Welcome to Fire Emblem Appreciation Month! For the entirety of the month, we'll celebrate all aspects related to the series in anticipation of its 25th Anniversary!
Many of the realms of Fire Emblem have their own worlds for the player to explore; at a first glance, these worlds may appear monotonous with the seemingly similar fantasy themes, but each of these places have their own varying social and political climates, with equally engrossing and rich lore. For today's theme, describe why these world(s), or specific country, area, or locale, happens to be your favorite!
Tellius is a world ripe with an intriguing, bloody history, one I felt was thoroughly explored between the two games. To begin with, the continent is inhabited by two distinct races in general. The shape-shifters, who are called the Laguz, take a bigger presence with this particular realm than past games, and both these people and the humans, the Beorc, have coexisted since the beginning of time or tried to at least. Unfortunately, these races never could trully accept one another, which have lead to an ever burning conflagration of conflict and war. Save for the draconic tribes, the Laguz were actually enslaved by the Beorc for a period of time, and even with the advent of the Mad King's War, many of them still resent what the humans did to their ancestors. It is only with the aforementioned war that these weary races finally begin to bridge the gap between each other.
The Laguz tribes are differentiated between three distinct affiliations: Beast, Bird, and Dragon tribes. All three groups have their own sub-species that define their cultures. Despite their similarities, it's the Bird Tribes, most notably the Hawks and Ravens, that are the most disconnected of the Laguz, with key events separating them further. On the other hand, the Beast tribes are the most closely knit group, even with their various differences among the felines and the wolf tribes. The only tribe whose culture is completely unknown is the dragons of Goldoa due of their isolationist policies, which detracts them from all of Tellius; even with their Laguz brothers and sisters becoming enslaved, the dragon kin were disturbingly unapologetic to their plight.
Whereas the Laguz social structure have always been reminiscent to their primal counterparts, the Beorc were actually under a singular, grand nation at one point. Begnion once stretched to about 3/4ths of the entire continent before Crimea and Daein became their own sovereign countries; interestingly enough, these three nations developed their own distinct cultures and forms of government despite their origins.
Firstly, Begnion is the oldest Beorc country of the three, and as a theocracy, the empire is wholly dedicated to the Goddess Ashera. Its reigning governing body is separated into two parts: the Apostle and the Senate. While both of these factions are meant to be working in tandem governing the empire, recent years have both of these figures at odds with each other. In terms of Beorc countries, Begnion is supposed to be the most progressive when it comes to the treatment of the Laguz, having only abolished slavery twenty years before the start of Path of Radiance. However, the majority of its society do not reflect the ideals of Apostle Misaha, the author of the emancipation, and some of the upper echelons of the nobility ignore this decree.
The Begnion Empire is entrenched with its luxurious, complex traditions, and defying what is the heart of their culture is considered a grave transgression against them, which is why most outsiders feel incredibly alienated. At the capitol, the wealthy elite reside at the heart of Sienne, where all of historical districts are located. The most significant locale is the Tower of Guidance, where the Goddess Ashera is believed to be in deep slumber. Additionally, Begnion is the most geographically diverse nation in all of Tellius, boasting arid deserts, boggy marshlands, and more.
Having mostly fair lands, Crimea is the only Beorc nation that is aggressively pursing the acceptance of the Laguz, being the major factor in seceding from Begnion in its founding years. However, like Begnion, it is only the monarchy and the nobility that follow the ideals of the first king of the country, but in spite of this, they are the most tolerant of the three Beorc nations. More than anything, the people of Crimea holds peace as their highest priority and consistently seeks to establish relations with their neighbors.
In the harsh winter mountains of the North, Daein holds vastly different values when it comes to their governmental structure and culture. For one, there isn't any real form of classes; anyone could hold an influential position should the decide to move up the ladder, and the strongest individuals are encouraged to assume these roles of power. As to emphasize its opposing viewpoints, Daein is intolerant of the Laguz, and a majority of its citizens participate in grueling hunts of persecution. It is believed that these conflicting ideals regarding the Laguz would be the main reason the nation declares war on Crimea.
Even with all of these social and political differences, all of these qualities are beautifully interwoven in the plot of Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.
Here were the entrants to the last theme: