Thousands of years ago, before the nations of Fodlan existed. Before Fodlan as a named land did, the Goddess, Sothis, came down upon it from the Blue Sea Star. The humans of that time were barely above beasts, and so she took pity on them. Gifting them with magic and knowledge. She birthed many children, the Children of the Goddess, who were between gods and men and who mingled among humanity as leaders and prophets.
[He recites all this with the knowledge and care of a former Catholic schoolboy- certainly someone who grew up deep in the Church]
This peace would not last. After a time Sothis and her people were attacked by evil gods who craved her power. A great war was fought, and to aid her in her cause she blessed a man, Nemesis, and his allies, with powerful weapons, as well as strength beyond any other men. This blessing was the Crests. Power passed in the blood that allowed one to wield these divine weapons and well as perform inhuman feats. He and his Ten Elites destroyed the outsider gods and their followers, but the battle had scared the land beyond living. And so in her wisdom Sothis took flight, using her blessings to heal the land and return it to fertility. But in doing so she became weak, and went into a deep sleep to recover.
It was while the Goddess was asleep that Nemesis became corrupted by his power, and moved to kill the sleeping Goddess and all her Children. All would be lost if not for the appearance of Saint Seiros, a woman also blessed by the Goddess. Her and her fellow Saints rallied those humans who were still loyal to the Goddess, and Nemesis was killed. To prevent this from ever happening again, Seiro started the Adrestian Empire, blessing it's first Emperor with her Sainted blood and her Crest. The other Saints did the same to his most trusted allies, and so my homeland, and the Church of Seiros, was borne.
The Ten Elites, without Nemesis, were also given lesser power in the new order- and their Crests were passed down to their children, leading to the Noble Houses of the Kingdom and Alliance as they are today.
That is... the story as we were all told it for a thousand years of the Empire. But it is not the truth.
[he pauses to give Roland time to process and ask any questions before he continues]
cw: religion, also Hubert's biased and only half true understanding of events lol
Thousands of years ago, before the nations of Fodlan existed. Before Fodlan as a named land did, the Goddess, Sothis, came down upon it from the Blue Sea Star. The humans of that time were barely above beasts, and so she took pity on them. Gifting them with magic and knowledge. She birthed many children, the Children of the Goddess, who were between gods and men and who mingled among humanity as leaders and prophets.
[He recites all this with the knowledge and care of a former Catholic schoolboy- certainly someone who grew up deep in the Church]
This peace would not last. After a time Sothis and her people were attacked by evil gods who craved her power. A great war was fought, and to aid her in her cause she blessed a man, Nemesis, and his allies, with powerful weapons, as well as strength beyond any other men. This blessing was the Crests. Power passed in the blood that allowed one to wield these divine weapons and well as perform inhuman feats. He and his Ten Elites destroyed the outsider gods and their followers, but the battle had scared the land beyond living. And so in her wisdom Sothis took flight, using her blessings to heal the land and return it to fertility. But in doing so she became weak, and went into a deep sleep to recover.
It was while the Goddess was asleep that Nemesis became corrupted by his power, and moved to kill the sleeping Goddess and all her Children. All would be lost if not for the appearance of Saint Seiros, a woman also blessed by the Goddess. Her and her fellow Saints rallied those humans who were still loyal to the Goddess, and Nemesis was killed. To prevent this from ever happening again, Seiro started the Adrestian Empire, blessing it's first Emperor with her Sainted blood and her Crest. The other Saints did the same to his most trusted allies, and so my homeland, and the Church of Seiros, was borne.
The Ten Elites, without Nemesis, were also given lesser power in the new order- and their Crests were passed down to their children, leading to the Noble Houses of the Kingdom and Alliance as they are today.
That is... the story as we were all told it for a thousand years of the Empire. But it is not the truth.
[he pauses to give Roland time to process and ask any questions before he continues]