The Mysterious Island

[Jotari]

So look at this picture.

That's the map of Akaneia in the first game. I like how the north eastern half is all shadowed out since it's completely irrelevant in the first game. Must have made the third game feel all like you were exploring a whole new world. Anyway, looking at this map I noticed there's an island missing that's on the Shadow Dragon map.

See, that one in the bottom right hand corner just above the K and the A of Akaneia. Looks like it has some kind of large lake in the center...So what's up with that? It's pretty big, stands out as its own location yet as far as I can recall it's never mentioned or visited in any of the games. And upon digging I found this

Looks like it was first included in the anime's map, even though it's not in FE3 proper. Though it looks like it drifted westwards a bit, which incidentally is where there is an island in Awakening but that game took it pretty loose with its island and sea borders to the extent that Talys isn't even clearly visible.

 

I don't think there's any answer or explanation as to why this spontaneous island is a thing but I just thought I might bring it up just in case. Just glancing over the map it seems pretty unimportant but thinking of it with the knowledge that you never go there makes it really stand out since you pass through every other location between the two games. Like sure there are certain headlands and peninsulas in the north that we don't expressly go to but the game gives us a pretty good indication of what those lands are like and who owns them. But this island, we don't go remotely near it. I guess it's probably a part of Archanea judging from its position.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Jotari

[Acacia Sgt]

It's the island that houses the entrance to the Alterspire, that Marth and company visit if they go to Chapter 24x of Shadow Dragon.

In Awakening, that same island houses the Outrealm Gate, implying that's how Marth and company found the Alterspire (Gotoh said it was in another world). Of course, New Mystery states it's not canon that Chapter 24x of Shadow Dragon happened, but that does not negate the island houses a portal.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Acacia Sgt

[Jotari]

48 minutes ago, Acacia Sgt said:

It's the island that houses the entrance to the Alterspire, that Marth and company visit if they go to Chapter 24x of Shadow Dragon.

In Awakening, that same island houses the Outrealm Gate, implying that's how Marth and company found the Alterspire (Gotoh said it was in another world). Of course, New Mystery states it's not canon that Chapter 24x of Shadow Dragon happened, but that does not negate the island houses a portal.

Oh does it actually show them going to that island on the world map? I'll need to go check that. I don't think it's the same island as the Outrealm Gate though. As I mentioned there's another candidate in Awakening (the Farfort, Donnel's Paralogue) that's much closer (though still relies on some considerable drift). The Outrealm Gate lies more to the south of Ylisse's western coast. If that was there intention I doubt they would have changed the geography so drastically (although Awakening does have some very questionable geography in relation to the previous games, particularly Gaiden). Of course that just raises more questions like why they need to go there to get to the Alterspire.

EDIT

Alright I've done some cropping and comparing and it's just made the entire thing more incomprehensible if anything.

To start with, the two locations in Shadow Dragon do not look similar at all. Notably the Alterspire is missing the sort of lake or inland sea that makes up the center of the Mysterious Island (unless that discoloration that's the same as the background is meant to represent the tower itself, which I doubt since no other structure is shown on the map). It's also much rounder while the Mysterious Island has more of an Australia shape. You might just claim this is just different artists, except the Mysterious Island on the map has way more detail on it than the Alterspire which all in all is just a pretty boring island (and that's the one that's actually highlighted and shown to the player in the game, rather than being pushed off to the side). Maybe they were meant to be the same location but one was clearly not modeled after the other in the development phase. Further more Gotoh says they are going to a different realm and the spire is quite clearly located on the island where they go to. Occam's Razor would suggest that's the different realm.

Now onto Awakening (which needs the disclaimer that a lot of it's Geography is inaccurate to the previous games). First up the Outrealm Gate. It actually does look like the Mysterious Island, at least in basic shape. It lacks the lake and the inlets aren't as detailing but it's still elongated and not rounded. However, as I mentioned before, it's like 500 miles off course from where it should be if it's the same island. Then, Donnel's Island, which is much closer but looks less like it. Maybe if you rotated it a bit? Then again I could see that island looking like the Alterspire one with slightly more erosion as it does seem to be a bit more rounded.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Jotari

[Interdimensional Observer]

It's Donnel's Island I think. The geography of Ylisse-Valm (they never actually name the continent with Ylisse-Regna Ferox-Plegia on it in the game IIRC) has changed over the millennia that have past since Marth's time.

[VincentASM]

I was wondering if anyone would bring this up. I noticed the island a while back, but unfortunately couldn't figure out much about it. So I just chalked it up to the map designers being inconsistent.

My gut feeling is that the little island is meant to be the Outrealm Gate island that's drifted a little. But it could be anything really.

Also, the Alterspire island is actually not part of the regular Archanea map. Instead, it occupies its own small quadrant. Where that quadrant is supposed to be is anyone's guess...

[Interdimensional Observer]

I think the Alterspire is a separate dimension. Some realm between life and death where Naga's soul was being reformed after her sacrifice. In Shadow Dragon, her reincarnation isn't complete though, that'd take until Mystery, or really the time of the First Exalt to complete. Hence the weakened Falchion she possesses, like her, owing in some part at least to the fact the Falchion was carved from one of her literal fangs, it isn't at full power.

[Acacia Sgt]

4 hours ago, VincentASM said:

Also, the Alterspire island is actually not part of the regular Archanea map. Instead, it occupies its own small quadrant. Where that quadrant is supposed to be is anyone's guess...

Really? By own quadrant you mean the island is there in the main world map but its position is not "real"? I know quite a few games use that trick, where isolated stuff is in the same image but out of view from the main portions to hide the fact.

In any case, I still think it's truly another world. Gotoh mentions it, the intro narrative mentions it. As an aside, I find myself intrigued about the whole thing. Since Marth noted seeing symbols like the ones from the Fane of Raman. But the place is in another world, so... eh...

Anyway, back on topic for our mysetrious island. Considering things, I still stand that the Outrealm Gate Island had to exist back then (it may not be canon that Marth and company used it, but Nagi had to come over somehow for New Mystery anyway), even if it's not the one of the map. As for being the future place of Donnel's village, I find it hard to say. Awakening's world map certainly shows wild differences for just 2000 years. Sea levels dropped (Altea, Gra, Talys, and Pyrathi are no longer islands), some islands drifted (best seen where Grust was) and new ones outright appeared (like the one with Nah's paralogue). So, might be, might be not. At this point I'm not quite sure.

Edited May 30, 2017 by Acacia Sgt

[KKAfterbrun]

On ‎5‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 8:52 AM, Acacia Sgt said:

It's the island that houses the entrance to the Alterspire, that Marth and company visit if they go to Chapter 24x of Shadow Dragon.

In Awakening, that same island houses the Outrealm Gate, implying that's how Marth and company found the Alterspire (Gotoh said it was in another world). Of course, New Mystery states it's not canon that Chapter 24x of Shadow Dragon happened, but that does not negate the island houses a portal.

I might add a bit of info that might have passed by everyone's attention. If you look at the 'lake' on this Mysterious Island, notice how narrow the land is at it's northern inlet and it's southern shore. It could be stated that at some point between the events of New Mystery and Awakening that the island itself split in two, with it's eastern part becoming Farfort and the western part being home to the Outrealm Gate, each drifting it own separate ways. It is also possible that the Alterspire itself is the Outrealm Gate, but in Marth's world it's nothing more then a crumbling ruin. Hence Gotoh sends them through the gate to a world where the tower still stands. It's nothing more then tectonic plates pushing and pulling apart. Remember they never state how many years have passed since the Marth time to reach Chrom's time.

[Jotari]

On 1/19/2018 at 2:57 AM, KKAfterbrun said:

I might add a bit of info that might have passed by everyone's attention. If you look at the 'lake' on this Mysterious Island, notice how narrow the land is at it's northern inlet and it's southern shore. It could be stated that at some point between the events of New Mystery and Awakening that the island itself split in two, with it's eastern part becoming Farfort and the western part being home to the Outrealm Gate, each drifting it own separate ways. It is also possible that the Alterspire itself is the Outrealm Gate, but in Marth's world it's nothing more then a crumbling ruin. Hence Gotoh sends them through the gate to a world where the tower still stands. It's nothing more then tectonic plates pushing and pulling apart. Remember they never state how many years have passed since the Marth time to reach Chrom's time.

They do. It's two thousand years.