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Shrine of Seals
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The Shrine of Seals (Japanese: 封印の神殿 Shrine of Seals) is a temple dating from the Scouring, located deep in the Kingdom of Bern in Elibe.
History
Following the defeat of Idunn, the demon dragon, at the end of the Scouring, Hartmut of the Eight Legends travelled deep into the remote mountains of what would later become Bern and constructed the Shrine of Seals as a place to safely keep Idunn, imprisoning her within it using the Binding Blade.[1] He then sealed the Binding Blade within its altar, locking it so that only the Fire Emblem could unseal it.[2] The shrine was also used by fellow general, Bramimond, to seal away their own legendary weapon, Apocalypse, within the shrine's depths. Bramimond then cast a seal across Elibe which locked away the other legendary weapons in their own hiding place, after which he permanently took up residence in the shrine's depths to guard the seal.
After finishing the Shrine of Seals, Hartmut founded the Kingdom of Bern so that his descendants could continue to guard the Shrine and Idunn. The obscure location of the shrine became a state secret of Bern, known only to members of the royal family and under extremely heavy protection,[3] and its very existence was little known as well. The rival kingdom Etruria once conducted a mission to find the shrine and investigate it upon learning of its existence, but none of the mission's members are known to have survived.[4]
Despite the secrecy and security, 980 years after the Scouring, the Lycian nobles Eliwood, Lyn and Hector were tasked by Athos with finding the Shrine of Seals in order to gain the power to defeat Nergal. They eventually earned passage and directions from Queen Hellene after retaking the Fire Emblem from the Black Fang and thwarting an assassination attempt on Prince Zephiel, and travelled there to prove to Athos their worth to wield the legendary weapons. At Athos's request, Bramimond undid the seals on the legendary weapons, allowing them to be used. Twenty years later, the Shrine of Seals was the site of one of the closing battles of the Disturbance of Bern and the bloodiest day in Elibe's history, when the Etrurian army under General Roy attacked it as the first part of their invasion of Bern. After defeating the Bern army and General Murdock, Roy used the Fire Emblem to claim the Binding Blade for use against King Zephiel and Idunn.
Structure
Surface altar
The ground-level part of the Shrine of Seals is relatively small, occuping a single raised chamber. An altar sits at the top of this chamber, and the Binding Blade was sealed within it until Roy obtained it.
Depths
Underground, the Shrine of Seals continues into a labyrinth where Bramimond once lived and where the legendary weapon Apocalypse is kept. The labyrinth is dark and hinders vision, and is liberally coated with traps intended to ward off would-be thieves of Apocalypse.[5]
Etymology and other languages
Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
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Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
English |
Shrine of Seals |
Presumably named in analogy to the weapon it holds, although because this weapon is translated in English as "Binding Blade", each is inconsistent with the other. Some dialogue translates it as "sealed shrine". |
Japanese |
封印の神殿 |
Shrine of Seals |
Spanish |
Santuario de los Sellos |
Sanctuary of the Seals |
French |
Temple des Sceaux |
Temple of Seals |
German |
Schrein der Siegel |
Shrine of Seals |
Italian |
Tempio dei sigilli |
Temple of seals |
Gallery
Map noting the Shrine of Seals' location (marked with the flag) in The Binding Blade.
The Shrine of Seals in Chapter 21 of The Binding Blade.
The Shrine of Seals' labyrinth in Chapter 21x of The Binding Blade.
The Shrine of Seals in Chapter 27E/29H of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade.
References
- ↑ "After persuading the others that it should be spared, Hartmut built a shrine hidden deep in what you now call Bern. There, he bound the demon dragon away using the blade and the Fire Emblem. After the founding of Bern, the shrine was protected by the royal family for generations." — Jahn, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
- ↑ "Merlinus: ...I can't seem to draw it from the stone.
Roy: It's sealed in the altar. You must use the Fire Emblem.
Merlinus: Use it? How?
Roy: Princess Guinivere said that it goes in the socket on the hilt..." — Merlinus and Roy, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade - ↑ "I’ve heard it’s north of Bern. But the location of the shrine itself is secret. I doubt if anyone outside the royal family knows how to reach it." — Hawkeye, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- ↑ "I’m privy to the highest secrets of military information in Etruria. When we learned of the shrine’s existence, we investigated. However, none of our operatives returned. Bern’s defenses are formidable." — Pent, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- ↑ "Roy: There always seem to be traps where legendary weapons lie.
Elffin: ...Perhaps they are meant to keep the unworthy from wielding them.
Roy: Maybe so... But the traps are so intricate. I feel there must be something more to them than that." — Roy and Elffin, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
See also
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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