Wolves of Fódlan: Three Houses Project

Wolves of Fódlan: Three Houses Project
Posted 2021-08-18 10:29:43 (edited) #507827 This project dossier is under heavy editing right now while I bring it up to my own standards! Peruse at your own risk! 8/30/2021: scrapped old "crest catalogue" in favor of new crest/focused design; laid groundwork for new noble house catalogue sorted by region; added missing markings for Riegan, Gloucester, and Blaiddyd Introduction Note to self: come back and pretty this up later. Hi! So I'm a Fire Emblem fan. My lifelong partner, Elwyn, is a much bigger Fire Emblem fan, and has been with the series since she was a little kid; she's the one who got me into it. For my part, I've played FF7, Awakening, Fates, Three Houses, and I've started on Sacred Stones (her personal favorite), but Three Houses was somehow the one that really snagged me and ate my brain meat. So I'm making Three Houses wolves. Why not. But instead of making specific characters, I decided to go ahead and...make all of Fódlan, I guess. All the noble families, at some vague, unspecific point in history. And then simulate their relationships and intermarriages like some massive game of the Sims, but with more petty squabbles about whose family gets the best hunting territory. Fun! If you're unfamiliar with the setting of Three Houses, it takes place in the fantasy region of Fódlan, where three major kingdoms coexist (and occasionally vie for power) under the central authority of the Church. All three have a system of nobility that is dominated by the existence of crests, genetic traits carrying special powers that are passed down through the generations. These crests are believed to come from ancient heroes and saints who were blessed by the creator goddess. There are a total of twenty-two crests in total, the same number as Major Arcana in a traditional tarot deck--although not all of the twenty-two crests are well-known, and some are apocryphal, or even believed to have died out. Because these crests can grant incredible power--for example, increased strength on the battlefield, or powerful magic, or the ability to wield legendary weapons--they are regarded very highly, and some noble families even restrict their inheritance to individuals who bear a crest. Crests can also come in varying strengths: specifically, major and minor forms. Minor crests are not as powerful as major crests. I thought that, in a game like Wolvden, these genetically inherited crests would be fun to simulate, along with the noble bloodlines that carry them. ^^ With the help of my partner, who helped me work out some of the details and figure out a system that was sufficiently selective, but could also actually be passed down through many generations. (That is, I'm not working with lots of TIIIs; I don't trust myself to be able to breed a whole heap of them. But a few TIIIs would be nice. :3) Crest Science: Making Hanneman Proud Rambling discussion of marking/crest inheritance lies ahead. Feel free to skip if you don't care about the details. After discussing with my partner we determined that the best way to simulate crests would be through specific combinations of markings, in specific slots. This means that certain crests (i.e. those with more markings) pass down more rarely than others, and also that crests can have varying strengths (determined by opacity level). Crests are also more likely to be passed down if the partner also has the same crest (hooray, inbreeding!) or if they have a crest or non-crest markings that occupy the same slots. Fun with genetics! Furthermore, while crests in Three Houses lore aren't physically visible, the only non-visible genetic trait in Wolvden would be carrier status--which certainly does not come in 22 different varieties, nor in different strengths. We figured this was a fair compromise. As for crest strength, it's found by calculating the average opacity of all the marks in the wolf's crest. Under 66% (2/3) opacity is a minor crest; over 2/3 is a major crest. (I may tweak this ratio up to 75% later on.) With that in mind, we determined that the crest slots would be slots 1-4: wolves can only bear a crest if they have two or more markings in those slots. (This means that finding wolves to fill my noble lines has been a little tricky.) However, on the positive side, breeding two wolves with a crest together--even if they have different crests--means that there's a decent chance one of the crests will pass on, because at least one of their marking slots will probably overlap, and marking genetics in Wolvden ensure that markings have a higher chance of passing down if both parents have a marking in a given slot. Plus, if both parents have a marking in a slot, the opacity increases, too, meaning that if you do your breeding right, the strength of those crests will increase over time, as well! Of course, if a noble chooses their partner poorly, then the bloodline may weaken... This (as certain Gloucesters may say) is why it is very important that a noble chooses their spouse carefully, considering temperament, breeding, and social standing, all for the betterment of both families. Each crest is a unique combination of markings. These markings are not necessarily special otherwise, and can be completely normal and arbitrary on their own. I'm only assigning meaning to them as "crests" for the sake of this project/simulation, in which I'm attempting to recreate the noble lines of Fódlan and see what happens. While I like it when a crest has some exclusive marking in it, like selene or merle or lupos, most of the time it's whatever happens to be available on a wolf that "looks right" for the noble family in question--so, for example, I was lucky enough to get Ducat Underfur in my Crest of Gautier on a handsome doubloon (i.e. ginger) Gautier wolf, which looks like the members of the Gautier family we see in-game, but it's a lot harder to find a proper purple dog, so my Varley house (and thus the Crest of Indech) just has White Cheek Fluff and White Ear Tips. I take what I can get! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ As for how I'm picking crests...it's largely by picking wolves that look right for each family which has 2-4 markings in its "crest slots" and making that the "progenitor" for the noble family. I'll mate them with other noble families in Fódlan as the project gets going and pray for crest babies.	daunted #16130

Posted 2021-08-18 10:29:43 (edited)

#507827

This project dossier is under heavy editing right now while I bring it up to my own standards! Peruse at your own risk!

8/30/2021: scrapped old "crest catalogue" in favor of new crest/focused design; laid groundwork for new noble house catalogue sorted by region; added missing markings for Riegan, Gloucester, and Blaiddyd

Introduction

Note to self: come back and pretty this up later.

Hi! So I'm a Fire Emblem fan. My lifelong partner, Elwyn, is a much bigger Fire Emblem fan, and has been with the series since she was a little kid; she's the one who got me into it. For my part, I've played FF7, Awakening, Fates, Three Houses, and I've started on Sacred Stones (her personal favorite), but Three Houses was somehow the one that really snagged me and ate my brain meat. So I'm making Three Houses wolves. Why not. But instead of making specific characters, I decided to go ahead and...make all of Fódlan, I guess. All the noble families, at some vague, unspecific point in history. And then simulate their relationships and intermarriages like some massive game of the Sims, but with more petty squabbles about whose family gets the best hunting territory. Fun!

If you're unfamiliar with the setting of Three Houses, it takes place in the fantasy region of Fódlan, where three major kingdoms coexist (and occasionally vie for power) under the central authority of the Church. All three have a system of nobility that is dominated by the existence of crests, genetic traits carrying special powers that are passed down through the generations. These crests are believed to come from ancient heroes and saints who were blessed by the creator goddess. There are a total of twenty-two crests in total, the same number as Major Arcana in a traditional tarot deck--although not all of the twenty-two crests are well-known, and some are apocryphal, or even believed to have died out.

Because these crests can grant incredible power--for example, increased strength on the battlefield, or powerful magic, or the ability to wield legendary weapons--they are regarded very highly, and some noble families even restrict their inheritance to individuals who bear a crest. Crests can also come in varying strengths: specifically, major and minor forms. Minor crests are not as powerful as major crests.

I thought that, in a game like Wolvden, these genetically inherited crests would be fun to simulate, along with the noble bloodlines that carry them. ^^ With the help of my partner, who helped me work out some of the details and figure out a system that was sufficiently selective, but could also actually be passed down through many generations. (That is, I'm not working with lots of TIIIs; I don't trust myself to be able to breed a whole heap of them. But a few TIIIs would be nice. :3)

Crest Science: Making Hanneman Proud

Rambling discussion of marking/crest inheritance lies ahead. Feel free to skip if you don't care about the details.

After discussing with my partner we determined that the best way to simulate crests would be through specific combinations of markings, in specific slots. This means that certain crests (i.e. those with more markings) pass down more rarely than others, and also that crests can have varying strengths (determined by opacity level). Crests are also more likely to be passed down if the partner also has the same crest (hooray, inbreeding!) or if they have a crest or non-crest markings that occupy the same slots. Fun with genetics! Furthermore, while crests in Three Houses lore aren't physically visible, the only non-visible genetic trait in Wolvden would be carrier status--which certainly does not come in 22 different varieties, nor in different strengths. We figured this was a fair compromise. As for crest strength, it's found by calculating the average opacity of all the marks in the wolf's crest. Under 66% (2/3) opacity is a minor crest; over 2/3 is a major crest. (I may tweak this ratio up to 75% later on.)

With that in mind, we determined that the crest slots would be slots 1-4: wolves can only bear a crest if they have two or more markings in those slots. (This means that finding wolves to fill my noble lines has been a little tricky.) However, on the positive side, breeding two wolves with a crest together--even if they have different crests--means that there's a decent chance one of the crests will pass on, because at least one of their marking slots will probably overlap, and marking genetics in Wolvden ensure that markings have a higher chance of passing down if both parents have a marking in a given slot. Plus, if both parents have a marking in a slot, the opacity increases, too, meaning that if you do your breeding right, the strength of those crests will increase over time, as well! Of course, if a noble chooses their partner poorly, then the bloodline may weaken... This (as certain Gloucesters may say) is why it is very important that a noble chooses their spouse carefully, considering temperament, breeding, and social standing, all for the betterment of both families.

Each crest is a unique combination of markings. These markings are not necessarily special otherwise, and can be completely normal and arbitrary on their own. I'm only assigning meaning to them as "crests" for the sake of this project/simulation, in which I'm attempting to recreate the noble lines of Fódlan and see what happens. While I like it when a crest has some exclusive marking in it, like selene or merle or lupos, most of the time it's whatever happens to be available on a wolf that "looks right" for the noble family in question--so, for example, I was lucky enough to get Ducat Underfur in my Crest of Gautier on a handsome doubloon (i.e. ginger) Gautier wolf, which looks like the members of the Gautier family we see in-game, but it's a lot harder to find a proper purple dog, so my Varley house (and thus the Crest of Indech) just has White Cheek Fluff and White Ear Tips. I take what I can get! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As for how I'm picking crests...it's largely by picking wolves that look right for each family which has 2-4 markings in its "crest slots" and making that the "progenitor" for the noble family. I'll mate them with other noble families in Fódlan as the project gets going and pray for crest babies.

daunted
#16130

Posted 2021-08-18 10:31:34 (edited)

#507829

Crest Catalog

While crests are not strictly divided by physical region, there are certain trends to be observed. The Crests of the Four Saints are strongly associated with the Adrestian Empire, where they most frequently manifest. The Crests of the Ten Elites, meanwhile, are most common in the noble houses of Faerghus and Leicester, where they are highly valued. Some crests have been lost to time and only occasionally re-emerge, and thus are not associated with any region at all.

I have relied a little on game data, a little on speculation, and a whole lot on the Fire Emblem Wiki for this information. Big kudos to the dedicated curators over there! Minor spoilers for Cindered Shadows lie ahead, so keep that in mind if you are playing or intend to play Three Houses yourself. Otherwise I am avoiding heavy spoilers ~~so you don't need to read my conspiracy theories about ancient technology and dragon aliens giving people blood transfusions~~

All information is neatly tucked away in spoiler boxes to avoid taking up too much room, so you can read at your leisure. :)

Divine Crests

These twin crests belonged respectively to the founder of the Church, Saint Seiros, and her rival Nemesis, a legendary warlord who turned against the Church and plunged ancient Fódlan into war. Both possess great power, especially the Crest of Flames. Legend has it that the Goddess herself granted Nemesis his crest, and that she bore it as well. You might even call it...the Fire Emblem???

Crest

Symbol

Arcana

Family

Markings

Crest of Seiros

The High Priestess

House Hresvelg

(3)Cream Highlights
(4)Honey Patchy Unders

Crest of Flames

The World

None

N/A¹

1: I do not intend to play with or breed for the Crest of Flames. In lore it is so rare as to be pretty much unheard of, and it isn't associated with any known lineage. Sorry, no Dog Byleth or Dog Nemesis for the foreseeable future.

Crests of the Four Saints

When Nemesis turned against Seiros and the Church, four great and loyal saints stood beside her to turn back his armies. These four saints granted the blessings of their blood to the most loyal nobles and warriors who had aided them, which at the time were primarily Adrestian. (It should be noted that this passing-down of the saintly crests does not mean the noble families are literally related to the saints of old; at least one of the saints, Cethleann, is generally acknowledged to be chaste.)

Crest

Symbol

Arcana

Family

Markings

Crest of Macuil

The Magician

House Bergliez²

(1)Gray Cover
(2)Black Rump Edge
(4)Luna Points

Crest of Cethleann

The Lovers

House Hevring

(1)Black Inverted Cross
(2)Dark Brown Half Cover
(4)Black Full Mask

Crest of Cichol

Strength

House Aegir

(1)Beige Elbows
(3)Dark Brown Back Heavy Patch
(4)Cream Spectacles

Crest of Indech

Temperance

House Varley

(2)White Cheek Fluff
(3)White Ear Tips

2: This is speculation on my part. While House Nuvelle is associated with the Crest of Macuil, it is revealed in Cindered Shadows and through supports that House Nuvelle actually bears the apocryphal Crest of Noa, which they have disguised as the Crest of Macuil over the generations. In supports between Edelgard and Constance von Nuvelle, it is suggested that the crest of Macuil does exist elsewhere in the Empire and is well-known. Furthermore, the one Bergliez we meet in game, Caspar, says that his older brother bears a crest, though we never get to see it ourselves. It stands to reason that a major house like Bergliez might in turn be associated with a prestigious crest like Macuil's, especially since Adrestia in general tends to favor the crests of the Four Saints.

Crests of the Ten Elites

According to legend, the Ten Elites were once champions of the Goddess who were granted her divine power in the form of crests to defeat the wicked gods of the north. However, they allowed themselves to be corrupted by power and greed, and joined Nemesis in causing war and strife. This time is commonly called the War of Heroes. Despite their fall from grace, their many good deeds are still remembered fondly, and those who inherited their bloodlines and crests make up the nobility of northeastern Fódlan.

Crest

Symbol

Arcana

Family

Markings

Crest of Dominic

The Empress

House of Dominic

(2)Black Edge Patch
(4)Gray Inuit Unders

Crest of Fraldarius

The Emperor

House of Fraldarius

(1)White Blaze
(2)White Blaze
(3)Black Blanket Ticking

Crest of Daphnel

The Chariot

Houses of Daphnel & Galatea³

(2)Cream Merle
(3)White Gentle Unders
(4)Black Blanket

Crest of Gloucester

The Hermit

House Gloucester

(1)White Highlights
(3)Black Saddle Ticking

Crest of Goneril

Wheel of Fortune

House Goneril

Not Yet Determined

Crest of Blaiddyd

Justice

House Blaiddyd

(1)White Inuit Unders
(2)White Tail Tip
(3)Black Back Stripe

Crest of Gautier

Death

House Gautier

(1)Red Agouti
(2)Black Unders
(3)Ducat Underfur
(4)Black Cape

Crest of Charon

The Tower

House Charon

(1)Losna Cross
(2)White Back Half Patch
(3)Black Spectacles
(4)Cream Inuit Unders

Crest of Riegan

The Moon

House Riegan

(1)White Marbled Unders
(3)Black Mantle
(4)Black Back Heavy Patch

Crest of Lamine

Judgement

House Martritz

(2)Cream Back Heavy Patch
(3)Red Back Edge Patch
(4)Cream Highlights

3: House Galatea originated in a split of House Daphnel; thus, although the northeastern noble houses tend to be more protective of their crests, the Crest of Daphnel appears in House Daphnel as well as House Galatea. In fact, no one in House Daphnel has been born with a crest in many generations--only House Galatea has been so lucky.

Apocryphal Crests

These crests are not acknowledged by the Church, and are largely considered to have died out long, long ago. While some children are occasionally born bearing these crests, they are usually only minor crests, and do not pass on to the next generation. Very few have ever been examined by crest scholars under controlled conditions, and so they are not very well understood. Most of what is known about them is only hearsay and speculation. Some believe that there are secret families, villages, and communities that keep the blood of these crests alive somehow.

Crest

Symbol

Arcana

Family

Markings

Crest of Ernest

The Fool

Unknown

N/A⁴

Crest of Noa

The Hierophant

House of Nuvelle

(2)White Cross
(3)White Urajiro

Crest of Aubin

The Hanged Man

Unknown⁵

N/A

Crest of the Beast

The Devil

Unknown⁶

Not Yet Determined

Crest of Timotheos

The Star

Village of Timotheos

N/A⁷

Crest of Chevalier

The Sun

Village & Rite of Kupala

N/A⁸

4: I do not intend to play with or breed for the Crest of Ernest. This belongs to the RNG Goddess Anna and the RNG Goddess Only. I know nothing about its lore, what it looks like, or how it exists. It's Just For Anna.

5: There is evidence to suggest that the Crest of Aubin has never been passed down in the familial sense at all, but only through direct blood-gift, like some kind of...crest vampire transformation thing. I will refrain from excessive theorization; I won't be playing with it anyway. Sorry Yuri, I still love you. <3

6: This crest exists in a noble family somewhere in central or southern Leicester, one cursed by ill fate. Those who bear the crest are said to transform into a beast, and those near them suffer painful deaths. In any case, the family in question keeps their crest well-hidden, perhaps out of fear of this superstition.

7: I will not be playing with this crest. However, in-universe it exists somewhere in a small forest village in central Fódlan. The people there have the gift of befriending and communicating with animals and monsters.

8: I will not be playing with this crest. It can be passed down through bloodlines, but is also granted through a special rite practiced in the mountain village of Kupala.

daunted
#16130

Posted 2021-08-18 18:41:38 (edited)

#508088