Iz

Iz (イズ) is a background character mentioned in passing in Zill O'll. She makes her first on-screen appearance in the prequel, which has her serve as a secondary antagonist.

Role in Games
Iz was famed as a woman of perilous beauty whose charms were rumored to cause any man to submit to their knees. She was born and raised within the Ministry, an underground religious sect which was founded generations prior by ancient heroes and annexed by a king who despised their questionable magics and order of assassins six centuries before Zill O'll's setting. Like the other leaders of the sect, she was one of the descendants of the shrine founders, Leonic. Her father, Hoshua, led the sect before her and instructed their followers of its forbidden spells.

As Iz's sorcery blossomed, Hoshua was envious of her talents and sensed that she would surpass him. He sought to arrange for her death without the other members' knowledge. Iz's younger brother, Elfas, was aware of his father's intentions and freed Zelashell from the Ministry's brainwashing. After the assassin killed her father and deserted, Iz inherited the right to lead as high priestess. She simultaneously became the only living family member left to raise Elfas into adulthood. Iz came into contact with Zofor soon after the incident and, due to her interest in the sorcerer's spells, forged a secret alliance with Dyneskal.

The original lore states that the chancellor sought for her magic to summon demons and the undead into Vyashion. Her spells made Balor an immortal menace. When Nemea was on the rise, Zofor ordered Iz to perform a ritual to resurrect Balor's dead wife to complete the emperor's transformation into a demon. Before she could finish her incantation, Nemea's party invaded the Ministry. She was smitten by his heroism and infatuated by him at first sight. Her fascination with Nemea led to her betrayal as she willingly broke the seal on Balor's immortality. She chose not to intervene with his invasion in Ancient.

TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll instead implies that Iz and Nemea were acquainted before his invasion of the Ministry. She had also not perfected the seal on Balor's immortality yet. To solidify the seal, Iz scattered the fragments of a necessary artifact for its completion and waited for Areus and company to collect the missing pieces for her. The adventurers believed that the artifact would be a tool to break the seal and only learn of Iz's deception after they place it within the Ministry's pedestal. She was defeated by the heroes whilst protecting the seal in its vulnerable state, but her gambit had ultimately succeeded.

After Balor's death, Iz resumed her sect's practices and distanced the Ministry from Dyneskal. She was aware that the prophecy regarding Vyashion's inevitable destruction alluded to Ulugh's awakening. Acting accordingly to her sect's rituals, she sought for the Rod of Kolanold to conjure the forces of darkness. Once she obtained the rod, she planned to use it on the young Tiana, a dormant candidate for the predestined and malevolent Queen of Darkness. Emperor Elmark, one of Iz's many admirers, wanted to woo her and ordered Nemea to give the rod to her as a gift. Nemea was aware of the rod's dangerous potential, however, and found the rod before Iz. He broke the rod so that she or any other sorcerer would never be able to use it.

Three years before Zill O'll's main story, Elmark proclaimed an order for Iz's abduction. Again, Nemea was commanded to perform the task and he invaded the Ministry to capture her. Despite her knowledge regarding the true motives for the kidnapping, Iz offered no resistance. She said her final goodbyes to Elfas and joined Nemea's return to Ancient. Elmark had her immediately enthroned as his empress upon her arrival, yet she would never stop yearning for Nemea's attention and closed her heart to Elmark. Iz's admiration for Nemea eventually angered Elmark and drove him to proclaim her execution as a "traitor" to the throne.

Her unjust death was one of the many reasons for Elmark's indisposition with Ancient's populace; Nemea's calm demeanor during the affair also led to another rise in his popularity for successor. Iz's gravestone can be found within Ancient's cemetery during Zill O'll and it is identified for the protagonist by Doldrum and Elfas.

Personality
According to testimonies from characters in Zill O'll, Iz was a gentle and kind woman who treasured her younger brother. She still believed in the dark rituals and prophecies of her sect, however, so she was capable of being just as cryptic as Elfas is during the main story. Despite her reputation as a fearful sorceress, she was loved by many; the people mourned her misfortune and unhappy marriage to Elmark. Residents within Ancient had hoped her unrequited love for Nemea would someday turn into a mutual relationship.

The prequel portrays Iz as a stereotypical villain who belittles the heroes' efforts to stop her. She revels over her powers of darkness and believes in Balor's conquests. Her love for Nemea's personality is downplayed to be a passing fancy for his looks.

Voice Actors

 * Jennifer Cameron - English voice
 * Ryo Agawa - Japanese voice