The Role Of The Black Beast and The Crests

[Valbaron]

What exactly is the Black Beast, what are the Crests, and what are their role in both narrative and gameplay?

Some little brainstorms I had regarding the possibilties:

-Crests can possibly be basically glorified brands(a la Fell Brand, Exalt brand). In the trailer, we see Edelgard magically projecting her crest during the Black Eagle introduction. As each student is likely a noble, it would be plausible if each student had their own unique crest.

-Alternatively, since the Black Beast lists it's weapon as a Crest Stone, perhaps they are simply family heirlooms for each noble.

-the Crest Stones caught my eye being, well, stones, a la BEASTSTONES. This is probably reading too hard in, but knowing how Sylvain and the Crest that Black Beast wields, as well as the pretty much guarantee d fact the church is probably evil, could the Church had done some horrific magic hoo-ha, and corrupted your classmates at some point in the story, turning them horrific Black Beasts? That would make the choice of House all the more important, as you're probably going to have to kill other students you couldve saved otherwise.

-Alternatively, if the Crests end up being physical items/heirlooms, the church/other possible enemy could simply steal them, and turn the stones alone into Beasts, or simply power sources for the Beasts. Either way, we know the Crests will inevitably be used against the player.

-The Black Beast takes up 4 tiles. In the event we do get beast units, I hope they will be also larger units on the map like the Black Beasts. That would make them much more interesting as units imo, as in the FatesWakening games they basically acted like regular infantry, with the stones basically being glorified melee weapons.

[SorrowOfAcheron]

Wow, this is interesting.

There was an anime I started some time ago (haven't finished) called Grancrest Senki where nobles basically take (or are given) other nobles' crest, being able to absorb them to gain influence and power. Probably just a coincidence but the Edelgard moment reminded me of that.

- We can see the 3 Houses crests on the portrait of the Goddess with Seiros and the dragons, along a big number of other crests (some scratched out). The fact that there's this many leads me to believe that this game's Fire Emblem probably isn't made up by all of them, unless this game is either super long or you get a Crest every chapter. Or maybe characters found in the game will be in possession of a number of Crests, making it easier to round them up?

- On the point of Black Beasts being experiments, I would LOVE if there was something like this, especially if it's characters you get to know before-hand. Just imagine a scenario where like, you're asked to select a unit to check something out, you select one of your stronger units, they go missing for a few chapters (or the errand could just take a while) and then you get attacked by a Black Beast. Then it turns out the character you sent was turned into the Black beast and you're forced to defeat them. For a first run, that would be pretty amazing, story-wise, especially if they don't make it obvious. Now, maybe there would have to be a system that allows you to save everyone because having to sack a unit every playthrough would be too much (or maybe not? lol).

- The thing the Dark Mage guy in the trailer crushes could be a Crest, maybe after it's exhausted. Pure speculation. Also agreed on space variations for the more different units.

[linkhuesitos]

Maybe the crests are like the Starsphere shards from FE3/FE12, Physical items that when are in the inventory of a character (anyone or the noble from that respective house) gives bonuses in stats, growth rate or other things (like removing the movement penalty of terrains).

[Enduin]

Crests are likely physical objects and not simply the symbols themselves, though it's certainly possible. We see one of the 21 symbols from the Goddess Mural etched onto a stone/orb that is embedded into the hilt of the Dragon bone chain sword up close in the trailer and it's freaking out with some malevolent purple miasma coming out of it. That object is most likely an aforementioned Crest, which explains why the sword is so important. And also fits into the idea of a "Crest Stone." I think it makes sense that these Crests are sources of power and people invoke said power through the symbols etched onto them. Like Edelgard's House symbol in whatever magic she is displaying in that scene. As well as the other symbol we see in the center of the Healing and Fire magic spell circles. Crests either are the power source themselves or some kind of conduit that channels magic/power.

We also see a shot of a hand with a similar purple miasma as the Crest emanating from an object they're holding and then crushes it in what seems like releasing its power. Could be the Black Beast is a result of such an action of releasing the Crest's power all at once and being infused with it. Or could be the result of some weak willed person being consumed by the power of the Crest either after releasing it or just possessing it like a Beast/Dragonstone and other stronger individuals may not turn feral like that and manifest in different ways like the one super evil., almost non-human, guy we got a glimpse of in the trailer as well.

Edited February 25, 2019 by Enduin

[Dandy Druid]

Maybe the crests can summon a beast or transform people into them? Seeing as how the dark dragon had the Crest of Gautier as its name, maybe Sylvain or some family members uses the crest to summon the dragon or they transformed into it themselves. Perhaps crests are the replacement for beastones/dragonstones?

[PrincessAlyson]

12 hours ago, SorrowOfAcheron said:

Now, maybe there would have to be a system that allows you to save everyone because having to sack a unit every playthrough would be too much (or maybe not? lol).

Agreed. I think that if they do turn members of the playable cast into monsters, there should be a way to reverse it. Having to sacrifice a unit or more is a bit much. My theory is that the monsters are people who were either corrupted by the Crests because they were unworthy/abused the power or that the person didn't have enough power/willpower to absorb all the energy correctly.