Parts 1 & 2



Part 1

Chapter 1

Tellius – The year 648 – Early summer The northeastern nation of Daein lost a bloody war with neighboring Crimea three years ago. Crimea, however, abdicated its right to rule Daein and passed sovereignty of its former enemy to the powerful Begnion Empire. Daein’s future is now subject to the whims of the empire. Begnion’s occupation forces have gathered all Daein men of fighting age and put them to work in labor camps. Their work is brutal and void of purpose, designed to break both body and spirit. The remaining population faces poverty and starvation as the fields lie fallow. A band of young heroes has escaped the Begnion army to form a group called the Dawn Brigade. Fighting for a free Daein, they alone have stood against Begnion’s forces. They alone have shouldered the hopes of their nation. Among the company is a young girl named Micaiah, who is said to possess mystical powers. The people of Daein have come to know her as the “Silver-Haired Maiden.” They have come to think of her as the savior for whom they had been waiting. Begnion’s forces have tried time and again to capture and silence the Dawn Brigade. However, Micaiah’s ability to sense impending danger has thus far allowed the Dawn Brigade to evade the empire’s grasp.

Chapter 5

The history of Tellius is a history of warfare, or so the troubadours sing. It is a history of unending conflict between the beorc and the laguz, a history penned in blood and scarred by mistrust. The beorc fight with the weapons of man–the sword, the axe, the lance, and the magic arts… while the laguz, able to transform into beast, bird, and dragon, are weapons unto themselves. Both were created equally by the goddess, but neither race has ever accepted the other. The heron prince Rafiel, the wolf queen of Hatari, Nailah, and her vassal, Volug. Is the Dawn Brigade’s meeting with these three laguz chance…or a sign of things to come? Micaiah can only wonder.

Chapter 6

Three years past, Daein mustered all of its formidable military might and cut a bloody swath through neighboring Crimea in a sudden invasion. Daein was defeated, however, and the dreams of its ruler, Mad King Ashnard, died with him. Ashnard’s son, Pelleas, possesses a gentle sincerity that is a bright counterpoint to his late father’s violence and duplicity. Ill-suited though he seems for these troubled times, his presence is a welcome sight to Micaiah’s eyes. Pelleas, declared rightful heir to the throne, finds his name becoming a rallying cry for Daein. At his side is the only person he believes can lead his Liberation Army… the Silver-Haired Maiden.

Chapter 7

The Liberation Army’s sweeping victory seems to signal a turn in the war for Daein. However, General Jarod uses his superior numbers to harry the group and threaten their fragile momentum. Begnion has fortified its army with weapons and supplies bought with funds stolen from Daein. Begnion has also purchased the swords of a vast number of mercenaries from these same stolen funds. The Liberation Army does not want for willing fighters of its own. However, most are old men and inexperienced boys whose passion far outstrips their skill. The Liberation Army has no choice: it must bolster its ranks if it is to meet Begnion on equal terms. Its only hope lies locked in Begnion’s prison camps, where Daein’s former soldiers await their rescue.

Chapter 8

Laguz warriors led by Tormod join the escaped prisoners, and Daein’s army grows ever larger. Its victories at Talrega and other key locations have strengthened its position. The army rides across the land, liberating prisoners from Begnion encampments. The Daein ranks swell with the influx of veteran soldiers, and the men begin to dream of the day when they may retake the capital. Like a fever, conflict grips the nation. The night will be long before this fever breaks. All eyes turn toward Daein’s capital as the liberation begins what all believe will be a long and bloody march.

Chapter 9

Micaiah and her small band of fighters knowingly walk into a trap to save condemned Daein prisoners. Even without the benefit of Izuka’s vast information network, news of Micaiah’s heroism in Shifu Swamp spreads like wildfire across Daein. The once-hopeless citizens of Daein dub her the Priestess of Dawn and find their spirits restored. In their troubled hearts, they see in her nothing less than the promise of salvation. Throughout Daein, the people rise as one against the brutality of their oppressors. Begnion’s occupying forces cannot deal with open war on so many fronts. General Jarod redeploys his men to key locations to better defend the capital city. Jarod’s forces still outnumber those of the Daein liberators, and he has hardened his defenses in hopes of holding off Micaiah’s army. The liberation forces fight with a fury not to be denied, however, and the occupation army begins to lose its will to fight. Breaking through enemy lines again and again, Micaiah’s forces gain vital ground and momentum. Despite the anger Micaiah feels toward Izuka for his treatment of their laguz allies, she continues to lead the army in its lightning- quick advance. Nevassa is now mere days away.

Endgame

A figure from Daein’s past appears unexpectedly in the night. A figure thought to have perished in the Mad King’s War, the blood-stained right hand of the king himself, the mysterious Black Knight. The Black Knight protects Micaiah against Jarod’s cowardly surprise attack. However, Micaiah senses that Jarod has one last move to make. Deprived of his chance to capture Micaiah, Jarod abandons all notions of retreat or negotiation. Instead, he makes plans for revenge. He murders an emissary from his homeland of Begnion and reclaims control of Daein Keep. From within the keep, he launches a savage barrage of catapult fire, all but destroying the castle town. The momentary peace that arrived with the Begnion emissary shatters along with Nevassa’s walls, and the people of the city see their kin and their capital crushed under a rain of stone. This treachery proves too much for them, and their grief explodes into rage. Micaiah and company have pitched camp on a nearby hillside. When this merciless attack begins, its brutality leaves them lost for words.

Part 2

Prologue

Daein has been reborn. Word of King Pelleas’s coronation reaches neighboring Crimea within days. Crimea itself has spent the past three years rebuilding from the damage it suffered during the Mad King’s War. News that Ashnard’s son now sits on Daein’s throne sends waves of unease and worry rippling across the land. Alas, this is not the only thing disturbing the people of Crimea during this time. There is an ever-widening gap emerging between Crimea’s noble class and the nation’s young ruler, Queen Elincia. Crimea lost its king during the Daein invasion, and Elincia is still an inexperienced ruler. What’s more, her very existence was a secret from the public, and so she came unexpectedly to her succession.

Many of Crimea’s noble houses raised their voices in protest against her rule. Elincia’s desire for a long-lasting peace has driven her to strengthen Crimea’s ties with the laguz nation of Gallia, and to renounce Crimea’s claim to rule over a defeated Daein. Her political moderation is seen as a sign of weakness among her critics. Ike, the young hero who led Crimea to victory in the Mad King’s War, was granted a peerage for his heroism and bravery. The elevation of a common mercenary to the nobility, however, widened the rift between the aristocracy and the queen yet further. Perhaps to avoid becoming mired in these power struggles, Ike renounced his peerage and took his leave of the court. Yet Ike’s actions did little to placate the nobility. They continue to criticize the queen’s every decision, and lay squarely at her feet the blame for all of Crimea’s woes.

Chapter 1

Queen Elincia encounters and defeats a wing of Begnion dracoknights trespassing in Crimean skies. After rescuing Chamberlain Nealuchi and Princess Leanne, she invites them to be her guests at the royal court. While Elincia’s show of loyalty to her laguz allies causes an uproar among the nobles at court, they are aware that the heron princess is under the mutual protection of the mighty laguz hawk king and raven king. Because of this, there is no public show of distaste. However, dissatisfaction with Elincia’s rule now spreads from a single faction to a larger group. Crimea’s unity is slowly rotting from within. This discord begins to be felt even in country hamlets like the farming village of Ohma.

Chapter 2

In a rural Crimean town, a band of rebels sow the seeds of discontent. They are stopped by Brom and Nephenee, two former Crimean soldiers. However, more uprisings are sure to follow. Brom and Nephenee decide to travel to Melior, the capital of Crimea, and inform Queen Elincia as to the gravity of the situation.

Chapter 3

Insurrection erupts across Crimea. The wounds Crimea suffered during the conflict with Daein have finally begun to heal, and it should be rejoicing in its hard-won peace. How is it that the fires of rebellion have been lit? Bastian, Queen Elincia’s most trusted advisor, widely acknowledged for his political savvy, is on a mission to Daein, and the Greil Mercenaries, the original authors of Crimea’s recovery, are nowhere to be found. Queen Elincia, close to despair, has nonetheless ordered the Crimean Royal Knights to restore order in Felirae. Her only wish is to win the coming battle, so that she may stave off a civil war.

Endgame

Having anticipated Queen Elincia’s attack, the majority of Duke Ludveck’s forces left Felirae. The troops stationed at Castle Felirae were merely the bait with which to lure Geoffrey and his troops away from Melior. In Geoffrey’s absence, Ludveck’s objective is nothing less than to take the royal palace… and Queen Elincia with it. Lucia, foreseeing a possible attack on the capital, arranged for Queen Elincia and Princess Leanne to be secretly moved to Fort Alpea. Yet Lucia herself is unable to evade Duke Ludveck’s agents. She is captured in the dead of night while attempting to contact an informant. Queen Elincia receives the sad news the next morning.