OOC。 application
Out-of-Character Information
Name: Prince
Are you over 15?: Yes
Time Zone: -8 GMT, PST/PDT
Personal Journal:
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Other characters in the game:
makesithotUlki @
hawkhearsyouRon DeLite @
maskxdemasqueHenry @
cruelcurseAlter Ego @
numbercrunchingAnything Else?: CUTS OFF ALL ACCESS TO ANY OTHER FE9/10 APPS AND WHISPERS, "This is for the best."
In-Character Information
Name: Ike
Game/Series: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (FE9)
Teacher/Student/Other: Student
Canon Point: Immediately after the events of Path of Radiance, during the 3 year gap between PoR and RD.
Age: 17
Grade Level/Class Taught/Job: Senior
Dorm or Living Arrangement: Dorm
Personality: Ike is a man who sticks to his principles and keeps his word. He developed a lot from the uncertain trainee he once was before he started as a newbie in the Greil Mercenaries, rising from that first day of being a mercenary, to one of shaky leadership, to a confident and daring commander of the Crimean Liberation Army. One thing is for sure: Ike is well-known to be consistently characterized by kindness and bravery by all who meet him, and he's very protective of those he calls a friend.
When people await Ike's presence as the commander of a fearsome army, they usually expect something they don't receive. Ike's not known to be polite or eloquent with his words: he lacks etiquette and tact, the type used for politics. When he has something to say, he says it outright. While this ensures that Ike's a trustworthy person who never hides his true feelings, it can also be problematic. In Path of Radiance, it's caused many problems for him when trying to talk to royalty, as Ike's never one to change his demeanor in the presence of anybody. On at least two occasions, in fact, he was threatened to be executed for being so blunt with the Apostle of Begnion. He treats everybody the same, and offers respect only to people who earn it.
Generally, Ike's a serious character that doesn't joke around. When he does, his sense of humor's dry. Just because he's serious or comes off as serious doesn't mean that he can't appreciate a joke, but sometimes they go over his head. He's easygoing, a trait which many of his friends consider to be a nice quality of his. He has a low-key exterior, even in situations that might be stressful or pressing. A lot of characters find his outward attitude in these situations to be either reassuring because it gives them somebody to look to as a pillar of strength, or irritating because he doesn't react as strongly to upsetting things. But that's just the way he behaves outwardly.
When his father died, Ike couldn't bring himself to cry, but that didn't mean that he didn't feel upset over the loss of his father. In fact, Ike has a very warm core. He's caring and passionate behind that scowl he always seems to wear, and is always willing and ready to lend a helping hand to anybody who needs it. During the war, there was a point where a village in Daein had been flooded by Daein troops to hinder Crimean advancement. When the flood subsided, the village was in ruins. Ike ordered for the Crimean army to distribute supplies for the village people. When asked about why he'd help a village not of his own country, he said that those people had no relevance to the war and didn't deserve to be devastated like that. This, among many other instances, attests to Ike's kindness.
One of Ike's most significant traits is the lack of prejudice he has. Ike was raised with no knowledge of people different from humans - or beorc - so when he was introduced to the idea of laguz, he just accepted them as people just like him while so many other beorc couldn't stand the thought of them. Because he was raised with little influence in the ways of prejudices, Ike doesn't care whether or not somebody's not like him. As said before, Ike treats everybody just the same: royalty, slavery, nobles, commoners, men, women, beorc, branded, laguz... It doesn't matter who they are or what they are. When Ike meets them, he gives everybody the same treatment.
Is that always a good thing? Not exactly. He still says or does insensitive things purely on accident, but if it's because of ignorance, Ike's willing to change his ways.
Ike keeps an open mind, and he frequently seeks the opinions of others if he can. This was the way his father did things: when a decision needed to be made, he listened to the perspective of the mercenaries before finalizing their course of action. Ike operates the same. He appreciates honesty from others and likes the input, especially if it furthers his understanding of the situation. He likes to know the ups and downs of everything, and acknowledges that every positive outcome can have a negative effect and vice versa.
The Greil Mercenaries aren't just companions to Ike: they're like family to him. Ike has a broad definition of "family", and he doesn't consider just his blood relatives to be a part of that category. Anybody who he calls a close comrade is part of his family. Even people like Shinon, who hate his guts, somehow manage to find a way into this category. In a way, Ike can get along with most anybody - if they have even a shred of good in them, as long as they meet under fortunate circumstances, anyone's fair game.
For his friends, Ike
In short, Ike's a simple sort of person. He's down-to-earth, straightforward and sincere. He cares a lot about his friends and family, and stays true to himself. He's a man of action, and while he's honorable and takes pride in what he does, he isn't cocky about it.
Backstory: LET'S START WITH MATERIAL I CAN LINK. The most I have is a bunch of scripts. No reliable summaries that would cover the events of the game. Here is the Serenes Forest script for FE9. That one is about 95% complete; I'm going to assume that it's missing some alternate texts that aren't necessary for recording Ike's history. Here is a list of chapters from the Fire Emblem Wiki which is pretty handy because most of the chapters have summaries of each chapter. Lastly, the entry on Ike from the FE Wiki does a sufficient job at VERY BRIEFLY summarizing what Ike experiences in the game, unlike what I ended up doing. Really, though, Ike's wiki entry does a fine job at turning FE9 into a few paragraphs from Ike's perspective, but ugh. There are a lot of fine details in this game.
I'm and idiot and apparently wanted to write it all out, though. I'm sorry.
Ike's story starts with his parents, Greil and Elena. Greil, once known as Gawain of Daein's Four Riders, met Elena back when he served Daein. She was a priestess who cared for a heron laguz held captive by Daein's king, but ended up befriending the heron princess. The heron princess wasn't holding up well, and entrusted the melody of a song and a mysterious object to Elena before her death. The object was Lehran's Medallion, an emblem of chaos that is said to hold within it a dark god that would destroy the continent if awakened. The heron girl could see Elena's gentle nature, and knew it would be safe in her hands. Greil rescued Elena from the temple and the two fled from Daein's eyes. That is how they found themselves in the care of the king of Gallia, and that is where they decided they'd build their life together.
And so they had two children: a son named Ike, and a daughter named Mist. As a family in Gallia, they lived peacefully together for about seven years. Elena and Greil did all they could to ensure that their children could have carefree childhoods, so they never once spoke of their lives back in Daein. The family lived in a small settlement of beorc in a country established by laguz, but these beorc lived under the protection of King Gallia.
Mist and Elena had gone shopping one day, and Ike decided to wander off on his own. On the outskirts of town, Ike chanced upon a starved little boy who responded to his approach like a scared animal. He looked so hungry that Ike pulled out his lunch and offered it to the boy, but all he did was stare at him with wide eyes. Ike reassured him that it was alright, and he snatched it away from his hands and gobbled it up.
For the first time, Ike felt this was the pleasure of helping somebody out. It felt good to him. He tried to invite the boy to his house, but the boy refused. It was peculiar that the boy didn't speak, but Ike paid it little mind and promised that he'd return tomorrow with more food for him.
That was not what fate had in store for him, however. The next morning something terrible happened.
Greil came into contact with the medallion Elena always carried around with her and went berserk. He killed countless people in their village. Elena noticed that he was holding the medallion, and she tried to grab it back from him. Just as she retrieved it from his hand, he stabbed her with his blade. The two collapsed to the floor: one in exhaust, and one in death.
Ike stood by to watch the whole thing.
Two men approached the scene. They looked down upon the bodies with remorse and exchanged words, and a young Mist ran up to them. She mistakened the collapse of her parents as sleep, and asked Ike to help him take them back home - they couldn't leave their parents to sleep on the cold hard floor. It was her childish naivety that protected her from the grim truth that Ike had to witness. Ike couldn't register any of what Mist was saying at the moment anyway. He couldn't stop staring at his father. Mist grabbed the medallion from her mother's hand and asked one of the men - the one clad in heavy armor - to help take his parents home, which he obliged. In the meantime, the other man approached Ike.
"You saw everything, didn't you? Poor child," he lamented, and he raised his staff. The shock of it all wore away from Ike's mind, and he screamed, latching onto Mist. The image of his father killing Elena... it was too much to bear. Against his younger sister, Ike sobbed, and she yelled at him for grabbing onto her too hard. Just as quickly as the shock wore off, the two fell unconscious.
Just as well, Ike's memory was erased. The story of how his mother died was forgotten by the young boy, and as far as he knew, she died peacefully in her sleep due to unknown causes. Many other tidbits of information about his childhood also went forgotten, such as the land he grew up in or the significant events during the first years of his life. The family packed their things and ran away that day. Their destination: Crimea.
Approximately ten years later, Greil had established a mercenary band known as the Greil Mercenaries. The Greil Mercenaries was composed of units approved of by Greil himself: Boyd, Oscar, Shinon, Gatrie, Rhys, Soren, and Titania. At this point, Ike was considered just a trainee in his father's eyes. He wouldn't permit his son to become his employee until he saw him fit for the job. As frustrating as it was, Ike was left at the base every day with Mist and Rolf, the younger brother of Boyd and Oscar. But those days of training had to come to an end eventually, and once it did, Ike was ready to take on the duty of working as a mercenary under his father's command. His first few missions were hard, but Ike knew they could get harder and he had to grow fast if he wanted to catch up. There was still a lot to learn from experience.
It seemed to Ike that this was the way things would be for a while as he got the hang of things. He had a heavy expectations to cater to, what with being the son of Greil who would one day inherit the company, and while that day felt far off, it was still a lot of pressure. He first had to get comfortable to being a newbie to the mercenary lifestyle, or so he thought. Those days as a "regular mercenary" would be cut short by the early return of Soren, Greil's tactician.
Soren was studying at the capital with another mercenary band, but he hurried home due to unforeseen circumstances: Daein declared war upon Crimea. Greil wasn't sure what to make of this news, and he decided that it was time to shove Ike into the uncomfortable spot of being a commander - a decision which Ike didn't expect or understand at all. He led a group to scout closer to Melior, the capital of Crimea, and they were met with an army of Daein troops who didn't take to their Crimean presence very well. Without negotiation, they declared battle on the mercenaries. Ike had to think on his feet: he'd never commanded soldiers before, and he only had so much battle experience to work with. With the help of Titania and Soren, however, he managed to pull through with what little he had to work with.
With victory on their side and countless dead Daein soldiers strewn about, one thing was clear to the scouting group: Daein definitely declared war on Crimea, and they were definitely winning. It was time to head back to the base - but not without one last diversion. Rhys called out to Ike, saying that he noticed something in the forest. They went to check it out, and were startled by what they saw.
A girl.
Not just any girl, but a green-haired woman dressed in elegant attire - almost that of royalty. Ike lifted her unconscious body up and the group traveled back to the base.
When she woke up, she said her name was Elincia Ridell Crimea - or Princess Crimea. Greil was skeptical and told her that there was no princess, and that the king never had any children. Elincia insisted that's who she was, and explained that her identity had been kept secret to avoid blood feud among the people. Her uncle was already announced the heir to the throne, and her existence would cause chaos among the people of Crimea. For now, this explanation would have to do. Greil told her that he'd believe her for now, so Ike did the same. She seemed sincere. Her explanation was proven true by the sudden arrival of Daein soldiers, who demanded that the commander hand over Princess Crimea or prepare to die. The mercenaries collectively chose not to obey, and fought their way through the waves of Daein soldiers to keep Princess Elincia safe.
As soon as the situation was temporarily under control, Greil and Ike asked Elincia what her business down at that part of Crimea was. She said that her escorts, who had been killed, were trying to bring her to Gallia, where she'd seek the aid of the King Caineghis. She asked if the Greil Mercenaries would help her, and Greil agrees to aid her. They quickly prepared for their long trek through the Gallian forests, and destroyed all traces of their existence in the base. That place they'd called home for so long would have to be abandoned.
The way to the capital of Gallia was far longer than Ike imagined it would be, and the forests were thick and humid. Shinon told Ike all about what to expect in Gallia: about the "sub-humans" and their gnarly teeth and claws and their disgusting habits and hairy countenances, like they're the product of nightmares. Soren kindly clarified that what Shinon spoke of are known as laguz, and that Gallia was a country where laguz far dominated beorc populations there. Surprisingly, Ike didn't recall ever hearing about laguz before, nor ever meeting one, so he didn't know what to expect when he met one. Greil snatched away their attention to talk about strategy
The group led by Ike got trapped in a castle full of Daein soldiers, where they reunite with Greil, Shinon, and Gatrie once again. But a menacing foe emerged from the back room: a woman named Petrine, one of Daein's Four Riders. Greil challenged her one-on-one, leaving the mercenaries in the hands of Ike to fend off the rest of the Daein soldiers. When Ike and the mercenaries finally catch up with Greil, he'd already defeated Petrine.
Unfortunately, Petrine wasn't a graceful loser and called for fleets of Daein soldiers. She commanded for them to attack if any of the mercenaries move a muscle, but before it's too late, a mighty roar sounded. The Daein soldiers screamed something about horrendous beasts and fled like cowards before a group of humongous cats and tigers came bounding into the room. One of the cats unshifted, revealing the form of a lean, blue-haired man with cat ears and a tail. He warned Petrine that she'd be killed if she stayed, but she retorted that her life was on the line to destroy the mercenaries - and that's what she planned to do.
A mysterious man clad head-to-toe in black armor entered the room and excused General Petrine, and she left on his command. He stared at Greil, and Ike told his father that the knight seemed to want something from him. The knight left, and the Greil Mercenaries emerged from the dungeon safe and sound thanks to the laguz reinforcements.
One of the laguz soldiers approached them after the coast was clear, and Ike did the talking since Greil seemed lost in thought. Ike called the laguz a "sub-human warrior", and the laguz was rightfully offended by Ike's rudeness. Ike apologized for his mistake and insisted that he didn't know that it was a bad thing to say, and he made sure to find a correct term to forever replace that one. The laguz introduced himself as Ranulf, and he gave the mercenaries the low-down on what was going on. They'd be meeting with the king the next day, but for the night, they'd have to stay in one of the spare castles. He offered to guide them there, but Greil denied the help and said he knew where to go. Ranulf left them.
That night, Ike noticed that his father was leaving the castle beyond dusk. He ran out to ask him where he was going, and Greil invited Ike to take a brief walk with him. They make some small talk, and then Greil demanded that Ike return to the base. Their conversation was done, he said. Unwillingly, Ike obeyed.
On his way back to the base, Ike got a bad feeling in his gut. Something told him not all was right. Half-way back to the base, Ike turned and ran back to catch up with Greil.
Greil was crossing sword with axe with the same knight from earlier when Ike caught up, and he didn't understand what was going on. Greil and the knight were talking about something, and before he knew it, the knight effortlessly stabbed his blade through Greil's chest. Ike stepped up and challenged the knight right there, and the man accepted his offer - it would be the perfect way to slaughter the entire family.
Before the mysterious knight could go any further, the roar of a laguz interrupted the silence of the night. It was unlike the ones from the tigers and cats from before - much, much greater. The knight fled the scene, leaving Ike with his incapacitated father. He got Greil standing and leaned him over his shoulder, willing him to just hold on and stay quiet. They'd be back at the base soon, he said, and all Greil needed to do was shut up and not expend more energy than necessary. Rhys could heal him, but he just needed to get back.
Greil seemed to have different plans. During their critical walk back while relying almost entirely on Ike's feet rather than his own, Greil told Ike not to seek revenge on that knight. He told Ike to live in Gallia with King Caineghis with Mist and the mercenaries, that Ike would be the new commander, and they'd live in peace. Ike couldn't believe what Greil was saying - it was like...
Like he was saying his last words. Like he was submitting to death.
Ike collapsed under the sudden weight of Greil's entire body, and the two of them lay crumpled up in the rain. Titania and the rest of the mercenaries came rushing out, but it was all a rush to Ike. No matter what they tried, no matter how they looked at it, the answer came out the same: Greil was dead.
The next morning, the news spread among the mercenaries that Ike prematurely inherited the command of the mercenaries. Before Ike could even speak to any of them, Gatrie and Shinon already left. Ike understood: it was because they didn't feel he was worthy of a position like that. That they didn't want to serve under a young commander like him. He permitted any of the members to leave if they felt the desire to, but none of the mercenaries wanted to leave their young commander, as untested as he was. They didn't have much time to grieve before Daein soldiers surrounded the fort again, and Ike was faced with the daunting task of leading without his father to fall back on. It was time for him to assume full responsibility when he wasn't even ready yet. The fight was almost impossible until two Gallian warriors arrived as reinforcements. There wasn't a single moment they could spare to resting up, even after such a brutal fight. The king awaited their audience.
The mercenaries arrived at the capital. King Caineghis talked about Elincia's situation very briefly before their conversation swerved into another topic: Greil. King Caineghis claimed he knew him personally, and Ike had to tell him that he'd died the night before. On that note, Caineghis was surprised that Ike didn't remember him. Ike regarded this with confusion: how was he supposed to know Caineghis when he'd never been to Gallia before? Titania told the king that Ike didn't know, and so Caineghis continued to divulge some spare memories of Ike's that he'd forgotten: he was born and raised in Gallia before Greil mysteriously vanished with his family without telling Caineghis where he was going, though he was under his protection. With that being said, Caineghis wanted to know what Greil told Ike about the circumstances of his death. Ike told Caineghis what his father's wishes were, and Caineghis promised Ike that he would fulfill each and every one of those wishes if he so wanted them.
Ike refused. He told Caineghis that though his father told him not to seek revenge, that was something he couldn't let go. It would take lots and lots of time for Ike to grow stronger than his father was in order to even consider killing that knight in black armor, but that was his goal. He would search for this knight and exact revenge upon him, so residence in Gallia wasn't necessary. Caineghis understood. The next topic was Elincia: what would become of her? Caineghis explained that aid couldn't be granted due to political matters. The laguz were still wary of the beorc, and it would be a poor move in the eyes of his advisers to aid Princess Crimea at the time. What he could do, however, was pay the Greil Mercenaries to deliver Princess Elincia safely to the Begnion Empire, where the apostle and the senate could decide whether or not to aid the princess of Crimea. Ike and Elincia accept, and they backtrack to Crimea to board a ship set for Begnion.
It took two months of travel to get to Begnion, but it wasn't an uneventful two months. They still ran into some pirates and other trouble, but one of the most remarkable was when a fleet of pegasus knights claiming to be from Begnion boarded their ship. They told Ike that the apostle of Begnion was on board, and Ike couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was apparently lost, so everyone set out to find her. Pirates invaded the ship with the intent of murdering the princess and the apostle, so that added to the hectic and chaotic situation on hand. Below the deck, Ike found a mysterious girl who claimed she's the apostle herself, and sure enough, she is referred to by the pegasus knights as none other than Empress Sanaki Kirsch Altina. She invited Elincia to the empire to seek audience expressly, as she heard from some of her people that they were headed in the the direction of Begnion.
Elincia's army finally made it to Begnion. A small audience of them met with the empress in the Grand Temple Mainal of Begnion, the holy temple of the goddess Ashera. There, Sanaki tested Elincia's title and Ike defended her, almost getting killed for being so blunt in the presence of the apostle. Sanaki reassured Ike, and said that she already knew Elincia was the princess. She just wanted to rile them up a little before they got down to business. The senate laughed at Sanaki's joke.
Ike didn't think it was very funny, and he raised his voice at Empress Sanaki. He called the apostle out on her bullshit: he couldn't believe that the court was full of such horrible people, treating Elincia like garbage and taunting her after her family had been killed, her country overthrown, and everything familiar to her lost and destroyed. Sanaki's patience was nearly tried, and she warned Ike not to treat her like that ever again, or she'd have him executed in an instant. From there, Sanaki declared that all further decisions would be made behind closed doors with her court, and that it'd take a while to decide whether or not Elincia was worthy to receive Begnion aid. Meanwhile, she told Ike to go learn some manners before Elincia's slim chances of receiving her pity were obliterated by his attitude. Ike, again, was left baffled by the attitude of Some People, namely these fuckin nobles. Damn. What a backwards world. He apologized to Elincia for representing her inappropriately, but she said she was honored to hear such things come out of his mouth in her name.
The apostle charged the Greil Mercenaries with some irrelevant missions for a while, and Ike took each of them on because he knew Elincia's honor was at stake. It was the least he could do if she had to accept ridicule left and right from Begnion. On each of these missions that the apostle gave to Ike's mercenaries, he noticed a trend: the missions all have to do with laguz slaves kept in secret, even though it had apparently been outlawed a long time ago. He brought this up to the apostle, who confirmed his suspicions. The last task he was given was to investigate Duke Tanas's villa, where there were reports of him doing something suspicious with laguz slave trade. If Ike could prove he was involved in such things, Sanaki promised that she would grant Elincia with unlimited support.
It was a strange request, but Ike agreed to it anyway. And sure enough, the mercenaries find not just laguz slave trade going on in Oliver's home, but a supposedly extinct heron laguz royal - Prince Reyson of Serenes, to be exact, but he ran away before Ike could lend his support. Ike returned to Sanaki with the news, and Sanaki told him the tale of the Serenes Massacre and what the people of Begnion did 20 years ago. The Greil Mercenaries returned to fight Oliver's men, but during their fight, Ike came across yet another heron. At first he thought it was the same heron from earlier, but she's definitely not the prince... so who was she? She was unconscious, so Ike carries her through the next battle. After Duke Tanas's men are crushed, another party made himself known: King Tibarn of Phoenicis. He asked what Ike's business in the destroyed forest of the heron laguz, to which Ike replied was in the name of Apostle Sanaki. Prince Reyson couldn't believe that for himself. More importantly, however, was the second heron royal that Ike found in the center of the forest, so he brought that to Tibarn's attention and showed her to him. Reyson couldn't believe it, but his little sister, Princess Leanne, was guarded by the forest's magic. She woke from her 20 year slumber and the heron siblings exchanged words in the ancient tongue, which Ike can't understand. Regardless, the apostle caught up and bent down on her knees in the dirt to apologize to the heron laguz from the bottom of her heart. Reyson didn't seem to want to accept, but Leanne persuaded him to forgive Begnion. They moved on, and Leanne and Reyson sung to restore the forest with Ike and Mist as the audience. Mist noted that it sounded much like the lullaby their mother used to sing to them as children, and Ike recalled it as well.
Sanaki granted Elincia peerage, and Elincia was requested to make Ike a lord of Crimea. Ike accepted reluctantly, and then it was time for the newly formed Crimean Liberation Army to move off to Daein with the intent to defeat the Mad King Ashnard. They engaged in battle after battle while making their way up north. After one of their skirmishes, however, Mist brought up something alarming to Ike: the medallion had gone missing that morning. Ike reassured her that they'd find it, but he can't help but wonder why it went missing in the first place. It was like somebody stole it. But why?
What he didn't know is that one of the people in their army is a Daein spy: Nasir, who joined them back in Port Toha. He stole the medallion and handed it off to his granddaughter, Ena, who was forced to work for Daein. Nasir made it back quietly without his absence being noticed by anyone but the ever-suspicious Soren.
At the Daein capital, the Crimean Army was trapped inside of Castle Nevassa. Daein was clearly running out of moves, but somehow, the mad king didn't seem to care how many of his soldiers were lost to war. The commander of this battle was Ena, who showed herself to Ike as a Goldoan dragon laguz! Ike defeated her, but left her alive to try to figure out why a laguz would ally herself with the racist Daein army when suddenly, Nasir intervened and let Ena escape. Ike deducted that Nasir was Daein's mole, and ordered Nasir to be kept in captivity within Crimea's Army, saying that the very sight of Nasir disgusted him since he betrayed his trust. There's a lot Ike didn't understand about the situation, but Nasir wouldn't speak. The one thing he said to Ike before being taken off was cryptic: something about going to Palmeni Temple.
On their way to the Crimean capital of Melior, Begnion suddenly sent even more reinforcements commanded by General Zelgius, one of Begnion's most famous of commanders. According to him, Sephiran, the Duke of Persis, sent him and his troops to aid the Crimean Army. Ike accepted the generosity of Begnion, though he told General Zelgius that he wasn't used to commanding in such high numbers. The Crimean Army's next destination wasn't quite the capital, but close: Palmeni Temple, where Nasir told them to go. Ike decided that going in small numbers would be best, since it was an irrelevant mission to the liberation of Crimea.
With a small group including Prince Reyson, Ike went to the temple. Some lowly mercenaries threatened them there, but Ike and his group killed them off and spared the priests they had hostage. Once they finish up with that, Ike wasn't sure what the significance of the temple was. Was it just some trick? Prince Reyson went silent and ghosted off to the back room, where Ike tried to follow. No matter how much he tried to speak to the heron, Reyson just halted in the center of the room and stared at the walls. It was ancient writing transcribed on the walls. It was best that they leave him for a while. When Reyson returned, he recited the tale the walls told:
His older sister, Princess Lillia, was held captive in that room before she died 20 years ago. She was being forced to sing to Lehran's Medallion by the king, who hoped to release the dark god and unleash its wrath upon the land, but her strength alone wasn't enough to release that god. Still, the king didn't understand, and she grew sicker and sicker in that room. A kind-hearted beorc took care of her during these dark times, and with her serene aura, Lillia grew to trust her. The name of the beorc Lillia befriended was Elena.
Ike was shocked. He knew little about his mother, but to think that she'd been acquainted with Reyson's older sister... Him and Mist couldn't believe it, but the rest of the story had to be told. According to the walls, Lillia knew her time was coming. She entrusted Lehran's Medallion to Elena and taught her the melody of the Galdr of Release. They shared no common language, but she wished for Elena to flee the temple with her treasure to find someone named Altina. Reyson didn't know why his sister wanted that, but the meaning behind the war was becoming ever clearer to the group.
Ashnard wanted more and more war to unleash the chaotic god with the hopes of destroying Tellius, and if he couldn't do that, he'd use a heron to release the god.
At their next destination - the bridge between Crimea and Daein - Elincia was reunited with her retainers, whom she assumed were wiped out by this time. Ranulf also joined the group, but he learned from Ike about Nasir's betrayal. He told Ike that he thought Nasir was actually Gallia's spy, so he was surprised to hear that he served Daein. While some parts of the war make more sense, other details make less. After this battle, Delbray Castle is where they're headed to pick up the survivors of the Crimean Royal Guard.
There, Ike caught a glimpse of none other than the Black Knight. He knew better than to encounter him on the spot: he had a job to do, and that was save the Crimean survivors. But afterward, he approached with a conviction: to get revenge on his father, once and for all.
During their meeting, Ike charged at him with his sword. However, no matter what sort of attack he tried... nothing worked. The Black Knight didn't draw his blade and told Ike that his armor was blessed: the only blade that would work on him was Ragnell, and that Ike should have done the smart thing and picked it up after his father was killed. Ike understood and retreated from the fight. In fact, he did pick up the sword. Next time, he knew he had to use it.
(Meanwhile, the Black Knight teleported away and kidnapped the heron princess. OH NO. That can only mean one thing...)
Suddenly, after advancing closer yet to the Crimean capital, Tibarn of Phoenicis returned to greet Ike. Caineghis, too, arrived. The group had a meeting and discussed the ambition of the Mad King Ashnard, and Tibarn imparted upon them the bad news that Princess Leanne had been kidnapped under his nose. They do some good old strategy and do more battle with more people which is what a lot of this history is, but they still didn't pick up any clues as to Leanne's whereabouts. One think Ike did learn was the location of the Black Knight: Castle Nados. Finally, Ike was ready to exact revenge upon his father's murderer.
Ike entered the back room with Ragnell at his hand, but what he discovered wasn't just the Black Knight. A slain Ena was at the Black Knight's feet. Ike protested against this, and told the Black Knight that he'd take her - she was still alive. The Black Knight said he could do that as long as he could defeat him. Ike drew his blade, but Mist entered the room. She told Ike that she wanted to be there for him, and that she wanted to help get revenge. There wasn't anything Ike could do to dissuade her, so the fight began. The Black Knight summoned up some Daein troops and ordered them to kill Mist, but before that could happen, Ike delivered the finishing blow and defeated the Black Knight. One of the Daein troops activated a trap that should supposedly kill Ike, but it was a last minute measure: the castle began to crumble. Ike and Mist only had time to escape for themselves, but they didn't notice Nasir bolt in to save Ena. Later on, Ike found Nasir and Ena, who told him where the heron princess was.
Gritnea Tower was where Leanne was held prisoner. Ranulf complained that he smelled something rank mixed with the scent of the beast tribe, and the rest of the laguz felt something off about the tower. When they entered, they had to witness it first hand: the Feral Ones, laguz with forms twisted beyond recognition guarded the staircase to the top of the tower. The army defeated the guards and Leanne was returned with King Naesala at her side.
Nasir requested that Ike, Ranulf, Ena, and Tibarn take a quick look in the basement. The corpses of dead Feral Ones were found rotting and mangled. They were all disgusted, and Ena explained that the fate of a laguz in King Ashnard's hands was to be pitted against soldiers he wanted to test. Laguz, in his eyes, were nothing more than tools. But weren't all soldiers?
Finally, Castle Crimea. Ike saw to it that Ashnard was defeated by his blade, but just as he thought the battle was over, Ashnard used the last of his strength to do the unthinkable: he touched Lehran's Medallion, which had been surrendered to him by Ena at an earlier date. He went berserk, just like Greil did that day. This time was much more difficult, but Ike, along with the rest of the Crimean Army, managed to overwhelm his power. It was finally over.
Mist retrieved the medallion and gave it to Leanne, asking her to keep it safe. Everybody said their farewells, and suddenly, everything was supposed to be business as usual. Almost like the war never happened, but the evidence was all around them that it had. Zelgius arrived, too, and bid farewell to Ike and Elincia, wishing them their best. Elincia's coronation took place, and she was pronounced the new queen of Crimea. But before her coronation, something peculiar took place.
Sephiran arrived, and asked to speak to Ike. He was surprised that Ike had changed so little, and further surprised that Ike didn't want to take advantage of his position as the commander of the Crimean Army to become a noble. Instead, Ike wanted nothing more than to return to his life as the commander of the Greil Mercenaries. Sephiran laughed at him for his decision, and Ike left him, perplexed by the way he treated him just then.
"...Thus do heroes give birth to new chapters in history..." began Sephiran softly after Ike was far out of earshot. "Ike, I doubt if you've even noticed... Your story, the everyday mercenary who becomes a hero will awaken ugly appetite and ambition in many. It will be the cause of strife and discord throughout the land. I'm certain Ashnard saw the truth in this. In a way, Ashnard's dream may have been fulfilled. The seeds of war have indeed been sewn across the continent. It appears your trials are just beginning, my gallant, young hero... May the goddess ride with you."
Just as he said, Ike returned to his position as the commander of the Greil Mercenaries. The mercenaries worked together to help rebuild any corner of Crimea they came across, and never moved on from one town until they did what they could to help repair the damage. Soon enough, the mercenaries were being contracted to work the old jobs they used to do: fending off pirates, watching out for thieves, escorting convoys, or absolving villages of their bandit problems. And that's how things would be for quite a while.
During one of their missions at a port near the sea, the Greil Mercenaries were contracted to drive away a nasty bunch of pirates that overran the town. The townspeople wanted it restored to the peaceful port it once was, but with a pirate ship permanently parked at its dock, they couldn't have that. So they Greil Mercenaries were charged with the mission to fix that problem.
It'd be an easy fix for sure, but with every battle comes the possibility of injury. When met with the captain, Ike told him to leave - or else. But instead of negotiation, the captain of the ship met him with the blade of his axe. Their skirmish was brief and ending in Ike's victory, but he was definitely slashed by that pirate's axe. Little did Ike know, but the head of that axe was dripping with poison. Before the Greil Mercenaries could head back to their base, Ike felt like throwing up. He excused himself quietly for a moment, but fainted behind a building. Or was it in a forest? His memory of that moment was so hazy...
But the next thing he knew, he was in a peculiar place. Furthermore, the Greil Mercenaries were nowhere to be found. He didn't know where he was - it was totally unrecognizable to him. SPOILERS: IT'S FINAL DESTINATION CITY. Ike would end up enrolling as a student at Smash Academy because he can't seem to get home.
Anything Else?:
• Ike is from a period of time where things like electricity, modern architecture, public schooling, advanced food preservation, and other modern commodities don't exist (for the most part? ctrl+f "shower", but who knows with this one). Expect him to feel very out of place and have a time of it trying to adapt.
• Ike will bring with him the blessed sword Ragnell, but he doesn't use it on policy. Instead, he uses any old sword lying around - but he brought with him one that belonged to his father long ago.
• Ike's dominant hand is his right hand. He wields heavy two-handed swords with only one hand.
• Ike does not have fire powers the way he does in Brawl, that is ridiculous, he is not magic. I don't even fuckin know where they got that bullshit. ANYWAY, he does have a neat ability called Aether
• Ike's favorite food is spicy meat. It doesn't matter what kind of meat, but if it's spicy, it's the best. He likes chicken a lot though. Beef too. Who am I kidding, Ike likes any meat. He has an aversion to sweets.
• I am taking him with all of his possible supports, even though that can't happen for gameplay reasons. It doesn't change anything to assume that Ike has had all of his support conversations with his possible supports - this is only relevant with the supports in Radiant Dawn. So I am assuming he got close to all of those lucky folks.
In-Character 1st person sample: I did two because the text one felt short.
[text]
My name is Ike. I don't know how I got here or why, but I'm enrolled at this academy for now. I guess I'm a senior, or something. If we haven't already met, you should introduce yourself to me.
I'm not sure what else to write here. It feels sort of stiff to meet people on this network. One convenience for you people is just an obstacle for me to overcome, since I'm not familiar with computers or internets. If I were to meet someone back home, I'd just walk up and say hello.
[video]
[Ike's head is turned away from the camera, across the room. His lips are parted, like he'd just finished saying something, and then he nods and turns back to the computer.]
Um, hey. I just figured out how to make a "video" today. It's a bit better than typing when you're as awful at it as I am.
I guess I should try talking about something since I'm here, huh? Okay, how about this: I'm looking for a sparring partner. Someone whose good with swords, or any kind of weapon, really. Even though I can practice by myself, it's always nice to have someone to practice with. If anyone's willing, I'd appreciate it. A lot.
[That's all he really has to say, so he kind of stares at the computer and raises his hand hesitantly. Then, he just shuts off the feed. (It feels silly to wave at a screen to him, even if there are supposedly people watching that video thing.)]
In-Character 3rd person sample:
So somebody on campus lost their kitten, Rose. There were signs posted up all over the walls, the lamp poles, the trees - heck, anywhere they could be tacked, that was where they were. This person must have really wanted their cat back, if the persistence of the posters wasn't enough evidence to prove that.
Ike passed through the courtyard, pulling at the Smash Academy uniform. It fit him, probably. It just didn't... fit him. It felt sort of constricting or weird or something, he thought. There simply wasn't any sense in wearing something that didn't fit right. He'd have to do something about that. With no particular destination in mind, Ike considered it getting used to the vast campus. A tour, sort of. He liked getting some space to himself to think about what kind of crazy stuff had been happening lately.
His 'alone time for thinking' was cut short by the high-pitched mewling from nearby. Ike turned his head to look for the source, but he didn't see any cats nearby. Not on that fence, not near the gutter, not on the grass... He looked up and was met with the form of a small orange tabby. Ike approached the tree, lifting his hand to shield his eyes.
"Hey," he started, trying to get eye contact with the cat. With fear in its eyes, the cat turned to face him but kept its nails dug into the tree branch. "You're stuck, aren't you?" Of course it was.
Slowly, Ike climbed up the tree and moved himself onto the branch the kitten was on as delicately as he could manage. "Now just stay there..." he requested, even though the kitten couldn't care less about what he had to say. He inched along the branch and reached out for the cat. He pulled the protesting kitten away from the branch and held it close to his chest and sat up. "There. Was that so bad?"
The branch snapped under Ike's weight.
They fell unceremoniously out of the tree, and Ike landed on his back and groaned. He sat up and looked down at the cat still cradled in his arms. It seemed startled, but otherwise fine. "I take that back. It could have gone better," he commented, but then noticed the small, round tag on the kitten's collar. He turned it over to see if it had any significance and found something written on the front. "Rose...?"
This kitten obviously had a frantic owner waiting for her. Ike would have to find out where he could find her owner soon. He smiled down at the cat and lifted himself off the ground. Something felt strange about that moment just then, and Ike looked down again to see what the matter was.
Strange, as in suddenly comfortable. It seemed that during his fall, Ike had torn the sleeve of his blazer. It felt... right. No wonder bending his arm was more comfortable than it was just a bit ago. Maybe he'd have to do that to the other side sometime.