ARCANE REVENANTS

"In the beginning was the Divine...
The Divine we named, Aether...
In the dark of the Void, Aether begat the sphere of existence, our world...
We called it Altrea...

Altrea was blessed with a place of life, a paradise, the Divine Forest.
Then, Aether entered in unto Altrea, making a home in the Forest.
That is when the butterflies appeared...the Breath of Aether...
The Breath that transforms mortal men into divine beings...

Yet for a long time Altrea had no people, no life. There was only the Forest, and the butterflies...

Then in restlessness Aether gave life to the first of the Immortals, divine and beautiful, and so too did Aether create the beasts of the earth, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea. Altrea had become beautiful, and Aether her immaculate heart.

An age passed, and with Aether's blessing the Immortals multiplied, and filled the world...
But an age is a time too long even for the undying to remain in perfection...

And so the Immortals were no longer divine in their intention; instead, forgotten of the blessings of their only home, the Forest of Aether.

In their folly the Immortals thought to remake the forest of Aether in their own image; so their attack on the Forest began. At this Travesty Aether wept - and where before Aether's face had been whole, by grief it was split into three; three faces of life, three faces of creation. The first face, divine and pale, eyes red like a setting sun, for the Immortals. The second, striking and brilliantly fearsome, for a new form of life; Angels, beautiful, powerful and fearsome, pure antithesis to the divinity of the Immortals - and bent forever on their destruction.

The Angels hunted the Immortals with hideous implements of power, killing them off by the masses. However Aether was wise - and upon the death of an Immortal, so too did an Angel perish, until at last all Immortals and Angels seemed to have vanished from the face of Altrea. And so the souls of the dead were un-homed, with nowhere to return and nowhere to continue.

It was then the third face of Aether gave birth, to a diminished race far less capable of destruction - the form of humanity. Into the body of humanity Aether poured the souls of Angels and Immortals alike, purifying them of their past misdeeds, allowing a new chance for all.

Now, after the passing of many ages, Immortals and Angels are the subject only of children's stories. Although it is told that should Aether's Breath touch the skin of man, an Immortal and an Angel shall be born, truly there are none living able to bear witness to the divine or their demonic foes. So too has the Forest of Aether passed away from the sight of man.

All that remains are the butterflies..."



Ryot Geare
Age: 21

Ryot is the bastard son of a foreign prince. The prince in question sought to protect his marriage, his title, his heir and his reputation, and due to the illegal nature of murder in his country, went to great lengths to ‘legally' sever any and all links between Ryot and royalty. This included shipping Ryot's mother to a remote island, where she would spend the rest of her days in relative opulence, and organizing for the infant Ryot to be left on the doorstep of a remote Anthean church. Ryot would experience a childhood plagued by religious indoctrination and corporal punishment. As a result he would eventually choose to leave the church and seek an occupation as far removed from the worship of Aether as he was able, without compromising his now ingrained moral strictures. (This upbringing closely resembles Aria's upbringing, and will eventually bring them closer together as they recount their separate evangelical horror stories.) Ryot first tries out as a cadet in the Midian Army, but soon finds himself in familiar territory, bullied and abused by his elders and ‘superiors'. He does however develop some skill with weapons, and increases his strength through a series of brutal encounters with older, stronger cadets. By the time Ryot breaks rank from the Midian Cadet Corps in his fifteenth year, he has grown into tough, wiry teenager.

For one year Ryot lives on the outskirts of a town called Cleptos, surviving by hunting and occasionally stealing from the townsfolk. During that year he trains obsessively, honing his strength, speed, stamina and fighting skill, vowing to never again feel the sting of domination. He is a free man now, and will fight to stay that way. He has also developed a self-serving attitude, believing most other human beings to be beneath him and unworthy of his attention â€" unless of course they can benefit him in some way. With his new found strength and confidence, Ryot ‘introduces' himself to the townsfolk of Cleptos, by way of brawling in a local tavern known as the Dark and Stormy. He soon lands a job as a scrapper in the Stormy's illegal arena. Following the eruption of one of his paid fights into an all-out bar brawl, Ryot is forcefully removed from the potentially lethal melee by the legendary Bounty Hunter, Balamos. Old as the trees and twice as strong, he is at first met with hostility from Ryot., even though he clearly saved him from certain death. Ryot attempts to battle Balamos and is met with a fighting prowess unlike any he has every encountered. Upon his defeat, he is surprised by the merciful and understanding attitude extended to him by Balamos, and so undertakes an apprenticeship with the aging mercenary. It is at this moment that Ryot takes up the path of the bounty hunter.

Another year passes, and Ryot accompanies Balamos on any and all of his missions, receiving expert tutelage in the fighting arts along the way, until a fateful day when Balamos receives a commission from an Aetherian Church minister, deep in the far north of Midia Precinct. The minister hires Balamos and his team of mercenaries to eliminate a ‘demon spirit' inhabiting the mountains. On this mission, Ryot witnesses the slaughter of Balamos and his entire team by a winged demon, strikingly beautiful and terrifying in its power, even from a distance; and his life is only saved by the fact that Balamos had posted him as a lookout some distance from the battlefield. Ryot escapes with his life, knowing that he is no match for the power of the winged demon.

The winged demon is Jah. This twist won't become apparent until late in the story.

Filled with grief, hate, and a deep feeling of helplessness, Ryot returns to the minister to commit the only sin of his lifetime â€" murder. He believes the minister knew all along that the strength of the demon would outstrip that of Balamos; and draws the confession from him before ending his life. The minister believed that one such as Balamos, whom he deemed a cutthroat and a brigand, did not deserve the fame, worship and renown of his countrymen, while all over Anthea the faith was slowly dying, and so sent him on a suicide mission, to ‘save fair Altrea from the scourge of false heroes.'

Leaving the church and the north, Ryot wanders south, accepting any commission available no matter how dangerous, his remaining drive, the base need for survival, battling within his soul against his mournful and reckless abandonment. He vows never to run from battle ever again, to rise against any challenge as Balamos did before him â€" to live up to the expectation of Balamos' training.

Aria Saints
Age: 19

A self-styled fledgling bounty hunter. She's a runaway from an overbearing and overprotective church leader - her father. She's also far too keen to shed twelve generations of Aetherian Church tradition upheld by her family. She has a striking countenance, well groomed shoulder length hair, and wears a cloak to help fill out her diminutive, tightly clad frame. She accessorizes with a beret, a cross pendant gifted by her mother (Celtic cross -symbol of Aetherian Church), and dark travel shoes. Her rambunctious attitude and benevolent heart sometimes gets her into sticky situations, but she is not averse to causing injury. Proud and independent, she plans to make a name for herself, not as a 'stuffy priestess', but instead as a famous bounty hunter, and perhaps one day even as a Midian Knight.

Nord Sunder (working name)
Age: 52

A broken ex-knight whose past is shrouded in mystery. Rumor has it that his partial face-mask covers a hideous disfigurement. None of his present associates have ever see him remove the mask, and so the rumor cannot be put to rest either way. Due to a complete lack of mobility in one leg, he also wears a steel brace to support a limp-like walk. Ashamed of his useless lower body, Nord has focused his training obsessively on his arms and torso. As a result he now possesses unmatched physical strength in his upper body. The downside of his overly focused training is an unbalanced physique; his arms and chest are unnaturally defined, and their immense breadth and girth sit in stark contrast to his thin legs - torn, poorly fitted shirts being an unavoidable consequence. Regardless of his impediments he is an impressive fighter, capable of surprising agility. He specializes in powerful, sweeping physical attacks. Nord's personality is gruff but polite - unless he is pressed about his past. He resides in a shack in the craggy, mountainous wilderness north of Granthas until a chance meeting with Ryot Geare and Aria Saint.


Nito
Age: Unknown

Nito is an ancient Immortal, created hundreds of years ago. Nito went into hiding, out of Jah's field of perception, but recently came out in the hopes of Jah having faded away, met with death or misadventure, or simply having forgotten him. (more information will be added soon)

Jah
Age: Unknown

Jah is Nito's immortal counterpart. While on search for Nito he has discovered the nature of Immortals and their link to Aether's Forest - it is their Divine Home, and the true purpose of any Immortal is simply to return there, and become one with Aether. Angels, however, having been created for a separate purpose, must first die and be judged at the Roads of Fate - and spend near an eternity in Tartarus for their crime of murdering an Immortal. Jah is filled with hate and spite at what is perceived as an illogical and unfair punishment for an Angel, who was originally created by Aether for this very purpose. So if Aether created Jah to kill Nito, why should Jah be judged and sent to Tartarus rather than becoming one with Aether in the Forest? Jah of course is mistaken, as we (much later) learn that the Forest is one of the places that the Roads of Fate lead to. And the form of Angel no longer bears the responsibility of killing Immortals in the present Age - it is simply their biological/genetic/soul memory that impels them toward the kill. It is therefore now 'instant judgement' - i.e. if they kill an Immortal the Angel will die instantly, and be judged as a murderer.

Jah of course is not aware of any of this, and is instead a zealous believer in the traditional faery tale that Angels are Divine Retribution for the ancient sins of all Immortals.

Naturally the problem with this logic is the part where Aether started everything again in human form AFTER the war between Angels and Immortals. So naturally the order of things must have changed.

Sadly Jah is twisted and jealous and seeks to coerce Nito into revealing the 'Path to Aether' - after all, Immortals CAN still 'see' the road to Aether's Forest and even the Forest itself. The reason for that, however, is the direct link between Aether and Immortals.

Thanetos
Thanetos is the judge of the souls of the dead. He judges each soul based on the life that their mortal bodies lived and sends them to be ferried down their correct path.

My visualization of Thanatos: A huge, armored figure - preferably English style plate armor - with no head. Where the head should be is darkness, like a whirling abyss? In one gloved fist Thanetos holds an upraised set of scales. In the other, clutched in a fist, but with a bent elbow and close to his side, a chain and a set of manacles.


This is where the game starts off. Ryot talks with a noble of Granthas about a commission. Ryot then heads to Nito's hideout. On the way there he encounters many battles with goons (the first battle will be a planned “tutorial” of the battle system). Ryot then encounters Nito and has a short conversation with him before a battle ensues. Ryot defeats Nito but before he can apprehend him Aria enters the room and interrupts him allowing a chance for Nito to get away, in which he takes. After an argument between the two they realize that Nito had gotten away and begin to chase after him (encountering foes as they do). When they encounter him again he is a lot stronger and more ferocious and they are easily defeated. When Ryot stands up to attack Nito more, he is suddenly stabbed in the back by Jah. Ryot then awakens in the spirit realm where he encounters and defeats Thanetos for his right to live in the mortal realm again.

Ryot awakens at Nord's place where a conversation ensues about his unconsciousness. Afterwards Ryot goes to the dining room where he and Aria get into an argument about how he “stole” her bounty. Nord convinces them to stop bickering and eat, so they do. After the meal the trio decide to split up and Ryot heads to Trantamont City to search for his next bounty while still in pursuit of his current.

Ryot enters the town and heads towards the pub. Right before he enters he hears a load scream of a woman yelling “help me”. Here the player is given a choice; ignore the woman and walk into the pub or go see what the problem is.

Ignore her and enter the pub: “Bad Ass” +1
Ryot walks into the pub and notices the board on the left side of the bar.

*Features I'd Like to Implement*






*Questions for you*

• What do you think of my character's names?
• Do you think that Ryot's new bio is "too much" or "unbelievable"?
• What do you think about changing my games name to Arcane Revenants?
• What do you think about changing my main characters name from Ryot Geare to Kitran? (pronounced similar to Kitchen)

Yeah, I figured out about the taglines through trial and error lol.

I've been getting a lot of criticism about his name, how it just reminds people of the police's riot gear and they think that it would be a better name suited for a shooter type game.