Nerdaissance

The following is material that I prepared to serve as a sort of primer/supplement for the game itself. Knowing this information going into the game will make it a little richer experience, giving a great deal of context to the events that transpire once we join our hero. These brief dossiers will probably be subject to re-writes, as I intend them to eventually be the official introductions to the game, and at preset represent a second pass at rough notes from my initial planning.

A Brief History of Ossetia-

Ossetia represents the earliest known settlement of people on the continent of Transcaucasia. Established at the edge of the wooded area between the sea and the Caucas mountains, it slowly grew into a sprawling cradle of advanced society. Known history has little recollection of a time before Ossetia existed in some form or another.

The apex Ossetian society has been pegged at 615 AY (Absolute Year). In this year, King Phillipe finalized the brand new western protectorate, creatively named Western Ossetia. Central Ossetia, the original establishment, was now flanked on either side; to the east its industrial hub, to the west its shimmering new cultural one. Western Ossetia sported a concert hall, as well as a library which had a very extensive collection.

For five years afterwards, propsperity reigned. This is commonly thought to have come abruptly to a halt with the death of Queen Neko. Her death, preceeded by prolonged illness, weighed heavilly on the mind of the King, and was followed by many hardships for the Ossetians.

Seemingly from nowhere, and as if on cue, war found its way to Ossetia. A vicious, nomadic tribe from the north was terrorizing the town. Normally content to roam their lands in at the northernmost tip of Transcaucasia, they attacked Ossetia under the organizational leadership of Baron VanVleck. He expertly used the tribe to inflict pain and fear upon the people of Ossetia. King Phillipe eventually negotiated a peace.

Ossetia agreed to surrender all of its accumulated wealth in exchange for peace and VanVleck’s promise that the remaining crops and foodstores not be destroyed. The King died only a few months after brokering this truce, his people impoverished, his kingdom in disarray. VanVleck returned within the week to take all the food his troops could carry, and burned the rest.

At Western Ossetia, the people made their final stand. They were underprepared for the initial assault, but now they had done their best to militarize, arming themselves and preparing to fight. VanVleck and his troops killed or maimed them with relative ease, and as a lesson, burned Western Ossetia to the ground.

For two years, the remaining people struggled simply to stay alive, until a young farmer stepped up to lead them. Roman Oliver expertly consolidated resources and saught to begin rebuilding Ossetia. By the time his son Ray turned 15, the town was on its way out of a crippling recession, headed towards better times.

The one day he disappeared.

Ray and Daniel’s Story-

Ray left home at 16 to search for his father, the brilliant leader of Ossetia who had gone missing. After searching the entire continent, he began to lose hope. Thinking that he had been kidnapped by VanVleck in retaliation for rebuilding Ossetia, Ray even infiltrated the early structures of what would become Stauropolis, but found nothing. On his way out of town, he ran into Daniel.

Daniel was on his way to find employment in VanVleck’s army. He left home at age 14 when his mother died, and began wandering the Transcaucasian countryside looking for ways to subsist. Hearing that VanVleck needed young men to build his military, he headed north. After convincing Daniel that VanVleck was an evil man, and he should not work for his military, the two teamed up to continue the search for Roman Oliver. After another fruitless year of searching, the two decide to give up, and return to Ossetia and do what they can for the poor town. Before arriving, they are propositioned by a stranger looking for mercenaries. They turn down the offer, disturbed by what it might entail.

Returning home, Ray meets one of his only childhood friends, C.J. Conner. Tragedy strikes though, when C.J.’s younger brother falls ill and dies, the sickness complicated by malnutrition because the town has no money to grow crops to feed itself, and there is no nearby locality willing to sell them goods. After that, Ray vows he will take up his father’s mantle of saving Ossetia. Under cover of night, Ray left Ossetia to find the man offering them work.

The stranger asked Ray to kill an old man who lived in the Caucas mountains. The ‘old man’ proved to be far more capable than Ray had expected, and even moreso than Ray himself. At the last moment, Daniel came rushing in to save Ray. From that day forth, the two were partners in the dark business of killing men for the employer known only as Siegfried.

Skeleton Plot Sequence of Starting to Fear-
(It’s broken into approximate ‘chapters’ or major story events; *** denotes the beginning and end of the demo)

***
-Ray and Daniel kill Wiseman (A) on the Introduction Island
-Next they collect the money from Siegfried’s Aide in Siegfried’s Domain
-They restock and explore in Ossetia (located in Transcaucasia)

-Next they leave for the forrest continent of Antilles
-There they brave the jungle to eventually arrive at the location of Wiseman (B), named Leonidas
-After battling and defeating (killing) Leonidas, they once again return to Ossetia

-Ray and Daniel then depart to save Rick Oln, the local smith, who’s been captured by VanVleck’s men
-After rescuing Rick, they must protect his envoy of goods across the sea, battling pirates
-Upon arrival, Siegfried’s Aide implores Ray and Daniel to travel south, where Wiseman (C) resides
***
-They must kill a number of villagers in order to kill Wiseman (C), and Ray is appaled at what they’ve done
-He and Daniel begin to argue, but are interrupted by the arrival of VanVleck and his troops
-After defeating all of the troops, however, before Ray can strike VanVleck himself, Daniel betrays him, literally stabbing him in the back
-VanVleck orders Ray marooned on an island they pass on the return route to Transcaucasia

-Ray awakens, without his equipment, money, or items, on a strange island
-A local islander, Zoe, helps Ray construct a raft from scavanged materials, and accompanies him on his return journey to Ossetia
-In Ossetia (which has improved considerably during Ray’s time away), Ray conceals his identity, lest VanVleck and Daniel learn that he is alive

-Ray and Zoe accompany Rick, who has volunteered to defeat a bandit that has taken up residence in the Western Ossetia Ruins
-Within the ruins, in an old library, they come across some ancient texts which partially tell the story of Siegfried and The Order
-Finally realizing why Siegfried wants these men dead, and shocked at what he had been party to, Ray must hurry to find the last remaining

Wiseman (D) and protect him from Siegfried and Daniel, who are still hunting him
-A brief stop in Ossetia yields victory celebration as the defeat of the bandit and the liberation of Western Ossetia
-At the part, Ray’s childhood friend C.J. recognizes him through his disguise, and demands to accompany him on his journey

-Under the cover of night, they steal away to the north, hoping to find Wiseman (D) by tracking Daniel from Stauropolis
-They succeed in deducing their destination, and catch Daniel and VanVleck’s men in time to save the Wiseman (D)
-Escaping with the Wiseman (D) in tow, they leave Daniel behind, barely alive, and return to Ossetia
-The Wiseman (D) then explains the remainder of the story missing from the library text, telling of a weapon which is capable of defeating the ancient evil Siegfried embodies
-Seemingly from nowhere, Archimedes, pupil of the Wiseman (D) arrives, demanding to aid in the quest of recovering the weapon

-Wiseman (D), named Obiken, has one piece
-The second is located in a mountain range populated by Old World Demons
-The third is actually located back on Antilles, in the very tree that Leonidas was protecting
-The fourth is somewhere on the continent of Transcaucasia (requires not battles, but detective work to find!)

-Rick reforges the pieces into the Old Blade, with his own skills and the magical aid of the Obiken
-The entire party then boards the airship (aquired in some yet-undertermined way) and sets off for Siegfired’s Domain

-Upon arrival, they must battle VanVleck’s minions and Daniel in order to gain entrance (the revelation here is that Siegfried has been pulling the strings behind VanVleck’s entire capaign of conquest that began so many years ago)
-Battling a number of foul things, the party makes its way to the roof of the castle-complex, where they meet Siegfried
-When the battle is around halfway through, Obiken tells Archimedes that it is time, and Archimedes helps cast a spell that will unite Obiken and Siegfried
-With the only two sources of Old Magic in Solen now united (Sig., the evil half, and the Final Order Member, the decent half), the composite creature is an amalgamation of powerful magic, existing in a state of unstable equilibrium.
-After further weakening it, Ray must deal the final blow with the Old Blade, the last missing piece of Old Magic, and as the sword unites with the composite, it also depives the creature of the last of its living energy, casuing all of the Old Magic sources to collapse, leaving Solen forever.

-As the creature dies/dissappears, the very fabric of Solen becomes unstable; Rick pulls around in the airship, and the rest of the party jumps from the roof of the castle to the deck of the ship, barely escaping
-Befor they’re clear though, a castle piece strikes the ship, throwing everyone to the ground, and nearly knocking C.J. off, Ray barely catching her
-A second, crippling blow, jars her hand from his, and she falls into the abyss that has formed where the Old Magic collapsed. Ray demands that they turn the ship around, and return for her, but Archimedes and Rick restrain him and continue their escape (lest everyone be killed)
-Their argument is interrupted, however, when a third and final blow strikes the limping airship from the sky
-As the pieces break up around them, the party jumps from the deck right the ship crashes into the sea

~End of Act I~

The World Map-
[Subject to revision, as entire land masses have gone unused thus far, and not yet appear as they otherwise would]

Landmasses Labeled; Click for Fullsize