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Morph

From Fire Emblem Wiki, your source on Fire Emblem information. By fans, for fans.
Limstella, one of Nergal's favorite morphs.
Using quintessence, he made his "puppets," the morphs. They're bewitching in form, with intellects beyond human.
— Athos

Morphs (Japanese: モルフ Morph) are a type of human-like monster created through magic. Morphs take the physical form of humans and primarily fight using the same forms of combat humans do. Morphs only appear in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade, featuring as a common lategame enemy type in the service of Nergal, the game's arch-antagonist.

Overview

Characteristics

Generally, morphs are identical to ordinary humans aside from four common traits: black hair, very pale skin, red lips, and golden irises.[1] Morphs can also be created in the image of a pre-existing person using that person's quintessence as demonstrated by several such morphs in the final chapter; morphs created in such a way will look identical to the original person with the exception of having sickly pale skin.[2] With the exception of Kishuna and his unique ability to project a magic-sealing aura,[3] morphs participate in combat the same way humans do, using the same techniques and the same weapons. As indicated by Limstella, morphs can be imbued with immense magical power beyond what they or an ordinary human could otherwise handle, but this is destructive and will quickly decay the morph's body and kill them.[4] Once dead, the body of a morph turns to dust.[5]

The main area in which morphs differ from their human counterparts is their mental and emotional range. By default, morphs are claimed to lack emotion, though as demonstrated by Kishuna, they can be granted emotions.[6][7] Morphs are capable of mimicking emotion, with Sonia tricking Brendan Reed into thinking she loved him. Renault and Canas speculate that all morphs have some unintentional emotional capability.[8] The mental capacity of a morph seems to vary drastically depending on their purpose; the three morphs which Nergal used to develop his plans – Sonia, Limstella, and Ephidel – are all intelligent and calculating, while other morphs such as Denning, who exist only to fight as part of an army, lack this; in Denning's case, it appears he was programmed only to pass on a single message to Eliwood's allies.[9]

Morphs are conceptually very similar to Idunn's war dragons, fabricated manaketes created only for battle, and both even originate from dragon research.[10]

History

Morphs have a short recorded history. There are occasional mentions of morphs in other ancient texts, meaning they may have some other unmentioned historical origin.[11] The research behind the creation of morphs mostly originates from the dragon village of Arcadia, where Nergal and Athos studied within the dragon libraries.[12] Nergal found the research into such creations and decided to use it for his own desires. Nergal is the common origin of all morphs in the series; Nergal's first experiments with morphs began of centuries before the events of The Blazing Blade.[13] Nergal recruited a wayward mercenary, Renault, for his experiments; Renault was changed by Nergal's experiments, no longer being entirely human himself.[14]

Nergal summoned the siblings Ninian and Nils through the Dragon's Gate two years before Eliwood's search for his father. Nergal's goal was to use Ninian and Nils to lure more dragons through the Dragon's Gate to steal their quintessence. While not explicitly stated, Ninian and Nils were probably drawn to Nergal's voice due to them being his long lost children.[15] After Ninian and Nils escaped, Nergal used his morphs to manipulate the Black Fang to hunt down the siblings, bringing Lyn into conflict with the Fang, and causing her to meet Eliwood. After Lyn reclaimed Caelin she and the siblings parted ways for two years.

Two years later, after Eliwood and Hector assisted Lyn in warding off an attack by Laus instigated by Ephidel's advice to Darin, they journeyed to the Dread Isle and found Ninian in a small boat on the way. After recovering Nils and encountering the dying Elbert, they departed the Dread Isle and return to mainland Elibe. After this, at Uther's recommendation, Eliwood journeyed to the Nabata Desert, encountering the abandoned morph, Kishuna, before he met Pent and Athos; after being told by Athos to seek the legendary weapons to combat Nergal and his forces, Eliwood's party journeyed through Bern on a mission to the Shrine of Seals. During the Black Fang's battles with Eliwood's party in Bern, the original Black Fang's numbers dwindled and the organization's ranks began to be comprised almost entirely of morphs provided by Nergal and Sonia.[16] After the Black Fang was dismantled and the morph Sonia was killed, morphs became Nergal's primary servants to fight Eliwood and his allies directly, and he sent numerous morphs to stop them from returning to Valor, including one of Nergal's most powerful morphs, Limstella. Most of them were defeated in the final conflict with Nergal.

After the events of The Blazing Blade, the conflict with Nergal and his morphs became a historical secret, and the existence of these morphs never entered public knowledge. The battle and the morphs were never mentioned again by the surviving participants, with Canas in particular wishing for this.[17]

In gameplay

Morphs comprise the primary bulk of the enemy forces for most lategame chapters in The Blazing Blade. In terms of gameplay, morphs are identical to ordinary human units in terms of stats, weapons and appearance, differentiated only by name and lacking a luck stat as bosses, though regular enemies always have 0 luck.

There is only one morph-exclusive class: the Magic Seal, represented only by Kishuna. Magic Seals have no combat abilities of their own, but project a silencing field which blocks the use of all magic. Additionally, Limstella has a unique Sage variant with different maximum stats, including a boosted 30 defense cap instead of the standard 25.

Notable Morphs

Limstella

Main article: Limstella
FERK Limstella.png

Limstella is Nergal's "masterpiece", as he says; she possesses "perfect strength and perfect beauty". She is incredibly loyal to Nergal and does not outwardly express emotion.

Sonia

Main article: Sonia
FERK Sonia.png

Sonia is a morph working from within the Black Fang to manipulate it to her desires. She believes she is a human.

Ephidel

Main article: Ephidel
FERK Ephidel.png

Ephidel is one of the first morphs encountered by Eliwood's party. He is cunning, but does not participate in combat, preferring to stay in informant roles.

Kishuna

Main article: Kishuna
Portrait kishuna fe07.png

Kishuna is a morph intentionally created with emotions by Nergal. However, Kishuna was unable to perform any function Nergal would find useful, and was banished. After this Kishuna wandered Elibe with a group of morphs seemingly not under Nergal's command.

Denning

Main article: Denning
Portrait denning fe07.png

Denning is a morph that serves as a message bearer for the forces that Nergal sent to invade Ostia castle to bait Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn back to Valor.

Trivia

  • While by not a morph, Renault considers himself inhuman, and, being one Nergal's first experimental subjects, may be considered one of Nergal's first accomplishments in creating morphs, as Renault has lived far longer than is normal.[18]
  • Vaida as an enemy in Unfulfilled Heart is considered a morph in the game's internal data; this is reflected in gameplay with her lacking a luck stat in this appearance.

Etymology and other languages

Names, etymology, and in other regions
Language Name Definition, etymology, and notes
English

Morph

As a noun, the English word "morph" can be taken to mean a variety of a broader species which has distinct differences from other variants of the species as a result of its appearance (i.e. the distinct physical appearance of Nergal's morphs) or behavior (i.e. the soullessness of Nergal's morphs).

Japanese

モルフ

Morph

Spanish

Morph

--

French

Morphe

Morph

German

Morph

--

Italian

Creatura

Creature

Portuguese

Mutante[19]

Mutant

Traditional Chinese

魔路俘[20]

Morph

See also

Gallery

References

  1. "Jet black hair, pale complexion, and blood-red lips... Their most striking features are their glittering gold eyes." — Athos, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  2. "Nergal: You seem impressed with my work. Or perhaps it's just that you've seen a familiar face?
    Hector: Marquess Laus!? And the Black Fang knaves... What have you done, Nergal!?
    Nergal: These morphs you see before you, I've given them the abilities and appearances of the people whose essences I used to craft them. Do you understand? I have power. The power to perform miracles. Oh, yes... Hector. Your brother, Uther, the marquess of Ostia? He's dead, is he not?
    Hector: How--
    Nergal: If you would like, I could make a morph of your brother. It would be well suited for a fragile human such as you. Perhaps a heartless puppet could ease the longing in your soul.
    " — Nergal and Hector, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  3. "Mm. We first felt it in some ruins near the Dragon's Gate. It was...a prickly feeling that rubbed us all the wrong way. Then, suddenly, everyone's magic stopped working." — Hector, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  4. "Nergal: I have given you magic stronger than any seen on the continent. Through this magic, you have gained much power. Perfect strength and perfect beauty. You are my masterpiece, Limstella.
    Limstella: ......
    Nergal: Your flesh cannot endure the power of this sorcery. Before tomorrow, your entire body will be corrupted. But this is what you desire, yes? The chance to die for me?
    " — Nergal and Limstella, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  5. "Eliwood: After that final blow, its body crumbled into dust.
    Lyn: Yeah. That's the same thing that happened to those morphs.
    " — Eliwood and Lyn, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  6. "...I name you Kishuna. You are the only morph to whom I've given emotions." — Nergal, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  7. "But it was still a morph. When it died... I heard its voice call out... It called out a name... Nergal. Did you hear its voice? Sorrow... It was filled with a terrible sorrow." — Nils, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  8. "Canas: Yes. I am dreadfully curious to know. The Elimineans say that all creatures possess souls... All those created by the gods, that is. But what of those created by man? And these manufactured beings... do they dream? Do they think--and suffer--as we do? Or must their emotions be...crafted...by another?
    [...]
    Canas: ...... Before...I would have said that I do not know... But now, perhaps I do... Morphs...do have souls... That is what I believe...
    Renault: ...That is not a bad answer.
    " — Renault and Canas, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  9. "This is a message from Lord Nergal. "I await you on the Dread Isle."
    This is a message from Lord Nergal. "I await you on the Dread Isle."
    This is a message...
    " — Denning, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  10. "The "dragons" you speak of are in fact soulless war dragons. As I said before, they are different from pure dragons such as myself. The war dragons are indeed created by the demon dragon." — Jahn, Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
  11. "Did you know that the word "morph" appears even in a few ancient texts? Brought to life by man, crafted to resemble him... I never thought any of us would actually have seen one." — Canas, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  12. "The dragons' libraries were a dream come true to us. We studied their language and history with unbridled passion." — Athos, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  13. "Nergal began creating morphs centuries ago. Even Athos knows so little... So...how could you...?" — Canas, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  14. "When Nergal first created his morphs, he was not alone. He had one assistant. A mercenary who wanted desperately to bring back a friend he has lost in battle. This mercenary volunteered freely for Nergal's experiments, knowing they would make him less than human..." — Renault, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  15. "We heard a voice calling to us from the Dragon's Gate. It was the voice of an old friend......" — Nils, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  16. "I got close to you so that I could take control of the Black Fang. Take a look around you. Not a familiar face to be seen, is there? I've been replacing them one by one... Hee hee. They're all Lord Nergal's puppets. His morphs!!" — Sonia, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  17. "Let this battle be forgotten by history... That is all I ask." — Canas, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  18. "Canas: I will give you the answer I suspect may be true. You know, because you were there. Nergal was alone after he and Athos separated. The only ones around him were his morphs... Perhaps then, you are...
    Renault: ... What?
    Canas: ...I have never thought one should back away from knowledge, but ...I hesitate to ask...
    [...]
    Renault: When Nergal first created his morphs, he was not alone. He had one assistant. A mercenary who wanted desperately to bring back a friend he has lost in battle. This mercenary volunteered freely for Nergal's experiments, knowing they would make him less than human...
    Canas: Bishop Renault, are you saying--
    Renault: This was a long, long time ago...
    " — Canas and Renault's A support conversation, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
  19. "Um fracasso deste tipo prejudica a minha reputação... Um destino pior do que o de um mutante..." — Sonia: Inhuman Beauty when gaining 1 or two stats in a level-up (Portuguese), Fire Emblem Heroes
  20. "竟敢……讓我蒙羞。這個連魔路俘都不如的廢物……" — Sonia: Inhuman Beauty when gaining 1 or two stats in a level-up (Traditional Chinese), Fire Emblem Heroes
Races and animals of the Fire Emblem series
Major species BeorcBrandedDragon (ManaketeDivine DragonEarth DragonFell DragonFire DragonFirst DragonIce DragonWar DragonWyvern) • EmblemGodHumanKitsuneLaguz (Black DragonCatHawkHeronLionRavenRed DragonTigerWhite DragonWolf) • MirageMorphNabateanTaguelWolfskinZunanma
Animals and other species CorruptedFabricationGriffinHorseIllusionKinshiMonsterPegasusPhantomRisenWolf
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
Playable characters AthosBartreCanasDartDorcasEliwoodErkFarinaFioraFlorinaGeitzGuyHarkenHawkeyeHeathHectorIsadoraJaffarKarelKarlaKentLegaultLouiseLowenLuciusLynMarcusMatthewMerlinusNilsNinianNinoOswinPentPriscillaRathRavenRebeccaRenaultSainSerraVaidaWallaceWil
Non-playable characters BramimondDesmondElbertEleanoraEphidelFaeFargusGuinivereHannahHausenHelleneHelmanIgorJahnJakeJanKishunaLeilaLilinaMarkMurdockNatalieReissmannRoySophiaUtherZephiel
Bosses AionBattaBaukerBernardBeyardBoiesBoolBrendanBugCameronCarjigaDamianDarinDenningDragonEaglerErikEubansFargusGeorgGlassGroznyiHeintzJasmineJermeKaimKennethKishunaLimstellaLinusLloydLundgrenMaximeMigalNergalOlegPascalPaulPuzonSealenSoniaTeodorUhaiUrsulaVaidaWireYogiZaganZoldamZugu
Background characters AenirAeshaAthosBariganBramimondDurbanElimineHanonHartmutHassarKellesMadelynRoland
Regalia and personal weapons ArmadsAureolaBasilikosDurandalEreshkigalExcaliburForblazeGespenstLuceMani KattiRapierRegal BladeRex HastaRienflecheSol KattiWolf Beil
Chapters Lyn's Tale P: A Girl from the Plains • 1: Footsteps of Fate • 2: Sword of Spirits • 3: Band of Mercenaries • 4: In Occupation's Shadow • 5: Beyond the Borders • 6: Blood of Pride • 7: Siblings Abroad • 7x: The Black Shadow • 8: Vortex of Strategy • 9: A Grim Reunion • 10: The Distant Plains
Eliwood's Tale 11: Taking Leave • 12: Birds of a Feather • 13: In Search of Truth • 13x: The Peddler Merlinus • 14: False Friends • 15: Noble Lady of Caelin • 16: Whereabouts Unknown • 16x: The Port of Badon • 17: Pirate Ship • 18: The Dread Isle • 18x: Imprisoner of Magic • 19: Dragon's Gate • 20: New Resolve • 21: Kinship's Bond • 22: Living Legend • 22x: Genesis • 23: Four-Fanged Offense (Lloyd, Linus) • 24: Unfulfilled Heart • 25: Pale Flower of Darkness (Kenneth, Jerme) • 26: Battle before Dawn • 26x: Night of Farewells • 27: Cog of Destiny • 28: Valorous Roland • 29: Sands of Time • 29x: Battle Preparations • 30: Victory or DeathF: Light (part 1part 2)
Hector's Tale 11: Another Journey • 12: Birds of a Feather • 13: In Search of Truth • 13x: The Peddler Merlinus • 14: False Friends • 15: Talons Alight • 16: Noble Lady of Caelin • 17: Whereabouts Unknown • 17x: The Port of Badon • 18: Pirate Ship • 19: The Dread Isle • 19x: Imprisoner of Magic • 19x pt 2: A Glimpse in Time • 20: Dragon's Gate • 21: New Resolve • 22: Kinship's Bond • 23: Living Legend • 23x: Genesis • 24: Four-Fanged Offense (Lloyd, Linus) • 25: Crazed Beast • 26: Unfulfilled Heart • 27: Pale Flower of Darkness (Kenneth, Jerme) • 28: Battle before Dawn • 28x: Night of Farewells • 29: Cog of Destiny • 30: The Berserker • 31: Sands of Time • 31x: Battle Preparations • 32: Victory or Death • 32x: The Value of LifeF: Light (part 1part 2)
Locations ElibeBern (Shrine of Seals) • EtruriaIliaLycia (AraphenCaelinCornwellKhatheletLausOstiaPheraeSantaruz) • Nabata Desert (Arcadia) • Sacae (Bulgar) • Valor (Dragon's Gate) • Western Isles
Groups, objects and concepts Black Fang (Four Fangs) • Fire EmblemGenerals of EtruriaMorphsQuintessenceThe Scouring
Lists ChaptersCharactersClasses (Class change) • Hidden treasureItemsScriptsSupportsWeapons
Related topics List of version differencesMario Kart: Double Dash!! bonus discName chart • Other games (The Binding Blade) • Pre-release information (Pre-release build 0206Pre-release build 0219Unused content) • Sound RoomTimeline