But for me, there is no greater pride than being one of Friege's great mages. My parents and brother lie dead, and I cannot stand to leave their murderers to run amok...
”
— Ishtar
Ishtar (Japanese:イシュタルIshtar) was a scion of HouseFriege ofGrannvale, daughter of its DukeBloom, afull-blooded descendant of the CrusaderThrud and the inheritor of theMjölnir. Widely renowned as a thunder mage of immense power and dubbed the "goddess of lightning" (Japanese:雷神thunder god), she was betrothed to Grannvale's crown princeJulius and served as a warrior in his service, aiding her family in their occupation of theMunster District and later fighting to defend the capitalBelhalla fromSeliph's impending army.
Ishtar is a prominent antagonist appearing inGenealogy of the Holy War. She is fought as a boss three times: first inChapter 8, then inChapter 10 alongside Julius, and finally in theEndgame. In Chapter 8, after she is defeated, Julius will appear and warp her to safety. In Chapter 10, if either she or Julius is defeated, either of them kill a unit of any affiliation, or Seliph moves past them and seizes Miletos Castle, both she and Julius will leave.
She is also responsible for saving many children from the child hunts, according to Felipe.[1]
If Tine fights Ishtar in the Endgame, she attempts to convince her to stop fighting; however, Ishtar remains an enemy, asking Tine to forgive her.[2]
While Leif isescaping the Munster prison, Ishtar,Julius,Manfroy, andVeld have a meeting nearby about child hunts in North Thracia. Eventually, she is questioned as to why her family does not wish to storm Tarrah and immediately begin child hunts there. She explains that they have moral reservations about such a move. Seeing her unease, Julius excuses himself from the meeting and takes her to the prison's yard to admire the flowers.
As Leif's armyadvances on Leonster, Ishtar shows up in the middle of the battle to petitionSaias, the commander of the Imperial forces, for assistance. Prince Julius has a fever and requires immediate medical attention. Saias suggests asking the Loptian Bishops, but Ishtar refuses and eventually convinces Saias to leave the battlefield to help Julius.
AfterLeif frees prisoners from Fort Danzig, Julius and Ishtar arrive there to survey the area. As a proxy for her family, Ishtar apologizes to Julius for the failure of Friege's forces. After that, the prince takes Ishtar to meetHilda inMiletos. He does not permit Ishtar to assist her father atConnacht and forbids her from meetingReinhardt, threatening that he will have Reinhardt killed if she does not obey him.
Ishtar is playable as aSpotPass character, released in the "Others" character set. She is present as an enemy unit inRogues & Redeemers 1 and3 ofAwakening'sDLC.
Ishtar: Wait... Tine/Linda? What do you think you're doing?! Tine/Linda: Ishtar... I... I'm so sorry... Ishtar: You've turned traitor, then? I'm disappointed in you, Tine/Linda!
”
— Ishtar, when fightingTine/Linda in Chapter 8 ofGenealogy of the Holy War.
“
It seems as if this game shall be mine, Lord Julius!
”
— Ishtar, inChapter 10 ofGenealogy of the Holy War.
“
Still your tongue... And feel the wrath of the goddess of lightning!
”
— Ishtar, inthe Endgame ofGenealogy of the Holy War.
“
Ishtar: Tine/Linda... Tine/Linda: Ishtar, please! Stop this! You've been nothing but kind to me all my life... I know you want no part of this battle! Ishtar: ...I may be in the wrong, but I could never turn back now. Forgive me, Tine/Linda... Please...
”
— Ishtar, when fightingTine/Linda in the Endgame ofGenealogy of the Holy War.
Ishtar: Feel the wrath of the goddess of lightning! Tiki: I feel only sadness, and you'll never defeat me with that. Ishtar: Silence! I shall be the judge!
”
— Ishtar, when fighting Tiki as an enemy in Rogues & Redeemers 3 inAwakening.
Death quotes
“
Ahh! Lord Julius...
”
— Ishtar, in Chapter 8 ofGenealogy of the Holy War.
“
Ishtar: Nng! Why... Julius: You've lost, have you? Hmph... We leave at once!
”
— Ishtar, in Chapter 10 ofGenealogy of the Holy War.
“
My Lord Julius... I...
”
— Ishtar, in the Endgame ofGenealogy of the Holy War.
“
No...not here...
”
— Ishtar, as an enemy in Rogues & Redeemers 1 inAwakening.
“
Lord Julius... Are you pleased?
”
— Ishtar, as an enemy in Rogues & Redeemers 3 inAwakening.
Thunder Magic: Mjölnir:[Always][Once per turn] [Send 1 "Ishtar" from your hand to the Retreat Area] Choose up to two of your opponent's bond cards. Your opponent flips the chosen cards face-down. Also, until the end of this turn, for each face-down bond card that your opponent has, this unit gains +10 attack. Love Devoted to Darkness:[Always][Once per turn] [] If all of your opponent's bond cards are face-down, you draw 1 card.
Sorrowful Thunderclap:[Always] If your opponent has 1 or more face-down bond cards, this unit gains +10 attack. Magic Emblem:[Support] Draw 1 card, then discard 1 card.
Darkness-Calling Thunder Magic:[Trigger] [] When this unit's attack destroys an enemy, you may pay the cost and if you do: Choose 1 of your opponent's Bond cards, and flip it face-down. A Game with the Dark Prince:[Always] During your turn, if your opponent has 2 or more face-down Bond cards, this unit gains +10 attack.
Some card information translation provided by Serenes Forest. For more detailed strategic information on these cards, seetheir TCG wiki article on Ishtar .
↑"Felipe: Actually, sire... Princess Ishtar deserves your thanks. Without her generous aid given in secret, we could never have done this. No Imperial soldiers dared come even close to the abbey, on pain of the princess' wrath. Seliph: Princess Ishtar?! But why... Why would she- Felipe: Few people in this land are as kind and caring as Princess Ishtar. All along, the princess has toiled behind the scenes to aid our cause. It was Princess Ishtar herself who ensured that every last child escaped from the bowels of Belhalla. Seliph: I see... At any rate, thank the gods for their safety. I'm certain everyone will be glad to know the children are in good hands. You have my deepest thanks, Lord Felipe." —Felipe andSeliph,Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
↑"Ishtar: Tine... Tine: Ishtar, please! Stop this! You've been nothing but kind to me all my life... I know you want no part of this battle! Ishtar: ...I may be in the wrong, but I could never turn back now. Forgive me, Tine... Please..." — Ishtar andTine,Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
This article is part ofProject Characters, a project focused on writing articles for every character present in theFire Emblem series.