HUB REGION: LIGHTHOUSE DOCK
First Visit
You are dead.
At least, you thought you were. There was a distinct sense of subtle motion, like drifting through an endless sea, but that dream has been dispelled by sudden consciousness.
A soft, warm, yet powerful light creeps into your hazy peripheral vision, and as you regain your strength, it does as well.
"Before I say anything else, I believe I must... apologize." You hear a voice say. "I stole you from death's sweet embrace for my own selfish reasons."
You push yourself up from the ground, and you float to your feet, feeling weightless. Upon a quick examination of your body, you find it wispy and transparent. Are you... still dead?
"If you're wondering," The voice says again, as your eyes follow it upwards, to an elderly man sitting on a pile of rubble near you. "You've made it down. To the Aeon Ruins. You're an Explorer now, of sorts."
He smiles down at you wearily. "But you will never escape. This place is a waking nightmare, and the only thing waiting above is the Phantasm."
With a flourish, he directs your attention the warm glow you had noticed before.
No longer as powerful as it was before, it simply floats above an alabaster pillar, slowly spinning and casting twin beams of light, like the great tower above.
"These are Beacons. Artifacts from Tiolez, placed here by Explorers such as myself," He nods reassuringly as you reach out towards it. Touching the glow, you feel increasingly rejuvenated.
"You are a Phantom now, a bodiless spirit tethered to existence by their light. They will offer you respite, even restore your very life."
He shakes his head. "Though... none of that will matter when the Phantasm descends. It will destroy your very Soul." Another one who has lost his will to fight, it seems. He chuckles sadly.
"I wonder, how much of this great shadow will you illuminate before you flicker out? Only time will tell, I suppose."
You start to walk away, but he stops you, fishing a bundle of cloth out of his tattered robes. "Oh, and before I forget. A parting gift." He tosses you the bundle, and you catch it deftly. It has a bit of weight to it.
Peeling back the cloth, you see packets of... some sort of luminous salve. Meant to be applied on wounds, no doubt. "These are Light Gels, Souls fermented by the Beacon's light. Vital healing, for any Explorer worth their salt."
You tuck the bundle away in your pack, and he smiles. "I was among the first, you know. But I couldn't go on. I'm just a feeble hermit now, too weak to go myself. Though, I'm sure we'll see each other again." You wave to him and start to walk away.
"Come and chat again sometime, won't you? I'll be here." You nod, and set out, trying to see if anyone else is around... and how you can best the shadows of these Ruins.
AREA OVERVIEW:
The Lighthouse Dock is the calm center of the Aeon Ruins, serving as a base of operations and a meeting place for Explorers of almost every Kingdom. With the exception of Penumbra (if he survived),
there are no Shades in the Lighthouse Dock, and the only ways to die are provoking NPCs and falling to your death. As the game progresses, the appearance of the Dock may change as more people enter the Ruins, and as NPCs return to it for various reasons.
With a serene and awe-inspiring view combined with calm music, it is meant to alleviate the stress of battling deeper in the Aeon Ruins.
THE CAMPS:
You are not the only Explorer in the Aeon Ruins. Far from it, as many Explorers from all different Kingdoms adventure through the Ruins, fighting and dying as you are sure to.
In the Lighthouse Dock, representatives of six of the nine surviving Kingdoms reside, ready and willing to recruit able-bodied Explorers to join their cause. As part of a Kingdom, you are
expected to abide by the country's philosophy, and your triumphs and failures, as well as interactions with other Explorers, may influence what each Kingdom thinks of you, and thus the services they will provide.
A light breeze blows across the ancient stone, and tatters of faded red cloth, clinging to rotting wood for dear life, flap noiselessly.
The assorted rubble and trash from above, still trickling down in places, hardly sullies the smooth perfection of the island dock.
The calm surprises you: the terrifying stories you've heard about the shadow of the Aeon Ruins precede it, but in this place you feel a peace beyond anything you've ever felt.
That is, until you start finding the camps. The buzz of conversation fades into earshot, and soon you see the colorful flags of Kingdoms flying above various tents and temporary settlements.
Fellow Explorers sit among their settlements, segregated by Kingdom. You consider talking to one of them...
A tall man in polished armor, whose poise and energy mark him as a knight of Tiolez.
A disgruntled-looking cleric of Doraine, and his entourage.
A wide-eyed professor from Yannia who can hardly keep still, and his robed protege who can hardly move.
A bearded, shifty-eyed man in unadorned clothes, wearing a silver badge, standing next to a smith, who toils away on an anvil bearing the symbol of Lencoter.
A man in patchwork clothing, with a mechanical monocle. He is guarded by a mustached man holding a gun: a musketeer of Qero.
A weary yet fierce looking knight, with red stripes painted on his steel armor. He is clearly a Blaze Knight of Addol, and seems to be doting upon a rather extravagantly dressed woman.
How odd.
APPEARANCE:
A pristine dock, constructed from unfathomably old white stone. Dominating its skyline are 6 lighthouses:
one large, central tower, and five other towers, each of which faces toward one of the Aeon Ruin's dismal Regions.
The central tower unceasingly casts its twin beams of light over the Ruins, causing soft, shifting shadows to cycle back and forth.
The Dock sits on what seems to be a calm sea, with four rickety wooden piers stretching out, past the apparent horizon.
It gives the Dock the appearance of sitting alone, on an endless plane of water.
Scattered across the dock, and floating in the water surrounding it, are the remains of Wuuheim, nearly unrecognizable after being smashed to pieces.
EXPLORATION:
When you feel you are ready, you head towards the outskirts of the Dock.
With no other clear exits, these rickety piers must be the only way to the rest of the ruins.
Gazing across the glasslike water, at the flat horizon, you feel like nothing else could possibly exist here. It's too big. Too empty.
But something you're starting to realize about this place... is that it does not care for what should be possible.
It simply is, like the night sky, or the ocean, and all attempts to resist or deny it are met by nothing more than crushing apathy.
The same concern that a boot gives when it crushes an ant.
Steeling your determination, you plant an armored foot on the first plank. And then the other.
You begin your long walk into the unknown, unaware of how far you will truly go...
This is where your journey truly begins. The Aeon Ruins is divided into five Main Regions and three Optional Regions.
These Regions are further split into three Areas each (usually), smaller zones each guarded by a Boss at the end (i.e. Highland's District and Bridges of the Edge).
Below, and at the bottom of each Area section, there is a list of Connections, which represent the natural entrances and exits of the Areas and Regions.
From here is where Mortal Souls opens up, and truly becomes freeform Exploration.
Until you have completed one Main Region, DO NOT proceed below.
THE SOULLIGHTS
After your encounter with one of the particularly powerful Demons who lurk in the Ruins, you return to the Lighthouse Dock, and rest by its central Beacon for a while.
But something's different. You notice on the ground that you have another shadow, and trace its path back to one of the towers surrounding the center. Sure enough, a powerful glow now emanates from its summit.
Perhaps it is the same light that was released from the glyph that you touched? Upon closer inspection, it seems that same glyph has appeared at the base of that tower, still glowing a pure white.
You return to the Beacon, and ask him about it.
"You've found it... one of the brilliant lights that sheds its glow over the whole of the Ruins," He smiles proudly, and continues. "The Soullights. There are four more, but to light them, you must venture to each corner of this dream."
"Demons, and beings like them, block out the light with their massive Souls, and the shadows stretch ever longer."
"Light them all, Explorer, and there may be some hope against our great enemy."
The hermit seems to know more than he lets on... but he seems like an ally. And if he says that these 'Soullights' will aid against the Phantasm, then that is your mission: to find and light every single one.
Until you have completed two Main Regions, DO NOT proceed below.
Another tower at the Dock shines. With every Soul you claim, you feel yourself getting stronger... more resilient.
Looking at the new glyph that has appeared, you wonder if it is meant to be a way to... activate the Soullights, somehow? It is clear to see that they have a dual purpose.
In this place, things are never as they seem, and a tower that sheds light is laughably simple. Too simple for this place.
You speak to the hermit again.
"The second tower has been lit. Don't let me down, Explorer."
You try asking him about the details, but he holds up a hand in surrender.
"No, I don't truly know what they do..." Well, it was worth a try. "But they are lights, and lights banish the shadow."
"Each one you light makes the Ruin safer. More Explorers will no doubt descend, followed by the huddled masses."
"There is strength in numbers. Never forget."
Until you have completed three Main Regions, DO NOT proceed below.
After you light the third Soullight, you report back to the hermit. It's grown into a routine, by now.
But as you walk across the white stone of the Lighthouse Dock, it seems a bit more lively somehow. More tents cover the ancient ground, and the sounds of celebration can be heard.
However, the representatives of the Kingdoms seem no more friendly with each other, still keeping to themselves.
"Magnificent! The third light shines! I knew I could count on you, trusty Explorer."
You tell him about the tents. The people who don't seem to be Explorers...
"Wonderful! The people of the world have begun their descent, filing down and building camps on the edges of the Dock."
"Though, the Kingdoms still quarrel, even in the face of disaster."
"Was Wuuheim the only thing tying them together? Was the peace we strived for merely a facade?"
"It doesn't matter. Whether you succeed or fail at your task, the end is at hand."
Until you have completed four Main Regions, DO NOT proceed below.
You walk through the Dock again, and it seems almost like a different place. The subjects of the Kingdoms have started building proper structures on the Dock,
claiming this part of the Aeon Ruins for themselves. You return to the hermit, who seems much more somber, in comparison to the rest of the Dock.
"One left, Explorer. And then everything will make sense again."
"When... when I was a child, my father brought me down here. To the Aeon Ruins."
"It was a hidden passage, in the arctic north. He showed me the dead worlds, the Sea of Souls..."
"The Demons... the Demons that Wuuheim created? We saw them here, even before the rise of Demonica."
"They are fell guardians of the Soul. Sowers of chaos, who keep the shadows dancing."
"They can hardly be considered alive, but they hunger. They hunger."
Until you have completed all Main Regions, DO NOT proceed below.
The Lighthouse Dock is silent now. With all the Soullights lit, the surface of the white stone is bathed in overlapping shadows, and the central tower's beams rotate with alarming speed.
The people who descended lay huddled in their homes. For above, the Descendant Tower has shattered. And yet its pieces do not fall: instead they remain suspended in the air, trapped in the blue aura of the Phantasm, who still rests at the lip of the pit, just barely visible from below.
"The Phantasm descends. Do you see the grim glow?" The hermit says, forlorn. "I'm afraid this is the last time we will speak. You must ascend, and meet the beast in limbo. There, you will finally learn the truth."
"Thank you... for all that you have done. And I'm sorry... for using you as I have. For all your bravery, you deserve better than oblivion." You glare at him. "The Phantasm cannot be destroyed. Not with a blade, not with the Soullights."
You refuse to believe it.
"None of it meant anything. None of it."
You walk away without a farewell, and turn your gaze skyward. Determined to prove him wrong. Determined to extinguish its corrupt light forever.
Even if it means being snuffed out yourself.
ENDGAME
