Introduction

The Adrestian Empire is the oldest and most storied nation in all of Fódlan, its history stretching back over a millennium. Its chronicles are inseparable from those of the Church of Seiros, the noble houses that shaped its destiny, and the wars—foreign and domestic—that forged its identity. This compendium provides a complete account from the Empire’s founding to the present day, concluding in the Great Tree Moon of Imperial Year 1180.

I. The Age of Seiros and the Founding of the Empire

— Before Imperial Year 1

In the centuries following the War of Heroes, the lands that would become the Adrestian Empire were a fractured landscape of tribes, clans, and petty kings. Peace was tenuous; unity was myth. It was in this era that Seiros, the great warrior-saint, brought order to a continent ravaged by Nemesis and his forces.

Seiros gathered allies among the strongest and most loyal of humanity. Among these stood Wilhelm Paul Hresvelg, a man of unwavering devotion to her cause. With Seiros’s guidance and Wilhelm’s leadership, the southern regions united under a single banner. This alliance became the seed of a new nation:

The Adrestian Empire, founded in Imperial Year 1.

Seiros entrusted her relics and the Crest-bearing lineages to those humans who had stood with her. These families became the backbone of imperial governance, each house charged with responsibility for a different territory, military district, or administrative domain.

II. The Crest Order and Imperial Expansion

— IY 1 to ~IY 700

The early Empire developed rapidly.
Its nobility—organized around the divinely bestowed Crests—formed the imperial aristocracy. The Ten Great Families, blessed with these Crests, commanded armies, governed provinces, oversaw magical research, and enforced imperial law.

As trade routes expanded and cities flourished, the Empire spread beyond its initial central heartland. Through diplomacy, marriage, and war alike, the Empire extended its rule over nearly the entire continent.

Under imperial administration:

• Roads and fortifications were built across Fódlan

• Magic academies and scholarly circles flourished

• Provincial governors maintained order under the watchful eye of the Emperor

• The Church of Seiros guided spiritual life and legitimized imperial authority

For centuries, the Empire stood as the undisputed ruler of Fódlan.

III. The Secession of Faerghus and the Rise of Independent Kingdoms

— Culminating in IY 747

After centuries of rule, cultural and political divides emerged between the northern provinces—more rugged, martial, and tradition-bound—and the cultured southern court of Enbarr.

Tensions grew until the northern lords broke away, forming the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.
The Church of Seiros supported this independence, believing the Empire had grown over-centralized.

The schism permanently altered Fódlan, ending the era of continental unity.

IV. The Separation of Leicester and the Birth of the Alliance

— Culminating in IY 901

A second major fracture occurred when powerful eastern nobles rejected imperial taxation and centralized rule. Preferring mercantile independence and local governance, these lords united as the Leicester Alliance, a confederation governed by a council instead of a king.

Thus, the Empire found itself bordered by two rising powers—Faerghus and Leicester—each formed from lands that had once been its own.

V. High Imperial Culture and the Long Decline

— IY 901 to ~IY 1100

Despite territorial loss, the Empire entered a golden age of culture and scholarship. The Hresvelg dynasty presided over artistic and academic flourishing. Provinces enjoyed relative peace, and Enbarr became known as the Shining City of the South.

Yet beneath this splendor lay slow decline.
Noble houses, once stewards of imperial domains, grew nearly autonomous. Over the centuries, these houses accumulated wealth, armies, and political leverage surpassing even that of the Emperor.

Central rule weakened as:

• The noble ministries controlled imperial functions

• The military grew divided between provincial commands

• Imperial succession became entangled in family rivalries

By the eleventh century, the Emperor’s authority had been greatly diminished.

VI. Influence from the Shadows

— IY 1100 to 1170s

A mysterious underground faction—recorded only in restricted archives as Those Who Slither in the Dark—exerted hidden influence within the Empire. Through infiltration, manipulation, and human experimentation, they ensnared members of key noble families and shaped imperial policy from behind the scenes.

While their true motives remain obscured, their interference poisoned imperial governance and contributed to the weakening of the Hresvelg line.

VII. The Reign of Ionius IX and the Imperial Coup

— IY 1170s

Imperial history entered crisis when Emperor Ionius IX, seeking to restore central authority, attempted to curtail the power of the aristocracy. His reforms were met with swift retaliation.

The ruling nobles—chief among them House Aegir—stripped him of authority and placed him under effective house arrest. From that moment, the Emperor became a figurehead, while the ministries of the Seven Great Houses ruled the Empire.

During this turbulent period, the young princess Edelgard and her siblings were used in secret Crest experiments, resulting in devastating loss and deepening the Empire’s internal corruption.

VIII. The Empire and Brigid

— IY 1170s–1180

The Adrestian Empire maintained long-standing dominance over Brigid, the island nation to the southwest. Although Brigid retained its own culture and monarchy, it was bound to the Empire through tribute and political subordination.

The Brigid invasion of Dagda, and Dagda’s retaliatory attack on the Empire, forced Brigid to fight at the Empire’s side.
This culminated in Brigid’s current vulnerable status, pressured between loyalty to the Empire and its own desire for autonomy.

Princess Petra Macneary, heir to Brigid’s throne, resides in the Empire as a political hostage—symbolizing Brigid’s troubled relationship with the imperial court.

IX. The Seven Great Houses of the Empire

— Updated for Imperial Year 1180

The modern Empire is maintained not by the central government alone but by seven dominant noble houses:

1. House Hresvelg

Seat: Enbarr
Crest: Major Crest of Seiros
The imperial family, rulers of Adrestia since its founding. Once uncontested sovereigns, the Hresvelg line now struggles against the ministries that overstep their authority. Princess Edelgard stands as the heir apparent.

2. House Aegir

Seat: North Seirios Region
Crest: None
The most politically powerful house. The Prime Minister of the Empire comes from this line. Though lacking a Crest, the house controls many ministries and commands overwhelming bureaucratic influence.

3. House Bergliez

Seat: Gronder Region
Crest: Minor Crest of Indech
Commander of the Imperial Army. Known for their military talent, discipline, and directness. Their strength ensures order in the western provinces.

4. House Hevring

Seat: Eastern Adrestia
Crest: Crest of Charon
Masters of arcane study and magical infrastructure. Their mages influence the Empire’s academic institutions and magical research.

5. House Varley

Seat: South Adrestia
Crest: Minor Crest of Saint Cethleann
Devout supporters of the Church and stewards of southern temples. Known for political conservatism and strict adherence to tradition.

6. House Arundel

Seat: Aegir Region
Crest: None
Once a minor house, their power expanded after Lord Arundel became a major figure in foreign diplomacy and imperial court politics. Their influence is more enigmatic than their history suggests.

7. House Gerth

Seat: Far Western Frontier
Crest: None
Overseers of frontier territories, trade routes, and imperial security along the western coast. Their rule stabilizes lands vulnerable to Dagdan incursions.

X. Events of the Present Day

— Imperial Year 1180, up to the Great Tree Moon

The Empire stands at a crossroads.

1. Return of Princess Edelgard

Edelgard returns from years spent abroad in Faerghus, having endured political captivity and intensive education. Her reappearance shifts the balance of power within the capital.

2. Growing Unrest Between the Throne and the Nobility

Emperor Ionius IX remains confined, his authority symbolic.
The Seven Great Houses rule the Empire through competing ministries.
Tensions between the nobles and the loyalist faction at the palace rise daily.

3. Strain with the Church of Seiros

Though publicly aligned, fissures widen between the Empire and the Church.
Political voices increasingly call for freedom from ecclesiastical oversight.

4. The Brigid Question

Princess Petra resides at the academy as both an exchange student and hostage.
Brigid seeks autonomy.
The Empire expects loyalty.
Diplomatic relations grow fragile.

5. Movements in the Shadows

Unseen forces continue to exert influence within the Empire.
The ministries show signs of manipulation.
Some within the court whisper of conspiracies dating back generations.

6. A New Academic Year

The Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery begins its term, drawing together heirs of the Empire, Kingdom, and Alliance—including Edelgard herself.
This convergence places the brightest future leaders of Fódlan under one roof.

Conclusion

As of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, the Adrestian Empire is a nation shaped by a millennium of triumphs, losses, and upheavals. Its institutions endure, but the foundations that once supported its rule—its partnership with the Church, the loyalty of its nobility, and the absolute authority of the Hresvelg line—stand weakened.

History seems poised to turn once more.