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Battle of Belhalla

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
Battle of Belhalla

FE776 Battle of Belhalla.jpg
Artwork of the Battle of Belhalla from Thracia 776 Illustrated Works.

World

Jugdral

Location(s)

Belhalla, Grannvale

Date(s)

Grann 761

Combatants
Sigurd's army Rot Ritter
Commanders
Sigurd Arvis
Aida
Outcome
  • Rot Ritter victory
  • Sigurd's army branded traitors and executed
Contemporary events

Aed Massacre

Appearance(s)

Genealogy of the Holy War

Grannvale's disturbance, stemming from the campaign in Isaach, led one young man into a disastrous fate.
— Closing of Chapter 5

The Battle of Belhalla (Japanese: バーハラの戦い Battle of Barhara) was a conflict which occurred in the Grannvale capital of Belhalla in the year Grann 761.[1] It was one of the final acts of the period of unrest which commenced with Grannvale's war with Isaach, and was the culmination of Arvis's rise to power and of the formation of the powerful Grannvale Empire. In the battle, Sigurd of Chalphy and his army were executed for acts of treason against Grannvale, having been framed as co-conspirators in the demise of Prince Kurth.

Overview

Background

The ambitious Duke Reptor of Friege and avaricious Lombard of Dozel felt threatened by the influence on King Azmur and Prince Kurth wielded by Byron, the Duke of Chalphy. In the closing days of the war with Isaac in 759, working seemingly in cooperation with Arvis of Velthomer, the duo had Kurth assassinated and framed Byron and his son Sigurd for the crime. Byron was defeated and imprisoned, and the two led their armies to Agustria to arrest Sigurd; instead, Annand of Silesse arrived and escorted Sigurd's army to refuge in Silesse. Sigurd spent the next year in hiding there, but was eventually forced to leave due to sudden aggression against the otherwise innocent nation from Grannvale.

After quelling a civil war against Silesse's Queen Lahna, Sigurd's army set out on a march back to Grannvale through the Aed Desert, intending to clear his name from the crimes attributed to him. On the way, he tasked Oifey and Shannan with taking his infant son Seliph to Isaach as a precaution, and learned of Quan and Ethlyn's demise in the nearby Aed Massacre. Lombard and Reptor led their forces against Sigurd in defense of Grannvale, seemingly with the support of Arvis and his lieutenant Aida, but at the last moment Aida turned on Reptor on Arvis' orders, ordering the Velthomer forces to attack Reptor's army. Lombard and Reptor both fell in this battle, and Aida informed Sigurd that Arvis was aware of his innocence all along and had arranged a royal procession in Belhalla in honor of Sigurd's return.

The battle

Following Aida's instructions, Sigurd led his troops to Belhalla, where Arvis, the Rot Ritter, and the Weissritter were awaiting him. Arvis initially acted welcoming to Sigurd, but turned on him as soon as Sigurd mentioned his intent to seek an audience with Azmur. Arvis declared that Sigurd and his army were to be executed for treason, then summoned his wife Deirdre – formerly Sigurd's wife – to confront "the son of the man who murdered [her] father". The amnesiac Deirdre showed faint signs of recognition of Sigurd, while Sigurd himself reacted with shock at finding her again, prompting Arvis to have Deirdre taken back to the castle. Arvis then ordered his army to seize and execute Sigurd's army.

Trapped in by the surrounding army, Sigurd's forces had nowhere to go. The Rot Ritter bombarded Sigurd's army with Meteor spells, while Arvis used Valflame to execute Sigurd himself. In the midst of the confusion of the battle, Lewyn was confronted and killed by Manfroy of the Loptr Church. Sigurd's army was quickly overwhelmed and wiped out; the fates of most of its members are unknown, and those who survived were hunted as traitors to Grannvale.

Aftermath

Arvis had successfully orchestrated the deaths of Lombard, Reptor and Sigurd, eliminating all of the obstacles to his plans. When King Azmur died some time later, Arvis succeeded him as king, and reformed Grannvale into an empire. The territories subdued by Sigurd – Verdane and Agustria – were claimed as territories of Grannvale, as was Isaach in the war's aftermath, and the Munster District, Miletos and Silesse soon also were conquered by Grannvale. For a time the Empire was benevolent and peaceful.

At some point afterward, Arvis and Deirdre had twin children, Julius and Julia. In accordance with the plans of Manfroy, Julius possessed full Loptous Holy Blood, and so was able to be a vessel for the resurrection of Loptous. When this commenced with Manfroy presenting the Loptous tome to Julius, Julius killed Deirdre and quickly wrested control of Grannvale from Arvis, twisting it into an oppressive and malevolent regime, paving the way for the return of the Loptrian Empire.

Seventeen years after the Battle of Belhalla, Sigurd's son Seliph formed a revolution army in the northern reaches of Isaach and marched on the holdings of the Empire, liberating the oppressed nations before defeating Emperor Arvis and marching on Grannvale itself, overthrowing Julius's hold on the continent.

Survivors and casualties

Known deceased

  • Claud: Claud foresaw his own imminent demise in the battle and resigned himself to this fate.[2]
  • Lewyn: Lewyn was killed by Manfroy. Shortly thereafter, he was resurrected and possessed by Forseti.
  • Sigurd: Arvis personally executed Sigurd using Valflame.

Known survivors

  • Edain: Edain fled to Tirnanog, where she gave birth to Lester and Lana, and helped Oifey and Shannan raise Seliph, Larcei, Scáthach and Diarmuid.
  • Brigid: Brigid sustained amnesia and eventually turned up in the Munster District, adopting the name Eyvel and settling in Fiana.
  • Erinys: Erinys returned to Silesse, where she ruled as its queen in lieu of Lewyn's absence. She eventually died of illness, prompting her son Ced to search for Lewyn.
  • Lachesis: Fled to Leonster, where she resided with Finn until Thracia came to conquer the Munster District. She fled with Finn, Leif and Nanna and went into hiding in several locations with them, before heading north to try and find her son Diarmuid and disappearing in the Aed Desert.
  • Silvia: At some point after the battle, Silvia travelled to Dahna, where she surrendered her children Coirpre and Lene to an orphanage before disappearing.
  • Tailtiu: Tailtiu fled to Silesse, where she lived for a few years with her children Arthur and Tine. She and Tine were later abducted by her brother Bloom, and she died years later after relentless abuse from Bloom's wife Hilda.

Unknown

According to August, there are rumors that the Loptr Church had custody of the petrified victims of the Battle of Belhalla, which they kept in the Aed Shrine.[3]

Not present

  • Deirdre: She was present in Belhalla at the time, now Arvis's wife, and was brought out to see the captive Sigurd mere moments before the execution.
  • Ethlyn: Killed in the Aed Massacre.
  • Finn: Stationed in Leonster at the time, protecting the infant Prince Leif. When the Munster District fell to Thracia, he fled with Leif and Lachesis, and seventeen years later served in Seliph's liberation army.
  • Oifey: Fled to Tirnanog with Seliph, and seventeen years later served in Seliph's liberation army.
  • Quan: Killed in the Aed Massacre.
  • Shannan: Fled to Tirnanog with Seliph, and seventeen years later served in Seliph's liberation army.

Trivia

  • The Battle of Belhalla is the only occasion in the Fire Emblem series where the protagonist permanently dies as part of the story while under control of the player.

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Battle of Belhalla

Explicitly referenced by this name by Seliph in Awakening.[5]

English
(unofficial)

Battle of Barhara

Used in the Genealogy of the Holy War fan translation.[which?]

Japanese

バーハラの戦い

Battle of Barhara

Spanish

Batalla de Barhara

Battle of Barhara

French

Bataille de Belhalla

Battle of Belhalla

German

Schlacht von Belhalla

Battle of Belhalla

Italian

Battaglia di Belhalla

Battle of Belhalla

Portuguese

Batalha de Belhalla[6]

Battle of Belhalla

Traditional Chinese

巴哈拉之戰[7]

Battle of Barhara

Gallery

References

  1. Thracia 776 unused timeline, Serenes Forest, Retrieved: April 4, 2022
  2. "Claud: This war will end in our defeat. All that is important to us will be lost.
    Edain: ...What!?
    Claud: I, too, had a difficult time believing the Lord's words when I was at Bragi Tower. But this is how fate will have it. I also will not likely survive.
    " — Claud and Edain, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
  3. "I have heard rumors of a secret Loptous temple underground in the Aed Desert. They say that the statues of various warriors are kept there. I have even heard that the statues include the captives of the fight in Belhalla from a decade ago. I am sure that Eyvel's statue will be taken there as well." — August, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
  4. "Ulster: We fled to Isaach with Oifey. But she never showed up. Maybe she didn't survive the Battle of Belhalla after all...
    Larcei: Scáthach! You promised you'd never say that! She is alive!! Don't you ever let me catch you saying that again!
    " — Scáthach and Larcei, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
  5. "I was born on the continent of Jugdral—son of Duke Sigurd of Chalphy. I am descended from Baldur the Crusader and Saint Heim. I fight to avenge my late father, who fell in the Battle of Belhalla." — Seliph, Fire Emblem Awakening
  6. "Durante a batalha de Belhalla, caiu na armadilha de Arvis e morreu."Conheça alguns dos heróis, https://guide.fire-emblem-heroes.com/pt-BR, Retrieved: April 2, 2022
  7. "在「巴哈拉之戰」中命喪於阿爾維斯手下。"英雄介紹, guide.fire-emblem-heroes.com/zh, Retrieved: April 2, 2022
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Playable characters First gen. AlecArdenAyraAzelleBeowolfBrigidChulainnClaudDeirdreDewEdainErinysEthlynFinnJamkeLachesisLewynLexMidirNaoiseQuanSigurdSilviaTailtiu
Second gen. AltenaAresArthur/AmidCed/HawkCoirpre/CharlotDiarmuid/TristanFebail/AsaelloFee/HerminaFinnHannibalIucharIucharbaJuliaLana/MuirneLarcei/CreidneLeifLene/LayleaLester/DeimneNanna/JeanneOifeyPatty/DaisyScáthach/DalvinSeliphShannanTine/Linda
Non-playable characters First gen. AidaAlvaAnnandArvisAzmurBatuByronCalfCigyunEldiganEthniaEvaEveGrahnyeImcaKurthManananMariccleOifeyLahnaRingShannanTravantVictor
Second gen. AnnaFelipeJakeLewynPalmarch
Bosses First gen. AndreyBeowolfBordeauxChagallCimbaethClementCuvuliDaccarDiMaggioDíthorbaDonovanDuvallElliotEldiganErinysGerrardJacobiJamkeLamiaLombardMacbethMagornMyosMunnirPamelaPapilioPhilipPizareReptorSandimaSlayderVajaWaltzZane
Second gen. AltenaAnguillaArionArvisBanbaBaranBlegBloomBovisBoyceBramselBrianCanisCoulterDagonDanannDistlerDracoEquusEriuFisherFotlaGallusHannibalHaroldHildaIshtarIshtoreIucharIucharbaJavarroJudahJuliaJuliusJuphielKanatzKutuzovLizaMabelManfroyMaykovMengMorriganMuhammadMusMusarOvisOvoPorcusRiddellRobertoRodanSchmidtScipioSimiaTine/LindaTigrisTravantZagam
Background characters BaldrBragiCedDáinnFjalarGairHeimHoðrForsetiLoptousMaeraNagaNálNjörunOdSalamanderThrudUllr
Holy Weapons BalmungForsetiGáe BolgGungnirHelswathLoptousMjölnirMystletainnNagaTyrfingValflameValkyrieYewfelle
Chapters First gen. P: Birth of a Holy Knight • 1: Lady of the Forest • 2: Crisis in Agustria • 3: Eldigan, the Lionheart • 4: Dance in the Skies • 5: Doorway to Destiny
Second gen. 6: Heir of Light • 7: Beyond the Desert • 8: The Wyvern Knights of Thracia • 9: For Whose Sake • 10: Light and DarkE: End of the Holy War
Locations JugdralAed Desert (Dahna) • Agustria (Bragi TowerNordionOrgahil) • Grannvale (BelhallaChalphyDozelEddaFriegeVelthomerYngvi) • Isaach (Tirnanog) • Munster District (ConnachtLeonsterMunsterUlster) • MiletosSilesseThraciaVerdane
Groups, objects and events 12 crusadersAed MassacreBattle of BelhallaChild huntsCross KnightsFall of LeonsterFinal Holy WarHoly BloodHoly WarKnight brigades of GrannvaleLanceritterLoptr Church (DeadlordsLoptrian Empire) • Miracle of DahnaQuintessence
Lists ChaptersCharactersClasses (Class change) • Hidden map eventsItemsScriptsSkillsWeapons
Related topics TreasureGenealogy of the Holy War ExceedŌsawa manga adaptationFujimori manga adaptationSuzuki novelizationHeir of LightName chart • Other games (Mystery of the EmblemThracia 776Awakening) • Timeline