—Seliph, in a conversation with Julia.
Seliph (Serlis in the official website for Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade), full name Seliph Baldos Chalphy, is the protagonist of the second generation of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War and a non-playable character from Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. He is the son of Sigurd and Deirdre, and was chronologically born in Agustria, between Chapters 2 and 3 in the events of Genealogy of the Holy War. He also appears as a DLC character in Awakening, wherein he was illustrated by Suzuki Rika, the illustrator of the Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones novels in Japan.
Seliph is the maternal grandson of Kurth and Cigyun, the great-grandson of Azmur, the half-nephew and stepson of Arvis, and the older half-sibling of Julius and Julia. He is also the cousin of Saias. He is known as the Scion of Light by the citizens of the world, a stark contrast to Julius, who is called the Prince of Darkness.
A descendant of Baldur on his father's side and of Heim and Saint Maera on his mother's side, Seliph is also the paternal grandson of Byron, nephew of Ethlyn, the nephew-in-law of Quan, and the first cousin of their children Leif and Altena. Due to the blood of Baldur, he is a distant relative of Oifey. Due to the blood of Heim, he is a distant relative to Linoan.
Story
Seliph was born in Agusty during the Grannvale Kingdom's occupation of Agustria, Chagall's uprising in Madino and Silvail. Deirdre made the decision to leave Agusty to join her husband after Madino Castle was conquered. She was captured by Manfroy, robbing Seliph of his mother for the rest of his life. Later on in Chapter 5, after the subjugation of Lubeck in Silesse, Oifey and Shannan were entrusted with the task of bringing Seliph to Isaach, which was considered a safe haven at the time.
Seliph grew up in the town of Tirnanog in northern Isaach, alongside Ulster/Dalvin, Larcei/Creidne, Lana/Muirne, Lester/Deimne and Diarmuid/Tristan, and was raised by Edain, Shannan and Oifey.
In the opening events of Chapter 6, Seliph, accompanied by Lana/Muirne, Ulster/Dalvin and Larcei/Creidne sortied out of Tirnanog to retaliate against the uprising of Dozel. Reinforcements, in the form of Oifey, Lester/Deimne and Diarmuid/Tristan later arrived, giving Seliph the upper hand in overthrowing Grannvale's control over Ganeshire. He then met Lewyn, where he was entrusted with protecting Julia.
Seliph's army soon expanded in size, as it was reinforced by Iuchar/Iucharba, Arthur/Amid and Fee/Hermina. This gave Seliph enough strength to defeat Danan at Rivough and free Isaach from his clutches. Lewyn then returned from his work in Leonster, bringing news of the rise of scattered rebellions across Jugdral and encouraging Seliph to leave Isaach and form such a rebellion, proceeding to tell part of Sigurd's past to Seliph before making the suggestion for the army to join up with Shannan and Leif. While initially reluctant, Seliph accepted the duty.
Heading to the south to meet up with his cousin Prince Leif and assist him in his own liberation army, they freed Darna and the Yied Shrine along the way. After breaking through Ishtore's forces at Melgen and a surprise attack by Darna, Seliph's army set foot upon Alster and, working with Leif, Nanna/Jeanne and Finn, assisted in driving Bloom out of Alster's borders, freeing the north of the Thracian peninsula. Seliph's army was soon forced into another battle with the Freeges, as Bloom sent out two armies to wrest Lenster and Alster from Seliph and Leif's control. Despite the odds against the army, it managed to kill Bloom and subjugate Conote.
The Thracian army then attacked Manster, where Seliph's army rushed to the aid of the fleeing citizens and Ced/Hawk, managing to conquer Manse in the process. After subduing the Kingdom of Thracia, ending in the death of King Travant and the escape of Prince Areone, Seliph set his sights upon Grannvale, the land of his forefathers.
As the army entered the district of Miletos, for the quickest route through to Grannvale; while resting at Peruluke Castle, Julia disappeared without a trace, abducted by Manfroy while Seliph was otherwise occupied.
After liberating the nation and preventing the recapture of its children for the child hunts endorsed by the empire, Seliph's army engaged in a battle with Julius and Ishtar. The duo would eventually pull back from the battle as either one is defeated by the army.
As the army proceeded across the bridge leading into Chalphy, several dark mages were seen to pursue a bishop and a group of children. Seliph pursued the mages, managing to slay them and rescue the fleeing group. The bishop, a former servant of his father, then gave the holy sword Tyrfing to Seliph, as entrusted to him by Arvis. With the Tyrfing, Seliph faced off against Emperor Arvis and his Rotten Ritter, reclaiming his ancestral home and avenging his father's death.
As he stopped by a shoreline near the castle, Seliph met his parents for the first time in his life. A heartwarming conversation resulted from this meeting, where Seliph learned the truth behind Arvis' actions: he had been manipulated by the Loptyrian Cult from the start. Seliph then received a Life Ring as a farewell gift from his parents.
Seliph is then made aware of the task that lay ahead: he had to face off against the dukedoms of Grannvale and their vast armies in order to unify it. As they progressed, Lewyn told him the story of the previous war, where Seliph learnt Julia's identity as his half-sister, Julius's status as the vessel of Loptyr, and that he needed Julia to end the horror plaguing the continent. As his army neared the land of Belhalla, it was revealed that Julia had been, much like her mother before her, brainwashed by Manfroy into attacking the Liberation Army. Seliph issued orders to hold off attacking Julia, as he, alongside a few members of his army, headed to Velthomer to end Manfroy's life.
After successfully defeating Manfroy, Seliph brought Julia back to her senses. He then brought her to Velthomer in order to unlock the Book of Naga. With the Book of Naga, Julia managed to defeat Julius, sealing away the evil of Loptyr for good. Seliph was crowned the new emperor of Grannvale, bringing peace back to the continent once again.
Thracia 776
In Thracia 776, specifically in the opening scene of Chapter 21, Seliph makes a minor appearance, in which it was decided that Conote would be entrusted into his army's care, allowing Leif's troops to head for Leonster in the meantime, where the two groups would later meet up.
After the fall of Manster and the deaths of Raydrik and Veld, Seliph himself arrived in Manster to congratulate Leif for his victory. Seliph told Leif that from there, Northern Thracia would unite into a single country under Leif, and invited Leif to continue to assist him in the liberation of Jugdral. The two then pledged to each other their lifelong friendship and brotherhood, like their fathers before them.
In Game
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Base Stats
- Note: Parent characters are assumed to be at Level 30 by the end of Generation 1.
- Minor Holy Blood- - Major Holy Blood
| Starting Class | Holy Blood | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Junior Lord |   Baldur  Naga | ||||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov | Lead | Gold |
| 1 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 3 * | Varies |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||||
 Pursuit Nihil |  Sword -  |  Slim SwordInherited Items** | |||||||||
*When Seliph is first recruited, his Leadership is 2. To increase Leadership to 3, save the game and then reset. Loading the save will reveal that Seliph's Leadership is now 3.
**Except Tyrfing
Growth Rates
(With Holy Blood Bonuses)
| HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140% | 55% | 30% | 60% | 35% | 45% | 45% | 30% |
Promotion Gains
| Promoted Class | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Lord Knight
| ||||||
| +5 | 0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +3 | +3 |
| Weapon Levels | ||||||
 B
| ||||||
Overview
Seliph may start off a bit weak, but should quickly become quite good after half a dozen levels, and eventually blossom into a strong unit. He begins with mediocre bases aside from Luck, but he has excellent growth rates across the board, including respectable growths in unusual stats for a physical unit such as Magic and Resistance. Due to this, he will be rather unique in his capability to deal much more respectable damage with ranged Magic Swords than other Sword units. He also comes with the Pursuit and Nihil skills, giving him stable offense and some extra protection against dangerous units. As the leader of your army, he provides the unique Leadership bonus aura, making it highly beneficial to keep him in the middle of the bulk of your army.
While Seliph may initially struggle in combat, this can largely be avoided if he inherited a Silver Sword from Sigurd, particularly if it has accrued enough kills to activate the Critical bonus. Seliph is also a good candidate to inherit the Elite Ring since it will give you access to the item immediately in the second generation, and Seliph will quickly become very powerful due to his accelerated EXP acquisition. Even after tacking on levels, Seliph may want to hang onto a Speed Ring as his comparatively low growth in the stat may end up being unsatisfactory.
When Seliph promotes to Knight Lord, he will become mounted, making him much more mobile and versatile. He will also gain the use of B-rank Spears, though this is of little overall worth beyond giving Seliph access to a Javelin. Like Sigurd, Seliph is slightly hampered by his low Skill and Speed class caps. However, this issue, along with any other minor shortcomings, will be remedied once Seliph obtains Tyrfing, as its bonuses will propel him into being a top notch unit. In particular, his good natural Resistance and the Resistance bonus granted by Tyrfing will make him exceptional at confronting strong Magic-oriented units.
All things considered, Seliph is similar to Leif and Lachesis: they all start off looking quite weak, but they grow into some of the most powerful characters in the game. Wielding his Holy Weapon Tyrfing, Seliph is one of the few units powerful enough to confront formidable characters like Arvis or Julius.
Conversations
(Only conversations which result in stat gains, items, or recruitment of specific characters are included in this list.)
In Chapter 6, after Isaach Castle is captured, Julia may speak to Seliph to obtain the Resire tome. This will result in Julia not being able to obtain the Aura Tome.
In Chapter 6, after Sophara Castle is captured, Julia may speak to Seliph to obtain the Aura tome. This will result in Julia being unable to obtain the Resire tome.
In Chapter 6, after Sophara Castle is captured, Seliph may speak to Lana, resulting in her gaining three points of HP and 100 love points with him.
In Chapter 7, if Seliph speaks to Shannan, he will gain one point of Skill.
In Chapter 7, if Patty speaks to Seliph, he will gain a Brave Sword and 100 love points with her.
In Chapter 8, if Julia speaks to Seliph before Ishtar makes her appearance, he will gain one point of Luck.
In Chapter 8, after Conote Castle is captured, Seliph may speak to Tine, resulting in her gaining three points of HP and 100 love points with him.
In Chapter 8, if Seliph speaks to Ced, Ced will be recruited into the army.
In Chapter 8, if Lewyn is Ced's father, Ced will thus be able to strike up a conversation with Seliph, in which he will gain three points of Luck.
In Chapter 9, if Seliph speaks to Altena, she will be recruited into the army.
In Chapter 9, after Grutia Castle is captured, Julia may speak to Seliph, resulting in him gaining three points of Resistance.
In Chapter 10, Shannan may speak to Seliph, resulting in him gaining three points of HP.
In Chapter 10, after Chronos Castle is captured, Oifey may speak to Seliph, and Oifey will gain three points of HP.
In Chapter 10, after Lados Castle is captured, either Fee, Lene, or Tine may speak, depending on who Lewyn was paired up with. Fee will gain five points of Strength, Lene will gain five points of Defense and Tine will gain five points of Magic from this conversation.
In Chapter 10, if Palmark talks to Seliph, he will gain the Tyrfing.
In the Final Chapter, if Tine is Seliph's lover, she can talk to him, and Seliph will gain three points of magic.
In the Final Chapter, if Patty is Seliph's lover, she may speak to him, resulting in him gaining three points of HP and three points of Speed.
In the Final Chapter, after Edda Castle is captured, if Nanna is Seliph's lover, she may speak to him, resulting in him gaining three points of HP.
In the Final Chapter, after Freege Castle is captured, if Fee is Seliph's lover, she may speak to him, and he will gain three points of skill.
In the Final Chapter, after Dozel Castle is captured, if Lana is Seliph's lover, she may speak to him, resulting in him gaining three points of Resistance.
In the Final Chapter, after Dozel Castle is captured, if Larcei is Seliph's lover, she may speak to him, resulting in him gaining three points of Strength.
In the Final Chapter, after Manfroy is defeated, Seliph may speak to Julia to re-recruit her.
Love Growths
Unlike his father, Seliph's love is not locked. Original and replacement characters have the same love growths, unless stated otherwise.
Fire Emblem Awakening
Base Stats
| Starting Class | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Swordmaster | |||||||||
| Level | HP | Str | Mag | Skl | Spd | Lck | Def | Res | Mov |
| 2 | 43 | 22 | 11 | 23 | 28 | 25 | 19 | 12 | 6 |
| Skills | Weapon | Starting Items | |||||||
 Galeforce Avoid +10 Charm |  Sword - B | - | |||||||
Fire Emblem Heroes
Description
- Heir of Light
- Inheritor of the sacred sword Tyrfing. A savior in his time, but dislikes battle. Julia's half-brother. Appears in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War.
Base Stats
Rarity:
| Heir of Light | Title | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group | |||||
 Infantry | |||||
| Level | HP | Atk | Spd | Def | Res |
| 1 | 18 | 19/20 | 5/6 | 7/9 | 4 |
| Skills | Weapon | ||||
 Silver Sword Rally Speed |  Sword | ||||
As an Enemy
Paralogue 1-2 - Holy War's Bond
Paralogue 1-3 - Unbreakable Bond
Rarity:
Skills
Weapon
| Name | SP Cost | Might | Range | Effects | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Sword
|
- | 6 | 1 | - | ✯ |
| Steel Sword
|
- | 8 | 1 | - | ✯✯ |
| Silver Sword
|
200 | 11 | 1 | - | ✯✯✯ |
| Tyrfing
|
400 | 16 | 1 | Grants Def+4 in battle if unit's HP ≤ 50%. | ✯✯✯✯✯ |
Assists
| Name | SP Cost | Range | Effects | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rally Speed
|
- | 1 | Grants Spd+4 to an adjacent ally until the end of the turn. | - |
Passive
| Name | SP Cost | Effects | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
 HP +3
|
40 | Grants +3 to max HP. | - |
 HP +4
|
50 (Required: HP +3) |
Grants +4 to max HP. | - |
 HP +5
|
100 (Required: HP +4) |
Grants +5 to max HP. | - |
 Brash Assault 1
|
50 | Unit automatically makes a follow-up when HP ≤ 30% and attacking a foe that can counter. | - |
 Brash Assault 2
|
100 (Required: Brash Assault 1) |
Unit automatically makes a follow-up when HP ≤ 40% and attacking a foe that can counter. | - |
 Brash Assault 3
|
200 (Required: Brash Assault 2) |
Unit automatically makes a follow-up when HP ≤ 50% and attacking a foe that can counter. | ✯✯✯✯✯ |
Quotes
Genealogy of the Holy War
—Seliph's death/game over quote in Genealogy of the Holy War
Heroes
Endings
Genealogy of the Holy War
"As for the Kingdom of Grannvale’s Belhalla Dynasty, Imperial Prince Seliph, thanks to the overwhelming support of the people, was officially hailed as King.
Seliph, who became a King, poured his strength into the reconstruction of the country and the peace of the Continent, and aimed at the realization of a wealthy world, free of discrimination and of domination.
And, at his side, there is the presence of
His Queen, <wife>, who always stay close to him and smile at him,
The Imperial Princess Julia, who’s watching over him warmly.
In the future, people will say
That there was a Holy King in Grannvale’s history,
And his name was... Seliph."
Non-Canon Appearances
Genealogy of the Holy War (Mitsuki Oosawa)
Genealogy of the Holy War (Nea Fuyuki)
Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Seliph is illustrated in the trading card game with the following cards:
Etymology
The romanization of Seliph's Japanese name, Celice, can also be read as 'celes', the first five letters in the word 'celestial'.
The literal translation of Seliph's Japanese name, Celis, is the name of a small town in the Cantanbria province in Spain, formed after the fall of the Roman Empire, by the Celeres warriors and their families.
The name Seliph may come from Seraph, a type of celestial or heavenly being in the Abrahamic religions.
Trivia
- There has, historically, been a good deal of disagreement over how to render Seliph's name in English, moreso than the vast majority of other characters in the Fire Emblem franchise. Going by raw phonetics, the katakana セリス breaks down into "se-ri-su", with the added notes that ス is often used as what English speaker would hear as a solo "S" and that, in a way, L and R are interchangeable in Japanese; the pronunciation of the name is closest to "Seris" or "Selis". Many Japanese sources, published alongside and after Genealogy of the Holy War, render the name in English as "Celice". However, often leads to mispronunciation of the intended katakana, as "Celice" would be pronounced with a longer, higher "I" than in リ and with a longer, more trailing lisp than is typically associated with ス. Issue 87 (August 1996) of Nintendo Power, which featured a preview of Genealogy of the Holy War, referred to the character as 'Serlis'; this romanization was later used again in the History of Fire Emblem section of the English The Blazing Blade website. [1] This is another odd romanization, as there is no "extended vowel" in the name to denote a rolling R/L sound, as is usually done in such a case (e.g. セーリス). "Seliph", finally, is also a little unusual as ス is not typically associated with the "ph/f" phoneme; the character's name would read more like "セリフ” in that case.
- Compounding the above confusion even further is the resemblance of "Celice" to the name of "Celica" from Fire Emblem Gaiden, and the fact that "Celica" is pronounced with a hard C as opposed to soft (e.g. セリカ, se-ri-ka). While this would not cause confusion to any Japanese players actually playing the games (as the names are always given in kana in the games, where the pronunciation difference is clear), it can and has caused some confusion in the past to English speakers new to the franchise.
- Seliph's Fire Emblem Awakening artwork depicts him wielding a Killing Edge.
- There is a glitch in Genealogy of the Holy War that causes Seliph to fall in love with Daisy without them gaining any love points.
Gallery
- See main article: Seliph/Gallery.