on my page!

[dazzlerazz]

I was thinking about how the crest of maurice kept reminding me of a ram/goat and how fitting it was for a crest that represented a beast and it got me thinking about how I see the other crests so now I am making a list that you guys will see

[mamomare]

Ultimate Decades Challenge - 1370s - 1380s

* TW: This post contains mention of characters who died during pregnancy/childbirth.

The 1370s has been a tranquil decade, with the family expanding well over the past ten years. However, as the next century begins to crest the horizon, so too does change. Many of the 5th Generation men, newly married, have been consigned to the Second 100 Year War. Luckily, our current heir Terric was spared such a fate. However, with the loss of both his parents, Terric is feeling estranged from his stepmother, and has become discontented with a simple peasant’s life. So, in 1379, he and his young bride, Brigit have stepped out into the world of silk and are making their attempt at joining the merchant class of Windenburg. After purchasing a run-down home in the Market Quarter of town, they are left with only a few Simoleons in their pocket. Can they make it one more step up the treacherous social ladder of Medieval society?

Births [7] 1372 - Edmund Brooker 1374 - Theobald Brooker 1376 - Fray Bennet, Runilda Clifford 1377 - Gelle Bennet 1379 - Alfred and Sabine Brooker Marriages [5] 1371 - Emil and Annora Bennet 1374 - Maurice and Aldivia Clifford 1375 - Bertram and Malyna Clifford 1376 - Luke and Alicia Fletcher 1378 - Terric and Brigit Brooker

Deaths [8] 1372 - John Taylor (Influenza) 1374 - Hammond Brooker (Influenza) 1375 - Norman Brooker (Typhoid), Michael Wright (Alcohol Poisoning) 1376 - Andrew Smith (Syphillis), Eva Smith (Horse accident) 1377 - Annora Fletcher (Childbirth), Aldivia Clifford (Septicemia) * Babies that never were [10]: Hilda Brooker, Isabella Brooker, Marjorie Brooker, Martin Brooker, Arnold Wright, Alice Bennet, Sperling Bennet, Elias Clifford, Solomon Clifford, Lecia Clifford

Family Tree at 1380

* I’ve ‘trimmed’ the family tree to delete dead ‘branches’.  Market Square Home

The new Brooker family home is currently a WIP. At the moment, Terric and Brigit don’t have a lot of money left and are still setting up their Silk business. Will post once the build is complete! 

This version of the Decades Challenge was created by Morbid Gamer

[fantasyinvader]

You know, that thought would just not leave my mind today. Even from the beginning, since the game's launch and people began connecting the dots people have been saying that Edelgard's path is a path of ignorance. That in ignorance she's the hero but with knowledge she's the villain. But the idea that Edelgard's ignorance, or possibly delusions or foolishness, ultimately traps her in contrast to Byleth, who isn't supposed to let the Flames/Poisons cloud their judgement and walks an enlightened path as a result… it just fits so well.

Dimitri's line in the Japanese version, calling Edelgard's path the animal path. The animal path is one based on the flame of ignorance, that because of that they made choices that gave them negative karma.

Ferdinand's line in VW following Gronder, where he says Edelgard is acting the same as Dimitri was. Dimitri, the boar prince/king of delusion. Pigs symbolize the flame of, you guessed it, ignorance.

Edelgard is acting based on information passed down to her by her father, informing her views on the world. However, in a story scene before that Hubert contradicted the backstory Edelgard has already told you while stating Ionius was a puppet of the Agarthans and that Edelgard should have told you this meaning she knows. This would also correlate to how Verdant Wind states that TWSTID manipulated Edelgard into starting the war despite Edelgard herself making it sound like it was her decision.

Symbolically, the above point ties into Edelgard's Crests. It was TWSITD who gave Edelgard her understanding of the world through the Crest of Flames (World Arcana), but in the end it was corrupt knowledge which had a detrimental effect on Edelgard owing to Aymr having the Crest of Maurice (Devil Arcana). As such, Edelgard's understanding of the world, her own knowledge though her Crest of Serios (Priestess Arcana), is flawed. Hopes even went as far as to use Aymr as a symbol of TWSITD making Edelgard their puppet in Azure Moon while the player can unlock it by completing the secret chapter (the supposed "good" route) in Scarlet Blaze.

Edelgard has scenes in White Clouds where she finds out information that conflicts with her own view, such as her talking with Thales and Thales revealing Nemesis was a bandit. Edelgard points out TWSITD were behind the experiments in such a scene, and in SB mentions she ignored how much influence they had over the nobility while she also revives the local Church branch under her control.

The devs themselves confirmed that the worldbuilding was done to support Silver Snow's story, and as a result Edelgard's claims are meant to be undermined as the players pay attention to the world around them. This mirrors Claude in VW, whose views change over the course of his route, yet Edelgard says that she can't allow Claude to run Fodlan because he doesn't know it's history. Ironically, Claude finds out the most lore of Fodlan by the end and it does undermine what Edelgard believes.

Edelgard is that character who thinks they know it all, ignorant of their own ignorance. Her ideals are based on her flawed knowledge, ideals she serves even at the cost of her own humanity. We get her becoming the Hegemon Husk, framed as the end point of those ideals in Azure Moon after Edelgard has the remnants of TWSITD turn her into it. In AG, instead we have Thales turn her into it and putting her under his control.

Tying this into Eastern beliefs, there's the whole empty thing.Emptiness is not a bad thing as it allows one to be filled. An empty bowl is far more useful than one that is stuffed to the brink and overflowing, and that's what's going on with Edelgard. She believes she has all the knowledge, that her bowl is full, and as a result when she's presented with new knowledge, knowledge that conflicts with her own, it spills out. She believes she's the one with all the answers, the one who should be the teacher rather than the student, the hand of benevolence that people should react out to. As such, she can not see the world for what it really is just what she thinks it is. The Flame of ignorance/delusion/foolishness includes false beliefs that one may cling to rather than discard, and this is what ultimately dooms Edelgard.

It's not like Dimitri's delusions, as despite them Dimitri is the Lord who actually sees things for how they are and it's his core belief that he needs to live to avenge those who died for him that's the problem. Even when Edelgard seems to have character growth in Flower, when she seems to understand that people each other allows them to accomplish great things… this development doesn't stick in the Japanese version. She still goes back to instituting reforms to push people to rely only on themselves. It's this belief she believes she needs to force on people, resulting in her taking more power for herself rather than giving it to the people and supporting freedom. It's why her title in the ending is Flame Emperor, Edelgard either didn't change or she regressed into that position.

I think we can even see this in her death in SS/VW. She talks about how she needs to die in order to stop the fighting, how it's Byleth's duty as the victor, and that in doing so they'll walk holding hands down Byleth path in the Japanese text. And while she's saying this, she's activating Aymr. It makes it look like she's having a moment of clarity, that as she's beaten she realizes just what she's become but also the hold her beliefs have on her. She can't walk away from them, and will go back to fighting if she is spared. So she tells Byleth to put her down, before she goes back to being the Flame Emperor. In a way, those are the only paths where she dies as a human in the Buddhist sense, acting on rational thought and humanity rather than instinct and impulse. She's too far gone in Moon, and reverts in Flower. Edelgard can only die as Edelgard by Byleth's hand, and in doing so her Japanese counterpart walks with them.

It makes her feel like the Death Knight, with the Japanese text making it implying Jeritza doesn't know what happens when he takes over. Emile became consumed by bloodlust after he killed his hated father to protect his mother and sister. Likewise, Hubert became who he was in order to serve the girl he loved which included killing his father. And Byleth can go against their entire character arc in order to support Edelgard. Those two are meant to be foils to the player, reasons why they need to walk the path of liberation rather than become like them.

I guess in the end, Edelgard believed she was doing the right thing but her time at Garreg Mach made her question her path according to the Japanese theme song. She was being presented with information or experiences that made her waiver, but she still decided to follow through with the war and in doing so lost control of herself. She became a slave to her own beliefs, losing herself to them. Even in Flower she ultimately continues to serve them. But even then, those beliefs ultimately came from those who wanted to use her and Edelgard seemingly had knowledge of this. In the end, Edelgard's unwillingness to reconsider her beliefs, to discard what she views as knowledge in the face of evidence, is why she ends up a villain. Even if she dies as herself in SS/VW, so long as Dedue lives her corpse will be dismembered in retribution for the suffering she has caused. At the end of the day, while Edelgard was a villain she was also another victim of the Agarthans and the game seems to be placing the actual blame for the war at their feet. If it wasn't for them and their influence, Edelgard would have been a completely different person, they're the one's responsible for her even if Edelgard's own weakness prevented her from changing the path they put her on.

Edelgard failed herself.

[kyogre-blue]

Remire month! Uuuuurgh, this is dragging. I just do not care about the Eagles enough to feel motivated here.

There's a few points worth noting though.

First, regarding Solon. He came to the monastery posing as Tomas only a year prior, explicitly to target Flayn. From this, the implication seems to be that Flayn has only been at the monastery 1-2 years. Questions that remains:

Why was she targeted but not Seteth? Could be that she's an easier target because she can't fight, or it could be because headcanon: she's half human. Or could be a secret third thing.

What was her blood used for, specifically? During the Sothis paralogue, Hubert and Edelgard discuss how the demonic beast is a "wild" one, which is a distinction that makes sense only if they already know about creating artificial ones, so based on that and the overall timeline, I don't think Flayn's blood is tied to turning people into Demonic Beasts. And there isn't really a lot else the Agarthans do in the present day. Unless they used her blood to make Nemesis and his fake Sword of the Creator...?

Second, regarding monsters:

During the Sothis paralogue, Edelgard makes a clear distinction between "wolves" and "hawkes" that are beasts, and a Demonic Beast. Hubbie makes a clear distinction that this is a "wild" Demonic Beast, a stray. They totally know about making people into Demonic Beasts.

Poking at the descriptions of the enemy units, the animals are "Giant Beasts" which have ingested "Dark Stones" and grown to incredible size due to the magic they absorbed (presumably from the dark stones they ate). The Wild Demonic Beast on the other hand has a "Cracked Crest Stone" and is described as having lost all sense of reason.

Notably, Maurice could talk despite having been a demonic beast for nearly a thousand years. He was often overcome by his bloodlust, but he retained a degree of reason above that of this wild demonic beast and also Miklan. Extrapolating from that, it might be possible for other demonic beasts to also speak or retain an even greater level of control over themselves.

Since demonic beasts can occur "in the wild," this seems to mean that a human being could encounter a crest stone "in the wild" and get turned into one. It's really unclear how many children of the goddess there actually were or whether crest stones are a 1 dragon = 1 stone deal. Can Nabateans create additional crest stones aside from the one they presumably keep inside themselves? Or did some crest stones end up being passed around after the Red Canyon?

Third, regarding Hubert and Edelgard, the backstory they give about their relationship is kind of puzzling. Hubert was made Edelgard's retainer at a very young age and is insanely loyal to her from the get-go. Was Edelgard always the heir due to having a crest, and that's why Hubert, the heir to the house that specifically become the Emperor's retainers, got assigned to her?

But that aside, why is Hubert SO loyal? And why does he make it sound like that loyalty was instilled by his father, when his father betrayed the Emperor later? Did they fall out, or did Hubert's dad also get replaced lol

Additionally, the entire way their history is presented... Edelgard claims to remember meeting him when she was 4, and Hubert praises her good memory? Edelgard, who specifically has holes in her memories? Hubert basically says he's hiding things from her and also says he doesn't remember this meeting, so like... are some of Edelgard's memories outright fake? What are we even supposed to make of this?

Anyway, liveblogging notes:

Remire village has a variety of symptoms reported: restless movements, fits of violence, becoming bedridden or even impossible to wake.

It's interesting that the Church is looking into this. Remire is in Imperial territory. Technically, it's not the church's problem, since there's not really any Church-related involved.

Manuela guesses it's either a combination of poisons or else dark magic.

Hubert and Edelgard point out that the same people (Death Knight and unknown mages) were involved with both the Western Church and Flayn's kidnapping. However, they also state that this doesn't mean these incidents and Remire are part of the same plot. Rather, it may be "different motives overlapping." Presumably, because Edelgard wants to let Byleth in on her goals being separate from the Agarthans' goals.

Tales of the Red Canyon is available this month but not the prior ones. It doesn't seem to stem from doing the Eagle Lion Battle, so is it related to Byleth's mystery illness? One of the explore NPCs says that monsters are more active during Red Wolf Moon, so is it just that?

Petra mentions that Brigit is a small island caught between the much larger nations of Dagda and the Empire.

Hubert and Edelgard B: Edelgard says they met when she was 4 years old. Hubert praises her perfect memory, which in this context makes me wonder if she's misremembering something about how they met. Hubert says he was six and does not remember it.

He remembers instead when she was injured. Her father scolded him and told him to protect Eddie with his life. Which is interesting given that iirc Hubbie's father betrayed the emperor.

They were together a lot until Arundel took Edelgard to the Kingdom. Hubbie went nuts, tried to run after her and fought with soldiers sent to bring him back for three days before being dragged back. (lmao?? he was ten? Then Eddie was eight?)

Hubbie all but confirms that he's keeping things from Edelgard.

This whole support is.... hm. It sure portrays Edelgard in an interesting light. A vulnerable light lol

Bernie and Petra B... Bernie can't handle the thought of killing vegetables or plants, but we're supposed to believe she shoots people on the battlefield.

Speaking of Sothis's mystery illness, I wonder if it's supposed to be caused by the Remire experiments? She mentions that she feels sleepy and that this feeling is familiar to her.

Caspar mentions that his father came by during the Eagle Lion Battle and talked to Edelgard, even though the two of them previously did not get along. Probably planning the attack on Garreg Mach?

Catherine has been at the monastery for four years, Shamir for five.

Ferdinand explore mentions that yes, Remire is the village where the game starts, and also wonders if one of the house leaders knew there were mercenaries there when they sought shelter there during Kostas's attack. Can't be Dimitri and... seems to not be Edelgard? So are we supposed to suspect Claude for some reason? Could just be throwaway dialogue for some reason.

Sylvain brings up the plague in Faerghus, which was almost 20 years ago and killed the queen-consort (Dimitri's mom). It was dealt with by Cornelia. This is just making me more suspicious that the Faerghus plague was caused by the Agarthans too lol

Two-toned whetstone trading chain: books of crestology to Hanneman > book of saints to Manuela > Fire Amulet to Cyril > Glowing Stone to Mercedes > "The Path of Dawn" to Marianne > Medicinal Eyedrops to Linhardt > two-toned whetstone

Hubert B: He explains how he's been sizing you up for assassination, but you're a tough nut. He also explains how, when Arundel returned to the Empire with Edelgard, he worked with PM Aegir and Hubbie's dad to render the Emperor "politically impotent."

He says he can "almost see" a second self lurking beneath the surface of Byleth... just like Arundel! Who is an evil shapeshifter pretending to be Arundel, which Hubbie knows.

Alois and Shamir paralogue: Derdiu in Riegan territory... Gamer lean forward.

The Merchants' Association sent a request for protection via the Eastern Church. What exactly is House Riegan doing that the merchants are asking the church instead lol?

The Eastern Church doesn't have a standing army. They want to contribute to make their presence known in the Alliance. But the Central Church has too much on its plate, so they're sending one super badass mercenary and some noble kids instead.

GW doesn't have a Derdiu map, so it's cute to see it. It's got little umbrellas along the area we can't go to.

The pirates pretend to be Almyran navy. So like... people know this navy exists (because it has attacked before?) or are the pirates jus making shit up?

We deploy to Remire because the situation escalates suddenly. Villagers start killing each other and houses go up in flames. ...I already forgot what we were expecting to do there at the start of the month, when the situation wasn't as drastic.

Nothing terribly interesting at Remire. Oh, I forgot to check the enemy X info... I thiiink some of them were listed as being with the Flame Emperor? Man, the actual characters have only seen the Flame Emperor once before this, right? Uuuuugh when was it? At the Holy Mausoleum (the fake one)? Or during Flayn's kidnapping?

Solon does explicitly confirm he posed as Tomas and came to the monastery to get Flayn's blood. He also conducted the experiments at Remire specifically in regard to Flayn's blood. I do think, though, that they already had a way of making Demonic Beasts, since Hubert and Edelgard emphasize that the one in the Sothis paralogue was "wild" (as opposed to artificially created). Not sure what they really wanted from Flayn's blood. Given how bad this game is about loose ends, probably nothing specific.

Anyway, the timeline is that real Tomas joined the monastery 40 years ago, then 8 years ago went back to Ordelia, where he presumably was killed and replaced in time to return to the monastery last year. This implies Flayn has been at the monastery for maybe 1-2 years. It also lines up with Monica's disappearance, for what that's worth.

Flame Emperor shows up after the battle to tell us that "he" is working with Solon, yes, but they do not have the same goals, and if "he" had known about what Solon was planning, he totally would have stopped him. But like I said, Edelgard and Hubert discuss the wild Demonic Beast in the Sothis paralogue in a tone like creating artificial beasts is a thing that they know about, so I don't think Edelgard is unaware that the Agarthans are constantly doing human experimentation even in the present day.

Seemingly, the Flame Emperor shows up here just to test the waters about Byleth joining "him."

Funny how Hubert runs up "have you seen Lady Edelgard??"

Sothis says she does not recall a previous time that you were at the monastery (when Jeralt mentions both of you leaving there), but like... she ALSO specifically discusses how she wasn't awake before the game started. So did she flip through Byleth's memories, ooooor....?

Tomas was from the Alliance, Jeritza was from the Empire, and though they do not connect it, these mysterious foes (the Agarthans) messed around with the Western Church in the Kingdom. So the mystery is set up that this foe has infiltrated multiple nations and has great reach. But lmao this isn't going to get addressed in two of four routes....?

[harpyladyval]

I love how because we never learn anything about Marianne's biological parents other than that they died mysteriously and presumably to the crest of Maurice (I don't know if that's still true in hopes, still going through her supports there), that it could theoretically be true that she is the daughter of Berkut and Rinea and that when Berkut was defeated by Alm, he and Rinea were reincarnated in Fodlan.