First and Last

The minimum age for attendance is sixteen

This will determine what house you're put in. There's the Adrestian Empire, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Leicester Alliance. Other countries do exist, but you'd have to convince me why someone from out of Fodlan would be attending.

Are you a commoner or a noble? If noble, from which house do you hail?

There's a list of Crests here! Be sure to add in the Crest's effect.

We'll be going straight into the Beginner Classes

Maybe it's something you've trained yourself in, maybe it's something you're planning on picking up. I only ask to stay within the confines of the skills offered

In regards to skills, which two are your character most proficient at?

Same as above except which two do you suck at?

If applicable, what spell does your mage start with? If not a mage, can delete this

write as much as you think you need

same as personality

Any Misc Info

Auberon Casimir Galatea

18 _{Born the 15th of Blue Sea Moon.}

Holy Kingdom of Faerghus

Noble of House Galatea

Minor Crest of Daphnel
_{Auberon's Crest sporadically imbues his swings with more momentum than would seemingly be possible by mundane means.}

Fighter

Axes

Axe, Flying

Bow, Reason

Hotheaded and often rash, Auberon is a force of ego incarnate, with the utmost confidence that his every success is ordained by the Goddess herself, and thus brings glory unto Her name with every act he undertakes. Should he ever fail at something, of course, it is merely because the Goddess chose to teach him an important lesson in order to make him a more perfect servant or subtly create an even better result in the future. This leads to a very reckless nature, though not totally untempered by wisdom; the Goddess helps those who help themselves, after all.

Despite this hubris, Auberon is not one to rise above his station. He believes the Goddess has placed him precisely where he should be, and his whole life has been spent in preparation for vassalage - whether to a count or a king. He gives due deference to his feudal superiors and members of the church, though commoners are usually beneath his notice. He's cordial to them out of a sense of noblesse oblige, but he believes it is their role to serve as much as it his the role of the aristocracy to justly rule. This does not extend to those rare commoners who are lucky enough to bear a Crest, whose holy blood Auberon takes as a sign of the Goddess' favor and thus he regards them as he would any other noble.

Born the second son of two knights from a cadet branch of House Galatea, Auberon seemed a strong candidate to follow in their footsteps in one of the knightly orders of Faerghus rather than inherit the estate. When his Crest became apparent, however, the main branch immediately took an interest in the boy, as the House had not produced a Crestbearing heir. While they were hesitant to fully commit to Auberon's adoption in hopes that Count Galatea may yet produce a child holding a more valuable Major Crest, lessons on statecraft and stewardship were stressed on Auberon alongside the courtly etiquette and chivalric conduct typical of a young noble's education in the event he should eventually be chosen as the Count's successor nevertheless.

He took to combat lessons as swimmingly as any Crestbearing son of Faerghus would, and the innate physical advantages of his Crest led him to develop an ego quite quickly. His mother schooled him on tactics she reserved from her time as a pegasus knight, and his father instructed him briefly in the lance before passing him off to a more dedicated combat instructor. Auberon's older brother rarely stood a chance in their sparing, despite being two years his elder, and his tutors were often caught off-guard by the boy's intensity in practice, if not truly threatened. Seeking to curb any foolhardy arrogance in their son, his parents began introducing him to members of the Church in hopes that faith and scripture would humble the boy. The opposite occurred. Inspired by tales of the Ten Elites and their holy blood, Auberon came to understand himself not as special by his own merits, but by the benevolence of the Goddess. Now convinced of his importance in the divine sphere as well as the mortal, the young squire threw himself into his training with renewed vigor, aiming to be worthy of his role as the Goddess' champion like Daphnel before him.

It was also around this time that the whispers among the court became too loud for Auberon to miss. Auberon was still the sole Crestbearer of his generation, and some among the Galatea nobility had already given up on the Count choosing a different heir. The young teen could often pick them out easily - they were a little bit more pleasant now, with manipulations behind every word of flattery and unrealized ambitions spun in every turn of phrase. Perhaps a courtier would promise to convince the Count to stop deliberating on Auberon's adoption for a mere favor in the future, perhaps another simply wanted to brown-nose with his future liege. Such intrigue didn't interest Auberon - the Goddess would place him where he was meant to be regardless; anxiety was a trait reserved for faithless men and cowardly sinners.

When they learned Auberon would be attending the Officers Academy with his enrollment costs to be covered by the Count himself, Auberon's proponents, and even some detractors, seemed assured that he would be chosen for rulership of County Galatea swiftly after. But even then, no official decision was made. This served as an endless source of frustration to those whose power plays were banking on such an event, though Auberon remained unaffected by noble politics as ever. If anything, he was more excited to witness Garreg Mach and the seat of the Church in person than he was to hold any titles or power.

Rudolf von Bergliez

17 _{Born the 7th of Ethereal Moon.}

Adrestian Empire

Noble of House Bergliez

Major Crest of Noa
_{Rudolf's Crest imposes a subtle compulsion on observers to ignore him. He's not invisible, just easier to gloss over, especially for those that aren't specifically looking for him.}

Monk

Dark Magic

Reason, Faith

Brawl, Heavy Armor

Miasma Δ, Heal, Swarm Z

A scion of House Bergliez must be the pinnacle of battlefield achievement, unparalleled in bravery and skill; a warrior so powerful that no man, army, or monster may meet him in combat and prevail. Rudolf von Bergliez is none of these things. He's diminutive, easily discouraged, and wants nothing more than to suffer a mildly debilitating injury that renders him unable to ever fight again, but won't significantly hinder his day-to-day life. At least then he could abdicate his title in shame and wouldn't jeopardize the entire Empire with the aftermath of his failures. He'd be useless in any position in the Ministry of Military Affairs, let alone the battlefield; all of his alleged magical talent is an overrated farce that will surely be exposed any day now; and no, he doesn't know what 'impostor syndrome' means, so quit saying it.

Rudolf is generally incapable of internalizing praise or positive feedback. He believes any commentary on his ability comes from mindless platitude and supernatural mental influence, and that if people would only pay attention to him, they'd see he's an inept failure unworthy to bear his hereditary honors. Glaring self-esteem issues aside, he's typically polite and inoffensive, though he can be quite forward at times since his subtle hints often go unnoticed by others. He does genuinely enjoy attention, though he's wary of actively drawing it to himself as he thinks it would inevitably lead to his exposure as a fraud. Naturally, Rudolf's a bit of a cynic, though he's notably more optimistic about circumstances that don't involve his input in any way.

It was deemed a testament to the strength of House Bergliez's blood and the favor of the Goddess that three of the Count's five children bore Crests. Such hubris must surely have been at fault when the Count's firstborn son grew up sickly and unsuited to the warfare in which his House was accustomed. A rational man would have named another child heir to the County, but Count Bergliez was never a man who reconsidered his choices once they had been made. Rudolf, much like the other Bergliez children, was trained in the arts of combat alongside a typical young noble's education. Rudolf rarely excelled in such activities, and was met with little encouragement even when he did accomplish something. His siblings received genuine, targetted compliments, but his achievements were met with polite ambiguity, and only if he explicitly asked. Only feats with tangible, physical results were met with anything different, usually surprise. Clearly, none of the other praise was sincere; they hadn't noticed a thing, overshadowed as he was by his siblings' prowess. Rudolf came to believe that he wasn't receiving attention because there was nothing noteworthy about him; he was only commended out of pity and respect for his position as the next count. Once he had a better grasp on how his ability worked, Rudolf was all but assured of this. How could he be congratulated when he was the opposite of everything the House stood for? He was no peerless soldier, his silhouette didn't cut an imposing inspiration to lesser men against the horizon; he was weak and frail and would perish the moment he engaged the enemy. The Imperial Army demanded not just a competent leader, but a figurehead that rallied and inspired levied soldier and distinguished knight alike. No pitiful weakling whose very existence was an afterthought to those that gazed upon him would do. The Ministry of Military Affairs should be in the hands of someone strong like his brother, or cunning like his sister, someone that wouldn't fail their nation in a time of strife.

Still, Count Bergliez refused to budge. If Rudolf couldn't master a weapon, he'd just have to be given alternative methods of attack. Favors were called in and practitioners of the dark arts from some of the Empire's most elite magic corps were hired as tutors for the boy. If the Count could not raise a master warrior to lead the front lines, he would raise a sorcerer-general to rain destruction from behind them. The boy took to the education swimmingly, finding it far more agreeable to his physique than swordplay. Unfortunately, Rudolf didn't quite see it that way. Unused to his tutors' genuine evaluation of his progress and the ease at which magical instruction came to him, he assumed he'd fluked somehow and passed himself off as some sort of magical prodigy. His Crest concealed his shortcomings from his instructors' scrutiny for now, but one day, surely, he'd reach the end of his luck and be exposed as a third-rate caster with fourth-rate spells. Nevertheless, Rudolf persevered in his studies, if only to try and live up to the lie everyone believed in. The genuine attention he was receiving was something he'd sorely lacked for most of his childhood, even if it was misguided and built on deceit. Hopefully once the truth came out, his father would see what a horrible person he was and pass him over for inheritance.

Unfortunately, it never came to pass. The plague took Rudolf's father and two of his siblings, one of whom was another Crestbearer. Quite frankly, the boy couldn't help but think his family would've been better off if he'd been one of the victims instead. Worse, no one had the nerve to contradict a dead man's wishes and dispute Rudolf's claim to the title. Any protests on his part were met with deaf ears and false reassurances that he would live up to the expectations set before him. His mother took over as Countess regent due to Rudolf's age, but in the interim, he was to be sent to Garreg Mach in preparation to inherit County Bergliez. The boy accepted, both because he had been given no other options and because such a prestigious institution would doubtlessly expose him as a fool unworthy to be count, and his family would have to reconsider their choice in heir.

Clarissa von Edmund

18 _{Born the 21st day of the Great Tree Moon, 1477}

Leicester Alliance

Noble: House Edmund

Crest of Maurice (Crest of the Beast)
_{Unbeknownst to her, Clarissa's Crest passively compels honesty from both those she speaks with and herself.}

Monk

White Magic (Sword secondary)

Faith and Authority

Lance and Axe

Heal
Nosferatu

Bold and impulsive, Clarissa Edmund is an aggressively outspoken proponent of her beliefs. The first to disregard the pretense of deliberation, Clarissa refuses empty flattery and circular arguing in favor of constructive criticism advancing her agenda. Her stance on issues is rarely unknown and she operates without the veneer of secrecy her political peers are so well known for. It’s her opinion that transparency is the fundamental value of trust and that only those with ill intention gain anything from secrecy. As such, she throws herself entirely into whatever she considers worthwhile, sure in her steps and steadfast in her convictions, and rarely double guesses her decisions.

Unlike her mother who draws on the serenity of Seiros, Clarissa’s faith only fans the flames of her passion. She speaks glowingly of the establishment anytime the subject comes up, fully committed to the Church’s message of peace, forgiveness, and charity, and is quick to turn against those who speak ill of it. The Alliance’s neutrality with the Church has always bothered her—after all, Fodlan only stayed together thanks to the guidance of Archbishop Rhea—and she fully plans to support an expansion of the Church's influence in the Alliance.

The first born daughter of Beaufort and Odette Edmund, Clarissa Edmund seemed destined to be cut from the same cloth as her father: energetic, loud, and brash even as a baby. She spent her life proving everyone right. She spent her early years at her father’s knee, adopting his love for horseback riding, sailing, and swordplay during their outings and picking up the nuances of Edmund oration in the process. Each evening after lessons, the pair would slip away to Clarissa’s favorite spot in the family estate that overlooked the harbor and would talk about her studies and the world at large over a pot of mint tea.

Her mother however, maintained an incredibly strict lifestyle for Clarissa when she wasn’t with her father. Born with a minor Crest of the Beast, Odette wept when she learned Clarissa inherited a Major Crest. Marianne Edmund’s adoption tainted the family line with the cursed Crest and her influence still shaped how the family handled the Crest three hundred years later. Odette limited her interaction with anyone outside of the core staff and immediate family and immersed Clarissa in Church activity. She believed that only faith and piety could combat the Crest’s malignant effects. She kept the truth of the Crest away from Clarissa as long as she could and it worked for a while.

However, the birth of her younger brother afforded her an opportunity to escape her mother’s limitations. With Beaufort as her ally, Clarissa won independent outings to the Church for a weekly social gathering of children her age with the condition that a trusted family friend, Bishop Jehan, would act as her chaperone. The man had the patience of Saint Cethleann herself and handled her million questions with ease. Her social group consisted mostly of the children of wealthy merchants and she quickly established her reputation as a leader, taking responsibility for the group and their activities. She molded the group in the image of Odette’s charity work and focused primarily on assisting those without money by fixing garments and blankets for free. While she didn’t particularly care for the work, it was something she hadn’t been allowed to do before and she quite liked having friends.

She was content with her life and limited interactions until her 11th year, after the disastrous mock battle between House Gloucester and House Ordelia. Her father explained why the House had lost their seat: The House was on its last legs and survived solely on the support from others in the Alliance. As unfortunate as it was, a House needed to be powerful in its own right to sit at the table. The unease at the decision still festered inside her and unable to find the words to express why, she lashed out at her family, at her father for a horrible decision and at her mother for her absurd restrictions.

A screaming match with her mother revealed the true nature of her Crest. Clarissa fled after that, running to the only place she considered safe anymore and broke down in tears in front of Jehan. It took several long, awkward, and emotional conversations with the Bishop but eventually she found what had been unsettling her about the issue. The curse her family supposedly bore was a punishment for those who had no hand, no voice, in the decision their ancestor made, just like Duke Ordiela’s family had no choice in his decision to murder a fellow Lord. Her questions bordered on heretical, demanding why the Goddess would punish innocents for the acts of others. The bishop came up with an elegant solution: a Major Crest manifesting in her must mean the Goddess has given her the chance to redeem her bloodline. Clarissa clung desperately to that and shortly before her 13th birthday, she stepped out of her turmoil a new person.

Gone was the girl who would quietly accept her fate. Instead, Clarissa Edmund walked out as the heiress apparent of the Margravate of Edmund and she made sure it was known. It caused friction with her mother but Clarissa swept past that with her new found confidence. She reclaimed her social group that had been abandoned at the revelation of her curse, grew it, and began doubling down on her lessons. She accompanied her father to the Roundtable and took notes and developed questions for them to discuss later at their nightly meetings. She even attended a recent Roundtable on her own when he fell ill; she established her reputation quickly when one of them tried to exploit her age and she flew into an impassioned speech on the importance of change and progress and warned against letting hard fought wisdom turn to stagnation. After that she knew her next course of action clearly: Leading the Leicester Alliance. Her father supported her aspirations and enrolled her in Garrag Mach’s Officers Academy with the goal to strengthen the support she’d need to make the claim.

Favorite Food: Two-fish Sauté

Clarissa's Crest power doesn't force people to tell her things. It only keeps them, and her, from lying in a conversation. If a character doesn't want to talk about something, they don't have to or they can tell her that they don't want to talk about it if it does come up.

Nathanael Cornwall Gloucester

16 _{Born the 13th of the Ethereal Moon.}

Leicester Alliance

Noble of House Gloucester

Minor Crest of Gloucester
_{The Crest of Gloucester grants its bearer a heightened sense of visual perception, being able to see a bit farther and a bit easier in the dark. This does not help him notice things he would otherwise ignore.}

Myrmidon

Sword

Sword, Reason

Lance, Faith

Fire

Nathanael is a far cry from the boy he once was. Following the death of his father, Nathanael has turned quiet and calculating. He keeps his cards and his feelings close to the chest, as best he can. What you can pry out of him, however, is a deep academic fascination with battle and a flat understanding of honor and duty. He is obsessed with appearing to be honorable, though it's unclear if this is just an act. Regardless, Nathanael is not the loudest voice on the battlefield, and avoids flashy displays on the battlefield. He is efficient, if nothing else: anything further would make him too much of a target.

While far more political than other students in the Golden Deer, Nathanael tries to be amicable to all. Unfortunately, he is a bit socially stiff, and has a bad habit of saying what he really thinks over a flattering lie (perhaps a byproduct of Clarissa's crest?). For some, though, this is a blessing: most of Nathanael's comments are about form and technique, after all. For the rest, it's always easy to see where you stand with him. He views everyone who's made it to the academy as formidable enough to be worthy of attention... if only so they can be used later. He is a hard worker, and is often the first to rise and last to bed. Whether this stems from his hard work ethic or a paranoia of being stabbed while he sleeps is unknown. The most unnerving thing about Nathanael, though, is his cold and observant stare that seems to look through those he is watching.

As a child, Nathanael was a happy and boisterous child. He was deeply curious, always asking questions and wandering and reading as soon as he knew how. There was little he had no interest in. He wanted to know the names of all the birds that visited the estate, the names and purpose of all the flowers in the garden, the name of every knight at the Archduke's estate and their careers. He even yearned to study magic, swordsmanship, honor, politics, the art, and philosophy. The Archduke, due to love or obligation, indulged his son's interests.

That is, until Duke Gloucester was murdered in a mock battle by Duke Ordelia.

As the dust settled, the young Nathanael was whisked away into hiding, away from the public eye, by his tutor (Falstaff) and knights loyal to House Gloucester. In hiding from view at his familial estate, Nathanael retreated inwards. He was young, and in his most formative years, as he dove everything he had into training with his father's weapon: the sword. Nathanael spent his days training, studying, watching others duel, before picking up the sword himself again and running drills. He poured over detailed accounts of wars long past, tactical histories, and even training manuals covering various sword forms. He was never going to end up like his father did, that was for certain.

In the interim, Nathanael's family stepped in to keep the Duchy running. His mother, Countess Valentina Gloucester née Phlegethon, has taken over her husband's responsibilities. His uncle, Duke Archibald Gloucester, has stood by her side and done his best to assist with maintaining the villages bordering Hyrm. It took a couple years for Nathanael to re-emerge in the public sphere, noticeably changed and far more reserved than he once was. His face, once full of wonder and joy, has hardened into a stoic mask. He has attended the last few roundtable meetings, taking dutiful notes and watching with a cautious stare.

Of course, rumors have abounded around the heir apparent to the Duchy of Gloucester. Some whisper that he has been plotting for revenge against House Ordelia, seeking to burn the entire family to the ground. Whispers and rumors surrounding Nathanael's recent private tutoring in simple fire magic has certainly given weight to such a thought, even if it was the last on the list of Nathanael's tasks. He's been far too busy: within the last year, he had managed to secure an agreement from his mother and uncle that he could attend the Garrag Mach's Officers Academy as soon as he was of age. He has spent the time since making sure he was ready, mentally and physically. The last time a Gloucester had participated in a mock battle had gone poorly... he had a reputation to make up for.

Of course, the timing seems a bit... calculated. Attending the Officers Academy as soon as possible, when a fiery upstart from House Edmund was set to attend... not to mention the former heiress to House Ordelia, the betrothed to the Adrestian Empire, the bastard of House Blaiddyd, and a fresh heir to House Galatea. Nathanael has seen the writing on the wall: the winds are changing. He plans to ride those winds wherever they lead... or wherever he can guide them.

Nathanael's uniform bears more prominent gold epaulets covering his shoulders, and his dress coat bears coattails similar to those worn by Lorenz. Gloucester fashion never goes out of style.

Adelaide von Hresvelg

Seventeen _{Born the 14th of Guardian Moon}

The Adrestrian Empire

Crown Princess

Crest of Seiros
_{Adelaide's crest bestows her allies with supernatural prowess and vigor, significantly increasing their combative abilities, while weighing down those who oppose her in equal measure.}

Lord

Sword

Swords, Authority

Bow, Flying

Adelaide is, first and foremost, a very bold young woman. She fearlessly embraces challenge and risk with an unmatched confidence in her abilities. This self-assurance follows her into all endeavors she commits herself to, a self-assurance that roots itself deeply in her faith in the Goddess. Victory, to her, is a simple matter of faith and perseverance. If she is to fail at a task, then she needs to merely learn from her mistakes and correct course. The confidence she radiates lends her a certain magnetism, and that magnetism is compounded by the wit inherent to her speech. To say she is outgoing would be an understatement: Adelaide makes it a point to leave those with whom she speaks feeling better about themselves than when she first found them. At least, those she wishes to endear with her charms. Woe be to those who would earn her ire, for the venom on her tongue is sure to be as potent as her honeyed words.

The concept of excellence is something inherently important to Adelaide. She strives for excellence in all that she does and expects the same of those around her. Her belief is that conflict—though so often seen as negative and brutish—is the crucible through which greatness is forged. As such, she is a great fan of competition and games, understanding that only by facing challenges levied by one's peers can a person grow to be the greater of those very peers. Fittingly, her work ethic borders on the overzealous, and it is a rare sight to see her indulging in things that do not bring her even a half-step closer to the grandiose destiny she has formed the core of her life around.

The firstborn daughter of a lesser branch of the esteemed Hresvelg family, for much of young Adelaide's life, she found herself caught in a strange cross-section of Imperial life. Her lineage separated from the main branch nearly one hundred years ago, when the eldest son of Emperor Ludolf II, Adelbert von Hresvelg, was passed over for the crown in favor of his younger brother, the future Emperor Henrik I. Both brothers had been blessed by the Goddess to bear the Crest of Seiros, as all Emperors before them had done. Despite his ambition and valor, Adelbert's crest proved weaker than that of his younger brother and was thus rewarded not with dominion over all of Adrestia, but instead with a suitable bride of the Bergliez family, with which to carry on his lineage. It was often said that Adelbert seethed over the loss of his birthright, and his dark moods were known to haunt the halls of the Imperial Palace throughout the reign of his brother. However heavy the weight of the loss was, however, it did not stop Adelbert from being fruitful. He fathered seven children with his wife over the years, of whom the youngest of which happened to be Adelaide's mother, Matilda.

Perhaps to punish him for his hubris, of the seven children that bore his name, only Matilda had inherited the Crest which marked the Hresvelg family as the rightful rulers of Adrestia. And like Adelbert, her Crest was marred by its potency, a minor blessing unfit to contest the main line. It was enough to secure her continued use of the Imperial name, however, and in the waning years of her uncle's reign, Matilda married a young officer of the Imperial Guard to whom she had grown close. Adelaide, named for her grandfather, was born shortly thereafter. An auspicious birth indeed, as would later be discovered when the Bishopric of Enbarr put their Hanneman machine to use on the newborn girl. For the first time since their divergence from the main Imperial line, her family had produced a full-blooded Crest of Seiros.

Such news might have been even more welcome in the earlier days of their existence. However, the reigning Emperor, Anselm VI, had few issues of succession. His own eldest had been blessed much the same as Adelaide, and the succession was unlikely to be challenged. Her grandfather, himself nearing the end of his life, used what favor he still held in the Imperial court to arrange a match between the prize of his lineage and the main line: when she came of age, Adelaide would be wed to Engel von Hresvelg, her second cousin and the future Emperor of Adrestia, such that the future of both branches would be all the brighter for their union.

Such a legacy loomed heavy over Adelaide as she grew. It was all but assured that she would one day sit at the head of the mightiest Empire Fódlan had ever known, albeit at the side of her husband as a consort to the throne. It would not do for a consort of the Hresvelg line to be anything less than perfect, however, and so from her earliest days, Adelaide was drilled in all matters of noble endeavor. She trained in the yard with her knightly father in the mornings, practicing sword and lance and horse, reading history and philosophy in the afternoons, and learning courtesy and kindness at her mother's knee in the nights. It was a difficult regime, one that some might have been forgiven for coming to despise. Not Adelaide, however. Even as a child, she met the challenges with eagerness and vigor. One day, she would wed an Emperor, after all. It would not do for her to be a simple page in her husband's history book. She would be just as exalted as he.

But the fates had something else in mind for dear Adelaide. She was just a girl of six when whispers of plague in the far-flung provinces of the Empire began circulating the court. By the time she was ten, it had managed to reach as far as the capital, and once it made its way into the palace itself, not even the Emperor's children were spared. One, then two, then three and four. The disease had taken four of the seven scions of Emperor Anselm, and not long after the youngest took their final breath, Adelaide's intended could handle no more grief and took his own life before their match could be officiated. She had been a girl of thirteen at the time, and with much of her future seeming to fade away with the dying embers of the Empire she had sought to one day preside over, for the first time in her life, the incessant drive to do more seemed to fade.

It was shortly after falling into such doldrums that her fate took another turn. She had been fortunate enough to avoid the plague until that point, in part due to the diligence of her father and his kinsmen. But shortly after her fourteenth birthday, despair turned to delirium, as fever and chills brought her low and confined her to a sickbed that had become the deathbed for so many of her relatives. It was in the throes of this terrible suffering that perhaps the single most pivotal moment of her life took place. It was during this time that she was graced by the warmth of the Goddess.

Though she could scarcely awaken long enough to see the face of her mother, the face of Sothis was as clear to her as the summer skies. The Goddess spoke to her and showed her things she could only have imagined in her wildest dreams: a proud and unified Fódlan. A prosperous continent, free from the nightmares of plague and infighting and treachery all. A Fódlan that thrived under the banner of Adrestia, as it had been in the time of Lycaon I. And it was no great Emperor of the future that brought such a glorious thing to life, but instead Adelaide herself. It was not some sweet dream, but a vision of what was to come. A destiny that needed to be fulfilled. The plague which had ravaged her would not take her life, Adelaide understood. It could not. For the Goddess had chosen her to bring Adrestia—and by extension, all of Fódlan—into a new golden age.

Some days after such reverent visions, Adelaide's fever suddenly broke, and she rose from her bed to the desperate relief of her mother and father. A relief that swiftly turned to exasperation, as the young girl immediately requested she be brought to her remaining tutors. A grand destiny awaited her, after all, and she only had so many years to prepare for it to unfold.

Any doubts about the validity of her visions were put to rest in the days following her recovery. When it was made clear that she suffered no lasting consequences from her foray with death itself, an order from the Imperial throne itself came down. With the death of Crown Prince Engel, his betrothed would assume his place as heir to the Empire, officially adopted into the mainline as the true born daughter of the House Hresvelg. Since she was old enough to want anything at all, she had thrown herself selflessly into the pursuit of greatness in the name of the throne. A throne that would be hers by the end of the decade. The years that followed were much as the ones that preceded them, with Adelaide throwing herself into her studies with a renewed zeal that few could hope to match.

In acknowledgment of her inheritance, an invitation to the officer's academy at Garreg Mach arrived in the wake of Adelaide's seventeenth birthday. A focal point for many of the future leaders of Fódlan, Adelaide was eager to accept. Where better could a woman who meant to rule the continent spend the waning years of her youth? There, she could learn from the very best minds the Church could offer, win the favor of her future vassals, and perhaps most importantly, determine who would be the greatest threats to the divinely ordained fate that lay ahead of her. In the name of the Goddess, she embarked just in time for the beginning of the school year.