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Disturbance of Bern

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Disturbance of Bern

Ss fe06 roy vs demon dragon.png
Artwork depicting Roy dueling Idunn in the final battle of the war.

World

Elibe

Location(s)

Elibe

Date(s)

Elibe calendar year 1000

Combatants
Etrurian Army Bern
Lycia*
Etruria*
Ilian mercenaries
Djute tribe
War dragons
Commanders
Hector
Roy
Guinivere
Zephiel
Jahn
Idunn
Murdock
Brunnya
Narcian*
Galle
Outcome
  • Bern defeat
  • Lycian League and Ilia both unified into single kingdoms
Appearance(s)
The Dragons you see now are weapons for battle. They have no "self". They have no cruel emotions to be driven by, unlike foolish humans. The world under the Dragons' control would be fair and peaceful.
— Zephiel, to Roy.

The Disturbance of Bern is a war that occurred in Elibe during the year 1000. The war was was arguably Elibe's largest conflict since the Scouring more than 1000 years prior, involving and taking place in almost every single country and settlement on the continent.

The Disturbance of Bern was instigated by the king of Bern, Zephiel. Zephiel's abusive treatment from his father Desmond during his childhood fueled his hatred for humanity; after his ascension to the throne, he devised a plan to end humanity's grip on Elibe and restore it to the Dragons, leading him to ally with the Fire Dragon Jahn and release Idunn, the very same Demon Dragon used in the Scouring, in order to start a genocidal war that would render humanity extinct.

Zephiel's war was met with much resistance. Among the most notable of the people opposing Bern's attacks was Roy, the son of the Marquess of Pherae, Eliwood. Following the death of the previous leader of the Lycian army, Marquess Hector of Ostia, Roy, with the assistance of Zephiel's half-sister Guinivere, succeeded him and assembled an army consisting of people from all over Elibe. Roy's unified army eventually managed to obtain the eight legendary weapons of Scouring legend and defeat Zephiel, his Wyvern Generals and Idunn, continuing mankind's rule on Elibe.

Overview

Background

Main article: The Scouring

In ancient Elibe, humanity declared war on all of dragonkind in a war that would later be known as the Scouring. Though dragons were stronger than humans, the humans had an advantage through their sheer numbers. To combat this, the dragons captured the divine dragon Idunn and turned her into a demon dragon and destroyed her soul in order to obey their commands of spawning artificial war dragons. Acknowledging this new power from the dragons, humanity forged the eight legendary weapons, which were wielded by the Eight Legends. With this newfound power, humanity easily slaughtered the dragons. However, once the Legends confronted Idunn inside the Dragon Sanctuary, Hartmut, the leader of the Legends, pitied her and decided to seal her instead of killing her.

Nearly a thousand years later, The king of Bern, Desmond, was married to Hellene of Etruria as part of an arranged marriage to gain political power, which resulted in a son between the two, Zephiel. However, Desmond held no affection towards Hellene and instead was in love with another woman; their relationship yielded a daughter, Guinivere. Desmond resented Hellene and Zephiel and loved her daughter; Zephiel, for his part, had a strong bond with Guinivere. In time, the people of Bern started to revere Zephiel as the future king of Bern. Desmond, driven by jealously towards Zephiel, had two assassination attempts on Zephiel; in the first attempt, he hired the Black Fang to kill Zephiel during his coming-of-age ceremony, which was foiled by Marquess Eliwood of Pherae, Marquess Hector of Ostia and Lyn. In the second attempt, he tried to personally kill Zephiel by offering him a poisoned drink at a banquet, an offer that Zephiel accepted. Though Zephiel did become seriously ill for several days, he managed to cling on to life and devised a plan alongside his personal bodyguard Murdock to kill Desmond in retaliation. The plan was successful, with Zephiel personally murdering Desmond as a result. These experiences with his father embittered Zephiel, greatly changing his worldview towards mankind for the worse.

Early stages

Ss fe06 bern invading sacae and ilia.png

Years later, Zephiel, now the king of Bern and fully convinced of the evil present within humanity, decided to unseal Idunn from the Dragon Sanctuary. This action caught the attention of Jahn, a fire dragon who survived the Scouring. Zephiel formed an alliance with Jahn upon learning of his nature as a dragon. Zephiel then directed two of his Wyvern Generals, Murdock and Brunnya, to lead swift and sudden attacks on the neighboring countries of Ilia and Sacae respectively. These raids devastated the two countries; many factions allied with Bern, and what little resistance the countries had was either wiped out or forced to retreat to safer territory. Guinivere, who opposed her older brother's actions, took the Fire Emblem, Bern's royal heirloom, and fled Bern to go to Lycia in order to find allies to oppose him. Ruud, a Bernese soldier guarding the border with Pherae, captured her with the intention of selling her to Lycia.

Following the attacks on Ilia and Sacae, Zephiel then set his sights on Lycia and prepared for an attack alongside the last of his Wyvern Generals, Narcian. The various marquesses of Lycia, recognizing this imminent danger, agreed to hold a war council in Araphen, given its strategic location. One maqruess who didn't attend this meeting was Eliwood, who was suffering from an illness at the time. Instead, Eliwood called his son Roy, who was studying at Ostia with his teacher Cecilia, to lead Pherae's army in his place. Roy immediately began his journey back to Pherae with his vassals; at the same time, Hector's daughter Lilina was paying Eliwood a visit.

Roy's departure

Roy returned to Pherae and reunited with his father after a brief skirmish with several bandits; Eliwood gave his son several words of encouragement and revealed that he had hired Dieck's mercenaries to rendezvous with Roy on the way to Araphen. Eliwood also advised Lilina to rule Ostia in Hector's absence. Roy headed north towards Araphen, passing close to Pherae's border with Bern. While waiting for Dieck's mercenaries, Roy happened to encounter a young cleric named Elen who told him that her mistress had been taken captive by Ruud. Unaware that Elen's "mistress" was Princess Guinivere of Bern, and that Ruud intended to betray her to Lycia, Roy's forces and Dieck's mercenaries defeated Ruud and rescued Guinivere. Together they continued their journey north to Araphen.

When Roy came within a day's march of Castle Araphen, a messenger came to him and announced that the war council there had been attacked by the Wyvern Generals, with most of the marquesses dying in the onslaught. Roy's army hurried to Castle Araphen, killing its appointed guardian Slater in the process. Inside the castle, Roy found Hector, who was severely wounded during the battle. Hector acknowledged that he was not long for this world and revealed that Bern had resurrected dragons to use in the war and that Roy should obtain the legendary weapons in order to combat them; additionally, he implored that Roy succeed him as leader of the Lycian army and that he take care of Lilina in his absence. He then died of his wounds, much to Roy's horror.

Though he was saddened by Hector's death, Roy nonetheless respected his dying wishes and led his army to Ostia to regroup with Lilina. Meanwhile, Lycia was suffering from internal instability after their devastating loss in Araphen. Some marquesses, such as Erik of Laus, allied with Bern; others, though not inclined to ally with Bern, were usurped by rebellious soldiers who were. The most prominent rebellion occurred in Ostia; Legance, a commander in the Ostian army, managed to amass an army of rebels to capture Lilina and take Ostia castle. His rebellion was short-lived, however, for Roy quickly arrived in Ostia, rescued Lilina, and put the rebels to the sword. Though victorious in the battle, Roy recognized that the Lycian army was no match for the full might of Bern's army and decided to collect the legendary weapons before Bern did, with Lilina assisting them in obtaining Lycia's legendary weapon Durandal, the Blazing Blade. At about the same time, Cecilia, the Mage General of Etruria, noticed how fiercely Lycia resisted Bern, and made an alliance with Lycia on Etruria's behalf.

Corruption in Etruria

Under Etruria's protection, the Lycian League rebuilt its standing forces and its economy, choosing Roy to lead the army due to his victory at Ostia.[1] However, Etruria eventually demanded a favor from Lycia in exchange for its protection: To send its forces to the Western Isles to crush an uprising against Etruria there. The Lycians were not happy to send their army so far from home, but they were in no position to refuse Etruria's demand.

In fact, Etruria had sent the Lycian army to the Western Isles to die.[2] Two Etrurian councilors, Roartz and Arcardo, were plotting to gain Bern's favor by neutralizing Lycia's army under the pretense of securing Etruria's holdings in the Western Isles.[3] When Roy discovered the plot and realized that Etruria had deliberately left Lycia defenseless against Bern, he nonetheless decided to finish the work he had started in the Western Isles. With the help of the resistance forces led by Elffin and Echidna, he fought against the treacherous Etrurians and discovered that they were being reinforced by Bern soldiers under the command of Wyvern General Narcian. Narcian left one of Bern's dragons to defend the capital of Juteaux; nonetheless, Roy was able to defeat him and reclaim the capital. Roy also learned from Elffin about Armads, the Thunder Axe, and retrieved it.

Roy soon received word that Roartz and Arcardo had taken King Mordred of Etruria hostage and effectively usurped the throne; Mage General Cecilia and Princess Guinivere had escaped to Missur to the south, while the other two Etrurian generals had been forced to fight for Roartz and Arcardo. Roy gathered his force and sailed south to Missur to rendezvous with Cecilia and Guinivere.

Dragons in the desert

While Roy and the Lycian army were dealing with the corrupt Etrurians in the Western Isles, Zephiel sent an army to Nabata, where he captured Sophia and learned about the hidden village of Arcadia. He then headed southwest to rendezvous with Narcian and Flaer.

Narcian and Flaer were pursuing Cecilia and Guinivere to a fortress near the western coast of Missur. Cecilia put up a strong resistance, until Zephiel personally joined the battle and inflicted a grievous blow on her. The blow was not lethal, however, and Narcian took Cecilia prisoner. Zephiel found Guinivere and ordered Melady to bring her and the Fire Emblem back to Bern.

But the Lycian army under Roy had landed on a small island west of Missur, near the fort where Cecilia and Guinivere had been captured, and Guinivere and Melady flew west to join up with them instead. Roy was happy to see Guinivere again, and gladly accepted Melady into the Lycian army.

Idunn informed Zephiel that the war dragons she had created were ready to fight. Zephiel had some of them augment Narcian's forces, and then he ordered Narcian to lead them into Nabata to reinforce Bern's forces already stationed near Arcadia. Narcian left Flaer to defend the fort, and the prisoners within. Roy defeated Flaer and freed Cecilia and Sophia; the latter told Roy about the dragons' village of Arcadia, and the armies that Zephiel and Narcian had sent to lay siege to it.

Roy sent the Lycian army into the desert to break the siege on Arcadia. The presence of dragons in Bern's army made the battle much more difficult for Roy, but in the end he prevailed. Sophia told Roy about Forblaze, the divine weapon of the Archsage Athos, and Roy defeated the forces of Bern guarding it too.

After the battle, Roy met the Elder of Arcadia and the divine dragon Fae. When Roy told the Elder about the dragons who had been fighting alongside Bern's army, the Elder was surprised that there were any dragons outside of Arcadia, but said that it was worth investigating. Igrene, the guardian of Nabata, agreed to join Roy and see the threat of Bern's dragons for herself. When Fae heard that Igrene was leaving Nabata, she wanted to go too. The Elder refused, wanting to keep the existence of a divine dragon a secret from the rest of Elibe. Nonetheless, Fae left Arcadia against the Elder's wishes.

The tide turns

Having defeated the traitorous Etrurians in the Western Isles and Bern's forces in Nabata, Roy turned his attention to freeing Etruria itself. Unfortunately, before he could lay siege to the capital of Aquileia, he learned that Fae had been captured by Bern. Knowing how disastrous it would be to leave a Divine Dragon in Bern's captivity, Roy detoured the Lycian army to rescue her. After defeating Bern and rescuing Fae, Roy allowed her to remain with the Lycian army on the condition that she not run off again. Fae was happy to comply.

Word of Narcian's failure to stop Roy's army at Juteaux and Nabata had reached Zephiel. In response, he sent another Wyvern General, Murdock, to give an ultimatum to Narcian: Narcian was to defend Aquileia against Roy and the Lycian army, or else lose his rank as Wyvern General. Narcian decided to place all of the blame for his failures on Zeis, the brother of the traitor Melady.

Roartz and Arcardo, the ringleaders of the coup against King Mordred, fled Aquileia when they learned of Roy's approach. General Douglas remained behind to protect the king. Roy defeated Narcian and saved the king from the conspirators; the king told Roy that there were still forces from Bern guarding the Tower of the Saint, where Saint Elimine's legendary weapon Aureola was kept. With help from General Douglas, Roy defeated them and claimed Aureola for himself.

Roartz and Arcardo fled to either Ilia (with the help of General Murdock and Galle) or Sacae (with the help of General Brunnya). Roy pursued and defeated them, liberating the lands that Bern had conquered and claiming the legendary weapons located there.

Roy then rendezvoused with Yoder, who had acquired the legendary weapon of either Sacae or Ilia, and decided to attack the Shrine of Seals in Bern in order to obtain the Binding Blade and possibly also the last of the legendary weapons: Apocalypse. Two of Zephiel's Wyvern Generals, Murdock and Galle, blocked his progress, but Roy defeated them and claimed the Binding Blade for himself. Then he pressed his attack on Bern's royal castle, where Zephiel himself made his last stand.

The Demon Dragon

But Zephiel's ambitions did not die with him. He had already sent the Demon Dragon Idunn and his last Wyvern General Brunnya to the Dragon Sanctuary deep within Bern to continue to produce War Dragons and continue the war against humankind.

With Zephiel dead and Eckesachs neutralized, all of the Legendary Weapons were now together in Roy's possession. The Legendary Weapons pointed the way to the location of the Dragon Sanctuary, where Roy defeated Brunnya and the Fire Dragon Jahn before confronting Idunn herself. Roy learned that Jahn had magically compelled Idunn to produce war dragons for the Scouring. He also learned that in the final battle of the Scouring, when Hartmut had wielded the Binding Blade against Idunn, Hartmut's pity for Idunn prevented the Binding Blade from inflicting a fatal blow on her. Roy also wielded the Binding Blade against Idunn, wishing to break Jahn's compulsion on her rather than kill her. And so the Binding Blade granted Roy's wish too, though Idunn remained a shadow of her former self.

Some time later, after Roy entrusted Idunn to the care of the elder of Arcadia, Fae was playing with Idunn near the oasis. As she watched Fae playing, Idunn laughed for the first time in a thousand years.

Etymology and other languages

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

Disturbance of Bern

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Gallery

References

  1. "A new Lycian Army is also to be established. This new army's purpose is not to take the offensive against Bern, but rather take a defensive stance for Lycia. Owing to his victory against Bern in Ostia, Roy is chosen leader of this new army. Gradually, the attitude and morale in Lycia begin to improve. People once again conduct business without fear, and they embrace a new optimism." — Opening narration of Chapter 9, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
  2. "...Lord Arcardo did say to get rid of the Lycian League Army while they were here... Hahaha... What a splendid chance to gain favor with Lord Arcardo and earn a share of his riches! Dispatch our troops! Kill off the Lycian League Army!" — Nord in Chapter 10 of the southern route, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
  3. "Elffin: Don't you find it odd that Etruria requested your help here at all?
    Roy: Actually... yes, I do.
    Elffin: If I may be so bold as to guess... Was it High Chancellor Roartz and Lord Arcardo who requested your help?
    Roy: ...It was.
    Elffin: There may have been ulterior motives for sending your army away. Perhaps your presence in Lycia was undesirable to them.
    Roy: I never even considered that...
    Elffin: There are rumors... that Roartz and Arcardo are working with Bern.
    " — Roy and Elffin in Chapter 10 of he southern route, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
Playable characters AlenAstolfoBartheBartreBorsCathCeciliaChadClarineDayanDieckDorothyDouglasEchidnaElenElffinFaeFirGarretGeeseGonzalezGwendolynHughIgreneJunoKarelKleinLanceLarumLilinaLotLughMarcusMerlinusMeladyNiimeNoahOgierPercevalRaighRoyRutgerSaulShannaSinSophiaSueTheaTrecWardWoltYoderZelotZeiss
Trial Map characters BrunnyaEliwoodGalleGuinivereHectorMurdockNarcianZephiel
Non-playable characters EliwoodGuinivereHectorMaryMordred
Bosses ArcardoBorsBrakulBrunnyaChanDamasDebiasDoryEinErikFlaerGalleGuerreroHenningIdunnKabulKelKudokaJahnLeganceMaggieMarralMartelMonkeMorganMurdockNarcianNordOatesOrloPeresRaithRandyRoartzRobertsRoseRuudScollanScottSiguneSlaterThorilTickWagnerWindhamZephielZinque
Background characters AthosBariganBramimondDurbanElimineHanonHartmutRoland
Regalia and personal weapons ApocalypseArmadsAureolaBinding BladeDurandalEckesachsForblazeMaltetMulagirRapierStaff of the Saint
Chapters Tutorial • 1: Breath of Destiny • 2: Princess of Bern • 3: Latecomer's Sorrow • 4: Crumbling League • 5: Fire Emblem • 6: Ensnared • 7: The Ostian Revolt • 8: Reunion • 8x: The Blazing Blade • 9: The Misty Isles • 10A: Western Resistance • 11A: The Hero of the West • 10B: Amidst a Struggle • 11B: Flight Toward Freedom • 12: The True Enemy • 12x: The Thunder Axe • 13: Rescue Mission • 14: Arcadia • 14x: The Infernal Truth • 15: The Dragon Child • 16: Storming the Capital • 16x: The Glorious Ascension • 17A: Ocean's Parting • 18A: The Frozen River • 19A: Bitter Cold • 20A: Ilia's Salvation • 20Ax: The Freezing Lance • 17B: The Bishop's Teachings • 18B: The Laws of Sacae • 19B: Battle in Bulgar • 20B: The Silver Wolf • 20Bx: The Bow of Swift Wind • 21: The Binding Blade • 21x: The Elder Revelation • 22: Unattained Dream • 23: The Ghosts of Bern • 24: Legends and LiesF: Beyond Darkness
Trial Maps Valley of DeathRainy IslandSnowy DefensivePirate's ChallengeRoy's Trial
Locations ElibeBern (Dragon TempleShrine of Seals) • Etruria (Aquleia) • IliaLycia (AraphenLausOstiaPheraeThria) • Missur (ArcadiaNabata) • Sacae (BulgarTaras) • Western Isles
Groups, objects and concepts Disturbance of BernEnding WinterFire EmblemGenerals of EtruriaThe ScouringWar Dragons
Lists ChaptersCharactersClasses (Class change) • Hidden treasureItemsScriptsSupportsWeapons
Related topics Elibe DisturbanceHasha no TsurugiName chart • Other games (The Blazing Blade) • Pre-release information (Unused content) • Sound RoomTimeline