Fire Emblem: Crusaders of Light
(The main theme was split into two videos)
Fire Emblem: Crusaders of Light is a turn-based strategy role-playing game released in 1996 for the Super Famicom, exclusively in China. It is the fourth game installment in the Fire Emblem series, and the second for Super Famicom. It is a distant prequel to its predecessors, Dark Dragon and the Sword of Light and Mystery of the Emblem, set over a thousand years in those games' past and in a different part of the world; contemporaneous events and civilizations from Archanea are referenced in the game. A companion game, Thracia 776, focuses on events in Crusaders of Light taking place in a certain area, with the protagonist one of the supporting characters of Crusaders of Light.
Crusaders of Light is set in the continent of Jugdral, a land whose rulers bear the holy bloodlines of the Twelve Crusaders, who centuries ago freed humanity from the tyranny of the Earth Dragon Loptyr and his child-sacrificing cult. The game is split up into two halves, separated by the timespan of a generation. In the first generation, while most of his nation's army is off to war in the eastern nation of Isaach, Lord Sigurd of Chalphy defends the Kingdom of Grannvale from a sudden invasion by the neighbouring Kingdom of Verdane, but he is drawn into a vast conspiracy that changes the course of Jugdral’s history. In the second generation, his son, Seliph, continues his legacy.
Gameplay
Crusaders of Light is an unusual beast among the series. Its general gameplay is rather different, and it boasts a large number of unique systems and features alongside introducing several gameplay points which would go on to become series staples.
One of the core themes to the game is the legacy of the Twelve Crusaders, reflected in gameplay with the Holy Blood system. Some characters possess one of thirteen lineages of holy blood, which enhance the unit's stats. There are twelve powerful holy weapons, one for each lineage, that can only be wielded by the Crusaders and their descendants.
With the game split into two generational parts, a key aspect of this is most of the characters of the second generation are the children of those of the first. During the first generation, the female characters (except Deirdre and Ethlyn, who have canonical pairings) can be paired up to fall in love with male characters and have two children, who will go on to join Seliph. As long as they fall in love and remain alive until Sigurd’s story ends, their children can be recruited in the second half. Otherwise, they will be replaced with a matching substitute character. This is one of the main factors in the game's replayability. Since different couples can be paired up, and each pair of parents influences their children and leaving certain people unmarried results in different substitute characters, units in the second generation are quite variable. A child's stats, growths and skills (passive abilities which have an effect on combat performance) are determined by those of their parents.
Unlike other games where weapon durability is more variable and limited, most weapons here have a durability of fifty uses. After that they break, as normal, but they can be repaired in allied castles for a fee. On the other hand, their availability is very limited; there are not many of each type, and only some bosses give one when defeated. With new limitations on trading, the player must strategize over who gets to kill these bosses to get their weapons.
The game marked the debut implementation of another series staple, called the weapon triangle. It is like rock-paper-scissors only with weapons: swords beat axes, axes beat lances, and lances beat swords. The unit with the “better” weapon receives an accuracy and avoid bonus in combat.
Crusaders of Light is ostensibly the second-shortest game in the series, behind Waiyun; however, each chapter is more comparable to numerous individual chapters contained within one. It is also the only game in the series where all of the game takes place on outdoor maps. Only two maps, Endgame 1 and 2, take place inside a city, and even those are still set outdoors and technically have seize objectives. In fact, the scope of most battles are so large they can even cover entire countries and talk conversations imply months have passed.
Before starting each battle, the player is allowed to freely roam around their “home” castle as Sigurd or Seliph, talking to allies and learning more about the world of Jugdral. Due to hardware restraints the explorable castle itself isn’t that big.
Development
The game which eventually evolved into Crusaders of Light was not originally conceived as an actual Fire Emblem game, and many of the initial plans for the game, which had the working name of Sword Emblem, deviate greatly from the finished product. According to Zhao Jiahe, one aim which led to the development of Crusaders of Light was to temporarily break away from Marth’s Archanean setting to do something new with the series, similarly to the Valentian setting of Waiyun. The initial concept for the gameplay had more in common with traditional Chinese role-playing games and was based around squads, where the player would move squads of characters across a world map and would encounter and battle enemies. However, as the development continued, the game eventually shifted back to playing more like a traditional Fire Emblem game, based on both feedback from Rentiantang and opinions among the team. Due to all of these changing plans, the Crusaders of Light project was scrapped and remade from scratch at least two or three times. The development of the game was further complicated by both staff and office changes at Intelligent Systems.
When he was writing the scenario, one of Zhao’s primary aims was to produce a large-scale historical drama where the world undergoes great change over a period of time and, in his words, "the history [is] the protagonist". He looked to ancient historical epics like the Iliad and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as well as to the Reich’s Anarchy period, Fifty Years’ War, and even the Restoration for inspiration. The story's inspiration changed, drawing from Norse and Celtic mythology as opposed to the elements from classical mythology used by earlier titles. Through a much darker story than the Archanean and Valentian sagas, Zhao intended a key theme to be how many historical events and behaviors are unpalatable by modern standards, citing incest, patricide, and child torture as examples. To a lesser extent, he also wanted to show how people’s mistakes end up changing the world. He was determined not to whitewash history and sought to present a medieval drama reflective of the true nature of the era, and to present both the heroes and the villains as fighting for their own justice to emphasize the dangers posed by branding a conflict a crusade on either side. He summarized events in the game as roughly being inspired by the Reich’s Restoration and persecutions of Muslims, French, and Poles combined with the Anarchy and Fifty Years’ War. The historical character of Saint Heim is based on the two Roman saints Gunhilda and Wilhelmina, while Sigurd is based on Prince Nikephoros.
Many of the gameplay changes engendered are claimed by Zhao to have been directly inspired by this scenario direction. The game's enormous maps were intended to change the impression delivered by prior games that the conflict was being fought on a small scale, instead emphasizing the game's events as a massive, world-sweeping conflict spanning generations. The changes to the game's inventory and money systems, limiting the ability to swap items between units and giving each unit their own personal money supply, were developed in a bid to balance out which units are used by players, discouraging dumping every resource into a small handful of units.
Although the generational divide was a major element of the finished product in both gameplay and story, it was not part of the original concept that became Crusaders of Light. The idea of adding an element of romance was proposed partway through by Zhao based on the popularity of romance games and dating simulators at the time. The idea of inheritance based on variable parents also, bizarrely, derives from Zhao’s fondness for horse racing (probably by analogy with how retired champion race horses are used to breed more horses).
The idea for a third part of the story, following Seliph’s, came from Zhao’s desire to properly resolve loose ends and analyze moral issues raised by the rest of the story, although due to time and hardware constraints it was reduced to several lengthy epilogue scenes which are available depending on which marriage pairings were done in the first generation.
The music was composed in such a way to mirror the progress of the story. Prologue’s music track is upbeat and hopeful, reflecting Sigurd’s idealism. Chapter 2’s track remains upbeat but with hints of melancholy. By Chapter 5, the music has become sad and reflective, its tempo now reflecting that of a military march. Subsequent tracks go in the opposite direction. Chapter 6’s track remains somber, but with hints of hopefulness breaking through. By Chapter 10, the music is again upbeat and hopeful, and Endgame 2’s music is a remix of the prologue theme, encouraging the player to keep fighting.
During development after abandoning the name Sword Emblem, Crusaders of Light was tentatively called Genealogy of the Holy War.
Plot
(The theme of Chapter 2.)
The land of Jugdral, roughly 1000 years before the time of Marth.
The player is introduced to the game with an opening crawl showing a timeline of historical events from the founding of Grannvale (Year 0) to the time of Sigurd. In 440, the Earth Dragon Loptyr appeared before the power-hungry Galle, granting him immense power. Serving as Loptyr’s avatar, Galle conquered Jugdral and declared the tyrannical Loptyr Empire. In addition to purging hundreds of thousands of suspected heretics, he and his descendants regularly burned children alive as offerings to Loptyr. Much later, a rebellion swept Jugdral, but the rebels were no match for Loptyr’s power and were soon reduced to 12 desperate men and women. Everything miraculously changed when Naga and eleven other deities descended from the heavens to bless the twelve, granting them holy blood and holy weapons. They became the legendary Twelve Crusaders. In the following Holy Crusade, the Loptyr Empire’s forces were steadily driven back, and in 648, Naga’s disciple, Saint Heim, struck down the last Loptyr Emperor on the steps of Belhalla Palace. The Crusaders parted and founded their own kingdoms.
Sigurd, the protagonist.
It is now 757, and Heim’s descendant, the aging King Azmur, delegates much of his authority to his popular son, Kurth, who is advised by his friend Lord Byron of Chalphy. However, Chancellor Reptor of Friege and Lord Langobalt of Dozel oppose them. Isaachian barbarians cross the border, and Kurth and Byron lead an army to subdue them. As soon as the troops leave, the formerly allied Verdane invades, sweeping into Jungby and capturing its princess, Aideen. News of the attack reaches nearby Chalphy, where Sigurd, son of Byron, mobilizes his knights to rescue her. As Verdane’s soldiers are slowly driven back, others arrive to support Sigurd. First come Azel of Velthomer and Lex of Dozel against the wishes of their families. Next comes Sigurd’s sister Ethlyn, her husband and Sigurd’s friend Prince Quan of Leonster, and their retainer Finn. With the new help, Sigurd retakes Jungby, but Aideen has been taken to Verdane. Sigurd rashly decides to invade Verdane as well. As he makes preparations to do so, he meets his friend Arvis, Duke of Velthomer and Azel’s brother, who reminds him Sigurd will always have an ally in Belhalla.
Arvis
Sigurd invades Verdane. His old friend, Augustria’s Duke Eldigan of Nordion, aids him. Meanwhile, Aideen escapes imprisonment with the help of a thief, Dew, and an Isaachian princess, Ayra, who was forced to fight for Verdane as her nephew, Crown Prince Shannan, was held hostage. While Aideen and Dew escape to Sigurd, Ayra stays behind to protect Shannan. Sigurd frees Shannan and then convinces Ayra to defect. While resting at a friendly castle, he comes across a mysterious woman, Deirdre, being harassed by a ruffian. He drives off the ruffian and earns Deirdre’s gratitude. Although they are attracted to each other, Deirdre leaves. Confused, Sigurd goes after her. His army treks through the nearby Spirit Forest, where Verdane’s Prince Jamke’s men ambush them. Aideen, traveling with Sigurd, convinces him to join them. Jamke’s father King Batu begins doubting his adviser Sandima, but the Loptyrian sorcerer fatally wounds him and uses his Sleep staff to incapacitate anyone approaching.
Deirdre.
In the heart of the forest, Sigurd again meets Deirdre, who admits she is hiding because her late mother warned if she were to leave it, she would bring about the end of the world and great suffering to those she loves. Sigurd assures her that as long as he is with her, he will make sure nobody comes to harm, on his honor as a Crusader. They confess their love for each other, and Deirdre agrees to help Sigurd. She approaches the capital unarmed, offering her surrender. Sandima remotely contacts his boss, Manfroy, and reports he has found the girl they were looking for. Entering the castle, she holds up a staff, saying it is a gift for him. She then activates the Silence staff, which nullifies Sandima’s powers. Receiving their cue, Sigurd and his army storm the castle. Sigurd chases Sandima through the castle and corners him on a balcony. He rashly tries to kill him slowly with his fists. But the Silence staff’s effects wear off, and Sandima brings the full might of his dark magic to bear on Sigurd. Sigurd is only saved by Deirdre arriving and blasting Sandima with her Aura spell, killing him. Sigurd finds Batu, who with his last words warns Sigurd of the return of the Loptyrian Order. The chapter ends with Sigurd and Deirdre’s wedding.
Azmur, delegating powers to Arvis, orders Verdane placed under temporary occupation, which angers allied Augustria. The Augustrian Diet, where the kingdom’s dukes advise King Imca, is filled with heated arguments between supporters and opponents of Grannvale. This comes to a head when the pacifist Imca is assassinated. He is succeeded by his son, the ambitious, jingoistic, and paranoid Chagall (inspired by King-Emperor August of Lithuania). Fearing Grannvale will turn to Augustria next, he preemptively invades Verdane. Arvis tasks Sigurd, who is taking time off to raise his newborn son Seliph, with “ending the threat” posed by the newly hostile Augustria.
Eldigan, part of the anti-war faction in the Diet, plans to go to the capital of Agusty to convince Chagall to stand down. His sister, Lachesis, urges him to reconsider due to Chagall’s paranoia. Eldigan responds that it is his duty as the descendant of a Crusader to set his king right, even if it is in vain. However, Chagall believes Eldigan wants the throne for himself and imprisons him, dissolving the Diet and sending troops to occupy Nordion. Manfroy advises Chagall to commit everything to the war effort, promising he can become emperor of Jugdral. Sigurd learns Eldigan was imprisoned and Nordion is under attack and rushes to Nordion. Deirdre insists on accompanying him. Although Sigurd says she needs to be there for Seliph, Deirdre refuses to stay behind, saying Seliph has Shannan and Sigurd’s squire Oifey to keep him company.
Instead of heading straight for Nordion and defeating the Augustrian force besieging it, Deirdre instead suggests attacking other cities to sabotage Augustrian supply lines and luring the enemy away from Nordion, giving Lachesis time to mobilize the castle’s guards. With Nordion safe, Sigurd orders his army to rescue Eldigan, but Deirdre tells him about villages being extorted by bandits hired by Chagall to fund his war. Saving the villages would earn Sigurd the support of the people. When they arrive, they find many bandits have already been killed by a wandering bard named Lewyn, who is sick of nobles like Sigurd using the common people as fodder. Sigurd apologizes, acknowledging he hasn’t thought about this and offers to withdraw his army from Augustria. Lewyn then insists Chagall is too stubborn to end the war and must be defeated to protect his people from him. He says he considers Sigurd honorable and joins his army.
Sigurd meets an emissary from Arvis who updates him on developments in Belhalla. Reptor and Langobalt spread rumors claiming Sigurd and Byron are conspiring against the throne, with the childless Kurth as their puppet. Sigurd asks why Kurth is still childless. He learns Kurth had an affair with Sigyn of Velthomer, whose husband, Arvis’ father, was an abusive philanderer who committed suicide when he learned of the affair. Sigyn fled with her infant daughter, and Kurth swore never to marry. If they were to be found, Sigyn’s daughter could be legitimized.
Chagall receives pegasus knights from the Kingdom of Silesse, led by Erin, who is searching for the kingdom’s missing heir and her childhood friend, Lewyn. Chagall tells Erin Sigurd will execute him. Erin attacks Sigurd, but Lewyn reveals his true identity. Realizing she was tricked, Erin joins Sigurd’s army. Lewyn asks why Erin followed him. Erin says his mother, Queen Rahna, sent her to bring him home. Lewyn refuses to go home, as taking the throne of Silesse would start a civil war with his uncles, who also want the throne. They can just have the throne if they want it so much. It spares the people of Silesse a civil war.
As Sigurd approaches Agusty, Manfroy suggests Chagall stop killing his commanders for circumstances out of their control, but Chagall is convinced they are all part of a conspiracy to undermine him and his rightful claim to the throne of Grannvale (mirroring August’s claim to be the rightful Roman emperor). Deciding Chagall is more trouble than he is worth, Manfroy convinces Chagall to release Eldigan so he can negotiate a ceasefire with Sigurd. Agusty is surrendered to Grannvale, which establishes a second temporary occupation. A rump Augustrian state led by Chagall is established in the northern city of Madino. The ceasefire will be enforced by Eldigan, who tells Sigurd he will not hesitate to fight him if the ceasefire is broken.
Sigurd makes Agusty his base of operations. When not leading negotiations, he spends his time with Deirdre and Seliph. Despite his efforts, the temporary occupation becomes tyrannical. Chagall declares he must free the Augustrian people and invades again. The pirates of the neighboring Orgahil region, taking advantage, sweep in to pillage the towns, against the orders of their honorable leader Bridget, whom they overthrow and attempt to kill. Eldigan mobilizes his elite Cross Knights. Arvis orders Sigurd to kill Chagall and defeat his forces, promising he will launch an investigation into the abuses.
Sigurd easily takes Madino, but Chagall flees to Silvail with Eldigan. Sigurd the priest Claud and Reptor’s rebellious daughter Tailtiu, who offer support. Claud informs him Kurth was murdered and Sigurd and Byron were implicated. Arvis is currently working to clear their name. He sent Claud, protected by Tailtiu, to go to the Tower of Blagi in Orgahil, to uncover the truth. While Claud, Tailtiu, and a detachment of troops head for Orgahil (where they rescue Bridget), Sigurd advances on Silvail. His plans are interrupted by news an enemy army has been spotted near Agusty. Fearing for her son, Deirdre retreats to the city while Sigurd continues. She defeats the enemies and then rushes to her home, where she finds Manfroy waiting. The Loptyrian addresses her as Sigyn’s daughter. His followers hold Seliph and the townspeople hostage. Shannan and Oifey attack and rescue Seliph. Deirdre blasts Manfroy with Aura, allowing the townspeople to excape. Manfroy is surprised by Deirdre’s defiance and prepares a spell, proclaiming her fate was written the day she was born. Deirdre, activating her Silence staff, declares she is not scared of her fate as long as she has Sigurd. However, the Silence staff doesn’t work. Deirdre tries to resist the attack, but it is too powerful, and she faints. Shannan and Oifey attempt to rescue her, but Manfroy easily defeats them and teleports away with her. Arriving too late, Sigurd is shocked to find her missing. Shannan apologizes for not being strong enough, but Sigurd blames himself instead.
At Silvail, Chagall claims Eldigan is part of the plot against him and orders him to make a suicide charge against Sigurd. Realizing there is nothing he can do to convince Chagall, Eldigan picks up his holy sword, Mystletainn, and orders his Cross Knights to move out. He asks Lachesis to go to Sigurd’s army for her safety, fully expecting to die. Sigurd’s army arrives at Silvail and prepares for battle. After learning of Deirdre’s fate, Ethlyn approaches Quan and gives him House Leonster’s holy lance Gae Bolg, making him promise they will not be separated for the sake of their children. Returning with Sigurd’s army, Lachesis confronts Eldigan on the battlefield and warns his loyalty will destroy Augustria. Eldigan replies Chagall’s death will likewise doom Augustria. Lachesis insists Chagall’s insanity is dooming the country already. Not wanting to turn his sister down, Eldigan decides to convince Chagall one more time after sending her back to Sigurd. However, Chagall takes his retreat as treason and executes him on the spot. His head is delivered to Sigurd’s camp.
Enraged, Sigurd brings down the full might of his army on Silvail. The Cross Knights, remaining loyal like Eldigan, die fighting for Augustria. Chagall replaces them with mercenary wyvern knights led by Thracia’s King Travant. The brutal Thracians attack Sigurd’s army with a ferocity they are not used to. Quan brandishes Gae Bolg and charges at the Thracians, the holy lance’s power tipping the scales in his favor. Travant retreats, telling Quan he will get revenge. Silvail falls, and Lachesis kills Chagall to avenge Eldigan. The Augustrians surrender, and Grannvale occupies the whole country. With Chagall dead, Sigurd defeats the pirates. Sigurd’s army rescues Claud, Tailtiu, and Bridget, who is revealed to be Aideen’s long-lost sister and the heir to their family’s holy bow Yewfelle. Claud ominously says that his vision showed a dark future should things continue on their current path, and that they should watch out for a certain dark figure he couldn’t identify. Reptor and Langobalt arrive to charge Sigurd with Kurth’s murder and order his death. Silessian pegasus knights, led by Erin’s sister Mahnya, evacuate Sigurd’s army.
Sigurd escapes to Silesse, where he is received by Queen Rahna. Rahna uses her country’s traditional neutrality to hold off a possible invasion while vouching for Sigurd’s innocence, but there are many who disapprove of her. Rahna’s brother, Daccar of Zaxon, objects to Lewyn being heir and wants Sigurd to be handed over to Grannvale. His brother, Maios of Thove, conscripts an army to press Daccar’s claim. When Lewyn arrives back at court, Rahna gives him the silent treatment to punish him for running away. Lewyn simply laughs and asks if she is still mad at him, which she confirms. She tells him they have a lot to discuss now.
Maios mobilizes his army and marches towards the capital, while Daccar opens the southern border to let in allied Grannvale troops. Rahna tells Sigurd she was unable to clear his name. However, she tells him the looming succession crisis has been solved. An unknown daughter of Kurth has been discovered. She and Arvis fell in love and are now married. Although Sigurd is glad the succession is safe, he is dismayed he hasn’t found Deirdre. To repay Rahna for all she has done, Sigurd offers to help fight Daccar and Maios. Unfortunately, Quan, Ethlyn, and Finn are forced to return to Leonster, due to rising tensions with King Travant in neighboring Thracia. Once the situation at home is stabilized, Quan promises to be back for Sigurd. With convincing from Erin and Mahnya, Lewyn also decides to help Sigurd, realizing he couldn’t stop war from breaking out.
Sigurd repels Maios and counterattacks, killing him. However, this was part of Daccar’s plan, having used his disposable brother to distract Sigurd while he attacks the capital with pegasus knights led by Pamela, formerly Mahyna’s friend. Mahyna mobilizes her pegasus knights. Erin tries to join her, but Mahyna tells her to go help Lewyn, giving her sister her silver lance. Mahyna and her knights inflict heavy casualties on Pamela’s rebels, but Pamela reveals her trump card. Grannvale’s Beigenritter, elite bow knights which had secretly moved under the two armies as they fought, open fire, killing Mahyna and her knights. Pamela takes Rahna hostage and declares Daccar the rightful king.
Erin sadly informs Lewyn and Sigurd of Mahnya’s death and the capital’s fall. Lewyn is in shock and denies Mahnya lost. He is soon forced to acknowledge his childhood friend and former crush died far away from him, and all he did was run while she sacrificed herself for him. He realizes his actions have consequences, and he can’t keep running from his duties. Sigurd tries to take the blame for Mahnya’s death, but Lewyn blames himself for running away, believing he should’ve died instead. Sigurd refuses to reinforce Lewyn’s survivor’s guilt and says he has to move forward. Lewyn acknowledges he has learned a valuable lesson, that he must stand by his people.
Sigurd returns to the capital, where the Beigenritter and Pamela have fortified themselves. Erin lures Pamela and her knights away while Sigurd and the others engage the Beigenritter. Pamela mocks her for supporting a cowardly queen, an absent prince who does not love her back, and a dead sister blinded by loyalty. Erin counters Lewyn returned to save his people, and Silesse will be safe as long as she and Lewyn are there to defend it. Beigenritter or not, Daccar and Pamela cannot hope to oppose the united will of the Silessians, free like the wind. She defeats Pamela using Mahnya’s lance, and the Beigenritter retreat. Lewyn is the first to enter the palace and confirm his mother’s safety, apologizing for his past actions. He vows to remain in Silesse to help her and their people, but Rahna tells him Sigurd and the other people of Jugdral need his help more as the descendant of the Crusader Ced. She gives him the holy wind tome Forseti, saying he must prevent violence as Ced would and guide the world to peace.
Lewyn studies the Forseti tome and historical accounts of how Ced unlocked its power. It was said although Forseti’s wind magic was incredibly powerful, Ced didn’t use it much, instead using his charisma to unite the people of Silesse and drive out the Loptyrians. Erin greets him with a heavy heart. Lewyn tries to apologize about getting Mahnya killed. Erin tries to apologize for Mahnya’s death, believing Lewyn still had feelings for her, as she wasn’t there to protect her. But Lewyn says he has long moved on from Mahnya and confesses his feelings for Erin instead. And this time, he promises to stay by her side. This conversation guarantees Erin and Lewyn will get married.
Lewyn heads for Zaxon on his own and shows up at the gates unarmed. Amused, Daccar invites him inside, expecting him to have run away again. Lewyn says he is done running. He had thought leaving the country would protect his people, but he had only abandoned them. So he will not run anymore. He will be like the wind, lifting the people up to a new future. He takes out his flute and plays a melody. Daccar orders his guards to kill Lewyn, but they are entranced by the music. The melody echoes across the streets of Zaxon, carried by the wind, lifting the people’s spirits and inspiring them to rebel against Daccar. Daccar orders his troops to suppress the uprising, but the troops mutiny. Lewyn tells him this is the true power of Forseti. Instead of bending people to its will, Forseti soothes and inspires, uniting people around a common cause to build a better future, free of the machinations of cruel nobles. Daccar lunges at Lewyn, who nimbly dodges every attack. Continuing playing his flute, he has become like the wind, adaptive and unable to be restrained. In anguish from the music, Daccar commits suicide, ending the Silessian civil war.
Believing Grannvale is only sending troops because of him, Sigurd leaves Silesse to avoid endangering the Silessians more. As he approaches Langobalt’s Lubeck Castle, the mortally wounded Byron approaches, pursued by enemies. Byron confirms Reptor and Langobalt murdered Kurth to disgrace House Chalphy and gain influence over Azmur. He gives Sigurd their family’s rusted holy sword, Tyrfing, and lives long enough to hold Seliph in his arms. After Sigurd buries him, he orders his army to launch a reckless assault on Lubeck. The castle falls, and Sigurd vengefully kills Langobalt (if Lex fights Langobalt, Langobalt regrets having to fight his own son, wishing things could’ve turned out differently). He prepares to cross the Yied Desert, which stands between him and Reptor. With an important battle to decide the fate of Grannvale ahead of him, he has Shannan, Oifey, and Aideen take Seliph and the children of his other allies to Isaach for their safety, and their parents tearfully watch them leave. In-game, Aideen will not be available for the rest of the battle.
Elsewhere, Quan and Ethlyn, accompanied by their infant daughter Altena, enter the desert with Leonster’s Lanceritter knights, planning to meet Sigurd in Phinora. Although the desert is a neutral zone, the border near Phinora is guarded with Grannvale soldiers, and as they approach it, Quan asks Ethlyn to turn back for Altena’s sake. Ethlyn begins heading back to Leonster, but at that moment, the sun is blocked out by a host of Thracian wyvern knights, led by Travant. The Thracians descend upon the Lanceritter, whose horses struggle in the sand and are easily massacred by their special anti-cavalry weapons. Ethlyn does not get far before a Thracian kills her horse. She asks one of her soldiers to take Altena and escape while she distracts Travant, who is flying after her. Travant takes her hostage, but Ethlyn commits suicide to deny him leverage, and the anguished Quan attacks Travant. He is about to get the upper hand when a Thracian takes Altena hostage as well. Quan drops Gae Bolg to save his daughter, and Travant immediately kills him with his own holy lance, Gungnir. The Lanceritter is completely annihilated while the Thracians suffer no casualties. Returning to Thracia with plans to invade the newly weakened Leonster, Travant adopts Altena as his own daughter, to give her a childhood to replace the one he stole from her, and takes Gae Bolg as a trophy. He orders his men to stay behind and massacre Sigurd’s army.
Meanwhile, Sigurd advances into the desert after seeing the Thracians in the distance. He comes across the bodies of the Lanceritter and mourns the loss of his sister and friend, blaming himself for not arriving in time. More determined to end the war, he reaches Phinora, where he plans to reforge Tyrfing. The local lord is surprisingly welcoming. Suspecting a trap, Sigurd stays on his guard and refuses accomodations. That night, his suspicions are confirmed when the Thracians attack from the air and Grannvale mages attack on the ground. Quickly getting Tyrfing reforged, Sigurd unleashes the sword’s power on the mages, while Jamke and Lewyn drive back the Thracians with their arrows and wind magic.
The next day, the army leaves the desert and marches on Reptor’s castle. Before they can attack the castle, the Rottenritter mages of Arvis’ nearby Velthomer Castle rain down Meteor attacks on the unsuspecting Friege armies, inflicting massive casualties and forcing Reptor to flee. Arvis declares Reptor the true traitor of the realm. In the aftermath, Sigurd meets with Arvis’ general Aida at Velthomer Castle. Aida tells him Arvis has managed to purge the court of Reptor’s influence and finally cleared Sigurd’s name. Azmur invites Sigurd to Belhalla to formally apologize for and retract the charges of treason.
Several lengthy cutscenes detail the conclusion of Sigurd’s story and the outcomes of his friends, which change depending on who they married (or if they married). The following passages assume certain character pairings were made.
If Azel and Tailtiu are married, Azel meets Arvis at Velthomer Castle. Arvis is happy to see his little brother is safe and updates him on his happy marriage to Kurth’s daughter. Azel talks about his marriage to Tailtiu, shocking Arvis, who tells him that it is dangerous to remain connected so closely to Reptor. Meanwhile, Tailtiu tracks down Reptor in a forest and confronts him for not caring she was with Sigurd and wanting her killed anyways. Shocked by her words, Reptor realizes how much his ambition has consumed him. Cutting back to Arvis and Azel, Arvis says Azel doesn’t have to worry about being connected to Reptor anymore. At that moment, Reptor and his loyalists are attacked by the Rottenritter, who were summoned by Tailtiu’s treasonous brother Blume. Blume forces Reptor to give him House Friege’s holy thunder tome Mjolnir. He attempts to use Mjolnir on Tailtiu, but Reptor jumps in front of her and takes the blast.
Arvis explains war has consumed Jugdral for too long. The people of Grannvale are tired of constant fighting and political intrigue. Arvis plans to show the people a symbol to unite them around a fair and tolerant Grannvale, where all can live peacefully under the guidance of the dynasty of Saint Heim, with House Velthomer and its family crest, known as the Fire Emblem, as its protectors. Realizing Tailtiu is in danger and Arvis is planning something, Azel leaves. Arvis warns if he continues on, he will have no choice but to cut down his own brother. Azel reunites with Tailtiu. The mortally wounded Reptor sacrifices himself so the two of them can escape. Azel and Tailtiu’s stories are concluded.
In Belhalla, a glorious triumph is held for Sigurd and his friends. Sigurd arrives at Belhalla Palace and meets Arvis. He thanks him for his support and asks to meet Azmur to receive the apology and clearing of charges. However, Arvis unexpectedly refuses, saying he will not let a traitor meet the king. Sigurd insists the misunderstanding has been cleared, but Arvis publicly denounces Sigurd as a devious schemer who deceived the people so he could seize the throne. In the middle of the denunciation, Arvis’ wife, Deirdre, rushes in from behind a curtain, protesting there is no way Sigurd can be as vile as Arvis makes him out to be. Sigurd is shocked to see her. He tries to reach out to her, but she doesn't remember him. Arvis’ guards take Deirdre away, who begs to have more time to remember. Claud, accompanying Sigurd, realizes the dark figure he couldn’t identify is Arvis. Palace guards surround Sigurd and draw their weapons. Sigurd draws Tyrfing, angrily shouting “Arvis, you dastard!” If Lewyn and Erin are married, Lewyn will hear the wind whispering something: “Afraid.” Erin notices the Rottenritter charging up an attack.
Battle theme for Endgame 1.
Sigurd easily defeats the palace guards and faces Arvis, even as he knows it is unlikely he will escape the city. He orders Claud to regroup with the others, who have hidden to avoid the Rottenritter’s Meteor attacks. This begins an in-game battle where the player’s units must survive for an indefinite number of turns, taking advantage of the city’s terrain to avoid the Rottenritter attacks. Jamke, Dew, and Bridget decide to fight their way out and regroup at Aideen’s hiding place, while Lex and Ayra fight the Belhalla garrison to protect fleeing citizens. Erin evacuates Claud (removing him from the battle), while Lewyn listens to the wind, overhearing the malevolent thoughts of Aida, the Rottenritter, and Arvis. He wills the wind to blow through the streets, putting out fires, deflecting incoming Meteor attacks, and clearing a path to escape through.
Arvis attacks with his holy fire tome, Valflame, but Sigurd parries the divine flames with Tyrfing. He disarms Arvis but refuses to kill him, saying he must be given a lawful trial to properly atone, and leaves to find Deirdre. Manfroy approaches Arvis and mocks him, saying if Sigurd wins, Arvis will never see Deirdre again, and his vision of a united and peaceful Jugdral will never come about. Spurred into action, Arvis goes after Sigurd.
After learning of Claud’s vision, Sigurd’s army fight even more fiercely against the Rottenritter and Belhalla garrison, determined to not let “that time” come around. Erin and Lewyn rush to the palace’s side entrance to help Sigurd, but they run into Manfroy, who is waiting for them. Lewyn asks Erin to leave, but Erin refuses, reminding him of their promise. Manfroy unleashes a dark spell which even Forseti struggles to avoid. Erin blocks the entrance to prevent enemy soldiers from distracting Lewyn. Although she is outnumbered, she calls on Mahnya’s spirit to give her the strength to defend Lewyn, temporarily boosting her stats.
Sigurd searches the palace for Deirdre, who slowly remembers him. She breaks free of her bodyguards and runs in the direction of Sigurd’s voice. The two reunite on the front steps, and Sigurd apologizes for not being there for her. He vows to spend the rest of his life at her side. Arvis catches up and orders Deirdre to back away, but she refuses. Sigurd demands to know why Arvis wants to bring about the dark times again, or rather, the time of the Loptyr Empire. Arvis explains Sigurd is mistaken and blinded by centuries of Crusader propaganda.
After the fall of the Loptyr Empire, the Crusaders carried out bloody pogroms against Loptyrians and those with Galle’s blood, even if they weren’t part of the cult which committed atrocities. Even after the Crusaders passed away, their descendents continued the persecution, burning suspected Loptyrians, including children, at the stake even if they were generations removed from the Loptyrian atrocities. Arvis was shocked to learn Sigyn and thus he too were descendants of Galle. If news got out, he would’ve been immediately executed. It wasn’t fair, because he didn’t choose to be born this way. But if he could change the world, he could avoid that fate. He could save others from being doomed by their birth. That is what he intends for his new world, to break the cycle of hatred and persecution by and of Loptyrians.
Manfroy also monologues to Lewyn. He was raised in a hidden shrine in the Yied Desert, where his people hid for generations. One day, he and his friends disregarded warnings not to leave the shrine and went to a village. Identified as Loptyrians, the fearful townspeople grabbed the children and burned them at the stake, in revenge for the children the Empire burned at the stake. Manfroy escaped, his face badly scarred, and vowed revenge. Lewyn asks why he would continue the cycle of hatred with the Loptyrians at the top again. Manfroy agrees the hatred will continue, and it will not heal his old wounds, but he might as well continue it so others will feel the suffering he did. He reveals he was only monologuing to charge up a spell. The player is thrown into a combat screen, where Manfroy attacks Lewyn and brings him down to 1 HP. Lewyn does not counterattack, instead shedding tears.
In the palace, Arvis breaks down, lamenting how everyone in his life eventually left him. First was his father, who committed suicide. Then his mother left him. And now Azel is gone, and Deirdre is about to go back to Sigurd, who will likely kill him. He only went along with Manfroy’s plan and married Deirdre so he could inherit the throne and as king enact his reforms, but he confesses he genuinely fell in love with her. He pleads for her to not abandon her like everyone else has. He doesn’t want to be alone again.
Erin continues fighting off the garrison, not looking back to see what happened to Lewyn. Manfroy is not surprised a descendant of Ced survived his attack, but he is surprised Lewyn shed tears for him. Manfroy offers him the honor of being put out of his misery, so he does not need to see the cycle of hatred repeating itself. Erin finally looks back. She immediately abandons her position and rushes to Lewyn’s side. Seeing Erin, Lewyn calls upon Forseti one last time. Their units disappear from the battle, and their story is concluded here. One by one (or two by two if married), the player’s other units will say some dialogue and also disappear, until only Sigurd is left.
Sigurd approaches Arvis. He talks about the many people he lost during his journey, like Ethlyn, Quan, Eldigan, and Deirdre. But clinging to the pain and anger won’t change anything. What matters is they accept it for what it is, and rise above it. He puts down Tyrfing and reaches out, promising to never leave his last friend alone again. Together, they can work to bring around the peaceful Jugdral Arvis always wanted, where all people, both Loptyrians and non-Loptyrians, can live together without fear of persecution, able to rise and fall on their own merits. He tells Arvis there are still people who wholeheartedly love him, and they will stand with him. Arvis cries and reaches for Sigurd’s hand. His dialogue box pauses on “…” for a few seconds.
Suddenly, the player is thrown into another combat screen. Arvis attacks the unarmed Sigurd with Valflame and gets a critical hit, reducing him to ashes.
Deirdre is unable to accept what she just witnessed. She breaks down and cries, reaching for Sigurd’s ashes and the abandoned Tyrfing, before fainting and again losing her memories. Manfroy arrives and tells him the situation in the rest of the city has been brought under control. Arvis declares the last obstacle to his plan has been eliminated, with the traitor Sigurd’s death serving as the symbol of Jugdral’s rebirth and unification. He orders a manhunt for the survivors and then takes Deirdre to her room to rest. Scrolling text informs the player this is the end of Sigurd’s story and lists the names of all of the men and women who served with him, saying although they fought for justice and truth, they ultimately failed.
In the next chapter, scrolling text explains what has happened since Sigurd’s death in what became known as the Battle of Belhalla. With the deaths of Kurth, Reptor, Langobalt, Byron, Sigurd, and later Azmur (from natural causes), Arvis became the sole power in Grannvale. The surviving nobility pledged their loyalty to him and through his wife Deirdre proclaimed him king of Grannvale. Arvis turned outward, formally annexing Verdane, Augustria, and Isaach, placing them under the rule of puppet kings. He invaded Silesse, killing Rahna, and Leonster, already dealing with a coup that killed its King Calf as well as a Thracian invasion, easily conquering both and bringing all of Jugdral under his rule. Arvis aimed to construct a new world as free of discrimination as possible, and he swiftly issued decrees such as releasing slaves, banishing corrupt nobles, and arresting dishonest merchants, which earned him overwhelming support from the people. With this support, Arvis declared himself the first emperor of the Grannvale Empire, and the first few years of his reign were marked by a golden age of peace. Unfortunately, his ideal world would not last.
A generation later, the same public which once welcomed Arvis’ rise now suffer under an oppressive and tyrannical regime. People in the occupied kingdoms suffer even worse, living as little more than slaves to the empire’s whims. In Isaach, Langobalt’s son Danan reigns. While he lives an indulgent life, he extorts as much gold, food, and women as he can from the locals. His sons Johan and Johalva, who are much less brutal, respectively rule over other cities. Under House Dozel, Isaach knows no freedom. But its people have one last hope, located in the distant Isaachian village of Tirnanog. There, King Shannan, now of age, and Aideen, now a priestess at the local church, rally a resistance force. Among these hopefuls is a teenage boy named Seliph. Although his father was initially remembered as a traitor who got what he deserved, as Arvis fell into tyranny, Sigurd became a folk hero renowned for his unyielding sense of justice and his love for Empress Deirdre. Many consider their son the rightful heir of the empire.
Seliph, the protagonist.
The year is 775. Danan, concerned about the growing strength of the resistance, orders his troops to attack Tirnanog while Shannan and most of his veterans are away finding the Isaachian royal family’s holy sword Balmung. Seliph, Ayra’s twins Larcei and Ulster, and Aideen’s daughter Lana are left as the only defenders. Ulster asks for Larcei and Seliph to stay back, out of concern for his sister and Seliph’s survival. Seliph insists he’s not a child anymore, and he will not stand by while the rest of resistance dies in his name. He owes it to make the Isaachians’ defiance mean something. The four of them manage to hold out long enough for Oifey, now a veteran knight and Shannan’s tactician, to arrive with reinforcements. With their cover blown, Oifey plans to evacuate the village in anticipation of the next attack, but Seliph refuses to leave. He is tired of hiding while thousands suffer. It’s not what his parents would’ve wanted. It’s time they went on the offensive. Oifey says Seliph reminds him so much of his father. He always knew this day would come.
The resistance mobilizes an army to retake Isaach and marches out from Tirnanog, the people of Isaach rebelling alongside them. During his march, Seliph runs into Lewyn, who seems to have survived the massacre at Belhalla. Although Seliph attempts to address him as king, Lewyn refuses to accept the title, saying Rahna died fighting for Silesse while he learned nothing (if he was married, he also admits he abandoned his wife and children in doing so). He encourages Seliph to continue the revolution. Lewyn also has a favor for Seliph, bringing over an amnesiac girl named Julia, whom he found badly injured on a street in Belhalla. He asks Seliph to look after Julia while he attends to important business. Seliph agrees, vowing to protect her along with the people of Jugdral, just like his father did.
Julia (hmmmmmmm)
Danan orders Johan and Johalva to stop Seliph. Secretly, the two brothers have grown disgusted with their father and the Loptyrians’ atrocities, and they plan to defect. However, they both have a crush on Larcei, so when Seliph’s army moves south, they fiercely compete over Larcei’s affections (which becomes awkward if Lex and Ayra married, making Larcei their cousin). Choosing one brother will result in him, his troops, and his castle defecting to Seliph, while the other turns hostile, forcing Seliph to kill him and take his castle. Julia finds a familiar Aura tome she can use.
The pegasus knight Fee, Erin’s daughter, and the mage Arthur, Tailtiu’s son, join Seliph. Fee reveals her mother died of heartbreak and illness after her father disappeared, and she wants to track him down. Arthur likewise wants to find his missing sister. Seliph welcomes them, and together they confront Danan. If Lex and Ayra were married and Larcei fights Danan, he taunts her as a “half-barbarian mongrel,” saying she reminds him of her mother. When Larcei asks what he means, he explains after Belhalla, Larcei’s parents sought refuge at Dozel Castle, only for Danan to betray them. Danan, picking up the holy axe Helswath, disowned Lex for marrying Ayra and cleaved him in half. Ayra attacked him but was also no match for Helswath. Danan says the resistance is lucky he does not have Helswath.
Lewyn congratulates Seliph on his victory, but this is only the beginning. Jugdral is at a pivotal moment in its history with the return of the Loptyrian Order, which Lewyn suspects is the force behind Arvis’ fall to tyranny. All across Jugdral, the Loptyrians burn children at the stake. All attempts at resistance are suppressed with brutal executions and enslavement. They failed because they were disorganized. The people need a savior to unite them against the tyranny of the empire. That is Seliph.
Seliph denies he is Jugdral’s savior. He admits he is weak and inexperienced, and despite who his parents are, he lacks the strength to lead. Lewyn refuses to indulge his self-doubting. Seliph is the eldest child of Deirdre, and through her he has inherited the blood of Saint Heim blessed by Naga. Through Sigurd, he has the blood of the Crusader Baldr, and once he recovers Tyrfing, he will be unstoppable. There is no denying he is the son of Sigurd, a man whose final hopes were left unfulfilled. That duty falls to his son now. He can’t afford to doubt himself. Accepting this is his fate, Seliph reluctantly accepts his duty. Lewyn tells him his destiny is to unite the heirs of the Crusaders, the children of Sigurd’s allies a generation ago. To start with, he should reach occupied Leonster, where Seliph’s cousin Leif, the son of Quan and Ethlyn, has raised his own rebellion but needs help. Seliph wastes no time in marching south.
Leif, who will become very important later on.
Word of Isaach’s liberation spreads, inspiring hope across Jugdral. More uprisings erupt, but most are easily crushed, and entire towns are wiped out in retaliation. In Leonster, Prince Leif, the son of Quan, has raised an army with the aid of his father’s old retainer Finn, but he has suffered a devastating loss at the hands of Blume, Reptor’s son and the puppet king of Leonster. Before he can even reach Leonster, Seliph first goes through the Yied Desert, where the Loptyrian Order has turned their old shrine of refuge into a base of terror.
In Leonster, Leif asks if there are any survivors of their recent attack on Alster, Blume’s capital. Finn reports the battle was a massacre, completely destroying their army and leaving Leonster open to a counterattack. Leif blames himself for making such a terrible miscalculation, but Finn assures him Seliph is on the way. Nanna, Lachesis’ daughter, suggests he take his remaining forces and retreat to a more defensible location until Seliph arrives. Sara, Manfroy’s granddaughter who rejected the Loptyrian Order, goes ahead to clear a path for civilians.
At the Yied Shrine, Shannan finds Balmung with the help of the thief Patty, Bridget’s daughter. Seliph arrives in time to rescue them and defeat the Loptyrians. Exploring the shrine, Lewyn tells him the Loptyrians hid here for generations after Saint Heim’s victory, fleeing harsh persecution by the Crusaders, with Saint Heim the most aggressive of them all. Originally, most of them were probably decent people who didn’t participate in the atrocities, but centuries of hiding twisted them into the modern order. Seliph realizes the modern Loptyrians are being tortured for the actions of their long-dead ancestors, even if they had no hand in those crimes. They had been condemned by their birth, giving them no choice but to hope for Loptyr’s return and restart the cycle of hatred with themselves at the top again. Lewyn reminds Seliph good and evil can’t be easily defined. Seliph vows to not forget the sights he sees in the shrine.
A mercenary band arrives in nearby Darna, hired by the local lord to ambush Seliph’s weakened army once it exits the desert. It is led by the brutal Commander Jabarro and his protege Ares, who has a soft spot for Lene, the mercenaries’ dancer. Darna’s lord orders the mercenaries to lure Seliph into a trap first. They will let Seliph proceed further south before attacking them from behind, while Fort Melgen’s garrison attacks from the front. Melgen’s commanders, Blume’s son Ishtor and his wife Liza, receive the plan and prepare accordingly. However, the plan is derailed when Darna’s lord attempts to force himself on Lene, and Ares angrily draws his holy sword Mystletainn and kills him. Jabarro orders his men to attack Ares, who easily fights them off, collapsing the Darna lines and allowing Seliph to take the city. There, Lewyn tells him about the Miracle of Darna and the rise of the Crusaders. Ares attacks Seliph, introducing himself as the son of Eldigan, whom Sigurd killed in cold blood. Now Ares will right the injustice Sigurd committed. Confused, Seliph tells him their fathers were friends and there was no way they could ever have clashed so bitterly. Ares refuses to believe it, as his mother constantly blamed Sigurd for everything, and Jabarro only reinforced that perception when he adopted Ares after her death. Seliph insists this is all a lie. He holds the late Eldigan in the utmost respect. But if Ares is so set on getting his revenge, he can have it. Seliph lays down his weapons and asks Ares to strike him down. Ares decides against killing Seliph for now.
With Ares’ support, Seliph next engages the Melgen army. Although Ishtor and Liza are highly capable thunder mages whose long-range Bolting spells wreak havoc from far away, Julia shrugs off the magical attacks like they are nothing. She breaches the fort’s walls and kills them with her Aura spell. A path to Leonster is now opened up. Blume grows impatient and deploys more troops to crush Leif. Among the reinforcements are his elite thunder mage squad, led by Tine, Tailtiu’s daughter and Blume’s niece, who was raised by Blume after her mother died. Although she has her doubts, Blume demands Tine repay his “kindness” in taking her in.
Seliph arrives in Leonster and meets Leif. Leif tells him how Finn helped him and Nanna escape the capital after its fall and raised them in nearby villages, preparing them to retake Leonster. Unfortunately, Leif’s strategic error cost him the bulk of his forces, and he would have been killed if Seliph hadn’t arrived. Seliph vows to always fight side by side with Leif, just as Sigurd and Quan once did. However, he is unnerved by Sara’s presence. Sara explains that although she is Manfroy’s granddaughter, she is opposed to his actions, as Manfroy had killed her parents when he found out about their relationship. Arthur recognizes Tine as her squad approaches. He convinces her of their blood relation, and she defects. However, he is sad to hear their mother is long dead. Seliph and Leif turn the tides against Blume and eventually besiege Alster. Fed up with the perceived incompetence of his army, Blume personally takes the field, wielding Mjolnir. If Arthur or Tine fight him, they angrily tell him they will avenge their mother and pay back the suffering he caused them. After defeating Blume, he retreats to Conote in the east. Leif declares Leonster’s independence to cheering crowds.
The fighting is not over yet. Blume remains in the east and Travant himself in the south. Thracia long had a tense relationship with Leonster. Jealous Leonster got fertile farmland while Thracia proper got a harsh wasteland, Thracia’s wyvern knights led countless attempts to conquer Leonster, only to be defeated every time. Following Quan and Calf’s deaths, it appeared as if Thracia, with Grannvale’s backing, finally won the age-old struggle. But Travant was driven back by Blume, who conquered Leonster for themselves. Now, Travant sets his sights on Munster, which is guarded by House Friege’s powerful “goddess of lightning,” Princess Ishtar, Ishtor’s brother and Crown Prince Julius’ betrothed. In Munster, Thracia’s mobilization worries its citizens. Erin’s son, Ced (heir to the throne of Silesse if Erin and Lewyn married), leading a rebel group known as the Magi, prepares to openly rebel. Blume raises another army at Conote and attempts to retake Alster. He sends ambassadors to ally with Travant, but Travant dismisses the proposal and orders his wyvern knights to attack both House Friege and the resistance. The future of Thracia and its people rests on the unification of the peninsula under him alone.
Oifey suggests the resistance army strike while Blume is still moving into position. Julia devises a plan to encircle the Friege army. Seliph, Shannan, and Oifey advance from Alster in the south, while Leif, Nanna, and Finn advance from Leonster in the north, stalling Blume’s attack. Frustrated, Blume hires a mercenary band led by Faval, Patty’s brother and the wielder of his mother’s Yewfelle. Although Faval is disgusted by Blume, he is forced to accept the job to raise money for an orphanage he supports. In the midst of the battle, Patty recognizes Faval and convinces him to defect. Angered, Blume summons Ishtar. Ishtar mocks her father for letting a simple rebels repeatedly humiliate him. In return for helping out, she demands Mjolnir, which Blume reluctantly hands over. Seliph is surprised to see Conote guarded by only one woman, but his surprise turns into shock when she attacks with Mjolnir, which he barely avoids. Even Julia struggles to resist the goddess of lightning. But after a little while, Prince Julius appears, telling her she has important business in Belhalla, and the two teleport away. Tine tells Seliph she met Julius once in Belhalla, and he is extremely charismatic but unnaturally callous. Julia notes Julius looks very familiar, but she instinctively wants to stay very far from him. Ishtar’s departure leaves Conote undefended, and the resistance easily kills Blume and takes the city.
With House Friege eliminated, Travant orders his army to begin the reunification of Thracia, starting with Munster. He has his daughter Altena lead the invasion force, ordering her to cut down anybody in their way. Although she is eager to reunite the kingdom, she questions the logic in killing innocents. She instead suggests forming an alliance with the resistance army and peacefully integrating the north that way. Travant refuses to listen to her. Stepping in, Arion apologizes on her behalf and sends her to join the invasion force.
Ced and the Magi learn the Thracians are on the move ahead of schedule and are forced to begin their rebellion early, opening the gates so civilians can escape the coming onslaught. Seliph and Leif arrive in time to rescue the civilians, joining forces with Ced and his Magi, including Saias, Arvis’ illegitimate son with Aida (who had been killed by Manfroy), and Eyvel, a wandering swordswoman who helped raised Leif and Nanna when they were children. Fee reunites with her brother (and if Erin and Lewyn married, chastises the Crown Prince for being just like their absent father). Altena sees the civilians escaping and orders her men to let them go, but her second in command overrides her and orders the wyvern knights to slaughter them all. The Thracians descend on Munster, only to be defeated by the resistance. Leif notices Altena, who refuses to fight, and sees a sad but familiar look in her eyes. After suffering heavy casualties, the Thracians retreat.
All of northern Thracia is under the control of the resistance army. Seliph remarks on the desperation of the Thracians, which makes them fight unlike anyone they have fought before. Lewyn explains the Thracians have always been desperate. Their lands are mountainous and almost impossible to farm, so most Thracians seek mercenary work. Although Travant is an awful man, he genuinely wants to help his people, and in response, the Thracian army is blindly loyal to him, believing he can guide Thracia out of its endless famine. But such desperation will only fuel further conflict. They must defeat Travant, and only then can they break the cycle. Meanwhile, Finn believes he recognizes Eyvel, who denies being the person he thinks she is. Patty and Faval also think they recognize their mother, but Eyvel denies being the archer Bridget, as she has no idea how to wield a bow and cannot wield Yewfelle. Lana insists Eyvel meet her sister Aideen at Tirnanog, but Eyvel says she doesn’t remember having a sister or children.
Travant is disappointed and angered by Altena’s behavior, especially since she wields the holy lance Gae Bolg and could easily have destroyed the resistance with it. Arion tries to defend her, but Travant blames him for holding her back. He gives Altena one last chance to take Munster.
Back at Munster, Lewyn alerts Seliph about the approaching wyvern knights. Seliph has his doubts about fighting Thracia, as his main enemy is Grannvale, but Lewyn insists that they don’t have a choice in who they fight. They must defeat Thracia before they can turn to Grannvale and stop the resurrection of Loptyr. Meanwhile, Finn approaches Leif and talks to him about the mysterious wyvern knight from the previous battle. Seeing Gae Bolg, he concludes she is Leif’s long-lost sister Altena. Leif is shocked to hear not only is his sister still alive but also fighting for Thracia. Finn urges him to talk to her and try to convince her of her true heritage.
Leif stays behind at Munster with his Leonster allies, hoping to draw the attention of Altena’s wyvern knights, while Seliph pushes into northern Thracia. Altena descends on Munster. Leif, unarmed, approaches her alone and declares Altena is his sister, the daughter of Quan and Ethlyn and the heir of House Leonster’s Gae Bolg. Altena doesn’t believe him, but she notices something familiar about him. Confused, she returns to the capital to confront Travant. Travant admits he adopted her after killing her parents. But he was the one who raised her, and he is arguably more family than her blood relations who barely know her. Enraged her whole life was a lie, Altena attempts to kill Travant, only for Arion to kill her first. Travant is shocked Arion did such a thing, as despite his recent actions, he truly did love Altena as his own daughter. Realizing what his ambition has cost him, he gives Gungnir to Arion and asks him to find a way to end the Thracians’ suffering. He launches a suicide attack on the resistance and is cut down.
Meanwhile, Altena had survived Arion’s attack. Arion urges Altena to join the resistance, as he intends to stay and defend Thracia. Altena flies to the resistance army and defects to Seliph. With her assistance, the resistance army eventually takes the capital, with Arion cutting down hundreds with Gungnir before going down. Before he is killed, Julius teleports in, telling him this is not his place to die, and teleports him away. The Thracians surrender. Seliph points out how Arion was saved at the last moment, and Lewyn tells him Julius is his half-brother. Seliph is still confused as to how Julius can teleport without a Warp staff. Lewyn reveals Julius is the new avatar of Loptyr, which unnerves Julia.
Julius (hmmmmmm)
Seliph turns back to Grannvale. To reach the heartland, he takes a route through Miletos, once a federation of independent trade cities that were a hub of commerce for all of Jugdral. Now, Miletos suffers under the tyrannical Queen Hilda, Ishtar’s mother, whose merciless savagery makes even Danan and Blume look like saints. From her stronghold in Chronos Castle, her armies torture and terrorize the locals, and the Loptyrian Order is let loose to conduct child hunt after child hunt. If the children so much as cry, Hilda would then torture their parents to death and slaughter their entire village. It is like a repeat of the Sorrow of Miletos during the tyranny of the Loptyr Empire, when the nearby seas ran deep red with the blood of thousands of sacrificed children. But as Seliph approaches, the people of Miletos regain hope and rise up, welcoming the resistance’s arrival.
Julius visits Chronos Castle and asks Ishtar and Hilda about the latest child hunt. Ishtar reports the hunt was more successful than previous ones, and the castle has reached full capacity. Deciding he is bored with driving the children’s parents mad and terrified with grief, he instead asks Ishtar to deliver them to Belhalla, where he would personally make them fight to the death, particularly relatives and friends, and groom the survivors as the ideal citizens of his new world. Ishtar is concerned as Arvis refuses to allow any child hunts under his watch. But Julius assures her he has taken care of him and leaves. Hilda mobilizes her troops, fully intending to avenge Blume and Ishtor. Several children manage to escape Chronos’ dungeon, and Hilda orders General Riddell to slaughter them. Riddell, who is disgusted by the child hunts, orders his knights to take their time to avoid catching up to the children.
Julia is busy tending to the wounds of civilians when Manfroy teleports in, addressing her as the princess of Grannvale. When she expresses confusion, Manfroy realizes she lost her memory after “the incident.” He orders her to come with him, but she refuses. Her Aura spell catches Manfroy by surprise, and he remarks the only person who managed to hurt him this badly was her mother. But Deirdre lost in the end, and Julia is nowhere near as experienced. He knocks her unconscious. Oifey and Shannan again try to stop him, but they are still no match, and he teleports away with Julia. Lewyn informs Seliph of the news, and Seliph vows to find her.
The resistance marches south and rescues the children, at the cost of revealing their location. Riddell and his men mutiny. Seliph uses the opportunity to besiege Chronos Castle. If Tine fights Hilda, Hilda cackles and berates Tine for being such a stubborn and ungrateful brat, just like her mother. She brags about how she tortured Tailtiu to death and how she will do the same to Tine. Enraged, Tine declares she won’t forgive her. After Hilda’s defeat, she teleports away, surrendering Chronos Castle. Seliph remarks Chronos’ town is almost completely deserted, most of its inhabitants either slaughtered or forced to flee. He has trouble comprehending how anyone could be so savage, and Lewyn reminds him this is the reason they must defeat Loptyr.
The resistance army moves up to the coast to Miletos. Ishtar meets Arvis there, who orders her to release the children being delivered to Belhalla, knowing she is just as disgusted by the child hunts as he is. Ishtar refuses, citing Julius’ order. Arvis orders her to obey him as her emperor and promises to talk to his son, but Julius intervenes, calling his father a selfish, bothersome, and senile old man. He gloats there is nothing Arvis can do. He orders Arvis to “play his part” in defending Chalphy, across the sea from Miletos, and not to fail him again. Arvis reluctantly concedes and leaves.
Emperor Arvis
Manfroy mocks the timidity of the once conniving and charismatic emperor, calling him just a puppet of the true ruler of Jugdral. Julius asks Manfroy about his sister. Manfroy reports Julia is in Chalphy, where her memories have been restored. She has been traumatized by remembering how Julius, after receiving the unholy Loptyr tome, containing Loptyr’s soul and draconic power, and being possessed by the dark god, tortured Deirdre and Julia for their Naga-blessed blood. Eventually, Deirdre sacrificed the last of her strength to teleport Julia out of the palace, with Julia’s last memory being of her mother’s death. Julius suggests killing her now to destroy Saint Heim’s last heir, the only one capable of countering Loptyr and defeating him, but Manfroy insists the threat has been neutralized as the Naga tome, containing Naga’s draconic powers, is in his possession. Julius warns Manfroy to not fail him and sends him away. Meeting with Ishtar, they make a bet to see who can slaughter the most rebels in Seliph’s army. The resistance approaches Miletos, finding it defended by Julius and Ishtar. Julius is far more powerful than anyone they have ever fought. His Loptyr tome not only inflicts massive damage on the army but also weakens everyone’s attacks. Eventually, though, he tires of the game, and the two teleport away. Taking Miletos, Seliph learns the children were already shipped to Chalphy. He redoubles his efforts to rescue them and orders the army to cross the sea to Chalphy, his family’s old home.
Seliph asks Oifey if he remembers Chalphy. Oifey replies he used to have fond memories, but now those memories only brings up the faces of Sigurd and his dead friends. There is nobody left there. Seliph admits he has never seen or visited Chalphy at all, despite his heritage. Come to think of it, he isn’t even much of a prince of Grannvale. He feels like he’s tricking everyone. Oifey assures him the people won’t care. They have long prayed for the second coming of the hero Sigurd, returning in his legendary son with Deirdre. Seliph shudders at the thought of being viewed as a god. Oifey explains it is the result of Grannvale’s sheer brutality as a regime which burns children at the stake. It is Seliph’s destiny to save Jugdral from the dark god. If Erin and Lewyn married, Fee chastises Lewyn for not only abandoning their family but also ignoring her and Ced the whole time. Lewyn calls her a brat, and Fee blames him for Erin’s death. Lewyn insists his relationship with Erin is something for him alone to focus on, not Fee and Ced, and they should focus on the war instead. If Finn and Lachesis married, Nanna has a similar conversation with Finn, blaming him for not stopping Lachesis when she set out from Leonster into the Yied Desert, hoping to find Nanna’s brother Dermott (who is recruited at Tirnanog).
At Chalphy, Arvis meets the bishop Palmarch, who was once Sigurd’s family priest. He leaves the children and a special package in his care and orders him to take them to safety. Arvis also visits Julia, who begs for her forgiveness. He admits he wasn’t strong enough to save Deirdre, and he could only stand by as he watched Julius turn his ideal empire into a land of misery. He realizes he has been a fool from the beginning, always manipulated by Manfroy. And now Manfroy will take Julia from him, just as he took Deirdre from him, making him completely alone again. Julia refuses to hate her father, saying he was always kind to her and gave her as happy a childhood as he could. Arvis starts crying, remembering how he truly did love Deirdre and tried to protect her, only to fail in the end. He asks Julia to go with Palmarch, but Manfroy catches them and takes Julia with him. Before Julia is taken away, Arvis gives her one last gift, the tiara Deirdre once wore. Manfroy orders Arvis to “play his part,” and Arvis reluctantly takes the field to fight Seliph.
The resistance lands on the beaches south of Chalphy. Seeing Palmarch and the children being chased by Loptyrians, Seliph tasks Fee and Altena with flying after them and cutting off the Loptyrians while the main army engages Arvis and his personal guard. Arvis fights fiercely, his Valflame incinerating hundreds, although Seliph notices a sad look in his eyes. The two approach each other, and Seliph demands to know why Arvis betrayed Sigurd.
Arvis admits he never wanted this. He had a dream of a peaceful Jugdral, where all could live free of persecution and suffering. He was willing to do anything he could to achieve that dream, even siding with the Loptyrians. But he realized too late the Loptyrians were merely using him for their own goal, and his dream became a nightmare. All of his friends and family are dead or against him. He is completely alone. The empire has degenerated into misery. The dark god is upon them again. And it is all his fault. There is nothing he can do. He must play his part, that of the tyrannical emperor defeated by the heir of light, and go down in history as a villain. Seliph insists they can still work together to stop Loptyr, but Arvis refuses. The only way he can atone for all of the suffering he has committed is to die at Seliph’s hand. That is, if he even wants forgiveness. There is no road to redemption, so why doesn’t Seliph just get it over with and avenge his father? Realizing there is no way around it, Seliph raises his sword. The emperor puts up a serious fight, but eventually Seliph defeats him. As he dies, Arvis apologizes to Deirdre and Julia once more and makes Seliph promise he won’t repeat his mistakes. Lewyn congratulates Seliph on his victory, but Seliph finds himself unable to celebrate, especially when Julia is still missing and Arvis’ words are still in his head.
Alternatively, if Saias fights Arvis, Arvis is shocked to see his son fighting him. He also apologizes to Saias for not protecting Aida from Manfroy, but Saias said he did the best he could, having sent him to distant Thracia to build a life of his own, far from the Loptyrian Order. Arvis resigns himself to his fate, asking his son to put him out of his misery and take his birthright as the true heir of the Crusader Vala.
That night, Seliph returns to the beach and buries Arvis’ body as best as he can, vowing to end the tyranny of the empire and truly break the cycle of hatred plaguing Jugdral. It is the least he can do for all those who have died in the war. He hears a familar voice and looks up, seeing the ghostly spirit of Deirdre hovering over the waves. He tearfully embraces his mother, who beams with pride over the fine young man he’s become. She asks him to never forget about his friends who brought him this far. Another apparition appears, and Seliph is reunited with his father. Sigurd reminds him to remain humble. He must understand the pain and sorrow of the people. Only then will he be able to break the cycle of hatred and bring lasting peace to Jugdral. Only then will his and Deirdre’s deaths, along with the deaths of everyone in the war, be meaningful. Seliph embraces his parents one more time and thanks them for their encouragement. Returning to Chalphy, he meets Palmarch, who presents him with Tyrfing on Arvis’ orders, so he can succeed where Arvis failed.
The liberation of Chalphy gives the resistance army a foothold in Grannvale proper and serves as a beacon of hope for the empire’s victims. A wave of further rebellions sweep across Jugdral. In the north, the Silessians banded together and, remembering Rahna and Lewyn, rose up and surged forward like the wind, driving out the Loptyrian Order and the Grannvale army. Inspired by Silesse’s independence, the Augustrians also took up arms, rallying behind the memory of Eldigan and Lachesis. Soon Verdane also rebelled with Augustrian support. But Grannvale itself still stands. House Dozel, led by Danan’s eldest son Burian, armed with Helswath, mobilizes its Grauritter axe knights. House Jungby, led by Aideen and Bridget’s brother Scorpio and his Beigenritter bow knights, follows suit. The remains of House Friege, led by Hilda and her feared Gelbenritter war mages, guard the road to Belhalla. The capital itself falls under an eerie silence, as Ishtar and the elite Weissritter lie in wait to defend Emperor Julius.
(An official arrangement of the Endgame 2 battle theme.)
Seliph steels himself for the final stage of his crusade. He asks Lewyn for information on Julius and the Loptyrian Order so he knows what he’s up against. Lewyn explains he has been traveling around Jugdral to find out the full story behind the Loptyrian Order. It appeared Galle journeyed to savage Archanea, with his goal to gain a dragon’s power. Seliph realizes the dragon was Loptyr. Following the war between the Divine Dragons and Earth Dragons, Loptyr escaped the sealing of his kind in the Dragon’s Altar by Naga. He formed a blood pact with Galle, abandoning his physical body and sealing his soul and powers inside a magical tome, which Galle allowed to possess him in exchange for Loptyr’s powers. Returning to Jugdral, Galle used his new charisma to raise an army and conquer Jugdral.
Lewyn attempts to continue the story, but Chalphy comes under attack from House Edda, Claud’s former domain. Seliph pushes back the invaders and counterattacks, seizing Edda. Duke Burian orders the Grauritter to move out and take both Edda and Chalphy. Seliph divides his army in two to repel both attacks. If Johan or Johalva fight Burian, Burian condemns his brother for betraying House Dozel, just as Lex did, but Johan/Johalva simply replies he is only setting things right after everything Langobalt, Danan, and now Burian have done. Burian falls, shocked he was defeated even with Helswath. Defeating the Grauritter, Seliph takes Dozel.
Taking a brief rest in Dozel, Lewyn continues his story, moving to the Miracle of Darna. After learning of the suffering in Jugdral, the ice dragon Forseti convinced Naga and her supporters to help humanity in Jugdral. Naga, having stopped intervening in human affairs, only relented when Forseti suggested giving certain worthy humans the power to resist Loptyr. Naga, Forseti, and ten other dragons appeared at Darna Fortress to the Twelve Crusaders in human form. Naga appeared before Heim, leader of the resistance, as a young woman, while the fire dragon Salamand appeared before Vala as an old man, and Forseti, the youngest of the twelve, appeared before Ced (the crusader, not Erin’s son) as a little boy. The twelve dragons, in human form, offered their blood to the Twelve, giving them holy blood. The dragons also sealed away their powers in dragonstones integrated into the Crusaders’ weapons, turning them into their holy weapons when the dragonstones were activated by holy blood. Naga went even further, sealing her entire draconic essence into the Naga tome, which she entrusted to Saint Heim. Only the power of Naga stands a chance against that of Loptyr, as Loptyr had done something similar with his own tome and Galle. So to ultimately defeat Julius, they need an heir of Saint Heim. Although Seliph inherited Naga’s blood, it is not enough to use the Naga tome. Obviously Julius is out of the question, which leaves just his sister, Julia…Seliph’s half-sister. Seliph is shocked to hear he is related to Julia, but Lewyn reminds him all three of them share the same mother, Deirdre (awkwardly enough). It is now imperative they rescue Julia.
Hilda orders the Gelbenritter to prepare a trap for the resistance with Scorpio’s help. They would lure them into a forest, where the Beigenritter would ambush them from behind. However, Faval and the other archers fend off the Beigenritter, while Shannan, Oifey, Leif, and Finn take out the Gelbenritter mages. The forest turns into a trap for the mages who can’t escape the knights among the dense trees, while Faval’s Yewfelle eliminates any numerical or tactical advantage the Beigenritter may have had. If Faval battles Scorpio, he introduces himself as the son of Bridget, whom Scorpio recognizes as his aunt. Scorpio welcomes Faval’s challenge, as it means he can kill the son of his traitorous aunt. Faval likewise says the same of Scorpio. If Lana battles him, she introduces herself as Aideen’s daughter and says her mother sends her regards. If Eyvel battles him, Scorpio recognizes her as Bridget and ask why she replaced her bows with swords. Confused, Eyvel says she is not Bridget and she has always felt more comfortable with swords. Scorpio falls, and the Belgenritter is routed, allowing the resistance army to focus on Hilda and the Gelbenritter. If Arthur fights Hilda, Hilda addresses him as “Tailtiu’s other brat” and mocks him for showing up to avenge his mother’s “pathetic death.” Arthur concedes this is the case and he’s doing this so his sister doesn’t have to. If Tine fights Hilda, Hilda mocks her for showing up again and declares she will personally torture her to death, just like her mother. Tine whispers a prayer to Tailtiu and says she is going to avenge her. The resistance prevails, and Hilda is killed. Seizing Friege Castle, Seliph finds the remaining abducted children were safely hidden in a nearby church, on secret orders from Arvis. Lewyn learns Ishtar herself had put the church under her personal protection. Seliph is shocked Ishtar would’ve done such a thing. The local townspeople are not surprised, though, hailing Ishtar as their hero.
Ishtar asks Julius to deploy her and the Weissritter, which requires her to take the field. Julius, noticing her eagerness to leave Belhalla, suspects she wants to escape him and refuses, saying she shouldn’t bother with maggots. Ishtar convinces him she wants to avenge the deaths of her family at the hands of the resistance. At Velthomer Castle in the northeast, Manfroy orders a brainwashed Julia to attack the resistance army. And in Belhalla, Julius orders Arion and his wyvern knights to attack Chalphy. Julia attacks Seliph, who holds back to avoid killing her. He tries to break her out of her trance but fails. Lewyn tells him the spell controlling her can only be removed by killing Manfroy, so they make plans to target Velthomer. However, the plans are put on hold when Ishtar attacks, and Seliph learns Chalphy is also under attack from Arion. The threats force Seliph to split his army in three. He sends Altena back to Chalphy to meet Arion, a small strike force to sneak around Ishtar’s army and take out Manfroy, and concentrates everyone else on fighting Ishtar. If Tine fights Ishtar, she urges her cousin to stop fighting, as Ishtar was one of the few members of the family who treated Tine kindly. Ishtar admits she doesn’t want to fight this battle, but she has been left with no choice and asks for forgiveness. The resistance army kills Ishtar and defeats the Weissritter. Altena flies back to Chalphy in time to stop Arion and convince him to defect.
The strike force reaches Velthomer Castle, which has been fortified by the most powerful dark mages of the Loptyrian Order, personally led by Manfroy. If Seliph fights Manfroy, the Loptyrian high priest mocks how Julia was just as helpless before his magic as Deirdre was. Realizing Manfroy is the reason behind his family’s separation, Seliph vents his rage. Manfroy laughs and dismisses Seliph’s actions as futile, as Loptyr has been resurrected in Julius. Seliph vows to show no mercy to him, for all of the pain he has inflicted. If Oifey or Shannan fight Manfroy, he reminds them of the two previous times they fought him and failed. They insist the third time will be different. If Eyvel fights Manfroy, he is surprised to see Bridget, having watched her die in Belhalla all those years ago. However, Eyvel doesn’t remember being at the Battle of Belhalla, much less dying there, and it isn’t any of her concern, as she is focused on killing him. If Saias fights Manfroy, Manfroy is also surprised to see him, having thought he was “taken care of” just like his mother for getting in the way of Arvis and Deirdre’s marriage and Julius’ birth. Saias replies he will avenge his mother and retake his family’s castle as Arvis would’ve wanted. If Sara fights Manfroy, Manfroy is completely shocked to see his granddaughter fighting him. He says Sara reminds him of her mother before she betrayed the cause by eloping with a non-Loptyrian, forcing him to kill them. Now he will kill her for also betraying the cause. Sara is undeterred. It is time she took a stand for what she believes in. If Ced and Fee attack Manfroy and they are Lewyn’s children, they declare their intent to avenge their father. Although Lewyn is not a playable unit in this generation, when someone initiates combat with him for the first time, he also exchanges some words with Manfroy. Manfroy says Lewyn should’ve died at Belhalla. Lewyn reveals he did actually die at Belhalla. Manfroy dies and the Loptyrians surrender.
Julia returns to her senses. Seliph apologizes for not protecting her. Julia refuses to accept the apology and explains she finally understands why she’s survived so long. She will stand and fight as she was always fated to do. They search Velthomer Castle and find the Naga tome. Julia picks up the book and embraces its power, embracing her destiny as the heir of Saint Heim. It is now time to fight Julius.
The resistance army enters Belhalla, finding the gates wide open and the city deathly quiet. Suspecting a trap, Julia urges them to proceed slowly towards Belhalla Palace. At the main square in front of the palace, the army encounters the palace guard, the city garrison, several Grannvale army units, and the enigmatic Deadlords, commanded by Julius. Julius is surprised the resistance army made it this far, but their journey is over now, as they cannot hope to defeat his most loyal troops, let alone touch him. He invites Seliph and his friends to take a closer look at the Deadlords. Seliph approaches their leader and is immediately horrified to see it is Sigurd.
The Deadlords all look exactly like the parents of Seliph and his friends, as well as a few other important figures from their past. There is Sigurd on his horse, carrying a dark Tyrfing. Eldigan and Quan are next to him, armed with Mystletainn and Gae Bolg. Travant circles overhead, brandishing Gungnir. Burian, Scorpio, Ishtar, and even Arvis are also present, armed with dark versions of their respective holy weapons. Deirdre stands next to Julius, wielding a dark version of the Naga tome. The rest of Seliph’s friends dead parents can also be seen, including those without holy blood. Lewyn is shocked to see Erin among them and realizes these are actually their corpses, reanimated with the forbidden magic of Archanea’s Thabes. Julius says he looks forward to watching Seliph and his friends be killed by their own parents.
A battle begins, reusing the map from the Battle of Belhalla. The objective is to kill everyone on the map and then Julius. Each character has unique dialogue for their parent(s) or allies, although the Deadlords do not say much besides “…” Some Deadlords like Sigurd, Deirdre, and Arvis refuse to attack their children, and after several turns some like Eldigan, Ishtar, and Travant might rebel or turn on each other. Eventually, the player defeats the Deadlords and approaches Julius on the palace steps.
If Seliph attacks, Julius welcomes the challenge and dismisses his claim as the heir of light, declaring himself as the heir of darkness and Loptyr’s avatar, which Seliph’s Crusader blood cannot hope to match. He looks forward to repeating his father’s killing of Sigurd right on the very steps where it happened. Seliph declares Julius’ reign of terror is over, and he will bring justice for all those lives the dark prince has claimed. If Julia battles him, Julius will look shocked and curse Manfroy for screwing up. She apologizes and prays to Deirdre. Julia activates her Naga tome and lets loose a blast of holy light right at Julius, piercing the barriers of the Loptyr tome. In the skies above Belhalla, Loptyr’s shadowy form clashes with Naga’s light-filled essence. On the steps of Belhalla Palace, Julius fires a blast of dark magic at Julia, who dispels it with a flick of her hand. Light and dark clash, sending shockwaves and recoil energy crashing into the nearby buildings. The resistance army and imperial forces, having long since paused their fight to watch the spectacle, both retreat to avoid the collateral damage.
Once Julia brings Julius to under 10 HP, a cutscene occurs. Julius falls to his knees, his haughtiness falling away. He pleads for Julia to remember their happy childhood together, before Manfroy gave him the Loptyr tome. Julius never wanted the tome to begin with. Manfroy forced him to touch it, allowing Loptyr to possess him. With Loptyr weakened, he managed to retake control of his body. There has to be a way to reverse the possession. She owes it to him to figure it out. After all, she did shake off her own possession. They could be a family again. Julia’s dialogue box hangs on “…” for a few seconds as she contemplates his offer.
Suddenly, the battle resumes, and she lands the final blow independent of the player’s actions.
Julius falls to his knees, surprised Julia saw through the deception. Julia responds there is no way the real Julius could’ve known she was possessed, or that she even overcame the possession, as he was shocked when he saw her on the steps just a little bit ago. She acknowledges the brother she once knew is dead. Julius falls, and Loptyr’s spirit emerges from his body. Julia blasts it with the Naga tome again, and Loptyr screams in agony, cursing Naga for defeating him once again, before dissipating. The dark god has been defeated, much in the same way Saint Heim triumphed generations ago.
Weeks later, Seliph gathers his friends in Belhalla Palace once more. With Julius’ death, the empire collapses, and the people of Jugdral set about rebuilding. His friends inherit the lands their parents once ruled and pitch in to help rebuild the other kingdoms.
Some characters have more detailed epilogues where they reunite with their parents. Leif accompanies Nanna, Dermott, Ares, and Lene to Augustria. There, they free the prisoners held in an imperial concentration camp, most of them children. Among them is an older Lachesis, who had been taking care of the children so well they consider her their second mother. Once the children are reunited with their parents, Lachesis accompanies Nanna to Leonster and attends her wedding with Leif and their coronation as king and queen. Leif vows to work with his sister, now Queen of Thracia, to reconcile Leonster and Thracia. Ares and Lene marry and are crowned king and queen of Augustria. Ares forgives Seliph and pledges to forge a new bond of friendship with him, just as their fathers did before them.
If Azel and Tailtiu married, Arthur tries to search for his father. Azel and Tailtiu had survived Belhalla and escaped to Silesse, where they had Arthur and Tine. But as Arvis consolidated his power and enacted popular reforms, their village turned on them, fearing they could all be punished for harboring criminals. Azel traveled to Belhalla to confront Arvis, and although Tailtiu begged him not to go, he went anyways. He never returned. Tailtiu and Tine were later turned in to Grannvale troops while Arthur was away hunting. Reunited, Arthur and Tine try to find out what happened to their father. During renovations for Belhalla Palace, construction workers come across a secret basement. Inside, they find Azel, petrified by Manfroy’s magic. Arthur and Tine enlist help from Sara, who is familiar with such spells. Remembering a similar incident in Thracia, she explains the petrification can only be undone by special Kia staff, which can only be used by Manfroy’s family. Sara retrieves the Kia staff and uses it to free Azel, who has not aged since being petrified. Miraculously, the three of them learn soon afterward that Claud had used his family’s holy Valkyrie staff to resurrect Tailtiu at the cost of his own life. After Azel renounced his claim on Velthomer and Tailtiu renounced her claim on Friege, their family lived happily as regular Silessians.
If Azel’s children do not inherit Velthomer, Saias inherits the duchy instead after being legitimized as Arvis’ son. To atone for his father’s legacy, he locks away the Valflame tome and refuses to use it under any circumstances. He devotes the rest of his life to religious studies. Sara tracks down former members of the Loptyrian Order and helps rehabilitate them.
Shannan formally ascends to the throne of Isaach. Ulster and Larcei are hailed as heroes for their leadership in the war. Johan/Johalva pledge their services to Larcei, who tasks him with helping her reorganize and train a new Isaachian army.
If Lewyn and Erin married, Lewyn refuses to take the throne and abdicates to Ced. Seliph thanks him for his guidance, deducing his true identity as the spirit of Forseti, the real Lewyn having made a pact with Forseti to survive Belhalla at the cost of Forseti possessing him and separating himself from his family and people. Lewyn visits Rahna’s grave, which was dug by Arvis following the conquest of Silesse. A Grannvale soldier had executed her against his orders. He gave Rahna a proper funeral, personally eulogizing her as a queen who only wanted the best for her people. Lewyn pays his final respects to his mother before leaving. He vanishes from the historical record afterwards, but tales abound of a wandering bard with a talent in wind magic who occasionally intervenes to protect the weak.
Aideen returns to Jungby, remarking on how she hasn’t been home since her abduction, which kicked off the whole war, and passes the title of duchess to Lana. Eyvel also returns to Jungby and with Aideen’s and her children’s help slowly remembers her life as Bridget, learning she also made a pact to survive Belhalla at the cost of her memories. If Aideen and Jamke were married, their son Lester is crowned the king of Verdane, and Aideen is granted an estate befitting of the king’s mother.
Seliph is crowned the new king of Grannvale, with his potential spouse and Julia at his side (who can’t be the same person unless the player exploits a glitch that allows Seliph and Julia to marry, though this doesn’t result in new content). Seliph’s reign would bring about a golden age of peace for all of Jugdral which would last for many long generations. For his contributions to ensuring all people were treated fairly, regardless of their birth, he would be fondly remembered by Jugdral’s people.
If the player finishes the game in under 500 turns and with no playable character deaths (not counting the turns spent in the Battle of Belhalla), a cutscene explains that due to Seliph’s efforts, the hatred between Loptyrians and non-Loptyrians was eventually overcome, bringing lasting peace to Jugdral.
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Due to a glitch, Lachesis can actually marry both Finn and the mercenary knight Beowulf at the same time. Although her stats screen will only show her husband as Finn in the end, she receives stat boosts and special conversations from Beowulf as well as Finn. Although this does not affect the story or the stats of Nanna and Dermott (who inherit Finn’s stats and weapons), it has led to some interesting fan theories, and in the Crusaders of Light manga (not manhua) adaptation by Mitsuki Oosawa, this is built on with a dying Beowulf (who fathered Dermott) urging her to go to Finn (Nanna’s father), having noticed Lachesis is more in love with him.
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In the Annionaverse, Heirs of Light was highly popular, its sales rivaling only those of its predecessor Mystery of the Emblem. However, due to time and hardware restrictions, the epilogues were fully cut out, as well as the two Endgame maps, which were folded into cutscenes or abandoned altogether. The details of the Belhalla massacre and the fates of certain first generation characters are left mostly unexplained.