#fe agarthans

[umbralstars]

"Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves powerful cultures...."

[azelfandquilava]

"My Ex-Wife still misses me... but her aim is getting better!"

The idea of Thales and Cleobulus being toxic exes is infinitely amusing to me.

YCH Art by anasamen_ (NSFW warning)

Cleobulus design by @sageofanys

[curse-d-owl]

Ludwig von Aegir:

I will save the empire from its sickness and conquer Faerghus and Leicester under the majestic flag of Adrestia!

Also Ludwig:

*Violently oppresses and kills his own citizens and destroys Adrestia while failing to make any progress on conquering Fodlan*

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

since intsys refuses to ever give sothis an actual dragon form, from now on i've decided until they do, siriusmon is now her dragon form.

Behold! Sothis!

[frozenartscapes]

What crossover do you think would be the coolest/funniest/saddest for FE3H? ATLA? Sailor Moon? Etc.?

So... This may not be what you're thinking, but I recently had an AU idea (that I probably won't write but I just want to share). Having recently watched the Wild Robot, I had a thought:

Hegemon Edelgard as Roz

Ok, so the story would have to change a fair bit, but essentially, following the events of Azure Moon, it is revealed that Edelgard survived and escaped into the forests of Adrestia. She's not completely transformed - think her more human form in Heroes - and she has to come to terms with this. This transformation has not only altered her body, but she now has new abilities she needs to learn. On top of trying to survive in the wilderness, she also has to process the fact that everyone she knows and ever cared for is dead.

She's alone, in the wild.

Being half beast allows her to understand the other animals, however none of them are especially welcoming to her at first (and she isn't either). On top of that, she has new instincts she needs to fight and is completely lost on what her new motivation should be. (Which is a problem in itself because Edelgard's primary coping mechanism for all of the trauma she's faced in the past is to double down on a big goal - something to keep her mind occupied so she doesn't run the risk of thinking too hard about just how much her heart actually hurts. The old "if I stop and think about this for more than two seconds I'll go insane" trope.)

Then, through a series of events involving having to defend herself from an angry demonic wolf and haphazardly thrown fireballs, she hits an eagle nest. To her horror, she discovers the family has all died - except for a single egg. To stop herself from becoming completely consumed by guilt, she decides to take care of the egg. It hatches soon after, and taking care of an egg turns into taking care of the chick inside.

She meets other animals and forms bonds with them along the way. A solitary raven she saves from a trap, who decides he is in eternal debt to her. A songbird who offers the most advice in how to raise a baby bird. A stag who is always trying to challenge her at first, until he realizes she makes a better friend than competition. A wolf who teaches her how to properly hunt and fend for herself in the wild. A mouse whose kindness outweighs her terror to show comfort to Edelgard when she was obviously on the verge of a breakdown. A badger who takes it upon himself to fight off any predators who may try to harm them, no matter the size difference. A possum who, despite seeming rather lazy, offers a lot of advice about foraging techniques and building comfortable habitats.

It is revealed that the eagle would have been the runt and likely would have died had nature been allowed to take its course. There is still tension when she learns just how her family died, but she realizes that Edelgard did everything possible to make up for it.

Along the way, Edelgard becomes more and more in tune with her wild side, and starts to learn more about what the Hegemon can really do. She can give herself wings, and she and the eagle learn to fly at the same time. Her claws she once thought monstrous now protect the things she cares about. She incorporates her tail into fighting. She uses magic now - magic that is wilder than anything she learned in school and allows her to feel more in touch with the forest. It isn't long before she feels more at home in the woods than she ever did in civilization, and she is happy to let this life be her new one forever.

Until the Agarthans learn she's still alive.

Dimitri and Byleth might have killed Thales, but a new leader took his place and succeeded in evading the King's attempts to snuff them out. Once the Agarthans learned that one of their most powerful weapons was still alive, they tracked her down and captured her (not without a fight, mind you). It then falls on her animal companions to stage a rescue mission, led by the eagle Edelgard saved, who rallies not just the main animals but many of the forest inhabitants as well.

The Agarthans tried to force Edelgard to obey them, going so far as to push her transformation to what Thales had originally envisioned for the Hegemon Husk (I always thought the Hegie we get in the game was still a transition stage, and that the true form of the Hegemon Husk would be like a twisted version of the Immaculate One - or an approximation of what Sothis' dragon form would look like). The eagle finds her while the others are stalling, and thanks to the Power of Love, snaps Edelgard out of her rage state. She then turns on the Agarthans, and succeeds in wiping them out. However, as she kills the leader, he wheezes out that there will always be more, and they won't stop until they have their weapon.

The animals celebrate their victory, but Edelgard can't get the Agarthan's words out of her head. Their forest home sustained heavy damage in the attack, and a number of animals died. Even amongst her main group, the stag had suffered a close call while charging an enemy mage, the badger broke his leg, and the wolf has a permanent scar across her eye. She makes a decision, then.

King Dimitri is in his castle in Faerghus, busy trying to work out a peace deal between Fódlan and Almyra. Suddenly a guard bursts into his study, stating hurriedly that there's some strange forest witch demanding to see the king. Dimitri, exhausted by paperwork, decides to humour this and heads for the audience chamber.

That's when he comes face to face with a ghost - or maybe demon. She wears an old, torn cloak covered in moss and a dress that looks to have come from the forest floor itself. The tips of golden horns peak through the hood of her cloak. A black eagle sits on her shoulder. She offers a cordial bow, revealing hands armed with obsidian claws. "Dimitri," she says in a voice he has heard countless times in his nightmares, "It has been a long time."

"...Edelgard?" he breathes. Goddess... What has become of her?

Edelgard smiled, revealing a glimpse of her fangs. "I come to you today with a proposition," she stated, "How do you feel about finally ridding the shadows of Fódlan of the wretched snakes that dwell there?"

[randomnameless]

what do you think would realistically edelgerd's fate post AG?

We know Doylist wise she was Supreme Puppet'd to have her, somehow, survive (when we know how she reacts to military defeat in AM!) and removing all of her agency - Supreme Puppet was Puppet'd, so she cannot be hold accountable for what she did as Lobotogard, or with her regressed state, cannot be accountable the things she did with her mind intact.

I've already ranted about this special plot device to make sure the waifu escapes the axe and its sexist undertones, but damn if thinking about it to this day pisses me to no ends.

Faced with Regressed!Leader, Dimitri dgaf and moves on (or rather, away from her, reminiscing of AM - he has other things to do than to linger on his relationship with Supreme Leader).

I'd say -

Dimtri dgaf and leaves her to her own devices (which would be a nod to the "parley"? Now that Supreme Leader became one of the "weaks" what is she going to do? Bootstraps or rely on a support system she so much decried?) and move to Enbarr to put an end to the War.

But thinking in more serious terms?

His bannermen, friends and people wouldn't settle for anything else than Supreme Leader's death (maybe not on the gates on Enbarr?). She's the one who started this war and had so many people killed in her imperialist bid, so the only way Supreme Leader escapes death is with the Church.

Now, Supreme Puppet'd by Thales and maybe acknowledging Supreme Leader's second crust, Rhea might be more partial to her - she had been used as a plaything by Agarthans (hopefully she developped her racist tendencies after the experiments?) - and could see her as a victim.

On the other hand, she did start this war, and had more agency than expected given how she petitionned the CoS to war against the Agarthans who infiltrated her Empire - and yet, she still launched her attack on the monastery of her own free will.

Rhea is a compassionate person (Yuri still exists even after killing her knights!) so I think, with all things considered - Supreme Leader's status as a victim of Agarthans, Supreme Puppet and Lobotogard, but also, the war she declared and planned, sacking Garreg Mach, attacking the CoS both spiritually (the Southern Church thing was meant to be a direct "contradiction?" to what she preaches?) and martially, and MAGA > Peace - I'd say Rhea'd agree on not killing Supreme Leader, but at the only condition that she remains with the CoS, in something like her sentence will be to rebuild what she destroyed and mend the wounds she caused so that she might have a different outlook on Fodlan and its people (aka, not going all "i don't mind sacrificing them to reach my goals") when she will remember what she did/who she was, and/or will not become the same "tyrant" she was when she will "grow up" (mentally speaking?).

But that's at the only condition that she never gets to rule anything ever again or hold any kind of political power returning to Adrestia/Enbarr - if those conditions aren't met, she will be executed.

(and maybe to appease the people she's now supposed to work with, Rhea will lend her some old bottle of hairdye, maybe people will not see her as the former emperor who bled the continent for her whims, but as someone who is living a new life)

Rhea might thus "request custody" of Supreme Puppet and while the Kingdom might want her dead, the Church, as the main victim of the war, can have the last say (besides Dimitri might be relieved that Supreme Leader will not be executed), however, the Church asks to everyone present to tell their people that the "Supreme Leader who declared this war of unification died and is no more", maybe taking her crown and Aymr away, as proof she's "dead".

It sounds a bit too merciful coming from Rhea, when we see her in Tru Piss and with her history as Seiros the Warrior - but post!AG!Rhea imo is in a different mood, first of all, with Thales gone there are no people who will target Nabateans because of their race (so no genocide PTSD anymore?) and/or try to make new relics, and unlike the events of FE16, Rhea spent the last few years living with humans who demonstrated they could be trustworthy and actually helped her when she was in need (tfw Rhea doesn't know about Dimitro).

I can see her having more faith in humans and a future in Fodlan for everyone post!AG, as Dimitri and the Kingdom people seem to be trustworthy, than in FE16 when all of the events we play through in WC are basically triggering her genocide trauma (people hunting bones and crest stones, killing Jerry, turning her beloved wards in demonic beasts, some people targeting her for no plausible reason (unless the Western Church knew she had pointy ears?), Hresvelg becoming the new Nemesis, etc...)

That being said...

If Clout tries, during the epilogue, to take a shot at Rhea - when people are celebrating the end of the war - I cannot see things not turning sour for him.

Granted, if you want realism, Clout and GW cannot function because they expect the people involved to be completely stupid, but for this AU's sake, let's say Clout and Dimitro had their heart to heart in Zahrofl, he holds her at Failnaught range and demands her death/resignation/removal of her church.

If he shots and kills her (because Rhea would have dropped her guard, thinking she is surrounded by allies!), I cannot see anyone/anything preventing Claude from being dismembered/slaughtered in the seconds after Rhea's death - not even Dimitro because, hey, Clout said he will accept the consequences of his actions to "change" Fodlan, right? - by Church forces, Kingdom forces and, if we want to push the realism card, even Alliance forces (why the fuck did he do that? Maybe it's a weird doppelganger like those dark mages use! Or Erwin will behead him himself - sure this guy did that, but he doesn't represent the Alliance!).

In the chaos and confusion following Rhea's death, Supreme Leader is executed ("if she never started her war, nothing like this would have ever happened") and Fodlan is fucked when Sothis eventually pops up.

If Clout only holds Rhea at "Failnaught range" and she wonders wtf and asks him to explain - while the entire host of people from, again, the Kingdom, the CoS and KoS, the former BL and maybe some peeps from the GD and Leicester are there - Clout gives his bonker

"Who steals your freedom and gives you an endless list of duties and obligations simply because you have a Crest? Who forces you and your friends into a bunch of unwanted marriages and positions of power? The church even forbids any official contact with outside regions! Not exactly great for Faerghus, right? Being as close to Sreng and Albinea as you are."

reasons, Rhea's first reaction might be to crush him (because now she's on guard!) but if Dimitro says this is not a matter partaining to Faerghus and would rather stay aside (which would throw a wrench in Rhea's previous belief that humanity can be trusted again!) the CoS/Kos, Kingdom and Alliance people might just call crap and bullshit and debunk his baseless accusations (rekindling Rhea's faith in people and Fodlan?) from Annette telling him that they already trade with Albinea, Duscur generals and even Dedue telling him they witnessed the Church helping them regardless of their place of birth, Ingrid saying that her marriage to Glenn had not be organised or planned by the Church, but out of the affection they both had for each other and Ashe telling him those obligations and duties he seems to resent don't exist because he has a crest, but out of a genuine desire to help people.

Maybe we can add Judith wondering wtf is going on with Clout-boy, has he forgotten people get responsabilities and duties because they want them or because Nobility exists well beyond Fodlan's borders? "And I thought you had more common sense than this!"

A Goneril bannerman/loldier might add that the Archbishop asked them to treat Almyran as something else than nuisances and parasites when she came to visit and left with an Almyran kid in tow, but hey - they always attack them for no reason and create strife in Goneril for no reason, haven't they attacked just before the Academy closed?

Basically everyone debunking his claims, Clout realising that said claims were sprouted from his ass so he gets some tissue and wipes it clean.

Clout then relents (tfw no allies to support him) and the Alliance's roundtable finally vote to elect a branch member of the Riegan fam as head of the House - Clout leaves Failnaught and departs "somewhere far away".

(maybe he returns as Almyra's King later on, or as a crown prince, with a treaty/offer of peace, wishing for prosperity between the two lands).

-> all jokes aside and in a more serious setting, even with Dimitro not outwardly condemning him, Clout's course of action would be frowned upon by every party - Alliance included - and depending on his involvment, Dimitro himself might be challenged by his vassals/friends "Sure it's not about Faerghus' safety, but are we really going to let this guy target and ice and bring more chaos by eliminating our ally - who repaid our hospitality with kindness and supported our war efforts - when the Alliance refused to assist us when the Empire swore to Make Adrestia Great Again and warred against us?"

Granted, in this more serious setting, Dimitro doesn't exist because the plot doesn't bend backwards to accomodate Clout so...

Even if Clout doesn't try to ice Rhea asap and waits maybe 8 months after GM's recovery and the end of the war, I cannot see the Lords of the Alliance - when they can try to do "business as usual" with the former Adrestia lands - endorse a military campaing against the Church to, uh, decalcify Fodlan's current order to put YOLO in place. Clout suggesting this is basically handing to Erwin/anyone reason enough to depose him from his seat as Riegan's representative (the alliance has more to win with rebuilding Adrestia/Fodlan than to wage a pointless war that will alienate everyone and leave their backs open to an Almyran attack), and he either runs away to Almyra or dies in a pointless attempt to start a civil war/rebellion to garner troops to target the Church.

For sure this looks like an ideal "and everything ends good AU!" but in a more serious setting, where people have common sense and don't suddenly hold idiot plot balls to make sure Clout seems to have a point... his POV doesn't hold under scrutiny and no one can normally follow him, unless they have another agenda (Make Leicester Great Again?)

[loola-a]

saw @sainthermelin ‘s black eagles seating plan and loved it so much i was left with no choice but to make one for the ivory swans

[wispisstillverybored67]

give us all the Kronya headcanons

Oho? It's about time! Let's see...

She can be quite irreverent with others in TWSITD. Since she's well aware she's not well-regarded because she's not good at magic, the one person she seems to respect is Chilon. This irreverence among say, Solon or Thales, is reciprocated.

Those 3 tails on her outfit aren't part of her outfit, they're actually her tails. The disguise spell had a hard time replicating that as Monica, but there seem to be some tassels around her skirt that probably weren't there before...

Speaking of Monica, I always presumed that she was dead. The real Monica. Hearing that she was alive in Warriors made me think that she was killed in some timelines... like 3 Houses.

She's the type to remember the faces of her victims just so she can reminisce on the kills later on. Names, though? Why does she have to remember the names of beasts? Strangely, she seems fond of Monica??? Fondly reminiscing about hanging out with her????

Loves sweet and spicy food, hates fish with a passion.

Due to her height and personality, she's often mistaken for being younger then she actually is. She's been looking into something to make her taller once she gets back to Agartha. Call her short at your own risk.

Her lack of magic is a sour spot for her, and outwardly, she'll pretend that it's the weapon for weaklings, but in private, she's sometimes studying to improve. Now, if she became playable, would she have a flat weakness in both magic, or would Reason be a Budding Talent? Decisions, decisions...

You know the thing where someone will join the military to avoid jail time? That's Kronya, she got in trouble for petty crimes and joined those who slither in the dark to avoid punishment. You know she's 18? Unused stuff.

Due to her deep love for chaos and all things exciting, she would have really enjoyed the War Phase to the fullest, and was horrified and sincerely confused when her life ended before the good things happened.

[umbralstars]

Wip of my boy Temair and a battle he does not win ;-;

[lumeha]

In the end, too, another flaw of FE3H is that it isn't able to make itself stand without making the Agarthans so... wildly inhuman

Like how Kronya's heart not being a heart is just. Never explained. It's just there. Fuck you if you care I guess, but also, it's a detail, and it's another detail in a pile of detail that detach the Agarthans from their supposed humanity. Because that's... who they are supposed to be. The humans who got exiled underground by Sothis after destroying the Fodlan, leading her to take her deadly nap.

The worst part is... I kinda love the Agarthans ? I don't think they are really good as a story element, because their presence undermines a lot in terms of world building, but at the same time they are so stupid fun. I love the techno-magic, I love the dubstep, I love their fucking over the top dialogue. It's fun ! It's genuinely kind of dumb honestly ! I like Thales, he's an horrible man !

And it's ... They are supposed to be human. And frankly I think humans can be disgustingly evil the way the Agarthans are, sometimes. But... FE3H puts them in a position where they just don't look human.

I think the introduction of SF-like elements to FE is, genuinely, kinda cool ! But it just never goes beyond that, and beyond being kind of a weird crutch to Edelgard's story. Hm. Not quite that. But it's like they took inspiration from Arvis and Manfroy and missed what made it interesting ? without letting Arvis get away from his actions ? And in that case, Manfroy is not a weird underground guy whose heart is not a heart and whose appearance is almost undead-like (and also no shapeshifting plot).

Then again. As I said. I like Thales. I like Thales' design, in particular, I think he looks great, and he genuinely does have some really over the top, awful, horrible dialogue that I like because sometimes I want to see a terrible stain of a guy being terrible. But man. I think it kind of removes something from the story to have everything having to be linked back to him and his dubstep people. Makes it all feel kind of detached from what sounds like the main conflict is supposed to be about, when you think about it for too long.

[azelfandquilava]

(Art by @1017yanagi)

Unfun fact: The first time Cleobulus and Kronya interact is during Arlen's Forging Bond event in FEH. 3H writers were sleeping on them clearly.

[curse-d-owl]

Frankly i Wonder what edelgard would do had byleth not woken up

From what i got she didnt know where shambhalla was and the only way she figured It out is when the javelin of light is launched but that only happens due to byleth's interference in all routes

No byleth means no javelin wich means there is no way for her to wage War against the agarthans

The Agarthans would've led themselves to their own downfall one way or another considering how tactfully idiotic they are in both Houses and Hopes.

In cf they wasted their nukes on Arianrhod all because Edelgard hurt his feelings by killing Cornelia instead of using them when all of his enemies were gathered in Fhirdiad.

In Scarlet Blaze's final chapter they needlessly joined the fray when they could've let the empire and church wear eachother down and then swoop to try and beat worn down enemies.

And in Azure Gleam he didn't retreat when the kingdom saved Rhea ( who hasn't utilized her full strength ) and their combined effort of him and Edelgard were not able to beat Dimitri's army.

It's a miracle these idiots existed for so long considering how moronic they are.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Don't get me wrong, I like Three Houses, but the more time goes on, the more I realize how messy it is. It basically wanted to cash in on Persona's style of play and fell apart at the seams story-wise the longer you analyze it, nevermind how much of a slog replays for other routes are. If I rewrote it, it would go all in on the TWSITD conspiracy, making all branches connected to it. White Clouds would no longer be a full route split, it would just be a general thing with route split at the end with a simple choice and all the beginning seeds of the conspiracy laid out through plot for Blue Lions, Black Eagles and Golden Deer, allowing you to chase the leads as you pleased and clear data sending you back to that split. Rhea would be working with TWSITD with them preying upon her long-term grief, and her route would be as close to "golden" as you get, only unlocking once you do the other three and have knowledge from them to actually spot the larger conspiracy and alert Rhea to her being used by them to gain access to Crests. It would make much more sense of how she wields so much social, political and ACTUAL power and still has her school infested with them right under her nose, and allow a route still deeply tragic that allows you to have all three Houses work together against a centuries-long conspiracy and give Rhea a much less... Weird story where she seems to both be actually powerful but also an eternal victim and thus grant her more agency in her own story with the revelation that a promised Sothis revival was a lie. This would make the fact Rhea and TWSITD are both doing vaguely similar Crest experiments make sense IMO--they would have seemed genuinely apologetic of their past actions with it ALL being a lie, they just need access to those sweet, sweet Crests, and thus even Edelgard's route falls in line and makes complete sense why she's got such a personal grudge against the Church.

.

[cherrypikkins]

Here is my contribution to today's prompt from @fe-oc-week ! Oct 14 - Supports

with some more Kitt art and lore :3

cw body horror, death

I will also be linking some old support art soon :3

and once again for more lore, take a look below the cut!

The Burgess Family It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the family of Burgess arrived at Annwen, though in likelihood they appeared some time after the defeat of Nemesis, and well after Gwyn was laid to rest. Though they claimed to be a family of merchants, many suspected that they were refugees from remnant factions of the now dismantled Agarthan empire. Gwyn, the founder of the original city of Annwen, had been known to take in defectors of Agarthan origin. And so, in following the example of their departed hero, the people of Annwen accepted the merchant family into the fold, sheltering them from the Church of Seiros.

They settled in without trouble, bringing with them ancient artifacts stolen from the underground caches of their former civilization. These they offered up to the people of Annwen for safekeeping and communal use. Mostly, they included crafting implements that were used to forge armor, weave garments, and polish stones.

Among the artifacts was a curious knife, ordinary-looking in all appearances yet strangely versatile in various applications of craftsmanship. Villagers would often remark on how it would subtly change in appearance over time, but not in a way that signified normal wear and tear. There were times when it appeared to shift and transform before their very eyes, though many dismissed this as a trick of the light. Others believed that the knife was magical. But whenever the people of Annwen used it for their own purposes, there was never any trouble.

In any case, these artifacts enabled the people of Annwen to thrive independently, away from the Church and the Empire, as well as the Kingdom and the Alliance when they each formed years later. These contributions cemented the Burgess family's place in the village for ages thereafter, even enabling them to take on leadership and guidance roles within the village from time to time. Eventually, enough time passed such that not even their present day descendants could remember their Agarthan ancestry…

The Village at Lake Annwen - Part II Many followers of the Church of Seiros wondered why certain remote settlements were allowed to exist in Fodlan away from the enlightenment of Seiros' teachings. The village of Annwen, which Gwyn held sacred, was one such example before its destruction. In particular, Saint Cichol was known to forbid anyone from interfering with the affairs of the village by order of the Church. Even in recent years, Seteth has remained adamant on this stance. Only a handful of scholars and researchers have been allowed to visit on a provisional basis, on the condition that there was to be no proselytizing.

That was not to say that the people of Annwen did not pay respects to the Goddess - only that Seiros and the Four Saints were less prominent in their worship. Even the hero Gwyn, despite not trusting Seiros and her followers, had been known whisper prayers to the Goddess Sothis. And so, in following the example of their hero, the villagers of Annwen honored the Goddess in a manner wholly unique from the Central, Eastern, and Western Churches. For some reason, the Central Church has decided not to object to this, and allowed the people of Annwen to live peaceful lives of their own choosing. Such was the promise sworn by Saint Cichol to the hero Gwyn.

Perhaps this was one of the factors that led to its destruction, for it left the Church unaware and unable to intervene when mages from a more sinister faction began to make frequent visits, making their ill intentions known only once the people of Annwen were fully accustomed and trusting to their presence. Disguised as humble scholars, they were determined to retrieve the fabled Heart of Annwen for their own dark purposes. In a sudden and coordinated attack, they struck down any who dared stand in their way, burning the village to the ground in the process.

One can only imagine the wrath they would have faced if Gwyn were to witness the crimes inflicted upon their beloved village and its people. Perhaps this was why the survivors who managed to escape the initial attack decided with heavy hearts that the time had finally arrived to enact the Rite of Awakening, even at the cost of their own lives.

Though the Rite of Awakening was meant to revive Gwyn from their endless sleep, it is speculated that something more ancient and terrible was summoned forth instead. But what could have gone wrong? The only evidence is a peculiar knife that was found at the scene of the ritual. At first it was ordinary and innocuous in appearance. But once placed in Kitt's hands, it transformed into weapon resembling a Hero's Relic. As its power awakened, so did the rage and torment of the demonic creature whose bones and blood were used to forge it.

But as the legend goes, both hero and demon are one and the same - thus it can be argued that perhaps in some unrecognizable shape and form, Gwyn did return to life.

... A few months after Kitt was rescued by Seteth and Flayn, a handful of dark mages returned to the scene of Annwen's destruction to pick at the ruins, searching for clues on where a certain Crest Stone may be found. One by one they were hunted down and felled without mercy, while a scant few survivors fled back underground to tell the tale. How ironic that those who fancied themselves superior to gods and beasts alike would now flinch at having to contend with a ghost instead.

[fantasyinvader]

One of the thoughts that was bugging me last night was, well, Edelgard is supposed to be going down her path in order to create a world based on her ideals, correct? That the events around the experiments and the “truth” her father supposedly told her about Fodlan’s past (because, really, if she’s saying anything she can in order to sway Byleth to her side and is already omitting she knows her father was a puppet for the Agarthans who conducted the experiments and killed her siblings, that secret history becomes even more sketchy), leading her to becoming the Flame Emperor. However, according to Verdant Wind she was manipulated by the Agarthans into starting the war.

Hopes used Aymr as a symbol for Edelgard being their puppet in Azure Gleam, but the player can unlock it by recruiting Byleth and completing the extra chapter in Scarlet Blaze. Effectively, it’s saying that even in the “good” version of the route, where Edelgard and Claude remain allies who then go in to carve up the Kingdom between themselves, Edelgard was still the puppet of Thales even though he’s now dead alongside Rhea. But Edelgard doesn’t believe she’s doing this because of Agartha, she believes she’s doing this of her own volition. She believes she’s doing it for her ideals.

Aymr isn’t just a symbol of Agartha’s influence and control over her, it’s a symbol of her ideals.

From a FE perspective, this means that Byleth as a sword-user should defeat Edelgard, while Edelgard has a type advantage against Dimitri (never mind bows). Though the weapons triangle mechanic is absent, it can be replicated through skills. Dimitri can gain an advantage against Byleth, Byleth against Edelgard, Edelgard against Dimitri and Claude as the outsider. But it also makes more sense considering the Sword of the Creator’s original name, the Sword of the Heavenly Emperor. It invokes the Mandate of Heaven, which promotes ousting Edelgard because she falls under hadou while supporting leaders who embody oudou like Dimitri. Supporting Edelgard leads to Byleth no longer able to wield the sword.

The game’s opening animation also shows the SotC and Amyr specifically, indicating the difference between the two paths. Byleth’s path with the SotC and Nirvana, vs Edelgard’s animal path of Aymr and hadou. Liberation vs Servitude, does Byleth the Ashen Demon support the White One (The Japanese title for the Immaculate One) leading to endings framed with a white border, or does he support the leader of the Black Eagles and go to an ending with a black frame? Which path does the player choose? And considering the animal path symbolism says that Edelgard’s path is evil, the game really is that black and white.

We also know that Aymr has the Crest of the Beast in it, which if Hopes is any indication is used to turn her into the Hegemon Husk form. If Aymr is Edelgard’s ideals, representing her path as well as Agartha manipulating her, then Aymr is also about Edelgard losing her humanity and becoming a monster as well. Someone who would see countless people dead all in service to those ideals. Ideals that are Edelgard’s real master, and the only way to free her is to end her life.

[eisner-therapy-and-counseling]

I've been very bored at work so I've decided to take my two special interests and smash them together to make a set of custom Fe3h universes beyond commander decks.

The designs are definitely still a WIP, especially the number tuning, and the art is... borrowed from the now defunct FE Cipher card game.

These are the face commanders I've created for each deck, explanations for the cards and the concepts for the decks in the Read More.

Edelgard / Crimson Flower

The Black Eagle/Empire deck is the fastest of the four, and focuses on overwhelming opponents through sheer numbers. The deck will generate a lot of creature tokens and has a number of effects that buff your whole team or provide keywords to them. There will be touch of Aristocrats flavor representing the Agarthan influence on the Empire, though cards related to TWSITD will appear in most decks as there were no nations that escaped their meddling hands.

Edelgard herself is a tough creature that encourages you to go wide, and can bring in a some elite knights to instantly enable her second ability if she focuses all her energy on attacking. She can also support her troops from the back line and play defense, but is at her best playing aggressively. She wants to end the game quickly and efficiently to cause as few casualties as possible.

Dimitri / Azure Moon

The Blue Lions/Kingdom deck wants to bide its time until it can attack with one large creature, though it is not intended to be a voltron deck (focused on equipments/auras). There are also some Knight kindred elements meant to represent the Kingdom's culture of Chivalry, and a few cards that involve the monarchy meant to emphasize Dimitri reclaiming the throne once he comes to his senses. The Blue Lions deck is the second slowest of the four.

Dimitri himself is designed to evoke that very concept. When he enters, he must reclaim the throne before he can take his place as king. Once he does, his followers look on with pride (or perhaps exaltation), placing their faith in the nobles of the Kingdom.

Claude / Verdant Wind

The Golden Deer/Alliance deck understands that it must make use of every possible resource to ensure victory. The lands of the Alliance are smaller than those of the other factions, and as such they must rely on diplomacy and clever use of resources to find victory. The deck will produce a lot of different types of artifact tokens, and has a dash of board politics to keep its opponents mollified until it sneaks in a win. The Golden Deer deck is the second fastest of the four.

Claude is a man who understands diplomacy, but also the idea that, “It’s a win-win arrangement. I just happen to win the most.” (To quote the flavor text of Cut a Deal). He plays nice with your opponents by letting them draw cards, but gathers information on their plans to prepare for what's coming.

Rhea / Silver Snow

The Church of Seiros deck is the slowest of the four, and wants to control the flow of the game while it builds up to something big. To aid that, the deck will tax your opponents and encourage them to fight amongst themselves, while a small life gain subtheme will keep you sitting pretty until its time to deal with whoever is left. Like the Alliance deck, there is a dash of board politics meant to allow you to provide boons to those who take your... advice.

Rhea is meant to be relatively unassuming at first glance, but also to threaten your opponents with the knowledge that she could transform at any time. The Immaculate One by contrast is a major beater, and can swiftly end the game if your opponents aren't prepared for it. When Rhea dies as The Immaculate One, she returns in a weakened state, and will perish for good if she transforms again before she recovers.

(Also she doesn't have the flip symbols because the version of MSE I'm using doesn't have borderless flip cards as an option.)