Shadow Dragon Synopsis
Prologue
A hundred years ago, the continent of Akaneia was invaded by Doluna, the land of dragons. The leader of Doluna was Medeus, the evil Shadow Dragon. The Holy Kingdom of Akaneia, which governed and protected the continent, stood no chance against Doluna and was practically destroyed. Just when all hope seemed lost, a miracle occured. A youth wielding a shining blade of light appeared and slayed Medeus. This youth was Anri, the first king of Altea and the ancestor of Marth, the game's protagonist. Following Medeus's defeat, Doluna vanished and the continent began to stabilise.
In the present day, Medeus is sudden resurrected. Along with Gharnef, the Dark Pontifex, who shares his ideals of world domination, he restores the Dolunian Empire and continues his onslaught on the continent. Medon and Grust, two powerful kingdoms, also join under Doluna's flag. Like in the past, the Kingdom of Akaneia falls in defeat and Princess Nyna is the only remaining royal who manages to survive. Hoping to turn the tides of battle, Cornelius, the king of Altea and Marth's father, leaves to defeat Medeus, following in the footsteps of his ancestor, Anri. Meanwhile, back in Altea, Marth waits patiently for his father's return.
One night, Marth hears that his elder sister, Elice, has news for him regarding their father. As he goes to meet her, he is suddenly ambushed by soldiers from the Kingdom of Gra, a nation allied to Altea. After defeating the soldiers, he meets Elice who delivers grave news to him. During the battle with the Doluna-Grust allied forces, Altea was betrayed by Gra, who attacked from the rear, and the Altean Knights were decimated and their father's condition unknown. Not only that, but Gra had sent soldiers to attack Altea Castle and, as things currently stand, it would not be long before it was conquered. Elice urges Marth to escape, and states that she'll join him once she's made sure their mother is safe.
While escaping from the castle, Marth reunites with some of his loyal knights. Cain was a knight who fought alongside King Cornelius in the last battle and gives Marth the answer to one of his pressing questions, but not one that he wished to hear. King Cornelius, his father, died valiantly in battle- that is what Cain saw with his own eyes. Cornelius's last words were "Tell my son that I leave the future of Altea and our continent in his hands."
Further away from Altea Castle, Marth meets Malledus, a noble tactician who once served as an aide to his father. Marth wonders if Elice has come with him, but Malledus tells him the sorrow truth. Elice had already decided from the start that she would stay behind at Altea Castle, so that she could buy time for Marth to escape and also to ensure the safety of the inhabitants of Altea. Marth instinctively turns to run back, but Malledus stops him. He explains that Marth's safety is too important, as he is the only one who can defeat Medeus, and that he shouldn't let Elice's sacrifice go to vain. Although reluctant, Marth sees his point and agrees to press onwards.
Soon, Marth is close to escaping Altea, but he is weary of fighting, knowing of the injustices that he has faced. Malledus tells him that there's no time to grieve, as Gra continues to pursue the group without hesitation. He explains that he has a ship prepared to take them away to the Isle of Talys, as the King of Talys was a good friend of King Cornelius. Obstructing their path is an abandoned fortress where Marth stumbles into an enemy ambush... or so it seems. It turns out to be a trick, but a real enemy ambush, led by King Jiol of Gra, quickly ensues. Marth's group are trapped and there's no way they can fend off the superior enemy forces, so Malledus quickly devises an emergency plan. He tells Marth to select one of his knights to disguise themselves as him and act as a decoy to distract the enemy. Marth shows disfavour to this plan, but everyone knows it is the only way for the others to survive unscathed. Canonically, Frey acts as the decoy and the Gra forces indeed fall for the ploy.
With the danger over, Marth boards the ship and leaves the Altean mainland. He is angry at himself for being unable to do anything to save his country, his family or his people. He proclaims that this situation is only temporary; he states that, one day, he will definitely return to Altea and that he will bring an end to Doluna and its allies.
Reclaiming Akaneia
Two years have passed since Marth escaped to the Isle of Talys. At first, all he could think about was rescuing his sister, but, as the King of Talys said, the time was not right for him to act. Instead, during this time, Marth trained for his battles to comes.
Then, one day, Talys is suddenly attacked by intruders from the Akaneian mainland. Shiida, the princess of Talys and a close friend that Marth made during his stay at Talys, arrives at the fortress where Marth and his knights reside. Marth notices Shiida's anxiety and asks her what's happened. She explains that Talys is being attacked by the Galder pirates and requests for Marth's aid. Marth accepts and rallies his knights to take on the pirates, along with Shiida. After successfully defeating the pirates, the King of Talys speaks with Marth. He thanks Marth for his efforts and understands that now is the best time for Marth to leave and begin his journey to fight against Doluna. He lends Marth some of his best warriors and wishes all the best to him.
Of all the kingdoms of Akaneia, many of them had already joined with Doluna, such as Medon, Grust and Gra, or were destroyed, such as Altea. There was one kingdom that still openly fought against Doluna and that was Aurelis. Aurelis's troops were led by the Hardin, the younger brother of King Aurelis, also known as Coyote. Princess Nyna of Akaneia had also gone to Aurelis to seek refuge. However, Aurelis was currently fighting a losing battle against Doluna's ally, Medon, and there was practically nobody else to help them. Marth had heard of the situation and, upon landing on the mainland, immediately hurried to Aurelis's aid.
At Aurelis, Marth meets Hardin and the two come to a swift agreement as to how to fight the current battle. Marth leads both Altea and Aurelis's forces and eventually the Medonian forces are driven away from Aurelis. With Aurelis secured, Princess Nyna finally meets with Marth. She explains how it has always been the responsibility of House Akaneia to protect the continent in times of crisis, but now that Akaneia has fallen, she finds herself unable to stop Doluna. Instead, she requests that Marth pick up where she left off and guide everyone to defeat Doluna. Marth accepts her request, as Altea has been loyal to Akaneia since long ago, and because it is he duty, as the successor of Anri, to slay Medeus. Knowing this, Nyna gives Marth her family's royal treasure, the Fire Emblem, which is awarded to the champion who will save the world.
United by the Fire Emblem, the Akaneian League, composed of soldiers from Akaneia, Altea and Aurelis, begins its long march to reclaim the Kingdom of Akaneia. After a number of battles against Doluna's allies, Marth meets with Catria, a member of Medon's Whitewings. Catria explains that her princess, Minerva, wishes to fight against Doluna, but she is forced to aid them because her younger sister, Maria, is being held captive. Catria pleads with Marth to rescue Maria from Deil Prison. Many of Marth's allies suspect it's a trap, but Marth believes the request is sincere, and because Minerva's situation reminds him of his own sister's. Marth manages to successfully free Maria, and Minerva agrees to join forces as promised. Minerva explains that her brother, Michalis, made the choice to ally with Doluna, and he was the one who killed her father as well.
After many difficult trials, the Akaneian League finally reached one its long-awaited destinations- the Kingdom of Akaneia, Nyna's homeland. As the palace came within sight, many of Nyna's memories come flooding back to her. She remembers how members of the royal family, her parents included, were hung outside the castle gate as a warning to those who oppose Doluna. However, she realises that nothing can change the past, so she urges Marth to continue their march.
Despite facing much resistance, the Akaneian League reclaim possession of the Kingdom of Akaneia. Nyna is grateful to Marth for his actions and awards him Parthia, a powerful bow and one of House Akaneia's three regalia. The other regalia, the sword Mercurius and the lance Gradivus, had been taken by the enemy, and Nyna regrets that she could not have given those to Marth as well. Still, Marth is happy with the way things have gone and swears on the Fire Emblem that he will continue to succeed in their battle against Doluna.
Star and Saviour
The key to winning the war with Doluna lies in the Falchion, a divine blade of light, which was a gift to humanity from the divine dragon king. 100 years ago, Anri obtained this sword and used it to end Medeus's reign. Marth's father, Cornelius, had hoped to do the same, but he died prematurely. From what Cain described two years ago, it seemed that Gra took the Falchion after Cornelius's demise. Now that the Kingdom of Akaneia was secured, the Akaneian League was in prime condition to face Gra and repossess the Falchion. So Marth orders the League to march towards Gra, his bitter enemy.
En route to Gra, Marth hears something from a civilian that makes him reflect deeply. When asked by Nyna, he explains that he heard that Grust was divided about the war and that there were some who wished to fight for Altea. Previously, after losing his father and his country, Marth felt only hatred for his enemies, such as Grust and Gra. However, he realised that he hadn't once considered what those on the enemy's side were thinking of. Nyna tells him that not all evils occur because of evil intent and that a true leader should view their opponent as more than simply just an enemy.
As the Akaneian League reaches Gra, its King, Jiol, makes a last stand. However he has since been neglected by Doluna; when he asks what reinforcements have been sent from the Empire, he is distraught to discover a lowly order of Pegasus Knights. Jiol is inevitably defeated and with his defeat, Gra crumbles and its sun finally sets. However, the Falchion is nowhere to be found; Malledus explains that it was likely taken by Gharnef, who is centred at Khadein.
Thusly, the League changes it target to Khadein, the land of sorcery, in hope of defeating Gharnef and reclaiming the Falchion. Their battle proves to be difficult, especially against the magical might of Khadein's mages. However, the ultimate difficulty is Gharnef, who is rendered invincible by his Imhullu spell. No matter what Marth's allies try, it seems Gharnef cannot be harmed. Eventually Gharnef leaves, tired of playing around, and tells Marth to come to Thabes when he's actually ready to fight. Marth suffered a huge defeat, but comfort comes quick, as Marth receives a message from Gotoh, the legendary White Sage. Gotoh explains how Gharnef was once his pupil, but he stole the Imhullu tome and became corrupted. He tells Marth that there is a way to stop Imhullu- and that is by combining the Starsphere and Lightsphere to make the Starlight spell.
Leaving Khadein, the League marches to Altea, en route to the Fane of Raman, where the Starsphere and Lightsphere reside. Marth learns from Morzas, the Mage Dragon guarding Altea, that his mother, Liza, died by his hands and that Elice was taken away by Gharnef. Although a powerful dragon, Morzas is slain and Altea is reclaimed. However, Marth is saddened that he was unable to save any of his family in the end, even though he knew it was all but hopeless. Despite everything, Marth goes forth to greet his civilians who had been awaiting him. His civilians are overjoyed to see him, for he liberated them from their darkest hours, and salute him: "Glory to Marth, our prince of light! Glory to our star and saviour!"
Fall of Doluna
Two milestones had already been passed; both Akaneia and Altea had been liberated. Soon it would finally be time to face against Doluna itself. However, first, Marth needed to secure the route to the Falchion and, so, orders the League to march towards the Fane of Raman. Obstructing the League were the Sable Knights of Grust, the most powerful knights in the continent. Nyna asks Marth if Camus is acting as their general, but it seems not and Nyna is relieved for some reason. After a fierce battle, the Sable Knights are defeated and the League safely enter the fane.
Inside the Fane of Raman, Gharnef momentarily appears and casts a hypnotic spell on a little girl. He refers to her as Tiki, princess of the once mighty divine dragons, and orders her to vanquish any intruders. Bantu, a Manakete who Marth befriended early on and who was looking for Tiki, spots her straight away. He notices that she is in a spell and tries to snap her out of it. He succeeds and Tiki wonders what's been going on. Bantu tells her not to worry and says that he will protect her from now on. Marth also succeeds in wrestling the Starsphere and Lightsphere from the thieves who infiltrated the fane.
Although Marth had both orbs in hand, he still had to meet Gotoh, who is residing in Medon, to create Starlight. Before that, he needed to take care of Grust, in case they mounted a rear attack. Grust was once a mighty country, but its current king, Ludwik, was a weak man who feared the Shadow Dragon. As a result he allied with Doluna, but after facing several consecutive defeats, he fell dangerously ill. Now, it looked like it was almost time for the curtains to close on Grust.
With time running out, Nyna finally confesses what's been troubling her ever since they reached Grust. She explains that when Doluna attacked Akaneia, the entire royal family was killed, except for her. Instead, she was taken into Grust's custody. Doluna had wished for her to be killed as well and Grust had no objections, but the captain of Grust's Sable Order, Camus, defended her. He protected her, knowing that it would anger Medeus, and eventually arranged for her to escape to Aurelis. Nyna states that she hated Camus at first, but after time passed her feelings changed and now she just wishes to see him once more.
As expected, Camus takes up arms in Grust's final battle. Marth tries to persuade Camus to join their side, but he plainly refuses, stating that it is his duty to fight for his homeland, and also because he had some part in the death of Marth's father. To their surprise, Nyna appears and pleads to Camus. She states that she doesn't want to see Marth and him fight, because they both helped her so much. However, Camus is still unmoved; he states that it is impossible for him, a knight, to abandon his kingdom when it needs him most. Before he leaves, he states that he will never forget his days with Nyna, however short they were.
After Grust is conquered, Marth apologises to Nyna for being unable to save Camus. Nyna states that she knew it would happen, because she used the Fire Emblem to unite the League. She explains that 100 years ago, Artemis, the princess of Akaneia, also used the Fire Emblem to fight against Doluna. To make sure the war was successful, Artemis cursed the emblem- called it the end of war, but also the end of love. Originally, she was in love with Anri, Marth's ancestor, but in the end the two were separated. That is Artemis's Curse.
Following Grust's fall, the League marches to Medon, the last of Doluna's allies and also the residence of White Sage Gotoh. Before Medon's final battle, Prince Michalis warns Gotoh to leave the battlefield while he can. Gotoh expresses his disappointment of Michalis; he states that Medon could have surpassed Akaneia with Michalis and Minerva's combined talents. However, Michalis chose to ally with Doluna, which would bring the end of his kingdom. Michalis proclaims that it's not over yet and swears that he'll defeat Marth in the end. Despite putting up a strong fight, Medon's forces are no match for the Akaneian League and eventually Medon falls. Marth also meets with Gotoh and hands over the Starsphere and Lightsphere in return for the Starlight spell.
Marth is transported to Thabes by Gotoh's powerful Warp magic. There he faces off against Gharnef, the wicked Dark Pontifex. Gharnef proclaims that Marth has no hope of defeating him, but he is grateful that Marth eliminated Camus and Michalis for him. However, Marth has become too dangerous himself so now he must die as well. Gharnef also has a new trick up his sleeve, which is to create multiple illusionary copies of himself. Despite this, Marth manages to end Gharnef and reclaims the Falchion. Not only that, but, at long last, he reunites with his sister, Elice, as well. Elice explains that Gharnef kept her alive so he could use the Aum staff, an arcane staff that can bring people back from the dead.
It has been a long journey for Marth, but the final decisive battle is almost within reach. The Akaneian League make their way to Doluna, the Kingdom of Manaketes, ready to fight the final battle. However, Marth is surprised that Medeus has not left his keep to fight. Malledus explains that, according to Gotoh, Medeus has not completely resurrected so he can only assume his dragon form within the keep. Upon reaching Doluna Keep, the League splits its forces into four groups to attack the keep from all four entrances. Unbeknownst to them, this is a trap devised by Medeus to divide the League's strength. Still, the League fights valiantly and Marth lands the finishing blow on Medeus.
Although defeated, Medeus is not lost for words. He proclaims that his defeat is not permanent; he states that as long as darkness remains in peoples' hearts, he will return. Following Medeus's defeat, the Dolunian Empire fades away into obscurity, and the continent once again bathes in the light of peace. However, before that...
Shiida appears in front of Marth and congratulates him for saving the continent. Even though they hadn't talked much since leaving Talys, Shiida wonders what Marth will do afterwards. Marth states that he will return to Altea, naturally, to rebuild his devastated kingdom. However that isn't quite the answer Shiida wanted and after implying a second time, only to get a similarly unwanted response, she makes her leave. Nyna notices that Shiida looked upset and asks Marth what happened. After hearing from Marth, Nyna laughs and teases Marth for being so hidden about his feelings. Marth is puzzled at first, but Nyna tells him that if he wants his love for Shiida to grow, he'll have to do something about it. Following this, Marth hurries after Shiida and confesses his feelings, although in an awkward way. However Shiida happily accepts him.
Afterwards, Marth returns to Altea and concentrates on restoring it to its former glory. Later, he would be crowned its king. Meanwhile, Shiida visits her father at Talys to report on the war with Doluna, before returning to Marth's loving company.
The End
