Phyress is an Einherjar from Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. She is an Archer and can be found in Audoula Temple on the Lake.
Background[]
A former queen of Dipan. Phyress participated in the Year-Long War which began in 581 C.C., with only two comrades, her attendant Sylphide and commander Guilm. Phyress was a heroine in the Battle of Paltierre, the Arkdain uprising, the Battle of Artolia Pass and the Battle of Rosetta. Were it not for her, the surrounding four powers would have been unable to completely contain Rosetta. During the Battle of Rosetta near the end of the Year-Long War, she fought her sister Celes, losing an arm in the process. As the war ended, she gave up the warrior life and adopted Seluvia, the sole survivor of a little village that got destroyed during the conflict. She married her childhood friend King Cyphel of Paltierre and bore him a daughter, Chrystie. Despite being disliked by Cyphel's brother, Alm, she supported her husband in governing the country, but in 622 C.C. she caught an endemic disease and passed away. Mourning his wife, Cyphel died five years later.
Phyress possessed the skill and knowledge of a great bowyer. She also compiled the writings of alchemy scattered throughout the continent to create the Tome of Truths. She also specifically asked Silmeria to be materialized as a girl of 17. After being released, she is surprised at the state Solde is in, saying that it is a lot worse than what she remembers. She asks Alicia what she intends to do, and reassures her that she will be fine, no matter what she chooses to do, since she is one of her relatives: if she does not achieve her goals in this life, she can always try again in the next one, but it is important that she chooses for herself. Phyress compares Odin's tenaciousness to her own in demanding a peace treaty. However, she also blames him for the peace eventually ending. She says that if humans had the gods' immortality, they could fight on equal terms, and that this is why some choose to become Undead.
Battle[]
Phyress is focused on elemental damage, and her high INT makes her excellent at it. She starts with three powerful attacks: Flame Shot, Shrapnel Shatter and Flare Blast, but her combo potential and physical damage only catch up to her elemental prowess at higher levels. She will join your party with a Long Bow, Silver Sallet, Silver Cloak, Leather Glove and Leather Boots. Her initial skill is Psychosoma, which can be a strong asset for her damage output.
Attacks[]
- Flame Shot - Initial
- Flare Blast - Initial
- Shrapnel Shatter - Initial
- Poison Shot - Level 7
- Stony Decree - Level 15
- Target Throat - Level 22
- Binding Distortion - Level 30
- Stardust - Level 37
- Aiming Wisp - Level 45
- Smashing Shot - Learned at the Seraphic Gate
Does not learn: Dual Tusks, Rising Wisp, Single Shot, Three-way Attack, Wave Motion
Magic[]
- Explosion - Level 20
- Thunder Storm - Level 38
- Glacial Blizzard - Level 43
- Earth Grave - Level 52
Elemental Tolerance[]
| Darkness | Earth | Fire | Holy | Ice | Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | +20% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Soul Crush[]
Phyress uses the generic Archer Soul Crush, Pulverizing Storm. She will say "See you in the afterlife!" before using it.
Relic Location[]
A bow in Audoula Temple on the Lake, found up and to the left of the room which contains Khanon's relic. Phyress has a 90% chance of appearing. Ehrde is the other possible option. Phyress will say "I'll come out, but I better look young!" when you materialize her.
Release Information[]
When you are about to release Phyress, she will say "Wow, is it that time already? Well, I'll go then, if that's okay." If you then choose to release her, she will say "There's nothing more I can do. Good luck!"
Upon being released, Phyress will appear in the chapel in Solde. She will give you a Golden Egg if you go see her before the end of Chapter 4, and 300,000 OTH right before the final boss (you will need to load from the final save point).
Conversation[]
Phyress may have a short exchange with one of seven characters at the beginning of a battle, if they happen to be on the same team: her sister Celes, her daughter Chrystie, her adoptive son Seluvia, her brother-in-law Alm, her comrade-in-arms Guilm, his son Dyn, and Khanon, despite there being no evidence of their ever having met.
- Celes
- Phyress: Hey sister!
- Celes: Not a word of reproach? You haven't changed.
- Phyress: Well, at the time it was kind of a pain, but now look at me! And thanks to you, I get to be reborn young!
- Chrystie
- Phyress: What made you so cruel? You just left me without a word of warning!
- Chrystie: Mother? It is you!
- Seluvia
- Phyress: If you were going to be with her, you could've at least stayed in the kingdom!
- Alm
- Alm: It's been a while, sister-in-law. How is my older brother doing?
- Phyress: Ah, well...It seems that he was not one of the chosen.
- Alm: Is that so? Well, he was always just a 'nice guy'. He was never good for much.
- Guilm
- Guilm: My lady, my queen, my princess...what should I call you?
- Phyress: It's all ancient history now. Call me whatever you like.
- Dyn
- Phyress: If you are his son, it must have happened when we travelled together on that journey. But when?
- Khanon
- Khanon: Hmph. If it isn't Dipan's own tomboy.
- Phyress: Well, everyone in my family was the same. Must be in our blood.
Despite her having been her faithful assistant, Phyress has no conversation with Sylphide.
Etymology[]
Phyress may be derived from the Greek πυρρός (pyrros, fiery) [1], which is fitting, considering her initial arsenal of attacks, as well as her tomboyish personality. The origin of the name also links her to the mythological Greek hero Pyrrhus, son of Achilles [2].
In the Japanese version of the game, her name is pronounced as Fee-less and may be derived from the Greek name Phyllis (Φυλλίς, foliage [3]). In Greek mythology, Phyllis was a Thracian princess who married a king of Athens. In one version of the story, she killed herself when she suspected that her husband had abandoned her. An almond tree grew over her grave and eventually flowered when her husband returned [4]. The name is frequently used in pastoral and classical poetry to designate a country girl or an idealised lover [5].
Trivia[]
- Phyress has the same voice actress as Chrystie, Sha-kon, Crescent and Lwyn. Thus, they share most of their battle quotes.
- Phyress has the most battle conversations of all the Einherjar.
- Phyress is the only known Einherjar to have requested to be materialized at a younger age (specifically 17) than when she died. This may have something to do with the fact that she lost her arm at 18.
- Phyress appears to have a conflictual relationship with Alm, although whether this is due to his general dislike of Dipan, or because he deemed her partly responsible for the fall of Paltierre (her adoption of Seluvia eventually led to the loss of the only direct heiress to the throne) is unclear.
- Phyress only appears to have ruled Dipan for a time, as she ended up marrying into the Paltierre line. Since Celes also married into a different ruling family, it is initially unclear how the Dipan royal family maintained itself: Celes had no children, and Phyress's only daughter died. However, talking to Phyress after releasing her reveals that they also had an unnamed older brother, who must have been the king of Dipan in their time. Phyress cannot seem to remember whether Alicia is descended from herself or her brother, but Celes appears to confirm the latter.
- Knowing that she had an older brother who appears to be Alicia's direct ancestor, it is surprising that Phyress ever held the throne. The description in her biography could be a continuity mistake. It is, however, also possible that she could have been regent for her brother's heir, if he died before she did.
Gallery[]
