Impa (Total War)

"I'm sorry this happened, but your father would want you to be strong. (...) There comes a point in all our lives where we have to move on and grow up. You were lucky to have such a long childhood, I had none. (...) With time you'll learn to be an adult and find something greater in Hyrule."

- Impa to Saria as they leave the Kokiri Forest.

Necluda'orely o Impa, commonly known just as Impa, is the third Sage of Shadows of Hyrule and a co-founder of the Church of the Goddesses in the Realm of Twilight. She is a powerful influence among the Sheikah, born of the Necluda clan.

Etymology
Impa is the Ancient Hylian word for watcher.

Physical Appearance
Impa is a tall and pale Sheikah, with white hair worn in a single-side ponytail and crimson eyes under which she wears red Sheikah war-paint.

She wears a set of purple-tinted Sheikah armor with a hooded cloak which is usually drawn over her head, and usually wears a purple scarf as a blindfold to better utilize her other senses. In combat she utilizes four Kunai daggers as well as a short sword similar to a Wakizashi.

Powers and Abilities
Impa was given the ability to end all forms of life utterly and completely. She can bring about sickness, withering, and ultimately death on any living being. She usually restricts her powers because of their danger and tendency to cause collateral damage, preferring to focus her energy into precision strikes from a weapon when she needs to kill. She also displays supernatural agility and speed on numerous occasions.

Personality
Impa is very quiet and reclusive, and very few people know of her as an individual. Princess Zelda IV often describes her as a gentle and caring mother figure, with little consideration for her own well-being.

History


Ancient Age
Impa was born in the Kingdom of Hyrule in 60 BG, and shortly became a prominent figure within the Sheikah Cadre. She was eventually chosen by the now-forgotten second Sage of Shadows to be his/her successor.

Rise of Ganon
When Ganon invades the Kingdom of Hyrule in 2 BG and captures Princess Zelda I Impa sets out with loyal Sheikah to rescue the Princess and leads a counter attack. She succeeds in freeing Zelda, and together they regroup in Snowpeak. There Impa aids in a defensive while Rauru sets out to gather as many Hylian knights as he could for Zelda's army. Upon his return Impa marches with Princess Zelda to Death Mountain and confronts Ganon's forces. After a bloody battle and the defeat of Ganon, Impa and Rauru realise that they have been left astray and the traitorous Sheikah lead by Bongo are about to unlock the Triforce. Impa, Rauru, and Princess Zelda strike a pact with Demise and are brought to Hylia Marine. There they work with the Zora army under the command of Rutela to stop Bongo and the Dark Interlopers. During the fight Impa manages to incapacitate Bongo and bring her to Kakariko for judgement and execution. After deeming her guilty of betraying the royal family, Impa beheads Bongo.

The Gerudo Wars
In 99 AG, the operative Azrily informs Impa that Agahnim, the ex-husband of Princess Mahrala Zelda III attempted to brainwash her with Bongo's Eye of Truth and ordered her to incapacitate both Princess Zelda III and her daughter - however Azrily, unknown to Agahnim, was immune to the Eye of Truth. Impa then decides to send Azrily to Nal Ordona to recall Zelda III back to the capital while she smuggles out the young Zelda IV to Vigjaro via an underground tunnel.

When Princess Zelda III returns to Hyrule Castle and denounces Agahnim as a traitor to the throne, Impa, Rauru and Azrily attempt to arrest him, but Agahnim withdraws to a Gerudo army resting on Hyrule Field, and soon march against Hyrule Castle with Ganondorf. The Princess orders Impa to bring the civilians to safety at Vigjaro.

Ganondorf's army proves too powerful for the garrison, and when the Gerudo Prince kills Zelda in a duel, the rest of the garrison surrenders to the Gerudo, who are immediately ordered to retreat and let the Darknut Legion occupy the city.

A year later, after Princess Zelda IV formulates a plan to kill Agahnim and drive the Darknuts away, Impa lets herself get captured by the Darknuts. According to Darknut customs, she'll be given an appropriate Darknut weapon - a huge greatsword - to fight in gladiatorial combat to the death with Darknut challengers. The crowd laughs when she finds herself unable to lift the sword.

When the first challenger steps out, Impa effortlessly kills him with a needle thrown straight through his visor and into his brain. Agahnim, who is obviously not amused, tells her it's forbidden to use other weapons. Against the second challenger, she picks up a pebble and throws it at his windpipe, killing him instantly. Frustrated, Agahnim orders her to just use the sword, but then the third challenger also meets his fate when Impa kicks the sword down and steps aside, causing him to lose his footing when charging and gets cleaved in two by the sword.

At this point, Princess Zelda IV comes to offer Agahnim a proposal to spare both the Gerudo and Darknuts should they leave her kingdom immediately. When he refuses, Zelda tells him she no longer recognises her father, before Impa, General Kazakk, General Akazoo and the garrison openly rebel against him.

Agahnim makes his last stand in front of Hyrule Castle, killing any Sheikah who dare approach him, even managing to incapacitate Impa herself. As Agahnim prepares for the kill, Princess Zelda calls him 'Father', causing him to abandon Impa and run towards his daughter instead, giving Impa enough time to recover and stab him in the heart.

Impa then holds the capital while Kazakk and Akazoo progress to Ashinon and Ontheon to subjugate Ganondorf and Vaati.

Second Golden Age
Impa spends much of the following years raising and training Princess Oraiya Zelda IV in the arts of the Sheikah. She works as the Princess' adviser during her reign on the throne and prevents assassination attempts throughout the next several decades.

The Return of Sulkaris
In 126 AG, a swarm of Gohma is unleashed on the city of Malkariko where Impa is staying with Princess Zelda IV and Princess Zelda V. Impa discovers that the Gohma are much more organised than they normally would be, and suspects the involvement of Sulkaris. The Gohma starts overwhelming the Hylian garrison, though Impa manages to escape the slaughter and discover that General Akazoo and Azrily are collaborating with the enemy. She then tracks the Gohma army into the Kokiri Forest, from Malkariko to Kanokiri and Palagard's Sanctuary, where she witnesses them killing the former Sages, Kasuto and Palagard, exterminating the Huskus and freeing Sulkaris. After the Gohma march from Palagard's Sanctuary to their next objective in the north, Impa enters the ruins of the city where she finds the Sage of Forests Saria being imprisoned inside a green crystal and frees her. After stopping for a short time at the Deku Tree's Grove for Saria to take her belongings, they head to Death Mountain to ask for the Gorons' help against the Gohma, where they are reunited with Princess Zelda V and the rest of the Sages who inform them about the threat of the Oocca and their Aura superweapon. When the Gohma arrive, the Sages are bewildered to see the First Sages arrive with their armies, only to fight amongst each other instead of allying with themselves and the Gorons against the Gohma, and set out to evacuate the Gorons from their clutches before the Aura could fire. During the battle, Impa notices Liyer, the lone Sheikah of the Yiga clan who formerly worked for the Oocca but later betrayed them.

Trivia

 * Impa is tied with Yaraxonal for having killed the most named antagonists: Bongo and Agahnim.
 * Interestingly, both were Sheikah, just like her.

Quotes

 * "Consider in mind that you should believe true only half of what you see, and believe true none of what you hear."