Lekain holding up a blood pact
For the chapter of the same name, see Blood Contract.
—Lekain
The Blood Pact (血の誓約, Chi no Seiyaku lit. Blood Oath), also known as a Blood Contract, is a device that exists in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, (and thus is considered to also exist in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, the previous game.). The signing of such a pact binds one party into absolute obedience to another, with a lethal curse being the punishment for failure to obey the command of their master. The Begnion Senate often use these in forms of trickery, greed, and other skulduggery.
Characteristics
The Blood Pact is a contract signed by two different parties. The first party possesses the contract and writes it. A second party will then sign the Blood Contract. Usually, the second party is tricked or forced into signing. The one who is in possession of the contract can invoke a curse to the other party's nation if the other party does not do as the holder wishes. As a symbol of the agreement a mark similar to the one designating a Branded (or apparently also a Spirit Charmer) appears on the wrist of the pact makers and sometimes others who are in authority in the nation.
The curse in which the Blood Contract evokes on the country it targets is simple. On the first day after the Blood Contract's effect is activated, 1 citizen of the targeted country will die from the Blood Contract's effects. On the second day, 2 people of the targeted country will die. On the third day, 3 will die, and the number will continue to increase in proportion to the number of days the curse has been in effect, until either the Blood Contract is destroyed, or all the targeted country's citizens are dead. However, the way in which the people die is unknown.
It has also been speculated that the person who signed the Blood Contract from the country it targets cannot be killed by its effects. This is supported by the fact Ashnard killed his own father instead of letting the activated Blood Contract kill him (more on that in 'Ashnard's Blood pact'). It is also assumed that the activator of the Blood Contract cannot die of its effect, even if he is a citizen of the country it targets (which Ashnard technically was).
The Blood Pact can be undone only if the scroll which holds the contract is destroyed and one of the two signers is killed. This means to gain their independence the party that signed the Blood Contract must see that the Blood Contract is destroyed.
Three events involving Blood Contracts are revealed in Radiant Dawn:
Ashnard's Blood Pact
Ashnard used a Blood Contract to become the King of Daein before the events of Path of Radiance. This is revealed by Almedha, the late Ashnard's former wife in Radiant Dawn.
Ashnard tricked his father, the twelfth King of Daein, into signing a Blood Contract with a traveling wise man as a contract for his services. Once the Blood Contract was signed by his father, Ashnard immediately invoked the curse.
The citizens of Daein began to mysteriously die off. At the time, the deaths were considered part of some unknown plague that was sweeping across the country. On the first day, only one citizen died (and probably went rather unnoticed), but with each passing day, the number of deaths began to mount, with the rate of deaths increasing with each passing day.
Ashnard, who was considered highly unlikely the inherit the throne due to the number of potential successors in line ahead of him, waited until the curse killed all of those ahead of him to guarantee that he would become the next king. He then personally killed his own father and tore apart the contract to end the curse and the deaths it caused. Not long afterward, Ashnard was crowned the thirteenth King of Daein.
The Kilvas Blood Pact
It is revealed near the end of Radiant Dawn that the King of the Raven Laguz country Kilvas who preceded Naesala had once signed a Blood Contract. When he became King, Naesala then inherited the problem of the Blood Contract.
The Kilvas Blood Contract had been made by the Duke of Gaddos, Lekain. Lekain was a high-ranking member of the Begnion Senate, and controlled most of the country through his political power. Apparently, at one point, Lekain had tricked the former Raven King to sign a Blood Contract which the King reneged on. The background of the scene with Lekain telling Pelleas about the Blood Contract contains an old king with dark wings and hair of similar color with Naesala's, and a few winged corpses on streets demonstrating the effects of the curse. Lekain recounts how King Kilvas realized his error after 30 days and begged to be forgiven but Lekain allowed the curse to continue for 100 days in total before deciding to 'forgive' him, after which the King's own wife and child were dead alongside half Kilvas' population which explains how Naesala became next in line to the throne.
When the Laguz Alliance declared war on Begnion, Lekain used the Kilvas Blood Contract to force Naesala to betray the alliance. Naesala was made to inform Duke Gaddos of the plans of the Laguz Alliance, which eventually lead to a massacre of Laguz soldiers.
After the end of Part 3 when Ashera turns most of Tellius's population to stone, the Blood Contract is considered useless (as people who are turned to stone cannot die). Naesala then joins the Apostle's Army, with his explanation and apology.
Naesala then follows the group to the Tower of Guidance in the hopes of finding Duke Gaddos and the Blood pact. It is noted that the contents the Blood Contract are vital for its effects, as Naesala discovered a loophole: he started working for Begnion's Empress Sanaki this freed him from Lekain's will, the pact was rendered useless since Sanaki has higher authority and rank than Lekain and by working for her Naesala was still working for Begnion, thus not breaking the pact.
At the end of Part 4's Endgame Part 1 Naesala finds the Blood Contract in the possession of Lekain, who had been killed in the battle. He then destroys it so that it can not be used again. If he is not in the endgame party, Sanaki will keep the contract for Naesala to destroy when they return.
Pelleas's Blood Pact
Of the three mentioned Blood Contracts, the one signed by Pelleas has the most influence on the storyline by far.
Pelleas is the supposed son of the late King Ashnard and thus the apparent heir to the Daein throne. Because he is a kind man much unlike his dead father, the Daein Liberation Army helps him win back Daein in Part 1 of Radiant Dawn.
At the beginning of Part 3 of Radiant Dawn, Pelleas unexpectedly orders his forces out against the Laguz Alliance with no real reason. It is later revealed that he was tricked into signing a Blood Contract. After he had become Daein's 14th King, Pelleas was approached by Lekain, Begnion's Duke of Gaddos, who filled in for the Duke of Persis also known as Sephiran as the inspection party that was to check on how Jarod and Duke Numida were running Daein. Prior to this, Jarod had been killed by the Liberation forces and Numida had fled for Begnion. Lekain asked Pelleas to sign a treaty that would confirm a peace agreement between Daein and Begnion. Pelleas with advice from Izuka (who was in complicity with Lekain) signed it.
The supposed treaty turned out to be a Blood Contract. As a result, Pelleas and, after his death, Micaiah are marked. Lekain then uses the Blood Contract Pelleas has signed to make his army fight the Laguz Alliance for Begnion. Later in Part 3, Pelleas reads something that suggests that if he, the signer of the Blood Contract, were to die, its effects would be revoked. In a player's first play through of Radiant Dawn, Pelleas will ask Micaiah to kill him; if she declines, Tauroneo will fulfill the request. From the second play-through onwards, though the player can deny the request altogether, and Pelleas will remain alive. It is later revealed by Kurthnaga that if the other party (Lekain) is killed in addition to destroying the pact, then it's effects will be lifted.
At the end of Part 3 when the majority of Tellius's population is turned to stone, the Daein forces (and Pelleas if he is alive) will join the Apostle's Army in their march on the Tower of Guidance. After the battle in Part 4 Endgame Part 1, the Daein Blood Contract will be taken from Lekain's body and Micaiah will destroy the contract, freeing Daein from it.
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