The continent of Fodlan, a land without gods, is governed by its inhabitants according to their own beliefs and customs. However, this changes when a goddess named Sothis arrives, bringing with her the ability to perform godly tasks such as helping crops grow and reproducing asexually. She creates a race of people called the Nabateans, who have unique abilities due to their special blood and Crests. The Nabateans coexist with the Agarthans, sharing their knowledge and inventing technologies such as electricity and nuclear weapons.
The Nabateans become overly powerful and wage war against Sothis, who is forced to use her last power to heal the Earth and falls into a deep sleep. The Nabateans build a Holy Tomb for her and establish a city around it called Zanado. The Agarthans who survive the war become known as Those Who Slither in the Dark, hiding underground and plotting revenge.
A group of bandits called Nemesis steal Sothis' body and use her bones, heart, and blood to create powerful weapons and crests. Nemesis is eventually slain by a Nabatean named Seiros, who was among the few survivors of the massacre. Seiros and four other Nabateans, known as the Four Saints, found the Adrestian Empire and fought against Nemesis and the 10 Elite in a war over Fodlan.
After the war, the 10 Elite's descendants are offered high positions in the Empire due to the power of their Crests. This begins a tradition where Crest bearers are in positions of nobility. Seiros founds Garreg Mach Monastery to spread the teachings of the Goddess and rewrite history to make it seem like Crests and Heroes' Relics were gifts from the Goddess.
700 years later, descendants of the 10 Elite rebel against the Empire, and the three powers pool their resources to construct Fodlan's Locket, an impenetrable fortress. Seiros attempts to resurrect the Goddess by implanting her heart into artificial life, but all test subjects fail. On an escort mission, a hired mercenary named Jeralt takes a mortal blow for Seiros and is gifted some of her blood to survive. Afterwards, he meets a woman Sitri, who has Sothis' heart, and they have a child named Byleth. Seiros saves Byleth's life by implanting her heart with Sothis' heart, and the Goddess revives within Byleth.
In the background, a coup takes place in the Adrestian Empire, where the six noble house leaders strip the current Emperor of most of his power. His children are taken away to undergo torturous Crest experiments by Those Who Slither in the Dark. The only survivor is a child named Edelgard, who now bears the Crest of Flames. She vows to take over Fodlan to dismantle the current nobility system and create a society based on merit.
In the far off country of Duscur, a group of Faerghus nobles, including the King and his family, are attacked by the locals as part of a plan by Those Who Slither in the Dark. The sole survivor, a young Prince Dimitri, vows to take revenge. In the land of Almyra, a Leicester noblewoman falls in love with the King and bears a child named Claude, who faces intense discrimination due to his Fodlan heritage. Claude vows to end racism by uniting Fodlan and Almyra.
Years later, Edelgard, Claude, and Byleth enroll at the Officer's Academy and get sent on a training mission close by to where Jeralt and Byleth are staying.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The continent of Fodlan was once inhabited by a goddess named Sothis.
2. Sothis created a race of people called the Nabateans.
3. The Nabateans had green hair and their hearts were made of magical stones that allowed them to transform between human and dragon.
4. The Nabateans coexisted with the locals, called the Agarthans, and shared some of their knowledge.
5. The Nabateans were wiped out in a war against Sothis.
6. Sothis fell into a deep sleep after using her last power to heal the Earth.
7. The Agarthans who survived became known as Those Who Slither in the Dark and went into hiding.
8. Nemesis, a bandit leader, snatched Sothis' body and made the Sword of the Creator, the Crest Stone of Sothis, and the Crest of Flames.
9. Nemesis used the power of the sword to slaughter the entire Nabatean race.
10. The only survivor of the massacre was a Nabatean named Seiros.
11. Seiros founded the Adrestian Empire and allied herself with four other Nabateans, known as the Four Saints.
12. Seiros and the Adrestian Empire fought against Nemesis and the 10 Elite in a war over Fodlan.
13. Nemesis was eventually slain by Seiros at the Tailtean Plains.
14. The 10 Elite were systematically hunted down and killed after the war.
15. The descendants of the 10 Elite were offered high positions in the Empire.
16. Seiros founded Garreg Mach Monastery to spread the teachings of the Goddess.
17. Seiros rewrote history to make it seem like Crests and Heroes' Relics were gifts from the Goddess.
18. The Officer's Academy was founded at Garreg Mach Monastery to instruct youth from all walks of life into becoming proper soldiers and leaders.
19. Seiros attempted to resurrect the Goddess by implanting Sothis' heart into artificial life.
20. A mercenary named Jeralt took a mortal blow for Seiros and was gifted some of her blood to survive.
21. Jeralt fell in love with a woman named Sitri, who had Sothis' heart resting in her body.
22. They had a child named Byleth, who was born lacking a heartbeat.
23. Seiros took Sothis' heart out of Sitri and implanted it into Byleth, saving the child's life.
24. The combination of Seiros' blood inside Jeralt and the Crest of Sothis inside Sitri created the perfect recipe for reviving the Goddess.
25. The Goddess now hangs out on a chair inside Byleth's head.
26. A coup took place in the Adrestian Empire, where the six noble house leaders stripped the current Emperor of most of his power.
27. The Emperor's children were taken away to undergo torturous Crest experiments.
28. The only survivor of the experiments was a child named Edelgard, who now bore the Crest of Flames.
29. Edelgard holds an intense hatred for Crests and wants to take over Fodlan to dismantle the current nobility system.
30. A group of Faerghus nobles, including the King and his family, were attacked by the locals in Duscur.
31. The sole survivor, a young Prince Dimitri, knows the truth and vows to take revenge.
32. A Leicester noblewoman fell in love with the King of Almyra and had a child named Claude.
33. Claude faced intense discrimination by the Almyrans due to his Fodlan heritage.
34. Claude made a vow to unite Fodlan and Almyra to end racism.
35. The three main characters, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude, enroll at the Officer's Academy and get sent on a training mission.