Refining our concept

Refining our characters

The backstory of the main two detectives

We had already worked out that out two main characters would have a long standing past with one another; 10 years prior to the start of the game, so the female would have been 14 and the male 18 at the time. The duos lives become entwined with one another when they witness the 'birth of magic'.

The man's back story: He worked for the organisation (Which are hunting the two down during the course of the game due to the birth of magic event), he was 'fast tracked' of sorts into it, we wanted to avoid the word 'prodigy' as that sounded like a far to cliché character type to use. The male is visiting the town of which the female character is from on business- not concerning the event. The 'leader' who takes him there soon develops to be the main man who chases after them. He aspired to be a part of the organisation; who are essentially the law in our world. However the man's 'image' of them is ruined after the discovery that they don't want him or the girl alive.

The female's back story: Just before the near enough cataclysmic event of her hometown; she was supposed to be in school, however she pretty much skives off and finds her way nearer to the outskirts of the town, up a tree. She loses her family in the event, she tries to run back for them as the man saves her- but he stops her from going back.

 

Coming up with the characters wasn't as difficult as planning the event that set all this in motion. We knew it was going to be enough to wipe out all witnesses but the main 2 and the 'leader' who brings the man there. The seal on magic is breaking; the seal being located underground, resulting in frequent earthquakes. These earthquakes aren't thought of much with the town due to how frequent they are, it becomes more so recently. During the man's visit, he is massively freaked out by it- we decided he would have a fear of natural disasters; but he doesn't think much of it as the rest of the townsfolk don't react overly so to the quakes. There is an initial few quakes; sort of acting like a calm before the storm. The man catches on that something really isn't right and makes a break for the edge of town, possibly to get a better view of the area; just as he veers closer to the females location the earth cracks; poisonous miasma comes pouring out, near enough obliterating those living.  As the man makes his escape, he spots the miasma bursting forth, forcing him to quicken his pace. He spots the girl in the tree mid escape and drags her along, he wouldn't leave someone for dead given the opportunity to help; it all happens so quickly she doesn't know what's going on, but she wants to go back- considering so random guy had just whisked her off.

 

The two evacuate the town relatively safely; not without a degree of exposure to the substance. The miasma pretty much wipes out the central citizens; people located further outward of its source, we came up with that the poison possibly mutates them into monsters. The main characters exposure is not to such a harsh extent, the female develops an ability to wield magic; the male is almost like the opposite, his body almost rejects it- this mutates to become a natural resistance to magic; both harmful and beneficial.

That night, the man advises that the two of them get rest before anything else. The girl leaves the camp, heading back to the site; she finds people at the outskirts surveying the area. Before she even has the chance to get any closer, the man spots her and hooks her back.

He reasons with her that there is nothing they can do- this leads to the man pretty much taking the girl under his wing, since she is still only a child technically.

 

After the event, the girl initially resorts to petty thievery to get by; whereas the male jumps straight into doing detective work, using knowledge he'd gained from his time working for the organisation. The girl is unaware of the man's for around 3 years; she then catches on to what he is doing and demands to be a part of it- her drive is to find out what exactly killed her family and this could help her to that. The man shows her the ropes and the two of them prosper with their wayward detective lifestyles.

Over the 10 years the female hones her magical abilities- not secretly.

The two get annoyed with one another occasionally, but they know when their on the same page.  

-Other traits

The female possibly had slight kleptomaniac tendencies; like a knee jerk reaction as she sees it as survival, not simply stealing.

BOTH of the detectives cannot cook at all; the male however buys food from restaurants and passes it off as his own- has done so for the past 10 years and still going. He comes up with terrible, elaborate lies about how he made them, or an old family recipe.

The girl had found out about this about 1-2 years in, but has never called him out on it.

 

The guard's back story

She was one of the refugees saved and brought to the Capricorn's kingdom after the war between them and Leo's kingdom. The King- prince back at the time; being the one to take in the refugees, he later became king and brought peace amongst the two.

She becomes the princes guard when he reaches the age of 5, making her 18- she had been with him since.

 

-The guard is gullible, but very aware of laws and so forth

-very protective of the prince and doesn't like 'commoners' getting too close to him.

 

The prince's back story

 'Facade' Prince

-sheltered

-strong moral sense to help people

-likes to help

-timid

He will flee if in danger; but if someone else is in trouble the prince finds some courage.

-over curious

-gets kidnapped at some point in the plot; this turns to an endearing trait as it twists to him saving the party.

 

"douche" prince

-indifferent

-scheming

-uses people; they are basically expendable to him.

-His motives for the keeping magic free and disrupted is purely down to boredom.

 

He uses the kings advisor- who was the spearhead for the war; his alliances still remain with the previous king-the prince acquires information about the incident with magic; and its history. The advisor believes himself to be the 'big cheese' that the prince it working to meet his ends; whereas it is the prince.

 

The Libran locked in the dungeon is the one to tip him off about magic; and by 'tip' him off, we decided that it would be in the form or insane ramblings, hence why they were locked away. The prince visits the dungeon at one point and the ramblings perk the princes interest.

 

The different races

This has been mentioned earlier in our project that we have fabricated 12 different races- obviously we will not be going into great depth with all of them; but we bounced around ideas to get a good grasp on the relationship between these races and also to get to know the workings of our world better. Surprisingly we managed to get through the races and even their relationships in the same afternoon.

Pisces- They are essentially the equivalent to mermaids; the majority of them living underwater. Some of them live on the ocean; habitats built on the water- when their bodies are dry their lower halves turn to legs. As they are capable of reaching such depths in the water; they are suppliers of fine jewellery and treasures; also more difficult to acquire food. Pisceans are a peaceful race, there are those, however who feel that their adaptability makes them better than other races. Not many people see these fish-like people often; very revered as a tourist spot as their home is quite beautiful.

Aquarius- Sea faring folk; they are the main pillar of support for fish stock and shipwrights. Sticking close to the sea is where they consider their home; mostly cliff side towns or docks. Physically, they are more resilient to the elements and very attuned to meteorology-judging the state of the atmosphere.

Aries- Medics; they refined the creation of medications and are naturally talented doctors. Their homes are mostly situated on the moors; quite airy fairy, Aries are a very friendly race. A common physical trait they all have is very fluffy, think hair; keeping the warmth in with their life in a generally foggy place.

Taurus- Well built, stocky race; men often grow horns. They are situated nearby wooded areas. thanks to their sheer strength, Taurus make most of their living from carpentry and lumber mills; along with that they are usually a forefront for combat. They make superb warriors, the equivalent to a tank. They aren't a fierce race, but creation of weaponry is also a specialty of them.

Capricorn- One of the most powerful and prosperous races; with a reigning royal family. More to be confirmed

Cancer- Six armed people, situated in boggy, swamp areas; they are quite a reclusive race and self conscious. They haven't had a great past with other races so they prefer to stick to themselves. They don't play a big impact of the economy much anymore; they used to make good all round workers thanks to their multitude of limbs and strong endurance.

Scorpio- Desert dwellers; they are dotted around in small tribes; similar to Cancer, they too are seldom seen outside their own encampments. They have developed toughened skin due to their living conditions; alongside this they are more resistant to poisons. Scorpio are honed as skilled assassins, or most stealth orientated abilities. Mostly quite self sufficient and don't feel the need to rely on the other races.

Libra- The most spiritually attuned of races, they are slender and have developed pointed ears, stories say that it is what helps them hear the land. (Sort of like elves). They are very nomadic; enjoying their lives around nature so it is uncommon to see them in larger cities, particularly those more industrially advanced. They're peaceful, but their lifestyle makes them somewhat difficult or annoying to deal with.

Virgo- The most common and most populated race is the Virgo; these are adaptable in most areas, they are basically humans. Very versatile beings, they prosper greatly with learning new things. Due to their plentiful population Virgo are often seen within communities of other races. Their bodies haven't adapted to their habitats but they are a versatile race and not one to be looked down upon.

Sagittarius- Residing mostly in the woodland, the Sagittarius are also somewhat reclusive; the most contact they are known for is with the Taurus race over the cutting down of their home. They have sharp eyes and have perfected the art of sharpshooting; making natural archers. What sets them apart greatly from most of the other races is their appearance is the most different; with the upper half of their body being that of a humans, their lower halves are of a horse, this proves to give them fantastic endurance and makes them one of the fastest races on land. Sagittarius also developed a postal system, thanks to their great speed; also pulling along larger objects. Never ride on the back of a Sagittarius, they are a proud race and it is a great offense to do so.

Leo- Highly respected race and currently their home is the capitol; they are the most prosperous for the upcoming industrial movements. They are very proud and all share similar golden, thick mane-like hair. Leo are infamous for their knights, adorned with their lion armour. Despite such infamy and pride; they are an open minded race, they are very dedicated and strong willed.

Gemeni- Possibly the most secluded and least known race, the Gemini reside on an island away from everyone. They are one of the oldest and most magically attuned of the 12; they hold the knowledge of the true history of the world and the secrets behind the seal on magic. Gemini also hold the most unusual appearance in the fact that the undergo a physical change when exposed to the moon; during the day they all have pale skin and dark hair, during the night it inverts: their skin darkens and hair becomes white. Visitors who so much as veer close to their island seldom see the natives; go so far as cloaking themselves to avoid being seen. The transformation they go through has a single night a month, on a new moon, Gemini remains unchanged. This is a very spiritual time for them; it is a night where their seers experience visions and are at their most connected with magic; this is also when they choose their seers. When chosen the Seers appearance makes a permanent change of their hair staying stark white along with their skin.