Addol is the Kingdom of flame, where skill and bravery in combat are worth the highest honors. The Blaze Knights, under Warrior-King Martin, are like one man armies, able to decimate entire battalions without even so much as a shield.
The Pyromancy wielding upper-class rules the Kingdom secretly, without the sense of justice the Blaze Knights uphold. One thing they can agree on, however, is their mutual hatred of Cryomancers, mages who rejected the flame, and live alone in the Badlands.
CHARACTERS
SIR JÚLIO OF ADDOL
Profile:
Júlio is Warrior-King Martin's hot-blooded right hand man, and dove into the Aeon Ruins enthusiastically with him, ready for battle.
However, rather than being allowed to explore like the others, he was saddled with the twin jobs of keeping Duchess Alia safe, so she could spread Pyromancy in peace, and maintaining the Battle Arena.
He obeys his King always, but feels bitter and restless about the whole thing in general.
Quest:
Júlio has no quest, but is a representative of Addol, and therefore encourages the player to swear loyalty to the Addol Kingdom and face fellow Explorers in honorable combat.
DIALOGUE
FIRST CONVERSATION
"Oh! You, you look rather spineless. Would you mind taking over for me here?"
"I was told to watch over this... this noble, but I deeply yearn to explore the Ruins."
"And by the looks of you, you wouldn't last five seconds further in! So, what do you say?"
>Yes
>No
(Same answer)
"Oh, nevermind. I could never ask you to take on my responsibilities, anyway."
"And calling you spineless before I even told you my name! I have become too desperate."
"I am Sir Júlio, Blaze Knight of Addol! If you wish to follow the path of flame, all you must do... is say my name."
SECOND CONVERSATION
"So, how about it? Swear loyalty to the Warrior-King, and follow the road of glorious battle!"
>Yes
"Yes! I welcome you to the Kingdom of Addol with open arms."
"Here, take this."
>Given the Distortion Soapstone
"There are Explorers in these Ruins that enter the worlds of others, looking for a fight."
"A worthy endeavor! But there are those who fight without honor."
"This stone will send a challenge out to the worlds of other Explorers, an invitation to battle."
"Fight them alone, like a true warrior, and you shall be rewarded."
"Oh, I almost forgot! The Addol Battle Arena is now open to you, my friend."
"The other Blaze Knights and I periodically arrange sparring matches across the Ruins."
"Join in, won't you?"
>No
"Ah, well, hm. I guess it's no big deal then."
"Even so, I can still let you use the Arena, if you want."
"Just stay on my good side, eh?"
THIRD CONVERSATION
"The other Kingdoms? What about them?"
"We do our best to distance ourselves from petty squabbles."
"Even in the Soul Wars, we fought only defensively."
"We're all human, aren't we? Yannia, Qero, even Vestum, it matters not."
"Flames do not discriminate in what they cast their warmth upon."
FOURTH CONVERSATION AND ONWARDS
"Have you ventured far into the Ruin? Tell me of your struggles, please!"
"How I long to go out and do battle."
"But this Duchess is like an iron weight on my back... I cannot leave her, by order of the King."
"What did he bring her along for, anyway?"
SPECIAL DIALOGUE
GREETING
"...GRAGHHH! Haha, did I startle you? Gotta stay on your toes!"
INTERRUPTED MENU
"Ah! Ever eager to return to the fray, I see!"
FAREWELL
"Seek greater battles!"
POSITIVE TENDENCY GREETING
"Brave Explorer! The Arena is calling your name!"
POSITIVE TENDENCY FAREWELL
"Come again soon!"
NEGATIVE TENDENCY GREETING
"*sigh* Oh, hello there. Whatever do you need this time?"
NEGATIVE TENDENCY FAREWELL
"Don't mind me... I'm fine."
FIRST KINGDOM REWARD
"Oho, a mighty warrior indeed!"
"If you find the Warrior-King, tell him that Júlio said that you can have 'that'. Understand?"
>Unlocked Soul Synthesis: Pyromancy
SECOND KINGDOM REWARD
"I hear only tales of a fearsome warrior who rides the waves of distortion..."
"Use this, to stoke an even stronger flame."
>Given the Addol Bellows
FINAL KINGDOM REWARD
"Your prowess is magnificent! A true favorite of the arena, you are."
"Wear this ring proudly. It symbolizes your truest of true strength."
>Given a Ring of the Inner Fire
ADDOL CHAMPION BONUS
"A sublime heat radiates from your body..."
"How can you handle such a flame?"
"Oh, great Champion of fire... you hold Addol's Indomitable Spirit."
>[Message Appears: The spirit of Addol attracts wayward Explorers to your world.]
IF ALIA IS ASSASSINATED
"...What? What is this?"
"My... my god. The duchess. How...?"
"Murder. Killed in her sleep."
"How... how dishonorable!"
"This assailant deserves no mercy! Strike them down! Off with their heads!"
"Forgive me, milord... I have failed you."
DUCHESS ALIA
Profile:
Alia is a among the nobles of Addol, who live above the knights and commoners in lavish homes.
They may seem rather harmless, if a little stuck-up, but their appearance belies a web of intrigue that secretly strangles Addol.
Alia herself is rather fringe to these goings on, but still considers the Blaze Knights, and the Warrior-King himself, as simpletons.
But in order to maintain the illusion that she served the King, she had to descend to the Aeon Ruins.
Quest:
Alia has no quest. However, if Mr. Lorn is not stopped, she will be assassinated after the Fourth Soullight is lit.
DIALOGUE
FIRST CONVERSATION
"Oh, you're one of those boorish Explorers, aren't you?"
"I can tell by the stench... would it kill you to wash that armor of yours every now and then? Honestly."
"I am Duchess Alia, a distinguished member of Addol nobility, and uncontested master of fire."
"By the... order of the King, I am here to spread that fire among you brutes."
"If you have a Pyromancy Flame, then my techniques may save your skin."
"But don't expect me to just give you one! If you really want one, go find it. I'm no charity service."
SECOND CONVERSATION
"Ugh... this place is so dull. Not that life above was much better."
"In Addol, if you're not a knight, you have to sacrifice to earn respect. And power."
"As a child, I once spent a month in my uncle's coastal abode. Those were the worst days of my life."
"It was practically a shack! What sort of self-respecting builder makes a home with only two floors? Madness."
"Never let anyone tell you that the rich have it easy. Completely untrue."
THIRD CONVERSATION
"I'd have left Addol long ago, if not for the two things binding me there."
"The first is... well, the promise of power."
"Do you really think that dullard Warrior-King is the true ruler?"
"No, the true seat of power lies with the nobility. We know how to run a country. And the people are happy, so no one needs to know, right?"
"If he had his way, we'd all be cutting each other up every second of every day."
FOURTH CONVERSATION AND ONWARDS
"Must you continuously pester me? When I talk to you it feels like I'm talking to a wall."
"If you need pyromancy, fine, but I am interested in idle chit-chat."
SPECIAL DIALOGUE
GREETING
"I suppose you've come for pyromancy as well? Oh well, it gives me something to do in this dull place."
INTERRUPTED MENU
"Typical commoner! No manners at all."
FAREWELL
"Try not to burn yourself, now."
WARRIOR-KING MARTIN OF ADDOL
Art by Krekian
Profile:
Martin is the King of Addol, who personally went down into the Ruins, excited at the prospect of a dangerous journey.
He led his Kingdom during the Soul Wars, fighting off any who dared invade.
However, he is dim-witted, and was unaware of the secret battalions the aristocracy was deploying behind his back.
But he was not entirely inattentive, bringing Duchess Alia into the Ruins so she could spread her skills in Pyromancy among the Explorers.
Quest: SHOWDOWN WITH THE WARRIOR-KING
Warrior-King Martin sees the Aeon Ruins like a big playground, where he can test his skills against the various horrors that await.
He has powerful Pyromancies to offer, but first he must explore the Ruins to his liking.
First Encounter: When you first meet Martin, he makes quite the entrance from above, shortly before the fight against the Living Furnace. After harming him sufficiently, he will call off the match. He, on the other hand, goes a bit overboard and kills the player if not defeated.
Second Encounter: He again meets the player in Bloody Oasis. At this point, he requires the player's help taking down a gauntlet of enemies.
Final Encounter: Afterwards, he will return to the Lighthouse Dock, and sell various items, and perform Pyromancy Soul Synthesis, if the player has received that reward from Júlio.
DIALOGUE
-FIRST ENCOUNTER: SANGUINE COURT
AMBUSHING THE EXPLORER
"Haaaa! Have at you!"
"If you've made it this far, you must be a worthy foe!"
AT HALF HEALTH
"Ergh...! Well met, friend, well met indeed."
"What say you we stop, for now? To fight another day?"
IF THE EXPLORER IS KILLED
"Hey, don't just lie there! Get up and... oh. Whoops."
FIRST CONVERSATION
"You've done well! Matched me blow for blow. Not many can say that."
"I am Warrior-King Martin, of Addol. But what does that matter? We're all Explorers, down here. Equals. I won't ask you to bend your knee in my presence."
"I look forward to meeting you again in our mutual explorations! And perhaps we can find each other in the arena, as well?"
[Addol Tendency: +2]
SECOND CONVERSATION
"It's been a long time since I was able to let loose like this... these old bones were starting to get stiff!"
"Whenever I fought up on the surface, I'd always have to hold back, so as not to kill my sparring partner. It was maddening!"
"But there seems to be an endless amount of these Shades. They seem to rise up again and again, every time I rest at one of those Beacons."
"It's like a paradise! I can fight as much as I want here!
THIRD CONVERSATION AND ONWARDS
"I'd love to stay and chat, but the rest of the Ruins await."
"Seek further battles, like me, and we will surely meet again."
-SECOND ENCOUNTER: BLOODY OASIS
FIRST CONVERSATION
"This place... it frustrates me to no end! I cannot tell you how many times I've died."
"I could bear the warriors down below, if not for the archers above. Such a lopsided situation is beyond dishonorable."
"My friend, might you vanquish those archers on the battlements so I could proceed on the ground? It is only fair that we should even the odds."
SECOND CONVERSATION (AFTER THE GAUNTLET)
"Ahaha! Victory is ours! The Shades lie dead at our feet."
"But... I am finding myself quite tired. I think I'm done with exploring."
"I'll just take a rest here, you go on ahead."
THIRD CONVERSATION AND ONWARDS
"Meet me back at the Lighthouse Dock. We'll talk then."
"I must repay you for your aid, of course. I have much to teach you about the flame."
-FINAL ENCOUNTER: LIGHTHOUSE DOCK
FIRST CONVERSATION
"Hello again, brother! I'm pleased to see you safe and sound."
"I have loosened my hold on Júlio, and he now he may explore the Ruins at his leisure."
"If you see his sign, whether it be white or red, why not summon his Phantom?"
"It should be an exhilarating experience, hehehe..."
SECOND CONVERSATION
"I suppose you might be wondering why I brought that shrieking Alia down here, hmm?"
"Well, she is a master Pyromancer, for one, and an able teacher."
"But there is another reason, of which even she is likely not aware that I know."
"She is a would-be usurper, scheming with her fellows against me and my knights..."
"I'm not as dumb as they think I am. Now that she's alone, she has only herself to rely on."
"And so she sits there, impotent and useless. That is what it means to be dishonorable."
"If you can only succeed in a horde, then you have no right to stand above it."
THIRD CONVERSATION
"Have you heard the legend of the flame?"
"It is said that the first Warrior-King of Addol, a weak, cowardly man, happened upon a mighty flame."
"Just the sight of it invigorated his spirit, and he swallowed the flame whole. He was transfigured in that moment, into a man worthy to be called King."
"The flame is inside me now, passed down through a long line of challengers, who took it from the previous King in a life-or-death duel."
"To put trust in the flame is to take an oath of self-reliance, of self-assurance. Never will you doubt your own choices, your own beliefs."
"Some call us stubborn. But this is the only life we know. If unity means abandoning that, then unity is pointless."
FOURTH CONVERSATION
"Some go so far as to reject the flame entirely... we call these wretches Cryomancers."
"They live in the far north, practicing their devilish art. With a thought, they could freeze your very life-blood."
"The flame does not hate. But those who look into it with hate in their hearts only see hate reflected back at them, like an icy mirror..."
"And that hate only multiplies. I will smite any Cryomancer I see, and I implore you to do the same."
FIFTH CONVERSATION
"Sometimes I wonder what the nobles of Addol actually want out of all this... and what exactly they would have done if they had deposed me."
"Before this whole mess, Wuuheim would have crushed any sort of coup, and now the world is ending. What's the use?"
"I suppose they just want more and more... human greed has no equal."
SIXTH CONVERSATION AND ONWARDS
"In the end, I tire of this web of politics and intrigue..."
"I will enter the Arena, and fight until the Phantasm comes down here and challenges me personally."
"I'll die either then or now, so why bother just sitting around here?!"
"I hope to meet you in combat once again, my friend."
SPECIAL DIALOGUE
GREETING
"Fire up that spirit of yours! If you don't have hot blood, you'll be left out in the cold."
INTERRUPTED MENU
"Haha, back into the fray with you!"
FAREWELL
"Be more than an Explorer. Be a hero!"
PYROMANCY SOUL SYNTHESIS UNLOCKED
/h3>
"Oho, so Júlio thinks you're ready for 'that', does he?"
"Very well. You've fought against and alongside me in combat. I had no reservations in sharing this with you."
"I am a King for more than simply my royal blood. The flame of life burns within me!"
"With that tremendous flame, I can ignite powerful Souls into grand Pyromancy!"
