Since Forum Emblem is based off of a video game with numerous characters}, it only makes sense that the story has the same fate.
Knifez
Captain of the Shepherds and Prince of Waydrn. Treats his men firmly but fairly.
Aside from the actual forum member Knifez, Knifez is also partially based on the character Chrom from Fire Emblem: Awakening. However, their similarities only go as far as being the prince of their respective region, leading the Shepherds, and their character blurb. Knifez is unlike Chrom in that he is not the next in line for Waydrn's throne and he is many miles smarter than Chrom. He's quick to trust, but even quicker to lay down the law should the situation call for it. He is very protective of his sisters, especially after the events of a certain chapter. He holds himself personally responsible for every member of the Shepherds and almost exclusively blames himself when one of them dies.
Associated Tropes:
Florence
A Shepherd and Knifez’s sister. Always ready to lend an ass-kicking.
Florence is Knifez's older sister and first in line to inherit the Waydrn throne should something happen to May (which it did). She's headstrong, brash, and loud, making sure to always put in her two (or three) cents. When she's not kicking ass on the battlefield, she can be found hitting on the male recruits, scouting for the perfect mate to share her throne with.
Associated Tropes:
Green
A funloving Tostian dracoknight. Has a penchant for stabbing first and asking questions later.
Green hails from Tost and is Bella's fellow Noble in charge of redeeming the poor, thief-ridden nation and bringing some form of order to the mostly anarchistic people. Before they can do that, however, they need to stop Esh-Ban to show that they mean business and defectors will be shown no mercy. He is a tad slower to trust others than Bella, assuming that everyone would sooner steal his shit than strike up friendly conversation. Once he opens up, though, he drops the tough guy show and loves cracking jokes and spending time with his wyvern. If someone is down to do both with him, he's automatically made a friend. He loves capturing animals and taming them to obey his commands, a trait he shares with Chase and may or may not be a huge Pokémon reference.
Associated Tropes:
- Shout-Out: Duh.
Bella:
A Tostian “noble” whose love of her country is rivaled only by her love of her horse.
Hailing from the thieves' paradise known as Tost, Bella always has one hand on her weapon and one hand on her belongings. This doesn't stop her from making friends within the Shepherds, but the second it seems her mount is in danger, she will start ripping throats out. She will lay down her life for either horse or country, as evidenced by her mere presence in the group. She joined formally after May died and, along with Green, are out to prove that Tost does not approve of Esh-Ban's actions despite being his home country.
Associated Tropes:
DJ:
A noble from Frar who knows his way around a sword.
DJ is the prince of Frar, and has been raised in the lap of luxury. He could have easily gotten anything in the world with the greatest of ease, but he used his privilege to learn the ways of swords and became a skilled Myrmidon. He's fast, strong, and alert. He's so used to being hit on and stalked in his home country that a lot of his first impressions with the Shepherds involve him thinking someone's getting fresh with him, though that's rarely the case. His accent also makes some of the things he says sound suggestive, which doesn't help that matter at all. Especially when Florence is around to hear. He also has the strangest habit of waking up preposterously early. Or maybe he never went to sleep in the first place. Nobody quite knows...
Associated Tropes:
- Warrior Prince: Although not initially to the same extent as Knifez.
Joos
A traveler with no memory of the past, but a gift for tactics.
Joos is based on the Avatar (officially named Robin) in Fire Emblem: Awakening. Sort of. He is the main character and head tactician of the Shepherds who has a terrible case of amnesia. While the avatar is sort of a blank slate to project the player's traits onto, Joos is more fleshed out, given that he is primarily based on a real person like everyone else. He is a bit shy and only slightly sarcastic. He is easy to fluster and takes the loss of Shepherds very seriously. He doesn't let being in a war stop him from making friends and having a sense of humor, though he isn't as open about that humor as Florence and George are. The most notable difference between him and the avatar is that the avatar from canon and his/her child purposefully have gender neutral names, while Joos seems to be a primarily boy's name.
Associated Tropes:
- Author Avatar: Par for the course considering the nature of the fic.
- Deadpan Snarker: When the need arises.
Sam
The Shepherds’ original, no-nonsense Tactician.
Sam, like Joos, is based on the avatar (officially named Robin) in Fire Emblem: Awakening. However, the only traits he shares are starting class and the gender neutral name. The avatar is usually a blank slate for the player to project their own qualities onto, but being primarily based on a real person, Sam has his own qualities and traits to set him apart from his canon counterpart. He is heavily sarcastic to the point where his default reaction to most things is a witty remark. He has been the tactician for years before Joos' introduction and takes a few chapters to slip back into his sarcastic nature thanks to being replaced as head tactician. His bitterness doesn't stop him from being a valuable asset and a witty companion, though. He doesn't take the loss of Shepherds as hard due to his many years of experience and a catastrophe he mentions in some of his supports, but he still tries his hardest to get through every battle without losing a unit. He can usually be found fighting alongside Pika.
Associated Tropes:
- Deadpan Snarker: In case it wasn't completely obvious.
- Knight in Sour Armor:
George
A harrowingly optimistic Waydrnite who loves bad jokes.
George is partially based on the character Henry from Fire Emblem: Awakening in that he shares the universal Dark Mage trait of being a bit strange in his own way. In this case, he shares Henry's love of jokes of questionable quality. His own brand of strange brings him an ever present itch to practice his curses and occasionally cross lines without meaning to. He also shares one or two qualities of the character Frederick, but they only share their initial dislike/distrust of the avatar. He's best friends with Knifez and Grace and is quick to make new friends (as long as they're not suspiciously found in a field.) He is currently sitting out battles at the Capital of Waydrn, but that may change...
Associated Tropes:
- Beware the Silly Ones:
- Handicapped Badass: He may be wheelchair bound, but damn can he fight.
- Heroic Comedic Sociopath: More emphasis on the heroic comedic rather than the sociopath, but he has his moments.
Grace
An affectionate and cheeky Shepherd with a possessive streak.
Grace is (very) slightly based off of the character Lissa from Fire Emblem: Awakening. Her and Lissa share the traits of being the team's starting healer and the first "voice" you hear outside of the premonition. Unlike Lissa, Grace is very eager to start fighting and hates having to sit on the side-lines and heal all the time. She's also not related to any of the other Shepherds through blood, which further separates her from Lissa.
Associated Tropes:
Jimmy
A quiet Shepherd who knows exactly when to get to work.
Jimmy is one of the Shepherds who has been part of the team the longest. He is a cavalier with some of the most knowledge and battle experience on the team and can always be counted on in times of trouble. He's quiet and only gives his input when it's completely necessary. He's usually the watcher and not the doer, but that doesn't stop him from having a silly side sometimes.
Associated Tropes:
Pika
A peppy Shepherd, always ready to follow her Tactician’s commands.
Pika is an experienced archer and one of the few to be on the Shepherds since before the events of the story. She's very good at what she does and can hit moving targets with wonderful accuracy. Her wit is sharp and she loves working together with fellow long range combatants like magic users and other archers. She can usually be found fighting alongside Sam and snarking at enemies and their dumb movement choices. She likes to exercise her strategic thinking and hopes to one day mix it up on the battlefield.
Associated Tropes:
Josh
A meticulous, methodical Shepherd with just a bit of whimsy.
Josh takes probably the heaviest inspiration from Fire Emblem: Awakening as anybody. His mannerisms and habit of using large words and convoluted sentences are heavily inspired by the character Miriel, who is very much the same as Josh's forum member counterpart. However, Josh brings some of his forum member inspiration to the table by being more whimsical, light-hearted and friendly. What he lacks in strength he makes up for in extremely powerful magic and extreme intelligence. He's one of the more optimistic Shepherds and is always ready to lend a hand (or a spell) in times of need.
Associated Tropes:
Dakota
A formidable Waydrnite thief with a grim outlook on things.
Dakota is very slightly based on the character Gaius from Fire Emblem: Awakening. However, most of the similarities begin and end in that they are both thieves. Dakota also shares the traits of being a good thief and his occasional tendency to crack a joke. He is good at what he does and he prefers to keep interaction to a minimum so he can focus on fighting, though he is getting better. He is always the Shepherds' first choice for running stealth missions and can pick-pocket even the most alert suckers blind.
Associated Tropes:
Eddie
A Waydrnite thief who thinks big and dreams bigger.
Eddie, like Dakota, is slightly based on Gaius from Fire Emblem: Awakening. However, the influence is much less than his fellow thief. He is like Gaius in that he joined the Shepherds after weighing his options and deciding to work for the winning side, and is unlike Gaius in that Eddie can't steal from a sleeping blind man without getting caught.
Associated Tropes:
Chase
A sellsword with a love of tall tales and romance.
Chase is a Mercenary. He travels the world and does various odd jobs for money. Unfortunately, this has put him in some weird lines of work, including murder, assassination plots, and kidnapping. However, his moral compass always triumphs over his need for cash, and if he deems his employer unethical, he will strike them down. His travels have taken him all over the continent and he knows certain areas of the three nations like the back of his hand. He dreams of one day meeting and falling in love with someone who will sweep him off his feet and into a better, more wholesome life.
Associated Tropes:
Kjeld
An executioner who just wants justice to be served already.
Kjeld is an executioner with a mysterious past and an almost irrational hatred for Esh-Ban. He was slated to execute the war criminal before he escaped and joined the Shepherds, but only until he can deliver justice. He is obsessed with making sure Esh-Ban gets what he deserves, almost to a fault. His motivations remain secret, but he swears he has a reason for putting justice before friendship.
Associated Tropes:
Signele
Last surviving inhabitant of The Domain. Also a giant bunny sometimes.
Signele is heavily based on Panne from Fire Emblem: Awakening. Panne is also a Taguel with the ability to turn into a giant rabbit and is part of the Shepherds due to unfortunate circumstances. She also shares Panne's bizarre trait of having an unnecessary e at the end of her name. It must be a Taguel thing. However, Signele, instead of being the last of her species, Signele is merely the last of her nation. She also holds less animosity for humans and only calls them man-spawn when she's angry (or pretending to be.) She's also much more light-hearted and trusting. She has an imaginary, yet strict question limit that she enforces on any and all people who approach her with questions, but that rule simply does not apply to herself. She loves babies (especially human ones) and will fight tooth and claw to defend anything smaller and cuter than her. It has to be both of those things, though.
Associated Tropes:
Ewisko
A Waydrnite commoner with unawakened potential.
Ewisko is based on the character Donnel from Fire Emblem: Awakening. He is similar in that he too is a farm boy with questionable social skills, a dim wit and unawakened potential. He also shares the trait of being fiercely protective of a mother figure from his home village, though in this case it's the mother of a mysterious DJ (not to be confused with the Shepherds' DJ, mind you) instead of his own mother. Where he differs from Donnel, he shares similarities with Total Drama's own Ezekiel. This results in a slightly dim-witted character who becomes overconfident in his abilities and ends up getting himself into trouble, though in this case, it wasn't entirely his fault.
Associated Tropes:
Julius
A gifted dancer with a flair for philandering and caffeine.
Julius is based on the Fire Emblem: Awakening character Inigo. This is evident in his philandering ways, his love of innuendos and dancing, and his introduction being hitting on a girl. He bring Julius to the table by being confident in his dancing abilities, his love of coffee and his generally much more friendly attitude towards everyone else. He would still flirt with most things that have a skirt, but that doesn't stop him from buddying up with the guys of the Shepherds. He can usually be found helping the bulkier Knight units progress farther in battle, though that doesn't mean he can't hold his own.
Associated Tropes:
Maggie
An innocent Manakete with a penchant for theatrics.
Maggie, being a Manakete, is based on Nowi from Fire Emblem: Awakening. However, instead of being slightly creepy and ignoring the fact that she's many, many years older than she looks, Maggie is more likely to embrace her age and use it to give advice to the younger Shepherds (which includes everybody.) She also loves having a good time and whenever she's allowed to change into her dragon form is a good day in her book!
Associated Tropes:
Kate
A knight who’s probably just as confused as anyone.
Kate's a knight from Tost and one of Bella and Green's right hand women. She is strong in battle, but her bulky armor keeps her from being front and center on the battlefield. She also has a tendency of getting a bit lost in her thoughts and sometimes needs a reminder of just what is going on. She makes up for it with sheer strength, though. And with Julius fighting alongside her, she can make it much farther in battle than she can alone.
Associated Tropes:
Sarah
A gifted Wyvern Rider who prefers the term “realistic.”
Sarah joins Kate as a right hand to Green and Bella in Tost. She's more on the pessimistic side, though and sometimes takes a moment to see the silver lining in situations. she channels this into battle, though and uses it to cut down enemies left and right on the field of battle. She seems to have warmed up to Maggie, however.
Associated Tropes:
Kayla
A hyperactive mage who can’t wait to prove herself as more than just a kid.
Kayla is based on Ricken from Fire Emblem: Awakening in that she too is a younger, in-training member of the Shepherds who is eager to prove herself in battle, despite Knifez's insistence that she stay behind. She also shares his plot thread of helping someone in need to prove herself, but the similarities stop there. Kayla is much more open to others and lacks Ricken's strange way with animals in exchange for a strange groupie in the form of an almost motherly Signele.
Associated Tropes:
Aloasa
A dour Tostian with a knack for curses and hovering.
Aloasa shares traits with Tharja from Fire Emblem: Awakening. Like Tharja, he is a creepy, almost stalker-like presence who seems to always be around. He keeps interactions to a minimum and simply watches. Waiting. He too defected from the Grimleal to join the Shepherds, though not everyone trusts him as instantly as they did others like Eddie and Dakota. He is fighting a constant uphill battle to prove himself as something other than a traitor, but hatred for Grimleal runs deep, and for some, slapping the word "former" in front doesn't make him any more trustworthy.
Associated Tropes:
Anna
A world-traveling merchant who loves money and big spenders.
Okay, real talk? Anna is, well, Anna.
In the Fire Emblem series, every single game except for one has had a character, usually a red-headed merchant, named Anna appear in some form or another, and seeing as Fire Emblem: Awakening was the first game in which you could have Anna on your team, it seemed only fitting to use our very own Forum's Anna to fill that role in this story. She's hyper and eager to join any conversation. She usually ends conversations by advertising her discounted wares and she acts like she's the head of the team, but makes up for her intrusive and would-be dominant presence by being a nimble, powerful fighter with the ability to heal allies.
Associated Tropes:
Rachel
Constantly picks fights, but is better at healing than punching.
Rachel is a war cleric with more of a penchant for healing than fighting. She was willing to try her hand at fighting when May was taken hostage and single-handedly broke into the castle to save her. It didn't work, but hey, it's the thought that counts. She's thoughtful and considerate, because that's what May was for her. She joined the Shepherds to fight for May's honor and bring Esh-Ban down.
Associated Tropes:
Heroi
Really good at what he does, but goes unnoticed until he’s gone.
Heroi is a mercenary and old friend of Chase's. He also takes jobs for money, though his moral compass is willing to go a little bit more grey in favor of large paychecks. Chase contacted him after Spencer was born to help scout the area for any possible information on Esh-Ban. After delivering on that promise, he joined the Shepherds. He is quiet and fatal, tending to focus more on taking lives than making friends. However, his friendship with Chase is always something he has some time for.
Associated Tropes:
Joanne
A quiet knight who waits for the perfect moment to speak up.
Joanne is part of Frar's royal guard and a dedicated worker. She's an experienced cavalier with extensive knowledge of battle but not a lot of experience quite yet. She drowns herself in her work and the war to distract her from inner demons she may or may not be fighting. She loves exchanging stories and can usually be found reading or writing stories in her free time.
Associated Tropes:
Daniel
A Frarian warrior who hopes for the best, but expects the worst.
Shortly after Florence took the position of Exalt, she hired lots of new palace guards as an increased security measure. One of these new guards was the Hero-class warrior, Daniel. He was then called upon by George to infiltrate the Grimleal and work as a spy. Though he didn't gleam too much new information, he does have a good idea of where the important Grimleal hideouts are and came through in the battle of Chapter 11. He's quite pessimistic, but, as his blurb states, will hope for the best, even though he's fully prepared to deal with the worst. He still manages to pull through in battle and deliver powerful final blows with his mastery of both swords and axes.
Associated Tropes:
Taylor
A horse-loving girl who’s incidentally really bad at riding horses.
Taylor joined the Shepherds after a heroic crusade gone terribly wrong. During the disaster, her beloved horse Applejack died due to enemy archers. Since she died and Taylor wasn't that great at riding her anyway, she traded in her dreams of being a cavalier for being a bulkier, slower knight like Kate. Not much is known about her yet.
Associated Tropes:
Spencer
An enigmatic man who thirsts for a better world.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The grown-up version of DJ and Chase's son.
Janice
A rebellious Wyvern Rider with more love for her wyvern than herself.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Florence and Jimmy.
Justice
A nervous boy who’s top priority is exceeding his father’s expectations.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Knifez and Rachel.
Augustus
A fun-loving warrior with sharp wit and even sharper axes.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Grace and George.
Jayde
A hyperactive Taguel obsessed with helping her species thrive.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Signele and Joos.
Mason
An uptight mage who stands for nothing and falls for anything.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Chloe and Green.
Kelsie
A lazy, adopted child who was given everything before the world burned.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Sarah and Maggie.
Bohl
A confusing youth with incredible intelligence and not so great speech patterns.
Associated Tropes:
- Badass Bookworm: Inherited it from his father.
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Josh and Bella.
Danica
A cunning, flirty girl who could rob even the greatest thieves blind.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Julius and Kate.
Harley
A reserved girl torn between saving the world and protecting her family.
Associated Tropes:
- Kid from the Future: The future child of Sam and Pika.
