Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (ファイアーエムブレム 聖魔の光石, Faiā Emuburemu Seima no Kōseki, literally "Fire Emblem: Shining Stones of Holiness and Evil") is the eighth game in the Fire Emblem series. It is the third and last game released on the Game Boy Advance, and the second game released outside of Japan, preceded by Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. The game takes place on the continent of Magvel, which has not featured in any other titles. The Sacred Stones features Eirika and Ephraim's quest.

Plot

The fall of Renais

In the castle of Renais, troops from Grado have breached the castle. Fearing the safety of his daughter Eirika, King Fado sends his paladin Seth to take Eirika to safety. On his way out, they are attacked by Valter, a Grado soldier, and several bandits. Soon they meet Franz and Gilliam at Mulan, a border town of Renais and Frelia, and rescue Princess Tana of Frelia. In Frelia they meet King Hayden, who sends his vassals Gilliam, Vanessa, and Moulder to help. Eirika decides to go to Grado and help her brother, despite Hayden's advice to stay safe.

As they travel past the village of Ide, where they meet retired war General Garcia and his ambitious son Ross, Eirika's bracelet is stolen, and Seth insists that they recover it. She retrieves it from Colm, a young thief, at the stronghold of bandits led by Bazba. They are lead there by a tearful archer named Neimi, Colm's childhood friend. Meanwhile, Generals Duessel, Selena, and Glen of Grado talk about the strange behavior of Vigarde, the king of Grado. Normally, Grado would never attack Renais, a longtime ally. Vigarde introduces three new generals to help in the conquest of the continent: Riev, Caellach, and Valter.

In the Za'ha Woods, Eirika finds that monsters of old legends have appeared. They meet the monk Artur and his friend Lute, an intelligent young mage. Additionally, they meet a lively young woman named L'Arachel, along with a sardonic rogue Rennac and boisterous warrior Dozla; they introduce themselves as going on a holy crusade to defeat evil and leave quickly.

Eirika's army approaches Serafew, the border town of Renais and Grado. A man asks Eirika if she has seen a girl with indigo-colored hair. They meet the cleric Natasha, who has been branded a traitor. A myrmidon named Joshua who loves to gamble also joins Eirika. After the battle, Natasha tells Eirika and Seth that the emperor of Grado plans to destroy the Sacred Stones. According to her, the emperor has changed, and the holders of the Sacred Stones must be warned.

Eirika and Ephraim reunite

Meanwhile, Ephraim is fighting in Fort Renvall with his two loyal knights, Forde and Kyle, along with the paladin Orson. He takes control of the fort, but he is forced to escape when enemy troops surround the castle. At the same time, Eirika continues on, meeting a Grado leader who tries to bribe her into giving him her bracelet, but Seth refuses. After Eirika rescues the family, Seth tells her of the bracelet's significance: it is half of a key to the chamber that holds Renais's Sacred Stone; Ephraim's bracelet is the other half.

At last, Eirika reaches Renvall to help her brother. She battles to get into the fort and reach her brother. As they arrive, Orson meets them, but he has betrayed Renais. Eirika has no choice but to fight. During the battle, Ephraim, Forde, and Kyle arrive to help Eirika. After the battle, Ephraim introduces Myrrh, a girl with indigo hair, who says a great darkness is approaching. Back at Serafew, Eirika and Ephraim reminisce about Lyon, their kind friend and prince of Grado, son of Vigarde.

They arrive in Frelia, where Tana happily greets them. Her brother Innes, prince of Frelia, has just returned from the war front. Ephraim introduces Myrrh to Hayden. He reveals that she is a Manakete, part of an ancient race of dragon folk. Myrrh explains that she and the had felt a dark wave of energy from Grado and went to investigate. However, she was captured until Ephraim came to rescue her. Suddenly, the Sacred Stone of Frelia is destroyed by troops led by Caellach and Selena. The group then decides to split up - Innes to Jehanna, Eirika to Rausten, and Ephraim directly into Grado. Here, the player chooses to go with Eirika or Ephraim. Either way, the whole army will go with the chosen character, except for the other lord. For example, if Eirika is chosen, all units go with her except Ephraim.

Eirika's journey

In Grado, Vigarde orders Glen to find Eirika, Valter to find Ephraim, Caellach to take Jehanna's Sacred Stone, Riev to take the Stone of Rausten, Duessel to find Ephraim also, and for Selena to wait in the capital for new orders.

Eirika goes to Port Kiris to find a ship to Rausten. Princess Tana joins her, saying that she will not be left out. They meet L'Arachel and her companions again; she informs Eirika that no ships are leaving port and advises her to take the overland route. There is a sudden conflict as mercenaries appear to fight Eirika. During the battle, an young soldier of Grado named Amelia joins Eirika's army. Afterwards, Seth and Eirika learn that the mercenaries are from Carcino, meaning that the alliance between Carcino and Frelia has been broken. Since Innes is going through Carcino to Jehanna, she realizes he is deep in enemy territory and hurries to help him.

In Grado, Glen confesses to his brother Cormag that he had met Eirika before, and she seemed a kindhearted, gentle woman. However, he has to obey the emperor. In Carcino, Innes is surrounded by Carcinan troops with the mercenaries Gerik and Tethys. Eirika helps to save Innes, and along the way, the myrmidon Marisa goes to Eirika's side. Pablo retreats, and afterwards, Eirika meets Klimt, a member of Carcino's Council of Elders, who states that only some have sided with Grado; the rest have kept the alliance. Eirika and Innes now need to travel to Jehanna and Rausten by land. Ewan, the younger brother of Tethys, suggests Caer Pelyn, a mountain pass that goes directly to Jehanna; Eirika decides to take this route.

At Caer Pelyn, the army passes through a fort that Ewan claims to be empty; however, monsters appear. L'Arachel and Dozla appear again, without Rennac, and join Eirika's team. Afterwards, Ewan finds his teacher, Saleh, who was the man looking for a girl back in Serafew. He agrees to lead them through the mountains. General Glen arrives to kill Eirika and but he convinced that she is innocent and refuses to kill her. When he flies back, he is killed by Valter.

To Jehanna

Eirika continues on in the mountains. Even more monsters appear, and Ewan begins to fight as a novice mage. The elder of Caer Pelyn informs Eirika that it was the Great Dragon helped to seal away the Demon King, instead of just the hero Grado with the Sacred Stones. She says the Great Dragon watches the bones of the Demon King and ensures that it does not revive; however, recently the Great Dragon has disappeared. When Eirika says she has seen Myrrh, the elder reveals that Myrrh is the current form of the Great Dragon. She urges Saleh to leave for Grado at once to find Myrrh; he decides to go with Eirika, as the quickest route to Grado goes through Jehanna.

Valter tells Cormag of Glen's death and tells Cormag that it was Eirika who killed him. Cormag then angrily decides to avenge his brother and flies off to find Eirika. She prepares to fight Grado troops at Hamill Canyon; her goal is to hold out until Rausten troops arrive, according to L'Arachel. Cormag flies in to kill Eirika, but she convinces him that she did not kill Glen. He joins Eirika to avenge his brother. Pablo shows up as well, but shortly, Rausten troops arrive from the north and manage to rout the rest of the enemy forces. L'Arachel reveals to Eirika that she is the princess of Rausten. They continue on to Jehanna.

Eirika thinks about Lyon again, the kindhearted but underconfident prince, much unlike a leader. According to Innes, Jehanna Hall has been overrun with Grado troops, led by Lyon himself. Queen Ismaire is being held captive by Carlyle, her formerly most trusted commander. He has captured her for her love. Caellach arrives, takes Ismaire, and goes to seek out and destroy the Sacred Stone. When Eirika begins to fight, Rennac, L'Arachel's former companion, appears, getting ready to loot the castle. However, Eirika or L'Arachel finds him and he joins Eirika's side.

After Carlyle is defeated, Caellach demands the Sacred Stone from Ismaire. He then fatally wounds Ismaire and destroys the stone. Eirika meets Lyon, who is still the gentle person she has known, but he leaves quickly. Ismaire, dying, calls Joshua to her side, and it is revealed that Joshua is the prince of Jehanna. She dies, leaving the Sacred Twin weapons of Jehanna to him: the sword Audhulma and the anima magic tome Excalibur. Joshua reveals that he left palace life behind to see the world as a man, not a prince. By now he regrets his decision, and vows to fight Grado and defend Jehanna. They escape the palace and find that two Grado armies, led by Caellach and Valter, are coming their way.

Reunited again (Eirika's route)

Of course, a battle breaks out. Early in the battle, Ephraim arrives with Duessel of Grado and a shaman named Knoll and helps Eirika defeat the Grado forces, including Caellach and Valter. Ephraim provides the group with two Sacred Twin weapons from Grado, the axe Garm and the dark tome Gleipnir.

Ephraim tells the others he has managed to seize Grado's capital and defeat Vigarde. However, he tells a story that Knoll had been talking about: a Dark Stone had been created, the source of the wave of energy that Myrrh had felt. Vigarde has already been dead for months, somehow resurrected, but only a puppet. Ephraim reveals that although he hates to say it, Prince Lyon is the one controlling the stone. According to Ephraim, Lyon had said he was behind the war, and only befriended Eirika and Ephraim to invade Renais. L'Arachel suggests that with the remaining Sacred Stones, they will be able to conquer the Dark Stone. The army to Renais to reclaim its Sacred Stone.

Eirika and Ephraim return to Renais, which is in a deplorable state of corruption and despair. Under the rule of Orson it clearly has suffered greatly. The twins prepare to go into the castle. Myrrh vows that she will start to fight as well. Orson is seen doting on his "wife", Monica, who is unseen. Riev tells him Eirika and Ephraim are marching toward the castle, and he threatens to kill Monica if he doesn't succeed in keeping them out.

After Orson is defeated, the twins find that "Monica" was a reanimated corpse, just like Vigarde. They go back to the throne room, Eirika and Ephraim open a seal by raising their bracelets, revealing a secret chamber that contains the Stone of Renais. Eirika and Ephraim can promote at this time; if not, then they can be promoted later. They find the Sacred Twin weapons, Sieglinde, the Thunder Blade and Siegmund, the Fire Lance. The army makes their way to Rausten.

Two years ago, Lyon is telling of how he plans to use the Sacred Stone to help people. In the present, Eirika's army is at the Narube River, on the way to Rausten. They see Frelian soldiers attacking failishly against Grado troops. Civilians are trapped on the banks of the river. Lyon then appears to the group, and he does not remember what he said when he encountered Ephraim in Grado. However, he switches to a darker personality which appears to be taking over his body; "he" reveals himself to be the Demon King. During the battle, the Frelian general Syrene joins Eirika's side. When Lyon is defeated, he teleports away. Innes then gives Eirika the Sacred Twin weapons of Frelia: Nidhogg, the Serpent Bow, and Vidofnir, the Winged Lance.

Defeating the Demon King (Eirika)

Eirika and the others journey through Mount Neleras, a mountain of extreme heat and sulfur. Eirika asks L'Arachel if there is any way to bring back Lyon; L'Arachel tells her that Lyon no longer exists. It turns out that Lyon has led the army into a trap by bringing them to this place - it is full of dangerous lava and gorgon eggs. After the battle, Eirika meets Lyon, who tricks her into giving him the Sacred Stone by pretending to be the kind Lyon, asking for help. However, they look forward and continue to Rausten.

The army meets Mansel, Pontifex of Rausten. Eirika and Ephraim explain their long tale of eighteen-and-a-half chapters so far. As they go to sleep, there is an attack by Grado troops led by General Riev; they have breached the castle in several places. Eirika manages to hold out until the Grado troops retreat, or she defeats Riev and causes him to retreat. They receive the Sacred Stone and the Sacred Twin weapons of Rausten: the light tome Ivaldi and the divine staff Latona. They start to head for Darkling Woods, a home of myriads of monsters.

"Lyon", or rather, the Demon King, is confronted by Morva, the foster father of Myrrh. Although Myrrh is looking forward to meeting her father again, he is turned into a zombie by Lyon. The army battles many monsters, including Riev and Morva. Lyon runs into the Black Temple, and Eirika and her army follow.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

Gameplay

The Sacred Stones shares many game concepts with Gaiden, such as the ability to travel across a world map and the appearance of monsters. Otherwise, most of its gameplay is the same as Blazing Sword.