Search

Search

[+] Advanced...

Author:

Region:

Sort:

«12. . .15161718192021. . .9697»

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Man, that's odd. No one drew that card for like a year and... ban! Three!

Oh yeah, AquilaJordyn and The Adrestian Empire
https://youtu.be/b6eAIEtsHHo

I'm assuming that is from a scene in my future I'll hate. Therefore, have a downvote.

The SS route makes me so lonely, ever so lonely! Lonely for ♬...purple eyed-girls!!!!!

...I literally miss her. I hate this route so much right now. A certain woman needs to do a lot to make me happy or I am so committing treason at my earliest convenience.

The only better thing about SS than CF so far is that your family loses all of their land in this scenario. That I like. I'm so glad her majesty took it all from you :)

AquilaJordyn wrote:I've been thinking of making my first Youtube video, and doing it on Fire Emblem.

I'm debating between:

A. Explaining the glories of Edelgard, and defending her against her detractors.

B. Ranking the characters. I might start with just the Black Eagles.

C. Doing a themed ASMR. Except if I were to do ASMR, I'd do it in the person of Edelgard, which is not going to work. I mean, I'm only a tenor, but I sound distinctly like a dude, as a dude... This is definitely the worst idea, but I just want more roleplay opportunities.

For some reason, and I don't know if this is something true for Dimitri and Claude as well, Edelgard has a group of fans who truly hate her, and think she's detestable.

I know the reasons why, but they seem contrived. When I'm on Edelgard fan pages, I notice people discussing it a little. They want someone to present a defense of her. I could discuss why common objections to her are confused, examine her intentions, and then go into why I think she is awesome.

Speaking of rankings, since you brought it up, I'm starting to think you were right about Linhardt's utility in battle.

I usually appreciate keeping a healer around, but honestly, Dorothea is superior. Her range of attack is enormous, and she can heal too. I needed a healer in my first playthrough but now, I'm at the point where most of the time, he has no one who really needs to be healed.

That might just be due to the fact I need to increase the difficulty level. I still am wholly against perma-death in RPG's...or any game, but I would enjoy it if this was slightly harder.

I don't think a lot of people recognize that Edelgard really doesn't have a choice in starting the war. What are her choices? She could start the war, rally her people around her, and hopefully, defeat the powerful Church and uproot the nobility and Crest system (which as I've previously established is unjust, deeply engrained, and not going to easily be reformed) with the help of the powerful Agarthans. Or, she could make herself enemies of the Agarthans by not going to war on the church. The absolute best case scenario I see in that instance is that she gains to the loyalty of the Church and other countries, and they work together to "defeat" the Agarthans and the corruption that they are behind, while the Church Crest System and nobility continue on with no incentive to reform. Edelgard is reliant on the Nobility and Church to rule, and little changes for better or worse. Most likely, the Agarthans, frustrated with their weapon's insubordination, deposes her somehow, and try to seize control against the Church by sowing dissent conflict, as Adrestia would likely be thrown into chaos following Edelgard's removal from power. In this, there is no incentive to improve, Dimitri never ascends the throne, and Claude ____ ______ __ _ ____ ____ ___ ____ ____ __ ______. (redacted for Aquila's sake, knowing you're going to read this) Nothing improves, just violence and destruction while people rally around the Church and the institutions of Fodlan. That's what they want, to cause chaos and violence, and there's no way around it. The idea that there is some happy middle ground where the three house leaders and Rhea just kinda... get along, get rid of crests, and work together to defeat the slithery boys such as what you see in the Side Story is ridiculously unrealistic, if you think about the political forces that are pulling them apart. It's like the French Revolution, or, in a certain way, the Protestant Reformation. Regardless of the details of how things transpired, the fact was that the institutions that dominated Europe, Absolute Monarchy + nobility and the Catholic Church, had major issues, and would never have any sort of incentive to change at all had those events hadn't taken place, regardless of how bloody and destructive had ended up being. Without Edelgard or someone like her calling out the system for the issues that it had, nothing would have ever gotten better, and the other routes wouldn't have had any excuse to unite Fodlan under one central authority. Edelgard's solution is far from perfect, and I am willing to entertain arguments that the means and outcomes of other routes would be better for Fodlan (although I am doubtful) However, it is completely unfair to criticize Edelgard for the course of action she takes with a few glaring exceptions. Hiring Kostas to attack her Dimitri and Claude, only to almost die herself in the battle is probably the most nonsensically stupid thing anyone does in this game and seriously bothers me). It's sad, but she really doesn't have any choice in the matter, she has to make use of the powerful, yet tragic circumstances she finds herself in to do the best thing she can.

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:
I don't think a lot of people recognize that Edelgard really doesn't have a choice in starting the war. What are her choices? She could start the war, rally her people around her, and hopefully, defeat the powerful Church and uproot the nobility and Crest system (which as I've previously established is unjust, deeply engrained, and not going to easily be reformed) with the help of the powerful Agarthans. Or, she could make herself enemies of the Agarthans by not going to war on the church. The absolute best case scenario I see in that instance is that she gains to the loyalty of the Church and other countries, and they work together to "defeat" the Agarthans and the corruption that they are behind, while the Church Crest System and nobility continue on with no incentive to reform. Edelgard is reliant on the Nobility and Church to rule, and little changes for better or worse. Most likely, the Agarthans, frustrated with their weapon's insubordination, deposes her somehow, and try to seize control against the Church by sowing dissent conflict, as Adrestia would likely be thrown into chaos following Edelgard's removal from power. In this, there is no incentive to improve, Dimitri never ascends the throne, and Claude ____ ______ __ _ ____ ____ ___ ____ ____ __ ______. (redacted for Aquila's sake, knowing you're going to read this) Nothing improves, just violence and destruction while people rally around the Church and the institutions of Fodlan. That's what they want, to cause chaos and violence, and there's no way around it. The idea that there is some happy middle ground where the three house leaders and Rhea just kinda... get along, get rid of crests, and work together to defeat the slithery boys such as what you see in the Side Story is ridiculously unrealistic, if you think about the political forces that are pulling them apart. It's like the French Revolution, or, in a certain way, the Protestant Reformation. Regardless of the details of how things transpired, the fact was that the institutions that dominated Europe, Absolute Monarchy + nobility and the Catholic Church, had major issues, and would never have any sort of incentive to change at all had those events hadn't taken place, regardless of how bloody and destructive had ended up being. Without Edelgard or someone like her calling out the system for the issues that it had, nothing would have ever gotten better, and the other routes wouldn't have had any excuse to unite Fodlan under one central authority. Edelgard's solution is far from perfect, and I am willing to entertain arguments that the means and outcomes of other routes would be better for Fodlan (although I am doubtful) However, it is completely unfair to criticize Edelgard for the course of action she takes with a few glaring exceptions. Hiring Kostas to attack her Dimitri and Claude, only to almost die herself in the battle is probably the most nonsensically stupid thing anyone does in this game and seriously bothers me). It's sad, but she really doesn't have any choice in the matter, she has to make use of the powerful, yet tragic circumstances she finds herself in to do the best thing she can.

I'm inclined to agree, but I need to see the other routes first before concluding that.

Like I said, for her bloody path to be justifiable, it needs to be necessary.

She's blamed for starting the war by Rhea and Dimitri, but if she had no choice, and was the only one with the gall to do it, then she's more heroic than villainous.

War, in my brain, can be justified. I'm not a pacifist, starting a war against an injust enemy is a good thing, not a bad thing, even if you break the peace.

There is this theorem, by the philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas. I'd read it if you're interested in the ethics of war.

He posits, war can be justified, but certain qualifiers need to be met. This is a reductionist explanation, but basically, Edelgard needs:

1. A just cause.

2. A just means.

3. A just end.

All that really means is she needs to be waging war for the right reason, has to conduct it properly (Limit civilian deaths at all chances, don't commit war crimes.), and it means her world she seeks to create is a better outcome, which, importantly, she's actually capable of achieving.

I think, based on how well she does in SS even without Byleth, she is actually capable. The problem is Byleth sides against her in that scenario. She also has a just cause, though you could question her more if the Church is really of grave importance. The weakest plank for El is the means I think. She does avoid civilian deaths, but she does work with TWSITD. As their ally, she isn't directly responsible for their war crimes, but she tolerates them. Now, she does plan to deal with them, so I think you could still justify her war, but that is still a problem I think.

As for Kostas...

I was confused about that at first, because it seemed to be the game was saying she caused it, but it made no sense.

I have two theories:

1. She told Kostas to only attack them, to take out her opponents. She intended to make sure the Alliance and Kingdom lords loyal to her would quickly side with her, and swiftly end the war. She was trying to stop greater bloodshed, but it failed, because Kostas is that much of an idiot. The Flame Emperor certainly was pissed at him. I think Kostas charged blindly at her. Maybe he only knew the Flame Emperor, not Edelgard. Now, maybe that is stupid. But it's possible he was told not to attack the Princess, and Kostas, being some random bandit, didn't know. Possibly, he just thought Edelgard was another noble brat, and didn't care. He thought his employer would not find out. It seems to me that the Flame Emperor is the one who hired him.

2. Crazier theory. People go on in the game about how Hubert and Edelgard seem to always be one step ahead of everyone, and in SS, the Church seems far less capable than the Empire, and so do the Kingdom and Alliance. We also know Hubert has spies.

Wild idea:

Hubert knew about Byleth.

Not everything, obviously. But Jeralt was reasonably famous, and they may have wanted to employ Jeralt at the least. As he researches, he finds out about this 'Ashen Demon" son of his, who appears to be as strong as Jeralt.

Edelgard quickly after the battle offers him a position in her army before Dimitri or Claude gets a chance. They all ask, but she asks first. Maybe that is owing just to Edelgard's nature as a commanding person who takes initiative.

However.

I also ponder if it is possible that either A. somehow, they knew in advance Jeralt and Byleth were nearby and planned this all out to be a staged attack and test Byleth.

B. They didn't know they were here, and only planned to kill Claude and Dimitri. But later, when Hubert finds out, they change tactics a bit.

Either way, they want Kostas to attack her, because they want to test Byleth.

Now, Edelgard is surprised when he does. She's unprepared. So maybe he went too far, and she wasn't ready to block it if she needed to.

So then Byleth actually saves her.

Either that or it was truly staged, and El is just a fantastic actress.

I am thinking, according to this idea, Edelgard wanted to, from the start, get Byleth close to her. She wanted him to save her, as if they have some connection.

I'd like the idea she was impressed, and quickly admired him for it, but perhaps, just perhaps, she wanted Kostas to do that.

Honestly, even if that is a ridiculous idea, I don't think it was stupid. You could say it was stupid to trust Kostas. But Edelgard is willing to try anything to avoid all of the bloodshed. She mentions, much later, during the war, how she mourns the bloodshed or something, but few others see it how she does. I think she felt from the start if there is a war, it will be bloody, and she hates that. So she'd risk her own life to make sure it isn't.

It fails, but she tried to wrap things up quickly.

Also, yes, I am hating SS so much right now, mostly because of Edelgard and Hubert's conversations later in battle and at the reunion with Byleth, but also, because of this:

So far, all that is changed is Edelgard has to get past her feelings for Byleth.

The Church is still totally unforgiving and in the battle of Garreg Mach, who seriously screwed the place up more? Rhea smashed some buildings. I get the Imperial army invaded, but the only people launching fire attacks here seem to be the Church. I'm taking a wild guess El does something crazy later on, but right off the bat, their side bothers me less both in their perspective and in their means of waging war. I suppose everyone, not just Rhea, is stubborn in this game. El, Dimitri, and Rhea are pretty equally stubborn. Claude, I'm not sure about yet.

But really, other than telling me we're family, and I'm related to Sothis, I don't know what reason I'd join the Church. So I'm in charge. That's cool, but unless Byleth has some way to deal with all of Fodlan's issues from within an entrenched system, I have to doubt if that really matters for the continent.

I think Byleth and El, together, could accomplish more, but whatever.

I don't like comparisons to El with Martin Luther. Primarily being that the actual issues within the Catholic Church at that time were reformed, by peaceful means, without a total 'war' on the Church, via Church reformers.

People like Flayn, Byleth, and Seteth within the Church fixed it, not Martin Luther.

It makes El seem like some angry monk with a vendetta who doesn't know half of what she's talking about.

But I think she does know, and the system she is fighting is more difficult to reform peacefully. The crests complicate everything. As long they exist, Fodlan will stay the same.

The Catholic Church took too long to fix itself, because of stubborn, corrupt people. When those stubborn people died, it fixed itself. Luther was not alone, people faithful to the Church, like Erasmus, realized just as much as him the need for reforms. The difference was that Luther was an idiot who didn't understand basic fundamentals of the Christian faith he rejected, and history. He accused the Church of alot that just wasn't true in regards to its origins and intentions.

I think it would be odd to call her a Saint Francis of Assisi type, since he was faithful to the Church, and made his reforms peacefully without direct engagement.

Honestly, considering the landed power of the Church of Seiros, and how the Church acts more like a political power than a religious one, I am inclined to think she's more like a revolutionary in France. I think she is better than Robespierre, but she certainly wants to destroy the status quo system. That system did involve corrupt Bishops, but her attack is on the whole status quo system, not just the Church. She attacks the political system as well.

Also, Luther just went and founded his own religion. She has more in common with the French secularists in mind.

Also, I hold her in higher regard than Luther, and I like to think of her, in real life, as a French revolutionary liberal/humanist than as Martin Luther.

I also just don't like Martin Luther, and she is about as angry at the Church as Luther was... but I think since her movement is secular, the revolutionary comparison is more apt.

...just like the French revolution, the end result was an Emperor. She's Napoleon.

I don't disagree with you about her needing to make this choice, I'm just attempting to stay unsure until I see how the other routes end up.

AquilaJordyn wrote:I don't like this new Adrestia :( Listen if you want to RP Rhea and I RP Edelgard we will go at it you false pretender.

Edit, after chapter two (I guess I'm just going to share my thoughts as they happen.

Ughhhh. She let her Uncle throw me off a cliff and I'm still on El's side.

Then, on the day before the Millenium festival, all of your students show up because they remembered.

But El was there first, and comments on how you won't come.

But you do.

You all have your reunion.

But Hubie and El can't be there.

I swear, if my fan theory that both Black Eagle routes could literally be defined as a choice between believing or disbelieving in Edelgard, I am going to come out hating this route.

Also, screw you Seteth. No, I don't want to kill my student. El, right up to this point, continues to try to recruit you, and would do anything to convince you. But Rhea, in crimson flower, calls you trash immediately.

I swear, Rhea needs to have some revelation of monumental proportions if she wants to convince me not to hate her. El's actions in this route so far make me love her even more. If she can't, I think I will feel the need to write my own manifesto.

The fact El loses faith in you, in the Goddess tower breaks my heart. "Our goals will never cross."

I think I need to have a flashback chapter over that, where Byleth is having a nightmare. If Byleth is going to really love El, he should know what he missed out on in someway.

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Woah there! But yeah, the Goddess saves. (maddening games with that divine pulse)

Apologies, not sure what got into me there.

Indeed. It can be difficult not to get cynical. If it helps, consider Edelgard a manipulative warmonger who has lost perspective, respect and reason. Of course, she does not, but that is the perspective of the church. There is an argument to be made that Edelgard's disregard for law and order undermine her own ambitions collaboration with those who slither in the dark inexorably ties her to their actions, although I personally disagree.
The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Man, that's odd. No one drew that card for like a year and... ban! Three!

Oh yeah, AquilaJordyn and The Adrestian Empire
https://youtu.be/b6eAIEtsHHo

Fool! He has ferded us!

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:
I don't think a lot of people recognize that Edelgard really doesn't have a choice in starting the war. What are her choices? She could start the war, rally her people around her, and hopefully, defeat the powerful Church and uproot the nobility and Crest system (which as I've previously established is unjust, deeply engrained, and not going to easily be reformed) with the help of the powerful Agarthans. Or, she could make herself enemies of the Agarthans by not going to war on the church. The absolute best case scenario I see in that instance is that she gains to the loyalty of the Church and other countries, and they work together to "defeat" the Agarthans and the corruption that they are behind, while the Church Crest System and nobility continue on with no incentive to reform. Edelgard is reliant on the Nobility and Church to rule, and little changes for better or worse. Most likely, the Agarthans, frustrated with their weapon's insubordination, deposes her somehow, and try to seize control against the Church by sowing dissent conflict, as Adrestia would likely be thrown into chaos following Edelgard's removal from power. In this, there is no incentive to improve, Dimitri never ascends the throne, and Claude ____ ______ __ _ ____ ____ ___ ____ ____ __ ______. (redacted for Aquila's sake, knowing you're going to read this) Nothing improves, just violence and destruction while people rally around the Church and the institutions of Fodlan. That's what they want, to cause chaos and violence, and there's no way around it. The idea that there is some happy middle ground where the three house leaders and Rhea just kinda... get along, get rid of crests, and work together to defeat the slithery boys such as what you see in the Side Story is ridiculously unrealistic, if you think about the political forces that are pulling them apart. It's like the French Revolution, or, in a certain way, the Protestant Reformation. Regardless of the details of how things transpired, the fact was that the institutions that dominated Europe, Absolute Monarchy + nobility and the Catholic Church, had major issues, and would never have any sort of incentive to change at all had those events hadn't taken place, regardless of how bloody and destructive had ended up being. Without Edelgard or someone like her calling out the system for the issues that it had, nothing would have ever gotten better, and the other routes wouldn't have had any excuse to unite Fodlan under one central authority. Edelgard's solution is far from perfect, and I am willing to entertain arguments that the means and outcomes of other routes would be better for Fodlan (although I am doubtful) However, it is completely unfair to criticize Edelgard for the course of action she takes with a few glaring exceptions. Hiring Kostas to attack her Dimitri and Claude, only to almost die herself in the battle is probably the most nonsensically stupid thing anyone does in this game and seriously bothers me). It's sad, but she really doesn't have any choice in the matter, she has to make use of the powerful, yet tragic circumstances she finds herself in to do the best thing she can.

AquilaJordyn wrote:

I'm inclined to agree, but I need to see the other routes first before concluding that.

Like I said, for her bloody path to be justifiable, it needs to be necessary.

She's blamed for starting the war by Rhea and Dimitri, but if she had no choice, and was the only one with the gall to do it, then she's more heroic than villainous.

War, in my brain, can be justified. I'm not a pacifist, starting a war against an injust enemy is a good thing, not a bad thing, even if you break the peace.

There is this theorem, by the philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas. I'd read it if you're interested in the ethics of war.

He posits, war can be justified, but certain qualifiers need to be met. This is a reductionist explanation, but basically, Edelgard needs:

1. A just cause.

2. A just means.

3. A just end.

All that really means is she needs to be waging war for the right reason, has to conduct it properly (Limit civilian deaths at all chances, don't commit war crimes.), and it means her world she seeks to create is a better outcome, which, importantly, she's actually capable of achieving.

I think, based on how well she does in SS even without Byleth, she is actually capable. The problem is Byleth sides against her in that scenario. She also has a just cause, though you could question her more if the Church is really of grave importance. The weakest plank for El is the means I think. She does avoid civilian deaths, but she does work with TWSITD. As their ally, she isn't directly responsible for their war crimes, but she tolerates them. Now, she does plan to deal with them, so I think you could still justify her war, but that is still a problem I think.

As for Kostas...

I was confused about that at first, because it seemed to be the game was saying she caused it, but it made no sense.

I have two theories:

1. She told Kostas to only attack them, to take out her opponents. She intended to make sure the Alliance and Kingdom lords loyal to her would quickly side with her, and swiftly end the war. She was trying to stop greater bloodshed, but it failed, because Kostas is that much of an idiot. The Flame Emperor certainly was pissed at him. I think Kostas charged blindly at her. Maybe he only knew the Flame Emperor, not Edelgard. Now, maybe that is stupid. But it's possible he was told not to attack the Princess, and Kostas, being some random bandit, didn't know. Possibly, he just thought Edelgard was another noble brat, and didn't care. He thought his employer would not find out. It seems to me that the Flame Emperor is the one who hired him.

2. Crazier theory. People go on in the game about how Hubert and Edelgard seem to always be one step ahead of everyone, and in SS, the Church seems far less capable than the Empire, and so do the Kingdom and Alliance. We also know Hubert has spies.

Wild idea:

Hubert knew about Byleth.

Not everything, obviously. But Jeralt was reasonably famous, and they may have wanted to employ Jeralt at the least. As he researches, he finds out about this 'Ashen Demon" son of his, who appears to be as strong as Jeralt.

Edelgard quickly after the battle offers him a position in her army before Dimitri or Claude gets a chance. They all ask, but she asks first. Maybe that is owing just to Edelgard's nature as a commanding person who takes initiative.

However.

I also ponder if it is possible that either A. somehow, they knew in advance Jeralt and Byleth were nearby and planned this all out to be a staged attack and test Byleth.

B. They didn't know they were here, and only planned to kill Claude and Dimitri. But later, when Hubert finds out, they change tactics a bit.

Either way, they want Kostas to attack her, because they want to test Byleth.

Now, Edelgard is surprised when he does. She's unprepared. So maybe he went too far, and she wasn't ready to block it if she needed to.

So then Byleth actually saves her.

Either that or it was truly staged, and El is just a fantastic actress.

I am thinking, according to this idea, Edelgard wanted to, from the start, get Byleth close to her. She wanted him to save her, as if they have some connection.

I'd like the idea she was impressed, and quickly admired him for it, but perhaps, just perhaps, she wanted Kostas to do that.

Honestly, even if that is a ridiculous idea, I don't think it was stupid. You could say it was stupid to trust Kostas. But Edelgard is willing to try anything to avoid all of the bloodshed. She mentions, much later, during the war, how she mourns the bloodshed or something, but few others see it how she does. I think she felt from the start if there is a war, it will be bloody, and she hates that. So she'd risk her own life to make sure it isn't.

It fails, but she tried to wrap things up quickly.

Also, yes, I am hating SS so much right now, mostly because of Edelgard and Hubert's conversations later in battle and at the reunion with Byleth, but also, because of this:

So far, all that is changed is Edelgard has to get past her feelings for Byleth.

The Church is still totally unforgiving and in the battle of Garreg Mach, who seriously screwed the place up more? Rhea smashed some buildings. I get the Imperial army invaded, but the only people launching fire attacks here seem to be the Church. I'm taking a wild guess El does something crazy later on, but right off the bat, their side bothers me less both in their perspective and in their means of waging war. I suppose everyone, not just Rhea, is stubborn in this game. El, Dimitri, and Rhea are pretty equally stubborn. Claude, I'm not sure about yet.

But really, other than telling me we're family, and I'm related to Sothis, I don't know what reason I'd join the Church. So I'm in charge. That's cool, but unless Byleth has some way to deal with all of Fodlan's issues from within an entrenched system, I have to doubt if that really matters for the continent.

I think Byleth and El, together, could accomplish more, but whatever.

I don't like comparisons to El with Martin Luther. Primarily being that the actual issues within the Catholic Church at that time were reformed, by peaceful means, without a total 'war' on the Church, via Church reformers.

People like Flayn, Byleth, and Seteth within the Church fixed it, not Martin Luther.

It makes El seem like some angry monk with a vendetta who doesn't know half of what she's talking about.

But I think she does know, and the system she is fighting is more difficult to reform peacefully. The crests complicate everything. As long they exist, Fodlan will stay the same.

The Catholic Church took too long to fix itself, because of stubborn, corrupt people. When those stubborn people died, it fixed itself. Luther was not alone, people faithful to the Church, like Erasmus, realized just as much as him the need for reforms. The difference was that Luther was an idiot who didn't understand basic fundamentals of the Christian faith he rejected, and history. He accused the Church of alot that just wasn't true in regards to its origins and intentions.

I think it would be odd to call her a Saint Francis of Assisi type, since he was faithful to the Church, and made his reforms peacefully without direct engagement.

Honestly, considering the landed power of the Church of Seiros, and how the Church acts more like a political power than a religious one, I am inclined to think she's more like a revolutionary in France. I think she is better than Robespierre, but she certainly wants to destroy the status quo system. That system did involve corrupt Bishops, but her attack is on the whole status quo system, not just the Church. She attacks the political system as well.

Also, Luther just went and founded his own religion. She has more in common with the French secularists in mind.

Also, I hold her in higher regard than Luther, and I like to think of her, in real life, as a French revolutionary liberal/humanist than as Martin Luther.

I also just don't like Martin Luther, and she is about as angry at the Church as Luther was... but I think since her movement is secular, the revolutionary comparison is more apt.

...just like the French revolution, the end result was an Emperor. She's Napoleon.

I don't disagree with you about her needing to make this choice, I'm just attempting to stay unsure until I see how the other routes end up.

I wrote a substantial response to these posts, but alas... I lost it to unreliable internet, so forgive me if I do not wish to reiterate my thoughts. In short, Aegir, I agree, and Aquila, we're missing something with the Kostas story, and yes, draw your own conclusions.

Post by The Noble State of Aegir suppressed by The Adrestian Empire.

AquilaJordyn wrote:

I'm inclined to agree, but I need to see the other routes first before concluding that.

Like I said, for her bloody path to be justifiable, it needs to be necessary.

She's blamed for starting the war by Rhea and Dimitri, but if she had no choice, and was the only one with the gall to do it, then she's more heroic than villainous.

War, in my brain, can be justified. I'm not a pacifist, starting a war against an injust enemy is a good thing, not a bad thing, even if you break the peace.

There is this theorem, by the philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas. I'd read it if you're interested in the ethics of war.

He posits, war can be justified, but certain qualifiers need to be met. This is a reductionist explanation, but basically, Edelgard needs:

1. A just cause.

2. A just means.

3. A just end.

All that really means is she needs to be waging war for the right reason, has to conduct it properly (Limit civilian deaths at all chances, don't commit war crimes.), and it means her world she seeks to create is a better outcome, which, importantly, she's actually capable of achieving.

I think, based on how well she does in SS even without Byleth, she is actually capable. The problem is Byleth sides against her in that scenario. She also has a just cause, though you could question her more if the Church is really of grave importance. The weakest plank for El is the means I think. She does avoid civilian deaths, but she does work with TWSITD. As their ally, she isn't directly responsible for their war crimes, but she tolerates them. Now, she does plan to deal with them, so I think you could still justify her war, but that is still a problem I think.

As for Kostas...

I was confused about that at first, because it seemed to be the game was saying she caused it, but it made no sense.

I have two theories:

1. She told Kostas to only attack them, to take out her opponents. She intended to make sure the Alliance and Kingdom lords loyal to her would quickly side with her, and swiftly end the war. She was trying to stop greater bloodshed, but it failed, because Kostas is that much of an idiot. The Flame Emperor certainly was pissed at him. I think Kostas charged blindly at her. Maybe he only knew the Flame Emperor, not Edelgard. Now, maybe that is stupid. But it's possible he was told not to attack the Princess, and Kostas, being some random bandit, didn't know. Possibly, he just thought Edelgard was another noble brat, and didn't care. He thought his employer would not find out. It seems to me that the Flame Emperor is the one who hired him.

2. Crazier theory. People go on in the game about how Hubert and Edelgard seem to always be one step ahead of everyone, and in SS, the Church seems far less capable than the Empire, and so do the Kingdom and Alliance. We also know Hubert has spies.

Wild idea:

Hubert knew about Byleth.

Not everything, obviously. But Jeralt was reasonably famous, and they may have wanted to employ Jeralt at the least. As he researches, he finds out about this 'Ashen Demon" son of his, who appears to be as strong as Jeralt.

Edelgard quickly after the battle offers him a position in her army before Dimitri or Claude gets a chance. They all ask, but she asks first. Maybe that is owing just to Edelgard's nature as a commanding person who takes initiative.

However.

I also ponder if it is possible that either A. somehow, they knew in advance Jeralt and Byleth were nearby and planned this all out to be a staged attack and test Byleth.

B. They didn't know they were here, and only planned to kill Claude and Dimitri. But later, when Hubert finds out, they change tactics a bit.

Either way, they want Kostas to attack her, because they want to test Byleth.

Now, Edelgard is surprised when he does. She's unprepared. So maybe he went too far, and she wasn't ready to block it if she needed to.

So then Byleth actually saves her.

Either that or it was truly staged, and El is just a fantastic actress.

I am thinking, according to this idea, Edelgard wanted to, from the start, get Byleth close to her. She wanted him to save her, as if they have some connection.

I'd like the idea she was impressed, and quickly admired him for it, but perhaps, just perhaps, she wanted Kostas to do that.

Honestly, even if that is a ridiculous idea, I don't think it was stupid. You could say it was stupid to trust Kostas. But Edelgard is willing to try anything to avoid all of the bloodshed. She mentions, much later, during the war, how she mourns the bloodshed or something, but few others see it how she does. I think she felt from the start if there is a war, it will be bloody, and she hates that. So she'd risk her own life to make sure it isn't.

It fails, but she tried to wrap things up quickly.

Also, yes, I am hating SS so much right now, mostly because of Edelgard and Hubert's conversations later in battle and at the reunion with Byleth, but also, because of this:

So far, all that is changed is Edelgard has to get past her feelings for Byleth.

The Church is still totally unforgiving and in the battle of Garreg Mach, who seriously screwed the place up more? Rhea smashed some buildings. I get the Imperial army invaded, but the only people launching fire attacks here seem to be the Church. I'm taking a wild guess El does something crazy later on, but right off the bat, their side bothers me less both in their perspective and in their means of waging war. I suppose everyone, not just Rhea, is stubborn in this game. El, Dimitri, and Rhea are pretty equally stubborn. Claude, I'm not sure about yet.

But really, other than telling me we're family, and I'm related to Sothis, I don't know what reason I'd join the Church. So I'm in charge. That's cool, but unless Byleth has some way to deal with all of Fodlan's issues from within an entrenched system, I have to doubt if that really matters for the continent.

I think Byleth and El, together, could accomplish more, but whatever.

I don't like comparisons to El with Martin Luther. Primarily being that the actual issues within the Catholic Church at that time were reformed, by peaceful means, without a total 'war' on the Church, via Church reformers.

People like Flayn, Byleth, and Seteth within the Church fixed it, not Martin Luther.

It makes El seem like some angry monk with a vendetta who doesn't know half of what she's talking about.

But I think she does know, and the system she is fighting is more difficult to reform peacefully. The crests complicate everything. As long they exist, Fodlan will stay the same.

The Catholic Church took too long to fix itself, because of stubborn, corrupt people. When those stubborn people died, it fixed itself. Luther was not alone, people faithful to the Church, like Erasmus, realized just as much as him the need for reforms. The difference was that Luther was an idiot who didn't understand basic fundamentals of the Christian faith he rejected, and history. He accused the Church of alot that just wasn't true in regards to its origins and intentions.

I think it would be odd to call her a Saint Francis of Assisi type, since he was faithful to the Church, and made his reforms peacefully without direct engagement.

Honestly, considering the landed power of the Church of Seiros, and how the Church acts more like a political power than a religious one, I am inclined to think she's more like a revolutionary in France. I think she is better than Robespierre, but she certainly wants to destroy the status quo system. That system did involve corrupt Bishops, but her attack is on the whole status quo system, not just the Church. She attacks the political system as well.

Also, Luther just went and founded his own religion. She has more in common with the French secularists in mind.

Also, I hold her in higher regard than Luther, and I like to think of her, in real life, as a French revolutionary liberal/humanist than as Martin Luther.

I also just don't like Martin Luther, and she is about as angry at the Church as Luther was... but I think since her movement is secular, the revolutionary comparison is more apt.

...just like the French revolution, the end result was an Emperor. She's Napoleon.

I don't disagree with you about her needing to make this choice, I'm just attempting to stay unsure until I see how the other routes end up.

[spoiler]War crimes? I'll let you judge her on that.

However, I'm not sold on your explanation for Kostas. You are correct in thinking that "the flame emperor" hired Kostas, without informing him about Edelgard's special status. Your Hubert take is uncharacteristically cavalier for Hubert, and has some troublesome implications. Based on the way she attaches herself to Byleth after, either she is a compulsive liar and extremely manipulative or she is being genuine. No matter how you slice it, putting yourself in that sort of danger implies either foolish confidence, a plan gone wrong, or a grave miscalculation of the circumstances. I agree with Adrestia that there must be another factor at play, but the game completely fails to provide it, at least to my knowledge, requiring some crazy mental gymnastics to make up for the plot hole.

I knew you would have a lot to say about the reformation. at no point did I ever compare Edelgard to Martin Luther or her ambitions to the reformation, such a comparison would obviously fall flat. But, the fact is that the Catholic Church had major issues, but if the reformation hadn't lit a fire under the feet of a religion that had essentially been the only game in town (western and central europe) for almost 1000 years would the corrupt aspects have any real motivation to reform? I doubt it. This is very much comparable to the French Revolution as a necessary but dangerous and disruptive act that forced an established system to reform, and Edelgard herself to Napoleon, albeit with a number of crucial distinctions between the two.

I'm not going to quote Aegir, because your spoiler is broken.

Eh.

Manipulative suggests she is just doing it in order to get close to Byleth. I've thought about whether or not all of Edelgards action, from start to finish, could be seen as a matter of her trying to secure Byleth. Except really, because he is so important to every side, the same goes for everyone. Edelgard would just be the most proactive. But I don't think that is the case throughout, because she risks alot to try to be honest with him as time goes on. All of her actions aren't pragmatic in regards to how she treats him.

There is real love and admiration there.

My fan theory was rather wild, It would require more evidence.

The Flame Emperor admits hiring him was a mistake. The idea, of taking out your opponents is intelligent. Especially since we know Edelgard has been planning this war since she was probably six.

I think it is an example of the wrong agent used.

Maybe it would be against Hubert's nature to put her in danger. I just ponder if they knew about Byleth. I suppose Jeralt made a point to hide his existence.

You compared what she is doing to the reformation. Luther is the poster-child of the reformation. It doesn't matter. Zwingli, Calvin, pick one. They represented the same cause.

Disagree, that misunderstands how the Catholic faith works and what actually happened.

1. The Catholic Church had, and has continued to hold, various Councils where Bishops meet and discuss, and end up with needed reforms.

At the most recent, Vatican II, the Catholic Church, spurred on by no one but itself, was ahead of the world in terms of defining its respect, love, and tolerance for people of other religions, and made outreach to secular, modern society. That was its own decision, not forced on itself. The Catholic Church, seventy years ago took the initiative to establish religious tolerance and more than that, interfaith recognition of goodness, at a time when most Christians still thought Muslims were automatically hellbound. The Council of Trent, which responded to Luther, occurred decades after he died. The Catholic Church did not respond because it felt threatened by Luther. A threatened entity responds quickly. Instead, it took its time. It was not Luther who convinced the Bishops, but faithful Catholic reformers. He was invited to participate to speak before the Church in Rome, earlier, while he was still living, but he refused. Martin Luther did not care about the Church at all. His movement was one of destruction, except, unlike El, he lacked any real political power beyond northern Germany. Protestanism is not the result of Luther, all Protestant sects are descendants of the Church of England, they do not exist because of a belief in reform, but because of King Henry VIII's actions. Lutheranism exists in few places except Northern Germany.

Luther's movement was no different really, than previous ones like the Lollardry heresy and others. It was noteworthy, in how quickly it spread between countries through the printing press, and that he successfully distributed his own bible and such. But the notion that Luther reformed the Church misinterprets the actions of the Catholic Church at the time. It is impossible to call something a reform if it cleaves itself off from the institution one is trying to reform. Managing to convert Northern Germany, because the Northern Germany Lords of Saxony and Bradenberg support you is not particularly impressive. Countries followed their leaders religion, because they had to, or they'd suffer as a result.

The fact is the Catholic Church, long before Luther, was moving towards reform. Yes, he created a fire, but the notion he was needed? No. The Church had successful reforms before then, and it was already something most people agreed on. Luther just created chaos.

The Catholic Church, thirty years later, chose to reform itself at the Council of Trent. A Council's decisions require a majority of Bishops agreed. I am supposed to believe the majority of Bishops, including in places Lutheranism never touched inspired their decision? Perhaps German Bishops were convinced in part because of that, but if the majority of Bishops were scared, they didn't act like it.

It was not a 1,000-year-old issue, there wasn't an issue with doctrine, there was an issue with corruption.

That's the thing. The Church ignored most of what he said, specifically, we still grant indulgences, but the Church does not accept monetary donations for indulgences. We kept the Pope, his key objection. Read the 95 theses, then read the Council of Trent. They did not say "Luther was right" they said "He has a point" but then also condemned him as a heretic.

Let's ignore that early Protestantism and Lutheranism were in no way lacking in corruption, violence, and abuses of power. The reformation was historically important for several reasons. It was not religiously important. He was not needed, and contributed nothing to actually reforming the Church. He was just an extremely arrogant loud-mouth.

I think it is much more like the French revolution in scope.

The Adrestian Empire wrote:Apologies, not sure what got into me there.
Indeed. It can be difficult not to get cynical. If it helps, consider Edelgard a manipulative warmonger who has lost perspective, respect and reason. Of course, she does not, but that is the perspective of the church. There is an argument to be made that Edelgard's disregard for law and order undermine her own ambitions collaboration with those who slither in the dark inexorably ties her to their actions, although I personally disagree.
Fool! He has ferded us!I wrote a substantial response to these posts, but alas... I lost it to unreliable internet, so forgive me if I do not wish to reiterate my thoughts. In short, Aegir, I agree, and Aquila, we're missing something with the Kostas story, and yes, draw your own conclusions.

Was that an April fools joke? If so, that was terrifying, not funny.

The lack of an auto-save on this site for RMB has caused me much pain, trust me, I understand your sentiment.

I get that the game never explains exactly why Edelgard did that, and why Kostas attacked her, but I thought it seemed obvious why they had him attack, to take out Claude and Dimitri. What other purpose could there be? The theory I have about Byleth is really just fan-fiction. I can't argue it has real evidence, just that it may fit with Edelgard and Hubert's prerogative. The question is whether they knew why Byleth was before the battle or not

Don't forget about the RP you two. If you're having issues on how to proceed, I could try to do more to help...

AquilaJordyn wrote:I'm not going to quote Aegir, because your spoiler is broken.

Eh.

Manipulative suggests she is just doing it in order to get close to Byleth. I've thought about whether or not all of Edelgards action, from start to finish, could be seen as a matter of her trying to secure Byleth. Except really, because he is so important to every side, the same goes for everyone. Edelgard would just be the most proactive. But I don't think that is the case throughout, because she risks alot to try to be honest with him as time goes on. All of her actions aren't pragmatic in regards to how she treats him.

There is real love and admiration there.

My fan theory was rather wild, It would require more evidence.

The Flame Emperor admits hiring him was a mistake. The idea, of taking out your opponents is intelligent. Especially since we know Edelgard has been planning this war since she was probably six.

I think it is an example of the wrong agent used.

Maybe it would be against Hubert's nature to put her in danger. I just ponder if they knew about Byleth. I suppose Jeralt made a point to hide his existence.

You compared what she is doing to the reformation. Luther is the poster-child of the reformation. It doesn't matter. Zwingli, Calvin, pick one. They represented the same cause.

Disagree, that misunderstands how the Catholic faith works and what actually happened.

1. The Catholic Church had, and has continued to hold, various Councils where Bishops meet and discuss, and end up with needed reforms.

At the most recent, Vatican II, the Catholic Church, spurred on by no one but itself, was ahead of the world in terms of defining its respect, love, and tolerance for people of other religions, and made outreach to secular, modern society. That was its own decision, not forced on itself. The Catholic Church, seventy years ago took the initiative to establish religious tolerance and more than that, interfaith recognition of goodness, at a time when most Christians still thought Muslims were automatically hellbound. The Council of Trent, which responded to Luther, occurred decades after he died. The Catholic Church did not respond because it felt threatened by Luther. A threatened entity responds quickly. Instead, it took its time. It was not Luther who convinced the Bishops, but faithful Catholic reformers. He was invited to participate to speak before the Church in Rome, earlier, while he was still living, but he refused. Martin Luther did not care about the Church at all. His movement was one of destruction, except, unlike El, he lacked any real political power beyond northern Germany. Protestanism is not the result of Luther, all Protestant sects are descendants of the Church of England, they do not exist because of a belief in reform, but because of King Henry VIII's actions. Lutheranism exists in few places except Northern Germany.

Luther's movement was no different really, than previous ones like the Lollardry heresy and others. It was noteworthy, in how quickly it spread between countries through the printing press, and that he successfully distributed his own bible and such. But the notion that Luther reformed the Church misinterprets the actions of the Catholic Church at the time. It is impossible to call something a reform if it cleaves itself off from the institution one is trying to reform. Managing to convert Northern Germany, because the Northern Germany Lords of Saxony and Bradenberg support you is not particularly impressive. Countries followed their leaders religion, because they had to, or they'd suffer as a result.

The fact is the Catholic Church, long before Luther, was moving towards reform. Yes, he created a fire, but the notion he was needed? No. The Church had successful reforms before then, and it was already something most people agreed on. Luther just created chaos.

The Catholic Church, thirty years later, chose to reform itself at the Council of Trent. A Council's decisions require a majority of Bishops agreed. I am supposed to believe the majority of Bishops, including in places Lutheranism never touched inspired their decision? Perhaps German Bishops were convinced in part because of that, but if the majority of Bishops were scared, they didn't act like it.

It was not a 1,000-year-old issue, there wasn't an issue with doctrine, there was an issue with corruption.

That's the thing. The Church ignored most of what he said, specifically, we still grant indulgences, but the Church does not accept monetary donations for indulgences. We kept the Pope, his key objection. Read the 95 theses, then read the Council of Trent. They did not say "Luther was right" they said "He has a point" but then also condemned him as a heretic.

Let's ignore that early Protestantism and Lutheranism were in no way lacking in corruption, violence, and abuses of power. The reformation was historically important for several reasons. It was not religiously important. He was not needed, and contributed nothing to actually reforming the Church. He was just an extremely arrogant loud-mouth.

I think it is much more like the French revolution in scope.

Was that an April fools joke? If so, that was terrifying, not funny.

The lack of an auto-save on this site for RMB has caused me much pain, trust me, I understand your sentiment.

I get that the game never explains exactly why Edelgard did that, and why Kostas attacked her, but I thought it seemed obvious why they had him attack, to take out Claude and Dimitri. What other purpose could there be? The theory I have about Byleth is really just fan-fiction. I can't argue it has real evidence, just that it may fit with Edelgard and Hubert's prerogative. The question is whether they knew why Byleth was before the battle or not

Don't forget about the RP you two. If you're having issues on how to proceed, I could try to do more to help...

By "missing something" I am saying that Edelgard's decision making in ordering the attack is so blatantly questionable that there must be a component to the events that we have been overlooking... the story of this game is generally tight enough to avoid such issues, so there must be another force at play. I think you guys seem to be on the right track with this with your fan theories that attempt to fill in the gap.
Indeed, now that the weekend has arrived, I will get on the RP soon enough, especially if Aegir will not make a post soon.

(The Noble State of Aegir I suppose I should mention you here as well)

AquilaJordyn wrote:I'm not going to quote Aegir, because your spoiler is broken.

Eh.

Manipulative suggests she is just doing it in order to get close to Byleth. I've thought about whether or not all of Edelgards action, from start to finish, could be seen as a matter of her trying to secure Byleth. Except really, because he is so important to every side, the same goes for everyone. Edelgard would just be the most proactive. But I don't think that is the case throughout, because she risks alot to try to be honest with him as time goes on. All of her actions aren't pragmatic in regards to how she treats him.

There is real love and admiration there.

My fan theory was rather wild, It would require more evidence.

The Flame Emperor admits hiring him was a mistake. The idea, of taking out your opponents is intelligent. Especially since we know Edelgard has been planning this war since she was probably six.

I think it is an example of the wrong agent used.

Maybe it would be against Hubert's nature to put her in danger. I just ponder if they knew about Byleth. I suppose Jeralt made a point to hide his existence.

You compared what she is doing to the reformation. Luther is the poster-child of the reformation. It doesn't matter. Zwingli, Calvin, pick one. They represented the same cause.

Disagree, that misunderstands how the Catholic faith works and what actually happened.

1. The Catholic Church had, and has continued to hold, various Councils where Bishops meet and discuss, and end up with needed reforms.

At the most recent, Vatican II, the Catholic Church, spurred on by no one but itself, was ahead of the world in terms of defining its respect, love, and tolerance for people of other religions, and made outreach to secular, modern society. That was its own decision, not forced on itself. The Catholic Church, seventy years ago took the initiative to establish religious tolerance and more than that, interfaith recognition of goodness, at a time when most Christians still thought Muslims were automatically hellbound. The Council of Trent, which responded to Luther, occurred decades after he died. The Catholic Church did not respond because it felt threatened by Luther. A threatened entity responds quickly. Instead, it took its time. It was not Luther who convinced the Bishops, but faithful Catholic reformers. He was invited to participate to speak before the Church in Rome, earlier, while he was still living, but he refused. Martin Luther did not care about the Church at all. His movement was one of destruction, except, unlike El, he lacked any real political power beyond northern Germany. Protestanism is not the result of Luther, all Protestant sects are descendants of the Church of England, they do not exist because of a belief in reform, but because of King Henry VIII's actions. Lutheranism exists in few places except Northern Germany.

Luther's movement was no different really, than previous ones like the Lollardry heresy and others. It was noteworthy, in how quickly it spread between countries through the printing press, and that he successfully distributed his own bible and such. But the notion that Luther reformed the Church misinterprets the actions of the Catholic Church at the time. It is impossible to call something a reform if it cleaves itself off from the institution one is trying to reform. Managing to convert Northern Germany, because the Northern Germany Lords of Saxony and Bradenberg support you is not particularly impressive. Countries followed their leaders religion, because they had to, or they'd suffer as a result.

The fact is the Catholic Church, long before Luther, was moving towards reform. Yes, he created a fire, but the notion he was needed? No. The Church had successful reforms before then, and it was already something most people agreed on. Luther just created chaos.

The Catholic Church, thirty years later, chose to reform itself at the Council of Trent. A Council's decisions require a majority of Bishops agreed. I am supposed to believe the majority of Bishops, including in places Lutheranism never touched inspired their decision? Perhaps German Bishops were convinced in part because of that, but if the majority of Bishops were scared, they didn't act like it.

It was not a 1,000-year-old issue, there wasn't an issue with doctrine, there was an issue with corruption.

That's the thing. The Church ignored most of what he said, specifically, we still grant indulgences, but the Church does not accept monetary donations for indulgences. We kept the Pope, his key objection. Read the 95 theses, then read the Council of Trent. They did not say "Luther was right" they said "He has a point" but then also condemned him as a heretic.

Let's ignore that early Protestantism and Lutheranism were in no way lacking in corruption, violence, and abuses of power. The reformation was historically important for several reasons. It was not religiously important. He was not needed, and contributed nothing to actually reforming the Church. He was just an extremely arrogant loud-mouth.

I think it is much more like the French revolution in scope.

Was that an April fools joke? If so, that was terrifying, not funny.

The lack of an auto-save on this site for RMB has caused me much pain, trust me, I understand your sentiment.

I get that the game never explains exactly why Edelgard did that, and why Kostas attacked her, but I thought it seemed obvious why they had him attack, to take out Claude and Dimitri. What other purpose could there be? The theory I have about Byleth is really just fan-fiction. I can't argue it has real evidence, just that it may fit with Edelgard and Hubert's prerogative. The question is whether they knew why Byleth was before the battle or not

Don't forget about the RP you two. If you're having issues on how to proceed, I could try to do more to help...

I will reiterate that I never compared Edelgard or her actions to the Reformation, only certain aspects of the impact that they had on the established social structures of the time in a more general sense, both in corruption or in doctrine, although I do not have strong opinions on that matter because once again, I'm not a theologian. I am well aware of how the Catholic Church operates. Regardless of if the Church felt the Reformation was a threat during Luther's lifetime or not, the Council of Trent and the reforms associated with it happened as a direct result of what he did, regardless of the Hussites etc. that had been doing similar things to less effect. Sure, eventually they could have happened without the reformation eventually, but the necessary changes weren't being made beforehand. Replace Luther with Henry as your figure, although their motivations were different, the end result that I'm interested in talking about is the same. The reformation was more impactful than any one individual or movement, much like the French Revolution was not the doing of a single person in a single action. That's just the reality of history 95+% of the time, it's complicated.
The Adrestian Empire wrote:
By "missing something" I am saying that Edelgard's decision making in ordering the attack is so blatantly questionable that there must be a component to the events that we have been overlooking... the story of this game is generally tight enough to avoid such issues, so there must be another force at play. I think you guys seem to be on the right track with this with your fan theories that attempt to fill in the gap.
Indeed, now that the weekend has arrived, I will get on the RP soon enough, especially if Aegir will not make a post soon.

(The Noble State of Aegir I suppose I should mention you here as well)

I'll write my RP posts, although now that we're leaving my area of relative creative freedom, they might not be quite as... extensive as my original Ferdinand post was.

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:
I will reiterate that I never compared Edelgard or her actions to the Reformation, only certain aspects of the impact that they had on the established social structures of the time in a more general sense, both in corruption or in doctrine, although I do not have strong opinions on that matter because once again, I'm not a theologian. I am well aware of how the Catholic Church operates. Regardless of if the Church felt the Reformation was a threat during Luther's lifetime or not, the Council of Trent and the reforms associated with it happened as a direct result of what he did, regardless of the Hussites etc. that had been doing similar things to less effect. Sure, eventually they could have happened without the reformation eventually, but the necessary changes weren't being made beforehand. Replace Luther with Henry as your figure, although their motivations were different, the end result that I'm interested in talking about is the same. The reformation was more impactful than any one individual or movement, much like the French Revolution was not the doing of a single person in a single action. That's just the reality of history 95+% of the time, it's complicated.
I'll write my RP posts, although now that we're leaving my area of relative creative freedom, they might not be quite as... extensive as my original Ferdinand post was.

I mean, as long as you don't describe the place where the wedding is actually happening (The Garden of Enbarr) I don't care what you do. I suppose you should venture towards having Ferdinand enter the Imperial Capital.

Happy Easter!

Incidentally, April 1st (the first day of the Great Tree Moon, I mean) was also the founding day of the Adrestian Empire, which makes The Adrestian Empire's flag change that day much more interesting.

Well, it seems like I had a bit more creativity than I was expecting. Here ya go AquilaJordyn The Adrestian Empire

Riding down to Enbarr was always a pleasant trip for Ferdinand, and although there were a variety of backroads, detours, and alternative routes supposedly quicker for singleton travelers, he always took the grand old highway down the center of the Enbarr peninsula down, and the picturesque avenue around the Boromas coastline back up to Aegir. An ancient road with history dating back before the Empire itself, the central Adrestian highway felt like the Empire's great commercial artery, because it was. There always seemed to be some other traveler to talk to, a grain merchant from Airmid with his cart out in front, a Hevring craftsman carrying pots and pans behind, and a group of Adrestian soldiers casually marching past. Sure didn't hope it was well maintained, as due to its strategic importance in the war, Edelgard made sure the paving was universally excellent, redoing some of the worse-off sections. From its branch in the western wilds of the Aegir Dukedom, it weaves through Fort Merceus and the mountain pass it guards, over the hilly countryside of the central regions and finally, out onto the rich coastal plains of the Adrestian heartland. Mostly untouched by the war, Ferdinand thought the vineyards and wheat fields, vibrant with the shifting new colors of the weeks before harvest seemed especially beautiful, the bounty of his great country finally diminishing the thoughts of his own territories from the forefront of his mind.
'A shame I didn't get around to checking my own land's crops', Ferdinand thought as a bit of his old self emerged in the back of his mind, 'surely they must put the product of this Hresvelg land to shame…' Ferdinand hoped there would be enough farmhands to harvest the crop in the coming months…

Finally, on the morning of the third day of the trip, the broad and well-traveled country road gave way to the dense and bustling avenues of Enbarr, eagle banners waving from pillars and monuments still celebrating Fódlan's unification. Ferdinand hadn't been in town since before the Professor returned, but while the losses war may have hit the provinces hard, but Enbarr seemed busier than ever before. Ferdinand loved the fine parks, theaters, and bustle of his childhood home as much as the next guy, but it took him well over an hour to weave his way from the outer reaches of the city to the Aegir family mansion at the heart of the city, an aggressively sunny commute that occasionally made him feel compelled to jump into one of the city's characteristic canals to cool off.

A grand and ornate estate more intricately styled than the country villa, the Aegir Enbarr mansion, with its conspicuous size, fine marble facade, and central location was obviously the result of a family's generations' long insecurity about their political position, but being the house where Ferdinand lived for most of the year, was near and dear to him. Ferdinand, knowing he would likely be out of town most of the time as the war began in earnest decided to rent the place out very cheaply after he gained the nominal rights to it father's arrest, to prevent dissuade Edelgard from seizing the property for some more useful purpose. Regardless, Ferdinand gave his poor horse some water and rest and entered the house, where he could finally wash up and make any personal preparations to make himself presentable for the wedding. With the Imperial compound a mere 5-minute ride away, the excitement of the whole ordeal only now began to hit Ferdinand, as a new rush of excitement washed over him.

Ferdinand dressed for the event, donning a fresh white ruffled shirt, along with a tight russet double-breasted waistcoat and tan breeches suitable for riding. Gone was the armor and long maroon coat he wore as a general, although he maintained his pinned red cravat. Ferdinand’s greatest struggle came from his flowing hair, which, while well-kept, was not extremely organized. After several minutes of consideration, Ferdinand declined to risk trying to cut it, instead deciding to comb it back into some semblance of order. Unable to wait any longer, Ferdinand grabbed his things, slipping on white gloves and fine leather shoe, and rode out.

Ferdinand rode briskly down the streets, and was quickly admitted by the attendants at the east gates. Ferdinand darted around some larger carriages as he entered the porte-cochère at the side of the palace Hubert, who seemed to be thoroughly checking the various guests right to attend the event spotted him.

“Well hello, Ferdinand. I’m pleased to see you attend Her Majesty’s wedding.”

“Ah Hubert, but of course!” Ferdinand enthusiastically shouted, dismounting his steed.

“I would have expected a bit more of an entourage from a figure of your stature, but I hope your lighter dress indicates some humility. Considering what a special day this is for Her Majesty, I will not tolerate any attempts to upstage the main proceedings.”

“You cannot think I would do something so spiteful,” Ferdinand replied, handing his horse off to an attendant to be taken to the stables “-it is quite tired, please treat it well- Edelgard and overcame our petty squabbles long ago.”

“Of course, Ferdinand.” Hubert responded, slightly grinning as he glanced at Ferdinand. “Proceed down there, please. There may be time for idle discussion later, but for now, you are holding up the line.”

“Oh… excuse me.” Ferdinand said, getting out of the way and proceeding past Hubert. Once 5 meters away, Ferdinand looked behind him and shouted back “I too, am pleased to see you are healthy and well, Hubert.” Hubert grinned in response as he looked over the attendance lists, although Ferdinand could not notice.

Felix walked a long and lonely path, through the worn paths of the forests of Faerghus, over the western river into the western regions of Adrestia, past the abandoned ruins of old Remire Village, around bustling towns of northern Hevring, through the chilly foothills of the Oghma mountains of Varley, before the Adrestian peninsula came into the picture and it finally dawned on Felix that showing up a few days late for the wedding destroyed the purpose of trying to come at all. So, after nearly a week of constant marching, Felix had three days to get from the poor fields of southern Varley to Enbarr. Unsure of his cross-country endurance through Adrestia's rugged mountains, Felix figured his best shot would be by sea. Felix ran east, into the forests of western Aegir.

Sitting at the mouth of the Aegir river, Gylfil’s has made it a significant agricultural port on the eastern coast of Adrestia, providing a competitive alternative to Airmid river barges for large areas of southern Bergliez. The city boasted great markets and cultural offerings befitting a regional hub of its nature, but Felix was not interested in that, instead slipping through the city’s winding backstreets to the dockyards. Seeing a sizable ship preparing to depart, Felix casually walked past, overhearing a few sailors, speaking in Leicester accents, loudly talking: “Yeah, we got all the wheat and fish on board.”
“Why’d we even stop here anyways? This stuff is not worth the time we’re spending here while our meat rots away in the hold!”
"Some contractual obligation with the company, the bean counters got some sort of deal with the ship company for a cheap lease if we transport some local product down too, but make no mistake, the Enabrri vaunters only care about their fresh meat.”
Felix knew this was his ride, and easily snuck onto the busy ship during a spirited argument between the ship’s purser and a local merchant over the quantity of grain loaded on the ship. Soon enough, the purser left the merchant in a huff, and the ship set off. Felix sat in the corner of the ship’s hold, between two barrels of salt-cured meat.
As the red light of the setting sun came out from above, Felix peered through one of the small windows on the starboard side, at the outlines of the Brormas coast. As the darkness set in, Felix, alone as always, could no longer ignore his conscience and felt an aggressive wave of self-loathing wash over him. 'Here he is the great swordsman of Fodlan, reduced to a petty stowaway on some nasty ship… Seriously, would it have really hurt just to ask someone for a ride? I thought I improved myself over the course of that war, but no, apparently I haven’t learned anything at all… get ahold of yourself, you pitiful child, and for once in your life, act like a man!' memories of Ingrid, Sylvain, Ashe, and all his other classmates at Gareg Mach flooded back to him, as well as Dorothea, Bernadetta, Lysithea, and the other people he fought alongside in the Adrestian army. Above all, memories of Dimitri began to overtake him, first as a young child in some Fhirdhiad courtyard, then as the well-groomed house leader of his Gareg Mach days, and then as the king, laying dead in the muddy soil of the Tailtean plains. Felix, head racing with thoughts, finally passed out.
When Felix finally came through, rectangular rays of sunlight shown down the length of the ship. Dawn had come, and, after sheepishly walking down to a hole in the bow, peered at the small but distinct outline of a sprawling city along the coast, a significant distance away. It must be Enbarr. Felix would arrive on the day of the wedding, for sure. But with the ship seemed to be going a snail’s pace as it approached the harbor, which itself was busy and packed as you would expect of such an important city. Whatever. Felix would be late.

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Well, it seems like I had a bit more creativity than I was expecting. Here ya go AquilaJordyn The Adrestian Empire

Riding down to Enbarr was always a pleasant trip for Ferdinand, and although there were a variety of backroads, detours, and alternative routes supposedly quicker for singleton travelers, he always took the grand old highway down the center of the Enbarr peninsula down, and the picturesque avenue around the Boromas coastline back up to Aegir. An ancient road with history dating back before the Empire itself, the central Adrestian highway felt like the Empire's great commercial artery, because it was. There always seemed to be some other traveler to talk to, a grain merchant from Airmid with his cart out in front, a Hevring craftsman carrying pots and pans behind, and a group of Adrestian soldiers casually marching past. Sure didn't hope it was well maintained, as due to its strategic importance in the war, Edelgard made sure the paving was universally excellent, redoing some of the worse-off sections. From its branch in the western wilds of the Aegir Dukedom, it weaves through Fort Merceus and the mountain pass it guards, over the hilly countryside of the central regions and finally, out onto the rich coastal plains of the Adrestian heartland. Mostly untouched by the war, Ferdinand thought the vineyards and wheat fields, vibrant with the shifting new colors of the weeks before harvest seemed especially beautiful, the bounty of his great country finally diminishing the thoughts of his own territories from the forefront of his mind.
'A shame I didn't get around to checking my own land's crops', Ferdinand thought as a bit of his old self emerged in the back of his mind, 'surely they must put the product of this Hresvelg land to shame…' Ferdinand hoped there would be enough farmhands to harvest the crop in the coming months…

Finally, on the morning of the third day of the trip, the broad and well-traveled country road gave way to the dense and bustling avenues of Enbarr, eagle banners waving from pillars and monuments still celebrating Fódlan's unification. Ferdinand hadn't been in town since before the Professor returned, but while the losses war may have hit the provinces hard, but Enbarr seemed busier than ever before. Ferdinand loved the fine parks, theaters, and bustle of his childhood home as much as the next guy, but it took him well over an hour to weave his way from the outer reaches of the city to the Aegir family mansion at the heart of the city, an aggressively sunny commute that occasionally made him feel compelled to jump into one of the city's characteristic canals to cool off.

A grand and ornate estate more intricately styled than the country villa, the Aegir Enbarr mansion, with its conspicuous size, fine marble facade, and central location was obviously the result of a family's generations' long insecurity about their political position, but being the house where Ferdinand lived for most of the year, was near and dear to him. Ferdinand, knowing he would likely be out of town most of the time as the war began in earnest decided to rent the place out very cheaply after he gained the nominal rights to it father's arrest, to prevent dissuade Edelgard from seizing the property for some more useful purpose. Regardless, Ferdinand gave his poor horse some water and rest and entered the house, where he could finally wash up and make any personal preparations to make himself presentable for the wedding. With the Imperial compound a mere 5-minute ride away, the excitement of the whole ordeal only now began to hit Ferdinand, as a new rush of excitement washed over him.

Ferdinand dressed for the event, donning a fresh white ruffled shirt, along with a tight russet double-breasted waistcoat and tan breeches suitable for riding. Gone was the armor and long maroon coat he wore as a general, although he maintained his pinned red cravat. Ferdinand’s greatest struggle came from his flowing hair, which, while well-kept, was not extremely organized. After several minutes of consideration, Ferdinand declined to risk trying to cut it, instead deciding to comb it back into some semblance of order. Unable to wait any longer, Ferdinand grabbed his things, slipping on white gloves and fine leather shoe, and rode out.

Ferdinand rode briskly down the streets, and was quickly admitted by the attendants at the east gates. Ferdinand darted around some larger carriages as he entered the porte-cochère at the side of the palace Hubert, who seemed to be thoroughly checking the various guests right to attend the event spotted him.

“Well hello, Ferdinand. I’m pleased to see you attend Her Majesty’s wedding.”

“Ah Hubert, but of course!” Ferdinand enthusiastically shouted, dismounting his steed.

“I would have expected a bit more of an entourage from a figure of your stature, but I hope your lighter dress indicates some humility. Considering what a special day this is for Her Majesty, I will not tolerate any attempts to upstage the main proceedings.”

“You cannot think I would do something so spiteful,” Ferdinand replied, handing his horse off to an attendant to be taken to the stables “-it is quite tired, please treat it well- Edelgard and overcame our petty squabbles long ago.”

“Of course, Ferdinand.” Hubert responded, slightly grinning as he glanced at Ferdinand. “Proceed down there, please. There may be time for idle discussion later, but for now, you are holding up the line.”

“Oh… excuse me.” Ferdinand said, getting out of the way and proceeding past Hubert. Once 5 meters away, Ferdinand looked behind him and shouted back “I too, am pleased to see you are healthy and well, Hubert.” Hubert grinned in response as he looked over the attendance lists, although Ferdinand could not notice.

Felix walked a long and lonely path, through the worn paths of the forests of Faerghus, over the western river into the western regions of Adrestia, past the abandoned ruins of old Remire Village, around bustling towns of northern Hevring, through the chilly foothills of the Oghma mountains of Varley, before the Adrestian peninsula came into the picture and it finally dawned on Felix that showing up a few days late for the wedding destroyed the purpose of trying to come at all. So, after nearly a week of constant marching, Felix had three days to get from the poor fields of southern Varley to Enbarr. Unsure of his cross-country endurance through Adrestia's rugged mountains, Felix figured his best shot would be by sea. Felix ran east, into the forests of western Aegir.

Sitting at the mouth of the Aegir river, Gylfil’s has made it a significant agricultural port on the eastern coast of Adrestia, providing a competitive alternative to Airmid river barges for large areas of southern Bergliez. The city boasted great markets and cultural offerings befitting a regional hub of its nature, but Felix was not interested in that, instead slipping through the city’s winding backstreets to the dockyards. Seeing a sizable ship preparing to depart, Felix casually walked past, overhearing a few sailors, speaking in Leicester accents, loudly talking: “Yeah, we got all the wheat and fish on board.”
“Why’d we even stop here anyways? This stuff is not worth the time we’re spending here while our meat rots away in the hold!”
"Some contractual obligation with the company, the bean counters got some sort of deal with the ship company for a cheap lease if we transport some local product down too, but make no mistake, the Enabrri vaunters only care about their fresh meat.”
Felix knew this was his ride, and easily snuck onto the busy ship during a spirited argument between the ship’s purser and a local merchant over the quantity of grain loaded on the ship. Soon enough, the purser left the merchant in a huff, and the ship set off. Felix sat in the corner of the ship’s hold, between two barrels of salt-cured meat.
As the red light of the setting sun came out from above, Felix peered through one of the small windows on the starboard side, at the outlines of the Brormas coast. As the darkness set in, Felix, alone as always, could no longer ignore his conscience and felt an aggressive wave of self-loathing wash over him. 'Here he is the great swordsman of Fodlan, reduced to a petty stowaway on some nasty ship… Seriously, would it have really hurt just to ask someone for a ride? I thought I improved myself over the course of that war, but no, apparently I haven’t learned anything at all… get ahold of yourself, you pitiful child, and for once in your life, act like a man!' memories of Ingrid, Sylvain, Ashe, and all his other classmates at Gareg Mach flooded back to him, as well as Dorothea, Bernadetta, Lysithea, and the other people he fought alongside in the Adrestian army. Above all, memories of Dimitri began to overtake him, first as a young child in some Fhirdhiad courtyard, then as the well-groomed house leader of his Gareg Mach days, and then as the king, laying dead in the muddy soil of the Tailtean plains. Felix, head racing with thoughts, finally passed out.
When Felix finally came through, rectangular rays of sunlight shown down the length of the ship. Dawn had come, and, after sheepishly walking down to a hole in the bow, peered at the small but distinct outline of a sprawling city along the coast, a significant distance away. It must be Enbarr. Felix would arrive on the day of the wedding, for sure. But with the ship seemed to be going a snail’s pace as it approached the harbor, which itself was busy and packed as you would expect of such an important city. Whatever. Felix would be late.

Excellent contribution, ignoring some grammar mistakes. But we all make those. I swear, I re-read my chapters seven times and use Grammarly, but they'll still have typos.

I was going to mention it in my last post, but Felix 100% would be the guy to show up late to a wedding.

Byleth and Edelgard would just be appreciative that he showed up at all.

Adrestia, please, spare me. I so want to respond now, but I should wait until you do.

...

I think you both might be a little bit shocked when the wedding ceremony itself comes up :)

Altean atlae wrote:Happy Easter!

Incidentally, April 1st (the first day of the Great Tree Moon, I mean) was also the founding day of the Adrestian Empire, which makes The Adrestian Empire's flag change that day much more interesting.

This is true. Such a shame I felt so inproperly inclined that one specific day...

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Well, it seems like I had a bit more creativity than I was expecting. Here ya go AquilaJordyn The Adrestian Empire

Riding down to Enbarr was always a pleasant trip for Ferdinand, and although there were a variety of backroads, detours, and alternative routes supposedly quicker for singleton travelers, he always took the grand old highway down the center of the Enbarr peninsula down, and the picturesque avenue around the Boromas coastline back up to Aegir. An ancient road with history dating back before the Empire itself, the central Adrestian highway felt like the Empire's great commercial artery, because it was. There always seemed to be some other traveler to talk to, a grain merchant from Airmid with his cart out in front, a Hevring craftsman carrying pots and pans behind, and a group of Adrestian soldiers casually marching past. Sure didn't hope it was well maintained, as due to its strategic importance in the war, Edelgard made sure the paving was universally excellent, redoing some of the worse-off sections. From its branch in the western wilds of the Aegir Dukedom, it weaves through Fort Merceus and the mountain pass it guards, over the hilly countryside of the central regions and finally, out onto the rich coastal plains of the Adrestian heartland. Mostly untouched by the war, Ferdinand thought the vineyards and wheat fields, vibrant with the shifting new colors of the weeks before harvest seemed especially beautiful, the bounty of his great country finally diminishing the thoughts of his own territories from the forefront of his mind.
'A shame I didn't get around to checking my own land's crops', Ferdinand thought as a bit of his old self emerged in the back of his mind, 'surely they must put the product of this Hresvelg land to shame…' Ferdinand hoped there would be enough farmhands to harvest the crop in the coming months…

Finally, on the morning of the third day of the trip, the broad and well-traveled country road gave way to the dense and bustling avenues of Enbarr, eagle banners waving from pillars and monuments still celebrating Fódlan's unification. Ferdinand hadn't been in town since before the Professor returned, but while the losses war may have hit the provinces hard, but Enbarr seemed busier than ever before. Ferdinand loved the fine parks, theaters, and bustle of his childhood home as much as the next guy, but it took him well over an hour to weave his way from the outer reaches of the city to the Aegir family mansion at the heart of the city, an aggressively sunny commute that occasionally made him feel compelled to jump into one of the city's characteristic canals to cool off.

A grand and ornate estate more intricately styled than the country villa, the Aegir Enbarr mansion, with its conspicuous size, fine marble facade, and central location was obviously the result of a family's generations' long insecurity about their political position, but being the house where Ferdinand lived for most of the year, was near and dear to him. Ferdinand, knowing he would likely be out of town most of the time as the war began in earnest decided to rent the place out very cheaply after he gained the nominal rights to it father's arrest, to prevent dissuade Edelgard from seizing the property for some more useful purpose. Regardless, Ferdinand gave his poor horse some water and rest and entered the house, where he could finally wash up and make any personal preparations to make himself presentable for the wedding. With the Imperial compound a mere 5-minute ride away, the excitement of the whole ordeal only now began to hit Ferdinand, as a new rush of excitement washed over him.

Ferdinand dressed for the event, donning a fresh white ruffled shirt, along with a tight russet double-breasted waistcoat and tan breeches suitable for riding. Gone was the armor and long maroon coat he wore as a general, although he maintained his pinned red cravat. Ferdinand’s greatest struggle came from his flowing hair, which, while well-kept, was not extremely organized. After several minutes of consideration, Ferdinand declined to risk trying to cut it, instead deciding to comb it back into some semblance of order. Unable to wait any longer, Ferdinand grabbed his things, slipping on white gloves and fine leather shoe, and rode out.

Ferdinand rode briskly down the streets, and was quickly admitted by the attendants at the east gates. Ferdinand darted around some larger carriages as he entered the porte-cochère at the side of the palace Hubert, who seemed to be thoroughly checking the various guests right to attend the event spotted him.

“Well hello, Ferdinand. I’m pleased to see you attend Her Majesty’s wedding.”

“Ah Hubert, but of course!” Ferdinand enthusiastically shouted, dismounting his steed.

“I would have expected a bit more of an entourage from a figure of your stature, but I hope your lighter dress indicates some humility. Considering what a special day this is for Her Majesty, I will not tolerate any attempts to upstage the main proceedings.”

“You cannot think I would do something so spiteful,” Ferdinand replied, handing his horse off to an attendant to be taken to the stables “-it is quite tired, please treat it well- Edelgard and overcame our petty squabbles long ago.”

“Of course, Ferdinand.” Hubert responded, slightly grinning as he glanced at Ferdinand. “Proceed down there, please. There may be time for idle discussion later, but for now, you are holding up the line.”

“Oh… excuse me.” Ferdinand said, getting out of the way and proceeding past Hubert. Once 5 meters away, Ferdinand looked behind him and shouted back “I too, am pleased to see you are healthy and well, Hubert.” Hubert grinned in response as he looked over the attendance lists, although Ferdinand could not notice.

Felix walked a long and lonely path, through the worn paths of the forests of Faerghus, over the western river into the western regions of Adrestia, past the abandoned ruins of old Remire Village, around bustling towns of northern Hevring, through the chilly foothills of the Oghma mountains of Varley, before the Adrestian peninsula came into the picture and it finally dawned on Felix that showing up a few days late for the wedding destroyed the purpose of trying to come at all. So, after nearly a week of constant marching, Felix had three days to get from the poor fields of southern Varley to Enbarr. Unsure of his cross-country endurance through Adrestia's rugged mountains, Felix figured his best shot would be by sea. Felix ran east, into the forests of western Aegir.

Sitting at the mouth of the Aegir river, Gylfil’s has made it a significant agricultural port on the eastern coast of Adrestia, providing a competitive alternative to Airmid river barges for large areas of southern Bergliez. The city boasted great markets and cultural offerings befitting a regional hub of its nature, but Felix was not interested in that, instead slipping through the city’s winding backstreets to the dockyards. Seeing a sizable ship preparing to depart, Felix casually walked past, overhearing a few sailors, speaking in Leicester accents, loudly talking: “Yeah, we got all the wheat and fish on board.”
“Why’d we even stop here anyways? This stuff is not worth the time we’re spending here while our meat rots away in the hold!”
"Some contractual obligation with the company, the bean counters got some sort of deal with the ship company for a cheap lease if we transport some local product down too, but make no mistake, the Enabrri vaunters only care about their fresh meat.”
Felix knew this was his ride, and easily snuck onto the busy ship during a spirited argument between the ship’s purser and a local merchant over the quantity of grain loaded on the ship. Soon enough, the purser left the merchant in a huff, and the ship set off. Felix sat in the corner of the ship’s hold, between two barrels of salt-cured meat.
As the red light of the setting sun came out from above, Felix peered through one of the small windows on the starboard side, at the outlines of the Brormas coast. As the darkness set in, Felix, alone as always, could no longer ignore his conscience and felt an aggressive wave of self-loathing wash over him. 'Here he is the great swordsman of Fodlan, reduced to a petty stowaway on some nasty ship… Seriously, would it have really hurt just to ask someone for a ride? I thought I improved myself over the course of that war, but no, apparently I haven’t learned anything at all… get ahold of yourself, you pitiful child, and for once in your life, act like a man!' memories of Ingrid, Sylvain, Ashe, and all his other classmates at Gareg Mach flooded back to him, as well as Dorothea, Bernadetta, Lysithea, and the other people he fought alongside in the Adrestian army. Above all, memories of Dimitri began to overtake him, first as a young child in some Fhirdhiad courtyard, then as the well-groomed house leader of his Gareg Mach days, and then as the king, laying dead in the muddy soil of the Tailtean plains. Felix, head racing with thoughts, finally passed out.
When Felix finally came through, rectangular rays of sunlight shown down the length of the ship. Dawn had come, and, after sheepishly walking down to a hole in the bow, peered at the small but distinct outline of a sprawling city along the coast, a significant distance away. It must be Enbarr. Felix would arrive on the day of the wedding, for sure. But with the ship seemed to be going a snail’s pace as it approached the harbor, which itself was busy and packed as you would expect of such an important city. Whatever. Felix would be late.

A pleasant read, Aegir. As mentioned by Aquila, I would expect nothing less of Felix.

AquilaJordyn wrote:Excellent contribution, ignoring some grammar mistakes. But we all make those. I swear, I re-read my chapters seven times and use Grammarly, but they'll still have typos.

I was going to mention it in my last post, but Felix 100% would be the guy to show up late to a wedding.

Byleth and Edelgard would just be appreciative that he showed up at all.

Adrestia, please, spare me. I so want to respond now, but I should wait until you do.

...

I think you both might be a little bit shocked when the wedding ceremony itself comes up :)

Just give me until tomorrow morning, and I will submit Lysithea's entry and you may proceed. Feel free to prewrite a bit, I assure you, it will not be groundbreaking.

The Noble State of Aegir and Altean atlae

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Well, it seems like I had a bit more creativity than I was expecting. Here ya go AquilaJordyn The Adrestian Empire

Riding down to Enbarr was always a pleasant trip for Ferdinand, and although there were a variety of backroads, detours, and alternative routes supposedly quicker for singleton travelers, he always took the grand old highway down the center of the Enbarr peninsula down, and the picturesque avenue around the Boromas coastline back up to Aegir. An ancient road with history dating back before the Empire itself, the central Adrestian highway felt like the Empire's great commercial artery, because it was. There always seemed to be some other traveler to talk to, a grain merchant from Airmid with his cart out in front, a Hevring craftsman carrying pots and pans behind, and a group of Adrestian soldiers casually marching past. Sure didn't hope it was well maintained, as due to its strategic importance in the war, Edelgard made sure the paving was universally excellent, redoing some of the worse-off sections. From its branch in the western wilds of the Aegir Dukedom, it weaves through Fort Merceus and the mountain pass it guards, over the hilly countryside of the central regions and finally, out onto the rich coastal plains of the Adrestian heartland. Mostly untouched by the war, Ferdinand thought the vineyards and wheat fields, vibrant with the shifting new colors of the weeks before harvest seemed especially beautiful, the bounty of his great country finally diminishing the thoughts of his own territories from the forefront of his mind.
'A shame I didn't get around to checking my own land's crops', Ferdinand thought as a bit of his old self emerged in the back of his mind, 'surely they must put the product of this Hresvelg land to shame…' Ferdinand hoped there would be enough farmhands to harvest the crop in the coming months…

Finally, on the morning of the third day of the trip, the broad and well-traveled country road gave way to the dense and bustling avenues of Enbarr, eagle banners waving from pillars and monuments still celebrating Fódlan's unification. Ferdinand hadn't been in town since before the Professor returned, but while the losses war may have hit the provinces hard, but Enbarr seemed busier than ever before. Ferdinand loved the fine parks, theaters, and bustle of his childhood home as much as the next guy, but it took him well over an hour to weave his way from the outer reaches of the city to the Aegir family mansion at the heart of the city, an aggressively sunny commute that occasionally made him feel compelled to jump into one of the city's characteristic canals to cool off.

A grand and ornate estate more intricately styled than the country villa, the Aegir Enbarr mansion, with its conspicuous size, fine marble facade, and central location was obviously the result of a family's generations' long insecurity about their political position, but being the house where Ferdinand lived for most of the year, was near and dear to him. Ferdinand, knowing he would likely be out of town most of the time as the war began in earnest decided to rent the place out very cheaply after he gained the nominal rights to it father's arrest, to prevent dissuade Edelgard from seizing the property for some more useful purpose. Regardless, Ferdinand gave his poor horse some water and rest and entered the house, where he could finally wash up and make any personal preparations to make himself presentable for the wedding. With the Imperial compound a mere 5-minute ride away, the excitement of the whole ordeal only now began to hit Ferdinand, as a new rush of excitement washed over him.

Ferdinand dressed for the event, donning a fresh white ruffled shirt, along with a tight russet double-breasted waistcoat and tan breeches suitable for riding. Gone was the armor and long maroon coat he wore as a general, although he maintained his pinned red cravat. Ferdinand’s greatest struggle came from his flowing hair, which, while well-kept, was not extremely organized. After several minutes of consideration, Ferdinand declined to risk trying to cut it, instead deciding to comb it back into some semblance of order. Unable to wait any longer, Ferdinand grabbed his things, slipping on white gloves and fine leather shoe, and rode out.

Ferdinand rode briskly down the streets, and was quickly admitted by the attendants at the east gates. Ferdinand darted around some larger carriages as he entered the porte-cochère at the side of the palace Hubert, who seemed to be thoroughly checking the various guests right to attend the event spotted him.

“Well hello, Ferdinand. I’m pleased to see you attend Her Majesty’s wedding.”

“Ah Hubert, but of course!” Ferdinand enthusiastically shouted, dismounting his steed.

“I would have expected a bit more of an entourage from a figure of your stature, but I hope your lighter dress indicates some humility. Considering what a special day this is for Her Majesty, I will not tolerate any attempts to upstage the main proceedings.”

“You cannot think I would do something so spiteful,” Ferdinand replied, handing his horse off to an attendant to be taken to the stables “-it is quite tired, please treat it well- Edelgard and overcame our petty squabbles long ago.”

“Of course, Ferdinand.” Hubert responded, slightly grinning as he glanced at Ferdinand. “Proceed down there, please. There may be time for idle discussion later, but for now, you are holding up the line.”

“Oh… excuse me.” Ferdinand said, getting out of the way and proceeding past Hubert. Once 5 meters away, Ferdinand looked behind him and shouted back “I too, am pleased to see you are healthy and well, Hubert.” Hubert grinned in response as he looked over the attendance lists, although Ferdinand could not notice.

Felix walked a long and lonely path, through the worn paths of the forests of Faerghus, over the western river into the western regions of Adrestia, past the abandoned ruins of old Remire Village, around bustling towns of northern Hevring, through the chilly foothills of the Oghma mountains of Varley, before the Adrestian peninsula came into the picture and it finally dawned on Felix that showing up a few days late for the wedding destroyed the purpose of trying to come at all. So, after nearly a week of constant marching, Felix had three days to get from the poor fields of southern Varley to Enbarr. Unsure of his cross-country endurance through Adrestia's rugged mountains, Felix figured his best shot would be by sea. Felix ran east, into the forests of western Aegir.

Sitting at the mouth of the Aegir river, Gylfil’s has made it a significant agricultural port on the eastern coast of Adrestia, providing a competitive alternative to Airmid river barges for large areas of southern Bergliez. The city boasted great markets and cultural offerings befitting a regional hub of its nature, but Felix was not interested in that, instead slipping through the city’s winding backstreets to the dockyards. Seeing a sizable ship preparing to depart, Felix casually walked past, overhearing a few sailors, speaking in Leicester accents, loudly talking: “Yeah, we got all the wheat and fish on board.”
“Why’d we even stop here anyways? This stuff is not worth the time we’re spending here while our meat rots away in the hold!”
"Some contractual obligation with the company, the bean counters got some sort of deal with the ship company for a cheap lease if we transport some local product down too, but make no mistake, the Enabrri vaunters only care about their fresh meat.”
Felix knew this was his ride, and easily snuck onto the busy ship during a spirited argument between the ship’s purser and a local merchant over the quantity of grain loaded on the ship. Soon enough, the purser left the merchant in a huff, and the ship set off. Felix sat in the corner of the ship’s hold, between two barrels of salt-cured meat.
As the red light of the setting sun came out from above, Felix peered through one of the small windows on the starboard side, at the outlines of the Brormas coast. As the darkness set in, Felix, alone as always, could no longer ignore his conscience and felt an aggressive wave of self-loathing wash over him. 'Here he is the great swordsman of Fodlan, reduced to a petty stowaway on some nasty ship… Seriously, would it have really hurt just to ask someone for a ride? I thought I improved myself over the course of that war, but no, apparently I haven’t learned anything at all… get ahold of yourself, you pitiful child, and for once in your life, act like a man!' memories of Ingrid, Sylvain, Ashe, and all his other classmates at Gareg Mach flooded back to him, as well as Dorothea, Bernadetta, Lysithea, and the other people he fought alongside in the Adrestian army. Above all, memories of Dimitri began to overtake him, first as a young child in some Fhirdhiad courtyard, then as the well-groomed house leader of his Gareg Mach days, and then as the king, laying dead in the muddy soil of the Tailtean plains. Felix, head racing with thoughts, finally passed out.
When Felix finally came through, rectangular rays of sunlight shown down the length of the ship. Dawn had come, and, after sheepishly walking down to a hole in the bow, peered at the small but distinct outline of a sprawling city along the coast, a significant distance away. It must be Enbarr. Felix would arrive on the day of the wedding, for sure. But with the ship seemed to be going a snail’s pace as it approached the harbor, which itself was busy and packed as you would expect of such an important city. Whatever. Felix would be late.

Lysithea departs from Ordelia lands with little issue, crossing the Airmid river at the Bridge of Myrddin, and proceeding south into Bergliez. Memories of the Battle of the Eagle and Lion flooded back as Lysithea passed through Gronder, simultaneously before striking her with the excitement of reliving some of the good memories of those days once again and sorrow for the students who fought there now well and truly dead on the battlefields of Fodlan. Lysithea proceeded past Fort Merceus to the city of Enbarr. Arriving in the middle of the day, she made straight for the Imperial Palace, where Lysithea was greeted by Caspar while getting off her coach.
"Hey Lysithea! Need any help?"
"Caspar! No, I'm perfectly alright" she responded, while indeed struggling to find the courage to jump the meter's distance to the ground. Caspar, naturally ignoring Lysithea's insistence, ran over with a stool and reached out to help her. Lysithea was, in the initial moment outraged at the prospect, and prepared to jump down next to the stool, before realizing her small dress shoes would likely make such a jump difficult, if not dangerous, and begrudgingly accepted Caspar's aid.
"Alright, down you go. You're a lot easier than the last lady I helped down." he said, as Lysithea silently suppressed her fuming at such a comparison. "I'm glad to see you come! Anyways, proceed that way (he said while pointing away) for the wedding"
"Thank you. Caspar. I'm glad to see you too" Lysithea said somewhat coldly, standing solidly on the paving stones of the driveway while deliberately picking some of her belongings from the back of the coach on her own and thanking the driver with a decent tip. By this point, Caspar had already moved on to checking some other guest in, so Lysithea simply proceeded on, gradually letting go of her annoyance for building anticipation.

Did anyone notice Aegir put up a poll? Give it a vote!

Marriane best girl

I give my vote to Flan. All hail the fish.

As a proud citizen of Adrestia, the only correct option in my view is Manuela. Manuela is a kind, fun, light-hearted woman of faith.

Seteth: A sheep

Flayn: A baby sheep

Hanneman: Way too interested in crests. Not necessarily a problem, but I'm suspicious

Rhea: Tyrannical Leviathan enforcing mankind's oppression by a false-Goddess through fear and systematic classism coupled with malignant theocracy

Honorable Mention of Cyril: Tyrannical Overlord's Simp... I just wanted to make fun of Cyril

- This post approved by The Imperial Ministry of Truth & Meme's

I have unlocked Cyril's B support and I am waiting for him to develop a personality.
------

I'm working on the RP Post, but this one is sort of massive, and I need to comb through it.

Marriane best girl wrote:I give my vote to Flan. All hail the fish.

Opinions seem very divided on this... but poor Seteth. Most people seem to like him as a character, but evidently not enough to compete with the others. For me it's between him and Hanneman, but I consistently found Hanneman's supports more interesting, so I've got to give it to him.

AquilaJordyn wrote:As a proud citizen of Adrestia, the only correct option in my view is Manuela. Manuela is a kind, fun, light-hearted woman of faith.

Seteth: A sheep

Flayn: A baby sheep

Hanneman: Way too interested in crests. Not necessarily a problem, but I'm suspicious

Rhea: Tyrannical Leviathan enforcing mankind's oppression by a false-Goddess through fear and systematic classism coupled with malignant theocracy

Honorable Mention of Cyril: Tyrannical Overlord's Simp... I just wanted to make fun of Cyril

- This post approved by The Imperial Ministry of Truth & Meme's

I have unlocked Cyril's B support and I am waiting for him to develop a personality.
------

I'm working on the RP Post, but this one is sort of massive, and I need to comb through it.

Your takes on Seteth and Flayn... have you had the opportunity to play their paralogue yet? I would not expect many to disagree with you on Cyril, though. As for your RP post, I would expect nothing less!

The Adrestian Empire wrote:Opinions seem very divided on this... but poor Seteth. Most people seem to like him as a character, but evidently not enough to compete with the others. For me it's between him and Hanneman, but I consistently found Hanneman's supports more interesting, so I've got to give it to him.Your takes on Seteth and Flayn... have you had the opportunity to play their paralogue yet? I would not expect many to disagree with you on Cyril, though. As for your RP post, I would expect nothing less!

I have played their paralogue.

I do happen to like both of them, and I suppose they're more independent-minded than Cyril or Gilbert, but so far, from what I've seen of SS, they both play apologists for Rhea.

I try to explain to them the glories of our fair Emperor and they just don't get it.

Cyril...

I wanted to like him, because Aegir doesn't.

But...

So far I'm not feeling it. He just seems like an orphan boy with an oedipus complex.

Marriane best girl wrote:I give my vote to Flan. All hail the fish.

Ah Flayn. Good meme, as a character... she's decent, but in a game like this, decent doesn't get you too far.

AquilaJordyn wrote:As a proud citizen of Adrestia, the only correct option in my view is Manuela. Manuela is a kind, fun, light-hearted woman of faith.

Seteth: A sheep

Flayn: A baby sheep

Hanneman: Way too interested in crests. Not necessarily a problem, but I'm suspicious

Rhea: Tyrannical Leviathan enforcing mankind's oppression by a false-Goddess through fear and systematic classism coupled with malignant theocracy

Honorable Mention of Cyril: Tyrannical Overlord's Simp... I just wanted to make fun of Cyril

- This post approved by The Imperial Ministry of Truth & Meme's

I have unlocked Cyril's B support and I am waiting for him to develop a personality.
------

I'm working on the RP Post, but this one is sort of massive, and I need to comb through it.

You need to see some Seteth supports, he's got quite a bit going on. As for Cyril... yeah, he's got a few good supports, like with Lysithea, but there's not too much there in the personality department.

The Adrestian Empire wrote:Opinions seem very divided on this... but poor Seteth. Most people seem to like him as a character, but evidently not enough to compete with the others. For me it's between him and Hanneman, but I consistently found Hanneman's supports more interesting, so I've got to give it to him.Your takes on Seteth and Flayn... have you had the opportunity to play their paralogue yet? I would not expect many to disagree with you on Cyril, though. As for your RP post, I would expect nothing less!

Yeah, literally every character in this game has their fans (even folks like Cyril and Gilbert). Just go to their respective S support video online to see the greatest concentration of them. Surprised you went Hanneman, would have bet he would be left in the dust.

AquilaJordyn wrote:I have played their paralogue.

I do happen to like both of them, and I suppose they're more independent-minded than Cyril or Gilbert, but so far, from what I've seen of SS, they both play apologists for Rhea.

I try to explain to them the glories of our fair Emperor and they just don't get it.

Cyril...

I wanted to like him, because Aegir doesn't.

But...

So far I'm not feeling it. He just seems like an orphan boy with an oedipus complex.

You shouldn't really judge Gilbert yet, he may be one of the blandest characters in the game, but he does have some stuff going on. Glad to hear you tried to approach Cyril with an open mind... but that's one way of putting it, I suppose. He's a messed up kid, just... subtly.

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Ah Flayn. Good meme, as a character... she's decent, but in a game like this, decent doesn't get you too far.You need to see some Seteth supports, he's got quite a bit going on. As for Cyril... yeah, he's got a few good supports, like with Lysithea, but there's not too much there in the personality department.Yeah, literally every character in this game has their fans (even folks like Cyril and Gilbert). Just go to their respective S support video online to see the greatest concentration of them. Surprised you went Hanneman, would have bet he would be left in the dust.You shouldn't really judge Gilbert yet, he may be one of the blandest characters in the game, but he does have some stuff going on. Glad to hear you tried to approach Cyril with an open mind... but that's one way of putting it, I suppose. He's a messed up kid, just... subtly.

I've seen up to Seteth's B support I think. Again, I like him. But he does refuse to work for our Emperor, thus, he is a sheep.

You did not just put Cyril in the same category as Lysithea.

I just think Cyril is Hubert in reverse, where all he talks about is his leader.

Hubert is sort of endearing because he's sarcastic, mean, and witty.

Cyril...

Cyril's just the stablehand.

Hubert is a more interesting Cyril.

AquilaJordyn wrote:I've seen up to Seteth's B support I think. Again, I like him. But he does refuse to work for our Emperor, thus, he is a sheep.

You did not just put Cyril in the same category as Lysithea.

I just think Cyril is Hubert in reverse, where all he talks about is his leader.

Hubert is sort of endearing because he's sarcastic, mean, and witty.

Cyril...

Cyril's just the stablehand.

Hubert is a more interesting Cyril.

No, Cyril and Lysithea have interesting supports, focusing on Cyril's dubious distinction of being the only playable character younger than our insecure Dark Spikes spamming friend. But yeah, Cyril-bashing is too easy, he really does stand out as a painfully mediocre character in a game full of greats (and decents).

The father dug his walking stick into the side of the grassy hill leading up to the Palace's grounds.

His right leg struggled to get up slopes like this, he needed the support. An arrow he took to the knee during the Secular War cut his battling days short.

But he wouldn't miss the wedding of his Emperor, and her groom.

The veteran Imperial soldier strolled casually up the hill with his kids and wife by his side, other families making the trek up.

They had been checked in at the Palace walls, searched for weapons, and had been allowed to find their way into the gardens. It bothered him they'd search a veteran like him. Couldn't they see, by his medals, he was loyal to the end to her? He'd give his dying breath to a Hresvelg. He supposed the creepy one, Hubert, that all the men feared, knew of some attempts on her life that he didn't, and the Imperial Guard was just being cautious.

He had never been in the palace in his life, except once, when he made his vows to her majesty. The palace had been opened to the public since her majesty declared it so, but he hadn't an excuse to visit. So he didn't know the way through it, and that is why they just climbed the hill up. He could see the gardens from across the river that went around the palace hill, encircling it until it emptied into the sea. You could see it from atop its acropolis in the whole city.

That was one of his happiest days, kneeling to her, and offering his life like he did when he made his own wedding vows, or when his three little ones were born. It was on the day she declared her war on the Church from the Palace, reading her manifesto to them. He had gone to watch the proceedings, and the emotion of the day got him excited to enlist.

He remembered those historic words that came from her regal lips:

"That is why I, Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg, hereby declare war on the Church of Seiros. Their reign of tyranny is over!"

He donned his old uniform, he wanted her to see him and know he fought for her, and would today if he still could. If his leg would let him.

His littlest, Johnathan, a six-year-old rambunctious boy, tugged on his uniform pant leg.

"Daddy, Why do we need to be going to this? I hate weddings. They're so looooong, and boring-."

The Dad looked down at the boy with fierce eyes.

He plucked him off of the ground in his free arm, stopping midway up the hill.

"Now you listen here. Don't I ever hear you say that again. We may meet her majesty, and if we do, I don't want none of you embarrassing your mother and I."

The boy whined while he rubbed his eyes of fake tears.

"But Daddyyyy!"

"Son, we're going to your Emperor's wedding. We've been invited to a noble's wedding. Do you know how special that is, that you were invited? All of us were. That never would have happened in the old days, before Emperor Edelgard. Thanks to her, you kids..."

The old man teared up.

"You can be whatever your little hearts can dream. Can't ye see? We owe it to her to be there for her special day."

His wife, a heavyset blonde with the most beautiful smile he had ever known put a hand to her son's face, rubbing it gently.

"Your father has fond memories of his military days. He loves our Emperor very much, and he wishes all of you to appreciate what she's done for us all. Our home, your futures, they're all provided for, so long as we work our darndest. Your Daddy loves you, that's why he fought. He wanted a better world for you all."

One of their other kids, their eldest, Giorgio, chimed in. He was 11 now, a spry young lad with a mound of dark brown hair like his Dad's.

"Johnny can't get that because he was just a baby when the war started. He doesn't know how it was before the war. It was terrible Johnny. We're all lucky now. Life might still be rough, but it is way better now."

The little boy stopped his sniffiling.

"I...I want to meet Edelgard. Does she like hugs?"

His father offered a hearty chuckle and a flash of his teeth.

"Oh, that she does. We may not get close enough to her for that, but I'm sure she'd be happy to see such a cute looking boy like yourself at her special day."

Johnny spoke.

"Who is she marrying Daddy?"

The Dad perked up his eyes, looking up at the sky while he tried to think.

"Come to think of it, I can't remember. Is it a lady or a guy dear?"

The love of his life sighed.

"Really? It's the Professor."

"OOooooh. The Ashen Demon! That one. He was a brutal fighter. Saved my hide a few times. Can't believe I forgot him."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Byleth tip-toed out of his room, following Linhardt out.

Byleth was in his full wedding suit.

A white suit, with a gold leather belt around his waist, gold cuffs with ruby cufflinks. A short white cape, that went halfway down his back flew behind him as they walked down the stairs. He kept one hand on the golden laurel leaf crown, not yet used to balancing it.

His pants were also white, with gold-link chains hanging from his waist, drooping down to either thigh.

Mike has insisted on applying makeup, making Byleth look like he was as noble as Ferdinand.

Did Ferdinand wear makeup? Byleth didn't know, but the man had a great complexion.

Linhardt put a hand to the Professor's chest, stopping at the last stair.

"Wait! Someone is in the throneroom. We need to get through there to get to the Gardens I think."

Linhardt was Byleth's best man, so it was his job to make sure Byleth arrived on time, didn't see El before it was time, and importantly, held onto the rings.

El was already wearing the engagement ring, but Linhardt kept the matching wedding rings in his waist-coat pocket.

Linhardt motioned for him to follow.

"I think whoever it was, they're gone. We can go. I guess we'd better hurry..."

Linhardt led him onwards, keeping close to him.

The Palace halls were like a maze. Half of the halls were dark, only lit by some sparsely placed lanterns. Getting lost in here was simple. Byleth took the same paths from his room to El's, to the kitchen and bathroom. He didn't change it up, because he tried that once, his first week, and Edelgard had to send out a search party, only for Hubert to find him in the basement.

He did not want to go into the basement again. That place was the most likely place in the Palace to be haunted.

Byleth stepped out into the limelight of the throne room. It was well lit now, by natural light pouring in from the massive stained-glass windows on the sides, and through the open door onto the Palace's stone patio and front lawn.

Byleth was so distracted by the throneroom's beauty, with its marble floors and unfurled red banners, he didn't even see the source of the screams.

"Ahhhhhh! Linhardt! Hide him! Hide him!"

Linhardt put his hand over Byleth's eyes, keeping him from seeing what was in front of him.

The voice spoke now. It was Dorothea.

"Lin, your one job was to make sure he didn't see her before the ceremony. I have a song to go practice, I'm just trying to pass her off to her Maid of honor, Petra."

"Yes, and it's your job to make sure she doesn't see him. Relax, I don't think he saw anything."

"Easy enough for you to say, the Professor wasn't paying attention, his mind was off in space. Edelgard actually pays attention more than half of the day."

Edelgard, whose eyes were hidden by her own gloved hand, spoke.

"Dorothea, I appreciate your concern, but I saw nothing. I feel like you're taking this wedding even more seriously than I am."

"Sorry, Edie. I'm just so excited for my two best friends! Come on Lin, get him out of here. We're going in the opposite direction. Lead him to the garden."

Byleth could feel as Linhardt shook his head, he jerked Byleths' head in the process.

"Seems to me the only issue here was you causing a commotion Dorothea. You blasted my ear-drums. Those are going to be sore all day now."

Linhardt yelped, kicking a leg up.

"Oww! Professor, she kicked me in my shin!"

Byleth sighed.

"Students, enough."

Edelgard seconded.

"Yes, both of you, end this."

Linhardt laughed.

"What have we done, letting these two marry? They're going to mother us all to death."

Byleth could sense as Edelgard passed. The air felt like her, smelt like her. He could feel the frills of her dress slide across his ankle.

"Oh Byleth, you smell so delectable! I always loved the scent of those oils on my mother. She'd bathe in them occassionally, just to please my Father. She wasn't his wife, so she was never allowed to put on the Enbarrian Saffron Oil, but mmm. It smells wonderful on you."

Byleth couldn't really smell her perfume from here. He imagined she smelt flowery, like the gardens themselves.

"You sound delectable."

"Sound...delectable? I haven't changed my voice."

"I know. You always sound appealing."

Edelgard gave a happy sigh.

"Oh Byleth, you make me so happy I can't stop my senseless blushing. This is embarrassing."

Dorothea comforted her friend.

"Don't worry Edie. We'll get him later. I know he's going to cry."

What had she done that could get him to cry? That wasn't likely.

Byleth didn't ask any questions. He knew he should let it stay a secret.

He let Linhardt lead him out of the throneroom, past his bride, towards the gardens.

Linhardt let him look around now, as they had left the throne room.

Several knights, nobles, and citizens of Enbarr were also walking down the hall.

There were foreign dignitaries, from far off Albinea, Morfis, Almyra, Sreng, even Dagda. They went down the hallway, with a wall of tall victorian windows looking out to the gardens, letting it a plentiful amount of light. Unlike most of the palace, this hall was bathed in light.

He watched as a family with purplish auburn hair, dressed in odd, colorful suits and dresses walked towards the garden. There was an older man with a whizzed beard leading them. He wore a headdress crafted of green peacock feathers, set in a gold headpiece. It looked like he was wearing a sun of green on his head. His hair was done into magnificent, well-kept dreads. They were like a lion's mane behind his head.

It could not be.

"King Macneary, Petra's Grandfather?"

The old man stopped mid-hall, turning to him.

"Oh! You must be being the one called Professor. My granddaughter, she is having much to be...uh...saying about you."

The old man smiled genuinely. The smile shone past the deep wrinkles on his brown, tanned skin.

"Petra is one of the most accomplished people I've ever fought alongside."

The old man chinned up.

"Yes, Petra is one we are all in shock of."

Linhardt elbowed Byleth.

"Apologies Petra's grandfather. He really needs to be getting to his own wedding now. You two can brag about our Petra later, at the Gala."

Linhardt pushed Byleth forward on his heels.

"Please, don't make me work this hard. Move it, kick your feet forward Professor!"

Byleth waved goodbye to Petra's family.

He tried to remember something Petra had taught him, of Brigid's language.

"Lafiya lau!"

He had managed to remember the Brigidian words for "Good bye!"

They all smiled now, and the elder King clapped happily.

"You have been honoring us with the words you have of our speech."

Byleth walked forward with Linhardt now, pushing the double doors to the Gardens out.

The gardens were an ornate labyrinth of white rose hedges.

There were ancient marble walls tracing the hedges, making it even harder to see through the maze.

Alongside the hedges, were planted red carnations, Edelgard's favorite flower.

Over many of the paths, were wooden latticework tunnels, draped in more carnations, blackened-heart orchids, and thick green moss. The moss also hung from old, live oak trees, giving the garden a mystical, old-world aesthetic.

Blackened-heart orchids, if Byleth remembered the tale, were named for a Princess of Enbarr, a daughter of Wilhelm, who suffered a terrible, cruel life, that caused her to grow cold to the world. They were dark purple, very nearly black flowers, with a crimson center and and filaments.

The paths were laid in a bright, cleansing white brick.

The Palace of Enbarr was so dark, bordering on sinister, but the garden stood out as a beacon of light in the darkness.

Pedestals of Heroes, Generals, Emperors, and Lords of Adrestia were placed in some of the mazes deadends, standing tall over the hedges. Some of them though were empty. Five to be specific.

They were the statues that contained Seiros, and the other Saints of the Church.

The statue of the Goddess, the massive one at the far end of the maze, on an outcropping behind the Palace hill, up a windy, beaten stone path, was left be. Whether that was because El had some fondness for it, if it was too difficult to remove, or if his wife meant to signal the Goddess wasn't deserving of being destroyed like the Church, he didn't know. Perhaps it was all three. Sothis still watched over Enbarr. At least her statue did.

Sothis looked much older in this depiction...more womanly, with wide hips and a full chest. Did people realize she was a kid?

The wedding venue was a rectangular court at the front of the gardens, leading out from the back porch, with a marble collonade overlooking the whole place. A balcony overlooked the garden from the second floor, from one of the windowed doorways above the collonade.

There were hanging moss covered aqueducts that ran along around the backside of the palace, drooping down over the edge of the patio. They turned outwards into the gardens, one on either side of the rectangular stoneway. They stopped towards the end of the court, dropping water down in a great stone water-fountain, which was in front of the wooden lattice archway, facing directly opposite the doorway, where Manuela was standing under, and soon, El and he would be wed under.

The fountain was enormous, running down the legnth of the gardens, with a variety of koi fish, frogs, and even a turtle swimming around inside of it.

Lanterns hung from the archway, and along the side of the court, near the hedge walls. Red and white paper lanterns were placed around the lip of the fountain.

A red runner rug went down the length of the plaza, from where he stood, to the archway.

Byleth walked down the path to the front.

The first pew, per El's request, was left empty. Only Dorothea, as the singer, sat there.

There were fifteen empty seats.

One for Anselma, his mother-in-law, lost at Duscar. Ten were reserved for El's siblings, stolen from the world by the same cruel experiments she survived. Two at the end, on the other side, belonged to his parents. Sitri, and Jeralt...

Byleth gulped. He kept his mind on happy thoughts. El would not be pleased with him if he cried for the wrong reasons on their wedding day. He tried not to dwell on his parents.

Next to Anselma's seat was that of Ionius, his Father-in-law. A man killed by a broken heart.

The thirteenth seat, probably the most controversial choice, was for Dimitri. Edelgard's step-brother.

Byleth didn't think of El as sentimental. But despite tossing away the past, there was a piece of her that still loved him.

He had also deduced Dimitri was her first crush.

He didn't press her on it, because he knew dwelling on the past was a sore topic for her. She couldn't stand to look back on it.

He felt honored all that she trusted him with. It wasn't necessary she disclose everything.

After Dimitri's execution by her axe on the Tailtean plains, that was when she confirmed Byleth's guess.

In that way, Dimitri and he, had something in common.

But while Dimitri was dead and buried, Byleth lived.

Dimitri's life was snuffed out by El's hand, while Byleth was to take her hand. Dimitri had given up on El, while Byleth believed in her.

The disparity between the two men could not be more of a chasm.

Byleth shuttered his eyes.

"Sothis, forgive him. Receive him."

Byleth wasn't particularly religious. But considering his history with Sothis, he felt comfortable asking. He didn't know if she still listened to him the way she did before. But Dimitri had been a faithful member of the Church of Seiros, so surely Sothis would hear a prayer on his behalf?

Dimitri received a seat, because his life was ruined by his obsession. All of them, in some way, had their lives destroyed by the crests...

On each empty chair was a single flower.

While the other guests had each been offered a red carnation or rose, on these chairs was placed a single red orchid.

In Fódlan, red orchids unmistakably represented justice, and a quest for it. Even Byleth knew that, which said how obvious a sign it was to anyone.

When a child was harmed, a person unfairly silenced by the Church, or a death covered-up by the government, the people impacted might plant red orchids outside their house, signalling they sought retribution.

Of course, most of the time, they never got it, because they were weak.

When people couldn't get justice, when they knew their cause was hopeless, they burned the red orchids in a dramatic sign, usually trying to do it in the center of their village or town.

Someplace public.

This was very public, but Edelgard wasn't burning the orchids.

They were alive.

On one note, she was just honoring them with a flower, remembering those she missed.

But at the same time, this was a clear sign to Edelgard's enemies. Even a wedding to an Emperor was in some way political.

She was seeking justice for those she loved. If her Uncle could see this, Byleth pondered what he'd think. Edelgard was making her view of him clear. She had no appreciation for the experience her family suffered and was coming for his ilk. Of course, they were just flowers. No matter their representation, there was plausible deniability if Edelgard needed cover. This was a powerful sign, but not a dangerous one. She was retributive, not stupid.

Byleth kept walking as he made his way down the wedding venue, looking at the guests.

Friends from the Monastery, even the Gate Guard was there. Byleth had suggested he, and the Abyss Guard, be invited. They were nice guys.

Byleth stared though, at one guest. He sat in a middle pew.

No.

Why was he here.

Byleth whispered to Linhardt.

"Push me."

Linhardt looked to where Byleth was glaring.

"You can get through this. Don't draw blood at your own wedding, please. For my health?"

The unwelcomed guest was Volkhard von Arundel.

The current designated regent of Adrestia.

Edelgard's Uncle.

Her persecutor.

Jeralt's killer.

Why was he here? There was no chance El wanted him here. Did he feel entitled to come? As if he had some right?

He took notice of Byleth's attention.

Linhardt sighed.

"Great a confrontation. Must you start something? Can't we all just have a peaceful day once? Once."

Arundel spoke.

"You are looking at me, fallen star. Is something the matter? Surely seeing the bride's Uncle here is of no great shock. It is natural. I have a right to be here."

Natural?

Who was this man to talk about what was natural?

His experiments were a crime against nature.

His existence was unnatural.

Byleth put his unclenched hand to his side, over where his dagger lay in wait.

He would kill this man one day. He swore that to himself.

"You...have a right to..."

Byleth didn't know how to lie. He didn't know how to be eloquent like El, and tell him to go to hell without just spitting it out.

He was raised by a raging wise-cracking drunk, not a King! He spoke frankly.

Someone grabbed his shoulder. It wasn't Linhardt's hand.

He looked up at Hubert.

He whispered to Byleth.

"Please, Professor...for our Lady."

Byleth sighed.

Of course, he had to keep quiet.

But it aggravated him so much.

He hated this man so much for what he had done to her, what he had done to Jeralt.

He held him personally responsible for Jeralt's death. He was the leader of "Those who slither in the dark". They were his responsibility, and he let Kronya kill Jeralt.

But he remembered what Hubert told him about Edelgard. That she considered Arundel an enemy of her family, and it hurt her, it psychologically hurt her to suffer him to live.

El suffered from being around him.

If she could find it in herself to not kill him where he stood, Byleth had to find the courage himself.

But the fact his presence would bring her sadness...it just made his blood boil all over again.

Byleth had never been so angry.

He...hadn't been angry very often in life. But he would see to it that Edelgard's axe would taste Volkard's blood one day. So would his sword.

His bride would have her justice. Byleth would stab his heart while she cut off his head. He sought raw, unadulterated vengeance.

He would pay.

Hubert, mercifully, took on the agonizing task of pretending to tolerate Volkhard.

"Lord Arundel, what brings you here?"

"I am here to witness my niece's wedding. She owes her success in the war to me after all, so it is my privilege, is it not?"

Hubert huffed.

"Her majesty's successes are her own. I would say, of all the people who have served her the most in her achievements, it would be her fiancé here."

Hubert clapped Byleth on the back. He spoke in a deep voice, adding emphasis to his word.

"Isn't that right? You've always stood by her side, slew her enemies, and removed all of her...pests, right?"

Byleth nodded.

"I'd destroy anything that stood in her way of happiness."

Hubert smiled.

"Good Professor."

Byleth knew that was what Hubert wanted him to say.

He didn't want a direct confrontation, and in fairness, El didn't deserve one at their wedding.

Now was not the time of reckoning. Hubert was right.

Byleth dropped his guard, taking his hand away from the outline of his dagger. He couldn't stand being near this man anymore. If you could call him a man.

Byleth walked down the aisle, towards Manuela. He'd let Hubert handle Volkhard.

The songstress had managed to garner his bride's favor. Her view on faith had proven enlightening to Edelgard, and so she was chosen as the wedding's celebrant. She would lead the ceremony.

Byleth greeted Manuela with an outstretched hand.

"A handshake? Really? Professor, we're closer than that, aren't we?"

Byleth rolled his eyes, extending his full arm out now in a hug.

"Better. I get you're taken now, but you could afford to be a little more cordial. A girl can be made to feel neglected with the way you act Professor."

Byleth broke the hug from his colleague, looking her over.

Manuela wore a red evening gown, as many of the women had, per Edelgard's request. But being Manuela, hers stuck out, for its provocative tight-fit, and the golden sash wrapped around her hips, that hung over her left thigh highlighting her curves. She wore ruby-drop earrings set in silver and was allowed a matching ruby-encrusted circlet.

"You know, I suggested I be allowed to wear that old Archbishop's crown. Not that I am one, but it's tradition. Your fiancée, she shot me down without even considering it! Fair enough, it wouldn't match this dress. Had I known what we were wearing, I wouldn't have suggested it. But still!"

Edelgard wanted very few religious references in this wedding. Manuela could talk about the Goddess, but the symbols of the Church had to go.

Even if she herself lacked faith in the Goddess, Edelgard wanted the ceremony to mean more to those gathered that did, like Manuela. So Sothis could stay. Rhea's memory was cast aside.

"That sounds like her. It's best not to fight her on it."

"You've learned that lesson already huh Professor? You're ahead of most men."

Byleth didn't mind an argument with Edelgard, it wasn't like that. He had just come to agree with her most of the time, or at the least, believe in her intentions. If she thought it was a good idea, it usually was. He tried to correct her and offer advice when needed, but most of the time it wasn't.

Byleth settled into the groom's throne. There was a matching one across from him for Edelgard, and one between them for Manuela if she needed a seat. There was a wooden lectern set off to the side, for some of their friends to offer readings of poems.

It was really just a nice stone garden chair, with a high backing, not an actual throne. A servant had washed it, and ripped off any moss growing on it. The gardens had been in poor condition until the war ended when Edelgard took a greater interest in its condition. She commissioned Bernadetta, with a team of workers, to ready it for the wedding. They had done a proficient job.

Byleth looked down at the fountain behind the archway he now sat under, spurting water up into the Adrestian late-day summer air.

He noticed a row of black and green pitcher plants.

They struggled to grow here, this wasn't their natural habitat. But with proper love and care, they could survive all but Enbarr's harshest winters. They had Bernadetta's touch written all over them.

So Byleth sat there, guests filing into the gardens to sit down in the wooden pews.

Violinists, gathered on the stone patio, under the collonade, had started to play their song. Their instruments sang softly an unintrusive piece that could settle into the background...

He looked up at the Palace.

From the balcony overlooking the garden, behind the curtains of crimson, he could see a shade.

A shade of a woman, in a billowing dress.

Was that her?

Was that Edelgard?

The curtains were closed, so he couldn't make out what she was wearing, and she couldn't see him either. Why was she looking out the window then, if she saw nothing? Was she trying to imagine what the wedding looked like, or was it something else?

The girl cast in shadows stayed there for some time, surveying her Empire before something pulled her away.

The words of a song stuck in Byleth's head.

"I look to you

Like a red rose

Seeking the sun

No matter where it goes

I long to stay

Where the light dwells

To guard against the cold

That I know so well."

I repeat, the Edge of Dawn describes Edelgard's life so succinctly.

I'm not the only one crying at this wedding already, right guys? 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Guys?

I know this is long, but actually, it could be way longer. Weddings done for political leaders are always a great way for world-building, lore-building, and to express that character's views. If you know anything about royal marriages, they were always political.

I'm trying not to bore Lysithea. We know she is short-tempered.

AquilaJordyn wrote:I have played their paralogue.

I do happen to like both of them, and I suppose they're more independent-minded than Cyril or Gilbert, but so far, from what I've seen of SS, they both play apologists for Rhea.

I try to explain to them the glories of our fair Emperor and they just don't get it.

Cyril...

I wanted to like him, because Aegir doesn't.

But...

So far I'm not feeling it. He just seems like an orphan boy with an oedipus complex.

Indeed. Not all are willing to see the problems with the system they support. It's a true shame

The Noble State of Aegir wrote:Ah Flayn. Good meme, as a character... she's decent, but in a game like this, decent doesn't get you too far.You need to see some Seteth supports, he's got quite a bit going on. As for Cyril... yeah, he's got a few good supports, like with Lysithea, but there's not too much there in the personality department.Yeah, literally every character in this game has their fans (even folks like Cyril and Gilbert). Just go to their respective S support video online to see the greatest concentration of them. Surprised you went Hanneman, would have bet he would be left in the dust.You shouldn't really judge Gilbert yet, he may be one of the blandest characters in the game, but he does have some stuff going on. Glad to hear you tried to approach Cyril with an open mind... but that's one way of putting it, I suppose. He's a messed up kid, just... subtly.

I have an odd affinity for Hanneman... I wouldn't say he's the best character, perhaps not even in the top 10, but I like him and his demeanor, although I understand why some may see him as offputting.

AquilaJordyn wrote:I've seen up to Seteth's B support I think. Again, I like him. But he does refuse to work for our Emperor, thus, he is a sheep.

You did not just put Cyril in the same category as Lysithea.

I just think Cyril is Hubert in reverse, where all he talks about is his leader.

Hubert is sort of endearing because he's sarcastic, mean, and witty.

Cyril...

Cyril's just the stablehand.

Hubert is a more interesting Cyril.

A curious comparison. I am interested to see what your take on Dedue is... he would likely fit interestingly into your comparison. And I will read that monster RP post once I have half an hour to spare.

The Adrestian Empire wrote:Indeed. Not all are willing to see the problems with the system they support. It's a true shameI have an odd affinity for Hanneman... I wouldn't say he's the best character, perhaps not even in the top 10, but I like him and his demeanor, although I understand why some may see him as offputting.A curious comparison. I am interested to see what your take on Dedue is... he would likely fit interestingly into your comparison. And I will read that monster RP post once I have half an hour to spare.

Dedue strikes me as similar to Hubert in his loyalty.

In fairness, every 'advisor' character is as loyal as the next. What is interesting about Cyril, is he is very loyal, but Seteth is the key advisor of Rhea's.

I wonder what Hilda is like...

From the few interactions I've had with Dedue, I like him. My issue with Cyril is all of Byleth's supports I've seen with him so far just focus on Rhea.

Hubert does have a personality. He just is devoted to Edelgard.

Cyril is far more subdued than Hubert.

Admittedly, most of Hubert's personality quirks aren't endearing.

But they're interesting if nothing else.

Right now, if I ranked the advisers (Knowing next to nothing about Hilda and Dedue) I'd rank them as follows:

1. Hubert
2. Hilda
3. Dedue
4. Seteth

Of course, that is because I know Hubert, while I'm only starting to understand Seteth and he is bothering me...

But I actually do like Seteth. It's just his remarks about a certain someone peeving me off.

I'm just guessing I'll like Hilda, from what I know about her. Dedue seems cool, but Hilda interests me more. Seteth is great he just needs to shut up about our glorious leader.

I was mostly joking about Gilbert, though his relationship with a certain redhead does bother me... I have to play Blue Lions first, but I can say the Edelgard community hates him.

Maybe Gilbert is the inverse of Edelgard...

My opinion of Hubert improved after the second playthrough. I think he just looks boring compared to the other Black Eagles, who are all stand-out characters, but his supports with Bernie, Byleth, and Petra are great.

«12. . .15161718192021. . .9697»

Advertisement