Decadence

[Phoenix Tilea]

Title
Webster defines ‘Decadence’ as, “Deterioration”. It is used to describe the state of a situation, normal synonymous with pain and suffering. In addition, this is a play on words when related to my game. The word ‘Decade’ means a span of ten years, and the present events in this game and the memories/flash-backs are ten years apart, depicting the start and end of a war.

Theme
This game has several themes to the plot: greed, revenge, the human spirit, and destiny. Sure, it all sounds cliché, but then again, it’s hard not to when listing themes. Each of the main characters represents one or more of these in some form or fashion, along with many of the situations and enemies. These are also just the main themes; there are plenty of underlying representations and symbols, but I’ll get to those when discussing the characters and such.

Story
Well, I’ll put the story down, which will be a major spoiler for my game, but whatever. The background is the biggest spoiler, but I’m not including everything.

Synopsis

The continent this game takes place on is composed of three regions: the Northlands, The Kingdom of Astania, and the Southern Jungle. As with any civilizations sharing land, there are complications and treaties and agreements that must be made. The synopsis is told through verbal recollection and a flashback portion of the game that takes place at the start of the ten-year war.

The quarrel is over land and free passage. Both the tribe occupying the Northlands and the Jungle Folk to the south were having difficulty sending merchants through Astania, the kingdom in between. They believed their merchants were treated unfairly and that some were even robbed and slain with no protection by the monarch. This issue is set to be handled by the young prince of Astania, Jaiden, and his childhood companion, an assassin by the name of Orealis d’Sharr. The two travel south and have a successful voyage, reaching agreement with the people there through peaceful and diplomatic means. However, things start to get complicated.

Before leaving for the Northlands, Prince Jaiden is given a gift by Dreav, Orealis’s teacher. It is a crown that attunes him to the thoughts and behaviors of a certain type of animal. The royal family’s symbol is a large black raven, and through means of magic, Jaiden is attuned to the wisdom, as well as the omen.

He has a strange dream depicting his own death, and on their way to the Northlands, Jaiden requests that they make a short detour to the city of Selestina, where stands the most revered temple in Astania, whose priestesses possess the power of the Oracle, the ability to prophesize. A prediction is made, telling of destruction, pain, suffering, and even describes events in an Apocalyptic nature, but also foretells the coming of heroes and the possibility of salvation.

While Orealis shrugs off the prediction, having no belief in such things, Jaiden is certain that this trip will not end well. They head to the Northlands, and when there, meet the young son of the tribe’s Chieftan, Ares. While only nine years old, Ares has been sent to conduct a peace treaty with the prince and his advisor, and this is done seemingly without a snag.

Unfortunately, not all of the tribe was set on diplomacy. In fact, a large number of them split off a long while before to form their own band of rogues later referred to by the people of Astania as simple the “Raiders” or “Cloaked Riders” because of the way they dress and are mounted on black horses. Almost immediately after an agreement is reached, a massive army of raiders surges the main tribal city, killing both the Chieftan and his wife, and taking Ares prisoner. In a struggle to try and protect the young boy, Jaiden is mortally wounded and Orealis is rendered unconscious after killing a large group of attackers in a rage at seeing his friend wounded. When he awakens, he gets a few last moments with the prince in which he is asked to take care of the country. The city is in ruin and is now deserted and strewn with bodies. Being tired and injured, Orealis must steal a horse, considering there’s no one else around who can make used to it, and is forced to ride all the way back to the capital of Astania, leaving Jaiden’s body behind reluctantly.

On his way back, Orealis discovers that Astania has been laid to waste as well, and he later arrives back in the capital of Astania, Liojin, just in time to alert the royal family to the oncoming attack. Immediately after, the city is rushed by an entire army of cloaked riders, and once more, Orealis is rendered unconscious in the midst of battle, already having been warn down. The city is destroyed and the king and queen are slain, leaving no one left in the royal house…

…Or so they think.

Game Storyline (In Development)

The game begins with the main character Phoenix moving through a forest chasing after the cloaked riders while heading to a village to the east. She meets up with Orealis and they end up traveling together. When arriving at the city, they meet up with Ares, who claims that he was attacked by the raiders and escaped. He reveals that he’s been running from them for two years now after escaping their imprisonment. Phoenix and Orealis find this strange because – as far as anyone knows – the raiders don’t take prisoners. However, Ares doesn’t seem to remember anything more. After finding a use for him even though he seems a bit pathetic, the first two allow him to join in with the knowledge that there has to be something special about him. Unfortunately, the raiders are intent on capturing the young man and the travelers are often confronted by large groups of them.

Eventually, they reach the capital of Astania, Liojin. While the city had been built up quite abit after its destruction, the castle was still vacant and partly damage and uncared for. Orealis, seeing as how this had been his home for many years, takes the liberty of inviting himself, Phoenix, and Ares into it for something of a base. They begin getting to work on building up allies and finding old ones as well as accumulating arms and resources in order to fight.

However, the castle isn’t as empty as they thought. They soon discover that the princess of Astania, presumed to be dead three years before the war started, had been hiding out there and caring for what she could by herself. Consider that Orealis lived with the royal family, the two remembered one another, and though Princess Telona seems to fear Orealis for some reason, she decides to join the other three. Also strange is the fact that Area, upon seeing her, exclaims the name “Lita!”, and though he is continuously told her name by Orealis, he continues to call her this.

-More to come…

Location

Astania

Astania was once a prosperous kingdom taking up the middle and largest portion of the continent it sits upon. The country is a monarchy, ruled by a king and whatever family is granted power, with nobles and a council beneath them to report to the ruler and handle minor tasks.

Because the country is so large, it contains all sort of geological features and biomes. In addition, the country produces quite a large amount of its own resources.

At least, this was all true BEFORE the war.

Many of the major cities were ravaged, reduced to small villages that were built up by survivors simply needing a roof to live under. Even then, the raiders burn many of them down, killing the inhabitants and cutting off any resources and goods that city might have offered to the rest of the country. Basically, the nation is falling apart, and without a leader, there is no way of forming an organized defense. It’s on the brink of destruction and total take-over by the rogue tribe.

Sundi

Sundi is the first town the player comes to. It is located in a small grassy portion of the map east of the Deadzone Forest, the starting area (which the player returns to later on in the game). Before it was attacked, Sundi had been a major supplier of live stock and horses for nearly the entire country. However, what Phoenix, Orealis, and Ares see is a tiny town with two shops, an inn, stables with a few horses, and a few goats.

In the game, this is basically the “n00b city”. It’s small and there are only a few things to do. However, it’s a part of the learning curve to get the player introduced to some of the game basics. The player does receive a horse in this city, which is necessary to access different part of areas throughout the rest of the game.

Venell

Located to the north of Sundi, through a cave, is Venell, a prosperous port city on the eastern coast of Astania. You find out by speaking with locals that there has never been an attack on Venell, and most speculate that it’s because of its geographical location. The only way to get to this area is by air (impossible for those without magical ability), through one of two caves, or from the ocean, so there’s no clear path. Also located nearby is a large stone outcropping on the water, which turns out to be somewhat hollow. At the base is small cave, home to a pack of wolves – which is another mystery to solve – and at the top is a much larger cave that contains iron ore, which is collected to supply to the black smith in Venell to create better weapons and armor for the party.

Selestina

Before the war, Selestina was a large city and the most important places of pilgrimage and religious endeavors. This was because the Temple of Selestina was the largest and most famed in the nation. It’s priests and priestesses were the most skilled and knowledgeable, and also had the ability to make prophecies.

However, Selestina was the first Astanian city to fall when the war began. Unlike all of the other cities, everything and everyone was laid to waste, allowing no survivors save for one. Most others were destroyed, but were able to be rebuilt. Selestina became nothing but a massive graveyard and the ruins of it’s great temple. In addition, the place is cursed, haunted with restless spirits of those that fell there, as well as other things that linger beyond a point where most are able to get to.

Selestina is the home city of Phoenix Tilea, who was the soul survivor of the attack at age eight.

Liojin

Liojin is the capital city of Astania, once the largest and most-occupied and home to Liojin Palace. Liojin was once home to the royal family: King Drail, Queen Aletah, Prince Jaiden, and Princess Telona, but was deserted completely after the raid on Liojin.

In the game, it’ll be the player’s job to help build the capital city up once it is reached. Resources, armed forces, and the general economy need to be replenished along with order.

-More locations and detail to come…

Characters

Main Party

Phoenix

Name: Phoenix Tilea
Gender: Female
Age: 18 (In main game)
Origin: Selestina
Personality: As a child, Phoenix is very light-hearted and eager, though not much is seen of her as a child. After the attack on Selestina, she sets out on her own at the age of 8 in search of a means of avenging her fallen people. She becomes rather cold and distrustful of others, wary of most. However, she is very wise with a good head on her shoulders, and she is also talented in her art of battle and magic. When people are allowed to get to know her, she is truly a valuable, kind, and loyal friend, despite her efforts to stamp out all emotion in her. It just can’t be done, and she soon accepts it, only becoming cold and ruthless when need be.
Family and Friends: Phoenix is the daughter of High Priest Alexander, the most revered member of the Temple of Selestina, who is killed in the attack on the city. She had no direct link with the other three characters as they are closely linked, but she does meet Orealis and Prince Jaiden during their stop on the way to the Northlands.
Backstory: Raised in the Temple of Selestina as a warrior priestess, Phoenix learns te art of combat, battle magic, and is also taught the ways of a temple priestess, studying spiritual magic and the art of prophecy. In fact, she is the oen who delivers the prophecy that predicts her own fate along with that of Astania and the people she later joins.

At the time of the attack, she is guided inside the temple by her father, having lost her mother during the bid for safety. They make their way into the inner chamber where Phoenix is given an old family treasure, a ruby that is said to contain incredibly magic power. Alexander tells her that no one in their family has been able to use it and that she is the last hope. As soon as the gem is placed into her hand, it melts, only to reappear in the center of her forehead, infused with her skull. This is a sign that she was the one destined for it, and as the temple collapses in and burns, she is protected by some unseen force while having to watch as her father is crushed to death.

After awakening, she finds herself in a pile of smoldering ruins with no one around. It is here that she sets out in search of the ones who did this to her and her people, using the power left with her and a small book she was able to salvage, a journal. (Quest Log for players!)

Concept Art

Face

Sprite


More to come...

Orealis

Name: Orealis d’Sharr
Gender: Male
Age: 26 (In main game)
Origin: Liojin
Personality: Orealis is soon revealed to be a natural-born leader. He was trained as an assassin in his youth, but does not exactly have all the qualities one would expect. He is rather honorable and only uses the ‘sneakier’ techniques when it is necessary for survival. He also understands the value of team effort and strength in numbers. He is loyal to the nation of Astania and those whom he considers friends.
Backstory: Orealis was born to a merchant in the city of Liojin and was a childhood friend of Prince Jaiden. His father passed away when he was a young child, and because he was already close with their son and daughter, the king and queen took him in under the condition that he become the prince’s advisor and personal protector. While at the palace, Orealis studied beneath a talented and respected member of the court, a royal assassin by the name of Dreav. He was also taught diplomacy, and ended up being the one to travel with Prince Jaiden on a mission to make peace with both the civilizations to the north and south of the country. (See Synopsis for more)

Concept Art
Face


More to come...

Ares

Name: Ares
Gender: Male
Age: 15 (In main game. There is a major time gap with his age, but it’s explained late into the story)
Origin: Northlands
Personality: As a child, Ares is very calm and intelligent, but rather carefree as most children are. However, during the present in the main game, Ares is very quiet, nervous, and seemingly very weak. He does not pursue confrontation in any form and is easily frightened and taken advantage of by those who would do so. However, when learning of what he’s endured, it is revealed that Ares is indeed a very strong-willed individual and is even able to build up his confidence a bit after a while.
Backstory: Ares is the son of the Chieftan ruling over the northern tribes before the attack, and he is set to take his father’s place. However, on the day of the attack, he heads home to inform his parents of the agreement he had worked out with Prince Jaiden and Orealis, and when he gets there, the city is stormed by an army of cloaked men on horseback. Knowing their fate, his parents give him the gift of a leather choker bearing a sapphire, and though they have no time to tell him what it is, his mother tells him that it will protect him. So, he puts it on, but is then captured and forced to witness the brutal murders of both of his parents. Afterward, he is taken prisoner, and only escapes two years before the main game storyline takes place.

Concept Art
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More to come...
…

Telona

Name: Telona
Gender: Female
Age: 20 (In main game)
Origin: Liojin
Personality: Nothing is seen of her as a child, but it is indicated that she does not change too much over the years. Telona is quiet and reserved, almost dark. She is often distant, even from those she is close to, and though she is capable of fighting, is not revealed to be a very strong-willed person most of the time. She much closer to what women were expected to be back in the Medieval time period, only with a few difference, mainly her ability to fight. She does not act like a princess at all; anyone who didn’t know her would have no idea that she is royalty.
Backstory: As a child, Telona was not treated well by King Drail, though she never told anyone and the family appeared to be happy and stable. (I’m not spoiling the reason! Forget it!) At the age of seven, Telona is exiled by her father and pronounced dead to the rest of the nation and even to her older brother. She flees to the Northlands where she is taken in by the tribe leaders there, offered food, shelter, and the like in exchange for being a companion and something of a maid to their son, who is only a year her junior. She changes her name, and not even her caretakers know her true identity. They simply know her as Lita, an orphaned vagabond.

After the attack, she leaves the city to try and get back to Liojin to her family, to warn them, but is too late and finds the city in smoldering ruins. She spends quite a bit of time simply wandering, a couple of years, and then returns to Liojin after it is slightly rebuilt, taking refuge in the palace in secret. This is where she stays until she encounters Orealis, Phoenix, and Ares later on.

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More to come...

Other Important Characters

Prince Jaiden

Name: Jaiden
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (when killed)
Origin: Liojin
Personality: Jaiden is much more wild and fun-loving than his friend Orealis. He is intelligent and skilled with diplomacy, but also a bit reckless. However, after being given the “Raven Crown”, he really calms down and suddenly becomes thoughtful and reserved. This is wen the feeling of doom sets in, when he can predict his own untimely death, thus making him even more distant. Still, he is a loyal friend, and his death was directly caused by throwing himself in the way to save Orealis’s life.
Backstory: See above.

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More to come...

King Drail

Name: Drail
Gender: Male
Age: Deceased
Origin: Unknown
Personality: A powerful and cool-headed leader, although behind the seens, he is not quite as kind and moderate-tempered as the public sees him to be.
Backstory: Nothing is truly important about his past, only that he married Princess Aletah in order to take the title of King and the rule of Astania. He met his end during the attack on Liojin at the start of the war.

Concept Art
Soon to come…

Queen Aletah

Name: Aletah
Gender: Female
Age: Deceased
Origin: Liojin
Personality: Little is known about her. She is quiet and reserved, not making very many appearances or public statements. She stands beside her husband, although behind the scenes, their relationship is not a happy one. In death (explained later), she is bitter and resentful because of all her pain in life.
Backstory: Too big of a spoiler for me to want to share in concept.

Kane

Name: Kane
Gender: Male
Age: 45
Origin: Unknown
Personality: Kane is very dark with a rogue-type attitude. He is more like the stereotypical assassin than Orealis, though they had the same teacher. He is very difficult to read in that no one really knows anything about him, and his alliance is difficult to determine. He seems to be a villain, and yet fights for the side of the kingdom as well.
Friends and Family: Kane lives and works at Liojin Palace as an assassin for the king and was trained under Dreav. However, he has some other connections as well, but I’m not telling.
Backstory: Big spoiler. Not telling!

Dreav

Name: Dreav
Gender: Male
Age: 50 (In main game)
Origin: Liojin
Personality: Dreav is the wise older master of the martial art, though he is much more receptive to jokes and humor. He seems bitter and angry toward people at times, but it’s all just his personality and really means nothing, and most understand this.
Friends and Family: At first nothing is known, but later on, he marries Artemis. As far as friends, Orealis and Kane are his two top students, but other than that, he has little contact with anyone else save for business with the king and queen.
Backstory: He worked as an assassin for the king and then began training those to take his place upon getting older. He was one of the few survivors after the attack on Liojin and joined with Orealis and Artemis to begin a resistance.

Concept Art
Soon to come…

Artemis

Name: Artemis
Gender: Female
Age: 47 (In main game)
Origin: Unknown
Personality: Artemis is probably the strangest character in the game. She is – for all intents and purposes – slightly insane. She is very light-hearted and carefree, seeming oblivious and constantly saying things that really don’t seem to make any sense. In reality, she is psychic and very wise, only her visions and wisdom come out in random, non-challent ways that most people miss. She also seems to confuse her visions of the future with things that have already happened, and this is often the way that her predictions are told, because she never says anything directly. She is, however, very kind and always eager to help.
Friends and Family: Nothing is known of her. She marries Dreav during the ten years that Astania is under attack and knows Orealis from their brief travels together, but that’s all.
Backstory: She finds Orealis after he wakes up in Liojin when the attack is over. She is a ranger, spending most of her time in the woods, but nothing else is known about her past. She guides Orealis to Dreav and a small group of gather survivors.

Concept Art
Soon to come…

Enemies

Elias

Gameplay

I’m using the default battle system in RMXP because I really can’t seem to find one I care for and I don’t really want to risk messing with it and getting something wrong. I’ve really been focusing on balance lately, trying to make sure that no character is significantly better than the others, but they each have their own unique battle style:

Phoenix: She’s sort of like a tank in that she has a lot more HP than the rest of the party. She can use swords and knives and does only damage with spells. Her strength is pretty high and her intelligence is fairly high, though not as high as some others.
Orealis: He’s more of the rogue type in that he uses knives and deals status effects with magic, such as venom and confusion. He is centered mostly on dexterity and agility, but he can use the second most powerful weapon in the generic sets, a spear.
Ares: Doesn’t have much in the way of strength and HP, but he’s pretty quick. Ares uses mostly support magic, such as increasing power and speed of himself or other players, though he does get some pretty cool skills later on. He is alos the only player that can use a katana, the most powerful weapon in a set (though it has to be found and cannot be bought).
Telona: She’s mostly centered on magic, though she can use a bow. Her skills consist of healing and restoration magic, as well as the hinder magic like Orealis uses.

Each character will also have a special on-map summon that allows them to access new areas. The horses is needed to jump over obstacles and to move more quickly, the wolf allows the player to jump up ledges and large ‘steps’, the phoenix allows the player to fly above the map, and Laviathan allows the player to go under water.

Not entirely sure if this is too much gameplay detail for a concept description. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

To-Do List

• Further-develop story and minor elements
  
• Add more character detail and concept art
  
• Design more locations and add more detail
  
• Find some help! *cries*
  

And that’s what I’ve gotten so far. More will most certainly be added when I get to it, and I do appreciate constructive criticism and ideas on what I’ve got here. I know it’s a bit confusing, but this is a deep storyline and difficult to summarize. If there is any info I don’t have up here that should be (unless I’ve indicated that it’ll be added), please let me know.

So, hopefully this is mildly interesting. If there are any artists or scripters that are bored and looking for something to do (for fun! This isn’t commercial), I’d really appreciate the help. As you’ll see by my concept art later on…. I’m not an artist.