Tellius

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A map of Tellius. The highlighted nations are Gallia (green), Crimea (gold), and Daein (red).

Tellius is the fictional continent in which the Nintendo strategy role-playing game Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance takes place, and is also the setting of the upcoming Fire Emblem: The Goddess of Dawn for Nintendo's Wii console. Tellius is home to the human, or beorc tribe, and the animal shapeshifters, the laguz. The countries of Tellius are Daein, Crimea, Begnion, Gallia, Kilvas, Goldoa and Phoenicis. As the game begins, Daein has invaded Crimea, home of Ike, the protagonist.

[edit] Nations

[edit] Crimea

At the start of the game, Crimea, a beorc, or human nation, is ravaged by Daein, and the royal family is almost completely wiped out. The only surviving royal is Princess Elincia. She is found by Ike and the Crimean swords-for-hire, the Greil Mercenaries, and they travel across the continent together in an effort to restore her land. The royal family, Elincia included, are close allies of Gallia's king.

[edit] Daein

A nation of laguz-hating beorc ruled by King Ashnard. Their army, said to be invincible, is led by Ashnard's Four Riders; most notably Petrine and the Black Knight. Laguz are routinely hunted in Daein, and the first thing that Daein children are taught in school is that laguz are evil and must be killed. Daein has no political allies, save for some ties with Kilvas. Ike's father, Greil, was formerly one of the Four Riders, known as Sir Gawain.

[edit] Begnion

Ruled by the Apostle Sanaki, Begnion is home to the Holy Pegasus Knights, headed by Commander Sigrun and Deputy Commander Tanith. Also a (mainly) beorc nation, it was once home to the heron laguz tribe, which once thrived in Serenes Forest, within Begnion's borders. In the Serenes Massacre, the forest was burned by a mob, ultimately killing all of the herons except Prince Reyson, his father King Serenes, and Princess Leanne. Leanne and Reyson eventually restore the forest to its former glory. Sanaki uses Ike to expose an illegal underground laguz slave trade being utilized by Begnion nobles and succeeds in its dismantling. After this success, Begnion provides support in Elincia's efforts to restore Crimea. Both Crimea and Daein used to be part of Begnion, which is more powerful, militarily, than any other Tellius nation.

[edit] Gallia

Home of the beast laguz, and ruled by King Caineghis, a lion laguz. Ike and his sister Mist eventually learn that they were actually born within Gallia's borders. Here they meet several allies, including Lethe, a cat laguz, and Mordecai, a tiger laguz, as well as another cat, Ranulf. Caineghis's "shadow," Giffca, another lion, eventually aids Ike in the final battle in the game. Caineghis, who sought peaceful relations with Crimea, provides aid to Elincia's efforts, although he cannot do much at first because of a long-standing hatred that his people have for all beorc. Ike was born in Gallia, before his family moved to Crimea. Interestingly, Gallia is Latin for France.

[edit] Kilvas

Home to the raven laguz, widely known for their piracy, and ruled by King Naesala. Naesala is hungry for power and engages in piracy and other illicit dealings for financial gain so that he can attain the means to expand Kilvas's borders. He was once friends with Prince Reyson and House Serenes, but he eventually betrays Reyson by selling him to Duke Oliver Tanas of Begnion, a man obsessed with laguz slaves and "beautiful works of art." Naesala allies Kilvas with Daein for financial gain, but backs out of the arrangement once he learns that the Crimeans freed Reyson from Oliver's grasp.

[edit] Phoenicis

Home to the hawk laguz, Phoenicis is ruled by King Tibarn, with the help of a laguz named Ulki who has gifted hearing (called the King's Ears) and a laguz named Janaff with gifted sight (the King's Eyes). Although more noble than their Kilvas cousins, Phoenicis has also been known to dabble in piracy, but only against Begnion ships. Tibarn began housing the heron Prince Reyson after the Serenes Massacre, which was a major contributor to Phoenician hatred towards the beorc; Begnion in particular. However, Tibarn and his people change their attitude when they witness Ike and his comrades rescue Reyson's sister Leanne from Oliver. Like Gallia and Begnion, Phoenicis lends strength to Crimea's efforts by providing Janaff and Ulki to fight for them. Tibarn, like Giffca and Naesala, can be recruited for the final battle, as well. It is impossible, or at least very difficult, to reach Phoenicis' capital without flying.

[edit] Goldoa

Home to the dragon laguz, little is known about Goldoa, as it maintains a strict policy of isolationism to separate themselves from the other nations. Ruled by King Deghinsea, it is secluded from the rest of the continent by an impassible mountain range. Goldoa remains neutral in the conflict between Crimea and Daein, but when Ike's ship runs into a reef near the Goldoan coast, the Goldoan Prince Kurthnaga provides enough aid to help Ike on his way. Although some members of Goldoan society appear to hold animosity towards beorc, Kurthnaga and his father, King Deghinsea, appear to hold no animosity towards them. Deghinsea is one of the oldest beings on Tellius, having witnessed the destruction of the other continents over eight hundred years before. Nasir, Ena and Rajaion are three dragons of Goldoa.

[edit] The Illusion Kingdom-Hitari

Little is known about this kingdom except it is located in the Desert of Death east of Tellius and that it is the home of the thought to be extinct Wolf Tribe.

[edit] Historical events

[edit] Serenes Massacre

Twenty years before the beginning of the game, the apostle of the Begnion Empire, a theocracy, died under mysterious circumstances. Rumors quickly spread that a member of the heron tribe, a race of bird-people incapable of combat, was the assassin. Fueled by their anger, many Begnionites then stormed Serenes Forest, the home of the heron clan, set it ablaze, and murdered almost the entire heron population, effectively committing genocide.

In the context of the game's present, the people of Begnion look upon the night of the massacre with great shame, and the current apostle, Sanaki, wishes to apologize and make amends with the few herons that remain. The storyline is an example of past racism and the efforts that the next generation take to overcome it. As a whole, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is one of a very few video games that attempt to confront the issue of race in such a direct manner.