Daein (デイン Dein) is a location in the Tellius Series of Fire Emblem. It is 243 years old at the beginning of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. The average length of a king's rule is about seventeen years.
Originally, like Crimea, Daein was a territory of Begnion, the original nation of the beorc and one of the continent's two original nations (the other being Goldoa, the home of the dragon tribe laguz). In the Begnion year 405, a Begnion senator named Hengist, who disapproved of Begnion moving towards laguz equality, led a movement to secede from Begnion and formed the kingdom of Daein.
In accordance with the beliefs of its founder, Daein has a long history of prejudice against the laguz. In Path of Radiance, Jill notes that such prejudice is drilled into Daein schoolchildren from a young age. However, not all of Daein's citizens hold such beliefs and some openly reject the nation's racist ideals. Despite this history, according to the recollections of some of the characters in Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, Daein used to be a relatively peaceful and stable country before Ashnard came to power.
The capital of Daein is Nevassa. It is known for its culture among many other things. However, Nevassa is also known to have a dirt poor section of the city which is rich with thieves, rogues, and other shady types of characters.
Geography[]
Daein is situated in the northeastern area of Tellius's known land, with Begnion to its south and Crimea to its west. To its east is the Desert of Death, a vast and rarely traversed expanse of treacherous sands that separates Daein from the wolf laguz nation of Hatari.
Profile[]
The Rule of Ashnard[]
Before the beginning of Path of Radiance, a great plague swept across Daein. This plague ravaged the nation's population. The plague was in actuality part of a plot enacted by Ashnard, who tricked his father, the king, into signing a blood pact. Ashnard, who at that time was considered unlikely to become king due to the long line of succession ahead of him, waited until the pact-induced plague killed everyone ahead of him in line for the throne. He then murdered his father and destroyed the pact document to end the plague. With all of the other successors dead, he ascended to the throne uncontested as the thirteenth king of Daein. The only person other than Ashnard aware of this plot was his wife Almedha.
After rising to power, Ashnard spends several years promoting anti-laguz propaganda throughout the country. He also spends a great amount of time building Daein's military strength for his future plans in accordance with his core belief that power triumphs over all. His primary goal is to awaken the dark god said to reside within Lehran's Medallion, and to do so, he lays the groundwork for the conflict to make that possible. Ashnard chooses to invade Crimea, which due to its proximity, geography, and weaker military, make for an easy target. This invasion marks the beginning of the Mad King's War.
Upon successfully invading Crimea, Ashnard abandons Daein and establishs his foothold in Castle Crimea. Ike and his forces invade Daein through Begnion, only to loop back into Crimea to face off with Ashnard in the final battle. Ashnard falls to Ike's forces, and after he is slain, Daein is taken over by a Begnion occupation force.
Liberation of Daein[]
In its occupation of Daein, Begnion rules mercilessly, treating the nation's people as low forms of life. Under occupation, Daein is controlled almost exclusively by the corrupt Begnion Senator Numida and the Begnion Occupational Army. The Occupational Army is in turn led by a personally appointed subordinate of Numida named Jarod.
Over the three years following the beginning of the occupation, a rebel force seeking Daein's liberation rises in the Dawn Brigade. The original members of this rebel force consist of Sothe, Micaiah, Leonardo, Edward and Nolan. Eventually, the Dawn Brigade hear of a man who claims to be the son of Ashnard. The group sets out and find Pelleas, the apparent heir to the Daein throne and leader of the Daein Liberation Army. After discovering that he is a decent man, unlike his alleged father, the Dawn Brigade join up with the Daein Liberation Army.
With a united force and the presence of Daein royalty, the Daein Liberation Army manage to overthrow the rule of the Begnion Occupational Army. With this achievement, Pelleas is crowned the fourteenth King of Daein.
The Rule of Pelleas[]
Not long after the liberation of Daein, Pelleas is approached by Lekain of the Begnion senate. Lekain requests that Pelleas sign a treaty that would confirm a peace agreement between Begnion and Daein. On the advice of his chief adviser Izuka, Pelleas agrees to Lekain's terms and eagerly signs the document. However, in reality Pelleas is tricked into signing a blood pact, much like the one Ashnard had used long ago. Under the threat of the pact, Pelleas is forced to follow the Begnion's senate's will or risk the pact's penalty being enacted, which would trigger another plague that would kill all of Daein's citizens.
Later, the Laguz Alliance, lead by Ike and Skrimir, go to war with Begnion and the corrupt senate. Lekain and the Begnion senate coerce Pelleas into aiding them in their war, using the blood pact as leverage against him. Pelleas orders the Daein army, led by the Daein hero Micaiah, into battle without explanation as to why they're fighting for Begnion. In the ensuing battles Daein's forces are forced to fight on the front lines while Begnion's own soldiers are spared the brunt of the fighting.
Eventually, Pelleas tells Micaiah and Sothe about the blood pact. On a player's first play through of the game, Pelleas will ask Micaiah to kill him, thinking it with end the pact's curse. Either Micaiah or Tauroneo will proceed with the request. The pact does not end with Pelleas's death, however, and the mark of the pact is transferred to Micaiah. On all playthroughs after the game is cleared once, the request can be completely refused and Pelleas will try to find a new way to end the pact.
The war between the Laguz Alliance and the Begnion/Daein force escalates until the level of conflict causes the goddess Ashera to awaken early from her slumber. Viewing the peoples of Tellius as unworthy due to their warfare, she enacts her judgment and turns the majority of the population of the continent to stone. Only the strongest warriors capable of resisting the judgment, as well as people of Branded descent, are spared.
Micaiah and the other surviving Daeinites join forces with the remaining members of the Laguz Alliance and head for the Tower of Guidance; a Begnion landmark and Ashera's resting place that is now fortified with Begnion soldiers and officials Ashera has spared as a means of her own defense. Within the tower, the player's united force encounters a small force led by the Begnion senators Lekain and Hetzel. Once the group defeats Lekain, Micaiah recovers the blood pact and destroys it, ending its threat and Begnion's hold over Daein.
The Rule of Micaiah[]
After the defeat of Ashera and the resolution of the conflict between Ashera and Yune, Micaiah either accepts responsibility for the rule of Daein if Pelleas is dead, or Pelleas will voluntarily abdicate his rule in favor of Micaiah.
Micaiah returns to Daein and may take Sothe as her husband and king. Under their watch the country enters a prosperous new age. After restoring the country in the aftermath of the war, the new queen begins to improve Daein's status and the attitude of its people toward their Laguz neighbors. In the years following, the racism that had once been the very foundation of Daein culture is eradicated, and the nation becomes a successful and peaceful country among its fellow nations of Tellius.
Notable Locations[]
- Nevassa - The capital of Daein.
- Talrega - A remote southern region of the country in the mountains prone to landslides and unpredictable weather.
- Palmeni Temple - A shrine dedicated to Ashera, where Ike and Mist's mother, Elena, once served as a priestess.
- Tor Garen - A vast Daein wall that is overcome in the Mad King’s War.
- Kisca - A small town near Nevassa, hometown of Laura, Aran and their abbot.
- Terin - A place in Daein where the Dawn Brigade has its first publicized victory.
- Marado - An independent state within Daein that pledges its support to Micaiah.
- Glaive Prison - A Begnion-controlled prison where Micaiah is sent to after her capture by Jarod.
- Umono Camp - The largest prison camp where Begnion keeps Daein ex-soldiers.
- Joad Camp - A prison camp where Begnion keeps Daein citizens, presumably close to Shifu Swamp.
- Shifu Swamp - An area in central Daein where the Begnion occupational forces attempt to execute large numbers of Daein prisoners in order to set a trap for the Daein Liberation Army.
- Castle Nox - A southern mountain stronghold where the Daein army attempts to hold off the apostle’s army.
- Riven Bridge - A bridge linking Daein to Crimea. The bridge guarded by Petrine during the Mad King's War.
Notable Daeinites[]
Royalty[]
- Hengist - Founder and first ruler of Daein.
- Ashnard - The thirteenth ruler of Daein who plotted to wield his power to rule without opposition by plunging the whole continent into war.
- Pelleas - The fourteenth ruler of Daein who joins with Micaiah and involves himself in the struggle to rebuild Daein.
- Micaiah - The fifteenth ruler of Daein who is determined to reconstruct and develop her home country.
- Soren - Ashnard's true son.
Four Riders and Family[]
- Black Knight - Former student of Gawain.
- Gawain (Later known as Greil).
- Elena - Gawain's wife and a former priestess of Palmeni Temple.
- Petrine - The lone woman serving as one of the Four Riders who wields the Flame Lance with a callous disdain for those around her.
- Bryce - The last remaining member of the Four Riders from Gawain's era of service.
- Tauroneo - Retired from the Four Riders after Gawain's departure.
- Bertram - Elincia's uncle, Renning, placed under mind control.
- Lanvega - Retired from the Four Riders after Gawain's departure.
- Fiona - Lanvega's daughter and the ruler of the independent Marado territory within Daein's borders.
Dawn Brigade[]
- Sothe - A thief from the streets of Daein who is like a brother to Micaiah.
- Nolan - The official leader of the Dawn Brigade.
- Laura - A priest who joins the Dawn Brigade to aid her abbot.
- Aran - A childhood friend of Laura who was raised by a merchant from Begnion.
- Leonardo - A member of the Dawn Brigade and Edward's friend.
- Edward - A member of the Dawn Brigade and Leonardo's friend.
Other Playable Daeinites[]
- Volke - An assassin who was hired by Greil.
- Zihark - A swordsman with an affinity for laguz.
- Ilyana - A girl with a seemingly bottomless stomach. whose constant hunger pangs cause stress for her and worry for others.
- Jill - A wyvern rider of Daein and only daughter of Shiharam, lord of Talrega.
Other Daein Officers[]
- Homasa - A Daein swordmaster and subordinate of Petrine.
- Goran - A Daein Warrior who is fiercely loyal to Micaiah.
- Izuka - A citizen of Daein and an advisor to Pelleas. Creator of Feral Ones.
- Maijin - A Knight of Daein sent to patrol the roadside of Crimea.
- Dakova - A high ranking general from Daein.
- Emil - A Daein soldier under General Petrine.
- Balmer - A Sage of Daein.
- Karuma - A Knight of Daein who ambushes and surrounds the fortress which the Greil Mercenaries were currently guarding.
- Kotaff - A General of Daein, and a Halberdier.
- Danomill - The commander of a Daein prison that is attacked by Ike's group.
- Mackoya - A general of Daein and subordinate of the Black Knight who guards Crimea's coastal region.
- Norris - A Daein officer who pursued Elincia during her escape to Begnion.
- Kayachey - A Daein officer under Petrine that commands the Daein border fortress Tor Garen.
- Kasatai - A general in the Daein army, as well as a subordinate of General Petrine.
- Rikard - A Daein officer obsessed with obtaining glory and fame.
- Gromell - A commander in the Daein army who fought in the Mad King's War.
- Hafedd - A commander in the Daein army who was entrusted with leading the defense of castle Nados.
- Heddwyn - A general of Daein and the chief of the guards at Gritnea Tower.
- Tomenami - A bishop in charge of Palmeni Temple.
Trivia[]
- In Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, most generic enemies encountered (aside from bandits, mercenaries, and Feral Ones) use the emblem portrait representing Daein despite not being affiliated with them.