Nabateans and the twenty-two Crests: divine clues in blood, tarot, and trailersMajor spoilers

Original video: What are the Children of Nabatea? Fódlan studies to enrich Fortune’s Weave (2) · Japanese gaming channel Strategist Semimaru

This prerelease analysis begins with the blood and Crests of a long-lived people, then uses twenty-two tarot cards to trace clues about the game’s gods.

Identify the Children through the power of their blood#

Treat Sothis separately: her abilities exceed ordinary magic, so her creation of Nabateans cannot explain every later generation.

Their most obvious feature is long ears, which they hide while living among humans. They also live a long time. Hanneman and Seteth have known each other for years, but only Hanneman visibly ages. Dragon forms provide another clue. Rhea becomes the Immaculate One, while Seteth and Flayn do not display the same transformation. Green hair and eyes are recognizable, but long-eared trailer characters already have other hair colors. Relying only on hair misses clues.

Blood matters more. Nabateans have individual powers linked to their Crests. Names such as Seiros, Cichol, and Cethleann connect to the former names of Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn. Tracing people through Crests is more interesting than judging faces alone.

The twenty-two Crests and their tarot counterparts#

Twenty-one Crests plus the Crest of Flames fit the twenty-two Major Arcana. Putting each Crest beside its bearer, the dragon name in its Crest item, and its tarot card lets you follow them individually.

One clear example is Miklan becoming a Demonic Beast with the Lance of Ruin. The number on his tag connects Gautier to Death. The Monster Hunter dragon images on each page are memory aids chosen for similar dragon names. Remember ideas such as “Wind Dragon” and “Shield Dragon,” then return to the symbols and titles.

From the Fool to the Empress#

Ernest, the Fool, offers few clues; the clearest is that Anna bears it. Macuil, the Magician, is clearer. The wind Nabatean survives into the earlier game’s era, excels at magic, and helped make Sacred Weapons. The trailer’s Smyrnos also favors magic, suggesting they might correspond to the same type of Crest. Their appearances differ greatly, leaving the question of a new name versus another individual.

Seiros reminds us of another relationship: blood can be deliberately given to humans, and Crests descend through families. A matching Crest raises the further question of how it was obtained.

Dominic, the Empress, focuses attention on Leda, Arago’s banners, Creek’s pendant, and Kalla. Connecting Leda’s Crest, the banner symbol, and the god’s natural imagery suggests a link between Kalla and the Dominic Nabatean. Olympia serves Kalla’s temple, but whether she herself has a Crest is a separate question.

Clues from the Shield Dragon and Noa#

Fraldarius corresponds to the Emperor. Its Relic is a shield, and its dragon name also evokes a shield. Similar symbols appear at the four corners of the Dagdan emperor statue’s base, suggesting a Shield Dragon connection for related trailer characters.

Noa corresponds to the Hierophant. Orchel’s pendant and Eshmel’s markings bring that connection into this game. The reversed card’s disorder and lack of mercy invite speculation about Eshmel siding with Balor. That idea raises questions about the story’s length and direction, leaving it unresolved.

The Crest inherited from Flayn’s mother#

Flayn offers a more specific clue. In Three Hopes, Sothis recognizes a “gentle one” but says the appearance is unfamiliar. This suggests Flayn inherited her mother’s Crest and title, with her mother belonging to the generation Sothis originally created.

Then consider personality. Flayn describes her mother as cheerful, positive, and lively. Seteth’s support with Manuela adds context. Identifying Ninae as her mother would require explaining the personality difference. Similar looks alone do not complete the connection.

From flame to the Underworld#

Daphnel corresponds to the Chariot. The Flame Dragon name fits Mars’s fiery appearance. Blaiddyd corresponds to Strength, with extraordinary physical power as its memorable trait; Esmeralda is described similarly. Gloucester introduces another means of obtaining a Crest: later experimentation.

Goneril corresponds to the Wheel of Fortune, especially close to Fortuna. Her role as a fate deity, limited foresight, and power to rewind fit the same association. Cichol, Justice, connects to Seteth. Aubin, the Hanged Man, links the old story of healing Yuri with Aurora, raising questions about identity and dates.

Gautier’s Death offers a new reading of Saramis’s faith, Theodora, Underworld figures, and damaged statues in the trailer. Underworld soldiers have eyes like the revived Nemesis and similar symbols on their equipment, suggesting a possible Underworld–Agartha connection. When a Crest is absent from a battle screen, the gambit display’s own presentation may also explain it.

Surviving Nabateans, new names, blood sharing, and descendants#

Indech corresponds to Temperance, survives in dragon form into the earlier game’s era, and excels at crafting. Maurice corresponds to the Devil; his Demonic Beast form is a transformed human who received blood. Charon corresponds to the Tower, and stories of rain suggest this game’s weather system.

Timotheos is the Star, Riegan the Moon, and Chevalier the Sun. This suggests tracing the “sun god” Solel through Chevalier. Lamine’s Judgement connects to Dietrich. The Crest of Flames corresponds to the World and can be obtained through directly receiving blood, experimentation, or a heart.