This post is part of my ongoing translations of the Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Memorial Book: Tellius Recollection (Vol 2).
This post features Sephiran, a returning character from Path of Radiance.
His Path of Radiance profile can be seen here.
You can find every translation I’ve done on this book so far on the compilation post here!
(Right click and “View Image” for full resolution)
As you can imagine, the process of doing all this (scanning, editing, translating, etc) takes a lot of time…so if feeling generous, than please consider donating! It helps fund future projects. : )
Transcript: (Eng)
Species: Beorc
Class: Chancellor
Affinity: Light
Origin: Begnion
Apparent Age: 28
Duke Persis of Begnion, and head of the Begnion Senate. He is a gifted man who also holds the title of Chancellor. He is well-known for being a handsome young man who assists the young Empress Sanaki in seeking to create a virtuous and impartial government. However, “Sephiran” is just a false name to mask his true identity –his real name is Lehran. He was the Black Heron of ancient times who supported the “Three Heroes” (the Swordswoman Altina, Black Dragon Dheginsea, and the Lion Warrior Soan) in their fight against the Dark God Yune. He is also one of the infamous “branded.”
It was thanks to Lehran’s suggestion that the Goddess Ashera decided to seal Yune inside the medallion rather than erase her entire existence. In exchange, he took a vow that “there would be no war for 1000 years.” The plan was that, after 1000 years, Ashera would become one with Yune again, forming the original goddess of creation –known as Ashunera, or the Goddess of Dawn. She would then watch over and protect the world. Since then, Lehran took great care in maintaining stability throughout the world while using galdrar to comfort Yune. He also took the chance to grow more intimate with his partner Altina. However, upon having a child, he discovered that he lost the power his people of the Heron clan were known for –the power of galdrar and ability to hear the voice of the goddess. This phenomenon –where a child of mixed beorc and laguz blood would lead to the laguz parent losing their power –was only known to the Three Heroes at the time. They feared that news of this getting out to the world would cause strife between the beorc and laguz, which would go against the “1000 Year Covenant” they formed. With that in mind, Lehran arranged it so that he faked a sudden death and hid himself away in Goldoa, while Altina took on a new beorc husband.
The secret was kept safe at first. But, over the years, more beorc and laguz couples had formed and bore children much like Lehran and Altina had. The “branded” born between them were shunned by beorc and laguz alike, leaving them with no place to go. Eventually, the Three Heroes’ and Lehran’s fear became reality when such a union between Ashnard and Almedha would eventually engulf the entire continent in a bloody conflict.
For 750 long years, Lehran observed and was puzzled by the conflicts between beorc and laguz while living in Goldoa. It gradually took a toll on his heart and mind, driving him to exhaustion. The climax of his decline came when his descendent and apostle Misaha, who he was quite close to, was assassinated. This eventually led to the “Serenes Massacre,” which was what caused Lehran to finally lose all hope for the world. He decided that people did not deserve to exist, and left Goldoa for Begnion. He took in Zelgius – a “branded” of similar circumstance – as his confidant and aimed for the Goddess Ashera to pass her judgement over Tellius. He aimed to expand the war behind the scenes to achieve this goal.
He saw Micaiah as a “branded” with potential use, and so would send the Black Knight to protect her in times of danger. However, he was unaware she was actually Misaha’s successor –the true Apostle. Had he known that sooner, history may have taken a very different turn.
Notes:
- The title of “Black Heron” I don’t think is mentioned in the English version of the games, but is likely in reference in the dark wings (and dark hair) he has considering the rest of the blonde and white winged Herons we see in the game.