As the Dust Settles
It had almost been five years since the war with Hoshido had ended.
There are some people who would say that it was a resounding victory for Nohr.
...The same people who stayed in the sidelines, coasting on their titles and bloodlines to keep them away from the war.
To those who fought in the war, who had bled on the battlefield, who had lost friends and loved ones, who had been scarred by the horrors of what humanity could visit upon one another. Only a solitary thought had crossed their minds, haunting them as they lay their heads down to rest...
"Was it really worth it?"
-Nohrian Wilderness-
Prince Leo had been tasked by his brother, King Xander, to personally oversee the dismantling of the Faceless production facilities. Nohr was not always so reliant on the mindless servitude of the Faceless, but their use skyrocketed in Garon's reign. The battle against the...'thing' ...that their father, the late King Garon, had become, was enough to convince everyone in attendance that there was something inhuman behind the misfortune befalling Nohr since before the war had begun. As such, Leo and Xander concocted a plan to remove the cult of Anankos from any position of influence.
"We should have seen it coming," the prince chided himself, "a man like father, finding religion? Laughable. The fact that he directed so much efforts and resources into building up a cult instead of the official state religion should have been a clear enough warning to all of us."
A nearby knight in full plate armor got off his steed and approached the Nohrian prince.
"Prince Leo, the men have scanned the perimeter, the place is abandoned," the young warrior reported, his posture firm, "no signs of human life being here for days, sire."
Leo looked over to his men and did a headcount of his available forces: A pair of knights, five warriors, two magi and a senior archmage, a trio of archers with two crossbowmen. His retainers, Niles and Odin were currently assigned to another task elsewhere in Nohr.
"Have everyone stand by, I'll do one last check myself," the brunette waved the man away as he dismounted, "the crossbows, a gift from the Earth tribe after Xander's coronation, we've got them on limited circulation right now. There's no telling what impact these weapons will have from this point on."
Leo held up the family heirloom, the tome Brynhildr, with one hand and a wooden staff in the other.
"Tch," Leo clicked his tongue as a creaking sound emanated from his right leg.
The prince looked to his limb and flashed back to the Siege of Suzanoh, the memory of being hit by the Hoshidon royal's bow brought back a feeling of unease in the prince.
"To think something like that could take my leg so easily," Leo grimaced as he strode forward, "even the Earth Tribe couldn't..."
The prince examined his leg once more, an enchanted wooden replica that belonged more on a manequin than an actual human.
"But it's already been five years since then," the dark knight sighed audibly, drawing several concerned gazes from his retinue, "we still have work to do."
Brynhilda's pages flipped as if reflecting a violent storm, letting loose a continuous, humming pulse of energy. Leo raise his other hand, the arcane power then focused itself to Leo's staff before he set it down to the earth below.
*RUMBLE*
Vines crept up from beneath the ground, causing what could be mistaken for an earthquake to those unfamiliar with the Nohrian prince's peculiar brand of magic. The magical energy caused the local wildlife to flee from the vicinity, leaving only the supposedly 'decomissioned' Faceless that hidden away from view by misdirection spells.
"Groah!"
Its cover blown, the undead abomination let loose an inhuman cry as it rose up from the dirt to meet the royal army. Rising to its full height, the Faceless stood several feet higher than its combat oriented brethren. The monster then raised its armored fists to its chest before charging towards the soldiers.
"There we go," the prince said calmly before doing a quick glance over of his men, "everyone stand at the ready, mages and archers at the backline, knights and warriors up front! This Faceless may be geared for industrial use, but don't let that fool you, what it lacks in armor is more than made up for in raw strength. It's not terribly bright so it'll keep rushing at us even if they're injured, so hold the line and pick them off!"
"Aye sir!" the gathered troops yelled in unison, raising their weapons for the coming battle.
"If we play our cards right, we can end this quickly," Leo inhaled deeply, "the cult's running scared, but that makes them more dangerous now."
"For Nohr!"
The Dark Knight raised his staff into the air, erecting a brambled fence to narrow the enemy's path to his vanguard.
"UgoOoah!"
The massive Faceless charged the thicket head on, earning itself several gashes that spilled out its unnatural blackened blood.
"Back, foul beast!" one of the mages bellowed as he led a concerted effort to launch a surge of electrical energy.
The monster staggered, stepping back behind the magical fence. It was then rewarded with several crossbow bolts tearing into its leathery flesh and an overzealous knight throwing his javelin only added insult to injury.
"GlurUGoagg!"
The creature threw a tantrum at being pushed back, flailing its arms around and flinging solid chunks of stone at its attackers, forcing Leo's men to scatter.
"Mages, don't let up!" the Nohrian Prince barked his orders, confident his men could carry them out even when under fire. "Archers, go for the arms and legs! Knights -"
"Graaaagh!"
The Faceless turned its attention to the prince, lobbing volley after volley of earth and stone in his direction.
"Damnit!"
Leo quickly erected a barrier of enchanted vines and earth, breaking some of the incoming debris. The royal clenched his teeth at the arcane strain the assault was having against his energy stores. The Nohrian tactician knew that he couldn't keep this up forever and hoped that his men would be able to find a way to counterattack soon.
*Fthk*
An arrow struck the Faceless in the arm, but it could not draw the enraged beast's attention. The monster continued its assault undeterred, likely unaware that it was even being pelted by arrows.
*Thwk* *Fthk* *Clng*
Three more arrows struck the fell creature, and once more it continued its relentless tantrum, no worse for wear.
*Szzlt*
This time, a bolt of lightning stung the beast, led on by the iron arrowheads, sending a brutal shock of electricity inside the creatures bloodstream.
"GuuAhh"
The Faceless flinched, and redirected its next volley of attacks in the direction of the magi.
"Dammit, knights charge!" Leo commanded, permitting himself several deep breaths as the stress of maintaining the barrier finally caught up with him, "I'll pin him down, just go!"
The pair of knights nodded at one another, before adjusting their helms and charging at the abomination.
"Yah!"
The headstrong knight launches himself from his mount with his steel lance thrust forward.
*Splrrt*
Black bile leaves the monster's wound, gushing out like a fountain.
"Hiya!"
The knight, pleased with himself, smirks before kicking himself off of the Faceless and landing to the ground unarmed and at a safe distance from his opponent's fists.
"Showoff," Leo mutters to himself as he feels for the vines he'd deployed in the fell beast's direction.
"Monster, now it's my turn!"
The other, knight claimed, throwing his own weapon right beside where his comrade's lance now rested.
"Groooaaagghhh!"
The creature flailed about, knocking down the pair of knights via the crumbling earth.
*Brsshk*
Leo's vines grew out from the ground underneath the Faceless, giving time for the archers to launch another volley of arrows. This was followed by the mages flinging bolt after bolt of lightning spells and the archmage firing off a deafening Mjolnir, stunning the monster. The vanguard of warriors then charged, two of their number splitting off from the main group to secure the knights while the other three planted axes and blades at the fell beast's shoulders and neck.
"Now then, you damnable thing," Leo strode forward on foot, unflinching at the continuous stream of electrical magic being flung in the direction of his target, "just die already."
The vines tightened their grip and pulled the Faceless downward deeper to the ground where smaller vines lay waiting, constricting the abomination in such a manner that its great strength held no meaning. A dark spherical aura enveloped both the Faceless and the vines, gravity, harnessed from the earth itself, growing strong enough to widen the crater it had created around itself.
*Snap* *Crack* *Pop*
And the beast finally lay dead before the armed forces, unable to leave even a death cry.
"*Huff* Alright men, tend to the wounded," the prince announced as he approached the facility.
Having the chance to look at it up close, the factory stood around several meters upward, and encompassed the surrounding 150 square meters. Leo wasn't sure if he'd actually find anything in this one as barely any clues where left behind in all the others.
AN: I felt like it was pretty weird that there wasn't an earth tribe in-game since the other traditional fantasy elements get representation in addition to Nohr being a tribe short for a 2-for-2 balance with Hoshido. It's something of a wasted opportunity since Nohr does seem to have a rich supply of natural resources, at least as far as raw materials to equip their army goes. Then there're places like their heavily fortified fortresses that make them quite impressive defensively.
Putting this all together, it just made sense to me that a group naturally skilled in mining, smithing and engineering wouldn't at all be out of place.
Essentially they are the Fates-verse equivalent of Dwarves.
As for the in-game events, standard Conquest route canon though there're a few minor tweaks such as every questionable outfit choice for any member of either army being replaced with practical combat equipment (I'm looking at you Charlotte and Camilla).
OC's are gonna be limited, for sorta canon characters, we'll have Rinkah's dad make an appearance, other prominent OC's will be one representative for each extra Class in-game (Ballistician, Dread Fighter, Witch and Dark Falcon).
Profile: Earth Tribe
Isolationist by nature, the Earth Tribe sports some of Nohr's greatest minds in engineering and architecture. As payment for the construction of Castle Krakenberg and the Nohrian capital, the king at the time had awarded them a certain degree of autonomy that only few other cities in the nation could boast.
Members of the tribe with an aptitude for magic instead deal with plants rather than stone and reside in the outskirts of the city. Using their talents and natural affinity with plant life they are tasked with managing the unique flora and securing their food supply. Another duty of the tribe's magi is to oversee the training of the incoming wielder of Brynhilda. In fact, every other generation, the tribe sends a bride or groom for the Nohrian royal whose line would carry the tome in order to secure better affinity with their unique magic.