Ilyana

"Heather... Her name is Heather. I´ll have to remember her name. She likes to feed me."

- Ilyana in a info conversation,part 3, chapter 2.

Ilyana (イレース Irēsu, Elaice in the Japanese version) is a playable character from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. She is a Mage who joins the Greil Mercenaries in Chapter 8 of Path of Radiance.

Biography
Ilyana was born and raised in a town in Daein where she was well-liked. However, she eventually decided to become a mage and left the town to seek employment. This time in her life was very difficult and she often collapsed from hunger. During one of these fainting-spells she found by Muston and the other merchants. She joined their caravan as a companion to their travels across Tellius. On several occasions she accompanied the merchants on sailing journeys on ships, where she would always get seasick. Prior to the events of Path of Radiance, Ilyana and the caravan were in Gallia, and during a rainstorm Ilyana was separated from the rest of the caravan. She tried to find shelter from the rain in a fort where, unknown to her, Ike and the Greil Mercenaries were taking shelter, but she was caught by Daein soldiers who were preparing to raid the fort and was forced into their service with the threat of execution. When she met Ike during the ensuing battle, she learned that the mercenaries were guarding her caravan friends. Upon learning this news she immediately defected from the Daein army to help Ike. She continued to fight with the Greil Mercenaries, and later the Crimean army, for the year through the rest of the war, and after it ended she left to continue traveling with the merchant caravan.

A few years later in Radiant Dawn, Ilyana and the caravan were passing through Daein again when she and Aimee were separated from the rest of the caravan and arrested by Begnion soldiers. They were taken to Glaive Prison, where they met Micaiah, Laura, and "Kurth". The five were soon released from prison by Sothe and Ilyana assisted Micaiah in fighting their way out through the soldiers, with Ilyana desiring "vengeance" for the poor quality of the prison food. After escaping and reuniting with Muston and the others, the caravan chose to accompany Micaiah and the Dawn Brigade on their mission to oppose the Begnion occupation, and so Ilyana fought as one of the Dawn Brigade and, later, the Daein Liberation Army. After the last victory at Nevassa, Ilyana left Daein with the rest of the caravan. Ilyana later joined Ike's group in Part III when her merchant convoy arrived in Begnion. As the war continued, she joined the Apostle's Army under Ike, along with the rest of the Greil Mercenaries, and when Daein's army relentlessly tried to stop them, Ilyana was forced to confront her old friends from Daein on the battlefield. After the war, Ilyana continued to travel around the continent of Tellius with the merchant convoy.

Personality
Ilyana's most noticeable trait comes in the form of her unusually voracious metabolism. This often causes her to remain ravenous no matter how much she eats, to the point that she may even be on the verge of collapse, despite having consumed large meals. Ilyana makes a mental note to remember Heather, Zihark, and Gatrie, all of whom have offered her food. When she is first encountered in Radiant Dawn, Ilyana is observed to express her anger over being served inferior-quality food in meager quantities while in prison, as can be seen when she says, "The food here... It was terrible, and...they hardly gave us any... I...will have vengeance." Furthermore, during her support conversations with Mia in Path of Radiance, Ilyana is presented as being so hungry to the point that that she collapses onto the floor, whereupon she begins to nibble Mia's boots. Despite her hunger, she is a good person at heart and she does not like fighting, especially against people she considers friends. This shows that she dislikes violence.

Another conversation that pertains to Ilyana's quirky appetite may be observed in the Info Conversation she shares with Heather, where she comments, "Heather... Her name is Heather. I´ll have to remember her name. She likes to feed me.", as Heather happily saunters off in search of food sources for her.

Ilyana is once asked by Lucia if she happens to be of the Laguz race, implying that she may be a Branded of the beast tribe, considering the fact that the tribe is well known for their large appetite for food and Strength, a stat which she excels at for her class. However, this fact is never explicitly accounted for, as Ilyana herself appears to be genuinely unaware of her own background since she might be a orphan, possibly as a result of being a Branded.

Relationships
Ilyana shares a unique relationship with Zihark. This may be observed when she meets him in Chapter 1-5 of Radiant Dawn, where she comments that it has been "too long" since she last met him, and remarks that she often thinks of him. This relationship may also be observed in Chapter 3-7 when she speaks to Zihark, where he refuses to attack her, claiming that he has known her for a longer time than the other members of their armies. If the pair share a transferred A support from Path of Radiance, Ilyana will be able to recruit him, making him defect from the Daein Army.

Ilyana also appears to share an interesting relationship with Micaiah. This may be observed in Rivals Collide, where Ilyana strikes up a conversation with Micaiah when she is in close proximity with her. In this conversation, Ilyana expresses regret at being on the laguz's side, as she harbors no ill will towards Micaiah. Ilyana then comments that both Micaiah's and her magic will be unable to severely injure the other. As Micaiah asserts that their fighting each other is wrong, Ilyana heatedly replies, "Of course it's wrong! The fact that we're fighting is all wrong! We don't even dislike each other!" When Micaiah is left speechless, Ilyana suggests that they forget the conversation ever happened. This relationship is left on a rather ambiguous note, as neither Ilyana nor Micaiah makes any mention of it after Ashera's wrath is brought upon Tellius.

Recruitment

 * Chapter 8: Ilyana appears as an enemy unit in this chapter. Have Ike speak to her to get her to defect from the Daein army.

Growth Rates

 * 45%
 * 25%
 * 50%
 * 45%
 * 30%
 * 45%
 * 15%
 * 50%
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Support Conversations

 * Gatrie
 * Mia
 * Mordecai
 * Zihark
 * Lucia

Promotion Gains
* Depends on player's choice.

Overall
Ilyana has a higher Strength growth than Soren and Tormod, which means she loses less attack speed from wielding tomes, a trait that may be able to compensate for her relatively low Speed growth. Despite her higher Strength growth, giving Ilyana staves instead of knives upon promotion is helpful, as knives require very high Strength to be powerful in this game, and Ilyana usually will hit harder with magic anyways. Pairing her up with someone will fully utilize her useful Shade skill, especially support options like Mia and Gatrie. Her average magic rating among the playable Sages is compensated with her excelling in thunder magic, the strongest tome type in the game; though thunder magic is the least accurate among the usable magic types, she has a decent skill growth rate to balance it out.

Availability
◎=Forced　○=Available　□=Available for selected　△=Reinforcement
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Growth Rates

 * 55%
 * 45%
 * 50%
 * 60%
 * 30%
 * 40%
 * 30%
 * 50%
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Promotional Gains
2nd Tier=


 * -|3rd Tier=

* Only if Thunder mastery rank is at B or lower. ** Only if Fire/Wind mastery rank is at E.

Overview
In Radiant Dawn, Ilyana returns as the only playable Thunder Mage. With her improved growths in Magic and Skill, the offensive problems associated with Thunder magic in Radiant Dawn may be considered to be compensated for to an extent. Ilyana can be a useful backline attacker (and later healer), but her Shade skill greatly improves her survival ability around other units, so she can be used in less defensive formations as well.

Ilyana is recruited in Part I, but then leaves the Daein Liberation Army to join the Greil Mercenaries for the most part of Part III. As this gives her arguably the best availability of any unit in the game, over-using her in Part I is not recommended, as the Daein Liberation Army needs all the experience possible to reduce the difficulty level of Chapters 3-6, 3-12, and 3-13. If Ilyana is trained to a reasonable level and is chosen to be an Endgame character, she will potentially be able to reduce the difficulty level of Chapter 4-E, as she is capable of exploiting the blessed Rexbolt tome's ability to deal large amounts of damage to the Dragon Laguz. This will essentially allow her to assist in the fight against Dheginsea, assuming her speed does not fall behind.

If given the proper training in Path of Radiance, Ilyana will receive data transfer bonuses.

A Conversation Chapter 1-3 of Radiant Dawn
Ilyana: Thank you... And yes, Sothe... I don't want to fight...but I'm glad I'll get to fight alongside you again... Micaiah: Ilyana? If you're not up to it, don't feel pressured to fight. We can handle the soldiers. You look a little woozy. Are you sure you're going to be all right? Aimee: She's fine, Micaiah. She's always like that. Micaiah: But... Ilyana: I can fight... I'm...very angry... The food here... It was terrible, and...they gave us hardly any... I... will have vengeance. Micaiah: This girl takes her food pretty seriously. Interesting.

Against Sothe in Part 3 Chapter 7
Ilyana: Hello, Sothe... Sothe: If you’re here with the Greil Mercenaries, does that mean the caravan is with you, too? Ilyana: ''Yes. Everyone is back together. Why don’t you join us? You should bring Micaiah, of course. Everyone is worried about you two... Sothe: I’m sorry, I can’t... Ilyana: I see... I’m sorry, Sothe.

Against Zihark in Part 3 Chapter 7
Ilyana: ''Hello, Sir Zihark. Zihark: ''Ilyana... You’re on their side, too? Ilyana: And you stand with the enemy... Zihark: I don’t know why, but it feels like you’ve been in my life longer than the others. I couldn’t handle it if you got hurt. Ilyana, please pull back before something awful happens. I beg of you. Ilyana: ''Oh, Zihark...

Against Jill in Part 3 Chapter 7
Jill: ''Ilyana? You’re with the Laguz Alliance? No, I mean the Greil Mercenaries? Ilyana: ''Yes. Muston and the others are with me, too. Jill: ''I see... We fought together in Ashnard’s War, and in the war to liberate Daein. We didn’t spend much time together, but you were a trustworthy comrade. Ilyana: ''Thank you... I wonder why we’re here. Why is Daein attacking us? Jill: ''I don’t know. The occupation soldiers left Daein. But Daein still cannot refuse a request from Begnion. Liberation was only a dream. Ilyana: ''Yet you continue to stay with the Daein army? Why do you do that to yourself? Jill: ''Because I can’t abandon my comrades.

Against Sothe in the Part 3 Endgame
Ilyana: ''Hello, Sothe. Shall we get started? Sothe: ''Uh, I thought you’d hesitate to fight me. I’m... a little surprised. Ilyana: ''You’ve made your choice, Sothe, and I’ve made mine. It’s really that simple, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m starving. If I don’t eat something soon, I think I’ll pass out... Sothe: ''Well, we can’t have that. Ready when you are, Ilyana.

Against Tauroneo in the Part 3 Endgame
Ilyana: ''...Sigh. Tauroneo: ''Taking a break on the battlefield? Things don’t seem to rattle you, Ilyana. Ilyana: ''I’m not taking a break. I’m just sad I have to fight against you, General. Well, that, and I’m really, really hungry right now... Tauroneo: ''I should’ve known. Let’s get this over with so you can get back and have something to eat. Ilyana: ''...General Tauroneo, I hope we can meet again under different circumstances. Tauroneo: ''I hope so as well, Ilyana. We’ll have to see what happens.

Against Nailah in the Part 3 Endgame
Ilyana: Wolf Queen... Nailah: Ilyana. I am not familiar with beorc magic. You might actually stand a chance, if you strike quickly. Ilyana: ''Um, OK... But... Queen Nailah? Would you promise me something? If we both live through this, will you take me for some good Hatari cooking?

Against Pelleas in the Part 3 Endgame
Pelleas: ''Ilyana... I’m sorry. If I were a better king, this wouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry... Ilyana: ''Your Majesty, I don’t know what’s happened. All I know is that my friends are hurting each other. If that means I have to stop you to save them, then I’m going to try. I’m sorry...

Against Zihark in the Part 3 Endgame
Zihark: ''Ilyana, we’ve no time for doubts now. This mess has to finish its course. Let’s get this over with. Ilyana: ''Sir Zihark... I wish it didn’t have to be this way...

Against Jill in the Part 3 Endgame
Ilyana: ''War is always sad. It never changes. It is always cruel. Can’t we just pretend that it’s all over? Jill: ''I know. No matter how many times you experience it, you can never get used to it. But no, Ilyana, we can’t. I’m sorry.

Death Quotes
"Ah..."

- Death quote in Path of Radiance

"Oh..."

- Ilyana, as an enemy in Chapter 8 of Path of Radiance.

"No! Ahh... I'm dying... on an empty stomach..."

- Death quote in Radiant Dawn

Path of Radiance
'Muston and the others are going to Daein, and I think I'm going to go with them. Thank you for everything, General Ike. Hmm... I hope they packed enough food... I'm pretty hungry...'

Radiant Dawn
Ilyana returned to travel with the merchant caravan as she had before. Somewhere, right now, she is hungry.
 * Wandering Sage (放浪の賢者 Hōrō no kenja)

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Ilyana is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
A character based on Ilyana appears in Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE as a staff member of the game's cafe.

Etymology
Ilyana is a corruption of Iliyana, a name that has been changed and altered throughout cultures in this order: Iliana (Spanish), Ileana (Spanish and Romanian), and finally Ileana-. In Roman folklore, she was kidnapped by monsters and rescued by a heroic knight, which is very similar to her situation in Path of Radiance.

Gallery
Ilyana