—Ilyana in Radiant Dawn
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.
Profile
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 was found by a merchant caravan and was nursed back to health. As repayment, she decided to stay with the merchants and guard them with her magic. Prior to the events of Path of Radiance, Ilyana got separated from her group due to a Daein invasion. She was then forced into helping the Daein forces fight Ike and his friends. When she met Ike during the ensuing battle, she learned that the mercenaries were guarding her caravan friends. Upon learning this, she immediately defects from the Daein army to help Ike. Ilyana then remains with the Greil Mercenaries until the Mad King Ashnard is defeated.
A few years later in Radiant Dawn, Ilyana and the others of the merchant convoy were captured and held at Gribe Prison by Begnion’s occupying force in Daein. She then joins the Dawn Brigade after Sothe rescues her, Aimee, and Micaiah from a Daein prison, assisting Micaiah in her quest to liberate Daein from Begnion's rule. After the last victory at Nevassa, Ilyana leaves Daein with the rest of the caravan. Ilyana later joins Ike's group when her merchant convoy arrives in Begnion. As the war continues, she fights in the Apostle's Army under Ike, along with the rest of the Greil Mercenaries. When Daein's army relentlessly tries to stop them, Ilyana is forced to confront her old friends from Daein on the battlefield. After the war, Ilyana continues 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 be on the verge of collapse right after having consuming large meals. Such an obsession affects her mentality as well, as though she is terrible in remembering people’s names and faces, she has perfect memory regarding names of people who have treated her to delicious meals or are good at cooking, such as Heather, Zihark, and Gatrie. And when first encountered in Radiant Dawn, Ilyana is observed to express her anger over being served inferior-quality food in meager quantities while in prison. Furthermore, during her support conversations with Mia in Path of Radiance, Ilyana is presented as getting hungry to the point that after she collapses onto the floor, she begins to nibble Mia's boots.
Despite she may always seem to be thinking about food, she is a good person at heart and she has incredible insight into the hearts of others, especially against people she considers to be friends.
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.
In-Game
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
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.
Base Stats
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mage |  Light | ||||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Wt | Mov |
| 6 | 20 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||||
 Shade |  Thunder - D Fire - E Wind - E |  Thunder Elthunder Vulnerary | |||||||||
Growth Rates
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45% | 25% | 50% | 45% | 30% | 45% | 15% | 50% |
Support Conversations
- See also: Ilyana/Supports
Promotion Gains
| Item Required | Promoted Class | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
( Master Seal)
|
 Sage
| ||||||||
| 1 | +4 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +1 |
| Skills | Weapon Levels | ||||||||
 Knife*
|
 E*  D**  D**
| ||||||||
* Depends on player's choice.
** If her weapon rank is still at E before promotion.
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.
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Availability
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Endgame | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | E | P | 1 | 2 | 3 | E | P | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | E | P | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | E | A1 | A2 | A3 | A4 | A5 |
| ◎ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | □ | |||||||||||||||
◎=Forced ○=Available □=Available for selected △=Reinforcement
Base Stats
| Starting Class | Affinity | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Thunder Mage |  Light | ||||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Con | Wt | Mov |
| 12 | 22 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||||
 Shove Shade |  Thunder - C |  Thunder Elthunder | |||||||||
Growth Rates
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55% | 45% | 50% | 60% | 30% | 40% | 30% | 50% |
Biorhythm
Promotional Gains
| Item Required | Promoted Class | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
( Master Seal)
|
 Thunder Sage
| ||||||||
| 1 | +2 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| Weapon Levels | |||||||||
 E  E
| |||||||||
| Item Required | Promoted Class | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
( Master Crown)
|
 Archsage
| ||||||||
| 1 | +4 | +5 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +5 | +2 | +0 | +0 |
| Skills | Weapon Levels | ||||||||
 Flare
|
 A* D** D**  E
| ||||||||
* Only if Thunder mastery rank is at B or lower.
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 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 immense damage to the Dragon Laguz or strike from afar with a blessed Bolting. This will 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.
Quotes
Battle Quotes
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
—Death quote in Path of Radiance
—Ilyana, as an enemy in Chapter 8 of Path of Radiance.
—Death quote in Radiant Dawn
Epilogue
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
- Wandering Sage (放浪の賢者 Hōrō no kenja)
Ilyana returned to travel with the merchant caravan as she had before. Somewhere, right now, she is hungry.
Non-Canon Appearances
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 Cafe Seiren. She offers a few sidequests to gather ingredients for new menu items that the player can order once they are completed.
Etymology
Ilyana is a corruption of Iliyana, a name that has been changed and altered throughout cultures; Iliana (Spanish) and Ileana (Spanish and Romanian). In Roman folklore, she was kidnapped by monsters and rescued by a heroic knight, which is rather similar to Ilyana's situation in Path of Radiance.
Gallery
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