One thing I absolutely love about the Fire Emblem series is being able to consistently create a diverse cast of characters for each entry. There's always something that differentiates them from other characters of their own games and from even other entries, and it makes getting to know these characters an interesting and enjoyable experience. With this blog series, I hope to highlight some of my favorite characters of the franchise. 
WARNING: Major Spoilers Ahead!
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Name: Sephiran, formerly Lehran
Origin: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance; Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
+ Creator of the titular Fire Emblem in Tellius.
+ Prime Minister and head of the Begnion Senate
+ Formerly the leader of the Serenes Heron clan
In the advent of the Great Flood and a devastating war, the Goddess of Dawn, Ashunera, had shed all of her emotions to form Yune, the Goddess of Chaos, and became Ashera, the Goddess of Order, as a result. She had initially wanted to expunge the embodiment of her emotions, but Lehran insisted to seal her away instead. Consequently, he created the Fire Emblem, which later became known as Lehran's Medallion, and imprisoned Yune within using the seid magic of Heron Galdr. Because of this development, his descendants became guardians of the medallion for many a generation.
Interestingly enough, Lehran was also the lover of Begnion's first queen and renown Beorc warrior Altina. The two were married once the great war was over, and not long after they bore their first child, who was the first Branded to be conceived and established the reigning dynasty of the Apostle. After the birth of their child, Lehran was stripped of the qualities that made him a heron, no longer bearing wings or capable of singing Galdr, and became an entity that was neither Beorc or Laguz. From this humiliating result, he fled to Goldoa to live in secrecy, and as a consequence of his departure, the edict that Beorc and Laguz cannot be together was widely spread, which caused the Branded to become reviled by both races.
During his 700-year stay in the land of dragon Laguz, Lehran had attempted to commit suicide numerous times, with an overwhelming desire of his own death plaguing him for many years to come. Eventually, he departed Goldoa as the country refused to help liberate their Laguz brothers from slavery. He traveled back to Begnion to meet with the then-current residing Empress, Misaha. Recognizing him as her ancestor, Sephiran was supportive of her decision to reveal the Apostle's true nature of their lineage nature for the world to witness.
However, Vice-Minister Lekain discovered her plans and ordered her assassination; her death was pinned on the Herons, which sparked the ire of Begnion citizens. The Serenes Massacre was the last straw for Sephiran as he saw his brethren brutally killed off by the Beorc. From this horrific tragedy, he believed that both Beorc and Laguz have no hope for salvation, and so he concocted a grand plan to bring Judgment for the entire continent. He had stolen away a child of his lineage into Daein, and he earned Zelgius' loyalty. Assuming the powerful position as Prime Minister of the Begnion Empire, he was aware of Sanaki's predicament in regards to her supposed Branded heritage when she ascended to the title of Apostle, yet he raised her almost like she was his own daughter; the two were incredibly close to each other. With his seemingly sincere presence and calm, Sephiran was loved by all of the citizens of Begnion.
Sephiran believed that Ashnard would be able to free Yune from her prison within the Fire Emblem through war-mongering, so he set off with Zelgius to retrieve the medallion, which was in the custody of Greil and his family. Instead, he arrived to find the former general's apparent wrath upon a Gallian village, and he was quick to take notice of a young Ike's bewildered state, having witnessed his father murdering his mother. Not wanting to leave the boy mentally scarred for the rest of his life, Sephiran suppressed Ike's memory of the incident with powerful magic, and he left the medallion alone for another time. Once Zelgius took his place as Daein's enigmatic Black Knight, he again ordered him to retrieve the medallion for Ashnard in the midst of the Mad King's War, with the resulting skirmish inadvertantly resulting in Greil's murder. Sephiran distanced himself from the ongoing conflict but kept a dutiful eye on Ike and the Greil Mercenaries as their campaign continued.
With his vast network thanks to the senators, Sephiran was successfully able to instigate conflicts great enough to awaken Ashera and invoke her judgment, just as he truly desired. At the Tower of Guidance, he explained his true identity, his motivations, and all of his actions to Yune's chosen heroes, who were unaffected by Ashera's judgment. Even with his motivations to exterminate both Beorc and Laguz, he also yearned for death's embrace from all the torment he endured, and he was promptly defeated. During this time, he reflected upon himself and made a drastic decision; he would fight against the Goddess of Order that he worked tirelessly to awaken. In spite of what he had done, Lehran was allowed to join the heroes to redeem himself in one last battle against Ashera.
Once the fight for humanity ended, Lehran resided with the Heron royal family to heal his tattered body and soul from the torment. Miraculously, he recovered from the loss of his heron powers, and for the next 1200 years, he was beholden to the peace he had initially wanted for the world. Lehran was the first to introduce Ashunera back into the world in all of her radiant glory.