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Ilia
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| “ | The ground of Ilia is covered year-round in the whitest snow, he said, and it is a harsh life for the people who live there. Yet because many Ilians turn to being mercenaries, they are looked down upon– without reason– by other lands. | ” | — Eliwood recountingElbert's description of Ilia |
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Ilia (Japanese:イリアIlia) is a territory occupying the north-eastern forests and peaks ofElibe. It is defined by its frigid, perpetually snow-bound lands, which leave the land unable to be farmed, so many of its people turn to mercenary work to survive. Ilia is also the native land ofpegasi, and as a result is the only nation withPegasus Knights as part of its armed forces.
History
Ilia was founded byBarigan of theEight Legends. Prior tothe Scouring, anice dragon who inhabited the region's tallest peak taught thehuman population how to survive living in the frigid conditions.[1] Following the Scouring, the people of Ilia turned to mercenary work in order to earn the money needed to survive, as very little of Ilia's own terrain was arable and permitted the growth of vegetables.[2]
Over the centuries, the mercenaries of Ilia developed a strict code of absolute loyalty to their employers, even in the face of fighting their own family.[3] They developed a reputation for this code among the rest of the world, notably to the point of refusing to break incomplete contracts even after the death of their employer.[4] Such was their renown that even loftyEtrurian noblemen such asPent andKlein would commission them on missions, although it was common for such nobles to be dismissive of their needs and treat them as common pawns.[5] When theDisturbance of Bern erupted a millennium after the Scouring, Ilia was conquered by aBern legion led byMurdock, fragmenting the mercenaries; many, such as those servingSigune, allied with Bern, while others defied Bern and worked with its enemiesLycia andEtruria. At the war's end, Ilia was united into a single kingdom under the rule ofZelot, while his wifeJuno and her sisterThea worked to reunite the scattered pegasus knights.
Notable locations in Ilia
Edessa
Edessa is a castle city in Ilia's north-east which, until theDisturbance of Bern, acted as the headquarters of the Ilian mercenary knights and pegasus knights. Its lord isZelot, the leader of the Ilian mercenary corps. The city's outskirts also house a set of ancient ruins in whichMaltet, Barigan's weapon, is enshrined.
Remi
Castle Remi is situated near the Ilian border with Etruria, overlooking a bay dividing the two countries. Although the coastline around the bay can be followed to take a long way around to Remi, at a certain time of day the tide lowers to reveal a spit of land that can be crossed as a shortcut to the castle.[6]
Carrhae
Carrhae is a castle in central Ilia. It was used by the traitorous knightSigune to ambush Roy and the Etrurian army during a blizzard.
Mountain of the Ice Dragon
According to Ilian folklore, the tallest mountain in Ilia was once home to a friendlyice dragon in the era before the Scouring, who taught the people of Ilia how to cope with the endless winter weather. This dragon was driven away in the Scouring. The mountain is also the birthplace ofNinian.[1]
Characters from Ilia
| Character | Description | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| Barigan | One of theEight Legends and the original wielder ofMaltet. | None |
 Fiora | Commander of the 5th wing of Ilia's pegasus knights. | The Blazing Blade |
 Farina | A member of the 3rd wing of Ilia's pegasus knights. | The Blazing Blade |
 Florina | A pegasus knight earning her title. A friend of Lyn's. | The Blazing Blade |
 Niime | The Mountain Hermit. Has devoted her life to research and study. | The Binding Blade |
 Canas | A scholar, and a novice student of ancient magics. | The Blazing Blade |
 Hugh | A mage hired by Etruria. Desperate for money. | The Binding Blade |
 Ninian | A somber girl. Quiet, but filled with a solemn energy. | The Blazing Blade |
 Nils | A bard possessing arcane powers. Brother of Ninian. | The Blazing Blade |
| Aenir | Anice dragon who went missing during the Scouring. | The Blazing Blade |
 Zelot | The lord of Edessa. Leads the Ilian mercenary knights. | The Binding Blade |
 Juno | A retired squad leader of the Ilian pegasus knights. Zelot's wife. | The Binding Blade |
 Noah | A mercenary knight from Ilia. Lacks social skills. | The Binding Blade |
 Trec | A mercenary knight from Ilia. Sleeping is his passion. | The Binding Blade |
 Thea | The leader of a pegasus knight unit from Ilia. | The Binding Blade |
 Shanna | A pegasus knight in training. Traveling the world to hone her skills. | The Binding Blade |
 Sigune | A unit leader of the Ilian pegasus knights. | The Binding Blade |
Gameplay
Ilia is visited in a stretch of five chapters inFire Emblem: The Binding Blade, comprising "Route A" of thealternate route split after the recapture ofEtruria inChapter 16. The successive five chapters chartRoy's invasion of Ilia:Chapter 17A is set on the border near Castle Remi,Chapter 18A is set in the forests of Ilia,Chapter 19A is set on the approach to Castle Carrhae,Chapter 20A takes place in Castle Edessa, andChapter 20xA is set in the Maltet ruins near Edessa.
Etymology and other languages
| Names, etymology, and in other regions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Definition, etymology, and notes |
| English | Ilia | Derived fromἼλιονIlion, the Greek name for the ancient city ofTroy. |
| Japanese | イリア | Officially romanized asIlia. |
| Spanish | Ilia | -- |
| French | Ilia | -- |
| German | Ilia | -- |
| Italian | Ilia | -- |
| Portuguese | Ilia | Used inHeroes as an option for the player's location in their profile card. |
| Korean | 이리아 | Ilia; used inFates andEchoes: Shadows of Valentia, among the choices for the player's country in their profile card. |
| Traditional Chinese | 伊利亞 | Ilia; used inHeroes as an option for the player's location in their profile card. |
Gallery
Map of Ilia fromThe Blazing Blade.
Castle Remi and the Ilian border inCh. 17A ofThe Binding Blade.
Ilia's central forests inCh. 18A ofThe Binding Blade.
Castle Carrhae inCh. 19A ofThe Binding Blade.
Castle Edessa inCh. 20A ofThe Binding Blade.
References
- ↑1.01.1"Ninian: I... I am not so good at geography... But it was near the tallest mountain in Ilia.
Florina: You mean the mountain of the Ice Dragon?
Ninian: ...Ice Dragon?
Florina: Yes. A long time ago, there was a tall mountain where an ice dragon lived. Don't you know the story?
Ninian: I'm sorry, I don't... I've been traveling for a long time with my brother, and...
Florina: Oh...I see... Well, a long time ago, there was an ice dragon in Ilia. And this kind dragon helped the people of Ilia, who had trouble living in snow year round. But a war broke out between dragons and people... And the kind dragons, not wanting to hurt the humans, went off to a faraway place.
Ninian: ......
Florina: My sister first told me that story as a child to make me go to bed... Even now, every year, the people in that area make an offering to the mountain... When I was little, I so wanted to meet the ice dragon that I braved the cold and waited all night next to the place of offering... But I saw dawn the next morning, and the dragon never came... Then I caught a cold and my sister got very upset with me..." —Ninian andFlorina,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade - ↑"Ilia, the frozen highlands, is a land with short summers and long winters. With so little arable land, the nation's main source of income is mercenary contracts." — Opening narration ofChapter 17A,Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
- ↑"Thea: ...Shanna, you know the code of the Ilian mercenaries.
Shanna: ...Never betray your employer...
Thea: Precisely. And we must follow that code, even if it means we must fight our own kin." —Thea andShanna,Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade - ↑"Ilian mercenaries are said to never betray their employers, no matter what." —Merlinus,Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
- ↑"Lord Pent... Lord Pent, you are too kind... The other nobles think of us as pawns in their game... No one concerns himself with the death of a pawn... And that is to be expected. We are, after all, mercenaries." —Fiora,Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
- ↑"Yoder: ...Oh yes, I have some information that may be of use. At a certain time of day, the sea level drops, exposing a crossable sandbar.
Roy: A sandbar?
Yoder: It would take much time to make your way around the bay to the castle. However, crossing the sandbar would be a direct journey." —Yoder andRoy,Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
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