The CG of Ena holding a sending stone was probably going to be used in the final chapter of part 3 or the prologue of part 4.

Sephiran and Sanaki waving at the people of Begnion from a balcony is mentioned by Lekain in Endgame, but the illustration is not used in the game.

Lekain: "Even in the face of overtly unreasonable legislation, the two of you would stand on the balcony… A smile and a wave later, the people would cheer and go on with their happy lives."

Ⅱ - Scrapped CGs?

I found a lot of pictures with the following format:

We have no context on what these pictures are, my theory is that these were illustration ideas but I have no way to confirm it so take everything say with a grain of salt!

I will use google and my limited knowledge in Japanese for the translations, I apologize any inaccuracies.

(Note: The A B and C on the "473" pictures were added by me to make things easier)

109 - Return of the shrine maiden

301 - Rafiel and Begnion

315 - Micahia's tears

404 - The apostle and all the vassals (I don't know who the vassals are supposed to be)

405 - Serenes forest Hetzel

473 (A) - Misaha and Lillia

473 (B) - Cursed blood

473 (C) - Black dragons tribe

474 - Lehran and the mobs

In his base conversation with Yune, Stefan says branded people have cursed blood so it could be related to that.

If my theory is true, the fact that Misaha and Lillia could have gotten official designs will keep me up at night

The black dragons specifically were supposed to get something too.

I have not much to say about the others, each of them can be associated to certain plot points.

Ⅲ - Other

There's very rough sketch for this CG

Ⅳ - Last but not least

Our main sources of information will be the following:

- The base conversation with Tanith in chapter 18 (PoR)

- Ashnard and Bryce's conversation in the final chapter of PoR

-The final chapter of part 3 (RD)

The base conversation with Tanith explains what happened to the royal family 18 years prior to the mad king's war:

Ike: "Nobles, you say? So the royal family fell victim to this plague as well?"

Tanith: "Yes. The reigning king and queen and some twenty or so princes and princesses fell ill. And everyone who fell ill perished."

Here, we learn that the king, his queen and ~20 princes and princesses died because of a "plague" (which was actually the curse of a blood pact)

There's other important information in the base conversation with Tanith, but I feel like it's important to mention that the way this information was treated in English localization and original Japanese script differs slightly.

English localization:

Tanith: "You see, his name was never mentioned in any talk of succession before that time. He was of such a distant bloodline that he was unlikely to be king."

Japanese script:

タニス: "そうだ。 だがそれまでは…

王位継承には名の挙がることがなかったほど、

王位には遠い存在だったようだ。"

tl: Tanith: "Indeed. But until then...his name had not ever come up in talk of succession; that was how far he was from the throne, it seems."

(Link to the fan translation can be found here, I recommend reading it to understand my post better)

"Of such a distant bloodline" VS "that was how far he was from the throne"

Ashnard is consistently referred as the king's son across both games, which means that he can not be of "a distant bloodline". (probably an error on the translators part)

In the final chapter of PoR, when Ashnard reveals the truth behind the downfall his family, he admits to killing his father, brothers and his stepmother.

Ashnard: "The thing that killed my father was not plague, nor was it another illness.  It was me.

Ashnard: "Oh, but it doesn't end there. There was my stepmother, too. And every brother who stood to be a legitimate heir...All of them died by my hand."

Before I get to my point, let me list what do we know for facts:

- Ashnard is the king's son

- The queen of Daein died because of the blood pact (and thus, was killed by Ashnard)

- Ashnard killed his stepmother

- He killed around 20 princes and princesses (Note: the title of prince/princess is not exclusive to the king's children; it can also be used for his siblings/grandchildren)

- He killed "every brother who stood to be a legitimate heir"

- His name never came up in talks of succession

So, how does the king's son can end up so low in the succession line?

While not explicitly stated, it seems pretty obvious (to me) that the queen and Ashnard's stepmother are one and the same.

If Ashnard was born from an extramarital affair, it would explain why he was never seen as a potential heir to the throne, the queen's children and potential grandchildren would be prioritized over him.

And with over 20 princes and princesses in the family, it's not far-fetched to imagine that some of them were born out of wedlock.

With all of that in mind, let's take a look at these quotes:

Almedha: "Ashnard, he… always worried about the future of a world without equals. He was born an outstanding man, wise beyond his age, yet could never become king."

Ashnard: "I question the way in which our society is designed. No matter what strength a person has, it is the station he is born into that controls his destiny. And you cannot control where you will be born. Do you believe that a person of low birth should simply endure the curse of his station?"

We can grasp why he became so enamored with the idea that "the strong should possess everything", because as an illegitimate son of the king, his chances of becoming king through legitimate/nonviolent means were probably close to zero. Physical strength was his only way obtain some sort of legitimacy. (for example, his name was well known in the army prior to his ascension to the throne)