Character biographical info courtesy of, and tweaked lightly for my narrative's purposes, the Fire Emblem wiki.
Once again, sincerest apologies for the length.
Season Two: The Binding Blade
Our narrator (Timothy Dalton) gives us a brief overview of Fire Emblem, a series of medieval epics said to rival the works of J.R.R. Tolkein and George R.R. Martin. He provides a quick recap of the previous story, The Blazing Blade, before segueing into its sequel, The Binding Blade.
"Twenty years have passed since the heroes of Elibe defeated the dark sorceror Nergal and prevented the return of the dragons. In that time, much has changed on the continent. Eliwood and Hector have each become Marquess of the Lycian territories of Pherae and Ostia, respectively; Lyndis, after the passing of her grandfather the Marquess of Caelin, had the territory placed under Ostia's guardianship, allowing her to return with Rath of the Kutolah to the plains of Sacae. Etruria and Bern have emerged as the two mightiest powers on the continent, with a tenuous but lasting peace. The peace is shattered when Bern, without warning, invades Sacae and Illia, swiftly taking control of the two countries. Their next target would be Lycia. Urged by this turn of events, Eliwood sends for his son Roy, who had been studying in Ostia, and asks him to return home and head up Pherae's forces in the Lycian defense against Bern...."
*A Quick Recap of the Countries of Elibe*
-Lycia--founded by the champion Roland, wielder of Durandal the blazing sword, governed by a union of provinces known as the Lycian League.
-Bern--founded by the hero Hartmut, he of the twin swords Eckesachs and the Binding Blade, a monarchy known for their military might, especially their legions of wyvern riders.
-Etruria--founded by St. Elimine, keeper of the sacred light Aureola, the base of Elibe's faith and home to the largest concentration of magic scholars.
-Sacae--founded by the horsewoman Hanon, wielder of Murgleis the gale bow, a 'kingdom' of plains home to nomadic tribes such as the Lorca, the Kutolah, and the Djute.
-The Missur Peninsula--home to the Nabata Desert, wherein lies the location of Arcadia, a hidden village where human and dragon live in harmony; this became home to the Archsage Athos, master of Forblaze the infernal element, who hid the village behind a series of treacherous sandstorms.
-Illia--founded by the great knight Barigan, bearer of the ice spear Maltet, this snow-covered nation is home to troops of mercenary knights, especially their famous pegasus knights.
-The Western Isles--home to a warrior clan founded by Durban the berserker, wielder of the thunder axe Armads; it has recently become a colony for Etruria and a center for their newfound mining industry.
-Valor, the Dread Isle--location of the Dragon's Gate, and the place where Bramimond the enigma, guardian of the dark tome Apocalypse, gained the power to best dragons by sacrificing his very humanity.
#The Cast of Heroes
+Playable Characters
-David Mazouz as the voice of Roy, prince of Pherae
"The son of Eliwood and Ninian (making him a quarter dragon), Roy is an upstanding, thoughtful, and idealistic young man who repeatedly shows a desire to help and support others, shown in his interaction with Guinivere and his friend since youth, Lilina. While he would prefer to avoid blood-shed – a fact reflected in his interaction with Guinivere and his tactical efforts to conserve his soldiers – he maintains a strong resolve to see peace return to Elibe. Unlike most young protagonists, however, he is perceptive and cunning for his age – he tricks a traitorous Lycian vassal into exposing himself, deciphers that the bard Elffin is more than he seems (though he does not pursue the truth against Elffin's will), and often reacts calmly and tactically to disturbing news. In a support conversation between Lillina and Cecilia, it is revealed that Roy's inferiority complex is the reason why he picked up a sword despite his teacher using magic. Lilina also notes in a conversation that he is clumsy and is known to "dance with two left feet." Roy is also quite oblivious to the obvious feelings that some of the women in the army develop for him. Lilina in particular is quite smitten with him regardless, but he never notices this until later. In the final fight of the war, Roy becomes the new wielder of the Binding Blade."
Mazouz has been playing a teenage Dark Knight for so long, it's about time he played a white knight. I figured something like Fire Emblem would give him material that was a bit better.
-Natalie Alyn Lind as the voice of Lilina, a mage and princess of Ostia
"The daughter of Hector and the former pegasus knight Farina, Lilina is very kindhearted, shy, compassionate, and charismatic, not judging people for their skills, origins, or looks. On the other hand, she is also childish, stubborn, and naive to the point of being slightly detached from reality (mentioned in some conversations, like those with Garret and Ogier). Lilina herself is quite aware of her flaws, though, and she works very hard to become a good leader like her deceased father, Hector. In the latter half of the war, Lilina leads half of Roy's army to Illia to recover Maltet the ice spear. During the final fight of the war, Lilina is chosen to wield Forblaze, the infernal element."
While I wasn't much a fan of the chemistry Lind and Mazouz had on Gotham, again, I figured this might be some better material for them to work with.
-Kirk Thornton as the voice of Marcus, a paladin from Pherae
"Marcus is a senior knight of Pherae who acts as second-in-command to Eliwood and overall commander of the Pherae knights. He also serves as an advisor to Eliwood, and later fulfills the same duty to Eliwood's son Roy."
Again, there is little history for Marcus. I'm honestly surprised.
-Cameron Bowen as the voice of Alen, a cavalier from Pherae
"Alen is part of a family that has served House Pherae for a long time and, along with Lance, serves and travels with Roy to take back the lands annexed by Bern. He is the more reckless out of the two Pheraen cavaliers."
-Zack Shada as the voice of Lance, a cavalier from Pherae
"Lance is a knight in service to House Pherae who travels with Roy to take back the lands annexed by Bern. Of the two Pheraean cavaliers, he is more intellectual and calm; it is revealed in a conversation with Wolt that he actually records the circumstances of every battle the Lycian Alliance Army has been involved in so that he can identify and learn from any flaws in the battle plan. He looks up to Marcus and is a great friend of Alen; his characteristics compared with Alan also shows on their stats: Lance has more speed and skill while Alan has more Strength and Luck. Lance is actually not a native Pheraean."
-Sam Riegel as the voice of Wolt, an archer from Pherae
"Wolt is the son of two retainers of House Pherae, cavalier Lowen and archer Rebecca, who also served as Roy's nurse. As an archer in service to Pherae, Wolt is characterized by his diligence and earnestness in wanting to protect Roy, but as a consequence, unintentionally creates some distance with Roy in order to fulfill his duties. Apparently, he is not very confident in his role as one of Roy's allies, though his superior, Marcus, assures him that being Roy's friend is an invaluable role for providing moral support."
-Bill Faggerbakke as the voice of Bors, a knight from Ostia
"Bors is a rather easygoing knight from House Ostia, who was assigned to Roy's party when the war started, as commanded by Lilina. He is Gwendolyn's overprotective older brother and was also Roy's sparring partner, helping Roy together with Cecilia and other Ostian soldiers with his training."
-Wayne Knight as the voice of Merlinus, a former merchant and the supply master of Roy's army
"An older Merlinus is tasked by Eliwood to act as the personal advisor of his son Roy. He isn't as timid and fearful as he twenty years before; instead, he's very outspoken and sometimes pragmatic in his opinions, is distrustful of people with shady professions or suspicious circumstances, like Princess Guinivere or Cath, and behaves with a stern if sometimes harsh manner to those who act out of turn with his young master, out of worry of Roy's safety due to his inexperience in the ways of the world."
-Laura Bailey as the voice of Ellen, a cleric from Bern
"Ellen is a cleric who serves as the lady-in-waiting to Guinivere, the princess of Bern. Near the beginning of the story, she escapes from corrupt knight Rude, who had taken both herself and Guinivere as hostages. She meets Roy and enlists his help in rescuing Guinivere. She offers to use her healing staff for his cause. Ellen and the wyvern rider siblings Miledy and Zeiss grew up in the same hometown. In a conversation with Zeiss, it is revealed that she is rather shy around men. In the final battle of the war, Ellen is chosen as the wielder of the Saint's Staff, originally used by St. Elimine herself."
-Dave Wittenberg as the voice of Deke, a mercenary from Etruria
"Originally an Etrurian gladiator, Deke attracted the attention of the nobles, Pent and Louise, who offered him a job as their son Klein's guardian. Deke had saved Klein when he was a boy from a charging lion, whose claws dug into his body, leaving deep scars. Pent and Louise did not mind that he fought alongside the gladiators in arenas and charged Deke with the protection of their son. Deke left their service some time later when nobles pressured House Reglay with the fact that Dieck should not be involved with nobility, being of common blood. Klein, however, never forgot his former playmate and protector. Before he was hired by Eliwood to serve Roy's army, Deke and his group of mercenaries had been recruited by a certain lord to fight against his enemies. That lord, in an effort to buy time to escape, abandoned the mercenaries. Many were slaughtered, leaving Deke the only survivor, and his foes captured and tortured him. He later hires two young axefighters named Wade and Lot, as well as an Ilian Pegasus knight named Shanna. Despite being gruff, serious and powerful, he is extremely cautious and cares very deeply for his mercenary band."
A variant of Wittenberg's Kakashi (from Naruto) would work well here.
-Sean Schemmel as the voice of Wade, a fighter from the Western Isles
"Wade is a fighter brought into Deke's mercenary band along with his childhood friend Lot. He also has a younger sister named Mary, who lives on the Western Isles. He appears to be superstitious, believing when he was young that monsters lived in an abandoned mine near his home, but Lot confirmed that the "monsters" were actually just snakes."
-James Arnold Taylor as the voice of Lot, a fighter from the Western Isles
"Lot is from the Western Isles along with his sister Myu, but he joined Deke's mercenary crew with his best friend Wade. Lot's parents are dead and his sister is at home in the Western Isles alone; his best friend Wade has tried to convince him to return home so he could take care of his sister, but he refuses. They joined the war so they could get money for their village back home."
-Vyvan Pham as the voice of Shanna, a pegasus knight from Illia
"Shanna is a Pegasus Knight from Ilia and the younger sister of Juno and Thea. While her sisters are full-fledged Pegasus Knights, she is still in training. She joined Deke's mercenary crew as part of her training. She used to address Deke as "Chief", but he did not like that. She thinks that Lot has a crush on her, although he only thinks of her as a little sister. Because of this, she calls him "Big Brother". She is also kinder to Lot than she is to Wade because she fights with the latter in their conversations."
-Greg Cipes as the voice of Chad, a thief from Araphen
"Chad is an orphan from Araphen who takes revenge against the Bern forces for burning his orphanage down on the Lycian-Bern border. Chad joins Roy's forces when Roy launches an attack on the conquered Castle Araphen. He is friends with twin brothers Lugh and Raigh, the Reverend Yoder, and the other little orphans and cares about them. He fights to preserve peace among the countries and for his 'family' of orphans. In a conversation with fellow thief Cath it is revealed that Chad is a rather good artist, and that the Father (Lucius from The Blazing Blade) at the orphanage had always praised him for his artistic ability before he had died. The conversation also seems to imply that Chad has a desire to become an artist following the war. Chad also describes much of his past to Hugh in a conversation as well. In the conversation, Chad borrows 3000g to buy a sword, later repaying 4000g and explaining why he borrowed the money to Hugh. Chad says that he bought the sword to use to fight for his 'family' of orphans."
-Bryce Papenbrook as the voices of Lugh and Raigh, a mage and a shaman (respectively) from Pherae
"Lugh and Raigh are the twin sons of Nino and both grew up in the same orphanage in Araphen as Chad. Both couldn't be any more different, as seen by their eyes. Lugh, a mage, has eyes that are soft and caring; he tends to be positive, polite, kind, and conscious of others. On the other hand, he can be bitter, as shown in a conversation with Miledy. Raigh, a shaman in contrast, has eyes that are hard and cynical. He is sarcastic, rude and cynical, the opposite of his brother. Despite his rude behavior to all the people around him, people like Lugh and Sophia say that he is really a good person at heart and is just hiding it. He is on relatively good terms with Chad despite his departure from the orphanage. His dream is to make dark magic more known throughout Elibe and to study ancient magic, joining Roy's army because it may help with his dream."
-Kristen Li as the voice of Clarine, a troubadour from Etruria
"Clarine is the daughter of Pent and Louise, and the younger sister of Klein. Clarine is an arrogant and very pampered girl who often looks down at others because of her status. However, this comes more from inexperience and childishness, rather than outright malice. She is close to her older brother, Klein, whom she looks up to. Despite her childish and self-centered attitude, she does have a genuinely soft side, which is apparent in her conversations with Rutger (crying and showing worry after he avoids her) or Dorothy (helping her with her self-esteem troubles)."
The current voice of Powerpuff Girl Bubbles would be a decent fit for our pampered princess here.
-Liam O'Brien as the voice of Rutger, a half-Bern-half-Sacaen myrmidon
"Rutger is half Sacaen and half Bern. Although this is very common in Bulgar, a border city between the two countries, Rutger looks more like someone from Bern than he does from Sacae, which is a very rare occurrence. When Bern invaded Sacae, Rutger was the only one spared because Bern's forces mistook Rutger for one of them. He has sworn vengeance on Bern. He meets up with Roy's army at first as an enemy (he'd been hired by Laus's marquess Erik when he sided with Bern), until Clarine, whom he'd freed from captivity, convinces him to switch sides."
-Travis Willingham as the voice of Saul, a priest from Etruria
"Saul is a cunning, perceptive healer with an important mission from the order of the St. Elimine Church. He admits to hitting on every woman he meets despite being a priest and needs a reminder from Dorothy, his bodyguard, not to get into trouble. He joins the Lycia Alliance under the leadership of Roy on orders from Yoder, the archbishop of the church. In the final battle of the war, Saul is chosen to wield St. Elimine's Aureola tome, much to the surprise of the few who knew him closely."
-Lacey Chabert (with a Gaelic accent) as the voice of Dorothy, an archer from Etruria
"Dorothy is a rather reserved person. She often comes off as shy and nervous and has trouble thinking of what to say to people. She also has the odd tendency to talk to herself, as can be seen in a conversation with the nomad Shin. She also tends to doubt herself, in her abilities and intelligence. Dorothy is also greatly devoted to the St. Elimine Church, which is why she agreed to escort Saul. In a conversation with Bishop Yoder she will express an overwhelming desire to want to be able to use healing staves to help heal people. She asks Yoder why it is that no matter how hard she prays she cannot use staves. Yoder replies to her questions with a story involving Saint Elimine, an Eagle, and an Owl, the basis of the story being that everyone has different skills that they can use to contribute and help others with. Dorothy also has problems with being feminine. In a conversation with Clarine, Clarine first approaches her exclaiming: "Why are you dressing yourself in men's clothes?". Clarine then spends a considerable amount of time trying to train Dorothy to be 'a lady' by teaching her etiquette and whatnot. However, Dorothy eventually decides that she just is not good at any of it and that she should give up, but Clarine suggests that the biggest thing Dorothy must fix is her confidence, and that a lady must be confident. In the process, the two become friends. Dorothy also takes her obligation to guard Saul very seriously. She also constantly pesters him about how he tends to flirt with women. In one conversation, she does just that and Saul in turn eventually provides 'a good excuse' as she had said he should have. In the final conversation however, Saul ends up having to flee after aggravating Dorothy thoroughly."
-Chloe Bennett as the voice of Sue, princess of the Kutolah tribe of Sacae
"Sue is the daughter of Lyndis of the Lorca tribe (one of the heroes from The Blazing Blade) and Rath of the Kutolah, with her grandfather being the Kutolah chieftan Dayan, the famous "Silver Wolf". She's also a childhood friend of Roy and Lilina, their parents having been good friends with one another during the fight against Nergal twenty years prior. When Bern invaded Sacae, she was ordered by Dayan to escape with the women and children. However, she was eventually separated from her group, who were ambushed and massacred. Later, she found refuge in the Lycian territory of Thria, but after Marquess Orun was assassinated, she was taken as a prisoner by his killer and former advisor Wagner. Roy and company rescue her, and she in turn joins them in the fight. It is mentioned in her support conversation with Roy that Sue does not talk to other people often. This is because she prefers to speak to things such as the trees, sky, water, and other aspects of nature. In her attempt to cheer up Roy and lessen his stress, she advises him to listen to nature, as she says that it speaks to others. Like most characters from Sacae, Sue mentions Mother Earth and Father Sky and seems to worship them. In the final fight of the war, Sue is chosen to wield the gale bow Murgleis."
Probably the most-altered of the characters here, as I liked the idea of Eliwood, Hector and Lyn's kids taking up the fight later on.
-Phil Morris as the voice of Zelot, a paladin from Illia
"Zelot is the head of the Illian mercenaries hired by Lord Hector before his death. He, Trec, and Noah both work for him and respect him. Zelot is married to Juno and they have a child who he has not met before because he is always away at various wars. After the war ends, Zelot unifies Ilia and becomes its first king."
-Benjamin Diskin (in a non-exaggerated French accent) as the voice of Trec, a cavalier from Illia
"Trec is a carefree, laid back Cavalier from Ilia, and as such works as a mercenary for money. Trec often falls asleep during battle and is scolded by General Zelot, but he still sleeps and remains a great fighter. Trec often dreams of being a horse; he says that this is his greatest worry. He remained a mercenary knight after the war."
I'd liken Trec's characterization partly to Passepartout from Around the World in 80 Days.
-Josh Keaton as the voice of Noah, a cavalier from Illia
"Noah is a member of the Illian mercenaries who were hired by Lord Hector shortly before his death. Noah is best friends with Trec and trained Fir in the arena. Noah is generally a very friendly person. He states in a conversation that he fell in love with Fir at first sight. He is also close to his liege lady Juno. He set out to test his strength when the war ended."
-Troy Baker (with a light Italian accent) as the voice of Astolfo, a thief in Ostia's employ as a spy
"Some time before the events of the story, back when he was known as Gorlois, Astolfo was the husband of Igrene and had lived happily with her in Arcadia. However, his risky occupation as a spy forced him to abandon her years ago while repelling a bandit raid, as he did not wish to see her put through any danger on his account, thus "killing" the Gorlois identity. They also had a daughter; however, it can be assumed that Astolfo left before he could be made aware that Igrene was pregnant, as the child is never mentioned in any support conversations. In those, he is portrayed as an indirect war victim, having to abandon his wife to conceal her from the danger that comes from his work as a spy. Their daughter died early in her life. Astolfo met Hector for the first time when Astolfo tried to loot Castle Ostia. Astolfo was in the middle of stealing loot when Hector found him. Impressed by his skill, Hector hired him as a spy. He hastens back to the city upon news of Hector's death but is too late to stop a rebellion."
-Jamie Marchi as the voice of Gwendolyn, a knight from Ostia
"Gwendolyn is a knight of Ostia and the younger sister of Bors. She is intent on mastering defense, despite feeling awkward in armor. When she and her comrades meet up with Roy's army during their retaking of Castle Ostia, she tells her brother that she truly wanted to become a knight, and not just wait for him to return from battles. She forms a very friendly rivalry with her teammate Ogier."
-Rick D. Wasserman as the voice of Barth, a knight from Ostia
"Barthe is a well respected and well revered knight of Ostia. Barthe has possibly been employed the longest out of all of Ostia's knights."
-Franz Drameh as the voice of Ogier, a mercenary from Lycia hired by Ostia
"Ogier is a somewhat reserved person; he often comes off as shy and respectful to others, often considering them to be of higher status than himself as he came from a dirt poor family. Ogier is also greatly motivated to train himself in order to protect everyone else. Lalum accuses him twice of being perverted in a couple of their conversations, although with her personality, it is unlikely without knowing what Ogier was thinking. However, he is very kind and has great moral obligations. Ogier originally joined a band of Ostian soldiers in order to pay for his impoverished family’s meals. He, Gwendolyn and Barth join Roy's army when they retake Castle Ostia. In the final battle of the war, Ogier is chosen to wield Durandal the blazing sword."
-Tania Gunadi as the voice of Fir (pronounced 'Feer'), a myrmidon from Sacae
"Fir is the daughter of Bartre and Karla, and the niece of Karel. She is quite headstrong, and exudes the same calmness and single-mindedness of purpose as her mother. Fir works to follow in the footsteps of her late mother and struggles to improve her skills in swordsmanship until she achieves the title of Swordmaster. She does so by travelling around Elibe honing her skills. We first meet her when Noah is training her at an arena during the rebellion against Hector in Ostia, where Roy and Lilina seek to retake the castle from the traitors who sided with Bern. Fir joins their army when they are sent to the Western Isles to get rid of a bandit takeover, where she had been misled by a bandit leader into working for him."
-Ryan Potter as the voice of Shin, a nomad from the Kutolah tribe of Sacae
"Shin is a personal friend of the Silver Wolf's granddaughter, Sue, and aspires to be like the Silver Wolf. Shin joined a band of bandits on the Western Isles so he could find Sue on direct orders from the Silver Wolf. When the war is over, Shin becomes the new leader of the Kutolah clan. Shin appears as a very stoic and calm person, a trait almost archetypal in warriors from Sacae. He is always alert to danger and also a keen observer."
-Tom Kenny as the voice of Gonzalez, a brigand from the Western Isles
"Gonzalez is an unintelligent and unattractive bandit with a heart of gold. He is from the Western Isles. In the story, he was ordered to destroy a village but when Lilina spoke to him, he found that he could be accepted somewhere without having to hurt innocent people. He joins Roy's army as a result. In the final battle of the war, Gonzalez is found worthy to wield the thunder axe Armads."
I pictured Kenny's voice for Eduardo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends working for Gonzalez, and would also liken the characterization somewhat to Lenny in Of Mice and Men or Sloth from The Goonies.
-Jeremy Shada as the voice of Geese, a pirate from the Western Isles
"Geese is the younger brother of Blazing Blade's Geitz, with their father being a rich merchant. He became a pirate after the bankruptcy of his first merchant endeavor. He first meets Roy and company after mistakenly attacking Roy (who he thought was one of the corrupt Etrurian soldiers on the Isles) in an attempt to avenge his comrades. He runs a trading business as well, and always risked storms and other seaborne hazards to deliver food to the villages of the Western Isles."
-Colleen O'Shaughnessey as the voice of Lalum, a dancer from Etruria
"Lalum is a member of the resistance forces fighting against the corrupt Etrurian officials on the Western Isles. She is also the adopted daughter of Etruria's Great General Douglas, and the confidant of Etruria's MIA prince Mildain. Lalum is a particularly boisterous and loud person. She tends to act very childish at times and scream and yell at inopportune times. She also has a huge crush on Roy, which she states on a regular basis. She doesn't take much consideration into what she says or does; often seems to be somewhat detached from reality (often daydreaming out loud or acting out something she wishes would happen); and has an interest in cooking, though she's a pretty bad cook in this case. The only two people that tend to take Lalum seriously are Douglas, her adoptive father; and Ogier, who is generally respectful to everyone. Lalum tends to try to impress her father and also tends to tease Ogier (she accused him twice of being perverted). Both humor the actions in their own way."
-Jason Spisak as the voice of Elphin/Mildain, a bard who's secretly the prince of Etruria
"Elphin is a bard who, along with Lalum, are part of the resisitance forces fighting corrupt Etrurian officials on the Western Isles. He originally hides his true identity from Roy as a bard, because he is really the prince of Etruria, Mildain, that was said to have died by falling from horseback. In reality though, he was hit by a poisonous arrow and was nearly assassinated. The poison still causes him to be blind for moments. He only reveals who he really is to a few people, including Douglas and Klein. Cecilia recognizes him because of a scar on his right shoulder. When they were younger, Klein was his best friend; he was a bit older than Klein and he wanted him to be his brother, but Klein refused, for he had wanted to be his knight."
-Daniel Dae Kim as the voice of Klein, a sniper from Etruria
"Klein is the older brother of Clarine, and the son of Pent and Louise, as well as a general in the Etrurian army. He is part of an Etrurian detatchment sent to the Western Isles by corrupt officials to take down Roy's army; he is to be assisted by a squad of pegasus knights from Illia led by Thea. Before both groups can trade blows, Clarine manages to convince Klein to switch sides, which he does the same in turn to Thea. Klein is very fond of his younger sister, but still considers her to be young and inexperienced, and does not hesitate to scold her when he thinks that it is needed."
-Kim Mai Guest as the voice of Thea, a pegasus knight from Illia
"Thea is the middle sister of Juno and Shanna, and like her employer Klein, joins Roy's army before both sides come to blows over a case of mistaken identity. She has problems with showing any form of positive emotion towards her younger sister in public, and easily becomes embarrassed. This could also be because she does not want to make herself look like a fool in front of Klein. Thea is also very protective of her older sister, Juno, and worries about both her and her baby. During the final battle of the war, Thea, to her surprise, is chosen to wield the ice spear Maltet."
-Maria Canals-Barrera as the voice of Echidna, a hero from the Western Isles
"Echidna is the leader of the resistance forces on the Western Isles fighting against the corrupt Etrurian nobles who govern them. She joins Roy's army in taking down the bandits and said corrupt nobles and continues on with the group in the rest of the war, all the while attempting to garner recruits to help her establish a 'free village' where people of the Isles who had their homes destroyed could settle after the conflict. Her efforts later result in the establishment of a new nation formed in the Isles, the Western Union."
My alternate choices for her voice also included Lucy Liu; Gina Torres or Morena Baccarin (both Firefly alums); and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Debra Jean Rogers, or Ali Hillis (all anime dub veterans).
-John DiMaggio as the voice of Bartre
"Twenty years since the events of The Blazing Blade, Bartre still shows rash and reckless behavior, but age has given him more wisdom, as he thinks much more, and shows more control. However, he can still show his warrior's spirit, shown in a conversation with Gonzalez. He reunites with his daughter Fir when she and Roy's army run into him after Echidna joins them. He apologizes to Fir for not bringing her up well enough, and not being there when she needed him. Fir's tone implies that he can be a bit overprotective at times, but he just means to be by her side. When they reunite with Karel during the final battle, he talks of mainly his late wife (and Karel's sister) Karla, and about her final moments by his side."
-Madison McLaughlin as the voice of Cath, a thief
"Cath is a mysterious thief who Roy and company encounter on three different occasions. She first meets them during their scuffle with former House Thria advisor Wagner, alerting them to his planned ambush; second when they retake Castle Ostia; and third when they liberate the Western Isles. It is in this third encounter that Roy learns her story: her village was burned down by her father by the order of some nobles, so she hates nobles with a deep passion, and steals from them as a result. She regarded Roy as a snobby noble at first and did not believe his sympathies when she told him her tale. After hearing that he would help her rebuild her village, she joined Roy wanting to see the proof of his claim."
-Katie Cassidy as the voice of Miledy, a wyvern rider from Bern
"Miledy is a renowned knight of Bern and captain of Princess Guinivere's guards. She has a younger brother, Zeiss. She is willing to follow Guinivere and join the Alliance army despite the risk of being labeled a traitor and leaving her country, family and lover, Galle, behind. Her wyvern is named Trifinne."
-Ben McKenzie as the voice of Perceval, a paladin from Etruria
"Perceval is one of the three top generals of Etruria, specifically the Knight General. He is forced to fight for Bern when Etrurian traitors capture King Mordred and force him to switch allegiances. Despite his actions, he remains extremely loyal to Prince Mildain and King Mordred of Etruria. Upon seeing Elphin, he is shocked to discover that Prince Mildain is alive and well and chooses to abandon the corrupt leaders of the Bern military, joining the Lycian Alliance for the good of Etruria."
This is one casting that automatically clicked with me.
-Danielle Nicolet as the voice of Cecilia, a valkyrie from Etruria
"Cecilia is one of the three top generals of the Etrurian military, along with Perceval and Douglas; her title is that of Mage General (two prior holders were Blazing Blade's Pent and Erk). Cecilia was born to a wealthy, aristocratic family and later was recognized as talented enough in magic to become a knight of Etruria. According to a conversation with Douglas however, she faced great opposition and prejudice for taking on the role in her earlier days, though she persevered nonetheless. Eventually, she went to Ostia where Roy and Lilina were studying and taught them the basics in battle arts, specifically showing Roy how to wield the sword and Lilina how to cast spells, but was called away when she was recognized as a successor to the Mage General's title by her own predecessor. She helps Roy's army wrest full control of Ostia from Bern forces, along with Perceval, and takes care of Guinivere while Roy goes to the Western Isles as a favor to Etruria's government. When they return, Roy finds that Cecilia's been captured by Bern forces and is held in an old castle on the Missur Peninsula. After freeing her and her cellmate Sophia, Cecilia aids Roy in the rest of the conflict, including the retaking of Etruria. Cecilia is characterized by a calm and sensible temperament, though she is also a strong-minded individual with firm convictions. As an Etrurian general, she has strong leadership qualities and a keen mind for strategies. She is willing to follow her beliefs over her obligations unlike Perceval and Douglas; as a result, she is the only general who rebels against the coup d'état in order to free her country from Bern's control rather than prioritizing the king's personal safety alone. She can show an intimidating side when she is angered by others, as Elffin notes, though she is usually pleasant and diplomatic with most people. Cecilia greatly admires Douglas and aspires to be like him one day, and she shares a camaraderie with Perceval."
-Mae Whitman as the voice of Sophia, a shaman from Arcadia
"Sophia is a half-dragon young woman from Arcadia. Sophia meets Roy and company when she was captured by Bern forces and sent to the same prison cell as Cecilia, where she treated the general's wounds using her powers. Aside from that, she can see the future, though not clearly. She then leads the Alliance army to Arcadia, in order to help the people there shake off Bern's invasion. Though she has little background, she speaks slowly, demonstrating her shyness. It is noted that she is very old, about one century of age. Sophia cannot transform into a dragon, even though she is half-human half-dragon, as she does not seem to possess a dragonstone. Bartre, Marcus and Merlinus recognize her, to everyone's surprise, when they reveal that they briefly met her during the final battle against Nergal; while they were fighting off his morph army on their way to the Dragon's Gate, they were evacuating villages to keep civilians out of harm's way, hers being one of them--she provided one of the group's member's, Hawkeye, with a talisman to help in their efforts. In the final fight of the war, Sophia is chosen to wield the legendary dark tome Apocalypse."
-Rachael Taylor as the voice of Igrene, a sniper and guardian of the Nabata Desert
"Igrene is an inhabitant of Arcadia who is known as the Guardian of Nabata Desert among the villagers. She is also the daughter of the berserker Hawkeye, the previous Guardian who aided Lyn, Eliwood and Hector in the fight against Nergal. Igrene has an estranged husband, who was a thief named Gorlois, now a spy named Astolfo in service to House Ostia. It is revealed in a conversation with Fae that Igrene had a daughter who has since died from unknown causes. When prodded by Fae to reveal more information, it is suggested that she is still deeply pained about her daughter's death, but seems to be holding back her emotions. In her conversation with Saul, it is mentioned that Igrene used to believe in a god, but lost her faith after the death of a loved one. When she first appears, she is evading Bern's forces to avoid capture and protecting Fae until Roy's forces arrive. She then helps them throughout the rest of the war, starting with helping them keep Forblaze out of Bern's hands."
-Khary Payton as the voice of Garret, a berserker from the Etruria-Missur border
"Garret is an unwilling bandit with a heart of gold. When Lilina spoke to him, he gladly swapped sides over to the "good guys", as he hated the bandit life. After the end of the war, he quit banditry and led a normal life, working and tending to his crops just as any ordinary villager would; he never picked up a weapon again."
-Tara Strong as the voice of Fae, a dragon girl from Arcadia
"True to her appearance, Fae is childish and naïve. Despite this, she is several centuries old. Because she is a full blooded dragon, she ages very slowly, even more so than Sophia (who is a half-dragon). She always speaks in third person. When Roy first arrives in the hidden village of Arcadia, Fae wants to go with them but is forbidden to do so. Despite the guardians of Nabata watching over her, first Hawkeye, then his daughter Igrene, Fae sneaks out and is captured by Bern. She is saved by Roy later on and fights with the army using her Divinestone."
"Hugh is a mercenary mage; he is the grandson of Niime, the son of Canas, and cousin of Nino. He was raised by his extremely strict grandmother and holds a grudge towards her about it. When the Etrurian defectors abandoned their fort, he is so worried about not getting his pay that he goes over to Roy's army for a job. Hugh is portrayed as very naive to the point of being called childish by younger characters like Chad and Raigh, but he is sincere and good at heart."
"Zeiss is loyal Wyvern Rider of Bern and the younger brother of Miledy. He acts as a subordinate of General Narcian; however, he is framed by Narcian for conspiring to give information to the Lycian army, but Galle helps him hide from the fraudulent claims. At first, he is shocked upon hearing that his sister has turned traitor, but he is convinced by Galle to talk things over with her before jumping to conclusions. Upon speaking to Miledy, Zeiss is persuaded to switch sides."
"Douglas is the Great General of Etruria, and is very loyal to his country. Douglas is also the adoptive father of Lalum. He first appears as an enemy, but joins up with Roy after his army retakes the capital of Etruria. Douglas was the first person to know that Elphin was truly prince Mildain and helped him escape to the western Isles with Lalum, on the ship owned by Geese. After the war, he retired to live a peaceful life, with Perceval succeeding him as Great General."
Sadly, my original choice, Powers Boothe (RIP), passed away before I even thought of casting him as Douglas.
"Niime, also known as the Hermit on the Mountain, is mother to Canas as well as grandmother to Hugh. Niime has done much research on the dragons of the Scouring and previously had a romantic relationship with a very important member of the St. Elimine Church, Yoder. Niime is very knowledgeable on the subject of elder magic, and wrote at least one book on the subject. She is very harsh with her grandson and constantly expresses her disappointment on Hugh's choice of Anima Magic over Dark Magic, a talent Niime claims was inherited from Hugh's mother, but admits to care for him. Meanwhile, in a conversation with Raigh, she reacts coldly and severely to Raigh's disrespectful demands, but lectures him on dark magic by giving him an ancient book, which Raigh tries with extreme difficulty. With Sophia, Niime shows interest in her based on self-identification."
"Dayan is the legendary Silver Wolf of the Sacae Plains, and is brought into Roy's forces by his granddaughter Sue. He's the leader of the Sacaen Kutolah tribe, and during the war with Bern sends Shin to scour the continent in search of Sue. As leader of the Sacae Liberation Army, he tries to free Sacae from the double threat of Bern soldiers and Sacaen traitors; he cannot hold back his enemies and despite the near-elimination of his clan, proceeds to weaken them with guerilla tactics."
"Juno is the oldest of the three pegasus knight sisters. Juno is married to Zelot and has a child which neither of them have had time to meet because of their duty as mercenaries. When her parents died when she was little, she raised her little sisters Thea and Shanna as if they were her children. She is a very caring person."
"Yoder is a high-ranking bishop of the St. Elimine Church. Before that, in his younger years Yoder had a romantic relationship with Niime that fell through for unknown reasons, although it is hinted during a conversation with her that it ended because he was unwilling to avenge his murdered sister, which Niime could not understand. Yoder speaks with Roy during several different parts of the story, and joins his forces during the final stages of the war with Bern, providing both Aureola and the Saint's Staff."
"Karel is the uncle of Fir, the daughter of his late sister Karla, after her marriage to Bartre. He retired from active combat and traveled the land with a new nickname, the "Sword Saint", and resolve, having finally found peace in himself after many years. He appears to dislike the title he was given, claiming it is a false name, perhaps because of guilt for his past actions. He has no real interest in the overall state of the world around him, only joining the fight on behalf of his remaining family."
+Ally Characters
"Twenty years after the events of The Blazing Blade, Hector is now marquess of Ostia, and father to Lilina. He is one of the major casualties suffered during the war with Bern, dying from injuries sustained in the defense of Araphen. Before he passes, he has Roy promise to watch over Lilina for him. Hector's half-brother Orun, the marquess of Thria, was also a major casualty."
"Twenty years since the events of The Blazing Blade, Eliwood is now marquess of Pherae, and for most of The Binding Blade is beset by illness. When Hector perishes, Eliwood becomes the new head of the Lycian League, and tasks his son Roy with leading an army against Bern. He is the one who hires Deke's mercenary band to assist Roy in this endeavor."
"Guinivere is the half-sister of Zephiel and the princess of Bern. In The Blazing Blade, it is stated that her mother was King Desmond's mistress. In The Binding Blade, she went to Roy for help when she saw that Zephiel had gone too far. Unlike her older brother, she does not want a war to happen, and she still remembers how well they got along as children, before King Desmond attempted to kill Zephiel. Together with her lady-in-waiting, the cleric Ellen, Princess Guinivere joins Roy early on in an effort to stop Zephiel. During the final battle, Guinivere joins in, revealing her secret studies of anima magic in order to defend herself. Eventually, she becomes the queen of Bern after Zephiel's defeat, despite the protests of some aristocrats."
"Mordred is the king of Etruria, and the grieving father of Prince Mildain who is thought to have died in an accident. As a result of his grief for his son, his leadership becomes weakened and his closest advisor, Roartz, takes advantage of the situation by siding with the rival kingdom of Bern. Later, when Roy and his army succeed in restoring order to the Western Isles, Roartz initiates an uprising against Etruria and has his forces hold King Mordred as a hostage to attempt to ensure the cooperation of Cecilia, Perceval and Douglas, the Three Generals of Etruria. Mordred is later rescued by Roy's army, accompanied by the bard Elphin, who is actually Mildain, Mordred's own son, in disguise."
#Cast of Villains
"Zephiel, now king of Bern, finds his sanity is slipping away from him, and he seeks to rid Elibe of humanity by allying himself with dragons, believing they would not repeat humanity's mistakes. Many years after the events of The Blazing Blade, King Desmond attempted a second assassination by handing his son a goblet of poisoned wine; Zephiel took it under the belief that his father had finally accepted him. Zephiel fell ill from the poison, but did not die. However, with the help of his close ally Murdock, he stayed in hiding and had a false funeral arranged. When Desmond stepped up to the casket to view Zephiel's body at the funeral, Zephiel, now in a lust for revenge, rose and stabbed his father to death. A few days later, Zephiel used the Fire Emblem to awaken the Demon Dragon Idunn. Shortly afterwards, the dragon Jahn sends an illusion of himself to confront Zephiel about his motives, and when it is revealed that they have similar goals, the two started working together. Five years after this, Zephiel ordered his army to take over the continent of Elibe. Towards the final battle of the war, Zephiel faces Roy, who manages to defeat him and claim the final legendary weapon, the sword Eckesachs. Unlike his younger self in The Blazing Blade, Zephiel has become twisted from his father's abuse and his mother's unintentional abuse of him."
"Murdock is the humble military commander of Bern, leader of the Three Dragon Generals, and second only to Zephiel in the Army of Bern, a notable feat considering he came from a peasant family. When King Desmond poisoned Zephiel, Murdock was the one who nursed him back to health. He is Zephiel's most trusted subordinate and has been appointed the leader of the three Dragon Generals. During the time Narcian was a Dragon General, Galle served as Murdock's lieutenant. Later, after Narcian is slain and is replaced by Galle, Pereth, a Bern General, serves as Murdock's lieutenant."
I was picturing Ross's 'Tank' Schmidt from Spiral Zone when I cast him as the older Murdock.
"Narcian is one of the Three Dragon Generals of Bern, and an extremely ambitious officer. He was entrusted with the invasion of Lycia, along with his lieutenant Flaer. He is responsible for many actions during Roy's journey through Lycia and the Western Isles. He is a very narcissistic person, has a tendency to bear grudges, and will not hesitate to let his underlings die for him so that he can live; for example, Flaer was killed while holding Cecilia captive. Eventually, due to his constant failings, Zephiel demotes him, replacing him with Galle. He is given one last chance to redeem himself in the defense of Etruria's palace, but he fails and is killed during the battle."
"Brunnya is a trusted vassal of Zephiel and one of the three Dragon Generals of Bern. She was entrusted with the invasion of Sacae, along with Gel, her lieutenant. Before his battle with Roy's army, Zephiel orders her to take Idunn to the Dragon Temple to finish their mission in case he dies; Brunnya does so reluctantly. After Zephiel falls, Roy chases Brunnya to the outskirts of the temple. She entrusts Idunn to Jahn and fights Roy's army, knowing she cannot win. With her are the loyal soldiers of Bern, who refuse to run, even after Roy stated he would not kill them if they retreated. Brunnya is ultimately killed in the battle."
"Galle is the lover of Miledy and the mentor of her younger brother, Zeiss. Despite his prominence as an enemy, he is not necessarily evil. Galle was born in Etruria, but he later joined the army in Bern and rose in rank as one of its most skilled generals. Due to his skill, he was supposed to become the third Dragon General of Bern. However, Narcian put forth the complaint that Galle was not even a native of Bern and effectively swiped the position for himself. He is not bitter about this and continues to serve Zephiel faithfully. Before Narcian is dishonorably demoted and killed, Galle serves as Murdock's lieutenant, and becomes the third Dragon General afterwards. When Roy's forces converge on the Shrine of Seals to claim both the Apocalypse tome and the Binding Blade, he appears with a squad of wyvern riders to aid Murdock in fighting against Roy's army, but ultimately dies in battle."
I know what you're thinking--how funny is it that Arrow alums Donnell and Cassidy wind up as doomed lovers again?
"Twenty years after The Blazing Blade, during the Bern invasion of Lycia, an embittered Erik once again betrays Lycia out of fear of Bern, and is killed by Roy's passing army."
"Leygance is an arrogant, self-righteous, greedy man. Leygance is a man who believes in joining the strongest side, thus explaining why he attempted to join with Bern. He believed to the end that Lycia had no chance against Bern. Leygance is also cowardly, as seen in some aspects of his plans. He planned to use Lilina as a hostage to force the Illian mercenaries hired by Hector to surrender, but the plan eventually fell through as he realized some former Ostian soldiers following him would revolt if he did such a thing. During the battle to defend the inside of Castle Ostia, Leygance ordered Lilina to be quietly killed; however, Roy's forces overwhelmed the rebels before she was killed, and she and Roy ended up felling Leygance."
*In the march towards Bern, Roy decides to divide up his forces into two groups, each to retake the countries of Illia and Sacae and recover the legendary weapons hidden in each respective country. He and Lilina lead their group through Illia to retrieve Maltet, while Sue and Elphin lead a group through her homeland of Sacae to find Murgleis.
"Roartz is one of the two cowardly Etrurian nobles who turned against their country and joined Bern when King Mordred was captured. He is assigned by Bern general Brunnya to defend Bern's holding in Sacae's largest city, Bulgar. He was defending a large manor on the outskirts of Bulgar against Sue's division of Roy's army when he fell."
"Arcard is one of the few Etrurian nobles who betrayed their country, siding with Bern. He is a cohort of Advisor Roartz who is in charge of Etrurian mining operations on Fibernia's Mt. Eburacum. Based in the Etrurian capital of the Western Isles, Jutes, his direct subordinates were the bishop Oro (who supervises the mines), the general Morgan (who commanded the prison at Castle Edina on Caldonia), and the druid Nord (who guarded the valley leading to the mines at Mt. Eburacum by way of Castle Armagh). After Roy foils his plans, he escapes with Advisor Roartz, and is assigned to Bern's holding in Illia. He is put in charge of Castle Remi by Murdock, which is near the Etrurian/Ilian border. He is eventually killed in the ensuing battle between Roy's force and the troops Murdock left him with."
I thought of something along the line's of Kaye's Megatron (albeit with a cowardly bent) would do well for Arcard.
"Monke is the leader of the Djute clan, the most powerful clan in Sacae. He had joined up with Bern to attain more power for his clan and to wipe out the rival Kutolah clan. As Sue's half of Roy's army approached Sacae, the Djute clan stood in their path."
"Sigune is the flightleader of the Pegasus Knights who have turned to Bern, and plans to use Ilia's harsh climate to ambush Roy and attack him. According to an Ilian villager in Carrhae, she is known as "The White Devil." She winds up fighting her former compatriots Thea, Shanna, and Juno, where she states that she will not go easy on them as said in the Ilian knightly code."
"Jahn is a Manakete, a dragon capable of assuming human form, who fought in The Scouring and survived the war, nursing his wounds in the Dragon Temple when Zephiel undid the temple seal. When Jahn approached him, Zephiel, now the King of Bern, expressed the desire to return the land of Elibe to dragons. As Roy, Fae and the other legendary weapon-wielders make their way through the Dragon Temple, he tells Roy his story and what happened in the Scouring. As the Scouring went on, the Dragons started to lose the war due to their inability to reproduce fast enough to keep up with human numbers. Due to this, the Dragons approached the Divine Dragons (who had remained neutral) to ask for one of their own to became a Demon Dragon who were able to produce artificial soldiers known as War Dragons. The Divine Dragons refused and disappeared, though one stayed behind. This dragon, Idunn, was captured by the Dragons and was forcibly transformed into a Demon Dragon. In order to control her, her soul was shattered so that she would obey the Dragon's orders. Idunn would come to be viewed as a symbol of hope by the Dragons. Though the dragons alone were blamed for the elemental imbalances in the world after the Scouring, Jahn reveals the Ending Winter was caused by the clashing of the tremendous power of the legendary weapons. This forced Dragons to seal their powers in stones in order to survive. The humans took full advantage of this weakness to ruthlessly crush the Dragons in their weak humanoid forms. During the storm of Dragon's Temple, Jahn battled one of the Eight Heroes and was heavily wounded by a legendary weapon, then left for dead. Jahn would survive with a permanent scar and remained in the temple to recover from his heavy wounds. Due to the Scouring, Jahn would become the last Dragon not of the Divine Tribe to remain in Elibe. Jahn is a cunning individual, but also brutally honest, revealing the dubious tactics used by both human, and Dragon. Jahn is unemotional by the standards of humans and says that Dragons do not feel emotions in the same way as humanity. Despite denying hatred towards humanity, Jahn seems devoted to the idea that dragons and humans cannot live together and that one race must be driven out of Elibe for the other to survive. When Roy mentions the existence of Arcadia, a place where the Dragons and Humans live together in harmony, he shrugs it off, calling such a place absurd."
"Several centuries ago, in The Scouring, she squared off with the Legendary Heroes and lost. But she did not die; the Hero Hartmut, using the Binding Blade, sealed her away in pity. She was once a Divine Dragon like Fae. When their side was losing due to the fact that humans were more numerous, the dragons appealed to the Divine Dragons to increase their forces with artificially spawned "War Dragons." When the Divine Dragons would not comply and disappeared, Idunn stayed behind because she feared the Divine Dragons would go into conflict with the others and was captured. She was then made into the Demon Dragon, but she would not follow the commands given to her, so the dragons destroyed her soul in order to gain control over her. About a millennium after her defeat, she is unsealed by Zephiel, Hartmut's descendant and current King of Bern, and serves him as a vital part in his scheme to bring new order to the world. After Roy defeats Jahn, he encounters Idunn in the final chamber of the Dragon Temple. Despite Roy's pleas and insistence that she should not follow the now deceased Zephiel's commands, she refuses to submit and transforms into her dragon form to attack him, Fae and the other legendary weapon wielders."
Next time: a new continent, a new journey, and ancient horrors as the saga of Magvel unfolds in Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones.